Amber Sky (C.O.I.L.S Of Copper and Brass Book 1)

by Claire Warner

  “But if the families have them, then they may have hidden them,” Roj continued, his imagination clearly fired by the thought of such a thing.

  “And Lars seems to believe they exist,” Lana chimed in. “You could do what he asks?”

  “And then what?” Tay snapped back, tired of the speculation. “What do you think is going to happen?” She tried to hold back the angry tears that threatened to spill down her face. “It’s just a tale and not true.” She waved toward the wagons that laid in the hall. “Now finish putting away the rations so I can start on dinner.” There was a moment’s silence before they both nodded and stood up. Tay leant back against the chair and closed her eyes, wondering why she felt so defensive. It was purely a fairy tale; a pretty little fable of hope for children. She had spent her childhood listening to her mother recite it, so why did Lars believe in such a thing? There was a rattle from the hall as Lana pushed one of the empty wagons into the cupboard under the stairs, and Tay opened her eyes.

  Pushing herself from the chair, she headed to the kitchen and began to prepare the evening meal. As several chunks of meat sizzled in a pot on the stove, she turned to the large, new sack of potatoes, removed three and headed for the sink.

  Cold water gushed from the tap as she began to scrub the thick clods of mud from the tubers in her hand. “Why are you so angry about this?” Lana’s voice interrupted, and she stopped moving to glance across at her younger sister. With a peeler and several carrots held in her hands, Lana looked almost domesticated. Tay nearly made a point of mentioning it but decided against it.

  “I’m not angry,” she replied, returning the potato in her hand to the stream of icy-cold water. “I just think it’s foolish to put such trust in an old fairy tale, that’s all.” She scrubbed vigorously, trying to cover her agitation with industry.

  “It’s because of Mother, isn’t it?”

  Tay slammed the potato down and whirled about to face Lana. Her sister stared back at her, curiosity and concern etched onto her face.

  “I know that it upsets you Tay, but…”

  “It has nothing to do with Mother,” Tay snapped, picking up the potato once more and scrubbing it with excessive zeal. “It’s a tale, a fairy story told so that we will believe that something will change things.”

  “You don’t think that we can change what’s happening?”

  “No I don’t.” She finished with the first potato and placed it in a pot of cold water. “Even if Lars and his friends manage to overthrow the families, what will happen then?”

  “It’s something to try,” Lana retorted as she finished peeling the first of the carrots and started on the next. “Don’t you think that freedom would be worth it?”

  “Freedom.” Tay gave a snort of derision as she continued to scrub the potatoes. “All that’s going to happen is a lot of death, destruction and starvation.” She threw the second potato into the pot and picked up the third.

  “But we’re already starving,” Lana argued. “The guards already act as they please, so…”

  “Don’t talk about things you don’t understand.” Tay threw the last potato into the pot and turned to stare at her sister.

  “Okay.” Lana slammed the peeled carrots down on the counter. “I’ll talk about what I understand.” She drew a knife out of the drawer and began to chop the carrots with heavy, irritated gestures. “I know that you’re scared of doing anything because of Mum and Dad.”

  Tay froze in the act of placing the pot on the stove and stared at Lana, her voice dropping open in shock. “I’m not scared,” she argued, wondering when her younger sister had begun to sound so adult.

  “Yes. You. Are.” Lana punctuated each word with a heavy blow from the hand holding the blade. “Mother left us, and died for the cause, and Father got sent to the Mine. You’re scared that you’ll be picked up next.” She picked up the handful of carrot pieces and placed them in a bowl. “You’re afraid that Roj and I won’t manage without you.”

  “You won’t manage without me,” Tay argued as she finally found her voice. “You know that neither of you can draw ration yet.” She placed the pot of potatoes on the stove, and turned back to her sister. “If I get arrested, you two will starve.” She stared intently into Lana’s eyes, trying to make her understand.

  “No, we won’t.”

  “Really?” Tay asked, her patience nearing its limit. “And what do you intend to eat if ration is withheld?”

  “We have the garden,” Lana insisted, waving the knife around in her agitation. “And we can get help from Cody and Lars.”

  A sharp bark of laughter escaped Tay’s lips. “Oh that’s rich.” A small sprinkle of salt went into the pot. “They didn’t even offer to help when Father was arrested. They only sent me to Darius.” Tay slammed the lid down on the pot of potatoes and began to busy herself with the rapidly browning meat. “They could let you starve.” Her voice was soft, anger muted by fear. “You’re too young to be involved in this.” She turned the meat over and whispered. “I don’t want to lose you as well.”

  “I’m not a child anymore,” Lana insisted, matching her tone to Tay’s. “I’ll be able to draw ration next year.” She returned the knife to the chopping board and began to fill a smaller pan with water. “I’m not going to get a good placement, and we’ll still starve.”

  “No you won’t,” Tay replied, “but you certainly will if I get arrested.”

  “But aren’t you fed up with this?” She gathered the small heap of carrots and threw them in the other pot. “Living to the tune of the ration? And then there’s Darius.” She dropped the knife on the counter. “You know he will be asking for his favour.” Stepping closer to a now silent and wondering Tay, she continued, “You can’t protect us forever, and if you do as Lars and Cody want, then we may not have to live in fear.” Silence reigned in the kitchen as Lana finally finished speaking. The water in the pans started to simmer as Tay stared at her younger sister, impressed not only by her passion but by her maturity.

  “I’ll think about it,” Tay conceded, turning back to the stove and dinner. “Now get your homework done while I finish tea.”

  “Alright.” Lana moved toward the door. As she reached it, she turned back. “Please think about it Tay.” Her voice was soft, pleading, and Tay bit her lip. “We need more than this.” She left the kitchen, leaving Tay alone with the simmering pans of food, and her thoughts.

  After checking the meat, Tay leant back against one of the kitchen counters and stared up at the ceiling. How could she think about joining the revolution? The consequences for her family if she were caught would be unthinkable. She chewed her lip in thought as she removed the meat from the pan. It wasn’t that she liked the system－far from it, she hated the guards and the quotas－it was just that there wasn’t anything she could do about it. She wasn’t a soldier, she knew nothing about activism. All she was trying to do was keep her siblings alive. Stirring a couple of tablespoons of flour into the meat juices, she began to make gravy, struggling with the thoughts that would not leave her.

  “Why does she have to be right?” she muttered as she returned the meat to the pan and checked on the potatoes. “But I just can’t abandon them.” And there was Darius to consider. She still had no idea as to his plans or what he would ask her to do. Rubbing the bridge of her nose, she tried to come to some kind of decision.

  Chapter 5

  Tay walked back to the Frazers’ house the following morning with a heavy heart and tired eyes. The conversations of the previous night had not managed to resolve themselves, and she had spent a good portion of the night wide awake and worrying. She had easily said no to Lars and Cody, but she was concerned about her sister. Lana had shown far too much interest in the workings of the revolutionaries for her to be comfortable with. She had drummed into Lana that neither Lars nor Cody were allowed in the house when she was not there, but she felt that the warning had fallen on deaf ears. Lana was clearly enamoured with the idea of rebellion. She wa
lked down the alley and out into the square, her mind still focused on Lana.

  “Good morning.” Tay jumped as Darius fell into step beside her. He was dressed for the cold in a long woollen coat. Beneath a warm-looking winter hat, deep blue eyes stared down at her. “Did you have a good evening?”

  “Yes, thank you,” she answered as she dropped her gaze to the floor, flustered by his regard. “How did you manage to fix my ration allowance?”

  “I have my ways,” he replied in soft tones.

  “Well, I just wanted to thank you.” They walked in awkward silence across the main square, their feet crunching on the frosted ground.

  “It wasn’t anything.” She chanced a look upward only to look away hurriedly as Darius stared back at her. “You needed time to see your family,” he finished, as her gaze slid back to the ground. She looked at the cobbles, the fountain, anywhere but toward his face. Darius seemed comfortable with the quiet, yet Tay’s mind was a whirl of questions. The people in the plaza appeared to pay them no mind as they passed, yet Tay was convinced that they were marking her every move. Uncomfortable with the lengthening quiet, Tay opened her mouth once more.

  “What is this favour?” she asked, hating the whiny note to her voice. “Can you just tell me?”

  Darius came to a stop in the shadow of the fountain and turned to face her. Caught by surprise, Tay’s momentum carried her forward for a few startled paces before she too came a halt. She turned back to face him, heart racing with anticipation.

  “You will know soon,” he whispered. Tay moved closer, finding it difficult to hear.

  “I don’t understand.” Tay stared up at him, her face flushed from the cold and emotion. “What can I do for you?” He made to speak, but she overrode him. “You’re the Overseer’s son, you have access to wealth that I can only dream about, what could you possibly need from me?” Her fingers played nervously with the key to her room.

  “You’d be surprised.” The wry tones rippled between them, and a strange shudder flowed down her spine at his voice. “Are you unhappy with your current placement?” His eyes flicked down to her trembling hands as he spoke.

  “No.” She replied. “I just…” Her fingers twitched involuntarily, and she dropped the key. Darius gave a small chuckle and bent down to retrieve it.

  “Why are you so nervous?” he asked, as he returned the key to her hands. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

  “How can I be sure about that?” The words escaped from her lips, relieved to finally fill the air between them. “I don’t know what you want, or what you could ever need. I’m just a servant.”

  “Nobody is ever ‘just’ anything,” he replied with some heat to his voice. “And it is certainly not my intent to hurt you.” A long sigh escaped his lips, and he seemed to come to a decision. “All I will tell you now is that I need you to stay within reach.”

  “Is that all?” Confusion settled over her as she struggled to work out his motives.

  “No.” The clock in the square began to chime the quarter hour, interrupting her question before it could be voiced. Darius glanced up at the clock face. “But we certainly can’t talk about this at the moment.” He turned back toward the square and began to walk. “Otherwise work will be wondering where you got to.”

  Tay looked at the time, panic replacing annoyance as she realised her lateness. Matching her stride to his, they continued to walk across the square in silence. As the Overseer’s house came into view, Darius moved away from her side with barely a glance in her direction.

  “You’d better go in.” His voice drifted across her ears, and she tore her gaze away from the looming house to glance over at him. He was striding toward the front entrance of his home with the air of someone on business. Satisfied that he was no longer looking her way, Tay moved to the left and began to walk toward the Frazers’ home.

  “Darius.” A woman’s voice called through the frosty air, and Tay’s head whipped round, trying to locate the source. Dressed in the trappings of nobility, the girl, for she was close to Tay’s age, moved down the steps of Darius’ home and rushed into his arms. Embarrassed by the affectionate display and conscious of the passing time, Tay turned away from the sight and walked down the set of stairs into the kitchen.

  Warmth settled over her chilled body as she walked into the steamy kitchen.

  “Ahh good, you’re back,” Meg called as Tay removed her outer coat, and placed it in the cupboard with the rest of the outerwear. “Can you go through the dressers and thoroughly clean the dinner service?” At Tay’s quizzical look, she explained, “The Frazers are hosting a dinner party for the Overseer and his family tonight.”

  “Are you sure she’s not going to break anything?” Lora called from the other side of the kitchen table. “You know how clumsy she is.”

  Tay’s face reddened, yet she stopped herself from launching herself toward the other girl. It seemed as though the evening’s freedom had not improved the girl’s disposition toward her.

  “Give it a rest Lora,” one of the other kitchen maids piped up from the other side of the room. “She’s done nothing to you.”

  Tay flashed a grateful smile at the other girl as she walked toward the first dresser and the array of plates that laid within. Opening the heavy, wooden doors, she picked up the first stack of plates, and carefully turned around, fully conscious of Lora’s tendency to aid her clumsiness.

  “Do you need any help?” The friendly kitchen maid stepped to her side and, without waiting for an answer, reached into the cupboard and picked up a second stack of plates.

  “Thanks,” Tay whispered as they walked across the kitchen toward the scullery.

  “We’re not all like her, you know.” She leant back against the scullery door and pushed it open. “I’m Annabeth, but most people just call me Beth.” She held the door open as she waited for a response.

  “Tay.” Walking through the open door, Tay placed the plates on the kitchen side. “I haven’t seen you here before.”

  “Oh, you wouldn’t have.” Beth placed her stack of plates on top of Tay’s and smiled. “I’ve just spent the last few weeks working in the Overseer’s house.”

  Tay stopped in the process of turning on the tap, and raised her eyebrows. “Can you do that?” She picked up the slab of dish soap and shaved several flakes from it. Throwing the soap shavings into the sink, she turned on the tap.

  “Oh yes”－Beth replied as she dug a second cloth out of a drawer and began to wash the plates－“we do it all the time. If you’ve got a good record, you can be sent to help them out.” She placed the first plate onto the draining board and started on the second. Tay leant past her and began to dry. Her mind was whirling, it seemed too much of a coincidence that she would be placed into a position where she could end up serving in Darius’ household. She had assumed that he wouldn’t wish her to.

  “So does this happen often?”

  “Often enough,” Beth continued. “Usually when they’re short-handed.”

  “Hoping to get an invite over there?” Lora’s sharp tones echoed through the kitchen, and both girls stared toward the door.

  “So what if I am?” Tay snapped back, forgetting her desire to remain calm.

  “A gutter brat like you?” Lora gave a vicious chuckle. “You’ve got no chance.”

  “And yet, I’m here,” Tay replied, playing to the lie with airy abandon. She washed the next plate and continued. “I guess I must be doing something right if I”－she stressed the word－“can get a job here.” Placing the cloth down on the side, she threw a quick, mocking smile at Lora. “Or is it just not that challenging to find a place in this household?”

  Lora turned a shade of crimson, and took a step forward, only to be stopped in her tracks by Beth.

  “Just leave it,” Beth advised. “I’m sure you’ve got work to do.”

  Tay watched with no small sense of satisfaction as the other girl stalked out of the kitchen in a huff. Beth waited for the door to clos
e before turning to face Tay.

  “Well, she’s gotten her knickers in a twist.” Tay gave a snort of laughter, as she turned back to the stack of dishes. “Let me guess,” Beth continued, “she’s been picking on you since you got here?”

  “Yeah.” Tay reached into the hot water and grasped the next plate. “She always seems to be around when I have a clumsy accident.”

  “Oh, she’s good like that.” Beth brought the next stack of plates over to the sink. “But general bitchiness aside, she’s relatively harmless.” Tay raised an eyebrow. “Okay, harmless is probably stretching it a little, but if you stick up for yourself, you should be fine.”

  “It’s not her that I’m worried about.”

  “Don’t worry about Meg, she’s sharper than she looks…”

  “Are you two going to natter all day, or do you want to do some work?” Meg’s voice echoed through the room, and both girls jumped. “Things must have been too easy over there,” she commented as she walked into the scullery, a fresh stack of plates held in her hands. “You seem to have gotten a little lazy.”

  “Sorry Meg,” Beth apologised as she picked up the next plate and began to dry it with increased alacrity.

  “Well, chop to it,” Meg continued as she settled the plates on the counter. “The breakfast service will be coming back to the kitchen soon, and I want all of these plates cleaned and ready before it does.”

  “Yes Meg,” both girls chorused as they returned to their work.

  They had very little time to converse after that. Dinner for so many people required the complete dinner service which had been held in storage. Once that had been washed, the breakfast plates and pans swamped the small scullery. As the day wore on, the jobs continued to pile up. The noonday meal passed in a blur, filled with a seemingly never-ending supply of dirty crockery. As the sky beyond the window darkened, Tay was finally able to stop and rest. Drawing her body upright from the sink, she rubbed her tired eyes and stretched. Her back and neck were aching, and her fingers were rubbed raw.