The Shapeshifter's Fate

by Chris Africa

  "What about Cherise? Is she coming with us to Lyesfare?" Chassy felt uncomfortable around the strange, acrobatic girl. "I mean, she's nice enough and all, but what kind of person would throw in with a bunch of strangers as traveling companions?"

  Nita smiled. "We would, silly. Last summer, that was us."

  She had a good point. "She pretends not to care about anything or anyone, but I think she needs friends."

  "Of course she needs friends. She's obviously alone in the world." Nita stopped sorting his stuff and shot him an exasperated look, holding up a lavender sachet. "You know, you don't need any of this new stuff. Only what you brought with you."

  Chassy snatched the sachet from her hand and stuffed it back in his pack. A noble girl passing through had tucked it into his hand before giving him a peck on the cheek. That was worth remembering! And it didn't weigh much—though it smelled nothing like lavender after half a year in his room, and it sported a nasty brown stain from an unfortunate spill.

  Nita wrinkled her nose. "Well, take what you want. But don't ask me to carry extra supplies because you got sentimental."

  11: Nita

  In the end, Chassy had abandoned the awful sachet and most of the other things he didn't need. She was sure he had tucked the eight little face stones into his pack although she couldn't see the faces or hear the voices.

  Nita's packing was more practical. It's not that she wasn't sentimental about anything. On the contrary, she had books and writing papers she wanted to keep. But rather than lugging them all over the countryside and risking damage, she had asked Xander to store them.

  If only Andrev hadn't sneaked out. Why did he always have to be so unsociable, even toward his own family? She had wanted to arrange meeting up at the end of the summer, but now she would have to search for him. She slung her pack on her shoulder and headed down to the great room where Jam was preparing their provisions, and Xander had collected what he called "other useful items."

  After a year away from home, they didn't yet have occupations to sustain themselves, and they were living in another person's house. It embarrassed Nita to continue taking advantage of Xander's good graces. Against Andrev's protests, she insisted on sharing the coin provided by Chassy's gold creation pouch.

  "What if the pouch has a limit? Do you want to run out when we need the coin? And do you want someone else to know we have such a pouch? What if he steals it?" But Andrev's arguments in favor of selfishness fell on deaf ears.

  "Don't be ridiculous, Andrev. There are three of us, and at least two of us eat like normal people. We will contribute," Nita insisted. She laughed as Chassy added, "Unless you want to go find work to make up your share."

  Since then, Nita had kept Xander's larders full by making weekly trips to the market whenever the weather was nice enough. And now she was glad for her own generosity, because her most recent purchases lay in front of her. Jam had a table full of food ready—bread, muffins, fruit, dried meat, and vegetables. "Oh, but I forgot the cheeses!" She raced away as though their lives depended on cheese.

  "Shall we divide everything in three? Then we can each give some to William when we meet up later?" Even Chassy had balked when Nita insisted on splitting everything with Cherise, but Nita put her foot down and won that debate.

  Cherise looked at the giant pile of food with clear amazement.

  Chassy chuckled. "I think we would need a couple more people to carry all this food. Jam likes to ensure we are well-fed."

  "Let's take some of each." Nita chose out a loaf of bread. Instead of muffins, she took fruit, which would last longer.

  "Why would anyone want onions and carrots?" Chassy wrinkled his nose.

  "Soup," Nita and Cherise said at the same time. Nita looked at Cherise and smiled. She would definitely enjoy traveling with another smart woman.

  "But unfortunately," Nita said, "No one will want to carry a cook pot, so I'll take a few carrots for crunching and leave the onions."

  Cherise said nothing, but she tucked a few onions in her pack, along with some nasty looking mushrooms. Chassy raised an eyebrow at her choices, but Nita shrugged. Andrev had always preferred onions over apples and most other fruits, too, so this did not surprise her. There was no accounting for taste.

  Jam raced back with the promised cheeses, and Nita stuffed her pack. Cheese was her favorite food in the world.

  Quon drifted into the room and joined Xander at the big desk.

  "Before you leave, I have parting gifts for each of you—a little thanks for sharing my home with me," Xander said. "For Chassy, I have a set of eyeglasses that allow you to see whether someone supports the Wizards of the True Faith. I created these myself. They should help you know friend from enemy when meeting new people."

  He handed Cherise a large mottled brown square of silk fabric. "This scarf will let you fit into spaces you normally could not when you wear it around your neck. A perfect gift for a thief. I suppose I must trust you are not a criminal! And Nita, I am giving you a ring that allows you temporarily to look and sound like someone else you know—anyone, any age."

  "What does 'temporarily' mean?" Nita slipped the band on her finger.

  "It depends on the strength of your own willpower. You should, perhaps, test it out a few times before you try to use it."

  Nita focused her effort, and Chassy gasped.

  "Nita, you look exactly like my father!" He walked around her with his mouth hanging open.

  Giggling, Nita let down her disguise. "Can I be myself at another age?"

  Xander frowned. "If you are familiar enough with your own image, you may. But if you do not remember accurately, you may appear a little fuzzy at the edges to some people, and your disguise won't pass muster."

  Cherise had tied the scarf in a fancy knot about her neck and was pushing her hand through a crack in the drawer of the nearby alchemy table. Nita marveled that she made the ugly thing look fashionable. After feeling around inside the cabinet for a minute, she appeared to be having some trouble pulling her hand back out.

  "Easy, easy!" Xander laughed. "The artifact only allows you to slip through, not the things you are trying to steal. You will find it much easier to extract yourself once you let go of the ink bottle."

  Cherise slipped her hand back out, and Nita gasped when she saw dark liquid covered it. Xander picked up a cloth from a tray at the side of his desk and tossed it to Cherise. "I normally use this remover cloth to tidy up blots on my parchments, but it should work for your hands as well."

  Cherise rubbed it over her stained palms, and the cloth grew dark as it absorbed the ink. The fabric was now blackened, but she was completely clean. She offered it back to Xander and then did a double take.

  "Nita, you are a duplicate of Xander!" She walked all the way around Nita, inspecting her from all sides.

  Nita was elated to know it had worked, but she thought Xander looked a little uneasy seeing himself through her eyes. She wondered if she had gotten something wrong or he didn't like his appearance.

  "Don't enjoy that skin too much. It already has an owner."

  Letting the disguise drop away, Nita smiled. "I prefer being myself. But I can see this artifact will be useful in some situations. Thank you for the gifts."

  Cherise and Chassy chimed in with their appreciation. Nita noted with amusement Chassy was wearing the glasses already and trying to seem nonchalant as he examined Xander, Cherise, and Jam. He paused and squinted when his eyes fell on Quon, but then removed the frames. She glowered at him and pursed her lips.

  "Now that your packs are full, Jam will want to fill your stomachs as well." Xander shook the remover cloth and the black faded. Amazing! She wished she had had one of these back home.

  "Time to feast," Jam agreed. "High Wizard Quon, I've invited the prisoner to dine with us as you suggested, but he refused the offer. He said he did not want to be magically bound while he ate."

  Quon shrugged. "Very well, take him whatever food you can carry on a single tray, and then
come back to join us. I understand a number of your dishes have cultural origins from other parts of Ayzwind, and I would be most honored to learn about each and every one."

  12: Andrev

  Andrev couldn't fathom how Chassy and Nita got lost in such a small town. Finding your way anywhere was trivial if you watched the sun and stars and noted landmarks. In a city, guides were everywhere. Sailors made important assumptions based on the width of the sun's reflection on the seas, though he had been fortunate enough never to have to travel by that method. Even the paths of birds and the sounds of nature provided clues.

  Crossing downtown without incident, and meeting no more annoying girls, Andrev arrived at the alley where they had first entered Granny's hideout. Squished between two vacant buildings, the passageway stared out at him bleakly. Stacks of barrels and boxes filled the entrance, and a faint smell of human waste emanated from the blackness. He glanced around, but a couple of people in the neighborhood ignored him. In front of one house, children played a game with a thin wooden hoop. A drunkard or beggar sprawled against the building, snoring. It felt as though everyone knew this was a secret doorway to the Blackwood and wanted no part.

  Looking back at the alley, Andrev cursed himself for not thinking to bring a light source. The wall where they had entered the hideout was at the end of the alleyway, past the barrels and boxes. He was sure that rats and possibly a drunkard or thief waited for him in there. On second thought, there were no pubs in the vicinity. It was more likely to be rodents or those freaky little monkeys he'd read about that plagued western cities. As he crept forward, he held his bo out in front of him to avoid running into objects and to protect himself from anything that might jump out.

  Nothing jumped out, and he maneuvered to the brick wall at the end where they had first met Granny. His eyes had adjusted to the dim light, but he couldn't make out any doors or openings anywhere. He tapped on the wall with his bo.

  "Hello? Granny?" He felt silly calling into the alley. She hadn't said how to contact her if he wanted to become her apprentice, but he reasoned she would have left something in place to enable communication.

  Andrev wished he'd remembered what Granny did to open the door here. He reached out with his bo and tapped the brick wall. No answer. Tucking the bo under his arm, he fumbled around for a hidden switch or crack—anything that would signal a way to get inside. Still, nothing happened. He grimaced at the greasiness now coating his fingertips. What was that? He wiped his fingers on his pants and stepped back, considering the distinct possibility the door was a magical portal he could not open. Perhaps it shifted as Granny moved in and out of the world from wherever she wanted. She may even be somewhere else, recruiting a different apprentice. He growled and kicked the wall with frustration, stubbing his toe.

  There must be a way to leave her a note. He considered the items he had shoved into his pack on the way out of Xander's home but was loath to part with any of it. There was an equal possibility street urchins or beggars would steal anything he left as a message. Or it might sit here being damaged by the elements.

  What if…? Andrev hurried back out of the alley, blinking in the bright light. He pulled from his pack the books Xander had gifted him and opened them until he found one with a blank endpaper. Cringing, he ripped out the bare page, stuffed the books back into his pack, and headed back into the alley. He pinned the paper with a rock in front of the brick wall hoping she would understand the symbolism he was trying to convey.

  There was nothing else to do but head back to Xander's and hope the old witch would come to find him. He trudged through alleys, past the tree where they'd talked to the weird girl, and up the footpath to Xander's front door. Why had he allowed Granny to trick him? Now his friends had left on their own journey without him.

  Xander's eyebrows went up when Andrev entered.

  "Did something go wrong?" He stood and walked around his desk, motioning for Andrev to sit in a chair by the fire. Quon lounged in the other, sipping from a large clay mug, with a plate of Jam's cookies on the table beside her.

  He should tell them it was none of their business. But he supposed Nita would say he owed Xander an explanation after he raced out without even saying goodbye. Nita was usually right in her understanding of people, and he liked Xander.

  "The person I was meeting didn't show up." He suppressed a growl rising in his throat. "I left a message, but I might have to stay here a few days."

  Quon sat up straighter and leaned forward, her eyes wide and her mouth quirking into a smile. "And what if the person never shows?" she asked, setting aside her tea. "Your friends have departed for Lyesfare. Would you then reconsider an apprenticeship with me?"

  "I don't know," Andrev said. Quon's offer was suspicious the first time she made it, and now was no different. She was hiding something, perhaps even manipulating the situation to her advantage. "Why are you pushing so hard for me to become your apprentice?"

  "I sense potential in you," she said. "You can use your ability to accomplish great things."

  "What great things?"

  Quon spread her hands wide. "Why, anything you wish! You could even become an advisor to a powerful ruler."

  "So you're offering me power, then?"

  "I'm saying I see the possibilities in you." Quon sat back and resumed sipping from her mug.

  "If you become a member of Xillith, you will have tremendous power," Xander explained. "It takes many years of study, of course. But you will travel unharmed in the most dangerous places, heal people on their deathbeds—almost anything you want to do. Kings and queens will welcome you as their near-equals."

  "What if I want to read the language of the gods?" Andrev asked.

  Quon laughed and then gagged on her drink and flew into a coughing fit. When her choking subsided, she said, "No one can do that, not even the Wizards of Xillith. That is one of the Lost Powers. But you may do nearly anything else your heart desires."

  Andrev sat back in the chair. Quon was offering the wrong thing. It was unfortunate too. He had read great things about the library at Xillith and would have loved to study there. But this book—this unreadable book—something about it compelled him. He must uncover its secrets. In doing so, maybe he would learn more about the prophecy of the Nydwon that had driven him from his home.

  You shall be the fall of the Waet. You shall draw the vengeance of Ana and Asa. Your power is an abomination, and your blood shall mend the divide.

  13: Chassy

  The sign over the door of Bridges Inn declared Agnes Radulescu as the proprietor.

  Huh, Agnes sounded like a woman's name.

  Chassy had never been to this part of the city before, and he was noticing it had a more genteel feel to it, with larger properties and tidy gardens. A well-groomed, plainly dressed man helped a lady from her horse, and a stable boy waited to lead her party's horses back to an impressive stable. This inn had a porch on it, with two rocking chairs and a table set between them. Fancy!

  As they approached, the servant stepped back and motioned toward the door, bowing to Chassy and the girls. Chassy raised an eyebrow at Nita, but she kept her hood closed and her head down. A tall, thin brown woman greeted them at the door. She wore her short black hair cropped close to her head, with a white apron covering her sleeveless flowered dress. Nita must be drooling inside her hood, Chassy thought. A woman innkeeper!

  "Hello, there, friends. You can call me Mother Agnes. Are you looking for rooms today?"

  Cherise stepped forward, and the innkeeper flashed her a huge smile. "No ma'am, these are friends. We're meeting William here."

  Mother Agnes nodded and gave Nita a second glance. "If your friend wants to come inside, he'll have to take down his hood. No mysterious strangers allowed in my great room."

  "She'll be happy to wait out here." Cherise leaned into the innkeeper's ear and whispered something Chassy couldn't hear. Mother Agnes's eyes widened, and she nodded.

  "Well, I'll have one of the boys bring you o
ut some bread and wine." She touched Nita's shoulder. "You are most welcome inside, my dear, but I can't break the rules, not even for you. You understand. I cater to a certain customer."

  "Of course." Nita smiled reassuringly, and Mother Agnes disappeared back into the inn.

  Cherise hopped up on the porch rail, so Chassy and Nita took the rocking chairs.

  "What did you tell her?" Chassy whispered as he dropped into the chair. He leaned forward.

  "I told her the truth," Cherise said, and Nita gasped. "But we should talk later. This isn't the place for it."

  "Well, how long until William gets here?"

  "Any moment, I expect." The voice came from behind them, and Chassy swiveled to see William emerge from the inn, grinning like an idiot.

  Chassy stood and took the merchant's arm in greeting. "Well met. You look none the worse for captivity."

  In fact, William looked like a young noble, dressed in a brown blouse with a white cuff ruffle and a green quilted tunic over the top. He wore his wavy blond hair loose and flowing over his shoulders. Last summer, when they accompanied William through the Blackwood as extra guards, Chassy remembered feeling jealous of the merchant's perfect teeth and skin, and his fighting skill. But after a winter of sparring with Xander, he couldn't remember why he had ever felt jealous. He could look William in the eye now and probably beat him in a wrestling match.

  "Well met, Chassy. Yes, it was an unusual captivity; I'll tell you about it sometime. You are quite taller than I remember." William spared him only a glance before taking Nita's hand. He gave her a little bow, trying to peer inside her hood, but she turned away, which gave Chassy an unusual shot of satisfaction. "You're taller, too, Nita. Why the hood?"

  "Why the nobleman's clothes?" Chassy threw back at him before Nita could answer. "Who wears ruffles to travel through the woods? You'll get caught on everything."

  William's jaw clenched, and his smile set in a grim line.

  Cherise broke the tension by hopping over and looping her arm through William's. "Why don't we get going, and we can talk about it on the way," she suggested.