Solace

by Bethany Adams

  Lial froze. He almost never alluded to his past, but he’d found himself risking that slight admission last night. He should have known better than to do so with Lynia, whose greatest strength was analyzing information. Had he wanted her to ask, or had he fooled himself into believing she wouldn’t bother?

  “It is…not well known,” Lial hedged. “I doubt even Ralan is aware since it happened before he was born.”

  Lynia crossed her arms. “There’s no need to evade if you don’t want to tell me. You don’t owe me your secrets. But that’s the first time you’ve said anything like that in over four hundred years. I couldn’t help but wonder.”

  Part of him wanted to confess everything, but the other portion held tight to his shame. His abilities were well-known and respected, his youth lost to memory behind a thousand years of solid service to his gift. What she asked for was buried so deep he wasn’t even certain he could pull it free well enough to make sense.

  “I…”

  Naturally, Elan chose that moment to contact him. “I got to the tower at the same time as a scout with a broken elbow. Where are you?”

  “Returning shortly,” Lial sent back before cutting the connection.

  “What is it?” Lynia asked.

  “Elan.” Lial let out a long sigh. “First broken elbow of the day.”

  Her arms uncurled, and she shoved gently at his shoulder. “Better than arses. Go ahead. We can talk later, if you’re willing.”

  “I’ll try to explain, but I make no promises to clarity.” Lial met her eyes. “I’ve never told anyone. But I’ll tell you.”

  Before she could answer, he hurried toward the door. He didn’t have time to see how she took those words. Elan didn’t have the skill to fix a broken elbow, and Lial would rather not see the wound begin to heal incorrectly because he delayed. Rebreaking bones was one of his least favorite tasks, along with cutting iron out of Lyr and discussing his unfortunate youth.

  “Lial,” she called when he reached the door, much as she had the night before.

  He paused. “Yes?”

  “You might want to pull your hair back before you reach your patient.” Her eyes glinted with mischief, but she was kind enough not to laugh. “It’s tangled enough without adding in caked blood.”

  “Thanks,” he muttered, mentally cursing the existence of this day.

  A suspicious, chuckle-like sound carried through the door he’d closed, but Lial ignored it as he rushed for the back door, his fingers already tugging through his hair. He didn’t typically care about his appearance beyond surface presentability, but even he balked at being caught in such a hurry that he hadn’t bothered to comb his hair.

  Not to mention she was right—blood and tangles were a nightmare combination.

  Lynia managed to wait until Lial was gone before opening the envelope he’d given her. A surge of excitement brought a smile to her lips as she smoothed the paper on the desk and caught sight of his bold-but-hurried handwriting. What was wrong with her? It was hardly a love letter, but she had to admit her heart reacted like it was.

  She traced her finger over the scrawl. Leaving this information for you. Will examine the other two books soon. Though she’d stayed up working, she hadn’t expected him to do the same. Not because he wasn’t diligent—he had to replenish his energy to heal effectively. That he’d been able to provide so many notes already was a gift.

  Once Lynia had skimmed the pages, she had to admit that this was better than a gift. It wasn’t just information. It was respect. He’d trusted her to read the books on healing he’d suggested yesterday and had clearly expected her to understand them. His analysis might have been more detailed had it been written to another full healer, but it wasn’t overly simplified, either. She opened her notebook and began to take notes as she studied his report and compared it to what she’d learned.

  Current theory held that most elves and fae had some form of immune system, but it focused on distinguishing good bacteria from bad since viruses didn’t survive against their magic input. Augmented by magic, that immune system was effective enough that bad bacteria was cleared before the body showed a physical response. Viruses were dismissed as inconsequential in most healers’ texts, if they were mentioned at all.

  It was tempting to assume that their mystery illness would come from an unidentified bacterium, one their bodies hadn’t learned to identify, but Lynia hesitated to do so. For one thing, their immune systems had the ability to clear bacteria—a process familiar to Moranaian healers. A virus, though…that would be truly unknown. And since Lial hadn’t learned about viral infections, it would require research to defeat it.

  Especially considering the curious thread Lial had noted in the two books written in Bleyiak’s time. A couple of off-world healers had started studying viruses in local animals. The books from Braelyn’s library didn’t contain those analyses, but they referred to them. There was also an unusual amount of research on mineral and plant toxicity for the time, at least according to Lial.

  Until she had more information, she wouldn’t rule out any possibility.

  Lynia slid out the list she’d started and wrote down the titles Lial had suggested she search for. Then she frowned. He hadn’t thought to include the name of the onraiee or healer who had penned either of the references mentioned in the books she’d given him. There weren’t likely to be many books with these exact titles, but it was possible. She would have more success sourcing them from other libraries with the author’s name, and she could also request similar tomes by the same person. It looked like she’d have to grab the original books from his workshop to find the rest of the information.

  She stuck a placeholder in her book and stood. Her back twinged in protest of the mark or two she’d spent hunched over her research after Lial’s departure, and she huffed out a breath before rubbing out the kinks. Then she did a series of stretches until the ache had eased.

  She’d recently stopped doing her exercises, and that had apparently been a mistake. Not that she would admit it to anyone, especially not Lial. They might pity her. Or scold her, in Lial’s case. But truth be told, she was happy to be alive despite the fact that her back might never fully recover. She could bear the inconvenience more than she could being treated like a child.

  To protect her aching muscles from the cold during the walk to the healing tower, Lynia retrieved her waterproof cloak from her room. She had just slung it over her shoulders and stepped out the front door when the ground shook beneath her feet and a roaring sound filled her ears. Her feet slid against the icy threshold, but she managed to grab the edge of the door in time to avoid disaster. All she could do then was hold on and hope for the best.

  Though the shaking ended quickly, she wasn’t reassured. The last time she’d felt such a thing, part of the cliff wall had collapsed. But hadn’t the mages increased their augmentation spells? She skimmed her gaze along the ledge that bordered the clearing in front of the estate, but there wasn’t any sign of damage… Was that dust drifting from the southern end of the valley? The freezing rain and sleet stifled it quickly, but she could swear it to be so.

  Her throat closed around her gasp. The healing tower was in that direction. Without another thought, Lynia released the door and picked her way along the icy path as quickly as she could, barely even noticing when her son reached her side.

  “It is outside the bounds of the main estate,” Lyr said. “If you search along the greater estate key, you will see.”

  Lynia grimaced. The greater key was part of the shielding maintained by the estate’s ruling family, and it covered the more distant regions surrounding the main house. She accessed it even more rarely than the main key. “I should have thought to do that.”

  “You’re worried about Lial.”

  “And anyone seeking aid at the healer’s tower,” she insisted, though they both knew that wasn’t the full truth. “Is everyone accounted for?”

  Lyr gave a sharp nod. “In our family, yes, tho
ugh if not for Ralan, I wouldn’t know about Kai. He’s waiting beside the portal for Maddy and her mates to come through, and his mental range is poor. Thank the gods for Ralan’s boost. But I worry about the mage working on that section of the cliff. I can tell he’s alive through the greater estate key, but I won’t know his condition until the nearby scouts reach him.”

  “Let us pray for no injuries,” Lynia said.

  “Indeed.” Lyr’s sidelong glance made her tense, and the question that followed clarified why. “I don’t suppose you’ve given thought to why you’re sliding along the icy path to the healer’s tower in the middle of a crisis?”

  Lynia tipped her chin up. She was not going to be lectured by her own child, grown or not. “I was already on my way to retrieve a couple of books. And couldn’t I ask the same of you? You could organize a rescue from your study the same way you do other duties.”

  Instead of arguing, Lyr merely smiled. “I suppose we’re both exceedingly hands-on today, hmm? But at least I won’t have to suffer Lial yelling at me for risking injury. He’ll be too focused on yelling at you.”

  Gods, but wasn’t that the truth? Lynia groaned and considered turning back, but they’d already reached the tower. With a parting smirk, Lyr headed along the path leading farther down the valley, and for the first time in a couple of centuries, she found herself regretting her current inability to send her son to his room.

  And devoutly wishing she’d kept to her own.

  Chapter 8

  Lial had just sent his patient out the door with an admonition not to show off on an icy practice field when the ground started shifting beneath his feet. With one hand, he gripped his workbench to remain steady, and with the other, he snatched up a vial about to roll over the edge. Glass jars tinkled against each other in their baskets. Those wouldn’t break, but he cast a wary eye and a stream of magic toward the distilling apparatus on the far side of the table.

  Fortunately, the tremors didn’t last long. Less luckily, Elan groaned softly from somewhere behind him. Lial tucked the vial into the correct basket and spun around to find his assistant, who sat on the corner of the bed with his head tipped against the wall.

  “Where are you hurt?” Lial asked as he rushed over.

  “It’s nothing major,” Elan answered quickly. “My head cracked against the stone when I slipped, but it wasn’t hard enough for real damage. Hurts, though.”

  “Ah, clechtan,” Lial muttered. “I’ll check regardless and heal what I find. There will be others to treat, I’m sure, and I’ll not have you trying to do your job through pain.”

  They’d only been working together for a handful of decades, but Elan knew better than to argue. Sitting beside his assistant, Lial sent his energy into the wound. A minor contusion, of course—he hadn’t doubted Elan’s analysis. But head wounds could surprise even the savviest of healers, and he wasn’t going to leave anything to chance.

  Lial was almost finished when the door opened, and the scent of flowers and Lynia whipped through with the breeze. His power stuttered with his surprise, but he recovered so quickly that Elan didn’t appear to notice. Not that Lial cared if he did. He was too busy trying to figure out why Lynia was here. What would drive her to cross the grounds in the middle of an ice storm after gods-knew-what disaster?

  He wrenched his mind away from Lynia and focused on Elan’s injury. It was important to ensure that no brain tissue was damaged from the impact, and a slight swelling had to be resolved. His assistant deserved his attention. But even with his renewed focus, it took longer than it should have to complete the task.

  “Was it worse than I thought?” Elan asked with a frown as Lial’s power winked out.

  “No,” Lial assured him. “The delay was my fault entirely.”

  “I would hazard to say it was mine.” Lynia gazed down at him with a wry smile, but her expression shifted to concern when she looked at Elan. “Are you well? Was there damage here during the rockslide?”

  As he rose to his feet, Lial lifted his brows. “That’s what that was?”

  “Farther along the ridge, part of the cliffside collapsed into the valley, or so Lyr told me when I saw him on the path. He’s heading that way now.”

  “Why are you…” Lial shook his head. The last thing he wanted was to make her angry. “I won’t chide you, since I have done far too much of that lately. Do you need something?”

  “I was coming for the books before the quake.” Frowning, she placed her hand on his arm. “Were you hurt? When I saw the direction of the dust, I worried about the tower, but Lyr said it was outside the estate boundaries.”

  At least she had some care for him, if only as a friend. Lial offered her the best smile he could manage. “I’m well. Thank you for worrying about me.”

  “Ah. Yes.” Lynia lowered her hand and sidled toward the slim spiral staircase. “I’ll retrieve the books and get out of your way. Though it seems strange to sit back doing research amidst this newest crisis.”

  “It is vital in another way. Unlike a rockslide, there aren’t countless mages, scouts, and warriors to make short work of it all.”

  A quick grin crossed her face. “I could count them through the estate key, but I see your point.”

  Lial stared after her as she climbed the staircase and disappeared. He rarely let anyone into his private domain when he wasn’t there, although Maddy passed through on the climb to her floor. With most people, he would hurry after them and demand they leave, but the thought of Lynia alone in his quarters didn’t bother him. No, he would rather invite her to stay for much longer—and under entirely different circumstances.

  “Has something changed between you and Lady Lynia?” Elan asked, and Lial’s skin heated when he realized he’d forgotten the other man’s presence.

  “No,” Lial said. “She still has no interest in me.”

  Elan’s forehead furrowed. “Are you sure you haven’t done something to change her mind? I’ve never seen Lady Lynia look so…light. Almost teasing.”

  “I brought her research this morning.” Lial shrugged and returned to his workbench, hoping Elan would drop whatever madness he had in his head. “That always brings her joy.”

  “Ah, research,” Elan replied, the lilt to his tone suggesting more than simple acknowledgement.

  Lial didn’t bother trying to decipher it. His assistant was young, barely out of training and full of an enthusiasm Lial hadn’t felt for centuries. Elan and Maddy would no doubt be obnoxious together once she settled into her lessons, and that didn’t even account for the madness that Fen and Anna would also bring.

  Suddenly, he felt far too old.

  Before he could linger on the feeling, Lyr’s energy nudged against his, and Lial opened a mental connection. “Yes?”

  “There’s a mage trapped within the rubble. He’s unconscious, and none of us have the skill to scan him for injuries.”

  “I’ll meet you there,” Lial answered at once.

  “Kezari is flying back from a hunt to assist with the cliff wall, and Selia’s heading over, too. When Maddy and her mates reach the tower, have Fen and Anna join you.”

  Lial frowned. “They aren’t yet here.”

  “I sensed a surge from the transportation gate. They should be soon.”

  “Very well.”

  Lial disconnected the link as he bent to grab the bag he kept on hand for such emergencies and then caught Elan’s eyes. “Grab the carrying board. We may need it.”

  In the gloomy weather, Lial’s room was little more than shadow when Lynia stepped off the staircase, but with a quick nudge of her magic, the mage globes flooded the area with light. She paused to shake out the folds of her cloak after holding the fabric tight to her body for the climb. Unfortunately, the distraction wasn’t enough to keep her gaze from shooting straight toward his bed where the sheets and blankets twisted in snarled tangles. It appeared his night hadn’t been particularly restful, either.

  Lynia forced her attention to the table w
here he’d likely left the books. As expected, there was one stack on the far edge and two other books beside a pile of papers. Those were probably the ones he’d reviewed, so when she reached the table, she picked up the nearest of those and read the title.

  An Account of Tebid Ored: The Trials of Rrelen.

  That was the first one. It wasn’t a book she would have selected without Meli’s help since it referred mostly to the abandoned colony of Rrelen. She’d falsely assumed that the trials in question had been the challenges that had led to the colony’s downfall, but that hadn’t been the case. Nor had she properly anticipated the contents of the other title, The Animals of Rrelen.

  Too bad she hadn’t had a chance to read every book in the library, even after so long. When Telien had been alive, she’d spent a great deal of her time researching estate matters, which hadn’t included colonies that had failed millennia before. No matter how long she lived, there never was enough time to study everything she wished.

  With a wistful sigh, Lynia picked up the second book and tucked them both into a large pocket in her cloak. She was about to leave when the glint of light against metal caught her eye. A ring. Unable to resist her curiosity, she lifted the delicate piece of jewelry so she could study it better.

  Gold with a pale, yellow stone, the band thin enough that it appeared more of a woman’s style. Had Lial—No. She quashed the worry of him entertaining another woman in his rooms, at least not in a romantic way. She’d known him too long to consider that he would profess love to her while sleeping with another. He would wait until he left Braelyn for that.

  A thought that stung more than it should have.

  Wincing, Lynia returned the ring to its place and hurried toward the steps as though he’d seen her intrusion. She wanted so badly to ask, but it wasn’t her business. They weren’t in a relationship. Truly, she would have no right to complain if he had taken a lover. And though she didn’t believe so, it would be better not to find out otherwise.