Adversity Read Free Page A

Without a word, he walked away, and Kali sent hateful
glares at his back.
    Drina
laid a hand on Kali’s arm. “Don’t provoke him.”
    “ Why? Why shouldn’t I? He deserves it after everything he’s
done.”
    “ Because you’ll be the one who gets hurt. And who are we to say
who deserves to be punished? You’re the one who has always told me
that.”
    “ I know. But the blackness of his heart blinds me from what’s
right. He’s a constant shadow over me.”
    “ Hush. We’ll walk in the sun today. No more talk of shadows.
I’ll get the baby ready, and we’ll leave as soon as you’ve
eaten.”
    Grateful
for the company, the old companionship of sisterly love, and the
chance to get to know her niece, Kali hurried to prepare for the
day. The multiple layers of skirts made the heat harder to bear,
but she took some cooling herbs to chew on. The talisman in her
putsi would keep her spirits up.
    The sun
had barely risen by the time they left camp. The journey to the
nearest village was longer than she liked, but her people knew well
that they were accepted by the gaje as long as they camped a
reasonable distance away. Gypsy goods and services were valuable
enough, but neither would be tolerated for too long.
    Jaelle,
Drina’s toddler, snuggled against her aunt’s shoulder as if Kali
wasn’t a stranger to her. Kali held the child tight, feeling a
kinship that overwhelmed her. She had always been close to Drina
growing up—no wonder she should be filled with love for her
sister’s daughter.
    They had
been apart for three years, and that was far too long. Perhaps
staying with Drina’s new family was best.
    “ Are there any decent young men, then?” she asked, fluttering
her eyelashes.
    Drina
squealed, immediately brightening. “My husband’s older brother lost
his wife a year ago.”
    “ I did say young.”
    Drina
made a face. “Oh, don’t. Stay with me, Kali. I’m lonely without
you. The other women won’t accept me. They don’t trust
papa.”
    “ Do you blame them?” Kali saw the hurt in Drina’s eyes. “But
I’ll do whatever it takes to stay with you.”
    They held
hands as the sun bore down making the air feel wretchedly close.
They passed by wide fields of gold, where the wheat grew tall.
Harvest time was approaching. The sun relentlessly reflected off
the surface of the distant lake.
    Between
half-closed lids Kali thought she spied dark spirits in the
distance. Blinking a couple of times, she saw nothing where she
knew she’d seen a shadow. She sensed her time was most certainly
running out.
    “ What’s wrong?” Drina asked. “You’re shaking.”
    Shifting
Jaelle into a more comfortable position, Kali shook her head. “I
see the shadows, Drina. They’re coming for me. I told you, he’s
black inside, and he’s made me the same way. I can’t escape
it.”
    “ Kali, you make no sense! There’s no darkness in you. You’re
the one. The white mother. You’ll protect us from the darkness.
Your children will grow up to be white wolves and send the shadows
away for good. Don’t torture yourself with your
fantasies.”
    Kali
sucked in deep, healing breaths. The panic attacks were coming more
frequently, and though she hid them as best she could, something
about the trails they travelled provoked her fears.
    Perhaps
the length of the journey tired her into confusion, or the heat
addled her brain, but she sensed malevolence in the air, as if many
terrible things had happened on the dried dirt paths upon which
they walked. She felt she could never escape what her father had
done to bring her into the world.
    The
atmosphere changed; she could sense Drina’s apprehension of her
sudden shift in mood. Her own sister didn’t trust her, not really,
of that Kali was certain, and she wished she could have gone to the
village alone. But Drina was well known. She could round up the
right people and entice the believers into passing over
payment.
    Jaelle
had huge, black eyes that overshadowed her