Amnesia: The Book of Maladies

by D. K. Holmberg

  “Is that right? Well, the palace is a little far removed from this section.”

  The woman flicked her gaze around the tavern before settling back on the man. She sat there calmly, one hand resting on her canal staff, and Alec knew from his time with Sam that she would be only a moment from twisting her staff and attacking, able to use it against the man in little more than a heart beat’s notice. Did he even realize what trouble he was in?

  If Alec said anything, would it matter? It wasn’t as if he could help. Then again, maybe he could use the distraction. If he could take this time, and if he could slip away before she managed to get to him, then he could disappear and hurry over to Caster and find Bastan and Sam.

  “You would contest the authority of the throne?”

  “I would contest anyone’s authority in Oldansh other than mine.”

  “And who are you?”

  “I’m someone who has dealt with your kind before. You thought to come in here and challenge me?”

  The woman’s demeanor seemed to change ever so slightly, seeming to take the man seriously for the first time. She positioned herself in such a way that she could move quickly, and Alec noted the tension in her hands and the way that she readied her staff. All it would take would be a single jump, and she would be up.

  Then again, she didn’t seem to realize there were men moving in behind her.

  They did so with subtlety, and though they appeared intoxicated, the way they moved told him that was unlikely to be the case. They walked with less of a stagger than he would’ve expected had they been intoxicated.

  “What do you mean that you’ve dealt with my kind?”

  The man glared at her. “You thought to come to Oldansh and attack.”

  He made a motion with his hand, and men converged on her.

  It happened in little more than a blink of an eye, and as they converged, Alec kicked, sending her staff flying across the room.

  The man looked over at him, and Alec shrugged.

  The man reached for her, but she jumped, spinning, and lashed out with her feet, kicking and sending the nearest attacker back. She spun again and punched, her fist connecting with another man’s chin, and he went staggering backward.

  Even without her staff, the Kaver was formidable. She was far more than Alec would have been able to manage, but there were simply too many people. Everyone in the tavern seemed to get up, and all converged on her. They swarmed her, unmindful of injury, and restrained her, grabbing her arms and legs, and holding her down. One man punched her repeatedly in the face until her nose was bloodied and her lip was split, and her head sagged forward.

  “What do you want us to do with her, Shuver?” the man asked.

  “We will tie her up until we get answers.” He turned his attention to Alec. “And now. What about you? Why were you with her?”

  Alec shook his head. “I wasn’t with her. I was running from her.”

  “Why would she have been chasing you?”

  What would a man like this respect? What kind of answer could he give that would help him and protect him?

  “Because I took something from her,” Alec said.

  The man—the Shuver—frowned. “What would you have taken?”

  Alec pushed the eel across the table. “This.”

  The Shuver frowned for a moment before he grabbed the bundle and began pulling napkins away from it, revealing the eel within. He looked up at Alec, an almost incredulous expression on his face. “This? This is what she was after? An eel?”

  “Do you know how difficult they are to catch?”

  “No one tries. There would be no point, because the eels are useless.”

  Alec decided to take a gamble with what he said next. “They could be useless, but I was asked to bring an eel to someone, he wanted the barb at the end, thinking it would make an interesting trophy.” The barb would be useless, at least it would be unless there was poison still in it. He was sure the man knew nothing of the venom the eel carried, and even if he did, harvesting it was difficult, even for Alec. And he wasn’t about to reveal that the eel meat was beneficial, not to a man like this.

  “Who asked you to bring the barbed tail?”

  “Bastan.”

  The man stared at him for a long moment before he let out a heavy sigh and turned to one of his men. “Send word to Bastan that I have his prize.”

  “What else do you want me to tell him?” the man asked.

  “I don’t care.”

  Alec looked over at the man. If they were going to send word to Bastan, that might be better than anything he could hope for. “Tell Bastan the apothecary has his tail,” Alec said.

  The Shuver looked over to Alec and frowned. “Apothecary?”

  Alec nodded.

  A twisted smile formed on the Shuver’s face. “Interesting.”

  He motioned, and two men grabbed Alec’s arms and lifted him, dragging him away.

  27

  The Palace

  The palace gleamed in the moonlight. Sam stared at it, debating whether she should approach, or wait for Bastan. After the attack in Caster, he was coming, angry at what had happened and determined to help rescue Marin. The only problem was that Sam wasn’t sure if they would be enough.

  And she still didn’t know what had happened to Alec.

  Something had happened. She wasn’t sure what, but she was determined to figure it out. Alec had disappeared from the university. After leaving Bastan, she’d searched the university herself, only confirming that he was missing, as Bastan had said. He wasn’t in Arrend, either.

  She didn’t dare search for answers, not wanting to expose the connection between them and raise questions, but skulking around the university hadn’t revealed any information about what had happened. With the poisoning that he’d been subjected to, Alec shouldn’t be able to disappear, not quite like that.

  That meant something had happened to him.

  Kyza, but she’d been a fool to leave him. She should have known better, given that he wasn’t just sick; he’d been attacked, and that meant he was still in danger. Someone should’ve stayed with him to protect him, but she had been determined to go with Bastan to find out what else was going on. But where had that gotten her? They still didn’t know where Master Helen was, and Marin had escaped. They were now all paying for her mistake.

  There was movement outside the palace. It was more than what she was accustomed to seeing, and with the way they patrolled, and the staffs that were carried, it appeared the Kavers were patrolling.

  That was unusual. Typically, only the palace guards stood the watch, routine soldiers who might be skilled with the sword, but didn’t have any capacity to be augmented, and certainly wouldn’t be carrying canal staffs.

  What was taking place? Were they concerned about her? Or was something more going on?

  Sam wanted nothing more than to jump across the canal, race into the palace, and see what was taking place, mostly because she wanted to know what the princess might have planned. She didn’t have any hesitation in going to Lyasanna, other than the concern that Lyasanna might have her detained. If Elaine was there, it might be too much for Sam to get away.

  Sam turned away from the palace. Attempting to cross the canal and enter the palace would be a difficult mission now, especially with the Kavers that she saw. Not to mention the Kavers she didn’t see.

  She started back toward the Caster section, winding through the streets. There was a solemn pall to the air, almost as though the people of the city realized something was amiss. Did they realize the Kavers had become active? For so long, the Kavers had remained hidden. Then again, Sam hadn’t realized there were nearly as many Kavers as what she had seen recently. Why keep them from her? From the city?

  She reached Caster and Bastan’s tavern and went inside. There was nothing off about the tavern. There was normal activity, with people sitting at tables and drinking and gaming, with a musician singing near the back of the tavern, the song a mournfu
l one that she had never heard before. Sam took a seat, looking around, and began tapping her hands on the table. When Kevin came out of the kitchen and saw her, he made his way directly toward her, grinning.

  “You know, you could simply just come back to the kitchen if you’re that hungry.”

  “It’s not that I’m hungry, it’s that I’m…” She looked around the tavern. “I’m waiting for Bastan to return.”

  “Well, I don’t know when he might return from Oldansh.”

  Sam’s eyes widened. “He went where?”

  “Kyza, maybe I shouldn’t have shared that with you.”

  “Why wouldn’t Bastan have told me?”

  “Probably because he didn’t want you to do anything stupid and go after him?”

  She glared at Kevin. “When have I ever done anything stupid?”

  “I know well enough not to answer that,” Kevin said. “Besides, take a minute, eat, and be ready for whatever he’s got planned.”

  “What makes you think he has anything planned?”

  Kevin’s tone turned serious, something that was atypical for him. Kevin was usually jovial and joking, and despite his size and ability to defend himself, seemed content to simply run the kitchen. “Because he was attacked, Sam. Bastan is not going to let that go by without a response. All of us are prepared for whatever Bastan has in mind.”

  “Kevin, I’m not sure this is the kind of fight that he can win.”

  “You know Bastan,” he said.

  “I know Bastan, but that doesn’t mean that he needs to attempt something that will get him in trouble.” What could he do, anyway? Attacking the palace was beyond them, even with the resources Bastan could summon. Somehow, she needed to sneak into the palace, which would be one of the most difficult tasks she ever attempted, and without any augmentations, she wasn’t certain she wanted to take such a risk. Even for Marin. Even knowing what Marin meant to the her successfully getting Tray back.

  Kevin tapped the table and stood, then went back into the kitchen, returning a few moments later with a tray of steaming food. He leaned in and smiled. “Eat, Sam. If Bastan is going to plan an attack, you need to be ready.”

  She took a spoonful of food and looked up at him. “What makes you think I’m going to be involved in anything stupid that Bastan might do?”

  “Because you care about Bastan as much as he cares about you.”

  Kevin turned and began to make his way through the tavern, stopping to visit with various tables. Sam took heaping spoonfuls of food, shoveling it into her mouth as quickly as she could, looking around the tavern. How many of these people would Bastan call into service? Probably too many. More than would be able to return.

  Something like that would only end up with people getting hurt.

  No. Sam couldn’t let Bastan do that. She couldn’t let all of these people put themselves in danger.

  She finished her food and nodded to Kevin as she left the tavern. She began to make her way through Caster, looking at buildings, feeling the sense of home that she had always tried to avoid. Caster was her home, despite every attempt of hers to move beyond it. She was a lowborn—and she no longer cared. There had been a time, well, a lot of times, when she hated the idea that she was a lowborn, and hated what that meant for her, but now, she appreciated the fact that the people in the section had cared for her as well as they could. She had never been in danger—not really—and Bastan had made sure she had not wanted for anything and had used his considerable influence to ensure she was safe. Even Marin, in her own way, had protected her.

  Could the same have been said of Elaine?

  Sam no longer knew. She didn’t really know all that much about Elaine, nor about what she might have done or not done. She had remained a mystery, almost intentionally so, and with everything that Sam had gone through, maybe that was for the best. Maybe it was better that she not know Elaine as her mother. Maybe it was better that she know Elaine only as a Kaver who attempted to train her, and now, the one who would betray her.

  She found herself making her way toward Alec’s section. She veered away, not wanting to head there, not wanting the memories. Wherever Alec had gone, he was likely taken by Master Helen, which was even more reason for her to go to the palace. Not only could she go after Marin, but she could go after Alec. Once she got to him, she would break them free, and…

  Then what?

  She would be hunted as long as she stayed in the city. Bastan could protect her up to a point, but for how long? How long could she remain undetected in a city this size? Probably a long time, but at some point, she would run into a Kaver, and she would be forced to fight.

  Maybe it would be best if she left the city entirely.

  If she did that, she would be leaving Bastan behind. She couldn’t drag him with her. He’d worked many years to establish his business and his network. She couldn’t ask him to give that up and put him in a new environment where he couldn’t really defend himself. If she could get to Marin, she would have another Kaver, someone else who could place augmentations, and they could hopefully work together, but what of Alec?

  He was the one that she struggled with the most.

  She couldn’t take him from the city, not into the swamp and across the forest and then beyond. Scribes didn’t return from Theln lands.

  That meant it would only be Sam and Marin.

  Was that what she wanted?

  She didn’t want to leave Alec behind; she knew that. But she also didn’t want to put him in danger and taking him with her across the swamp would certainly do that. The swamp itself was deadly enough, and if what Marin said about the forest was true, that would be even worse.

  First, she had to make sure he was safe. Then she could make additional plans and come up with her final decision. She wouldn’t even have to tell him what she was doing. She could sneak off, disappearing in the night, and explain later why she had done it.

  He would hate her, and she would hate the fact that he would hate her, but…

  Sam found herself back at the university. As she watched, she saw movement in and out of the building, though that surprised her at this time of night. There should be no movement. There should be nothing, other than darkness.

  Sam started forward without thinking about what she was doing. She jumped, pushing off with her canal staff as she cleared the canal, and reached the university lawn. She streaked across the lawn and intercepted the figure heading into the building.

  Sam swung her staff around, blocking their entry.

  The person turned.

  She had hoped it would be Master Helen, but it wasn’t. It was the fat physicker—Carl.

  “You.”

  “What are you doing out?” Sam asked.

  “Does it matter? I am a master physicker, and I have every right to—”

  Sam jabbed him with the end of her staff. “Where is Alec?”

  Even asking was bound to get him into trouble, but at this point, she no longer thought that was the most concerning thing. She needed to find out where he was so that she could help him, and then she would break him free.

  “I haven’t seen Physicker Stross since you decided to break into the classroom.”

  “He doesn’t have any right to use the classrooms? I thought as a full physicker, he would have those rights.”

  Carl frowned. “You don’t know anything about the university.”

  “I think I know plenty. Where is he?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Then where have you been?”

  Carl looked over his shoulder, and his gaze darted to the palace.

  “The palace? What are you doing at the palace this time of night?”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “It does.”

  “Do you really intend to attack a master physicker at the university?” Master Carl asked, putting his hands behind his back and thrusting his belly forward.

  Sam sniffed. She thrust her staff forward just a little, enough
that it connected with Master Carl’s considerable belly. “I think I just did.”

  “You would risk your friend’s position at the university?”

  “How are my actions risking Alec? If you think to bring any charges against him because of what I have done, you will find yourself facing a very different threat.” She jabbed him again. “Does it make you mad that he knows more than you?”

  Master Carl glared at her. “Physicker Stross does not know more than a master physicker.”

  “No? There are plenty of things Alec seems to know. He’s told me quite a bit about the limits of the master physickers, and most of them are limits he has not had. Does it bother you that an apothecary knows as much as he does?”

  “If he still identified as an apothecary, then it would. But Physicker Stross has embraced his role of the university. Though he might find it more difficult now that you have chosen to attack me.”

  “Again, if you intend to take revenge on him for my actions, then we will have a very different conversation.” Sam tapped him on the belly again. “I am not without abilities, and I’m not without resources, so even if you think to do something to Alec, know that my father will make certain that no harm comes to Alec.”

  “Father? Should I be concerned about him?”

  She smiled. “You met him earlier. It seemed you were quite impressed by him. Bastan is his name.”

  His eyes widened. Master Carl looked around, glancing back at the palace again. “I was only visiting with a colleague.”

  “Which colleague?”

  “Why should you care?”

  “Because I do. Which colleague?”

  “Helen.”

  Sam clenched her jaw. “And where is she in the palace?”

  This time, Master Carl chuckled. “You can intimidate me all you want, but there is no way you will reach her in the palace.”

  “No? Considering that I live there, I think I would have no difficulty getting in to see her.”

  His eyes widened slightly. “You live there?”

  Sam grinned at him. “For now.”