The Dreamer's Curse (Book 2)

by Honor Raconteur

  “Good thinking on your part. Alright. I shall come to get you.”

  After the night she just had, she had absolutely no desire to come up with some way of transporting herself back. Her farsee glasses were back in Chastain, laying on the table. The nearest clock she had was in Tavaris, far south of here, and it would take the better part of two days to get to it by conventional means of travel. (In other words, the foul beasts known as horses.) And she didn’t even want to think about how troubling it would be to go into a major city with a wolf in tow. “Fine. I’ll be here.”

  The Caller went still in her hands. Blowing out a breath, she looked down at Hinun and said, “Shoes first. And then let’s find breakfast, shall we?”

  ~ ~ ~

  They actually ended up eating breakfast first, as neither she nor Hinun had the desire to shop on an empty stomach. Fortunately, food stalls didn’t care if their patrons were shoed or not. But after that, they went on a shopping spree of sorts based upon the funds in her wallet. Something else she had prepared for, in the (un)likely event of her being transported, was having the means necessary to return. She’d placed a goodly amount of money, a spare wand, and a few charms into her magical pouch. From there, she could finance her stay in the town and buy some necessary clothes. Her own were rather wrecked after last night’s events.

  She could always work a small, local job or fulfill some task posted on the town’s job request board if she ran low on money, but it proved unnecessary to worry. Boscareno didn’t have much size to it, as it primarily served as a stop for sailors and traders after sailing around Kitra Isle. The docks, in fact, made up most of the town, and taverns, bars, restaurants and a few tradesmen shops made up the rest. In the course of walking down the main street and finding a clothing store, she saw three bar fights that tumbled out into the open road, one robbery, and one attempted murder. To label this place as ‘lawless’ would be putting it mildly. Thank mercy Hinun had come along with her. With a gigantic wolf trotting along at her side, no one quite dared to mess with her.

  Because of the town’s makeup, and its rough clientele, none of the rooms at the inns proved to be very expensive. In fact, it only took her three tries to find a decent inn with clean bedding and a good price. She could stay here, eat well, and be comfortable while waiting on Master without even being in danger of running through all her money. If she had to be transported willy-nilly to some foreign place, Sevana guessed Boscareno wasn’t half-bad all in all.

  She took a quick bath and changed into her new clothes. By that time, her stomach started rumbling for lunch, so she and Hinun went out again. The inn might have decent beds, but judging from the slightly repulsive smell emanating from the kitchen, she would need to find her meals elsewhere.

  Hmm, now, where to eat? Another street vendor? That had proven to be surprisingly good food this morning. She wouldn’t be averse to the idea. She’d already explored down this street, so perhaps she should go up instead. Sevana made it all of three feet.

  “What the—?!”

  Sevana couldn’t believe her eyes. She knew Kindin had a harsh reaction to thievery, but…no rationalization could explain this. In front of her, right in the middle of the street, a bear of a man gripped a child’s arm and raged at him, the other hand a balled fist ready to strike. The boy couldn’t have been more than eight, with an emasculate frame, rags passing for clothes, and hair that hung into his face. He looked terrified but oddly resigned at the same time, as if he had been in this position before and knew exactly what to expect.

  Sevana’s Kindish couldn’t be described as completely perfect, and the way the merchant—she assumed him to be one from his dress—screamed at the boy didn’t help her understanding, so she didn’t catch all of what he said. But it boiled down to this being the second time the boy had stolen food from him, and this time he wouldn’t get another chance to roam free.

  If someone applied the proper amount of thumb screws, lye, and hot irons, Sevana might reluctantly admit that she had a soft spot for children. She blamed this mushy tendency on her little brother, Shion. Being a big sister to him had conditioned her to be more protective and patient with children than she was naturally inclined to be. In fact, she’d often wondered if her easy willingness to help a certain child prince had been because he’d been in the body of a young child.

  Seeing a child being threatened with violence made her protective instincts raise its head like a coiled snake preparing to strike. The more she watched, the more intense her anger grew until red seemed to cloud her vision. Anyone with a trace of compassion would have let the kid off at the very least, seeing how desperate he was for food. But this merchant was clearly one of the few individuals in the world that had less compassion than she, because he didn’t seem the least bit moved by the boy’s plight, and was instead threatening him with punishments that made her hair stand on end.

  The whole scene made her blood boil.

  Making a snap decision, she stalked forward, raising her voice to a booming pitch.

  “Hold it, you walking bear rug!”

  The merchant didn’t notice her. He kept shaking the boy and screaming. Sevana’s hand started twitching, itching for a wand so she could hex the blighter. It would be just desserts, in her opinion. Perhaps fortunately for the merchant, she didn’t have a good wand handy in her pouch for hexing people. Although…she did have that one crystal that might be encouraged to react like a hex….

  Before she could properly develop this idea, one of the assistants hovering nearby noticed her and said something to the man while tugging insistently on one sleeve, and finally the merchant paused and snapped his head around to glare at her. “Vhat you vant, voman?!”

  “That boy in your grasp,” she snapped back. “If you had any pity in you, you’d see he’s starved and on death’s doorstep and you wouldn’t be shaking him, but feeding him! But if you’re so blind with greed you can’t see it, I’ll take him from you and see to him myself.”

  “This boy stole from me two times!” the merchant bellowed like a wounded bear.

  “And you should have gotten the hint the first time!” she growled back, stopping directly in front of him. She had to crane her neck to look up at him, as he towered over her, but the difference in height didn’t faze her. “Aish, forget it! You merchants only really speak in one language. How much?”

  He frowned down at her, eyebrows forming a straight line. “Vhat?”

  “How much did he steal from you?” she elaborated, toe tapping an impatient rhythm. “I’ll reimburse you for it if you’ll give him to me.”

  “Vou pay for him?” he parroted in stunned surprise. “Vhat for? He belong to vou?”

  The boy looked at her askance, clearly wondering the same thing. She glanced at him before answering them both, “He doesn’t. But that doesn’t matter to you. All you need to know is that I’ll reimburse you for what he stole and take him off your hands so you won’t have to deal with him again.”

  A greedy light sparked in the merchant’s eyes. “He stole bread, cheeze, fruit vine—it cost three silver.”

  “It cost one silver,” she corrected immediately, knowing good and well the game he played. “And you’re trying to get the value of what he stole last time out of me. That’s not the deal. I’ll pay you one silver for what he stole this time.”

  “Two,” he riposted immediately.

  “One,” she maintained firmly. “It’s a good bargain, merchant. If you sent him off to prison, or cut off his hands for thieving as you were threatening earlier, it won’t reimburse you for what he’s already eaten. It might salve your anger, but it won’t put money back in your pocket. The silver I offer will.”

  He hesitated, weighing scales in his eyes as he calculated at high speeds.

  “Plus, I’ll take him out of this area, out of the country entirely,” she added, sweetening the deal. “There’s no possibility of him returning to steal from you again.”

  He looked at her under lowered b
rows, eyes probing. Didn’t entirely buy that last statement, eh? “Two,” he repeated.

  Stubborn, greedy, gormless twit…urgh. “Fine.” She dug into her pouch without breaking eye contact with him, pulled two silver free and slammed them into his open hand. “But don’t you dare report him to the authorities or anything else like that. He’s mine now.”

  For the first time, a hint of curiosity came over the man’s face. “Vhat you vant with him?”

  “My business.”

  The merchant just shrugged before letting go and putting a hand on the boy’s back, pushing him forward. Sevana, knowing good and well that the kid would probably try to bolt as soon as he thought he could, caught hold of his wrist in a firm grip. “Good. Come along, kiddo.”

  He fought her grasp for a second, making a sound of fear in the back of his throat. Huh? Oh, right. “The wolf is a friend, he won’t hurt you.”

  The boy didn’t look at her, his eyes fixed on Hinun, but when Hinun didn’t do anything more than stare back, the child cautiously started to follow her.

  He stumbled along in her wake as she headed back up the street. When they were a good distance away, she studied her new charge. Still couldn’t see his face, not with the hair hanging so badly over his eyes, but what she could see made her stomach twist. Blond hair matted and filthy to where it almost looked brunet, pale skin mottled with bruises and small cuts, no sign of extra flesh on him anywhere. She wanted to ask a lot of questions, but had a feeling he wouldn’t say a word. Not now. He didn’t trust her now. She had to prove some goodwill first, otherwise they wouldn’t make any progress.

  Groaning, she looked toward the heavens. She already had enough trouble on her hands. Just what was she doing, picking up a stray?

  Alright, done deal now. She’d manage somehow.

  A food stall caught her eye. It didn’t offer much, just a booth with two tables out front and a sign with the menu scrawled in chalk. But a good smell wafted from it and she didn’t think the kid would care what he ate at this point. She made a beeline for it.

  For a split second, her grip loosened. The boy ripped his hand free and took off like a shot.

  Sevana was so startled by this abrupt movement that she just stood there and gaped for a second. For a boy in such a poor condition, he moved like lightning! Then she let out a growl. Oh for the love of all—

  “Hinun?”

  The wolf looked up at her curiously.

  She pointed to the fleeing boy. “Fetch.”

  His tongue lolled out to one side in amusement before he took off in a quick lope.

  While she waited for the two to return, she went to the vendor, calling out as she approached, “Three meat pies, two ciders, and a fruit tart.”

  By the time that she had situated herself comfortably at the table and taken a bite, the duo had returned. Hinun had the boy’s arm in his mouth, the grip clearly firm without being painful. At least, she didn’t see any blood trailing out of his mouth.

  The white of the boy’s eyes showed. Sevana thought about explaining how Hinun would never in a million years harm a child. Then she thought better of it. Naw, if the kid was scared of Hinun, he’d think twice about running off again.

  “Good job,” she praised the wolf, lowering a meat pie to the ground. “Here. Kid, sit and eat.”

  He peeked up at her from under his bangs but slowly moved, doing as she said. As soon as he sat at the table, he started gobbling it down. Sevana shifted on the wooden bench, the wood cold against her thighs and arms, and ate at a much slower rate. She mostly watched him, trying to think of a solution to this problem she’d just adopted.

  He ate the meat pie in seconds, drained the cider, and almost reached for the food in front of her before he froze and withdrew his hands reluctantly. Silently, she pushed the tart at him and he snatched it up, devouring that in three quick bites as well, nearly choking in the process.

  “Slow down,” she advised. “Too much food at once will make you sick. Besides, after this, you won’t need to worry about meals anymore.”

  He froze again, looking at her anxiously. “A-are you a slaver?”

  Oh? That wasn’t a Kindin accent at all. He sounded Windameran. Just how in the wide green world had the kid come all the way out here? She snorted at his question, amused. “No. I’m an Artifactor. Name’s Sevana Warran.”

  He blinked at her several times, his expression blank. “Artifactor?”

  “Do you know what that is?”

  “A…er, type of magician?”

  “Sort of. We make all the spells, potions, and tools that magicians use,” she explained. “We’re magical experts, I suppose you can say. The wolf is Hinun, a friend.”

  He looked rather impressed by this. “So, why’d you help me?”

  “Can’t ignore a person in trouble,” she shrugged. “It’s a bad habit I picked up from my Master.”

  For some reason, he looked disappointed at this. “So…it’s not ‘cause you sensed magic in me?”

  What, he thought she picked him up because she thought he might make a good apprentice? That only happened in fairy tales. “Sorry kid. You don’t have a shred of magical ability in you.”

  He slumped in on himself, eyes falling to the table. In a smaller, world-weary voice he asked, “Then what? Whatcha plan to do with me?”

  “Now that,” she admitted ruefully, “Is an excellent question.”

  They started with a bath, haircut, and a change of clothes.

  Sevana mistakenly tried just sending him into the bathroom with directions to wash thoroughly first. When he came out wet, but still mostly dirty, she mentally kicked herself. Why did she think that a little boy with no raising would know how to properly wash?

  Grabbing him by the arm, she towed him back into the bathroom and this time, she scrubbed him down herself. There was a lot of splashing and protests from her wet captive, but she didn’t let up until he actually looked and smelled clean. When he finally escaped, the bath water was muddy and filthy.

  Wrapping him in a towel, she sat him on a stool and started in on his hair next. It was so matted, getting a comb through it was nigh impossible. She started cutting out the worst chunks, working through the rest carefully to avoid scalping him completely.

  He started squirming, head jerking from side to side.

  “If you don’t stop that, you’re going to lose an ear,” she casually threatened.

  The fidgeting abruptly ceased.

  “What’s your name, anyway?” Sevana hadn’t thought to ask before.

  He muttered something she couldn’t hear.

  “What? And speak up properly.”

  “Sky,” he repeated, exhaling noisily.

  Sky? What an odd name.

  “Don’t know what my real name is,” he admitted. “I been working ships ever since I was little, till the last one sank near the coast and stranded me here. But people call me Sky ‘cause it’s the color of my eyes.”

  True, he did have the most amazing sky-blue eyes. She could see where the nickname came from. But if he didn’t even know what his real name was, then odds of him having any family to return to were extremely low.

  “You…” he paused, visibly searching for the best words. “You told Bristly earlier that I wouldn’t stay here.”

  “Bristly? Oh, you mean that bear of a merchant?” Accurate nickname, considering the way his beard had bristled out as he talked. She grinned, liking the creativity. “Yes, I did.”

  “So where you going?”

  “We are going to Windamere,” she corrected. “That’s where I live. Although right now I have a job on the Windamere border that I’m in the middle of. I need to get back to it.”

  “Oh.”

  What, no more questions? Sevana had this lurking suspicion that he didn’t trust her completely yet. Ah well, time would sort that out.

  “Oww!”

  She stopped attacking that particular tangle with the comb and shifted to the scissors instead. “Sky,” she
asked in exasperation and no little amount of irritation, “When was the last time that you cut your hair?”

  He thought about that for a second before offering, “Don’t remember?”

  She believed that answer. “Kid, I’ve seen bird nests that weren’t as tangled as this. I’m going to have to cut this very short to get it decent looking again.”

  He shrugged, obviously not caring.

  Well, if he didn’t care, she certainly didn’t. Sevana went back to work with intense concentration. It had been a while since she’d cut anyone’s hair and she would admit, to herself at least, that it wasn’t one of the things she was particularly talented in. It took her two tries to get the cut even on all sides, and he ended up with hair that was barely more than a finger’s length. A bit short and choppy looking, but the knots and tangles were gone, you could run a comb through it without problem, and it actually looked blond now. Sevana considered it a win and dusted him free of hair. “Alright, you’re done. Pull some clothes on. My stomach is rumbling for dinner.”

  He went for the new clothes folded on the bed with commendable alacrity. Sevana just focused on brushing herself free of hair before folding her rolled up sleeves down. She couldn’t believe it had taken three hours to buy him new clothes, bathe him, and get his hair cut.

  Well, at least it had occupied her time, right?

  Shaking her head, she waited for him to pull on his boots before shooing him out the door.

  ~ ~ ~

  Sevana woke up slowly, stretching her arms out as she did so. Mmmm, so comfortable. It was nice, once in a while, to not wake up because you had a cat on your chest cutting off all air, or because a mountain rumbled at you, or because someone had an emergency that needed attention right this minute. As rude as her trip here had been, Sevana admitted that it rather felt like a vacation now.

  A wet nose poked her in the ribs.