Daughters of Fire & Sea

by Holly Karlsson

  “I’m Gertrude,” the woman said, looking them over. She didn’t smile, but her eyes were not unkind. She shifted her gaze to Elaina and walked forward, closing the door.

  Runa stood and shifted awkwardly out of the way, her tired legs protesting as she did so. She crossed her arms, tucking them against her waist, and watched as Lyric moved to the wall so Gertrude could stand by Elaina’s side.

  Setting her bag on the ground, Gertrude bent over their mother and unraveled the bandage. “Good field dressing,” she said. “You likely saved her life. Maggie said you came from Thenda?”

  “Yes,” Lyric said. She hovered, hands clasped against her chest, a step behind Gertrude’s left elbow, watching the woman closely.

  “A creature did this, then?” Gertrude asked. Her tone was surprisingly matter-of-fact.

  “Yes. You’ve seen this before?” Runa asked. “An injury like this?”

  “Once,” Gertrude said.

  Someone knocked on the door and Maggie’s voice called through the wood. Hearing their permission to enter, the innkeeper carried inside clean towels and a large bucket of water that steamed as she placed it on the floor beside Gertrude.

  Lyric was forced to move again, her back hitting the wall beneath the high window letting light into the room.

  “There’s a basin beneath the bed,” Maggie said. She eyed Runa and Lyric. “Find me when you’d like to bathe.” Giving Gertrude a respectful nod, she left and closed the door.

  “Maggie said this is your mother?” Gertrude asked. She reached beneath the bed for the basin and placed it next to the bucket.

  “Yes,” Lyric said. “Her name is Elaina.”

  “I’ll clean her wound,” Gertrude said, “and sew together what I can. I’m not sure she’ll be able to speak once she heals. The muscles in her neck are badly torn. There’s also the mage sickness on her.”

  “Mage sickness?” Runa asked. She studied her mother’s pale, sweat-beaded face.

  “Yes, I've seen this before,” Gertrude said. “The creature fed on her magic and poisoned it, and then it got back in. I can't fix that. I'm not a mage. I can stabilize her, focus on the physical injury, but you’ll need a Dragon Blessed to heal this wound fully.”

  “A what?” Runa asked.

  Gertrude glanced at her shrewdly. “A mage healer.”

  “And if we can’t find one?” Runa asked.

  “Then she’ll die. Perhaps in a week, maybe less.”

  Lyric gasped and moved to Runa’s side, grabbing her arm. “Where can we find a Dragon Blessed?” she asked, her voice shaking.

  “Rathgar’s Hold, I’d say. You may find one elsewhere, but I expect they’ve all gone to the capital for the Feast of Souls.”

  “Can we send for one?” Runa asked. “A raven, perhaps?”

  “We have no messengers here,” Gertrude said. “You can ask Maggie if she knows someone who might volunteer to go on your behalf.” She eyed them. “You should get cleaned up; wash all that blood off.”

  “We want to stay,” Lyric said, holding Runa’s arm.

  “There’s nothing you can do now,” Gertrude said. She soaked a cloth in the warm water and started cleaning Elaina’s throat. “I’ll bathe your mother and tend to her wound.”

  “You may need us to move her,” Runa said, eyeing the small woman.

  Gertrude’s lips quirked. “No need. I have done this many times. You won’t be any help to your mother if you both collapse from exhaustion,” she said. “I’ll stay right here. Your mother is safe with me.” She glanced at their arms. “You don’t want to get blood sickness if you leave your cuts untreated.”

  Runa looked at Lyric. “She’s right,” she said softly. “There’s nothing we can do now.” She glanced at Gertrude. “You’ll send for us if anything changes?”

  “Of course,” Gertrude said.

  “We’ll come back as soon as we’ve cleaned ourselves up,” Lyric said. She squeezed past Runa and reached for Elaina’s hand, holding her limp fingers. “Mama?” Lyric said. “Runa and I will be right back. You’re safe. Gertrude is taking care of you.” She released Elaina’s hand reluctantly and turned back to Runa.

  Runa opened the door, letting Lyric step out into the hall ahead of her. She looked back at Gertrude. The woman hardly seemed the sort to harm anyone, and what would she do to Elaina anyway?

  “We’ll be back soon,” Runa promised.

  Together, Runa and Lyric walked down the hall and descended the stairs.

  The sound of music enveloped them, drifting from the fireplace where a man played a fiddle. The room was crowded with more unfamiliar faces. Where had they been hiding? The town had seemed empty when she'd walked its length, trying to find help. She looked for Kell but didn’t see him.

  Looking to the side, Runa saw Maggie approaching.

  “I’m glad you came down,” she said, coming up to them. She was carrying a tray with several empty mugs on it. “Your mother is in excellent hands with Granny,” she said. “Your companion is cleaning himself up. I wouldn’t be surprised if he falls asleep without eating.”

  Lyric smiled tiredly. “Sleep does sound good about now.”

  “Can we take a meal in our room after we’ve bathed?” Runa asked.

  Maggie nodded. “Of course. Here, let me set this down.” She took the tray to the bar, then led them to a small room behind the stairs. “Here’s the bathing room,” she said. “No one will disturb you. I only let our female guests use it and Jim, when he’s been particularly sweet to me.” Maggie chuckled fondly.

  “There’s a latch there,” Maggie said, pointing to the side of the door. “I filled the tub with hot water, and there’s soap, bandages, and towels on the table. If you give me your clothes when you’re done, I can wash them for you.”

  Lyric looked down at her dress, examining the torn sleeve on one arm. “I’m afraid this is all we have.”

  “We lost our belongings on the Shore,” Runa said, thinking quickly. “Do you have anything we can buy? Something simple would suffice.”

  “Ah,” Maggie said. “You poor dears. Hmm.” She tapped her chin with a finger. “We don’t have a clothier here but Fredrik’s daughter, Peni, is about your size. She may have something to spare.”

  “Thank you,” Lyric said with a relieved smile.

  Maggie nodded.

  “Mistress Gertrude said we need to find a Dragon Blessed,” Runa said. “Is there someone we can send to bring one here? A messenger?”

  “We don’t have runners here,” Maggie said. “Someone may take the task, but I warn you, given the Sireni attack recently I’m not sure anyone will be willing to make the journey. We’re mostly fishermen here. I can ask …”

  “Jim pointed out the burned house,” Lyric said. “I’m so sorry.”

  “One of us will have to go then,” Runa said, nodding. She’d assumed as much. She’d been dreading sitting idle, waiting for someone else to track down a mage healer. It’d be better if she went herself.

  “You might not have to travel to the capital,” Maggie said. “A Dragon Blessed could have stayed behind in Heldon’s Rock, despite the festival. The city is less than two days away.”

  Runa nodded. “Thank you. I’ll check there.”

  “Find me when you’re done,” Maggie said, “and I’ll have food brought to you.”

  “Thank you, Mistress,” Lyric said.

  “Just Maggie,” Maggie said, with a warm smile. She left, closing the door, and Runa latched it.

  Lyric shoved her hair behind her shoulder and started unbuttoning her dress. “One tub,” she grinned. “Want to share like when we were kids? I’m not getting into the dirty water after you.”

  The corner of Runa’s mouth lifted as she remembered epic battles in the wash-bin back home. “Fine,” she said, “but no hogging the water.”

  Climbing into the large tub, they sat in opposite ends, giggling as their knees knocked into each other. Lyric hissed as the water touched the lacerations on her arms,
but after a moment of tentatively dipping into the water, she sighed and sunk deeper to wash her hair.

  The warm water felt wonderful on Runa’s sore muscles. Scrubbing dirt and blood from her skin, she breathed deeply, trying to relax, but the knowledge of their mother slowly dying upstairs crouched at the back of her mind stealing away her momentary pleasure.

  This is her fault, Runa thought, then immediately felt ashamed. Their mother couldn’t have predicted their ordeal on the Shore, and she certainly didn’t deserve to die for it.

  Stepping out of the bath, Runa wrapped herself in a towel and combed her fingers through her hair, braiding it slowly.

  Lyric joined her, examining Runa’s injuries then tending to her own. Most of their cuts were superficial and could be left alone. Only a deeper cut on Lyric’s upper arm and one on Runa’s forearm needed to be covered.

  Cleaned and soothed by the warm bath, Runa and Lyric were slow to respond when Maggie returned and called softly through the door. She gave them a small stack of underclothes and stockings, and two modest dresses in blue and green with square necklines and long sleeves. The dresses were faded but tidy. Taking their soiled clothing, Maggie left them to dress.

  The dresses fit well, though a touch snug beneath the arms and Runa was pleased with how it draped over her legs, loose enough that it wouldn’t hinder her movement. Her Wanderer boots had survived unscathed, and after a quick clean, she slipped them over her new stockings.

  “We look presentable again,” Lyric said. “Maybe one of the locals will be more willing now to help us fetch a Dragon Blessed.”

  “Maybe,” Runa said distractedly. Considering how the townspeople had looked at her when she’d first walked into the inn, Runa was reasonably sure she’d have to fetch a Dragon Blessed herself. Lyric certainly shouldn’t travel on her own, someone would take advantage of her, and though Kell had shown bravery and steadfastness during their journey thus far, there was no guarantee he’d return once he was in the capital. Rathgar’s Hold was where he wanted to go, after all, though he did need Elaina to get into the king’s library.

  No, he’d come back for Lyric, Runa thought. She considered Elaina’s claim that their grandfather had destroyed Thenda and bound Kell. If that was true, then it’d be dangerous for Kell to go alone. It has to be me, she thought. She’d manage ok by herself; she had no doubts about that.

  Walking to the door, Runa opened it and looked back over her shoulder at Lyric. “I’ll pay Maggie for the dresses and let her know we’re ready to eat. You can go up to Mother if you wish.”

  “Yes,” Lyric said. “I want to see how she’s doing.” She stepped into the shadow of the staircase and scanned the room. “If you see Kell, can you ask him if he wants to join us for our meal upstairs?”

  Runa nodded. “I’ll tell him if I can.”

  “Good.” Lyric looked for Kell again, then headed up the stairs to their room.

  Runa found Maggie at the bar. The innkeeper was cutting a loaf of dark brown bread into thick slices; her head tilted as she listened to the fiddler play.

  “Thank you for the dresses,” Runa said. “They fit well. How much does the girl want for them?”

  “Oh good, I’m glad,” Maggie said, looking up. “Just a copper each. She was going to repurpose them anyway.”

  Runa nodded and took two coppers from the money pouch, setting them on the bar. “Do you need help draining the tub?”

  “No,” Maggie said, smiling. “Jim will take care of that.” She set down the bread knife and looked Runa over. “You look much better. I was worried there wasn’t much left of you beneath all that blood.” She gestured at Runa’s hair. "Your hair is such a pretty shade of red.”

  “Thank you,” Runa said awkwardly, her lips pressing into a thin smile. “We were lucky.” She eyed the bread. “Can you send up our meal, when you’re free?”

  “Of course.”

  “I’m going to ask our companion if he wishes to join us or take his meal here in the common room.”

  Maggie raised an eyebrow but didn’t voice whatever thought went through her head.

  “Thank you for fetching Mistress Gertrude,” Runa said. “We appreciate your assistance.”

  Maggie inclined her head, and Runa turned around. She spotted the back of Kell’s head in the middle of the crowd. He must have slipped inside while she talked to Maggie. Sighing, she started walking around the side of the room in an attempt to catch his eye.

  15

  Lyric

  Gertrude looked up, eyes taking in Lyric’s cleaned face as she entered the room. The healer sat on a chair beside the bed, her hands folded and her bag packed beside her feet.

  “How is she?” Lyric asked. She approached the bed and reached for her mother’s hand lying on the coverlet, checking her pulse.

  Elaina was bathed and redressed in a clean shift, and covered with a thick blanket. Her eyes were closed, her lashes copper against her pale skin, and though she still breathed, her chest barely moved.

  Dark green salve covered a gash across Elaina’s forehead, the torn skin sewn together with delicate thread. She seemed thinner as if the flesh had sunk into her skull, sharpening the planes of her face. Lying there, their mother looked like Runa. She seemed smaller, sharper, younger.

  “She won’t wake,” Gertrude said. “Not until a Dragon Blessed removes the corruption inside her. She’s stable, so you should have time to bring one here.”

  Lyric nodded. “What do we owe you?” she asked, sitting on the bed, still holding Elaina’s hand.

  “A silver,” Gertrude said.

  It was a high price, half the cost of their room for the night. Lyric glanced at the small table opposite the bed and saw their mother’s bag and belt neatly stacked atop it. Had Gertrude found the pendant while searching for Elaina’s shift?

  “Runa will pay you,” Lyric said, looking back at the healer. “Thank you, Mistress Gertrude.”

  Gertrude nodded and stood, her joints cracking as she bent to pick up her bag. “I’ll return in the morning to change the dressing. I believe you have skill with that yourself if you’d like me to leave supplies?”

  “Yes, thank you,” Lyric said.

  Gertrude removed a roll of cloth from her bag and placed it on the table. “I’ll return in the morning anyway,” she said, “to see how she’s doing.” She looked at Lyric, her blue eyes direct. “I applied salve to the burn on her arm,” Gertrude said. “It’s healing.”

  “Thank you,” Lyric said. She watched the woman, wondering what thoughts drifted behind her penetrating gaze, but Gertrude just nodded and opened the door to leave.

  Once she’d gone, Lyric looked around for their mother’s soiled clothes and the towels Gertrude used to clean away the blood. She couldn’t see them anywhere. Maggie must have collected them to wash with their dresses. She’d have to thank the innkeeper for her kindness.

  The feeling of being watched prickled the skin on Lyric’s neck, and she turned her head to stare at the wall behind her, finding nothing.

  She’ll live, I think, Gandara said inside her head.

  Lyric jumped and looked down at Elaina’s face. It was unsettling how easily Gandara slipped in and out of her thoughts like she’d carved out a place for herself inside Lyric’s head. For a moment, she felt as if someone else stared through her eyes, sharing her sight.

  “Yes,” Lyric said softly. She knew she could respond to Gandara by thinking, but it felt less peculiar using her voice. “I’m tempted to check the stitching, but Mistress Gertrude’s hands were steady.”

  Will you head north? To find a Dragon Blessed?

  Lyric frowned. How did Gandara know about that? Was she listening inside Lyric’s head even when she wasn’t aware of her? Could she hear her private thoughts or only what Lyric heard outside her head? An image of Kell filled her mind, and Lyric flushed. Did Gandara know her thoughts about Kell?

  “Yes, north,” Lyric said, trying to ignore her embarrassment. “One of us will go,
I think. Maggie said there are no runners here to send.” A thought occurred to her. “Do you know any runes, any spells that could help my mother? Or perhaps you know what the Dragon Blessed will do. Can you teach me?”

  No, Gandara said. I was never skilled in healing.

  Disappointed, Lyric stroked Elaina’s hand.

  Don’t let Runa go by herself.

  “What? Why not?” Lyric asked. She hadn’t begun considering who should go, but knowing her sister, Runa would volunteer. She’d wanted to travel ever since they were little, always making up stories about the lands outside their secluded valley.

  Can you trust she’ll come back? Gandara asked. She’s wanted to be free for a long time.

  “Of course she’ll come back,” Lyric said irritably. “Runa wouldn’t abandon us, abandon me.”

  The fire’s growing stronger inside her blood. She’s being changed by it.

  “I trust my sister, Gandara,” Lyric said. Irritated, she let go of her mother’s hand.

  Of course. That isn’t the only reason I caution sending her alone.

  “We haven’t even decided who will go,” Lyric said.

  You must stay together.

  There was weight to Gandara’s words that cooled Lyric’s temper.

  “Why?”

  Bad things happen when you’re apart.

  “We’ve been apart many times on errands and trips to town,” Lyric said.

  Not for long. Were you together when Runa slipped free of her body?

  “No, of course not.”

  Were you together when your mother left?

  “I …” Lyric paused, thinking back all those years ago. They’d been together, hadn’t they? They usually were. Runa wanted to play in the field, and Lyric was … no, she was searching the forest for goldenseal. Their mother had asked her to fetch some.

  You must stay together, Gandara said.

  “We can’t all leave,” Lyric said. “Someone has to stay with Mama.”

  Stay together. Your mother will be fine.

  Was that admiration Lyric felt from Gandara? She’d seemed lukewarm about their mother before. What had changed?