Now I was the one gaping at him. Three healers? They were going to waste three healers and a whole store of compositions on the chance we might get sick? When we could just stay here? Would twelve commonborn victims die because those compositions were being withheld?
My eyes traveled involuntarily to where Lucas sat at Natalya’s side. She had suggested the trip should not proceed because of their status. But perhaps it was the opposite that was true. We were taking this trip precisely because we had so many trainees from powerful families in our year. These were the future leaders of Ardann, and what were a few commonborn lives compared to their training?
I gritted my teeth, fighting to keep my outrage inside. I, least of all, could afford to fail the Academy.
Lorcan surveyed us all again, and then nodded once. “You may take the rest of the day off to pack. You leave in the morning.” He hurried from the room, leaving shocked silence for a half-second. And then several conversations broke out at once.
“Home,” said Coralie, not looking like she’d taken the news in yet. “I’m going home.”
Finnian still didn’t look his cheerful self, but I could see a new spark of interest in his eyes. He was excited to have this opportunity.
I frowned across at him. “Doesn’t it bother you? That they’re treating this like some sort of excursion when people are dying? Those compositions they’re holding for us could be used to save lives.”
Finnian shrugged uncomfortably. “The healing discipline would never allow all their healers to be exhausted by a single epidemic. It would be too dangerous. So if they’re sending healers with instructions not to assist, then those are healers that would have been kept in reserve anyway. Lorcan mentioned a senior healer, so they’re most likely sending someone with administrative expertise. Someone whose knowledge is too valuable for them to exhaust themselves on healing. I don’t see much harm in us joining them. Honestly, we’re not likely to get sick anyway, since I’m sure they’ll take precautions not to overexpose us. Plus, if we pick up the signs of any illness early—which we would—they’ll probably have us practice healing each other.”
His words made sense, and my discomfort eased a fraction. But it didn’t disappear. There were still those stored compositions being held back. And somehow he had too many explanations. It all sounded just a little too convenient, too much like the kind of excuses that always accompanied injustice.
Coralie stood up abruptly. “Let’s go talk to Acacia. Lorcan said she’ll be leading us.” She started off without waiting for our agreement, and we all followed obediently behind.
We found Acacia’s rooms in unusual disorder, the young woman rushing around between open drawers muttering to herself, her face drawn and tired. She looked up at the sound of our arrival but immediately returned to what she was doing.
“Oh, it’s just you lot.”
“How bad is it, Acacia? Really?” Coralie’s voice trembled slightly, and the healer froze.
Slowly she turned to face us. A silent look passed between her and my friend. I suddenly remembered that Acacia also came from Abalene. She and Coralie had known one another before the Academy.
“They’re saying it’s bad. But they still hope they can prevent its spread further north. So that must mean they have it at least partially contained. And they’re sending new healers down. Ones who haven’t exhausted themselves yet. That’s why I asked for permission to go. My new assistant could do with the experience here, and I know they’ve already given Jocasta leave to remain down there until this is over, despite not being a healer. But I didn’t expect Lorcan to want to send all of you as well.”
I could see the frustration on her face. Clearly she had hoped to help, not babysit twelve trainee mages.
“Perhaps we’ll be able to help,” I said quietly.
Acacia glanced at me briefly before returning to her previous flurry of activity. She appeared to be sorting through rolled parchments, storing them in pouches like the one Beatrice had described having inside her case.
“Perhaps,” she said. “Although this isn’t a simple disease. It wouldn’t have spread this far if it was.”
That explained Coralie’s fear. Mages usually treated themselves in simple cases—or within their families at least—only calling healers for cases too complex to be touched without additional training.
Although surely the healers would prioritize the local mage families. I immediately reprimanded myself for the ungenerous thought. Coralie surely feared for the commonborn locals as well—including, no doubt, her family’s servants.
“I have a lot still to do,” said Acacia. “And you should all be packing yourselves. Be off with you.”
We left without further comment, each busy with our own thoughts.
Chapter 10
We were a quiet group when we met in the front courtyard of the Academy the next morning. If the twins had protested to their parents, it had done them no good since they waited silently with their bags, just like everyone else.
Lorcan had come to see us off, and Acacia and all twelve of us trainees had arrived on time, but still we all waited. I was just getting impatient enough to ask what we were waiting for, when the great gates of the Academy swung open.
A small group of young people entered, accompanied by several black-robed mage instructors from the University, Jessamine leading the way. The University Head crossed immediately to Lorcan and began to speak quietly to him, while the rest of us eyed the newcomers.
“Jasper?” I rushed over to embrace my brother who looked equally pleased and surprised to see me. “Clara.” I nodded at the petite young woman by his side. She was the only other commonborn scholarship student at the University, and I had met her a couple of times before. “What are you both doing here?”
“The same thing you are, apparently,” said Jasper. “Being sent to observe the crown’s response to an unfolding tragedy.” I could hear in his voice that he felt much the same way about our instructors’ attitude to it that I did. “The offer was put out to all the students, but I’m sure you’ll be astonished to hear there weren’t too many of us eager to take the risk.”
So that was why the two commonborn scholarship students—surely the bottom of the University ladder—had been included. A persistent tugging at my elbow made me spin around. Coralie stood there, her face white.
“Edmond’s here, too.”
I scanned the rest of the group and spotted the tall young man who I had met once before. He and Coralie had danced at the last Midwinter Ball, and she had been taken with him ever since. Hopefully his presence would distract her from her worries rather than adding to them.
“Oh, yes, I heard about your dance.” Jasper grinned at my friend, before waving across at his fellow student. “Oy! Edmond! Over here.”
Edmond joined us with a grin and an elaborate bow.
“Ah, the fair Coralie. I didn’t expect our group to be so graced with your presence.”
Coralie flushed and giggled, but I caught Finnian rolling his eyes.
“What’s the matter?” I whispered to him. “You two could practically be brothers. You’d both have made good Players, at any rate. If you weren’t already busy being mages.”
He just shook his head and continued to look on with an unimpressed expression as Edmond flirted outrageously with Coralie. I glanced over at Saffron, and she met my eyes before giggling.
“It will do him good to have some competition,” she whispered to me.
But all conversation ceased when a stream of carriages began to roll through the gates. The first stopped in front of Lorcan and Jessamine, and two purple-robed figures stepped down. To my surprise, I recognized them both.
“Beatrice.”
Finnian turned at my soft exclamation. “That’s right, you’ve met her, haven’t you? Lorcan did mention a senior healer. Come on.” He gestured for me to follow him as he moved toward the cluster of senior mages, and I followed with some reluctance. Beatrice I was perfect
ly happy to see again. Her young cousin, Reese, a great deal less so.
Beatrice greeted Finnian with affection and me with friendly recognition. Reese on the other hand just narrowed his eyes at me.
“You. I should have known you’d be here.”
“Yes,” I said, meeting his gaze. “Since I’m a trainee and this is the Academy, you should have.”
Finnian snorted, quickly turning the sound into a cough. Reese transferred his disapproving look to him.
“Finnian. My day just keeps getting better and better.”
“Please excuse Reese,” said Beatrice with a soft smile. “The poor boy is still stuck on babysitting duty, and it’s put him in a perpetually bad mood.”
Reese spluttered, temporarily bereft of words, which I took from her smile to have been her intention.
“Trainees and students,” called Lorcan, distracting us all. “Please find places for yourselves in a carriage. You will at all times obey the instructions of the healers traveling with you and conduct yourselves as is befitting members of the Academy and University. Do not give us reason to be shamed by you.”
He gave us all a hard stare followed by a single nod.
As well as Acacia, a black-robed University academic joined Beatrice and Reese in the front carriage, leaving the trainees and students to find their own places in the other vehicles.
I followed Jasper, Clara, Edmond, and Coralie into one of the last ones in line, Finnian jumping in after us at the last moment, Saffron close behind him. It was tight with seven of us, but no one protested, and the journey had soon begun.
Despite our somber goal, it seemed it was impossible for seven young people to travel together in such close confines without some joking and laughter. At least not when both Edmond and Finnian were part of our number—each seeking to outdo the other.
But I held myself a little apart, watching out the window, until we passed the turn off to Kingslee. When the dirt side road flashed past, Jasper reached over and squeezed my hand. For a brief moment, our eyes met. We were now further south than either of us had ever been before.
I couldn’t deny the smallest flash of excitement, although I wished we were traveling for a different purpose. A visit to Coralie’s family, perhaps. Although there would be no reason for Jasper or Clara to accompany us on such a journey.
And the brief feeling of elation was soon swallowed up by memories of Torkan. How many families in Abalene, and further south, were holding such ashes ceremonies for their loved ones now? Or were whole families being wiped out—with no one left to celebrate their life or mourn for them?
I leaned my head against Jasper’s shoulder and tried not to look at Edmond or Finnian who were joking on the other side of the carriage. Jasper leaned down to whisper in my ear.
“Don’t blame them. We all respond to tragedy differently. Some need the release of tension that a laugh can bring.”
I sighed and smiled. It was nice to be with someone who knew me so well. It had been too long.
And as the hours continued to roll on, I had to admit he was right. I didn’t think I could have borne such a long journey if the mood had been somber and grief-filled the whole time.
We had a short break for lunch just after crossing the broad bridge which spanned the River Overon. The large inn, located in a prominent location on the road, had clearly been warned of the arrival of such a significant group, and a decent meal had been prepared.
We soon moved on, however. An even larger inn hosted us for the evening meal, rooms already prepared for our stay. We would spend the night here, Acacia informed us, before splitting off from the South Road to follow a smaller one toward Abalene.
All of the students and trainees were expected to share bedchambers, much to the disgust of some of our number. But Coralie and I were both happy to gain a roommate for the night, Coralie in particular being eager to discuss the day’s company in the privacy of our room.
The mention of a smaller road turned out to be somewhat misleading since, unlike the Kingslee turn off, only a slight decrease in width seemed to separate this offshoot from the main road. A reminder that Abalene was a significant city. It sat in the southeastern corner of the kingdom, on the southern reaches of the Overon, just above the delta at the river mouth, and it was a center of trade. Which must mean the city was hurting in more ways than one right now, since all travel into and out of the region had been restricted.
We encountered our first road block when we branched off the main road, a group of bored looking soldiers who talked briefly to someone in the front carriage before waving us all through. We passed two more before we reached Abalene, however, the soldiers manning them looking increasingly more alert and nervous. They weren’t wearing face masks, however.
“What do we know about green fever?” I asked the carriage. We hadn’t had enough time before our departure for me to look it up in the library.
The mood had already dropped after the last road block, but my question depressed it even further.
Finnian sighed. “Not enough. Which is the problem.”
Jasper looked across at him measuringly. “You’re Dashiell’s son, right?”
If Finnian was offended at Jasper not using his father’s title, he didn’t show it.
“Yes, that’s right. He’s been staying up at the palace, coordinating the response to the crisis. So I went up to see him the night before we left.”
I straightened on the seat. This was news to me.
“Green fever hits southern Ardann every year. It comes down from the Graybacks.” He named the mountain range that ran along the eastern coast of Ardann. “Usually it only comes down in the warmer months, when the mountains are covered in green—that’s where the name comes from.”
Some of this rang a vague bell, although I had never paid much attention to the disease. Not when it never made it up as far north as Kingslee.
“Bloodsucking insects carry it, and then they breed like crazy in the river delta. But usually by the winter months they’re gone. And while it’s not the most pleasant of diseases, it’s not usually a big killer either. Only the very young, the very elderly, and the already ill are at risk.”
I winced at his words and felt Jasper shift beside me. We were far too used to classifying Clemmy in that category, and it was still hard to believe she no longer fit.
“Which is the problem.” Finnian sighed. “Healers have to pour a great deal of energy and research into a disease before they can learn how to compose a true cure. Sometimes it’s the work of generations. We don’t tend to waste the time on something like green fever. Healers treat the symptoms, if it’s a bad case, or an at risk patient, and their body does the rest.”
“So what’s different this time?” Clara asked.
Finnian shrugged, his face sad. “We don’t know. It’s been an unseasonably warm winter, for one. We’ve felt it up in the capital, but not like it’s been down south from what my father tells me. It hasn’t gotten cold enough to drive off the insects. And, somehow, with the longer fever season, the disease has mutated into a far more dangerous strain. This one’s a killer—and not just for babies and the elderly.”
Coralie gave a little whimper, and Saffron put an arm around her shoulders.
“What are the symptoms?” I asked.
“Normally it’s a fever—obviously—along with aches and pains and some vomiting.”
“And this new strain?” asked Jasper.
Finnian grimaced. “It starts out like normal, and after a couple of days, the patient seems to get better. But less than a day later, it hits again. Only harder this time, with more severe symptoms. Some fight it off and make a true recovery. Others start vomiting up blood.” He paused for a moment, but we all remained silent. “If the blood appears, they don’t last much longer from all reports.”
“But they’re working on a cure, right?”
Finnian exchanged a glance with Saffron over Coralie’s head, and I knew I wasn’t going to like his
answer.
“Now that it’s become truly deadly, the healers will, yes. Once this epidemic is past.”
“Once it’s past?” I stared at him. “But they need it now!”
Saffron responded, her voice quiet. “Yes, they need it now, but cures don’t come that quickly. For the moment, the healers must allocate their available resources to treating patients and preventing its further spread. They don’t have enough healers to work on a cure as well.”
Just as she finished, the sound of the cobblestones under the wheels changed. We all looked out the windows to discover that we had reached the outskirts of Abalene.
The city rolled past the windows, a collection of mostly single-story buildings with large windows and flat roofs. Bright material had been strung between many of them to create covered walkways, and I could easily imagine it as a vibrant and cheerful place.
But a strange quiet hung over everything, and few people were out on the streets. Those who we did see hurried about their business, their heads down and walk purposeful. And a light haze hung over everything, carrying the faint smell of smoke.
“They’ll have bonfires on the outskirts of the city,” said Finnian, in a dull voice.
I didn’t ask what they would be burning. I didn’t want to know the answer.
Coralie didn’t look out the window for long, burying her face in Saffron’s shoulder instead. The northern girl looked across the carriage at me, sharing a pained look as she patted Coralie’s arm. But there was nothing either of us could do to change the new reality of Coralie’s home.
The carriage rumbled past several market squares, but no stalls were in sight. Instead large canvas tents filled the empty spaces.
“Makeshift healing clinics,” murmured Finnian.
“And supply centers,” added Saffron, as we watched a trickle of people emerge from one of them with packages clasped against their chests. “Since neither trade nor the markets are functioning.”
Voice of Command (The Spoken Mage Book 2) Page 9