Deniably Dead (Arucadi Series Book 4)

by E. Rose Sabin

  Zauna must not have been asleep, but had certainly been in bed. She burst into the room in seconds, still tying the sash of her dressing gown, her hair in disarray, her bare feet slapping across the wooden floor, then silenced when she stepped onto the rug beside the bed.

  “What happened? Who is this?”

  “I don’t know. He’s been stabbed.” Quickly Lore described the unexpected encounter that resulted in his rescue of this unknown victim.

  “He’s losing a lot of blood,” Zauna observed. “And neither of us has the gift of healing. There’s a medical clinic in town, but he’d die before we could get him there.”

  “I could transfer him there if I knew what it looked like. Can you describe it?”

  “No. I’ve never seen it. I’ve only been told about it. It’s on the other side of town, where the wealthier residents live. Shouldn’t we call the peacekeepers?”

  “What could they do? And suppose they don’t believe me and think I did it?” As he spoke, Lore continued to press the pillowcase against the wound. Already the white cloth had turned scarlet. “How can I explain how I got him here all the way from the bar where he was stabbed? They’d never believe me. You’ve been here longer than I have, and you’ve met more people. Have you found anyone who’s gifted, anyone who might know of a healer?”

  “No, no one. I’m going to get towels; they’ll be better than what you’re using.”

  The bathing room was down the hall. Zauna hurried out, and returned in moments with a small stack of towels, probably the washroom’s entire supply.

  Lore shook his head as he swapped the bloody pillowcase for one of the towels. “He won’t last the night. By morning we’ll need to explain the presence of a bloody corpse.”

  “What can we do?”

  “I can think of just one thing. I’ll need your help.” He paused and wiped his brow with one hand, while he continued to press down on the towel with the other. “Can you sit here on the edge of the bed and keep the pressure on the wound for a while?”

  “Of course, but what are you going to do?” She sat next to where Lore stood and swiveled to lean over the dying man and replace Lore’s hand with both of hers.

  “I want you to do two more things,” he said, straightening and stretching. “I need you to feed me all the power you can. And I need you to send a mental call to Camsen and tell him and Renni to meet me at Maya’s shack as quick as they can get there. Tell them to ride Dark Star. Maya’s a healer. I’m going to go get her, and if you’ll feed me enough power to get me there, I’ll need them to feed me the power to bring her back here.”

  “Will she come?”

  He’d told Zauna about Maya and how she’d saved his life, but he’d also told her how strange she was, so he didn’t wonder that she’d asked that question.

  “She says she hates living in Pescatil. I think she’ll come when I tell her this is her chance to get away from the place. Anyway, I have to try to do this. It’s the only chance he has.”

  “We don’t even know who he is—or whether he’s worth the attempt. And it may be too late to save him even if your plan works.”

  “It will be if we keep talking about it. Come on, give me what power you can and let me try.” He placed a hand on her shoulder. She took one hand off the towel she was holding against the wound and pressed it over his.

  §

  Zauna didn’t know whether she’d actually sent him any power, though she’d tried. He was gone, and remembering how weak he’d been when he transferred here, she worried that he might not even reach his destination. What would happen if the transfer failed? Would he pop back here or be lost in nothingness?

  Just do what he asked you to, and worry later, she told herself. Not relaxing her hands but keeping a firm pressure on the towel, she mindsent to Camsen. At this late hour he’d probably be asleep. Would he wake? She could focus better aiming her sending at a single person, but maybe she should send to Renni, too.

  If she’d fed as much of her power to Lore as she’d tried to do, could she even mindsend over the considerable distance between Highport and Pescatil?

  Almost as if Kyla had spoken to her, she heard in her mind the advice Kyla had often given to the Port-of-Lords Gifted Community: “Have faith in your gift and in the Power-Giver, and do not let doubts drain your power. Expect success and it will come.”

  Camsen! Wake up! She put enough force into the sending to make it the equivalent of a shout.

  What? What is it? What’s wrong? His sending revealed his alarm.

  Quickly she passed along Lore’s message, explaining the need. I’ll get Renni and we’ll be on our way. That was all he sent and all she needed to hear. Now it only remained to wait, press down on the towel, and ask the Power-Giver to bring Lore back quickly, and the healer with him.

  §

  Lore stood in darkness, and only the floor beneath his feet gave him an indication that he had reached his destination. He waited a moment, swaying a bit, for the wave of weakness to pass. He could not waste time; as soon as he steadied a bit, he called out, “Maya! Maya, it’s Lore!”

  It took two more calls before he heard the creak of bedsprings, the patter of bare feet, and finally the welcome sight of light coming from the door into the room where Maya slept. She peered out, holding a lantern.

  “Lore! What are you doing here in the middle of the night?” She stepped into the room where he stood, her bare body glistening in the lantern light.

  “I need you to heal someone. He’s dying, so we don’t have much time.”

  “Need me to— Who? Where?”

  “I’ll explain, but get dressed first. I expect Camsen and Renni to be coming here soon.”

  “Now wait just a minute!” She put her free hand on her hip and glared at him. “What makes you think I’m gonna just dance to your song? You tell me what’s goin’ on, or I’m goin’ right back to bed, and you can get out of my house.”

  “Maya, please, I tell you, this is desperate.”

  “I don’t care. You look fine, and if your friends Camsen and Renni are comin’ here, where I don’t want ’em, they must be okay, and you know I don’t care about nobody livin’ here in Pescatil.” She paused, then caught her breath. “Unless—it’s not Vic, is it?”

  “No, it’s not Vic.”

  She gave a relieved sigh. “If it was Vic, I’d’ve done everything I could for him. But I’m not gonna bestir myself for nobody else in this town.”

  “It’s not anyone in Pescatil. Maya, you told me you want to leave here. Well, here’s your chance.”

  “That’s crazy. If this somebody’s near death, and he’s not in Pescatil, how am I supposed to get to him to heal him.”

  “That’s why Camsen and Renni are coming. I can take you where he is, but I need their help.”

  “I ain’t goin’ nowhere in that wagon. Not tonight, anyway.”

  “Maya, just before I got here and called you, I was in Highport. That’s where the man who needs healing is. And I have the ability to take you there with Renni and Camsen feeding me some of their power. Now will you go and get dressed?”

  “You know I don’t need clothes on to heal.”

  “Maya!” He grabbed her arm and pulled her into her bedroom, nearly making her drop the lantern. “Put a dress on. I can’t take you to Highport bare ass naked.”

  “Take me to Highport!” She pulled her arm free of his grasp and slammed the lantern down on the dresser. “You think I’m crazy enough to believe that?”

  “When Camsen and Renni get here, they’ll tell you I can do it.” He hoped Zauna had got the message to them. He didn’t want to mindsend even just to ask if they were on their way. It didn’t take much power, but to get Maya back to Highport would take every bit of power he had and as much as he could borrow.

  “Well, I don’t have clothes good enough to wear in Highport, if we really can get there. Ever’thing I’ve got is old and worn.”

  “Maya, if you will come with me and heal t
his man, I’ll buy you a pretty new dress. Just get dressed in something—anything—right now.” He heard approaching hoofbeats. “Listen! here come Camsen and Renni. Hurry, get dressed.”

  He stomped out of the bedroom and went to peer out the front door. Dark Star came to a halt just in front of the door, and Camsen and Renni dismounted. “Lore! Zauna sent me a frantic message. We got here as soon as we could. Vic’s coming too. He’s following on one of the other horses. Zauna didn’t tell me a great deal—just about a man you rescued from two attackers and are trying to save his life.”

  “That’s about all there is to tell. He has a nasty knife wound. He’ll die from loss of blood without a healer, and we don’t know of any in Highport—or of any gifted there.”

  “Is Maya willing to go?” Renni asked, stepping around Lore and entering the house. “Maya?” she called.

  “Be there in a tail wag,” came the answering call from the bedroom. A moment later Maya came out and Renni went and hugged her. Maya stepped back with a look of startlement. Lore guessed she’d never had a friend of her own sex—or even a real friend of the opposite sex, for that matter.

  Camsen had followed Lore into the bare front room. Maya looked from Renni to Camsen and asked, “Do you know where this crazy man said he wants to take me?”

  “Yes, to Highport. He can do it, truly,” Camsen said.

  “The question is, are you willing to go?” Renni put in.

  “How does he do it? Will it take long?” Maya’s eyes were wide and frightened.

  “He uses power to do it,” Camsen answered. “Same as you use when you heal.”

  “Never thought of that as power,” she said.

  “It won’t take long,” Renni answered. “Only a moment of cold, and then you’ll be there.”

  “Will it hurt?”

  “It won’t hurt you,” Lore said, trying to sound comforting. “It will leave me feeling kind of faint and dizzy, but that passes quickly.” That last was a lie, intended to reassure Maya. These transfers left his power depleted for some time, and he could hardly ask Maya for healing. Her power would be needed for the dying stranger.

  “I never been away from Pescatil,” Maya said, thoughtful now. “Always wanted to get away.” A pause, a beseeching glance at Renni, then, “Can he really do it?”

  “Yes, he really can,” Renni assured her. And then, as they heard hoofbeats and a loud whinny, “Here’s Vic. He’ll join Camsen and me in feeding power to Lore to make it easier for him.”

  “We need to go. Are you ready?” Lore asked Maya.

  “Just about, I guess. Gotta get something.” She ran back into her bedroom and emerged a moment later. She went to Renni and pressed something into her hand. “It’s the key to my house. Will you lock it up for me after we leave?”

  “Of course,” Renni said. “Don’t worry. You’re going to save a life. You’ll be fine.” She hugged Maya and kissed her cheek. “I’ll take care of your house.”

  Maya took a deep breath and looked at Lore. “I’m ready,” she said. “What do I do?”

  “Just hold on to me.” He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her. She gripped his hands and shut her eyes.

  “Okay,” Lore said, “Camsen, Renni, Vic, send me all the power you can. And wish us luck.” He took deep breaths, visualized his boardinghouse room, with the man bleeding on his bed. A moment passed. Two. Three. Darkness. Cold.

  Then Zauna’s voice saying, “Oh, thank the Power-Giver, you’re back! I only hope you’re not too late.”

  He got his eyes open long enough to thrust Maya into Zauna’s arms and then collapse into the armchair. He heard Zauna speaking soothing words to Maya, and Maya mumbling something in return. He didn’t try to distinguish what they said.

  He’d done it! He’d brought Maya here, though the transport so soon after his transfer to Pescatil had completely drained his strength. He wasn’t worried. His power would return with food and rest. Now, though, if the man’s life were to be saved, it would be up to Maya to do it.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  ROADBLOCKS AND RESOLUTIONS

  The girl pushed away from Zauna and gazed around in wonder. “Am I really in Highport?” she asked, staring at the window, which of course at this hour of the night showed nothing but darkness.

  “Yes, you are really in Highport,” Zauna answered. “Lore brought you here to save this man’s life if you can.” She pointed to the still, ghostly pale figure on the bed. “He’s lost so much blood that I’m afraid it’s too late for him, but will you try?”

  The girl nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.” She walked to the bed and gazed down at the young man. “Poor thing! I hope I can help him.” She whirled around to look at Lore, who sat with his eyes closed, nodding. “He’s used up all his power. I could help him, but I’ll need all my strength to help this man. What’s his name?”

  “We don’t know. He passed out before he could tell us anything. Lore came upon him right after he was stabbed and brought him here to save his life.”

  “Oh. Well, I guess I don’t need to know his name to heal him. My name’s Maya, by the way. I’ll need to be alone with him, so you need to rouse Lore enough to get him out of this room.”

  “I’m Zauna. I can’t heal, but I am gifted. Lore has no more power, but I can try to share some of mine with you for the healing. Don’t you want—”

  “No. What I want is for you and Lore to leave, so I can do what I can. And by the looks of this poor man, I need to get started, so please, get Lore and go out of the room.”

  “Well! All right then, but that’s not the way gifted usually work,” Zauna huffed, feeling a bit insulted. She’d soon see whether Lore’s confidence in this strange young girl was justified.

  She went to Lore, shook his shoulder, and when he opened his eyes and looked up at her, said, “Maya says she has to be alone with him to heal him, so we need to go to my room. Can you walk? You can lean on me.”

  He nodded, and she helped him to his feet. He leaned heavily on her arm, but thankfully he could walk. “If you need us, we’ll be in the room directly across the hall,” she told Maya. With Lore’s steps lagging, they moved slowly to the door while Maya watched with clear impatience. As soon as they passed out into the hall, Zauna heard the door close and lock behind them. She guided Lore across the hall, opened the door to her room, and steered him inside. “You need sleep,” she said. “And in the morning a big breakfast.” She pushed him down on her bed, took off his shoes, and pulled a blanket over him.

  He fell asleep immediately. He’d expended way too much energy, and he’d need time to recover. She’d hoped they’d be able to go to Pescatil tomorrow, their work here done. Now it looked like they’d need two or three more days for Lore to regain all his power and for the young man to recover fully even if that girl, Maya, succeeded in saving his life. If she failed, they’d have a body to dispose of, but she’d worry about that when it happened.

  Before anything else, she needed to let Camsen and Renni know that Lore and Maya had arrived safely. She mindsent that news, and Camsen sent back a short but grateful response.

  That done, she settled into the armchair prepared to spend the night there. She could sleep anywhere, but after the nerve-wracking events of the evening she was too keyed up to sleep. She moved the bedside lantern so that it would not shine on Lore and placed it on the small table beside the chair. She watched the steady rise and fall of Lore’s chest beneath the blanket and thought about him and the strange mix of ambition and altruism, the quick temper and the regret that inevitably followed his acts of folly. What lay in his future? The temptation to get out her crystal ball and explore that question was almost overwhelming, but she resisted. If she had learned anything in her long career as a fortuneteller, it was that some things were better not known.

  §

  After locking the doors of Maya’s house as she’d promised, Renni pocketed the key and rode back to the Carrans’ house on Dark Star. Camsen had ridd
en back double with Vic on the draft horse Vic had come on. Rather than impose on Anya and Mel’s hospitality, Camsen and Vic slept in the wagon, and Renni slept in a bedroll in the barn near Dark Star’s stall. She still felt the need to guard the horse against theft, and she still feared that Jac Thornbridge might try to reclaim his horse, though he seemed to have accepted her claim of ownership, and Camsen certainly believed the man to have completely rejected his former life and begun a new, reformed life here in Pescatil with his son. Renni was less trusting.

  When Camsen received word from Zauna that Lore and Maya had transferred safely to Highport, and Maya was attempting the healing for which Lore had taken her there, he’d declared that at last he and Renni and now Vic could finally start their journey to Hillcross. There was no need to wait for Zauna, since Lore was with her, and when he’d recovered his power, he could transport himself and her to the wagon, wherever it was. In fact, the farther they got on their journey from Pescatil, the shorter the distance Lore’s transport would have to cover, and thus the easier it would be for him.

  With Vic to help Camsen with the driving, Renni was free to ride alongside the wagon on Dark Star. That would make for a more pleasurable journey for her. So she fell asleep happy with the prospect of at last departing Pescatil and starting on the last leg of their journey and the fulfillment of their mission.

  She woke early, wide awake despite the late night she’d had and eager with anticipation. When she and Camsen announced their intention of leaving that day to start their trek to Hillcross, Anya insisted on serving them and Vic a good big breakfast to fortify them for the journey. They accepted gladly, knowing that their fare on the road would be far less tasty. Renni noticed that while Anya was cheerful as always, Mel seemed subdued and a bit glum. She hoped this was due to nothing more than regret at seeing them go.