Page 3 of Legacy of Glass
Her new life in the capital hadn’t turned out how she had imagined, but that didn’t mean she wanted to return to her old life. She could still easily call up the frustrated, trapped feeling that had permeated her days in Henton as she approached eighteen.
When a roving merchant—one of the few people who could comfortably travel between kingdoms, unbound by any Legacy—had appeared in Henton, it had been the most exciting event in her whole year. Olivia had confided her dream to leave her small town and seek adventure in the capital, and Avery’s encouragement had been enough to decide her—even before Avery’s gift. But that gift—one that allowed Olivia to see a person’s true emotions—had provided the final bit of confidence.
How could Olivia have stayed stuck in boring Henton after that—where nothing ever changed and nothing of excitement ever happened? Even if she could go back, she would still choose to experience the capital and gain a friend like Marigold.
In that moment—sitting with her friend in the sun, with the scent of the flowers still in her nose—it was easy to see that it was all worth it. But she might feel differently next time Cook asked her to peel a pile of potatoes nearly as tall as Olivia herself.
A soft squeaking made her twist to look behind her, a welcoming smile on her face. A soft gray mouse appeared, unremarkable except for its size.
Marigold, distracted from her sour mood, stared at it. “Olivia, your pet got bigger,” she said. “You can see that, right?”
Olivia laughed. It was hard to see the changes day to day, but she couldn’t deny that when she had first encountered the lone creature, the mouse had been the size of a cat. She was now the size of a medium dog. Although she still didn’t seem large enough to account for the unfortunate droppings.
“Mildred’s not my pet,” Olivia said. “She’s more like a friend.” She smiled as the once-wild mouse scurried up to her and pressed against her side, letting Olivia run her hand over her soft fur. “I think the Legacy is making her smarter as well as larger. She was my first friend here—even before you.”
“I must be losing my edge if there’s any competition between me and amouse,” Marigold muttered.
Olivia ignored her. “I do feel guilty about her size, though. All the changes in her must be my fault. She’s been with me for nearly a year now and growing slowly bigger all that time. It’s going to be hard for her to hide herself soon.”
Growing up in a small town in the middle of the kingdom, Olivia was used to seeing cat-sized mice, usually found with equally large lizards. But she knew most of them had been driven out of the capital long ago—a fact that had been confirmed by Marigold’s astonishment and distaste the first time she had encountered Mildred.
It must have been hard enough to stay hidden before, but it could only be getting harder as Mildred kept growing—something that was rumored to happen in areas where the power of the Legacy was strongly concentrated. And Olivia knew it was her fault the Legacy was pouring its power onto those around her. If Mildred had never befriended Olivia, she might never have started to grow.
“Only you would worry about a mouse,” Marigold said with a laugh. “You really are too kind for your own good. It’s too bad you—” She froze, her eyes widening.
She had clearly been hit by an idea, and Olivia’s heart sank. Marigold’s ideas had a way of sucking Olivia into their orbit, and they were rarely what you might call sensible or realistic.
Marigold seized her hand, confirming her fears. “Olivia,” she breathed, her eyes shining. “I have the best idea!”
Before Olivia could either protest or express curiosity—she still wasn’t sure which was about to spill out of her mouth—the sound of shouting reached them from the bottom of the hill.
Marigold dropped Olivia’s hand and leaped to her feet. Olivia scrambled up after her, peering down at three servants wearing the livery of Marigold’s family. She bit down on a grin. It wouldn’t do to express sympathy for the poor men sent to find and fetch the missing Marigold.
“Oh, drat,” Marigold said. “I was hoping it would take them longer to notice I was gone. I’ll have to run or else they’ll catch me, and then I’ll be practicing all the way to the evening meal.”
“Or maybe your father is just concerned about you,” Olivia suggested. “He is both wealthy and influential. If you keep sneaking off alone, you might find yourself abducted one of these days. You’d be a juicy ransom target.”
“Ha!” Marigold grinned. “I’d like to see someone try.” She threw Olivia an affectionate look. “You do have an odd idea of life in the capital if you’re worried about that.”
Olivia shrugged. “One of my cousins confessed that she doesn’t like going into the market alone out of fear of such a thing, and my uncle is much less important than your father.”
Marigold snorted. “Pure chicken-heartedness. You should tell your cousin not to worry. I’ve snuck away on my own hundreds of times, and no one has ever tried to abduct me. I’ve never even heard of a noble youngster being kidnapped, so I’m sure they’re not going to come after her.”
“If you’re truly not worried, you might want to hurry.” Olivia watched the men toiling their way up the hill. Marigold didn’t have long to get moving if she wanted to outrun them.
Marigold spun, poised to take off when she hesitated and looked back at Olivia.
Olivia raised an eyebrow and waited.
“I really have had the most fabulous idea,” Marigold said. “Meet me back here when it’s dark, and I’ll tell you all about it.”
Olivia didn’t have time to agree before Marigold was off in a swirl of shrieks and racing feet. The men struggling up the hill changed direction, heading after the fleeing heiress and leaving Olivia alone with only Mildred for company.
The mouse had sat down beside her, leaning her head on Olivia’s leg, and Olivia patted her absentmindedly. Mildred usually avoided people, but she had grown used to Marigold, and even the girl’s exaggerated actions and noises no longer sent the mouse running. She really was an unusually intelligent creature.
“Is it all thanks to the Legacy?” Olivia wondered aloud. “Or were you always a remarkable mouse?”
Mildred squeaked and burrowed her head harder against Olivia. But a moment later, the mouse froze. Her ears twitched, and she surged back to her feet. With a single flick of her tail, like a farewell wave to Olivia, she raced in the direction of the hidden cliff.
