“Did he prick you or scratch you by accident? Or invite you to share a meal with him?”
“No, he didn’t touch me.” Ryne gave me a sardonic smile. “I was smart enough to keep out of his reach. Once we’d learned of his life magic, we all avoided his touch. As for meals, we attended a few banquets together, but so did all the returning alumni.”
“Did he give you anything? Cologne? Candy? Wine?” I asked.
“Not that I can recall.”
“Did you eat something you’ve never had before? A delicacy or rare dish?”
Ryne shook his head. “Sorry, Avry. Nothing stands out.”
Too bad. Guess I’d have to wait and ask Kerrick when he returned. I stood. “If you do remember something later—”
“I will let you know. It’ll probably be in the middle of the night. My thoughts churn rather chaotically when I’m trying to sleep and odd ideas or forgotten memories pop out without warning, waking me.”
My healer instincts kicked in. “I could give you a very mild sleeping draft that would ease the chaotic thoughts while still allowing you to be roused if needed.”
“Oh, no. Those ideas are the best. I wouldn’t want to stop them.”
“All right. Feel free to wake me if a memory about the reunion pops.”
“Will do. Oh, and that reminds me. How are your nightmares? Are you still dreaming of Tohon?”
“Yes. But only when I’m not with Kerrick.” They’d started again a few days after he left.
“Sorry to hear that.”
“Me, too.” I stepped away, but paused as a soldier arrived. He’d drawn his sword and he kept glancing at the cave’s entrance. Alarm shot through me. The soldier appeared to be terrified.
“My lord, you have a...visitor.” The man swallowed.
“Who is it?” Ryne asked.
“I...we...don’t know. He said—”
A commotion at the cave’s entrance interrupted the man. Sunlight was blocked as a knot of guards rushed after a huge man, who seemed to pay them no mind even though they were well armed and shouted for him to halt. He strode toward Ryne.
I moved closer to Ryne, who stood as the giant neared. Or at least he gave the impression of being massive. Perhaps it was his thick muscular arms and broad shoulders, or the wide curved sword hanging from his blue sash. White fur boots matched his white pants and sleeveless tunic. In this weather? It was almost winter.
He stopped a few feet short of Ryne. The guards fanned out around him, but they kept their distance. The giant gazed at Ryne with ice-blue eyes and it seemed as if the air in the cave cooled by ten degrees.
“I’ve come,” the man said.
Ryne smiled. “So you have. Welcome, Noak of the Sokna tribe. I’m honored and very glad to see you.”
Ah. Kerrick’s northern friend. Everyone relaxed slightly.
Extending his hand, Ryne said, “I’m Prince Ryne of Ivdel Realm.”
Noak shook it, then turned his icy gaze on me.
“And this is Healer Avry of Kazan Realm.” Ryne gestured.
“Healer? Magic Man said all healers die.” Noak’s cold tone cranked the tension back up.
I glanced at Ryne. He nodded.
“I did die, but I was revived,” I said.
Noak stepped close to me. He held his hand out. Not for a handshake, but with his palm up as if he wanted me to place my hand in his. Remembering what Kerrick had said about Noak’s Winter Curse, I hesitated. Then I spotted the monkeys and Odd inching their way through the guards and felt safer. I reached out.
He grasped my fingers. Ice zinged through my arm. I shuddered.
“You are linked to Magic Man.” His hard expression turned contemplative.
“I... We...” I glanced at Ryne for help. Noak still clasped my hand.
“Prince Kerrick’s out on a mission, but will be returning soon,” Ryne said.
A pulse of coldness tore through me, leaving me gasping for breath.
Noak scowled, but released his grip. “You request help. Who needs killing?” he asked Ryne.
Ryne didn’t miss a beat. “Let’s not rush ahead. I need to know how many soldiers are with you, and what your fighting style and strengths are before I can devise a plan of attack. Is your army nearby? I’m surprised my scouts haven’t reported them to me.” He frowned at Odd, who shrugged.
“My warriors are where Magic Man said to come.”
“And why didn’t you remain at HQ with your warriors? I left instructions with my second in command,” Ryne said.
“Little Brother wished to be here.” Noak strode to the cave’s entrance and shouted for Little Brother.
Ryne and I exchanged a look. Kerrick had only mentioned that Noak had a sister and father. Curious. We waited.
After a few minutes, a thin figure half Noak’s size joined him. But he dashed past the large tribesman and headed straight for me. I glimpsed his face before he almost knocked me over as he wrapped his arms around me with rib-crushing strength.
“Danny!” Heedless of my ribs, I hugged him tight.
He squeezed harder and I gasped, “Can’t breathe.”
Danny let go and pulled back. “Sorry, but I didn’t quite believe Kerrick when he said you were alive until I saw you.”
“If you knew about Avry, why didn’t you tell Noak?” Ryne asked.
“’Cause I gave my word to Kerrick not to tell anyone. Is he here?”
Danny bounced on the balls of his feet as he glanced around, but he spotted the monkeys and they pounced on him. They ruffled his shaggy black hair and slapped him on the back. The boy had grown a foot since I’d last seen him over seven months ago.
Ryne dismissed the guards, ordering them to return to their positions. He invited Noak to join him to discuss strategy. Understanding the hint, the monkeys led Danny over to the main fire to catch up on the news. I trailed after, noticing that Noak kept an eye on his little brother and on me. When my gaze met his, a chill raced up my spine.
Danny recounted his adventures with the tribe. Most of the stories we’d heard from Kerrick, but it was fun hearing Danny’s side of the story. We ate our supper as we listened.
“...I got this funny, twisty feeling in my guts and I knew I needed to touch Kerrick, but he stopped me and told me to wait. We experimented later and—” Danny pulled up the sleeve on his right arm and pointed to a tiny scar near his elbow “—that’s my first scar. It’s Kerrick’s.”
We exclaimed over the faint line. Encouraged, Danny continued his tale. “...and after Kerrick left, I stayed and helped them. They were real sick.”
“Were?” I asked.
A huge smile spread on Danny’s face. “I healed them, Avry! I figured it out with your journal and with Rakel’s help, we cured them.”
“That’s wonderful. What ailed them?”
“They’d been eating cloovit leaves and slowly poisoning themselves.”
“Why would they eat cloovit?” Quain asked. “Everyone knows—”
“They don’t. It resembled a rare plant that grows in the Vilde Lander. One that is considered a delicacy.”
“How did you figure it out?” I asked.
Danny launched into a story about how he tried to treat the symptoms by finding herbs that might work. “Then I’m walking through the town and there’s this lady with an armful of cloovit leaves. I felt like a lightning bolt had just struck me. Then I felt like an idiot for not thinking of it before.”
“Don’t let that upset you, Danny,” Loren said. “Quain feels like that all the time. Ow!”
Quain clocked Loren.
“I see those two haven’t changed,” Danny said, showing he’d grown in more ways than his height.
“I think they have a disease and are stuck in adolescence,”
I said. “Do not look to them as role models.”
Danny grinned and glanced over at Noak.
Interesting. The gesture reminded me of another question I had for the boy. “Little Brother?”
“I’m tribe now.” He told them about healing Rakel, Noak’s sister, and challenging the tribe’s leader. “And that really put the pressure on us to find a cure. If the tribespeople kept dying, we would have had to fight Noak and his dad, Canute.” Danny hooked a thumb at Noak. “He’s a teddy bear compared to his father.”
“Kerrick didn’t know this, did he?” I asked.
“No way. The details of Canute’s abdication weren’t public knowledge. I didn’t tell him ’cause I knew Kerrick wanted to get back to you. He’d have never left me if he’d known.”
“I’m glad it worked out,” I said. “Plus you gained a valuable experience.”
“That I did, but I’ve lots to learn. That’s one of the reasons I’m here. I also wanted to help with the wounded.”
“You were safer in Alga,” Loren said.
Danny gave him a mulish look.
Loren laughed. “Does his expression remind you of anyone, Quain?”
“I thought that stubbornness was learned at healer school, but it must be instinctive,” Quain said.
Danny chuckled. “Whenever I was being difficult, Kerrick said I reminded him of Avry.”
“Hey,” I protested, but it lacked heat. After all, we knew just how difficult I could be.
“Where’s Kerrick?” Danny asked.
We filled him in on our adventures.
“...and Kerrick should be back in two days,” I said.
“Good, I’ve lots to tell him.”
“So you intend to stay here?” Loren asked.
“As long as it’s okay with Avry.” Danny widened his eyes in a pretty-please, puppy-dog, I’m-so-cute-how-can-you-say-no look.
“It’s all right with me.” Another chill brushed my spine. Noak was staring at me again. “Will it be okay with Big Brother?” I inclined my head in Noak’s direction.
“Yep. Don’t let him scare you.” Danny gestured to the surroundings. “This is all strange to him. The tribespeople are used to flat, open land where you can see for miles. They’re uncomfortable in the woods and they almost panicked crossing the Nine Mountains.” He chuckled. “We had to travel at night so they couldn’t see down.”
I smiled at his confidence. “You’d make a good ambassador.”
He ducked his head. “Well...I spent a lot of time with them. I am a bit worried how the warriors will do fighting beside Prince Ryne’s army. It was only a few months ago they hated us and wished to slaughter us all.”
“Lovely,” Quain said with a queasy squint.
“That’s an excellent point, Danny. Why did he come to help us?” I asked. “His tribe was safe and healthy in Alga.”
“I convinced them that if we didn’t stop Tohon and his army of the dead, our tribe wouldn’t be safe for long. I also think Noak and the warriors were bored. Their two tribes had to play nice in order to survive and, although Noak won’t admit it, he likes Kerrick.”
“Nice job, Danny. With the addition of Noak’s warriors and the monastery women, Prince Ryne’s army is going to be quite dangerous.”
“If the enemy ever attacks us,” Loren muttered.
“We shouldn’t wait. Going on the offensive is not a bad thing,” Odd said, speaking up for the first time since Danny had arrived. “Look what happened to the High Priestess’s army. We waited and waited and waited for Tohon to engage us in battle, giving him plenty of time to set his trap. Plus Prince Ryne said the dead were on the move again.”
“And Tohon has to know the tribesmen are here,” Danny said. “The warriors didn’t bother to hide their presence and they sounded like a herd of lost cows in the woods.”
That was the second time Danny mentioned Tohon. I opened my mouth to inform him about Tohon’s frozen state, but another thought popped. “Did they scare the farmers and villagers? It must have been mass panic.”
Danny straightened. “No. Once we crossed the Nine Mountains, we didn’t see a soul.”
Odd cursed.
“Wait, it makes sense,” Loren said. “Cellina tried that backdoor sneak and probably scared everyone away.”
“That was closer to Zabin. Maybe she’s trying the same move again, but this time going farther to the north,” I said.
Loren rubbed a hand over his short hair. “That’s pretty far. It’ll take a long time and they’d be cut off from their main army and supplies.”
“With Prince Ryne only harrying patrols and small platoons along Vyg’s border, they’ve had plenty of time to travel circles around us,” Odd grumbled.
I stood. “Once he’s done talking to Noak, I’ll tell Ryne and let him figure it out. He may already be aware of the situation.” I swept a hand out, indicating the rows of cots. “Danny, do you want to check patients with me?”
He shot to his feet. “Of course!”
Quain groaned. “I don’t think I can handle another healer.” He poked a finger at Danny. “Just don’t be all nurturing and smother us with concern. We get enough of that with Avry.”
“Don’t worry, Quain. If you do something stupid, I’ll let you suffer. Pain is an excellent teacher, and even you can be trained to avoid acting dumb in the future.”
“Nice!” Loren high-fived Danny.
As Danny and I walked over to the patients, I asked, “Where did you learn that?”
“Noak. They’re not big on coddling their people. If a tribesman could heal on his own, Noak believed he should and that I should save my energy for a more injured patient.”
That sounded familiar. I glanced at Ryne and Noak. They appeared to be deep in discussion, but Noak caught me staring. An icy finger slid down my spine. That was the third time that had happened. Was it my imagination? Or was it his ice magic? A strange uneasiness swirled inside me as if Noak could read my thoughts and emotions. What had he meant that I was bound to Kerrick?
Too many questions without answers. And the thought of asking Noak... Not palatable. I returned my focus to Danny.
After I introduced him to my staff, they stared at him in wonder.
“Another healer? Why, that’s wonderful!” Ginger said.
“You’ll be such a big help, especially when Avry decides to dash off on some crazy mission again,” Christina teased.
I showed Danny where we kept the supplies and explained how we decided on the type of care—magic or medicine or both. We stopped at the first patient, Private Caleb.
“Tell me what you find,” I said to Danny.
Danny touched the young man’s hand. “His left wrist is broken and he has a stab wound on his upper right thigh.”
Suddenly lightheaded, I grabbed the edge of a cot to keep from toppling. Yes, I’d known he had healing powers, but just like Danny had said before, I didn’t truly believe until now. Relief bubbled up from deep inside me and I felt lighter. No longer was I the only healer in the Fifteen Realms; the pressure eased just enough for me to draw a breath without that tight band of worry constricting me.
Not that the worry would ever leave me. Danny was only thirteen years old and I would make sure we didn’t heap lots of pressure and responsibility on his thin shoulders like Flea. Understanding hit me hard, and I groped for the cot’s edge again.
Poor Flea. He’d been grappling with this new power, trying to understand it and there I was, pressuring him to experiment to use a magic he didn’t even understand. No wonder he’d refused. I’d been such an idiot.
“Avry, are you all right?” Danny asked.
I straightened. “Yes, fine. Let’s continue.”
Danny touched each patient, accurately reporting illnesses, fractures,
and injuries. Then I led him to the cavern with the plague victims.
He stopped at the entrance. “They’ve been poisoned with Death Lily toxin.”
“Why do you think that?” I asked.
“They reek of anise, are covered with sweat, and remind me of the kids at King Tohon’s. The ones who didn’t live.”
Tohon had injected Death Lily toxin into young children, hoping a few would survive and become healers.
“Go ahead and touch one. See if you get anything different.”
Reluctance dragged at his feet.
“They’re not contagious to healers,” I assured him.
Biting his lip, Danny pressed two fingertips to the closest man’s temple. “Oh. It’s not the toxin. But it’s similar. He’s going to die. Can I heal him?”
“No!” I batted his hand away. “He has a form of the plague. If you take his sickness, then you’ll die.”
Horror welled in his eyes. “The plague’s back?”
I explained about the new strain. “I think something protected the survivors of the first plague, but they are vulnerable to this one. And I believe this one has to be injected into the body to work.”
“And why am I safe?” Danny asked.
“As a healer, you’re immune to Death Lily toxin, which is at the heart of this plague.” But as I said those words, I wondered if they were true. After all, I had died after I’d assumed the plague from Ryne. There must be something else that protected them from contracting the disease. If I could figure it out, I could cure the plague.
Danny yawned. I told him to wash his hands and go find a place to sleep. “Loren and Quain have their bedrolls set up in the small cavern to the left of the cave’s entrance if you want to join them.”
“But the patients—”
“Are fine for now. Don’t worry. I won’t hesitate to wake you if you’re needed.”
Unhappy, but all out of arguments, Danny scrubbed and then left. I checked on each of the men and made them as comfortable as possible for the evening. My bedroll had been set up near the cavern’s entrance so I’d be close by if needed by my caregivers or the patients.
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