CA Chapter Eight (Patreon)

After lunch, Ava took Amy out for another ‘walk’. Petunia’s mother, Florence, had offered to clean Ava’s filthy dress while they ate, so Ava was back in her relatively comfortable clothes. She knew she should go back and continue working with the clay, but she didn’t want to get so dirty again so soon. Fortunately, it seemed that Aspen had had a similar thought, and when Ava pushed the door open, he was waiting, though this time he was wielding a pair of long shears.

::Ah, good,:: he sent, though he didn’t glance at her. ::I left you something beneath the gazebo bench. I, ah, didn’t really think about how messy Juniper got when she made those mud balls. I think the maids cleaned her up before she was allowed inside.::

Ava blinked. Maids? Just who was Aspen, when he wasn’t a farmer? She shook her head, dismissing her own curiosity. It didn’t matter, as long as he was able to help her. Maybe when all this was over, she’d find out.

Leaning forward, Ava murmured, “Come on, princess. Let’s go check out the gazebo, hmm?”

Gazebos, at least ones that weren’t covered in graffiti or half-burned from an arson attempt, weren’t exactly plentiful in Ava’s experience. There might have been one at a park when she was younger, but she was more interested in playing than admiring the architecture, so she wasn’t sure she would have noticed.

This one was lovely, though. Vine-covered arches made from white-painted wood shadowed the winding bluestone path, and the gazebo itself was at the center of a sort of private maze, separated from prying eyes and wandering servants alike. Sure enough, there was a bundle beneath the bench, and Ava settled down, leaving Amy in her chair to watch dozens of tiny birds as they chirped and hopped their way through the foliage that surrounded them.

Staring down at the array of leather strings that fell out when she unwrapped the simple brown cloth package, she asked, ::What is this?::

Sheepishly, Aspen said, ::Materials for several projects using leather. There’s an awl and some leather strips, so you can braid the strips, and create necklaces and bracelets. You can punch holes in the leather, and hang them like pendants. If you use more strips as fringe, it should meet the requirement that you craft at least half of the item you’re enchanting. I just gathered all the scraps the leatherworker had, and bought leather scissors and the awl. You can cut and tie it together into whatever shape you need, and when you’re done, just put it all back, and I’ll hide it until tomorrow.::

::I hope not,” Ava sent, grimly. ::I want to get out of here. Today.::

Ava lifted the mass of leather, revealing pieces of all shapes and sizes beneath the bunches of narrow strips, as well as the simple tools. The awl was a sharp metal spike jutting out of a wooden handle, and the scissors had shorter, thicker blades and larger finger-holes than she was used to. She wasn’t exactly certain what to do with it all, but she was sure she could figure something out. Her [Enchant] wasn’t high enough yet that she could work with more durable items like metal wire, but enchanting the leather should be within her capabilities.

Quickly, she braided three strands together, knotting them at the ends to create a very shoddy-looking bracelet. As she tied the last knot, she tried using [Enchant] to attach a single use of [Sneak] to the item.

[Enchant] failed. You must craft at least half of the finished item yourself.

Okay, so that wasn’t complex enough. She hadn’t tanned the leather, or cut the strips, so just braiding and tying them wasn’t good enough. She puffed out a frustrated breath.

“All,” a weak, fuzzy voice said, and Ava looked over at Amy. The woman’s eyes were focused, and she was looking at the items in Ava’s lap. Amy’s hands twitched, and she said, “All” again.

Ava looked down and saw the awl, realized what Amy wanted, and placed the tool in Amy’s hand, though not without a good measure of trepidation. The thing was wickedly sharp. Amy tried to grasp it, but her fingers just slid off the handle, allowing it to slip from her lap and clatter to the ground. Ava picked it up, holding it out questioningly.

“Share,” Amy slurred.

“I… don’t think you can hold it, or I would.” Ava told her.

Amy’s head rolled to one side, and at first Ava thought she was gone again, but then she said, as clearly as she could, “S-k-ware.”

“Skware?” Ava looked at the leather again. “Oh! Square!” She picked up a square of leather perhaps an inch wide.

“Awl,” Amy said, her fingers twitching in her lap.

Ava pressed the tip of the awl against the square and poked a hole in it.

“‘Gain,” Amy insisted, so Ava poked another hole. One more, and Amy seemed satisfied.

“Tie,” Amy told her, though her slack mouth popped as she tried to enunciate, causing the ‘t’ to sound more like a strange ‘p’ instead. Still Ava was starting to understand, so she tied one end of one of the leather strips to the square.

“‘Gain,” Amy said, and they repeated this until all three holes had strings dangling from them.

Now Ava got it. The square was a foundation for the braid, and punching the holes added another bit of complexity and effort to the project. Quickly, she braided the strips together, then punched three more holes on the side of the square opposite to the first. She tied the ends of the braid to the square, producing a very awkward and ugly bracelet, and completely forgot to try to [Enchant] it.

Muttering a curse, she tried again. This time, her holes were neatly aligned, and she wove the strands of leather through, instead of tying them, which gave her more strings to work with, and looked better. A simple six-string braid, then knots at the end, which she tried to make at least a little more aesthetically pleasing, and she was so caught up in creation that she barely remembered to try to [Enchant] the new bracelet with [Identify] before tightening the last knot.

[Enchant] successful. You have created a Simple Woven Bracelet. Simple Woven Bracelet is enchanted with one use of [Identify] - Level 3.

Grinning, Ava held up the bracelet, but Amy’s eyes were glassy and distant, staring vacantly at the hints of blue sky above them. Ava’s hands clenched into fists, the leather digging into her palm. It was all right. She knew Amy was in there, somewhere, and they were going to get her out.

Transferring her attention to the pile of leather scraps, Ava tried to make her mind see all the possibilities in it. How many things could she create? How many would be different enough to give her full experience? If she could make each item different enough, she actually might be able to do this today.

The light that filtered through the vines was growing weak, and held hints of reds and oranges by the time Ava wove one last narrow strip though one more hole in a long rectangle of leather. This was one of her largest pieces, by far, and it should make a sort of woven leather bracer that would provide very little protection in battle, but wouldn’t look like complete rubbish.

[Enchant] successful. You have created a Basic Bracer. Basic Bracer is enchanted with one use of [Sneak] - Level 5.

[Enchant] is now level 10. Congratulations! You may now cast two single-use enchantments on one item, or two uses of one enchantment.

With an “Oof,” Ava sat back, her shoulders twinging painfully. It was done, though, and now she could go ahead with the rest of the plan.

::Aspen?:: Ava asked over party chat.

::The rest of the gardeners went home for the day, so he had to leave,:: Silus answered. ::Are you finally done? It was so boring waiting all day!::

Ava stood, packing the remaining scraps of leather, the tools, and her finished projects into the piece of cloth Aspen had originally wrapped them in. She started to close it up, then hesitated and opened it again, taking out the awl, the bracer, and a few other better-quality items. She gingerly slid the awl down the front of her dress, reminding herself that she absolutely mustn’t lean forward suddenly, and tucked everything else into the folds of Amy’s skirts, so they were hidden between the fabric and the chair.

Once the bundle was tucked far back under the bench, Ava took hold of the handles of Amy’s chair and turned it, heading back out the way they’d come in. The wheels rattled on the stones, announcing their approach, and even before Ava emerged from beneath the overhanging vines, a breathless Petunia appeared.

“Oh, Lady Ava!” The girl gasped. Her face was flushed, and her eyes wide. “There you are! Dinner is ready, and no one knew where you were. My mother was nearly ready to send the guards out looking, but she decided to send me once more, since no one saw you leave the gardens, so here I am, and here you are at last!”

Ava hesitated, a chill going down her back. Aspen had chosen an excellent place for her to hide while she worked, but it might have been too good. If the guards had been called, they would certainly have reported to Veralt, who might have come himself, or ordered someone to stay with them at all times, even when they were on the castle grounds.

She smiled, though she knew it was stiff and unconvincing. “The gazebo was so pleasant, I lost track of time. I’m sorry. Let’s get back to the residence before your mother worries further.”

Petunia nodded, spun on her heel, and darted back down the path. Ava hoped she would reach Florence before the older woman sicced the guards on them, and potentially ruined Ava’s chance to escape, at least for today.

She pushed Amy’s chair as quickly as she dared, but before she was even halfway to the princess’ garden house, Petunia returned, followed by someone else. In the rapidly deepening twilight, it was hard to tell who the tall, broad-shouldered figure was, but the skirts told Ava it wasn’t a guard, all of whom were male.

“Lady Ava,” Florence said, her resonant voice sounding more like a sergeant snapping the name of a subordinate than a maid speaking to her superior. “Where have you been? Didn’t you think we might be worried?”

Ava ducked her head, shoulders growing tight, then remembered who she was supposed to be, and forced her chin back up. Meeting Florence’s stern gaze, she asked, “What right do you have to question me? I was here, on the castle grounds, just like I’m supposed to be. How is it my fault if you couldn’t find me?”

Florence drew in a deep breath, looking as if she’d snap back at Ava, but then she blinked, and the expression was gone as quickly as it had appeared, shifting to the blank obedience that had been the norm before today.

Instead of continuing to chastise Ava, Florence bobbed a curtsey, her head hanging. “You’re right, of course, Lady Ava. I’m sorry. We were… worried?” She sounded truly uncertain what emotion she had been feeling only a minute before, and Ava nodded in spite of the visceral feeling of repulsion she felt at seeing someone who was so vibrantly alive shift to nothing but an automaton.

Glancing at Petunia, she saw that the girl looked confused, too, though not in the same way her mother was. No, the girl looked like she was seeing something she’d never noticed before, and she found it as disturbing as Ava did.

Ava’s fingers clenched around the handles of Amy’s wheelchair. She couldn’t wait to get out of this place. Without another word, the four women made their way down the path, the only sound the rattle of wheels against bluestones.