Exsanguinated

by D. K. Holmberg

  Sam remained silent as she followed, not sure what there was to say. They reached the end of the hallway and took some stairs, heading up. At the top, the woman continued along another hallway, the floor having the same colored tiles. The woman stopped at a set of doors, and Sam was surprised when they stepped through and were back outside in the bright sunlight. They crossed an arched bridge, which was as ornate as anything she’d seen so far, and Sam could hear the sound of rushing water below. Not a canal, but a river. It was nothing like home. On the other side, the woman took them into another building. It wasn’t as ornate as the first building, but Sam had the same sense of awe as she made her way through here. Instead of the colorful floor tiles, these were just black and white. The architecture was simpler, and rather than arched doorways, these were flat, with simple stone headers, and the doors were metal rather than wood. She saw none of the symbols she had in the other building. Nothing that struck her in the same way as what she had seen there. Still, there was the same unmistakable sense of strength about it all.

  “Where are we?”

  The woman glanced over. “You wanted to find your brother.”

  “Is he here?”

  The woman turned away and continued down the hallway, leaving Sam staring after her. What was this? What was all of this? None of it made any sense to her, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something she was missing.

  The woman had made a comment about how Sam knew so little, as if Sam should have known more… about the world, and about this place. And though she liked to think she had a sense of the world, from her brief forays beyond the city into the swamp and steam fields, she realized she knew little. She’d not even known of the Thelns or their lands until they had come to her own city and endangered those she cared for.

  They reached yet another door. This one was a deep brown, almost coppery color, and metal. Sam reached for it, feeling a warmth radiating from the metal. The woman grabbed her hand and pulled it back.

  “That would be unadvisable.”

  “Why?”

  “You must be welcomed before you can enter.”

  “What would happen if I were not to be welcomed?”

  “Likely, you would die.”

  The woman slipped her hand into a glove and reached for the door, knocking twice. The sound rang out like a bell, and it tolled through the hall.

  Sam could only stare.

  After a few moments, the door opened, and a massive person stood in the doorway. Sam took an involuntary step back.

  Ralun.

  When he saw her, his face twisted into a sneer. “What is this, Irina?”

  The woman glanced over at Sam, and Sam couldn’t tell from her expression what she was thinking, but it seemed to be almost a satisfied look. Could that be a smirk? Or was there something else? Was it concern?

  “This one tells me that she has some experience with you, Ralun.”

  “Why have you brought her here?”

  “Careful how you speak to the Master of Records.”

  “I’m always careful with how I speak. I understand quite well the position you have placed me in.”

  “She tells me that you have someone she cares about. A brother.”

  Ralun glanced at Sam, and he fixed her with a hard-eyed glare. “I have only reclaimed what is mine.”

  “Yes. About that. How is it that this brother of hers is yours?”

  Ralun turned to Irina. “It is of little matter.”

  “I believe that it matters quite a bit, especially if this one has come here thinking to rescue him. Should I not be concerned about the presence of a Verdholm Kaver appearing within our borders?”

  “Why must you be concerned? It seems you have captured her without any difficulty.”

  “Captured? Is that the way it appears? The chamyn brought her to us.”

  Ralun frowned. “How is it that this is the first I’m hearing of it?”

  “Because my house guards are the ones who found her. Now. Tell me about this brother of hers.”

  Ralun glanced from Irina to Sam.

  She worried he might not say anything, and worried even more that something might have happened to Tray, not knowing whether Ralun would have harmed him. Tray was his son, but then again, Lyasanna had been his mother, and that hadn’t stopped her from attempting to murder Tray.

  “Come inside,” Ralun said.

  Irina nodded to Sam to follow, and she had no choice but to do so.

  Sam followed Ralun, a growing trepidation making her uncomfortable. What would happen inside this room? Ralun had already attempted to kill her more than once, and she had the sense that he would not hesitate to try it again. His expression when he looked at her had been filled with anger and hatred, and it was not undeserved. She had nearly killed him once, and wouldn’t have hesitated to do so again, though now that she knew who he was and what he was to Tray, Sam wasn’t sure she would carry that out. How could she do that to her brother?

  The room they entered appeared to be a sitting room and was every bit as sparse as Sam expected based on the rest of the building. The black and white floor tiles stopped at the entrance to the room, and inside they were a flat gray, as were the walls. The only furniture were two uncomfortable-looking chairs and a wardrobe set against one wall. What surprised her was the bookshelf. It was an enormous bookshelf, spanning the entirety of one wall, and books filled every last bit of it. What types of books must exist here? She could only imagine the way Alec would react at the chance to take a look at some of the Theln books.

  Ralun motioned for them to take a seat in the only two chairs, and Sam did so hesitantly, unsure if it was a command or a form of politeness. Completely bewildered by everything happening around her, she complied. After all, she was in his room, in his lands. For now, she would watch and listen. It seemed as if Ralun had concealed something from Irina, and maybe she could use that to her advantage, but it was just as possible that she could not.

  Irina took a seat across from Sam, and Ralun remained standing. Sam twisted in her chair, looking around, but saw nothing that gave her any insight as to whether or not he would harm her. At least, there were no weapons visible. Irina had shown no indication up to now that Sam was in actual danger, and from the interaction between Irina and Ralun, it seemed that Ralun deferred to the woman.

  “Where is he, Ralun?” Irina asked. She didn’t have to raise her voice, and she didn’t speak particularly forcefully, yet there was still an expectation in the question, almost a command. If Sam didn’t know better, she would have thought her augmented, though perhaps that wasn’t it. Irina hadn’t seemed augmented at all while Sam had been around her. She had a particular grace about her, but that was it. Certainly nothing supernatural, not the way the augmentations made a Kaver seem.

  “He is safe.”

  “And who is he?”

  Ralun paused, and Sam had to twist in her chair so that she could see both Ralun and Irina. He looked at the woman and clenched his jaw. “He is my son.”

  Irina’s eyes shifted only a little. “Your son? How is it that none of us have heard of this?”

  “Because I kept it from the Hall of Records until I was able to recover him.”

  “Recover?”

  “Yes. Recover. He was lost to me for the first part of his life. His mother thought to keep him from me.”

  “His mother thought to kill him,” Sam said.

  Ralun frowned. “Kill him?”

  “You didn’t know? Tray didn’t share that with you?”

  “He has not shared anything with me. He has been sick ever since reaching our lands.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Ralun looked over at her, and she wasn’t confident whether he would answer. It wasn’t as if he needed to answer her.

  “I mean what I said. Trayson has been sick ever since we returned.”

  “But he was the one who brought you here. I was there that day.”

  Ralun glared at her. “
I am well aware that you were there that day, Kaver.”

  “You can be angry with me, but I did nothing other than care for him.”

  Irina stood and turned her attention to Ralun. “Where is he?”

  “He is where he can be cared for.”

  “I doubt that. If you have kept him from the records, then he is not where he needs to be to receive the necessary attention.”

  “I will not have this decision challenged.”

  “You have already forced my hand once. Do not force it again.”

  Ralun glared at her for a moment. Sam had the sense that there was an old disagreement between them, and for some reason, she felt partial to Irina, though she didn’t know the woman at all. But then, Ralun had tried to kill her, so that could be influencing her thoughts.

  “Come with me,” he said.

  He guided them through a door at the back of his room that led into a secondary room, and from there, he opened yet another door. Once they were through here, he lit a lantern. As it started to glow with a soft light, Sam could smell a sickly odor in the air. She recognized the stench of rot. She had encountered it before and had experienced it when the princess had been sick. It was the stink of wasting.

  When the lantern began to glow with a steady light, Sam’s breath caught. “Tray?”

  24

  The Effects of the Book

  Sam ran over to the bed and grabbed Tray’s hand. It was clammy, coated with sweat, and there was no tone to it. Tray lay motionless, his eyes closed and the strength that she had known in his arms and chest gone. He still breathed, and she was thankful for that, but he didn’t even stir when she said his name.

  “What happened?” she asked, not looking over at Ralun. If this was his fault, if he was the reason that Tray was lying here like this, not moving, barely breathing, she…

  “He has been like that since we returned. When we reached the forest, he fell. The chamyn helped me get him here.”

  “You were the one injured that day in the swamp. Tray carried you in his arms to get you safely away. He sought to save the father he’d never known. But here you are, fine, and he lies there awaiting death. Why did you ever come to the city?” Sam was almost shaking with anger.

  “You know the reason why. He is my son.”

  “If you cared, why wait until now?”

  “I thought he was dead. I thought that she took him from me. I thought that… It doesn’t matter. I’ve lost everything because of her.”

  He looked at Irina as he said it, but Sam had the sense that he wasn’t saying it to her, or even about her.

  “What happened?” Sam said.

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “I’ve seen something like this before,” Sam said, looking at Ralun. “It’s the same thing that happened to Lyasanna.”

  “Until you saved her, Kaver.”

  “I didn’t know any better at the time. I still don’t know.”

  “She is the one?” Irina asked.

  “She is the reason that Lyasanna Anders still lives.”

  Irina turned to Sam. The calm, polite expression she’d worn was gone. She now glared at Sam, and there was darkness in her expression. Anger. “Lyasanna Anders is the reason that much difficulty has come to our people.”

  “I don’t know what Lyasanna did. All I know is that she tried to kill her own son. I know that she betrayed her family. I know—”

  “Her family? Her family was here. Did you know that?”

  “No,” Sam said, throwing her hands up in the air. “I don’t know any of this. I’ve told you that I don’t understand what you’re getting at, just as I don’t understand why any of this happened. I only came here to help my brother.”

  “Help.” Irina looked down at Tray. “Lyasanna used the Book of Maladies on him,” she said.

  Sam breathed out heavily. That’s what she was afraid of. Given the way Tray smelled, and the rot, she was not surprised that somehow, he had been poisoned by the Book of Maladies. But how?

  “Where is it?” Sam asked Ralun. “Where are you keeping the Book that’s poisoning him? If you care about him at all, you will use what you know to save him.”

  “How can I save him? I’m not the one responsible for this,” Ralun said.

  “How can you not be? You have the Book of Maladies.”

  Ralun frowned at her. “Whatever made you think that I would have the Book?”

  “Because the Thelns have it. You’re the reason the Book exists. You’re the reason the Book is used in the way that it is. It’s your fault that this has happened to Tray.”

  Irina touched her on the arm. “What is it that you believe?” she asked.

  “I already told you what I believe. I know what has happened. Ralun has done something with the Book, and it’s his fault that Tray is like this. He’s dying because Ralun—”

  “He’s dying because the Anders have used the knowledge in ways they should not.”

  “That’s not true. The Thelns have the Book of Maladies. They keep it. You keep it. You use it and sell your services, working as assassins, killing anyone who…” Sam sank to her knees. What did it matter? Tray was gone. There would be no saving him, not without the Book of Maladies, and if Ralun had any way of helping, he would’ve done so by now, wouldn’t he? The fact that he hadn’t, after going to such lengths to recover him and bring him back to the Theln lands, must mean that he truly has no way of doing so.

  And now she would lose Tray. Her brother would die. She had reached him, somehow managing to make it to the Theln lands, but she was too late.

  After everything she had been through, that hurt the most.

  She released his hand and touched his hair, smoothing it back. In illness, Tray looked so different than he did when he was healthy. Gone was the strength and maturity that he had begun to show. Gone was the irritation, the uncertainty of not knowing where he belonged. Now, he looked so youthful. He looked helpless.

  This was the boy—now the man—that she had done everything for. For her entire life, everything she had done—at least everything she remembered—had been done on behalf of Tray. She had taken jobs from Bastan and then Marin so she could better their station and ultimately buy their way into a nicer section. She had willingly risked herself to try and reach him when he was imprisoned. She had continued to push herself, wanting to understand what it meant for her to be a Kaver, so that she could help Tray. And when he had been lost with Ralun to the Theln lands, she had searched for answers about how she could help him and been willing to sacrifice everything so that she could reach him.

  And now that she had, Sam felt helpless.

  Tears welled in her eyes, and she didn’t fight them as they streamed down her cheeks. She sobbed, holding his hand, feeling the pain of losing her brother. He had been the only person she’d had for so long. Even after learning they weren’t genuinely related and even that he was part Theln, she still cared for him. It had done nothing to change her feelings toward him.

  She felt a hand on her shoulder and shook it off. “I just want a moment with my brother. Is that so hard?”

  “Even knowing that he’s not your brother?”

  This was from Ralun, and Sam looked up. He had a broad face, a strong jaw, and his eyes were deeper set than those of most people in Verdholm. Beneath his black jacket and gray pants, his muscles bulged, making him an imposing figure. One of his legs probably weighed as much as her entire body.

  Somehow, Ralun managed to look at her with something bordering on compassion.

  “He’s my brother,” she said. “Everything I’ve done has been for him.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Sam turned back to Tray. “You don’t need to understand. I’m not sure that I even need to understand. All I know is that when Marin saved him, she used me, but I think… I think she saved me at the same time. Had I not known Tray, had I not been raised the way I was, I don’t know what would’ve become of me.”

  Would she hav
e been brought up in the palace, discovering what it meant to be a Kaver, and trained to attack the Thelns much like Kavers who trained in the palace did? Would she have never met Alec? That was likely, since her exposure to sections outside the palace would have been limited. Would he have ever learned he was a Scribe? Had Sam not staggered into his apothecary with that scrap of easar paper in her pocket, his world would never have turned upside down as it is now. Would he have even attended the university?

  She continued to sob and didn’t bother wiping the tears away. Tray deserved better. He had always had a good heart, and he had always been protective of her, even when she believed there was nothing he could do to help her.

  “Where is the Book?” Sam asked.

  “In Verdholm,” Irina said. Sam looked up, blinking away tears. “Do you understand why the Anders have the power that they do?” Irina asked.

  “I don’t understand anything about the city. I didn’t understand that I was a Kaver or what it meant to have a Scribe. I didn’t understand any of it. All I wanted was to help Tray.” She was feeling overwhelmed, and her words spilled out from her, tumbling faster and faster.

  “They were exiled,” Irina said. “Over a hundred years ago, those who now rule in Verdholm were exiled for using knowledge that should not. They took what should have been peaceful and twisted it, turning it into something dark.”

  “But they didn’t. There is the university and—”

  “The university has been a way for them to conceal what they do. How else do you think they were able to practice? How else do you think they were able to acquire knowledge and find ways to perfect the maladies they document within their book?”

  “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying that the Anders are the ones responsible for the Book of Maladies.”

  “What?”

  Irina glanced from Sam over to Ralun. “Is it possible that she doesn’t know?”

  “She attacked me in Verdholm. She knows.”

  “I attacked you because you are the one who tried to kill me.”

  “Only because you had recovered the Book.”