His father smiled. “There are a few things we can try.” He disappeared between the shelves before returning with a small jar. When he opened it, the distinct odor of tarmac seeds came out. His father scooped a handful of seeds into a small satchel that he kept behind the counter. “Swallow one of these every day. That should help.”
“Will it taste foul as well?”
“Not as bad as the farthing paste. But if it works, you’ll know. It only takes a week or so to find out if it’s going to make a difference. If it does, you can return, and I’ll keep a supply on hand for you.”
The old man nodded and took the seeds and the paste and made his way out of the shop.
“It’s good that you were able to restock so quickly.”
“It doesn’t take long to acquire a minimal supply. Most of it, I can scavenge throughout the city. There are a few places that don’t know what they have, and they trade for less than they should.”
“Not the farthing leaves.”
His father shrugged. “Farthing is rare enough that there aren’t many who recognize what it is. I can head to the northern edge of the city, near enough to the swamp that I can gather some of those leaves.”
Alec shivered. He remembered the times when he’d gone with his father to harvest near the swamp. He hated it there.
“You’ve been gone for a few days,” his father said.
“Not by choice,” Alec said. “Sam has wanted to continue to practice.”
His father sighed. “I suppose it had to happen sometime, didn’t it?”
“What had to happen?”
“I always knew that you would eventually leave me. I had hoped that you would do so in order to take over the shop, but it seems unlikely now.”
Alec’s gaze drifted around the shop, surveying the shelves, trying to take everything in. “All I’ve ever wanted was to take over the shop.”
“And I’ve wanted you to go to the university, to learn from the master physickers. There are things that I can’t teach you, and there are things that you can only learn there. In time, you could return as I did and take over…”
There was a time when Alec thought that all he wanted was to go to the university, and maybe he still did. How could he ignore his interest in doing so? But if he went to the university, would he sacrifice his chance to better understand how to help Sam?
“I’m fine staying here and continuing to work with you, Father.”
“Fine?” His father lifted the mortar and began to clean it out, rinsing free the farthing leaves so that it would be uncontaminated the next time he needed to make a concoction. “Alec, I don’t want you to ever be fine with anything that you do. Nor would your mother have wanted you to settle for that.”
Alec hated when his father brought her up. She had been gone a long time—long enough that he didn’t think about her. She had died shortly after his birth, and despite all the knowledge his father had, he claimed that he had been unable to save her. It was the one time Alec wished his father could have been… better. As great a healer as he was, if he could have saved his mother, how different would things have been for Alec?
“I’m better than fine. I’m happy to continue working in the apothecary. Now that the shop has been rebuilt, it’s almost nicer than it was before.”
His father arched a brow at him. “Are you saying our shop was not satisfactory before?”
Alec shook his head, but grinned. “It’s not that it wasn’t satisfactory, but maybe the Thelns did us a service by destroying it.”
He breathed out in a sigh. “That shop held many memories. Losing it…”
He knew what his father was getting at. It wasn’t the memories that he missed; it was the decades of documentation, records that his father had kept about every illness, every complaint that anyone ever brought to him. All of that was lost.
Alec pulled the books that he had taken from Marin’s home out of his pocket and set them on the table in front of him. “I know this doesn’t help a whole lot, but I thought these might be somewhat beneficial,” he said. “I got them from Marin’s home.” He’d taken the time to thumb through them and hadn’t found anything in them that would help he and Sam. That didn’t mean there was nothing helpful within the pages, just that it didn’t have to do with Kavers.
“You shouldn’t be taking anything from there.”
“And why not?”
“Because that woman makes me uncomfortable,” his father said. Alec hadn’t explained that Marin was a Kaver, not wanting to reveal too much about that connection, but he had a sense that his father already knew—or at least suspected. “And from what you’ve told me, anything that you do will only pull you in deeper.”
“I’ve been pulled in deep enough.”
“That doesn’t mean that you need to agree to it.”
“I need to understand what Sam and I can do. I need to—”
“Continue your studies,” his father said.
“That’s why I’m here.”
“And that’s not what I meant.” His father turned away and headed to the back of the shop. Alec thought he might be angry, but his father returned carrying a folded piece of paper. He said nothing as he handed it over.
Alec unfolded it, frowning to himself. What had his father been keeping from him?
As he read the words on the page, his heart starting to beat faster. “Is this real?” he asked, looking up at his father.
“Real enough. I knew the physicker who brought it here.”
Alec licked his lips that had gone suddenly dry. “It says that they want me to come for testing.”
“They do.”
“But—”
“But nothing. I submitted your name and described the years that you have spent training with me, and suggested that testing would be beneficial for both you and them.”
Alec couldn’t believe it. How long had he wanted the opportunity to go to the university and be tested? How long had he thought about it but discarded the idea as too far-fetched for him? It seemed impossible for him to even consider.
“I can’t,” he said.
“You can’t? There aren’t many people who are offered this opportunity, Alec. With everything that you’ve seen and learned over the years, you’re a lock for admission.”
Alec shook his head, unable to think of how to answer. “I don’t know that I would be considered a lock for anything. Regardless, even if I thought this was something that I could do, even if I believed that I had a chance at admission, I can’t go. I need to stay with Sam and continue to work with her.”
“You would let your connection to this girl dictate your future?”
“It’s not just that, it’s what we can do. It’s what we can be. It’s more than healing.”
His father stared at him. “I’ve worked with you for years. I’ve never said anything about what I hoped you would do, only that you make your own choice, not allowing me or anyone else to decide what you might become. Don’t let this other person choose what you become. Don’t let her be the reason you give up on this opportunity.”
“But you hate the university! You hate everything they stand for and everything they do, the way they charge people and—”
“I don’t hate the knowledge that you could gain there.” His father clasped him on the shoulder. “I’m not saying that you need to remain at the university for the rest of your life, only that you learn from the Master physickers. Why miss out on that opportunity?”
It was a good point and one that Alec didn’t have an answer to.
“There’s no guarantee that they will even take me,” he said softly.
“You won’t know until you try.”
Alec stared at the page. It was embossed with the marking of the university, a sigil that was impossible to have forged. The words called to him, drawing him there for testing, but despite the longing Alec felt to go, to give himself the opportunity for that testing and to see whether he could even be successful, a nagging worry tr
oubled him.
What would Sam think if he went?
6
The Warehouse Job
Sam stared straight ahead. She should go to Alec with this, Kyza knew she shouldn’t keep this to herself, especially with what Bastan planned, but she didn’t want to involve him any more than she had to. Alec wouldn’t want to take a job, anyway, and this was something she could do without augmentations.
She had to do it without augmentations.
It might be time to come to terms with the fact that Alec might not be terribly interested in continuing to work with her. He had disappeared, leaving her behind, and he was keeping something from her, she was certain of it.
But what?
The street stretched in front of her. It was dark, night having long since fallen, and she wrapped her cloak around her, trying to stay warm. It provided more than just warmth, shielding her from the probing glances of the few people that might happen to be wandering along the streets of Caster at this time of night.
Except, this wasn’t Caster. If it were, maybe she wouldn’t be so jumpy. In this section, there were plenty of people out this late, most of them making their way from tavern to tavern, some of them probably going to places like Bastan’s.
Why did Bastan want her to sneak into a warehouse?
There was nothing unique about it. It was a simple building at the edge of the section, abutting the canal. Were it daylight, Sam might be able to see the distant mountains rising, though it was unlikely. With the massive steam fields spread between the edge of the city in the mountains, there wasn’t much that was visible all that often. Most of the time, views to the west were clouded with steam and smoke, a sort of vog that made everything unpleasant. She had grown up with it, and had been accustomed to it, but those in the central sections didn’t enjoy the same view as she.
Sam tapped her canal staff on the ground, her mind working through how she would get in.
It was a simple job. And, given her experience as a thief, it should be no more difficult than anything other. Then again, she was a little jumpy, especially since the last job she had taken had ended up with her nearly dying.
She couldn’t figure out why Bastan would be after anything in a warehouse. Then again, she had gone after art supplies for him before, and this was more of the same, though it wasn’t in Caster.
Maybe he was trying to find more of the easar paper. All she knew was that he wanted her to find a box. Could that be what was inside of it?
If only she could find more of the paper.
Sam moved quietly, trying to slip into the building undetected. She kept her cloak wrapped around her shoulders and held a firm grip on her canal staff, cautious not to drag it across the ground.
It was dark, and though her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, she still feared that someone could catch her by surprise. If only Alec were here, maybe she could use an augmentation…
Sam shook her head. She had to stop thinking like that. Augmentations could help, but they weren’t the only thing that worked. She had plenty of experience sneaking through the city even before she ever learned about her ability to be augmented.
She needed to rely on what she knew, not on augmentation that might be fleeting, especially if they didn’t have enough access to easar paper. As much as she wanted the augmentations to be ongoing, she recognized that they might not be unless she was able to come up with another supply.
Movement caught her eye.
Sam hesitated. What was it that she had seen?
She froze. In the darkness and with her cloak drawn tight around her, she had a sense that she would be completely invisible, though she knew that wasn’t the case. Marin had already shown an ability to see her, even when she was shrouded by the cloak.
Then again, Marin was something more than an average person.
There were no other signs of movement. Maybe she had imagined it.
Sam started forward, creeping slowly. She must have imagined it. She needed to remain alert to her surroundings. Bastan had given her directions about where she could find this item, and told her to claim the entire box—regardless of what might be in it.
Sam hated the uncertainty.
Then again, with Bastan, this was exactly the kind of thing he did. He thrived on uncertainty and on not sharing what it was he was after.
Sam crept forward, surveying the room. If his instructions were correct, she had to get through this room and into the next, and then she could find the box.
Why did she feel so unsettled?
Maybe she had become too reliant on the augmentations. Or, more likely, it was simply that she hadn’t taken any jobs in a while. She was out of practice. It was the very thing that would get her into trouble.
Sam reached the door and twisted the knob, finding it unlocked.
It was almost a shame that she didn’t have to break in. The door being unlocked meant she didn’t have to try to pick it, not as she used to. Bastan had even given her a new lock-pick set, and Sam was curious to try it. Maybe she could use it on Bastan. She was sure that he would love the idea of that.
When she pushed open the door, she froze.
There was a flurry of movement, and whoever it was raced toward the back of the room.
Kyza!
Sam scanned the room. If Bastan had been right, the box would be here.
There was no sign of it.
Could someone have gotten in ahead of her?
Bastan wasn’t the only one working in the city, and if he’d received word of something valuable, it was possible that others would have too.
She didn’t want this person to get out of the room without her having a chance to figure out what it was that was so valuable.
If there was only one person, Sam could track him, maybe follow him through the city. Maybe she could find out who had gotten here first. Bastan might appreciate knowing that, and even if he didn’t, knowing who opposed him would be valuable.
There was a back door.
Why hadn’t Bastan suggested that she come through the back door?
Sam stepped out into the night. The canal burbled nearby, a steady sound. There was an occasional splash, and she tried not to think of what might have caused it. The stupid canal eels swam in that water, and she was convinced they were after her after the last time she had fallen in.
Standing in place, her cloak wrapped around her, she let her eyes adjust to the moonlight until she was able to see into the darkness. As she did, she noticed movement in the distance.
Sam raced toward it.
She used her staff, flipping along the street, occasionally climbing up to a nearby building. It wasn’t always the safest way to travel, but from the rooftops, she could get a better vantage and could see where these others might have gone. She hated doing this alone, used to having Tray with her, but Tray had been absent almost as much as Marin had been.
There were two figures, and they hurried forward, moving faster than she could keep up. Some type of weapon bulged beneath their cloaks. If they were armed, they were either unafraid of the consequences of being caught carrying a weapon or they had connections that protected them. Considering the types of people who would’ve broken into the warehouse, she suspected it was the former.
It was even more reason for her to be careful. If they didn’t care about getting caught, or they didn’t fear what might happen, they were the kind of people who wouldn’t hesitate to attack.
Could she keep up?
Not running along the rooftops. Doing it this way required that she make a jump every so often, and she often wasn’t able to clear the street, forcing her to scramble down and then back up. Each time she did, it slowed her down. Surprisingly, they seemed unmindful of the fact that they were out in the open.
Kyza, but that bothered her.
Sam raced along the street. How could they be moving so quickly?
The only answer she could come up with was that they knew the streets better than she. It wasn’t
that Sam didn’t know her way around this section, it was just that it wasn’t as natural to her as Caster where she knew her way around and didn’t need to worry about someone getting ahead of her, not the way these people seemed to.
As she raced after them, another figure joined the pursuit.
This one carried a long staff and had a cloak that flowed behind as she ran.
Marin.
Sam was certain of it.
Why would Marin be here? What would she be after?
The same thing as Bastan.
Bastan had known Marin would be interested in it, and had wanted Sam to reach it first, but she hadn’t realized she would have to compete with Marin to reclaim it.
She hurried forward, no longer focused on the two figures that were disappearing. Instead, Sam focused on the path where she could intercept Marin. When Marin jumped up onto a rooftop, Sam jumped onto a rooftop. When Marin jumped down, Sam followed, jumping down at the same place. At least with Marin, Sam knew that she could keep pace. She didn’t worry about getting outrun. Except… Marin still managed to evade her.
Sam was determined not to let her get away, not now that she finally could see the woman.
And then she caught up to her.
Marin stood with her staff resting on the ground. Two figures lay motionless near her. She clutched a box under her arm and glanced up the moment Sam appeared.
“Samara. You should not be here.”
“And where should I be?”
Marin glanced down at the two fallen figures, almost as if debating what she should do. She let out a small breath, almost a sigh, and motioned to Sam to follow.
Sam considered the two fallen figures, wanting nothing more than to know why Marin had attacked them, before ultimately choosing to hurry after her. Marin kept a quick pace, and she was forced to match Marin’s stride.
“Are you augmented?” Sam asked, hurrying forward.
Marin glanced over. “And why would I need to be augmented?”
The Book of Maladies Boxset Page 30