Unguilded

by Jane Glatt

  “I hope to Gyda that these people don’t realize what we have,” Kara said.

  “Don’t tell them,” Vook said. “Come on, I think I see a spice seller.”

  Vook grabbed her hand and pulled her towards a row of ramshackle huts, their wooden exteriors grayed and weathered. A few had small wisps of mage mist swirling around, and she wondered if the spells had been attached to materials that had been scavenged to make the huts, or if someone had actually paid a Mage to protect their meager belongings.

  The old woman who sold spices had what she needed, but when Kara showed her a guilder, she shook her head and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Kara dug around in her pack for her mother’s bracelet. She pulled it out and showed it to the spice merchant. The woman’s eyes lit up, and Kara hesitated. The bracelet was expensive—her mother would never own jewelry that wasn’t real gold—but preserving food for the winter was worth more. And it wasn’t as though her mother had given it to her out of love.

  Resigned, Kara dropped the bracelet into the woman’s hand and stuffed the package into her pack. Besides the guilders, she only had her mother’s broach left, and she still wanted to get clothing and shoes for them all.

  “What do they use instead of guilders?” she asked Vook as they walked away. “And who do I get that from?”

  “Dunno,” Vook said. “It changes all the time. But only a Guildsman will touch the guilders.”

  Kara perused the shops until she found one that was overflowing with clothing. Much of it was dirty and ripped, but some items looked like they could be repaired. The man in the stall was dressed in clothes little better than what was on display, but there was a faded Merchant Guild patch sewn onto the front of his shirt.

  “Will you take guilders for trade?” she asked softly. The Merchant turned and sized her up with a frown.

  “What guild are you?”

  “I’m making a purchase for a friend,” she replied. “He’s ill and can’t travel here himself, but he gave me some guilders to purchase supplies with.” She showed him two guilders.

  “What guild is your friend?” The merchant still frowned, but his eyes were locked onto the guilders.

  “Guider,” she replied. “He travels between Rillidi and Villa Salvo, but his illness means he can’t work.” Kara hoped the Merchant would take pity on another struggling Guildsman. She tried not to show her relief when the Merchant finally nodded, slowly.

  “Pick out your supplies, and I’ll let you know what’s too much.”

  “Thank you, Guildsman,” Kara said. She waved Vook in, and the two of them rooted through the goods, piling their choices in a corner.

  Finally done, Kara held the two guilders out to the Merchant. He snatched them from her and pocketed them, but when she stooped to pick up the goods, his booted foot stomped on the small pile.

  “Leave them,” the Merchant said.

  “But I paid for them.” Kara straightened to face him. “With two guilders.”

  “You’re not a Guildsman, so you can’t pay for anything with guilders.” The man kicked the small pile of goods. “Now get on with ye before I get mad.”

  “Before you get mad,” she said, furious. “You just stole from me.”

  “What did you say to me, unguilded?” The Merchant took a step towards her. “You think you can call me a thief and get away with it? I’m Merchant Guild, and that’s an insult to my entire guild.”

  “You’re the insult to your guild. You stole from me.” Kara knew she should stop, knew she was creating a bigger problem, but not only was the Merchant a thief, but he was a liar as well. It wasn’t right, it just wasn’t!

  “Come on, Kara.” Vook took her arm and tried to pull her away, but she shook him off.

  “Get out of here, Vook,” she said to him.

  Vook slipped out of the stall while Kara kept her eyes on the Merchant.

  “I want what I paid for,” she said. “Neither you nor the guilds make the rules on Old Rillidi. We had an agreement, and I expect you to fulfill your part of it.”

  “You’ll get nothing from me,” the merchant said. “And if you try to take anything, I’ll name you a thief.”

  “Will you?” Kara wasn’t sure who he could complain to. Santos owned the island, the guilds had no jurisdiction here, and no doubt this Merchant’s neighbours knew how he conducted business. She was not leaving without her purchases.

  She reached down and grabbed as much of the bundle as she could. The Merchant slapped her, and she grunted in pain as her head snapped backwards. She clutched the clothing to her chest and stumbled out of the stall. The Merchant followed.

  “Thief!” he shouted. “I’m being robbed.”

  Kara continued to back out of the stall. A crowd gathered, but no one stepped in to grab her.

  “I paid him, and now he won’t let me take my goods,” she called out.

  A few faces nodded at her words, but none of them looked especially friendly.

  The Merchant took a step towards her and raised his hand to strike her again. She ducked her head, and his hand smashed into her shoulder, throwing her to the ground. She scrambled away from him, and the crowd retreated to give her room.

  “I would stop there, friend,” a voice said from behind her.

  The Merchant scowled, but stopped moving, hands at his side and his fists clenched.

  “This is not your business,” the Merchant said. “Foreigner.” He spat on the ground.

  “It is when a friend is involved,” the voice said. “Kara is my friend.”

  At the sound of her name, Kara looked up. Chal Honess stood behind her, a grim smile on his lips. The Seyoyan’s white-blond braids brushed her shoulder when he reached down to help her stand. A second man, plainer than Chal, assessed her from Chal’s side. A haze of lilac mage mist wafted around him, but Kara didn’t think he was a Mage. Chal’s companion turned his gaze to the Merchant.

  “I would do as my Seyoyan friend suggests, Guildsman,” the man said in a low voice. “And stop.” He nodded in Kara’s direction. “I’ve a mind to trust the word of this one over you.”

  “You’d take the word of an unguilded over me, a full Guildsman?” The Merchant’s eyes blazed. “How dare you! What guild are you?”

  “I hope you’re not suggesting that you have truth on your side simply because you are guild?” the man asked. “You might give a thought to where you are before making such claims.” He gestured to the crowd.

  A few in the crowd muttered angrily, and a couple of men stepped towards the Merchant. Those in the crowd with guild marks sewn to their clothing eased away.

  “I’m sure that was not your intent,” the man continued.

  Kara looked from him to Chal, who winked at her.

  “Go back to work,” the man finished.

  With one last glare at Kara, the Merchant returned to his stall, and the crowd, still muttering, started to wander away.

  “Thank you,” Kara said. She rubbed her temple where the Merchant had struck her. “Both of you.” She turned from Chal and met the other man’s startling blue eyes.

  “You are most welcome, Kara,” Chal said. “I told you we shared a destiny. This is Reo. I regret to tell you that he probably does not approve of my interference. Isn’t that right, Reo?”

  “Approve of it, no,” Reo said. “Resigned to it, yes. Chal finds trouble wherever he goes.”

  “In this case I am grateful,” Kara said.

  “You are welcome,” Reo said. “Now tell the boy who’s trying to spy on us that it’s safe to come out now.”

  Kara followed his gaze to where Vook was hiding behind a fruit wagon. She waved him over.

  “I wasn’t able to get everything,” she said as she pushed some of the bundled goods into his arms. “We’ll just have to make do.”

  Vook nodded and warily eyed the two men.

  “Can we help?” Chal asked.

  “Thank you, no,” Kara replied. “You’ve done enough. We must get going.” She w
anted to be safe and secure in the cabin as soon as possible.

  Reo relaxed slightly at her words, and the mage mist around him slowed as though reacting to his mood. Maybe he was a Mage? She fussed over the bundle in her arms, and kept her gaze off the mage mist.

  Reo reached out and pushed the trailing sleeve of a coat into her arms. The mage mist retreated up his arm, away from her.

  “Thank you,” she said and took a quick step away from him.

  The mage mist settled back along his arm. Reo sent her a puzzled look, and she smiled weakly and turned away, only to meet Chal’s sharp gaze.

  “What did you do?” he whispered. “To the magic?”

  “Nothing,” Kara stammered. She nudged Vook’s arm. “We have to go.” The two of them started to walk away, quickly. “Get us away from here, fast,” she urged Vook, and she followed him as he plunged into the market crowd.

  She thought she heard her name being called, but she ignored it, concentrating on getting as far away as quickly as possible. It was too dangerous for more people to know about her talent. On the ferry, Chal Honess had asked her what she saw because he saw it too, and knew what it was. What did you do to the magic? he’d asked.

  Vook kept them off the road, leading them through laneways and alleys. They entered the burn out far from the main road. It was a tougher walk, and Kara stumbled a few times, once tripping over the stump of a tree covered in moss and grass, but they kept going.

  Chapter sixteen

  THE SUN WAS still high in the sky, and Kara could hardly believe it had only been a few hours since they’d set out from the safety of the cabin. She kept looking behind them, in case they’d been followed, but she never saw anyone.

  “Want to tell me what that was about?” Vook asked.

  They were in the woods that surrounded the estate.

  “What do you mean?”

  Vook whirled on her, and she stumbled into him.

  “Don’t lie to me, Kara,” Vook said. “I’m not a stranger. I know some of what you can do.” He glared at her, and she looked away.

  “Yes, you do,” she said quietly. She met his gaze. “The Seyoyan, Chal Honess? I think he sees magic, like me. But I don’t think he knew about undoing magic, at least not until now. His friend had a spell on him, and it reacted when he came near me.”

  “And the Seyoyan noticed,” Vook said.

  “Yes,” she agreed. “It’s not the first time he’s asked me about seeing spells.”

  “All right,” he said and nodded. “We’ll make sure they can’t find us.” He turned and started walking north through the woods, away from the lane and gate that led up to Santos’ manor.

  Kara settled her full pack across her shoulders, hugged the bundle of clothing to her chest, and followed.

  An hour later, with the sun setting low over their shoulders, they reached the northern shore of the island.

  “Does anyone live here?” Kara asked. She had no wish to meet a group like the clammers.

  “Doubt it,” Vook replied. “The only fresh water is back at the estate, and no one’s gonna chance meeting the mad mage.”

  “We did,” she said. “But you’re probably right.” She stared out across the water.

  An island, Warrior Guild Island, according to Santos, was directly across from them. She could see the gray walls of their lookout towers. It was too far away to swim, thank Gyda, but any one of the sturdy boats that dotted the bay could make it across. She thought about the grim-faced Warriors she and Mika had seen on the road and hoped that the legend of the mad mage was well enough known to keep them away.

  “Now what?” she asked Vook. She took a sip of water from her water skin. It was warm and stale, and the skin was almost empty.

  “We follow the shoreline until we get back.” Vook shaded his eyes and looked behind them. “And hope we’ve lost anyone who might have followed. Come on.”

  They stayed close to the shore as they made their way to the house. Lights and sounds drifted across the bay from Warrior Guild Island, but if there were any boats out in the night, Kara didn’t see them.

  Finally they stepped onto the wide expanse of lawn. The dark shape of the manor house loomed on their left. She skirted the gardens and led them to the cabin. Before her hand even reached the handle, the door opened wide, and Sidra flew into her arms.

  “We were so worried,” she said.

  Kara entered the cabin and dumped her bundle on the floor. Vook did the same and then closed the door, shutting out the damp, cool night.

  “What happened?” Pilo asked. She stood beside the table where a small lamp burned.

  Heat emanated from the hearth, and Kara wearily dropped to the floor beside it. The warmth spread through her, and she sighed.

  “We had some trouble with the Merchant,” Kara said. “Don’t worry—I got what we need to preserve the food.” She dragged her pack from her shoulder and handed it to Pilo, who put it on the table.

  “Kara was recognized,” Vook said. He dropped into a chair at the table. “By a Seyoyan.”

  “A Seyoyan?” Pilo sent her a sharp look. “How do you even know one?”

  “I met him on the ferry just before I got separated from Mika,” Kara said. She stretched her hands out towards the fire and rubbed them together. “He and his friend helped us with the Merchant.” And Gyda only knew what they were doing at the market in Shanty Town. “We took the long way home in case they decided to follow us.”

  “Why would they do that?” Pilo asked.

  “Because the Seyoyan knows Kara can see magic,” Vook replied.

  Kara stared straight ahead. “And that I can affect it.”

  “How can he know that?”

  “Because he saw it,” Kara said. She met Pilo’s eyes. “He sees magic, too, and he saw it react to me. We left before he could ask any questions.”

  “You’re sure you weren’t followed?”

  Pilo sounded worried, and Kara couldn’t blame her. If Chal found them, they wouldn’t be safe, even in the cabin. He’d be able to see it, just like she could.

  A FEW MORE wisps of gray faded away, and Kara dropped her hand to her lap. “The next spell layer is a big one,” she said to Santos. “We should leave it for another day. How do you feel?”

  Santos rolled his shoulders and shook his head.

  “Clear headed,” he said. “And better every time. You think the next one will send me into a mad episode?”

  “Probably,” Kara replied.

  They’d found that removing powerful spells caused Santos to descend into madness. The episodes lasted only a few hours though, and he hadn’t spontaneously gone mad in over a week.

  “Another day then,” Santos agreed. “It will give me time to recover.”

  They sat in silence for a few moments, and Kara watched the rain run down the window glass. They were in the sound wing of the house, and Santos had cleaned it using magic. The tile floor was polished, and the fabric on the sofa they shared was as bright and fresh as the day it was made.

  “I’m not living in the cabin by myself,” she blurted out. She kept her eyes straight ahead, afraid to look at Santos.

  “I know.”

  She met Santos’ eyes, and he smiled.

  “I thought as much the day you asked me for the cabin,” he said. “And since then I’ve become good friends with Mole.”

  “Mole? He’s been here?” Kara asked.

  Santos chuckled. “He hides in the ruined wing. He likes the dark.”

  “Yes he does,” she agreed. She took a deep breath. “And there’s Vook, Pilo, and Sidra as well.”

  “So Mole told me,” Santos said.

  “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “I trusted that you’d tell me when you were ready,” Santos said. “And you have.”

  “I know it’s not part of the bargain, but I was hoping you could help us, now that you mostly have control.”

  “Thanks to you,” Santos said.

  MOLE SKIPP
ED AHEAD of them as Kara led Sidra, Vook, and Pilo around the rear of the house to the kitchen. The sky had cleared, and Santos sat with his back against the wall, his eyes closed against the late day sun.

  “Mad mage,” Mole called, and Santos opened his eyes and smiled.

  “Mad mage, mad mage, mad mage.” Mole danced around Santos, who stood up and brushed his hands on his trousers.

  “He has a name,” Kara scolded Mole. “It’s Santos.”

  “I don’t mind,” Santos said. “Especially since mostly it’s no longer true.” He turned to the others. “And you are Sidra and Vook. Mole has told me much about you. And Pilo too.”

  Kara held onto Pilo’s hand as Santos studied the girl’s ruined face. She hadn’t told Pilo anything—she hadn’t wanted to get her hopes up before Santos saw her and knew whether he could help her.

  Santos reached out a hand, and Pilo flinched away from it.

  “Shhh, I’m not going to hurt you,” Santos crooned. “But it’s been a long time since I did any major healing spells, and I need to understand what’s going on underneath that scar.”

  “He wants to help, Pilo,” Kara said. “If he can.”

  Pilo looked at her, and Kara saw a glimmer of hope behind the fear in the girl’s eyes. She trembled slightly as Santos ran a hand down her face and neck.

  “I’ll need to reread my journal,” Santos said. “I wrote a part of a spell there, long ago.” He turned towards the kitchen door, Kara and the others forgotten.

  “Can you help her?” Kara asked. “Heal her?”

  “Yes,” Santos turned to them. “But I don’t want to simply apply a spell that hides the damage, a spell that you, Kara, or someone like you, could undo. I need a spell that helps Pilo heal herself. That will take me some time to put together.” He sent Pilo a sharp look. “The actual healing process will take weeks, maybe even months, and there might be some pain.”

  “But my scars will get better?” Pilo asked.

  “Oh yes,” Santos replied and smiled. “I’m quite a good Mage.” He paused. “I’ve been afraid of my magic for a very long time because it always seemed to do damage—to my house, to people, to the grounds. But to use magic to help someone? That is a welcome gift, Kara. Thank you.”