The Ferryman - Book 1

Chapter 18:

Wages

Moth received a letter from her mother at the end of the month.

She dreaded it would be news that someone had died in a revolt. She worried she would see Japh, Ama, or Nehem written in trembling letters, or maybe it would be a near neighbor, like Feldar.

Flipping open the letter, she found out someone had died, but it was no one she knew.

I wrote to you – so long ago it seems now – about a relative living in Magden, a cousin of yours. I thought it would be good for her to have some family visit her, as she works as a city guard far from her home.

Her name is Lander Hevwed. She was the granddaughter of Clem’s brother. In the course of her duties, there was fire in a house, and she died helping three people get out.

Those three lived, and she is being honored by her squadron, who will pay for her burial. Her family is too impoverished to travel to Magden so we have paid their way to travel up and see their daughter put to rest with a water burial - not that modern city burial, dry and dressed up with spectacle.

I tell you this to thank you – we wouldn’t have been able to give them money to see their daughter buried without you working hard in the city for us.

Times are getting leaner, as I’m sure you can tell by the price of produce being raised in Magden.

The sentries who were placed on the farms by the KCAC do not know how to work the land, though they were put through a class. Your father and Grandfather have begun to train them on how to tend the earth.

This has made us popular with no one, but it is the right thing to do if we are to have any crops come out of Hiren. Several of our neighbors have stopped trading food with us because of this.

We are saving up for Japh’s wedding, but it is being pushed further and further away until a more stable time. Patri is living with Priscilla and Rodin until the marriage, as all her family (except Feldar) have moved east into the county of Urimass.

Moth read through all the news her mother gave her.

Feeling stirred, she went down to Tully’s room and knocked on her door.

“Come in,” Tully said, and when Moth entered, she found her sitting on her floor looking through ratty old manuals on soda ash. Tully nodded to her bed for Moth to take a seat and asked, “Feeling bored on your only day off?”

“I wanted to ask you something.”

Straightening up and cracking her back, Tully said, “Ask away.”

“Is it possible for me to work more hours at the wash house?”

Tully’s smile dropped. “Why? What’s happening?”

“Things are becoming more troubled in the south. My mom won’t mention it, but I know they’re under a lot of pressure with money, and I have it in me to work longer, I know I could – maybe not every day, but perhaps Saturday and Friday, if I could work longer hours to raise the amount of bags I finish, I know the extra few halrungs would be a great relief to my parents.”

Tully heaved a sigh and leaned back to look at Moth. “Moth, I want to say ‘no’ just so I don’t see you work yourself into a grave. The hours we work are already hard.”

“Your work is harder than mine; I sit at a sink all day. It’s sore, but I can do it, especially now that the weather is getting warmer.”

Tully held up her hand. “I’m not your mom. You know yourself; if you say you can do it, I won’t stop you.” Thinking for a moment, Tully sighed and said, “There’s work I can cut out on Monday and then stay an extra three hours to finish it up on Saturday. How does that sound? I’ll tell Salvia to push back dinner.”

Moth looked at Tully’s tired, grinning face, and knelt down onto the carpet to hug her. “Thank you, Tully.”

“I can’t say no to you, Mothball, you know this,” Tully said, and kissed her forehead. “If it works out, I can adjust my schedule further and we’ll add another day, maybe Wednesday, where we work longer.”