Nettle & Bone

Marra mutters to Fenris about the “horrible puppet, demon chicken, [and] fairy godmother” (152). Fenris reminds her, albeit warmly, that her quest is a fool’s errand that will probably kill them all. The two chat while sitting on their separate small beds. They discuss Vorling and Marra’s sisters. Fenris reaches out and takes her hands. He then tells her why he slept in the fairy fort. He mentored a young boy before returning the child to his home. Shortly after, the boy’s father beat him to death, dragging the beating out over a day. Fenris killed the boy’s father in anger. Marra tells Fenris he was right to kill the father. Fenris agrees but tells Marra everything else he did was wrong.

Through the wall, Marra hears the dust-wife accuse Agnes of cursing the chick, not blessing it. Agnes reluctantly admits that’s the case. The dust-wife scolds her for not using her full power, but Agnes says she refuses to use her power for cursing and would rather be decent.

The following day, Agnes tells the group she wants to visit the royal godmother. The godmother will see her as a professional courtesy. Fenris supports the plan. The dust-wife remains skeptical out of fear Agnes may be blamed if the prince then dies. Marra tells them she will accompany Agnes. The dust-wife agrees to watch the chick, whom Agnes has named Finder.

Agnes and Marra walk up the city levels to the wealthiest houses. As they climb, Agnes nudges Marra about Fenris. Marra admits to finding him attractive but doubts he feels the same. The two finally reach the godmother’s home, red-faced and gasping from the stairs. Agnes greets the guards at her door and asks them to announce her. They try to shake her off but relent as Agnes identifies their family’s blessings. Inside, the house doubles as a temple, and up close, the godmother’s appearance shocks Marra; it seems impossible that the ancient woman can still move and function without crumbling. The powerful old woman ignores Marra and offers Agnes tea.

As Marra drinks her tea, her mind slows. Seemingly drugged, albeit by magic, she stands to examine the tapestries on the walls, baffled by the stylistic choices of the weaver. The base stitch varies, which is highly unusual. The godmother briefly interrupts her musings, asking if Marra weaves. Marra admits to knowing how but prefers embroidery. Marra continues staring as the godmother turns back to her conversation with Agnes. After their conversation ends, the godmother takes the shears from her pocket and slices off a chunk of tapestry, ruining hours of work. It’s a gift, she says, though she can give it only because Marra does not know what the stitches symbolize. The godmother tells Marra it might prove useful. Once they leave the godmother’s presence, Marra asks Agnes if the godmother poisoned her. Agnes laughs and tells her it was just a misdirection. Agnes then tells Marra that the godmother has cursed the family, not blessed them, for generations.

Agnes and Marra return to their lodgings and tell Fenris and the dust-wife what they learned. Agnes tells them that the godmother burns the king’s life to preserve her own life and the family line. The godmother’s immortality comes from the curse; the animosity between the godmother and the family, in turn, comes from the first king binding the godmother to his house. Agnes explains that the godmother must be dead for them to be able to kill Vorling. Fenris asks if the godmother resents the royal family. The dust-wife tells the group that “immortality is wretched, but you can always make the best of it” (174). Marra wonders if they can free the godmother from her entanglement with the family. Agnes says the king who bound them was long dead. Marra asks the dust-wife if she could talk to the dead king. The dust-wife does not know, but they can find out.

Fenris spends the next day scouting the defenses on the palace catacombs. The entrance is too well guarded to sneak in. Marra and the dust-wife argue there must be entrances for workers, and Fenris suggests the quarry. The dust-wife tells him to find work at the quarry. Fenris argues that he has no experience; the dust-wife laughs and tells him to just take his shirt off.

Fenris secures employment moving stones in the quarry. For about five days, the dust-wife questions the dead around the quarry, Fenris looks for openings, and Agnes befriends the neighbors. Marra gets increasingly restless, biting her nails and worrying about Kania. She prays, worrying about her friends. She wonders, “Did the great heroes do laundry? I don’t remember hearing about it. You’d think after slaying a hundred men, they’d need a good wash” (178). All her wondering ends when Agnes rushes in, announcing that the queen is having the baby.

Marra stands in stunned silence. She protests that the baby is too early. Agnes tells Marra she must put on a happy face, as her lack of excitement will make them look suspicious. Marra continues catastrophizing until Fenris enters, announcing they found a way into the catacombs.

Quarries always have dead people due to the nature of the work. The dust-wife has thereby learned that, though minor curses protect the quarry entrance, nothing will keep them from entering the catacombs via the quarry—that said, there will probably be real curses inside. Marra barely hears the dust-wife over her mental anguish. Agnes tells them she can get them into the palace for the christening because she is a godmother.

The group vows to break in the next night after they try to help Miss Margaret. Marra cannot fall asleep, and neither can Fenris. He discusses battles. Marra tells him he is not allowed to die, as she has grown accustomed to someone cutting firewood for her. She then asks him to share her bed so they can sleep back to back, like they slept on the road. He agrees.

They sleep as late as possible and sit anxiously until night falls. The dust-wife then takes up her staff with the demon chicken, and Agnes stands and tucks Finder into her scarf. The group goes downstairs to settle the bill with Miss Margaret. In a quick move, the dust-wife snatches the puppet, immobilizing it. When she offers to remove it, however, Miss Margaret refuses, wanting to keep him. The dust-wife releases the puppet, and the group leaves.

As they head to the quarry, Marra protests leaving Miss Margaret captive, but Fenris replies that you cannot force people to take help. Marra clutches her temples, wondering what Mordecai thought about while wandering through the swamps. The dust-wife breaks the bars over the entrance, and the group enters the catacombs. The dust-wife uses her moonlight in a jar to light the way. The group wander the twisting corridors. Most of the dead have no ghost left for the dust-wife to question. The chapter closes, though, with Marra and the dust-wife finally finding a very active—and very angry—dead woman.