The Book of Maladies Boxset

by D. K. Holmberg

  One day of the month was different.

  Balan Day, a time of feasting throughout the city in celebration of the festival god, brought out twice the crowd and twice the energy. Barges tied along the canals, adding to the chaos, but they expanded the trading, giving people more stations to search for goods.

  What was Marin thinking coming to the market on a Balan Day? Even Sam knew better than to do that, but to catch up with Marin, she had no choice. Maybe if she had augmentations, it wouldn’t be quite so bad, but seeing as she had nothing but her canal staff, which she didn’t dare reveal in front of this many people, she felt unprotected.

  “I don’t know how you intend to keep up with her. There are just too many people here. There’s a reason my father never had me come visit the market on Balan Day. It’s too easy to get lost in the crowd, or worse—have your pockets picked.”

  She turned to him with a smile. “I might have been the one picking your pocket. I think you’re safe enough with me today.”

  “Great. Just what I wanted to hear. The thief responsible for stealing from me is now my friend.”

  “Not just your friend. Your Kaver.”

  “Even better.”

  She smiled. As much as he resisted it, she thought he was thankful for their connection. They had each other, which was something neither of them had before they met. Then again, Alec had his father, much like she had Tray.

  How much had Alec’s relationship with his father changed since she’d come into Alec’s life? Had it changed nearly as much as hers with Tray? Even though she didn’t want it to, it was hard not to think that it had changed, and probably not for the better.

  “I just want to see what she’s doing. Can we follow her a little longer?”

  “Should I keep my hand on my pocket?”

  “Only if you don’t want me to steal from you.”

  They passed a cluster of men dressed in the gray university clothing, the crest embroidered on their chests. Some of them had their heads shaved, and the jackets were of different lengths. Was that important for some reason?

  She didn’t know enough about the university, other than the fact that Alec wanted to go there, though he saw himself as too old now to be able to do so. And maybe he was. Sam didn’t know anything about what the university asked of their students.

  “You could follow them while I go after Marin…”

  Alec looked at them with his eyes wide. Something was going on, but he hadn’t explained it. She should ask, and push him to share, but would he? Maybe there was something that he was trying to keep from her.

  No. They didn’t have any secrets, at least not like that.

  She lost sight of Marin in the crowd.

  Standing on her toes, she looked around, but couldn’t see her.

  She peered around the crowd. For a moment, she considered trailing the physickers but changed her mind. There would be no good that would come out of following them, especially if any of them recognized her from when she had gone with Alec. They had been hidden, but all knew the physickers were some of the brightest minds in the city, so she wouldn’t put it past them to recognize that she was the same person who had come through. Besides, she didn’t want to upset Alec any more than was necessary.

  Another group passed them. They were better dressed in robes of a rich color, mostly in maroons and deep blues, and the cloth was much thicker. Several were embroidered with delicate stitching along the sleeves and collar. They were either merchants—and wealthy ones at that—or they were from the palace. It was often difficult to know, though she doubted anyone from the palace would ever come to the market, especially on a day like this.

  A flicker of nearby movement caught her eye.

  Marin.

  Near Marin came a flash of crimson and blue, colors Sam had seen only a few times in her life, and once from much closer than she had intended.

  Royalty.

  They rarely—if ever—were out on a Balan Day.

  “Why would they have come to the market?” she said. And why would Marin be so close to them?

  Could she be searching for answers about why the highborns had brought the easar paper to the city? It had to mean there were other Kavers and Scribes, didn’t it?

  Alec pressed up against her. In the crowd, there was really nowhere else for him to go. “They come for the same reason we do,” he said.

  She glanced over at him, shaking her head. “They don’t come for the same reason we do. With the money they have…”

  It was the kind of wealth she couldn’t even imagine. Stranded as she was in the Caster section, she couldn’t imagine ever getting to the point where she didn’t have to worry about money or thieving or finding food, or even about having to rely on someone like Bastan.

  Marin slipped forward, as if trailing after the royals.

  This was where she should turn back, but curiosity got the best of her.

  It was stupid, but she didn’t care. She had helped the princess, and still had been locked up for her troubles. Had the princess only known what she’d done—or had bothered to seek answers about who saved her life—she would’ve thanked Sam, rather than sending her to prison, but that would have required the royals to have some sense of decency. When had highborns ever had decency? More than that, the royals had abandoned the outer sections to men like Bastan, practically ignoring the fact that they were there.

  The flash of crimson and blue faded into the crowd, and Sam struggled to keep up to keep the royals in view.

  That wasn’t quite accurate. It wasn’t so much that the colors faded from view, but that the people around the royals were pushed back, creating a wall of bodies that made it difficult for Sam to see. She could either remain in the crowd, or she could try a different method.

  There weren’t the same rooftops that she preferred in other parts of the city, and even if there were, she wasn’t sure she could’ve reached them and remained unnoticed. All she wanted was a way to see over the crowd.

  She wouldn’t be so disappointed with the giant augmentation now. If she had that, if she were taller, she could simply stare over the heads of everyone around her. Who cared if it exposed her to the other people in the city? From what she’d seen, the Thelns hadn’t returned—and she wasn’t certain they even would.

  Sam took the two halves of her canal staff and screwed them together. Combined, the two parts were taller than she was, and she could use it to push up and hopefully peer over the crowd. Maybe if she had an additional section to add to it, she would be more able to see, but that would only draw attention. Lessons from living in Caster taught her to never draw attention to herself. Most of the time, that was doable, but sometimes… sometimes she had to do what was needed to accomplish certain tasks. This was one of them.

  Using the staff, she was able to hold herself up long enough to get a sense of the direction the royals went. It was enough to at least know where they were headed.

  “What are you doing?” Alec asked, grabbing at her cloak.

  Sam looked down at him. “What I’m doing is trying to get a better view. Marin is up there—”

  “And others. I saw them, too, Sam.”

  “What does it matter? Nobody here knows me.”

  She turned her attention back to the royals. They followed the outer edge of the canal, and Marin seemed to stay behind them. Were there trouble, she suspected their guards would usher them away on one of the barges, using the canals to escape. She imagined they even had a barge prepared for a rapid escape. Then again, why would the royal family have to fear for their safety in the city? The Anders were beloved, at least in the central sections. Out in her section, they had a much different view of the Anders.

  Sam peered over the crowd again, wondering if they really did have a barge ready to escape. With the royal family, it was possible they had all of the barges at their disposal. Sam could imagine them taking whatever they wanted, offering the barge master enough coin to buy the barge—and everything on it
. Having that much money… It seemed impossible to even think about.

  She forced herself into an opening in the crowd, dragging Alec with her. He followed but did so reluctantly. She practically had to force him along.

  “Sorry,” she muttered to those around her, hurrying on and ignoring the hard glares sent her way. She disappeared into the crowd before anyone had a chance to say anything more to her. When she popped back up, she once again noticed the distinct colors of the royal family.

  They had moved away from the edge of the market, toward the middle section.

  Where was Marin?

  Gone.

  That annoyed her.

  Sam continued to search for any sign of her but didn’t come up with anything.

  Turning her attention back to the royals, she tried to understand why they would be here. The center of the market was a place where trade was thicker, but there were other activities that took place there, too, games and performances and all sorts of things that she imagined the royals could have simply brought to their section rather than exposing themselves to the general population. Why would they need to come to the market for their entertainment?

  “Why are you still following them? All you’ll do is draw the attention of the guard, and I thought, after what you just went through, you wouldn’t want to do that.”

  “All I want to do is see why they have come to the market.” At least, now that she had lost track of Marin.

  “And I told you, they come for the same reason we do.”

  Sam shook her head. “They don’t come for the same reason we do. They have the means to bring the market to them, so for them to come here and risk the market and the crowds, there has to be something they can’t bring to the palace. After the stupid highborns brought the Thelns to the city—”

  “You should be careful saying that too loud.”

  “It’s true.”

  Alec chewed on the inside of his lip. “Fine. You’re making sense. Don’t let that get to your head.”

  Sam grinned. “I’m glad you’re finally admitting that I speak sense. All this time, you’ve been the smart one.”

  “You’re smart, Sam.”

  “I’m lucky. Most of the time. And that’s enough.”

  It had to be enough, because it was all she had. Well, it was all she’d had until she had discovered that she was a Kaver. She didn’t have the size of her brother or the brains Alec possessed, but she was quick and sneaky, and she had been lucky. For the most part.

  “I didn’t realize it was Feel Bad for Sam Day. I thought it was Balan Day.”

  She brought her staff around and caught him on the shoulder with a light tap.

  Maybe it wasn’t quite as light as she had thought. Alec winced and covered his shoulder with his hand.

  “Fine,” she said quickly, feeling bad about hurting him. “I can do the things you believe of me. Now I want you to believe there is some reason the royals came to the market and we should look into it.”

  It was a mystery. Sam was intrigued.

  “Because you want to draw more attention to yourself?”

  “You’re the one who made me a giant.”

  “There’s no such thing as giants,” Alec said.

  “Other than me.”

  A man passing by in the crowd looked down at her and flashed a wide smile.

  Sam shook her head and motioned to Alec. “Come on. We need to keep moving if we’re going to find out what they’re doing here.”

  “Let me just say again that I don’t think this is a good idea.”

  “You could augment me…”

  “And what would that do? Give people more reason to notice us? I think maybe you’re better off just popping your head over the crowd every so often.”

  “I thought you said that was too noticeable.”

  “It’s not nearly as noticeable as someone growing twice as tall.”

  “You don’t have to make me a giant.”

  Alec grinned and shrugged at the same time. “Where’s the fun in that?”

  Sam threatened to smack him with the staff again. “I might take the ink and augment you the next time. See what I do.”

  “You can’t. You’re not a Scribe.”

  “See? I’m dependent on others,” Sam said as she started into the crowd, pushing past an older couple that made their way toward a booth selling smoked meats. The scent from the booth caught her nostrils and almost carried her forward. If Alec weren’t with her, she would’ve gone to the booth and snatched a few strips of meat. The seller wouldn’t even have noticed it missing. He had enough. Most of these merchants had more than enough. It was the reason she only took from the wealthy ones, though most of them were wealthy.

  “I think we’re just wasting time,” Alec said.

  She glanced over at him. “What do we have other than time?”

  She had time. Finding Marin had failed, so it might be better for her to simply bide her time and wander. She popped up again on her canal staff and looked out, noticing the royal party slowing.

  They hadn’t made it to the center of the market. In the inner part of the market, there were some food stands: fruits, vegetables, and sweets. All were more expensive than anything Sam could afford. Even though she wasn’t deprived—Bastan and those who worked for him made certain that she was never hungry—there were times when she wished she had money to buy her own food.

  As they approached, Sam popped up a few more times, each time noting that the royal party hadn’t moved it all. Whatever their destination, it seemed as if they had stopped.

  “What do you think it is?” Sam asked.

  “I’ve already told you, I haven’t come to the market all that often. And never on Balan Day. There was never any reason to do so. Those were better days to stay in the shop and organize the stores and figure out what supplies we needed.”

  “You didn’t want to get out and see all the sights and sounds and all the people?”

  “I think you mistake me for someone else. I don’t like crowds. I’d rather stay in the shop and—”

  “Sort your supplies,” Sam finished.

  Alec shrugged. “There is nothing wrong with that. There’s nothing wrong with spending time in the apothecary shop, healing, and…”

  Sam frowned. There was something Alec wasn’t telling her. She’d have to ask him later. When he stopped talking she turned to face him. “What is it?”

  Alec’s eyes widened. He pointed over her shoulder, and she turned to see what he was pointing at.

  The crowd parted, and those who were nearest the royal party moved away, giving them space. There was only one reason for that: the royal party was coming toward them.

  “We should get away from here before they reach us,” Alec said.

  “Away from them? Getting close to them might be the best thing about us coming to this stupid market. Maybe the princess can tell me what happened and why she was poisoned.” Ralun’s attack had been personal. She was certain of that.

  “Careful, Sam.”

  She watched the parting crowd and noticed the increasing flashes of color, the crimson and blue, the colors of the Anders.

  Alec pulled her away as the first soldiers appeared. Sam stared at them, noting their swords and buckles and the shiny glint of moisture along their helmets. Why hadn’t they been able to prevent the Thelns from attacking? Why had it taken a lowborn girl and an apothecary’s son to protect the princess?

  “Have you ever been this close to them?” she whispered to Alec.

  The soldiers passed right by them. There were over a dozen, all heavily armed and all dressed in the royal uniform. Likely, they would be deadly swordsmen, and likely willing to lay down their lives to protect whichever of the Anders family was in the center of their procession.

  “Only with you,” he answered.

  She glanced over, flashing a smile that he didn’t return. Instead, a troubled expression covered his brow, clouding his face. Alec didn’t hide it nearly a
s well as he thought he did.

  As the procession passed, Sam planted her staff and pushed up, wanting to see if she could catch another glimpse as they went by. It probably wasn’t the king. There would be no reason for him to come to the market. The queen might have, though Sam heard rumors that the queen rarely left the palace. For that matter, few of the royal family actually left the palace these days, which made the appearance all the stranger.

  There was Prince Jalen, but he was unlikely to come to the market. She couldn’t imagine the prince making the trek all the way out here, and if he did, what would he be after? Did he search for fruits and vegetables that could be found in the palace at any time, or did he come for the same reason as Sam, thinking to enjoy the crowd?

  The other possibility was Princess Lyasanna, but why would she risk herself again? She’d already been poisoned once before.

  “Stand back from the princess,” someone said, pushing their way through.

  Sam fell backward off her staff, almost falling on top of Alec.

  “What are you doing?” Alec demanded.

  “Clearly, I was trying to see who was there.”

  Alec just shook his head. “I think you’ve accomplished that. Now, can we go?”

  Sam watched the procession as it disappeared, the crowd again forming behind it. “We can go. Besides, we’ll have to move quickly if we want to keep in front of them.”

  “In front… Sam! You can’t want to get that close.”

  “I don’t want to get too close. I want to follow the princess to see where she’s going.”

  “Back to the palace, I imagine.”

  “And what if she’s not? Aren’t you the slightest bit curious? Especially after everything that we did to help her?” When he didn’t say anything, she patted him on the shoulder. “I promise we won’t get too close.”

  “I think this is a terrible idea.”

  “Probably,” Sam agreed. “At least you can augment me if we get into trouble.”

  Alec clutched his leather satchel to his side. Inside were the remaining pages of easar paper. They still had a small vial of their blood ink. Attempting to use it here would draw attention, but she trusted Alec could do it quickly if necessary. That was the reason they practiced, wasn’t it?