famine

Eira's hand fell across her stomach, gazing beyond the library's gazebo into the angry summer sky. Not a cloud was above her. The gazebo usually had a fanciful fountain working with flowing, rich waters. Now, the well was dried up and hot from the sun's relentless beatings. The drought was taking its tole… She closed her eyes, looking back to the previous night.

Egfor was out hunting boars and bears, and my body and quite frankly my spirit was not up to hauling water to the fields. So instead, I took the gold Nim provided me and went to the market. I bought out all the flour and then waited for the women to come in for their daily shopping.

In the shadow of the jail wall, Beri paused for a moment to catch her breath. The jail behind her screamed like a spring torrent, and it was only a matter of time before Graeme's guards charged her. "Hurry," Beri said to herself.

The bears were being culled now, the hunters staggering home under the weight of their prizes. The Beorning sped up the slope in the shadows, unnoticed.