Heart of the Winterland

by Kristen Kooistra

  Chapter 12

  “Oomph!” Cali’s arms pinwheeled as she fell backwards into a mud puddle. The stocky man, who had roughly knocked her aside, kept walking as though nothing had happened.

  Angel grabbed Cali’s arm and helped her to her feet.

  “We should get off the street.” Angel tugged her towards the wall of one of the crude dwellings. Backs against the rough wood, the two gazed out at the mass of people bustling about.

  “I thought town would be better this time. I thought I’d be better.” Cali clung to Angel’s sleeve, her eyes darting wildly. “Does this ever get easier?”

  Angel glanced at the hand gripping her shirt before looking back out at the crowded street. “The people, the noise, the smell . . . in a way. It stops being so shocking after a while. For me, though, it’s never normal. I prefer cleaner and quieter scenery.”

  “Do you think Voice is all right?”

  “Why wouldn’t she be? It’s not like anything can hurt her.”

  “I suppose, but . . . it’s the first time we’ve ever been apart.”

  “What do you mean? You came after me in the forest and Voice wasn’t with you then.”

  “But she was nearby and I wasn’t gone long.” Cali bit her lip to keep it from trembling.

  Looping her arm through Cali’s, Angel stepped out onto the cobblestones and began to forge through the press of people. “This isn’t about Voice, is it? You’ve never been separated like this before and you don’t know how to handle it.”

  Cali couldn’t decide if she was irritated or relieved by Angel’s increasing ability to pick up on her thoughts. At this rate, she wouldn’t be able to keep anything from either of her companions.

  It had been decided before they entered Rokuhai that Voice would cut around the town and wait by the seashore. Cali and Angel would find lodging and meet her at nightfall. In a town this large, they couldn’t risk someone spotting Voice.

  Cali had mentally talked herself through leaving Voice and entering Rokuhai. She’d known the town was bigger than Laire, which had been obvious as soon as they’d left the forest, but she’d assumed Rokuhai would have the same atmosphere. The moment she stepped on the main path leading into town, she knew she’d been wrong.

  Unlike Laire, a steady stream of people entered Rokuhai. Cali overheard a peasant speaking with a friend about something called “market day.” When Cali asked Angel what that meant, Angel simply said, “That means it’ll be busy.”

  Angel grabbed her hand and wove through the crowd with a skill that made Cali envious. The narrow spaces Angel slipped through seemed to close right behind her. Unwashed bodies pressed against Cali, their stench assaulting her and making her gag. A loud, buxom woman rammed into her and her fingers slipped from Angel’s hand.

  She tried to keep her eyes on the bobbing red hair that signaled Angel’s presence. Falling further behind, Cali’s panic closed in around her. The crowd was stifling; she wanted to hide from the onslaught of people.

  “Cali!” Angel’s voice shouted from somewhere ahead. “Cali, where are you? Get out of my way, you imbecile!” Her words grew further away.

  Desperate to catch up to Angel, Cali threw herself against the wall of people in front of her. She might as well have thrown a snowflake at them for all the good it did.

  I can’t do this. I should never have left Voice. I should’ve stayed in Trabor. I’m going to be lost in this town forever. I’ll probably die here amongst all of these rank people.

  Cheers rose from the crowd and the people finally parted. Cali found herself standing alone in the middle of the street as people lined the sides. Bearing down on her was the most brightly dressed conglomeration of humans she’d ever seen. The crowd kept cheering as the people moved closer.

  “Out of the way.” A rough hand grabbed Cali’s arm and yanked her into the line of watchers. She peered up into a pockmarked face that reeked of garlic. “Havn’ you ever seen no circus before?” A paunchy woman next to the man plucked at his arm. “Ah, let ‘er alone, Mak. Poor thing is obviously not right in ‘er ‘ead.”

  A circus. Is that what they call this flashy, loud group of people?

  The first of the gaily colored people marched past playing instruments. Then a group of young men walked by on their hands for some reason. Was it some sort of curse? Yes, that must be it. Everyone had moved out of the way so these poor souls could be removed from the town.

  More cheers as cherry-cheeked women in green pranced behind the men and threw tiny objects from the pouches at their sides to the onlookers.

  More lunatics. The crowd is just eating this up.

  Deciding that watching this sad “circus” was pointless, Cali edged around the back of the crowd and peered over heads, trying to locate Angel’s fiery mane.

  She hadn’t made it far when whistles from the crowd broke out and she looked again at the sick souls wandering past. Her eyes bulged and she clapped her hands over her mouth to keep from screaming. A woman breathing fire sauntered by. Beside her was a man three times the height of any normal human.

  Tears slid down her cheeks. All these people, so badly cursed or ill. Shame on the crowd for reveling in their misfortune. Or were they happy to see them leave and take their diseases and curses with them? Either was cruel.

  Cali’s composure snapped and she shoved her way past the townspeople. Everything around her melded into a whorl of colors and sounds. She turned down a street where the crowd abated. Her mind in a state of panic; she began to sprint.

  Blinded by her hysteria, Cali didn’t see the young woman in front of her until it was too late. Unable to stop, she charged right into the woman and sent them both tumbling down a flight of steps. Something cracked and the woman under Cali cried out. The fall, and the sharp pain of stone scraping her hands as she’d sought to stop her plunge, brought Cali back to herself.

  “I am so sorry.” Cali disentangled herself from the woman. Her legs shook and her vision was so blurred, she didn’t trust herself enough to try and stand.

  “Are you all right?” A figure with flaming tresses appeared and dropped to her knees at Cali’s side.

  Cali’s heart leapt. “Angel!” She threw her arms around her friend and started sobbing.

  “Get off me!” a strange voice snapped. Cali pulled back and as her vision cleared, she gaped at the foreign face. The redhead shot her a disgusted glare and turned back to the woman Cali had bowled over.

  As her common sense returned, Cali’s heart sank. The woman she’d collided with lay curled on the ground clutching her leg and moaning. An empty basket sat nearby, and the scattered remains of food littered the ground.

  “Kaya, talk to me.” The redhead waved her hand in front of the moaning woman’s face. “Can you hear me, Kaya?”

  “Rose, stop waving your hand around like that. I’m not blind,” Kaya said through gritted teeth as tears leaked down her cheeks.

  Kaya’s ebony cloak hung askew, revealing a crimson skirt that Cali guessed only came to her thighs. Sprawled across the cobbles, it was even shorter and Kaya’s frilly white undergarments peeped out.

  Vivid, red scratches on Kaya’s honeyed skin made Cali ashamed of her panicked dash. After wrenching her mind away from Kaya’s outlandish attire, she scrambled to her feet.

  “I am so sorry.” Stupid, I already said that. Think, Cali, think. “I have no excuse for rushing about and bumping into you like that. Please, let me help.”

  Kaya’s eyes were dilated in pain. “Help? You’ve helped enough, I think. I’m going to lose my job because of you.” She closed her eyes and hunched forward over her injured leg.

  Rose took her attention off Kaya and faced Cali. “Help me carry her back to our quarters.”

  Unable to force words to her lips, Cali gave a tight nod and pushed up her sleeves.

  Awkwardly, they managed to get their arms under Kaya and grasped each other’s forearms. In this fashion they were able to carry her through the streets. Rose seemed to know
the town well and stuck to the less crowded areas.

  By the time they reached their destination, a two-story red brick building, Cali’s arms ached and her dress clung to her sticky skin. She really disliked this sweating business.

  Rose bumped a side door open with her shoulder and backed into a narrow entrance. Once inside, she led the way down a hallway and up a flight of stairs.

  “Don’t drop me!”

  “We’re not going to drop you.” Rose huffed out the words as she balanced on the steps.

  Cali wasn’t so sure of that. Kaya wasn’t exactly the lightest person, and it was taking all of Cali’s effort not to drop her.

  After what seemed like forever, Cali and Rose gently set Kaya down on a roughly crafted bed. Cali took a moment to regain her breath and wipe her forehead.

  “I truly hope you feel better soon and again I apologize.”

  Kaya stared at the wall next to the bed, her mouth set in a grim line. Cali shifted uncomfortably; this was not how she wanted her town trip to go.

  I did what I could. I apologized and I carried her here. Cali straightened, trying to appear more confident than she was. “Well, I guess I’ll be going now.” She turned and left the room, making her way towards the staircase.

  She’d just set foot on the top stair when a sharp voice stopped her. “Where are you going?”

  She turned. Rose stood a few steps behind her, hands planted on her hips. “You can’t leave. This whole mess is your fault and you need to fix it.”

  Cali’s brow wrinkled in confusion. How was she supposed to fix a spilled basket of food and a potentially broken leg?

  “I don’t understand. I helped you carry her. What more do you want from me?”

  A cheerless smile appeared on Rose’s face. “Oh, you’ll see.”

  ❄❄❄

  Voice floated atop a grassy bluff that overlooked the sea. She’d never seen this much water in one place before. The waves crashed against the rocks below and a breeze whistled around the rise, bringing with it the smell of salt.

  I wonder what it would be like to walk in that water. This place feels like my soul. Turbulent. Lonely. Uncontrollable. Does anyone feel in control of their destiny?

  She’d been staring out across the water for hours. This place connected with her, whispered to her of a freedom that she wasn’t sure she could ever possess. The sun set on the horizon. Flashes of pink and violet painted the sky as the sun dropped into the sea.

  “Voice!”

  Voice looked in the direction of Rokuhai. Angel tore across the grass, hair streaming behind her. Something was wrong. It was too early for them to be coming for her.

  Cali. Where is she? Something must’ve happened to her. Why did I let her leave my side? Fool. What was I thinking?

  Angel stumbled as she neared. She gasped for breath and pointing wildly towards the town. “Voice, I lost Cali. We got separated and I looked for hours, but there’s no sign of her.”

  Voice didn’t answer and sped towards Rokuhai as fast as she could. Angel trotted alongside, keeping pace even though she was clearly exhausted.

  “Voice, we need a plan. We can’t just go up and down every street in town. Especially with you not being human.”

  “We would not need to go searching at all if you had kept an eye on her,” Voice snapped, not slowing her flight. “How could you be so careless? You know she is inexperienced. I trusted you to take care of her.”

  Deep down, she wasn’t really mad at Angel. She blamed herself, but it was easier to turn her anger on Angel. It wasn’t fair, but she couldn’t seem to force out an apology. Later, after they found Cali . . . She would apologize then.

  ❄❄❄

  Angel’s eyes stung as she struggled to keep back her tears. It’d been a wearisome day. Watching Cali was stressful enough, but losing her was worse. She’d spent frantic hours searching for her friend, calling herself every kind of fool. Telling Voice had only compounded her guilt.

  Voice was Cali’s guardian, and she took her job seriously. Angel could only imagine the trust it’d taken for Voice to stay behind and allow Cali to be under someone else’s protection.

  I let them both down. Cali trusted me to stick with her and lead her through town. Voice trusted me to watch over Cali and take care of her.

  It’s not all my fault. They shouldn’t have put so much responsibility on me. I didn’t ask for this. Voice should’ve known better than to leave Cali with me as a caretaker.

  They hurried towards town in silence.

  ❄❄❄

  Two days passed with no sign of Cali. Angel searched during the daylight hours and when the sun set, she would return to the outskirts of Rokuhai to tell Voice where she’d looked and sleep. Voice would then take up the search until the sun peeked above the horizon.

  In this way they each grabbed some much needed sleep and the hunt for Cali never waned. It had the added benefit, Voice thought wryly, of limiting her interaction with Angel. Apparently neither one was ready to speak about what had passed between them. Besides the brusque discussion on where they’d searched and where to look next, they avoided conversation.

  As the light began to fade on the second day, Angel collapsed against the shed where they had taken up temporary residence. Her face was streaked with dirt and the lines under her eyes spoke of exhaustion.

  “I might have something.” Angel ran her hands through her hair. “It could be another false lead, but we’re running low on options.”

  “That is not the only thing we are running low on,” Voice observed. “I am emotionally worn out and you are about to keel over from physical exhaustion.” It was the first time in days she had showed concern for anyone but Cali.

  “It doesn’t matter. If we don’t find Cali soon . . .” The words lingered in the air. Angel didn’t need to finish the statement, for they both had imagined all of the grim possibilities.

  “Let us not ponder such things. What did you learn?”

  “I’ve been describing Cali to people and today a man said there’s a girl matching that description at the Everlasting Flame. It’s a tavern that’s known for its scarlet-attired barmaids.”

  Voice’s emotions twisted like fire and ice. As desperately as she wanted to find Cali, she hoped to find her unscathed. This tavern did not sound like a place for someone like Cali.

  “I will look there first tonight. Did you get directions?” Voice fought to keep her tone neutral. This could be another dead-end and she couldn’t get her hopes up too much.

  “Yes, but I’m going with you. If this is it, I want to know. I couldn’t sleep anyway, wondering if you found her.”

  “I would come back for you,” Voice said softly.

  Angel heaved herself back on her feet. “I know, but I don’t want to wait. Let’s go find our princess.”

  Chapter 13

  Cali had never worked so hard in her life. She winced as she plunged her hands into a bucket of soapy water. After days of scrubbing dishes, her hands were raw and throbbing. Bubbles had formed on her hands; Rose called them blisters.

  How do people live like this? I can’t imagine doing this every day of my life. No more running around like a ninny and crashing into people, Cali.

  At first she’d thought the “job” might be temporary, that Kaya’s injury was minor. No such luck. She had a broken leg and healer’s orders to rest for at least eight weeks.

  Rose had, in no uncertain terms, told Cali that she would take Kaya’s place since she would be unable to work until her leg healed.

  “Kaya’s mother is sick,” Rose quietly explained. “The healers don’t know what’s wrong with her. Kaya has to work to support both herself and her mother. The medical expenses alone keep her on the edge of poverty.”

  Something twisted inside Cali, a loneliness yawning in her stomach. What would it be like to have a mother? Even one who was sick?

  “Kaya can’t afford not to work. Our employer, Mizta, would fire her without a second thought.”


  “Surely no one could be that heartless!” Cali exclaimed.

  “You can’t be that ignorant,” Rose said, with a touch of scorn. “Mizta is running a business. We’re just the means to line her purse.”

  “What do you expect me to do? I can try and convince this Mizta it’s not Kaya’s fault,” Cali said miserably. She didn’t want to ruin Kaya’s life. She hadn’t meant for any of this to happen.

  “You can cover for her. I’ll talk to Mizta and tell her you’ll be working for Kaya until she is well.” Rose stood there, arms folded with a hardened expression on her face.

  “I have friends that will be looking for me. Can I at least let them know where I am?”

  Rose had thrown her head back and laughed. “I wasn’t born yesterday. I’d never see you again. You’re staying here where I can keep an eye on you.”

  Cali tried to argue, but finally conceded, though she didn’t see there was much of a choice.

  Mizta had grudgingly allowed Cali to take Kaya’s place for the time being. Kaya moved to the rooming house where her mother lived, and Cali took her bed in the small room above the tavern. The room was sparse, with barely enough space to accommodate Cali and Rose. After the first night, Cali found it didn’t matter. She spent hardly any time in the room and collapsed on the bed the minute she was released from her duties.

  Gingerly, Cali picked up the dishes and dried them. Though drying gave her relief from the harsh soap, the rough cloth scratched her irritated skin. She placed the last dish on the counter, where it would be used and dirtied soon enough. Taking advantage of this rare moment of being caught up, she glanced around to make sure Cook wasn’t paying attention and lowered herself to the short stool near the counter.

  No sooner had she sat down than the door between the kitchen and the dining area swung open. Rose walked just inside and stopped to tuck loose strands of hair into her white cap.

  Cook looked over. “Mizta ain’t going to be ‘appy if she sees you ‘iding all that pretty ‘air under your cap, Miss Rose.”

  “Well, she’s not here tonight. She left midday to check a shipment that came in.” Rose smirked. “You know what that means. She’ll stop at that hole-in-the-wall by the docks for a ‘quick’ drink.”