Pure

Maigred put the pouch of basil in the pantry with the other herbs, trying not to think too deeply about the gifts. Yes, rosemary, basil and especially roses, all had romantic connotations, but maybe Finten was truly just grateful for her help and there wasn’t anything romantic behind his gifts at all.

She let out a sigh and let the busyness of the kitchen distract her from her thoughts over Finten, until a young girl came bursting in through the back door. She looked frantic and scared. She went immediately to Maigred. “Please, is Finten here? I looked for him at the manor, but they said he was here.”

Maigred recognized her. Her name was Niamh, she used come to the breakfasts that Maigred had for young children who weren’t apprenticed to a trade yet. She had stopped coming when she was seven because her family needed more help on the farm. She was probably close to eight now. She was too thin and her eyes had large dark circles under them.

“What do you need Finten for? What’s wrong?” Maigred asked, concerned.

“One of the lord’s men is after mama again.”

This didn’t clear up Maigred’s confusion at all. “Why is your mama in trouble?”

“Finten is in the dining room,” Cara said from her corner, where she was knitting a blanket with the yarn that Eoghan had bought for her the other day.

Niamh nodded at her and ran to the dining room. Maigred followed her. Little Niamh burst into the dining room, located Finten and ran straight to him.

He turned to her immediately his expression turning concerned. “What is it, Niamh?” He held out his hand and she took it.

“It’s the lord’s man. He came early this time.”

Finten’s faced darkened. He gave a nod and started to rise but Conall put his hand on Finten’s shoulder. “No. You’re still weak from presentation day.”

Finten turned towards him with a frown. “I’ll be fine.”

Conall shook his head. “You’re still weak, Finten. If you die, we’re all lost. Let one of us go this time.”

Finten’s face darkened further. “I don’t want Alvie using her magic on you. She wont hurt me more than she needs to, but she might do something terrible to you.”

“Then Ailbhe is going to have to pay her own dues this time,” Conall answered.

“No.” Finten tried to rise again but Conall’s hand tightened on his shoulder.

“We can afford her death, we can afford one of us dying, but we can’t afford you dying.”

The expression on Finten’s face turned thunderous, but he stopped trying to get up.

“Can I help?” Maigred asked, thoroughly confused.

Finten looked up at her quickly. “No.”

“Why can’t she help?” Gusan asked. “She helped us yesterday.”

Finten scowled.

“What’s the problem?” Maigred stepped up to the table across from Finten and rested her arms on the back of an empty chair.

Finten’s men looked at him expectantly. He glared around the table at them for a moment, then let out a breath. “Niamh’s mama is owns a farm, her crops were hit with blight two years ago, she lost nearly the entire harvest. She couldn’t fulfill Hadeaon’s tax quota, so she owes the tax collector a debt with an interest so high, that even if she had a perfect harvest, every season, for the rest of her life, she’ll never pay the debt off.

“She has to pay off a certain amount of the total debt every three months, or Hadeaon’s tax collector will take whatever will fulfill that debt. She’s already had to give him the paper rights to her land, so now all the crops she raises belong to him. All she has left to pay with are her children, her husband, or her life.

Heat and anger flashed through Maigred’s body. Her hands clenched on the back of the chair. “No.”

Finten gave her a nod. “Exactly.”

“But I don’t understand. What do you give him to cover her debt?”

Finten’s mouth flattened. He shrugged. “Whatever Alvie can give him from me.”

Something about the way he said that made her body go cold. “What do you mean?”

“You know that hearth magic is used to heal, and give life. Alvie uses her wild magic to transfer life away, she can give it to someone or something else.”

Maigred stared at him in horror. “You let her do that to you?”

Finten frowned at her. “What else am I supposed to do? Let Hadeaon take people’s children or make them orphans? I’m their protector. If I can’t fight, I can at least give my life for them.”

Fuck. Maigred clutched at the chair back. The room wavered in front of her eyes for a moment, but she wasn’t having a vision.

“Maigred?” Finten’s voice was concerned.

She swallowed. I have to get ahold of myself. I can be angry later. “I have something I can trade for her debt this time.”

“No. Treaseaigh is dangerous, I don’t want you near him.” Finten had risen to his feet. His golden eyes were dark and his fists were clenched.

Maigred raised an eyebrow. “How do you plan to stop me?” She turned on her heel and went upstairs.

“Maigred.” Finten was following her. “You can’t do this.”

She went down the hall to her room. She shut and locked the door behind her.

“Maigred.” Finten said through the door.

Maigred knelt in front of the chest at the foot of her bed. Finten was still talking outside her door, listing off reasons he thought her going was a terrible idea, but she ignored him. She fished the little key she wore on a chain around her neck out of the front of her blouse. She unlocked the chest and raised the lid.

Her blue and grey acolyte robes were folded on top. She carefully took them out of the chest and laid them aside. Under that was the quilt she had wrapped Sinead in when she was a newborn. She touched it reverently, a lump rising in her throat. Then she reached for a small wooden box in the back corner. She undid the latch and opened it. It had thirteen little compartments, a small glass bottle stood in each compartment. Two of the bottles were much smaller than the others, their compartments having been made from dividing one of the normally sized compartments in half. She pulled out one of those smallest bottles and peered through the glass. It was half full of brown, ribbed seeds.

Maigred rummaged in her trunk and found a piece of paper that she folded into a little packet. She carefully poured six seeds into the little paper pouch, then closed the jar and replaced it in the box. She repacked the trunk, locked it, folded the little paper packet shut and slipped it into her pocket. Then she unlocked her door and opened it.

Finten had been leaning against her door. His large frame filled the doorway. “-and your child, what will happen to her if something happens to you?” He continued his pleading.

“Finten.”

He stopped talking.

“Get out of my way.”

He stepped back into the hallway and she followed him out, shutting and locking her door behind herself. “I’ve made up my mind and you’re not going to stop me. You might as well save your breath.” She turned and made her way downstairs.

“What are you going to offer him?”

Maigred turned to him. “Tansy seeds,” she said quietly.

Finten’s eyes widened. “You have tansy seeds?”

Maigred gave a nod. “A few.”

“And you’re going to let one of Hadeaon’s men have them?”

“I’m only giving him six.”

Finten was quiet for a moment. “Maigred, please don’t go.”

“What am I supposed to do, Finten? Let Hadeaon take Niamh or make her an orphan?”

He didn’t say anything.

Conall was waiting at the foot of the stairs for them. He searched their faces wordlessly, as if to gauge how their conversation had gone. Maigred didn’t acknowledge him. She went past him into the dinning room and called Niamh to her side. “We’re going to get things all squared away for your mama,” she said reassuringly to the little girl.

Niamh looked behind Maigred to Finten.

Maigred didn’t hear him say anything, but the little girl fell into step with Maigred without another word.