Unmaking Percy

Part II - IV, continued (The Hushing Manor)

"Why are you sitting in the middle of a field, at night, on your own, blindfolded?" 

A sliver of hesitation twitched in Evans' voice.

"Because Astred told me to."

Percy closed the distance between them and sat next to him. A thistle bit its teeth right into his backside. Somehow, he ignored it.

"That hardly seems like a good enough reason to do something so stupid" he said. He didn't really know how to speak softly, but he tried to.

"No other reason would compel me do to this" Evans replied.

It surprised Percy, how dark and buried Evans' voice sounded; tomb-like.

"Why did he tell you to do that?"

"He said that I might cross paths with a certain sorceress one day, and that if I did, she would try to tempt me into giving her my sight. And so I should keep my sight from her, and have my eyes covered from dusk till dawn."

Percy blinked. None of it made sense, but he was slowly starting to accept that.

"Alright, but – that just sounds like the perfect instructions to put you in harm's way" he protested. "What if this sorceress attacks you? Why did you come all the way out here, away from us?"

"Well, in fairness, that was my decision. I didn't know if she might be dangerous, and I didn't... want to get you all in harm's way."

There was just no getting used to Evans as he was now: silver-plated by the moon, crowned by amber hair, the blindfold hiding his eyes and revealing other things that Percy had never truly noticed before, his clean-cut cheekbones, the adam's apple claiming a forceful curve in his neck. Percy had never once thought that a blindfold could reveal quite so much.

"You're an idiot."

"Sometimes" Evans nodded.

"And what Astred told you to do is idiotic, too. Couldn't she just rip the blindfold out if she wants your... sight so much?"

"Oh, no, she was very reasonable about it, actually. Nice, even."

"She – wait, what? You've already seen... I mean, she's already appeared to you?"

"Yes. You've seen her too."

Percy waited, very still, for the realization to come to him, slithering through the tall grasses.

"You can't mean that old peddler woman."

"Yes. Astred told me to watch out for a sorceress with scraps and old trinkets, or broken things. I knew it was her the moment I saw her. So I got ready and came here."

"Oh, gods... the yarn and needle Valeria bought from her... the scarf Myrtle is knitting for me is definitely going to strangle me in my sleep."

He had meant for it to sound as horrified as he felt, but Evans chuckled gladly, scaring away the moonlight for a moment.

"I think that was perfectly normal yarn. Although... one should never be too certain" Evans added with a knowing grin.

"You said she was... nice?"

Evans nodded.

"She didn't insist when I told her I didn't want to give her my sight."

"She just... asked politely and left? But why would she ever think that you would want to give her your sight willingly?"

Evans waited, waited a long while, for the night-wind to pick up again and sigh over the field. Then he pretended the wind had replied in his stead. Percy didn't push.