A Proper Education: Chapter Seventeen

Escape could not be ventured lightly.

Credence would have to carefully plot the path ahead before even dreaming of moving forward. A decent sense of direction came naturally to her, and she learned to be observant of her surroundings from growing up in the woods. She knew how to recognize patterns and landmarks and smaller details. She noted the colors of buildings and tried her best to memorize the names on the signs she passed.

Once, Credence turned into a street and found herself on a direct path to the large entry gates she had entered the towns through. They were patrolled, as always, by guards with breastplates and bows, who walked back and forth in endless watch, their eyes looking for the slightest disturbance. Getting to the gate would be easy, but getting past the guards would prove a challenge.

If only she had Ma's book. There was bound to be something inside that might help. There might even be a spell to aid her escape.

But she didn't have the book, and her magical knowledge was limited.

It made Credence feel like a failure. She was the daughter of a powerful witch, but she could barely conjure fire or cast a spell beyond the Circle of Protection.

Wanting to distract herself from these hateful thoughts, Credence decided to present herself for work detail. She had seen a decent portion of the towns and felt content she knew the way to the entry gate well enough. She opened her map and went towards the designated "X".

She stopped before a wood and stone structure nestled within a cluster of buildings near the clearing where the Auction had taken place. It was a plain establishment, with nothing to distinguish itself except a worn sign dangling above two equally faded and chipped green doors. The sign had once hung straight by two iron chains, but was now at a slant given that one chain had rusted until it broke.

Scratched into the wood of the sign were the barely legible words, Hutch Tavern.

Credence checked her map one final time to make sure the "X" correlated with the view in front of her before grabbing one of the door handles.

She hesitated.

She'd been so focused on the Headmaster and her escape that she hadn't given any thought to being under the care of new strangers.

What if the family didn't want her? What if they were cruel?

What if they chained her to the floor and never gave her the chance to leave?

With great trepidation, Credence pushed the green door open.

Inside was a spacious room filled with tables and chairs, all of them in shabby condition. A long counter sat at the back of the room, running almost the entire length of the wall, and behind that counter stood two closed doors.

On either side of the room sat a fireplace, with a strong flame alive and popping to warm the room. The place, which looked like it could comfortably hold fifty people, was empty save for three tired bodies slumped over a bowl of morning porridge, and it was thick with silence, something Credence thought impossible given how naturally loud the towns was. Every time someone moved the furniture groaned like it shared the same ache as the backside that sat upon it.

Behind the counter was a woman who looked around the same age as Ma, focused on the task of wiping the same stain over and over with a rag. She hadn't noticed the arrival of someone new until Credence approached the counter and spoke.

"Excuse me, my name is Credence—" The woman jumped with a startled gasp. "The school sent me here for work detail."

The woman's eyes grew wide before settling into a happy expression, and she slung the dirty rag over her shoulder and wiped her hands on her skirts.

"That was today? Wonderful!" she cried. "And perfect timing, too! Just getting the last of breakfast out."

She exited the room through one of the doors behind the counter, not bothering to introduce herself and leaving Credence in awkward silence. She returned quickly, kicking the door open, and carried a steaming bowl and a cup to the counter before nodding at Credence.

"Mind taking food here?"

Credence took her seat on a tall stool closest to the meal, but as there were no utensils to eat with she could do little more than stare at it.

The woman waited.

"Well go on," she said at last, a little exasperated, "they told me I was supposed to feed you when you arrived. Eat up!"

"I'm sorry," Credence began as politely as she could, wary of the woman's temperament, "but I don't have a spoon."

The color drained from the woman's face. She looked at Credence's bowl, slightly confused, then looked back up at her guest.

She let out a loud, snorting laugh.

"Sow's ass I am," she said through her laughter. "Damn this forgetful mind! Wouldn't even think to carry my own hands if they weren't tied to the bone!"

The woman scurried back behind the door and returned with a spoon that had a chunk missing from the tip of its bowl.

She handed it to Credence, who dove into her breakfast with vigor, only now aware of how hungry she was.

The woman leaned on the counter and watched her guest eat, content that someone enjoyed her cooking. In truth, the porridge was not very tasty, as the woman had managed to burn it. The meal reminded Credence of a time when Ma allowed Josiah to make breakfast. It had been a one-time occurrence, and the whole family, Josiah included, agreed that was for the best.

"What's your name, love?" the woman asked.

"Credence."

"Credence—you said that already, didn't you?" Credence nodded and the woman smiled. "Course you did, and, uh, did I tell you my name yet?"

"You haven't. What is it?"

"Oh, these days I'll answer to anything in the realm of, 'Aye, miss!', or 'Oi!,' or 'You there!', but mum birthed me Sallyton Hutch. Called me Sally for short. You can call me either or none at all—doesn't take much to get my attention."

Credence returned her smile. The woman was full of joyful spirit, to the point where some might mistake her as slightly dim. To Credence, however, Sally was a blessed bit of sunshine in the gloomy towns.

"Pleased to meet you, Sally."

Sally offered her hand, and when Credence accepted it she squeezed a little too roughly before giggling back, "Likewise pleased, miss Cr—Cree...uh...Crelle?"

"Credence."

"Right. Credence. Sorry. I'll get it, I swear I will. Credence."

Sally left to tend to the trio of guests, making sure their cups were filled and their empty bowls cleared. By the time she returned to the counter, Credence had finished her meal and politely refused a second helping.

Sally leaned her elbows on the counter and rested her cheerful face in her hands.

"What's school like?" she asked, intensely curious. "I heard they teach all sorts of manners and niceness."

Credence winced. "They teach us...things..."

"Like what?"

"Like...colors...and dancing."

"Really?" Sally stood up straight. "Reckon myself a decent dancer, you watch here—"

Sally was suddenly standing in the middle of the room, her eyes locked on Credence to make sure the girl was watching.

"You tell me if this ain't a proper jig!"

Sally began a series of shakes and wiggles that could only be described as the movements of a clumsy frog—but she executed them with confidence, and that made all the difference.

What she lacked in grace she made up for in jovial humor. She was not trained, and it showed in the way she rolled and tossed herself about.

Still, everyone around her perked up, and when she'd exhausted herself to the point of stopping they erupted into applause and compliments, which Sally received with a graceless curtsy.

She plopped onto the stool next to Credence, still trying to catch her breath.

"Well? Whatcha think?" Her eyes were shining, her expression innocently hopeful, and Credence knew that not for all the treasures in the world would she dampen the woman's joy.

"I think you're a marvelous dancer," Credence replied. "You don't need the school to teach you anything."

Sally slapped the counter and gave a loud 'whoop' in response.

"Knew it! Never needed school, not a day of it. Did just fine, didn't I?"

"You did."

An uncomfortable silence followed when neither of them knew what to say next. To fill it, Sally fetched a cup from behind the counter and poured herself some golden mead, then drank it all in three large gulps.

As she was reaching for a second pour, Credence broke the silence.

"This is my first time on work detail. Forgive me, but...I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

Sally frowned and scratched the back of her head.

"Well, forgive me back, 'cause I never hosted work detail. Guess we'll have to figure it out for ourselves, won't we?"

"Guess we will," Credence answered and a thought flashed in her mind:

Everything is going to be just fine.