by M. Gregg Roe
“But it can be cured, can’t it?” asked Audrey, now on the verge of tears.
“No, I am afraid not. Healing magic is powerful, but it cannot cure a defect that someone was born with. I am sorry.”
“Rosalind shouldn’t have children,” said Almera suddenly, resulting in several shocked looks.
“No. Even without her ailment, she is too small and frail. Childbirth would likely kill both her and the baby. I am aware that she desires to have children. We need to discuss how best to inform her.”
“She’ll be devastated,” said Audrey, now crying.
“For now, there are some things we can do to help her. Encouraging her to eat is obvious, but it may be that certain foods benefit her more than others. This is a known ailment, so we should research whether anyone has written about it. And tomorrow afternoon, I am going to consult the alchemists here to see if they have any suggestions.”
“I’ll go with you,” said Draymund. “The alchemists all know me.”
“I’ll go to the castle library tomorrow and see what I can find,” said Saxloc.
“I have to teach in the morning,” said Audrey, looking slightly guilty. “But I can help later.”
“And I will go and consult with my father tomorrow,” announced Almera.
As Branwyn had hoped, Rosalind’s problem was bringing the four of them together. “We should get together tomorrow after dinner to discuss our findings,” she told them. “But no matter what we discover, Rosalind deserves to know the truth. We will tell her tomorrow.”
15
‡ Restored ‡
Natalia awoke and felt odd. There wasn’t any pain, but things just didn’t feel right. She tried to open her eyes, but nothing happened. Panic set in as she realized that she couldn’t feel her eyes or eyelids. She tried to move, but hands suddenly took firm hold of both her arms. Only then did she realize that her left hand was missing and her right hand had only a thumb and index finger. Natalia would have screamed, but she didn’t seem to have a tongue. Or a jaw. But she was breathing, and both her chest and back felt normal.
“Relax, Natalia. All will be well.”
The familiar voice was reassuring. It’s Preston, she thought, I’m probably in the Temple of Arwon. I must have died, but how? It must have been pretty awful. She felt something cold and hard touch her chest just below her sternum. She was grateful that she could even feel it. Warmth suddenly flowed outward from that spot, soon spreading throughout her body. Her right foot and half her left leg also seemed to be missing, but she felt calm now. There was tingling nearly everywhere, and many places felt like they were almost burning, but not painfully. She could actually feel parts of her beginning to regrow and marveled at the sensation. She felt alive with energy. An explosion of light announced the return of her eyes to their sockets, and she squinted them shut as best she could as she waited for her eyelids to regrow.
When the process finally finished, she felt the now-warm object being pulled away. Natalia opened her eyes and blinked several times at the wooden ceiling above her. Patterned sunlight filtered through shutters illuminated the room. A glance around showed two people in the room with her. Instead of Preston, a mature female half-elf who looked familiar stood off to the left sporting a satisfied smile as she gripped a long, thin, transparent rod with both hands. Natalia realized that it must be the LifeStaff. To the right, Carlinda smiled at her in a reassuring manner. Natalia raised her head and saw that she was lying on a long wooden table. Four chairs were lined up against the far wall, one piled with clothes that were recognizably her own. She wondered if she had imagined Preston’s voice, but then suspected that he had left because of her nudity.
“How do you feel?” It was the half-elf asking the question.
“I’m fine. Thank you … uh …” She felt as if she should know the name.
“Branwyn. I used to be a priestess here. You’re welcome. I need to go put this away now.”
Carlinda went over and opened the door for Branwyn to leave. Natalia gingerly sat up and then turned so her legs were hanging off the side facing Carlinda. With her new nose, she could smell an unpleasant rotting odor, which had certainly come from her own remains before she had been restored to life. The thought of it was sickening. She got to her feet and went over to the chairs. As Natalia dressed, she carefully examined her body.
“My scars are gone,” she remarked to Carlinda.
“Yes. Regeneration heals all injuries, even old scars.”
“What happened to me?”
“What is the last thing you remember?” countered Carlinda.
Natalia thought about it. “We were going to break into Sharp Edges and search it. I was waiting outside with Alec for the other two to arrive.” She felt a sudden concern. “Was anyone else killed?”
“Not at Sharp Edges,” replied Carlinda. “You set off some kind of trap inside that killed you. Hankin was searching the office and wasn’t seriously hurt.”
“What aren’t you telling me?” She didn’t like the look on the woman’s face.
“You were actually the fortunate one,” explained Carlinda, looking glum. “The two who were searching the house—Yannik and Joanna—are dead for good. Their bodies were consumed by some kind of alchemic fire. You would have been too if not for Hankin and the others.”
“I see.” Natalia had known both of the ones who died. She felt both sad and angry at their loss. If she had any say in the matter, then Buris would pay for their deaths with his own life.
“If you’re ready, then I will send Hankin in. He can tell you the full story. He’s waiting outside.”
“Yes. Please.” That he was waiting for her gave her a good feeling.
Carlinda nodded and left the room. Natalia went and looked out the window, estimating it to be mid-morning. She looked herself over again to make certain that everything was still there. It was time to begin her second life.
♦ ♦ ♦
Branwyn found Saxloc in the practice area underneath the mansion. He was in the middle of a sword drill that she recognized because her husband Milric performed it often. She waited until he had finished before walking up to him.
“First of all, I have good news. Natalia is back among the living and fully restored.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” he said, smiling. “That will certainly make Hankin happy.”
“I suspect it already has,” smirked Branwyn. “Celebern gave them both the day off.”
Saxloc laughed. “You’re probably right about that.”
Branwyn simply nodded in reply. Then she adopted a serious expression. “I spoke with both your parents at length last night,” she began. “They’re both idiots. They should never have told you they didn’t want you to become a dragon-slayer, even if that’s how they feel. It is your decision, not theirs. And maybe the decision of that god of dragons or whatever. Anyway, your mother agreed to never mention it again, and your father is going to do more research into how to transfer the DragonSword and DragonShield.”
Saxloc nodded and smiled slightly. “I had already decided to just keep training and see how things went. I know I’ve been overdoing it recently.”
“Good. Dragons don’t breed very fast. Draymund might run out and be forced to retire. Maybe that’s why those two items sometimes seem to just go unused for decades at a time.”
“I never thought of that,” said Saxloc with a thoughtful look. “You were probably joking, but there might be something to it, especially since Andoran’s Realm is a closed-off region. If all of the dragons here were slain, that would be it.”
Branwyn laughed. She had been joking, but he made a good point. “Just one more thing,” she said, trying to look innocent.
“Yes.”
“Tell me exactly what you and Audrey have been arguing about. And remember, I can tell if you’re lying.”
Saxloc had a trapped look as he simply replied, “Oh. That.”
By the time he finished telling her everything, Bra
nwyn decided that Saxloc and Audrey were idiots too.
♦ ♦ ♦
Saxloc looked up as he heard footsteps approaching. Audrey nodded at him as she placed her satchel on the table and then seated herself next to him. He noted Viktor, a man who worked in the library, looking their way fearfully before abruptly disappearing behind a set of wooden shelves with small cubbyholes for holding scrolls. Viktor and Audrey had once gone on a date that had ended very badly—for Viktor, anyway.
“I hoped I’d find you here,” Audrey said to him in a quiet voice. “Did you find anything?”
“I found several mentions of what sounds like Rosalind’s ailment.” He pointed at the scroll in front of them that he was currently copying part of, making use of a stylus and a piece of paper. The scroll was held open by two brass weights that the library provided for that purpose. “None of them mention a cure, but this one suggests types of food that are supposed to help.”
Audrey leaned over to look at what he was writing. “It looks like mostly grains, vegetables, and fish. No cheese. No milk. No meat. No alcohol?”
“Yes. As small as she is, I’ve never seen Rosalind drunk. I don’t think her body absorbs alcohol.”
“Sometimes I wish mine didn’t. At least I’m drinking less now that I have to buy it myself. Decent rice wine is expensive.”
That was something that had concerned him. Audrey liked alcoholic beverages and became drunk quite easily. But her concerns about her finances apparently trumped her desire to drink.
“What about ale?” she asked. “It’s made from grain.”
He returned her silly smile. “It doesn’t say, but that’s a good point.”
“Eggs?”
Saxloc glanced at the scroll. “Yes. I haven’t copied that part yet. Just give me a few minutes. I’m almost done.”
“Okay.”
Audrey sat quietly while he finished, but every time he looked her way, she was chewing on her lower lip. It was a habit of hers that he was familiar with. She was concerned about Rosalind, and so was he. He couldn’t help but think about Rosalind differently now and worry how she would react when they told her.
When he was finished, Saxloc returned the scroll and weights. He put the paper into his leather satchel, where it joined numerous others filled with information about spells. As usual, his grandfather had sent him home with assignments to be completed before their next lesson in three days. Long and boring assignments in Saxloc’s opinion.
The two of them went outside to the market, finding it cloudy, cool, and blustery. He was unsurprised when Audrey suggested rice balls for lunch, and he bought them each one filled with a mixture of egg, potato, and cheese. He also bought a small jug of apple juice for them to share.
“This is good,” said Audrey, barely intelligible because she was still chewing. She swallowed and said. “I haven’t tried this one before.”
Saxloc nodded and continued eating. He waited until they were both done before telling her about his conversation with Branwyn. “I’m glad she picked you to interrogate,” she said when he was done. “I’d hate to be the one to admit all of the stupid things we’ve been arguing about.”
“They really have been stupid,” he agreed. At one point they had argued about who was the more miserable. “From now on, let’s try to only argue about important things.”
Audrey smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “It’s a deal.”
♦ ♦ ♦
Branwyn wasn’t at all surprised when the four of them asked her to be the one to speak with Rosalind. She and Draymund had found an alchemist who prepared something he said should help, a supplement for Rosalind to take daily. That, plus the diet information Saxloc had found, might help.
After the meeting, Branwyn went to Rosalind’s room, finding her sitting at the desk making arrangements with her Sparrow tiles. She explained what she had discovered as gently as she could manage, drawing on her long experience as a priestess. When she finished, Rosalind merely sat and thought—a good sign, in Branwyn’s opinion.
“I suspected after you asked me about my family,” she finally said. Her expression was more resigned than sad. “It’s something that’s hereditary.”
“Yes, but it isn’t passed on to everyone. If you were to have children, they might be fine. But their children might have the affliction.”
Rosalind nodded. “Like how I have blue eyes but my parents don’t. I understand. I’m not going to have children; I’ve decided. And I will tell my family about it. My brother especially needs to know. They already have a child, and he needs to be examined.”
Branwyn was amazed by how maturely Rosalind was reacting, but she could tell that the young woman was on the verge of tears. “Branwyn,” she said, looking very serious, “is this going to shorten my life?”
Branwyn closed her eyes briefly, suppressing her own tears. That was something she had discovered but decided not to tell Rosalind. But she wasn’t about to lie. “Yes, it may. But it is possible that the supplement you are taking and changing your diet might overcome that. We just don’t know.”
Rosalind was crying as she said, “I appreciate your honesty. Thank you.”
Branwyn stood up and smiled at her. “I will be here for at least another day or two. Please feel free to speak with me if you feel the need.”
“I will.”
By the time Branwyn arrived back at her suite, she was crying as well.
16
‡ Hanna ‡
After spending the morning shopping and running errands, Medea returned to her family’s quarters in the Witch’s Castle with trepidation. Carlinda had dropped Hanna off early that morning, and they had left her alone with Marryn. That ended badly the last time, with Medea finding her daughter in her room and Hanna huddled under the dining table crying. She still didn’t know what had happened between the two of them, but they had punished Marryn, cutting off her allowance for two months and giving her more chores. In hindsight, that might have done more harm than good, simply reinforcing Marryn’s dislike for Hanna.
It was sad to her because of how close Marryn and Hanna had been when they were younger. The two of them had been part of a larger group of girls that included Alinda, Valwyn, and sometimes Siljan. They played together and generally did the kinds of things that you would expect young girls to do. But that had all changed when Tilda’s true background had been revealed.
The revelation that Hagen’s wife had been not only a thief but a former member of the Zardis Thieves’ Guild changed everything. Hagen spurned his wife, eventually ending up with Carlinda. Tilda moved to the newly-founded city of Rohoville, taking their two children with her. Even before that happened, the damage to Hanna had been done.
At the age of seven, Hanna suddenly found herself with no friends. The other girls shunned her, and the boys, which included Gabriel and Saxloc, were little better. Hanna was distraught, refusing to go out and spending much of her time crying. She withdrew inside herself, a change that had shocked Medea. The Hanna she knew was gone, replaced by one who rarely spoke or showed much emotion. It had been painful to watch.
Marryn had never shown any remorse over her part in hurting Hanna, but she had experienced her own troubles. Siljan, Alinda, and Valwyn all ended up moving to Rohoville along with their families. More recently Petra, whom Marryn had befriended, had also been sent there. Marryn no longer had any close friends living nearby and didn’t seem to know how to make them. She had been trying to befriend some of the rich teenage girls that dwelled in the Witch’s City, but that wasn’t going well. Medea could tell that they only tolerated Marryn because of where she lived and the fact that she knew Ermizad personally.
Medea hesitated before opening the door that led into her family’s living quarters. Earlier that morning, she hadn’t just warned her daughter to be polite, she had threatened her. Specifically, she had threatened to donate all of Marryn’s dresses to charity. That had horrified the girl, and she wondered if she had gone too
far. She had been struggling to deal with her daughter’s behavior with no help from her husband.
Entering, she found the sitting room empty and quickly went to the pantry to put away the food she had bought. Medea then went down the hallway that gave access to all three bedrooms. It sounded like Marryn was in her room talking to Hanna, which was certainly encouraging. After knocking once, she pushed open the door and then stared in amazement. Hanna sat at Marryn’s dressing table while Marryn brushed her hair—hair that looked decidedly different than it had earlier, neatly trimmed and asymmetrically-styled. They both turned to look at her, and she saw that Hanna’s bushy eyebrows had been trimmed, and that makeup had been used on her face to good effect. Hanna would never be pretty, but she looked much better. And it didn’t end there. Hanna had arrived clad all in dark brown, but now she was wearing a green shirt that went well with her eyes and a long beige skirt, both recognizably Marryn’s own clothes.
Marryn smiled as she looked over. “We’re pretty much the same size now. What do you think?”
Medea felt proud of her daughter. She had found a way to interact with Hanna that leveraged her own talents for hairstyling and makeup, and which obviously made Hanna happy.
“That is quite the transformation,” declared Medea as she smiled at the two of them. “You look very nice, Hanna.”
“Thank you,” she replied. “Marryn said I can have these clothes. I’m going to ask Carlinda to buy me more.”
It was startling to hear Hanna speaking so much, and to look so happy. “That’s very good of you, Marryn.”
“Thank you, Mother,” she replied, now smiling herself. “I’m going to give her some makeup too. I had to buy some to match her skin.”