by Imogen Elvis
“No time for that. We need to get her inside now. Someone, fetch a soul singer.” Master Talor called.
Between them, Master Talor and Mistress Arloa practically carried Briar up the front steps and into the inner halls of the Order house. A couple of magicians approached them in the hallways, but one look from the master sent them scurrying away in retreat, their burning questions still unasked. Briar’s eyelids fluttered, and she was barely able to keep her eyes open now that the excitement was over.
“In here. She can rest in this room,” Master Talor pushed open a door.
The room they stepped into was small, plain and sparsely furnished. It contained a bed under a narrow window, which bathed the room in warm, golden sunlight. A low three-legged stool sat next to the bed, and a blue and grey rug lay on the floor, the only attempt at softening the starkness of the room. Briar’s head spun, and she was glad to sit on the edge of the bed.
“Rest now,” Mistress Arloa said gently. “Someone is coming to help you-” she broke off as the door opened. “Master Rube. Thank you for coming so quickly.”
Master Rube was old, with a soft, wrinkly face and a wispy white beard. He smiled at Briar, even as he spoke to Mistress Arloa in a low, rapid voice. Finally, he approached the bed. “May I sit? At Briar nod, he settled himself on the low stool at her side. “I'm told you're a soul singer yourself, so you'll be accustomed to what I'm about to do.”
Was a soul singer. The thought filled Briar with sudden sadness. She wasn’t a magician any more. It ached inside her chest, more than she’d expected it to. Master Talor and Mistress Arloa backed out of the room, closing the door softly behind them, leaving Briar alone with the old master.
Master Rube extended his hand and Briar placed her fingers inside it. The master gripped her hands with the softest of touches, closing his eyes. Briar closed her eyes too, as the master began to sing. His song washed away all the aches and pains that weighed her down. Even the throbbing in her head receded, leaving nothing but the heavy exhaustion that slowly but surely dragged her down towards sleep.
Occasionally, when she’d been training back in Osman, the novices would heal each other for practice, honing their skills before they were allowed to minister to the sick and injured of the town. But it had been a long time since Briar had been on the receiving end of the song. The experience was… strange.
Master Rube's deep, gentle voice trailed off, and he opened his eyes, releasing her hands. A quiet sympathy filled his eyes, which made sudden tears well up in Briar’s. She blinked them back. Maybe Mistress Arloa had told him what happened, or perhaps he felt the gaping absence of magic in her song.
“I've healed everything I can for now. The rest is up to time and rest. You should try to sleep now. It will do you good.”
The master helped Briar under the blankets, tucking her in. The blankets were soft and warm, and she sank into the mattress. Such a difference from sleeping on the cold, hard ground. She might never have to camp out again. Briar nestled down on the pillow, cradling her cheek against her hand and quickly fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Briar slept heavily, half rousing a couple of times, only to fall straight back to sleep again. The first time she surfaced, the light from the window was rich and golden. Late afternoon maybe? Then there was no light at all. The third time, the light on the wall was pale and thin. And finally, when she woke completely, it was full daylight once more.
For a while, Briar lay still, cocooned among the blankets and pillows, too comfortable to even contemplate moving. There was no reason to rush. The fight was over, and they had won. That was a strange thought. All this time, she’d never dared to think about what they would do once they’d stopped Master Sachio. Now, anything could happen.
Pushing herself up on her elbows, Briar slowly hauled herself into a sitting position. Her headache was back, but it didn’t throb nearly as badly as it had the day before. Her body moved sluggishly as if she was swimming through deep mud, but the fog of tiredness had left at least.
The world didn’t even spin as Briar sat up fully, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, and clambering slowly to her feet. That was a definite improvement. She rested a hand on the wall for balance as she looked out the little window. The sun had climbed well into the sky. It must be midmorning at the very least. The view through the window was of trees, a sliver of garden, and a slice of the bluest sky. From somewhere deep in the building, Briar caught the faint strains of music, magicians at their work and study. It was all so peaceful and serene, familiar, and comforting.
While Briar slept, someone had left a clean habit folded on the little stool by the side of the bed. She hesitated before reaching for it. By rights she shouldn’t wear the habit any more, not now she didn’t have magic. But it wasn’t like she had anything else to wear, and anyway, habit or not, most of the magicians would know what had happened by now. News like this wouldn’t take long to get around an Order house, even one as large as this.
Briar dressed, slowly, her limbs still heavy with exhaustion. Was this what the catcher did, drain all your energy as well as your magic? Or was it her body’s response to having her magic stripped away? Briar wasn’t sure.
She crossed to the window. The trees she had seen in her first look weren’t the old oaks that filled the garden square but formed part of a quiet garden bounded by a high stone wall. Everything was green and fresh, vibrant with new life. A path wound across the edge of the grass, and the flower beds were bursting with colour. Order house gardens were like no others. The novices cared for them, honing their skills in the process, so the gardens were alive and vibrant all year round, even in winter.
It was so comfortingly familiar. Briar let out a quiet sigh. Being here felt like home, even if she didn’t really belong here anymore. And Ava was here too. Her pulse throbbed with the anticipation of seeing Ava again.
“I’m surprised to see you awake already, novice. Master Rube suggested you would sleep until at least midday.”
Briar swung round in surprise. She hadn’t heard the door open, but now Mistress Brynn stood in the doorway, her hands tucked into her sleeves. Briar bowed her head in respect. “Mistress.”
Mistress Brynn smiled, and her whole face softened. “How are you feeling?”
“I feel a little less tired,” Briar said, after a moment’s thought. “I’m not so used to everything else yet.”
“The silence?” the mistress asked. “The emptiness?”
Briar nodded. Even now, she unconsciously reached out to touch the warm glow of magic that should burn inside her, only to find nothing but a space where it should have been. When she tried to open her mind to Mistress Brynn’s life song, there was silence.
“I’m not sure I’m used to those myself yet.” The smile never dropped from the mistress’s face, but her eyes were sad. “Would you walk with me? Some fresh air would probably do you good.”
“Of course.” One didn’t refuse a mistress. And fresh air did sound good.
Briar followed the mistress from the room. The corridor beyond was empty of other magicians, but she could hear them hard at work deeper in the building, spinning their songs and working their magic, following their daily routine.
“I want to thank you for everything you have done,” the mistress said, after a few moments. “Using the song catcher would not have been an easy choice.”
“Someone had to do it,” Briar said. “If it couldn’t be Master Talor, then it had to be me. Someone had to stop Master Sachio.” It was common sense.
“That is another thing we all need to thank you for.” Mistress Brynn shook her head. “I didn’t want to believe that Master Sachio would have betrayed us like this. I worked with him on the council, relied on him in the wake of Mistress Rhosmari’s death, and I never suspected a thing. I shudder, even now, to think how close he came. We would have willingly handed him the crown, even though every rule we ever made told us no.”
“I just helped,” Briar said
, shrugging awkwardly. Kade and Lara had worked so much harder for so much longer. She couldn’t claim the credit for their tireless work and planning.
“Hmm.” Mistress Brynn shot Briar a look, but let her words slide for now. “Now that Master Sachio is in custody, what will you do?”
That made Briar pause. “I don’t know. I used to assume that, once we stopped him, I would return to the Order, go back to my studies, and become a mistress myself one day. Now that’s not an option. I don’t know what I’m going to do now. What else can I do? I only know how to be a magician.”
“Magic isn’t the only thing you have to offer,” Mistress Brynn said. “When something like this happens, you think about what needs to be done in that moment. But afterwards, that’s when you think about the future, and it’s frightening. You give everything when you become a magician. Your life, your skills, your future. And then, when you use a catcher, you sacrifice all of those, and it feels like there will never be anything else again.”
Every word resonated with the half-formed fears inside Briar. Maybe Mistress Brynn did understand what it was like to stand where Briar was. “What will you do now?” Briar asked curiously.
“I will stay with the Order. I can’t serve on the council any more. My seat must be given to someone with magic. But I have skills and experience I can offer, even if I can’t hear the songs of the winds anymore.” Mistress Brynn’s voice took on a wistful tone at these last words. But her next sentence was completely matter of fact. “It’s not my magic I will be relying on but my mind. You will have something else to give your life to as well. More than me, because you’re younger.”
Briar gave a half-smile at that. “I hope you’re right. I don’t regret what I did. If I had to make the choice again, I would do the same. I just don’t think I was quite prepared for how much I was going to miss the magic.”
“I know. But they tell me it will get easier.” Mistress Brynn pushed open the door to the garden, and they stepped out into the bright sunshine. “It’s hard to see past this very moment, isn’t it?”
“It is.” In so many ways, in fact. Briar shrugged and gave a wry smile. “But we’ll adjust, I suppose.” She changed the subject. “Is there any news from the castle?”
“A little. Master Sachio has been secured for the time being. The king is eager to decide his fate, probably in the next few days. Now that Master Sachio’s hold over him has been broken, it seems Varik wishes to make up for lost time. He’s meeting with the ruling council this morning, and the song council, including me, will meet with him this afternoon.”
“I suppose he wants to fix everything as quickly as possible. His duties have been neglected for so long. Through no fault of his own,” Briar added hastily.
“It will take time to undo all the harm Master Sachio has done,” Mistress Brynn agreed. “I don’t think we quite know the full extent of the problems yet. But the king will have the full support of the song council.”
“And the ruling council too, if Lady Madella has her way,” Briar added.
“You might be right there,” Mistress Brynn said. “The king has also been rounding up Master Sachio’s personal guards, and anyone who might have been working with him.”
They were rounding up the Nameless Ones? Briar hardly wanted to believe that it could be true. “And Ka-I mean, Prince Levi?” It was going to take some getting used to, calling him Levi now, even though that was his real name. Somehow, Briar couldn’t quite connect the idea of a prince in a high castle with the down-to-earth Kade she’d spent so many months travelling with.
“The news from the castle says little about him, though I know he is safe and well.” Out of the corner of her eye, Briar caught Mistress Brynn smiling at her, knowingly, and her cheeks heated. “However, we’re still trying to decide what to do with the children who protected him.”
The children. Ava. Briar’s heart thumped. “Master Talor said they would be brought here.” She struggled to keep her voice even. “Is that true?”
“Yes. They are magicians, and as such, it is our responsibility to take care of them. So far, all we’ve learned is that they were part of the group of kidnapped children. More than that, they refuse to say, so far.”
“I could speak to them.” Briar suggested. She hesitated, then said honestly, “My sister is one of them. I would like to see her again.”
“In that case, of course, you can. I believe they’re out in the garden now.”
Briar’s heart thumped harder and harder as they rounded the corner of the Order house. Ava was here. That was the only thing she could think of. Her eyes eagerly drank in the sight of six children sitting in a tight circle on the sun-soaked grass. They were being watched over by an ancient mistress, her face wrinkled like a sheet of crumpled parchment. She sat on a stool, basking in the sunshine, her eyes following every move the children made, while her hands were occupied by mending the hem of a habit.
“Children.” Mistress Brynn clapped her hands to get their attention. “I’ve brought someone who would like to speak with you.”
Every eye slowly turned to Briar. Her heart cried for the uncertainty and fear on those faces that looked up at her. Here, in this sunny garden, hidden away in a place of safety, they should feel safe. No one was going to hurt them anymore. This was more of Master Sachio’s legacy. Her eyes went from face to face, while she gave them what she hoped was a warm, trustworthy smile, searching for-
“Ava.” Briar took a step forward. Knowing Ava was alive, and believing it were two separate things. And yet, here Ava sat, her brown eyes growing larger and larger as a smile of disbelief spread over her face.
“Briar.” Ava leapt to her feet and ran to Briar, her scraggly braids flying out behind her. “Oh, Briar. I knew you’d come.”
Briar caught her sister in her arms, holding her close. A tear traced its way down her cheek. “I’m here. I’m here.” She repeated the two words over and over as they held each other close. Ava was here, and for the first time, the world was right again.
For a few long moments, Briar could do nothing but hold onto her sister and thank the Tree for bringing her back unharmed. But, finally, she made herself release Ava, stepping back so that she could look into her face. “I missed you so much,” she said “That night, when Mizra was attacked, I thought you died with the others.” Tears welled up in her eyes, but they were tears of relief now.
“I’m alright,” Ava said. “I wasn’t with them when it happened. None of us was.” She gestured to the other five children who had slowly approached, clustering behind Briar.
“Are you Briar?” the youngest, a boy of about ten asked.
Briar nodded, her eyes flicking between him and Ava.
“I told them about you,” Ava said. “I told them you would come for us. And you did.”
“You didn’t doubt me?”
“I knew you’d never give up on me,” Ava said.
“How did you all escape? I saw you marching with the others.” Briar’s throat tightened at that memory. They’d all been there, marching towards the square and Mistress Brynn with the song catcher.
“It’s a long story,” Ava said. She bit her lip, hesitating, as if unsure of where to start. “At first, we all thought that doing what Lord Sachio wanted was right. It felt like he understood us, better than anyone else could. We all had magic. Lord Sachio said that made us special. He said we would do great things, and that he was going to help us. It made sense when he said it.”
“He’s very persuasive,” Briar said. “You can’t blame yourselves for that.”
Ava shrugged. “Anyway, when the masked guards took us away from the cells, they took us to join the others. They had a whole camp set up. We were all so excited. Lord Sachio promised that we were going to do great things, very soon. That everyone would see how special we really were.”
Briar’s heart ached for the children. Master Sachio lied to all of them, promised them so many things, and left them broken at the end, thrown
aside once they’d served their purpose.
“We weren’t in the camp for long though. Lord Sachio wanted us to go south. The guards were always pushing us to go faster. And then, sometimes, they had jobs for us. Places they wanted us to show our powers, prove to people how special we were.” Ava seemed to shrink as she said this. “It seemed right at the time. But then, when I saw what we did, I knew it was so wrong.” She twisted her fingers together, her eyes lowered. “You wouldn’t have done it. You wouldn’t have done things because everyone else did them.”
“You were surviving,” Briar said gently. “You all did what you had to. They didn’t leave you much choice. I don’t blame you for what you had to do.”
Ava lifted one shoulder. “Maybe.”
One of the other girls, a little younger than Ava, with wild red hair and a face covered in a thousand freckles, slipped her hand into Ava’s and squeezed. “Ava took care of us,” she said. “She kept telling us about her sister, who chased her all the way to Lord Sachio’s fort, trying to rescue her. We knew you would come and find us eventually.”
“Of course.” Briar tried to smile, though the weight of that gaze was heavy on her shoulders. “I wasn’t about to forget you.” Ava’s faith in her was so strong, like an iron chain between them. All this time, when she thought that Ava had forgotten about her, or had been so completely swayed by Master Sachio that she didn’t care about Briar, Ava had held onto the profound belief that Briar was coming for them.
“I know,” Ava said. “But then, they told us we were going to Mizra. Everyone was excited. This was our big chance to show everyone what we could do. To make them respect us. And we,” she gestured to her little circle of friends, “decided we were going to escape. We wanted to take more, but they didn’t want to listen.”
“How did you escape?” Briar asked. That was the one thing she wanted to know most of all. Ava had been with all the others on the march to their deaths. With the Nameless Ones watching and guiding them, how had they managed to get away in time?