Amnesia: The Book of Maladies

by D. K. Holmberg

  Sam took a look over her shoulder. She might find it easier to jump the canals, at least in this instance, where she might be forced to answer more than she wanted to.

  “I’m coming to see the Shuver.”

  The two men looked at each other and then began laughing. “You? A girl like you is risking herself against the Shuver?”

  “I don’t know that I’m risking myself so much as I am going to pay him a visit.”

  One of the men looked at her and eyed her canal staff. “What’s that?”

  “This? It helps me balance. It’s sort of a walking stick.”

  “You can’t have that here.”

  “I can’t?” Sam said.

  The first man shook his head. “Not here.”

  “What do you think I’m going to do with it?” Sam asked.

  “It doesn’t matter. Something like that is a weapon. The Shuver doesn’t allow weapons.”

  Sam grinned and considered stepping back, but when she turned around, she saw a flicker of movement in the distance. It was too fast and soaring to hide to be anything other than a Kaver.

  Kyza. She needed to move quickly.

  She would let the Shuver deal with the Kaver.

  But first, she had to cross the canal, and she was getting frustrated, tired of the people attempting to delay her.

  She flipped her staff, sweeping it toward the legs of the two guards. Both of them were knocked down, and Sam tapped them both on the chest, holding them to the ground briefly, enough to knock the wind out of them.

  She jumped over them and went running across the bridge.

  One of the guards recovered more quickly than the other, and she heard his wheezing shout.

  Sam smiled to herself, ignoring him as she streaked onward, heading into the section.

  There weren’t as many people out in this section, and she didn’t know if it was because the Shuver restricted access or there was some other reason. Sam slowed her pace, but only a little. If she went too slowly, she ran the risk of the Kaver reaching her. That person was out here and had managed to keep pace and had clearly waited for her during her brief stop at the tavern, which troubled her.

  If the Kavers actually caught her, what would Master Helen—and Elaine—do?

  Maybe the better question was what would Princess Lyasanna do?

  That had to be the reason the Kavers were after her.

  Sam hurried toward the far side of the section. If what the boy said was true, she would find a massive building with men watching it.

  As she made her way through the streets, she realized the people all had a certain appearance to them. They all had solid builds, and more than a few seemed to carry weapons beneath their cloaks. So much for not letting anyone through who was armed.

  Unless the people who were here all served the Shuver. She wouldn’t put that past him. It was the sort of thing Bastan would do, ensuring that those around him were only people who he could trust.

  Maybe she had made a mistake coming here. It was possible that she was risking herself against far more than she realized.

  She needed to move quickly.

  There was a shout behind her, and Sam glanced back and saw the Kaver knocking someone down.

  Kyza, but if they were willing to openly attack, she needed to move even more carefully.

  Sam streaked along the street. It had been long enough since she had placed her last augmentation that she decided to attempt another one. She focused on her typical augmentations, thinking of strength and speed. It was difficult doing so while running, but the slow wash of cold came over her as she reached the canal.

  Sam slowed and took a quick moment to take note of everything around her.

  The Shuver had nearly a dozen men watching the building. Most were hidden in the shadows of alleys, and some were on building tops, and only a few were standing guard in front of the door, openly blocking the entrance.

  Had Sam not had the same experience working with Bastan and trying to keep an eye on how many men he had guarding his taverns any given time, she wasn’t sure she would have even noticed the sheer number of people the Shuver had standing guard, but her time with him had taught her to make such assessments.

  There was a flicker of movement behind her, and she spun in time to block a staff swinging toward her midsection.

  Sam grunted and flicked her staff out, using a sharp attack. She was thankful she had managed to take the time to place in augmentation. If she hadn’t, would she have been fast enough?

  This person was quick, and she was highly skilled with the staff, far more than Sam. She wasn’t terrible, and given the time that she’d spent working with it, she had managed to become more than serviceable, but many of the Kavers had been studying for years, far longer than Sam.

  “You don’t need to fight me,” the woman said through gritted teeth.

  “You came after me. You thought to attack me.” Sam swept toward the woman’s feet and then brought her staff back up, attempting to distract her.

  “I didn’t think to do anything. We are trying to bring you back.”

  “Back where?”

  “Back to the palace. Elaine has asked that you come with us.”

  Sam shook her head. “If she wanted me to come back with you, she would have come herself.”

  “She did.”

  Almost too late, Sam realized that Elaine was on the other side of her. She swung around, jumping at the same time, and realized that Elaine was there, her canal staff spinning.

  “What are you doing, Samara?”

  Sam frowned and jerked her head from Kaver to Kaver. Would she be fast enough to get free?

  Against a single Kaver, she might, even if the other was more skilled than she. Sam thought she could use the Shuver’s men to help her distract the Kaver, but against two Kavers?

  And one of them her mother?

  Sam wasn’t sure that she could.

  “Where have you been, Samara?”

  “I am not your captive, as you assured me. I am free to go where I please.”

  “Not a captive, no, but Master Helen has reported that you were involved in an attack.”

  “I have? What sort of attack was I involved in?”

  “From what Master Helen tells us, something happened at the university.”

  Sam continued to move back, not wanting to let the other Kaver get too close. So far, Elaine had made no attempt to swing her staff, and Sam wasn’t about to launch herself at her. Doing so would only lead to an immediate battle, and Sam wasn’t sure that was what she needed. If she could take a few moments, if she could sort this out…

  “That wasn’t an attack. Helen poisoned Alec.”

  “She wouldn’t have done that.”

  “You might not think so, but I was there.”

  “What was he doing?”

  Sam glanced from Elaine to the other Kaver. Her answer now would have to be somewhat measured. If she revealed too much, then she risked exposing what Alec had been working on. Then again, maybe she could pull the other Kaver to her side. “He was attempting to make easar paper.”

  The other Kaver hesitated.

  As she did, Sam noticed Elaine tensing.

  Practicing with Elaine had taught her many things, not the least of which was learning what Elaine did when she was preparing to attack. The way she tensed now was her preparation, and Sam could tell she was readying an attack.

  She used the hesitation from the other Kaver and swung her staff around, sweeping the woman’s legs out from under her and jabbing her in the chest as she had the men on the bridge. It wasn’t a fatal blow—and really only would knock the wind out of her—enough to buy her time.

  “You want to attack me?” Sam asked.

  “I don’t intend to attack you at all.”

  “You sent them after me.”

  “I sent them to bring you in.”

  “No. I think you and Master Helen are trying to help Lyasanna conceal what she did.”


  “You can’t believe Marin.”

  “Marin might be the only one who has been forthright with what she wants, especially lately. You, on the other hand, have shown me nothing other than a desire to delay me from going after Tray.”

  “Because you can’t go after Tray. You have no idea how difficult such a journey would be.”

  “No? I know all about the forest beyond the swamp as well as the plains beyond the forest. All I need is the guidebook, and I would be able to make my way to the Theln lands.”

  Elaine hesitated, and her eyes narrowed. The tension remained in her muscles. “You’ve spoken to Marin.”

  Kyza. Sam had said too much. She should have been more careful. She didn’t need Elaine knowing that she had Marin captured, or that she and Bastan intended to use Marin to guide her to find Tray.

  “Where is she, Samara?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You have never been a good liar.”

  “Unlike you?”

  “That’s not what I’m saying. I can see it in your eyes. You’re hiding something from me. If you know where Marin is, you have an obligation as a Kaver to reveal what you know so we may bring the traitor in.”

  “What if I’m not convinced she’s the traitor?” Sam asked.

  “You can’t say that. After everything you’ve been through, how can you not believe that Marin is a traitor?”

  “After everything that I’ve been through, I have a better understanding of the layers involved in making decisions. If Marin has been honest with me—and I suspect she has been—everything she said about Tray has been true. Everything she said about Lyasanna has been true.”

  The other Kaver attempted to get up, and Sam flipped over to her, jabbing her in the chest once more. It knocked the wind out of her again, enough that she couldn’t keep attempting to come after Sam. Each time she did, she worried that Elaine would get close enough to attack.

  “That’s why you need to come in, Samara. If what Marin has said is true, then we need to understand what Lyasanna was thinking.”

  “You still defend her.”

  “I am her Kaver.”

  “That doesn’t mean that you have to blindly follow her. I wouldn’t ask Alec to follow me if I was doing something stupid.”

  “Such as what you’re doing now?”

  “What I’m doing now is trying to understand better what those who attempt to use me might have been planning.”

  “No one is trying to use you.”

  “Then why don’t you leave me?”

  Elaine’s gaze drifted past Sam.

  Sam jumped to the end of her staff, balancing there. Something struck her staff, and she wobbled, but flipped into the air, swinging her staff around. She managed to catch someone else who had appeared out of the shadows. Another Kaver.

  “I’m afraid that I can’t simply leave you,” Elaine said. “There is too much that we don’t yet know.”

  “How many more are you going to send at me? How many more do you intend to get hurt?”

  “What makes you think that any of them will get hurt?”

  Sam looked around the street as she unscrewed the ends of her canal staff. She quickly hung them on her belt and pulled her cloak tight around her.

  “It’s good that you’ve decided not to fight.”

  “Oh, that’s not what I’m doing.”

  Elaine arched a brow at her. “Then what are you doing?”

  Sam smiled.

  As she did, chaos descended.

  20

  Kavers Attack

  Men appeared out of the shadows of alleys and from the rooftops, dozens of men, converging on Elaine and the other Kavers. Most were armed with swords, though a few had crossbows, brutal weapons that would fire quickly.

  “You,” one of the men said as he approached. “You’re the one who attacked our people at the bridge.”

  Elaine turned toward him and spun her staff. She jumped forward, attacking with a brutal efficiency, but there were many men, and they converged on Elaine, surrounding her.

  Sam could almost see the debate warring in her mother’s mind as she tried to decide whether she would attack or whether she would turn and run. As the men converged, Elaine made her decision. She jumped to the end of her staff and flipped into the air and toward the nearby rooftop. She hesitated, crouching near the edge, and looked down at Sam for a brief moment before she scurried off.

  The men changed their focus to the Kavers that were down. They were the ones Sam had immobilized, but they were starting to come around, getting to their feet and realizing they would have a challenge.

  Rather than waiting, Sam hurried into the nearby building. This was the distraction she needed to get to the Shuver.

  The inside of the building was a massive warehouse. Lanterns hung on hooks from posts scattered around, giving a weak light, not enough to fully illuminate the entire space. A few men were inside, and Sam tried to stay in the shadows as she hurried forward, keeping an eye on them as she did. She didn’t want to draw the attention of the Shuver before she reached him.

  The sounds of fighting continued outside on the street.

  The Kavers must have recovered enough to at least put up something of a fight. Sam smiled to herself. How many of them were augmented? How many had any ability with augmentations?

  Probably not enough.

  She hurried along one wall. Two men raced past and paid her no mind. She wasn’t sure if it was because her cloak obscured her presence, or just the shadows giving her cover.

  She approached slowly and reached a better-lit section of the warehouse. There was a hearth here glowing with a bright, warm fire. A table had food stacked on it. Chairs circled the table, and all were empty. Someone huddled in a corner, a young girl who glanced at Sam with wide eyes.

  Not at Sam. Past Sam.

  She spun.

  A wiry man approached. His weathered face looked like it had been in the sun his entire life, and he was dressed in gray—almost the same color as what Alec wore at the university. He carried a sword, and it was unsheathed, pointing at Sam.

  “Who are you?”

  “You don’t need that,” Sam said.

  “Don’t I? Someone appears in my building without warning, and I don’t need to be able to protect myself?”

  “If you want to fight, I’m happy to oblige, but that’s not why I’m here.”

  “Then why are you here?”

  “Because Bastan said he works with you.”

  The man frowned and flicked his gaze past Sam.

  She shifted, noting that two men stood off in the shadows. One of them disappeared. She suspected he went off to find out whether Bastan knew anything about her. At least Bastan would hear she was unharmed.

  “How do you know Bastan?”

  “He’s something of a father to me.”

  “I don’t know whether to congratulate you or console you.”

  “There are times when I don’t, either.” Sam nodded to his sword, and she shook her head. “I told you. You don’t need that.”

  “I haven’t decided what I’ll need.”

  “Fine. If you’re going to have your weapon, then I get to have mine.” She quickly pulled her canal staff out from underneath her cloak and screwed the ends together. She tapped it once on the ground.

  The Shuver stared at it for a moment. “That? What kind of weapon is that? I have a sword.”

  Sam grunted. “Ask your men at the apothecary whether their swords did any good.”

  The Shuver glared at her. “You. You’re the one who attacked them?”

  “They will be leaving Aelus alone. As will you.”

  “Bastan has never sent anyone to dictate the terms of my business dealings before.”

  “This isn’t Bastan coming to you. This is me.”

  “And you said you worked for Bastan.”

  “No. I said that I know Bastan. I didn’t say I worked for him.”

  The Shuver grunted. He shoved his
sword into its sheath and motioned for her to join him at the table. He stood behind one of the chairs, his hands gripping the back of it, and his gaze looking around the warehouse. “I suppose I have you to thank for this attack?”

  “It’s not my fault. Well… maybe it is a little.”

  “Why are you here? Is it only about the apothecary? He is of little use to me, especially since he’s been so delayed with preparing the poison that I need.”

  “Bastan said you had worked with him before. I thought I could see if you would have any interest in working with him again.”

  “I thought you said you didn’t work for Bastan.”

  “I don’t.”

  “Then how can you offer what you have presented?”

  “All I am offering is the possibility of you and Bastan working together. I thought that might be valuable to you.”

  “And how would you have us work together?”

  “I know you and Bastan don’t work in the same sections. That’s why you’ve been able to get along.”

  “Bastan and I have managed to get along, as you would say, because Bastan has not made a move on my territory. If he ever did, I would have no choice other than to attack.”

  Sam smiled to herself. Bastan had made a different argument, and from what she had seen of the Shuver, he might be well protected, but not so well protected that Bastan wouldn’t be able to eliminate him if it ever came to that. Then again, men like Bastan and the Shuver were nothing if not arrogant in their belief of their ability to be protected.

  “Fine. You and Bastan have some sort of truce between you. There will come a time when you will need to work together.”

  “On what?”

  “You control your section similar to the way Bastan controls his section.”

  “I don’t control only my section, daughter of Bastan.”

  “Fine. And Bastan doesn’t control only Caster. I think we can both agree you have enough influence in your sections of the city.”

  “So?”

  Sam glanced around. How much time did she have before the Shuver’s men returned from the battle in the street?

  When they did, Sam would either have to fight her way out—and she didn’t like her odds, even with augmentations, and especially not with augmentations that were fading—or she would have to escape before they appeared. That would be easier, but she needed to finish this. She needed to get the Shuver to agree to help.