Shatter (The Children of Man)

by Elizabeth C. Mock

  Since arriving in port only a few hours ago, after a day stuck on a steamer, she had learned that the owner of The Broken Fork was a familiar contact of Kaedman’s. Any time he passed through Davenford, Kaedman paid a visit to Abe to keep him honest. At least, that’s what her last informant had told her.

  It took her only a moment to adjust to the dim light of the bar given the overcast day outside. The tavern was empty. Gliding soundlessly across the warped floorboards, Eve passed the scattered tables covered with upended chairs and the long bar on her way to the door under the staircase.

  She rapped on the door twice for courtesy as she pushed it open. Behind a desk covered in stacks of ledgers and papers, a man several years older than Eve sat holding a stylus. His cheek had a stain of ink across it and his fingers were splattered with dark, wet speckles.

  The incongruous bookishness of the man was not startling because of his surroundings, but because of his disfigurement. His blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail that revealed a puckering scar that started on his forehead and wrapped down and behind his left ear. On the hand that held the stylus, his last two fingers stopped abruptly at the first knuckle joint.

  At the sound of her entry, the man looked up through his fingers as his head rested against his palm. The intense detachment of his gaze did not surprise her. She knew that look. It was the same look she had seen a thousand times from other veterans of the war. This man was a survivor.

  “Can I help you, lawman?” he asked depositing his stylus into its holder. He settled back in his chair with a creak and folded his hands onto the desk.

  “You’re Abe Hancock,” Eve said bluntly tugging off her gloves.

  “That wasn’t a question, Sister,” Abe said without breaking his gaze.

  “No, it wasn’t,” she agreed as she tucked her gloves into her belt. “I have been charged by the Daniyelan Order to find someone and I need information. Information that I hear you have.”

  “No offense, but if half the rumors in this town were true then the magistrate would have nine mistresses and twice as many bastards.” Abe leaned forward. “And I have it on good authority, that he only has three bastards.”

  Eve grinned and placed her hands on the desk as she leaned in toward Abe. Even with the scars, he was an attractive man. “Well then, let’s dispense with the pleasantries. I need to know when the last time you saw Kaedman Hawthorn was.”

  At that name, Abe dropped his gaze and pushed back his chair. “I ain’t got nothing to tell you then. Sorry you wasted your time.”

  Coming from behind the desk, Abe grabbed Eve by the elbow and led her out of his office. Though Eve was by no means a short woman, Abe still stood taller and broader than her. With his size advantage, Eve complied for the moment.

  “You can find your information somewhere else,” Abe said shoving her toward the door, “because you’ll find nothing here. Good day, Sister.”

  He turned on his heel and marched back toward his office. Now that he had released her, Eve’s eyes burned with orange fire and she flicked her wrist. Bands of flame encircled his chest making him halt. Walking around her captive with the slow rap of her boots against the wood, she trailed a finger across his back beneath one of the flaming restraints until she stood in front of him.

  “I’m sorry, ser, but that’s not how this works,” she said with an intent grin. “You don’t get the option to refuse my questions.” She held her hand out palm up in front of his face. Twirling her fingers in toward their center, a sphere of fire appeared in her hand, but it did not burn her. “Do you know what this is?”

  Abe gave one curt nod. “Yes.”

  “Then you know what happens if you lie,” she said her eyes matching the flames. “If you lie to me, this will burn you. If you tell me the truth, you will remain safe and unharmed. I have no wish to hurt you, Abe Hancock, but I need you to answer my questions. Will you answer them without this?”

  “Lady, I don’t plan on answering them even with your blasted spell,” Abe said with an indolent glare. “I don’t betray my friends.”

  Eve sighed as she perched on the nearest table. With another flick of her fingers, one of the restraints lifted and she grabbed his hand and thrust it into the fire. His hand remained unscathed. “We’ll start with something easy, because I’m fairly certain I already know the answer. How do you know Brother Kaedman Hawthorn of the Daniyelan Order?”

  “I met Hawthorn during the war,” Abe said with a snarl as he watched his one undamaged hand within the fire. “He saved my life more than once.”

  “How did you first meet?” she asked watching his eyes instead of the fire.

  “He was a battlefield healer working with the Tereskans. He was just a kid, but war doesn’t care about that. He patched me up after one of the Vird cavalry caught me with his saber, nearly sliced my head open.”

  “You feel a sense of loyalty to him for that? For saving your life?” Eve asked her hand still encircling his wrist.

  “Gratitude, yeah,” Abe said indignantly. “But, no, not loyal. Any Tereskan could’ve patched me up. There was a girl working with him who could’ve done it, his partner. She was healing guys just as busted up as I was or worse. Cute little thing too, pretty long brown hair, big brown eyes, all arms and legs though. She never should’ve seen any of that.” He narrowed his eyes as he looked at Eve. “Actually, she had a thin, turned up nose like yours. Looked a lot like you. Could’ve been your kid sister.”

  Though shocked, Eve’s face remained impassive despite the shiver running down her spine. “What did he call her?”

  “Dani, I think. Sweet kid.”

  Her throat dry, she swallowed, but continued her questioning. “If that’s not the incident in which he saved your life, when was it?”

  “A couple years later, he wasn’t with the Tereskans any more. I think he said his training with them was over. He was a full blown, honest-to-goodness Daniyelan fighting in the war now. He was a good healer, but his real skill was in dealing out death. I don’t ever want to be on the receiving end of that boy’s wrath.

  “I had been taken prisoner by the Virds after the battle at Goran Pass. Hawthorn’s unit had been sent in to intercept us before we reached Lanvirdis. Apparently, someone important was in the train. He never told me; I never asked. All I know is that during the fight, the Virds started slitting prisoner’s throats.

  “I was about to buy it when Hawthorn, by himself, took out our guards. There were eleven of them. I owe him my life, Sister. You can burn my hand off if you want, but I have what’s left of the other because of that boy.”

  Eve’s eyes saddened. “I’m sorry, Abe, but this fire doesn’t just burn you if you lie. You will tell me what I need to know.”

  Abe returned her gaze with cold hatred. “Don’t do this.”

  “When did you last see, Kaedman Hawthorn?” The fire deepened from a light yellowish orange to a raging maelstrom. His jaw clenched, Abe remained silent. She could smell burning hair. “Answer the question, Abe Hancock,” she commanded.

  “Five days ago,” he said panting. His eyes widened as the pain receded.

  “Where was Kaedman Hawthorn heading?” she asked, a small glimmer of relief rushed through her as he answered her.

  “East.” Beads of sweat ran from his temples down to his jaw.

  “Where to the east?” she said clarifying the scope of her question.

  “He crossed here at Davenford heading into the forest in the foothills south of Ravenscliffe.” His breathing came in quick bursts.

  “What did he hope to find there?” She furrowed her brows unable to fathom Kaedman’s motives.

  Abe shook his head. “I don’t know.”

  Closing her palm, she extinguished the flame and released his wrist. “Thank you for your cooperation, Abe Hancock.” She hopped off the table and walked to the door. “I apologize for the inconvenience.” Stopping over the threshold, she snapped her fingers and his bonds disappeared like ash.

  �
��You’re not her,” Abe said in a raspy voice as she walked through the door.

  Looking over her shoulder, she paused. “What do you mean?”

  “His partner, the girl healer with Hawthorn, you look like her. Thought you might be her for a moment, but you’re not. You’re not her.”

  Eve said nothing, nor did she leave. She stood in the doorframe staring at this man. “Why do you say that?”

  Abe laughed. “Because no one who stood by his side and saw what they saw together could be hunting him for the Daniyelans. Not with the way they worked together. No way.”

  Looking at the rise and fall of the warped wood of the floor, Eve pushed down the resentment flaring inside her. “You met my twin, Sheridan,” she said as she spun and strode out in the damp afternoon.

  The gentle breeze that had stirred that afternoon had been gaining strength. The air seemed electrified and the forest darkened as iron clouds crowded the shrinking sky. This promised to be a memorable storm.

  Faela worried her bottom lip between her teeth as she watched the clouds expand as they stacked higher into imposing thunderheads. Although they had left the cave several days before, their injuries had yet to fully heal. Watching Kade in her periphery, she noted that his complexion still appeared sallow and he coughed with a rattling wheeze from deep within his chest. Her own skin still felt cold and clammy from chills that she seemed unable to shake.

  Searching her memory, Faela recalled the small town of Dalwend not too far to the northwest. She would have preferred to avoid any towns, especially Dalwend, but as if to make its point, the wind blew her hair across her face with a chilled gust.

  She glared at the sky and considered their options. If we go there, someone will recognize me. But instead of hiding, if I make my visit obvious, I can send Nikolais in the wrong direction for a while. Satisfied with her solution, the corner of her mouth tugged up slightly. And I know exactly who will help me.

  Tightening her grip on the strap of her pack, she bit her lip as she smirked. “Lads, we need to change our direction slightly.”

  Whistling an upbeat tune, Jair stopped and looked over at her. “How come?”

  “With the severity of our injuries, Kade and I can’t afford to be caught in this storm all night,” Faela admitted grudgingly. “The chance of his lungs sickening again is too great to risk and I’m still susceptible to fever.

  “Dalwend is within a couple of hours of us to the northwest. The town sits along the Auchneid River, but is fairly secluded otherwise. No matter what we decide we’ll be caught in this rain and I’d like to find shelter and get warm food into us as soon as we can. There’s a tavern there with the best spiced lamb stew in any country I’ve been to.”

  Kade snorted low in his throat. “Do you think it’s wise given your situation to be in a populated area like that?”

  “No, I don’t,” Faela conceded as she kicked a stone into a scrubby bush. “But frankly, I don’t believe I have much of a choice. Any other options are unacceptable. We’re in the middle of the plains. My rain shelter is barely big enough for two of us much less three and all the healing we’ve done in the past week will be pointless if we spend the night out unprotected from this storm. And I don’t know about you two, but I could use a strong and hot mug of mulled wine right about now.”

  Kade chuckled at this as the first swollen splotches of rain darkened the ground and the wind began to howl.

  The raging wind outside the Otter’s Tale slammed the door shut. Faela shook her overcoat in a vain attempt to dislodge the water that had soaked into every bit of her that had been exposed to the elements. Her companions looked no better than she felt. Jair bore a striking resemblance to a cat that had accidentally fallen into a washbasin and Kade looked as though he would be drier if he had jumped into the river the tavern bordered.

  Jair approached the bar and asked the young girl with black braids and full lips, “Miss, is there somewhere my companions and I could change into something that hasn’t spent the better part of the evening being submerged in this deluge?”

  The girl giggled. “Down the hall and to your left is an empty room. Feel free to use that.” She bobbed her head then scurried into the kitchens.

  “You first, Faela,” Jair offered as he gave an awkward and yet somehow graceful bow.

  Once they were all settled and dry, they gathered at a round table close to the hearth. Kade and Faela both pulled their chairs so that their backs faced the wall. Faela had tucked her hair up into her hat that sat low on her forehead.

  “You ever go anywhere without that hat?” Jair asked as he lounged in the chair across from her. “Where’d you get it?”

  “I’ve had it for quite some time. I realized quickly that people become more than a little anxious and suspicious if you’re always hooded indoors. Makes them uneasy, as if you’re trying to hide something.”

  Faela focused on the relief that she felt at being warm and dry. She knew that if she allowed herself to feel her anxiety at being around people, she would attract the attention she was attempting to avoid.

  “‘Cause we have nothing to hide,” Kade remarked with a wry grin resting his arm across the back of his chair.

  Faela smiled. “Sometimes hiding in plain view is more effective than skulking about.”

  A woman whose dark hair was held back by a bright green kerchief weaved through the tables and arrived at theirs. She had the same pouty lips and delicate bone structure as the girl Jair had spoken to earlier. “Can you believe this here storm?” she asked with a forced cheerfulness. Without waiting for an answer to her pleasantries she continued. “Something to warm ya?”

  “Might there be any of your father’s marvelous lamb stew?” Faela asked leaning into the edge of the table. “I can’t remember the last time I got to eat a good stew.”

  “Course!” the girl responded with a slight indignation at the implication and peered at Faela with curiosity.

  “Wonderful. We’ll each have a bowl and a mug of mulled wine.”

  Faela placed several coins on the table and the girl scooped them off its surface and nodded. Where her sister had scurried back to the kitchen, she sauntered.

  Kade leaned back in his chair with feigned indifference, yet he had already noted the position of every person of the sparsely populated the room. “In exchange for your brother’s assistance, I agreed to guard you, but to do that I need to know where we’re going and why.”

  “Well,” Faela said as she interlaced her hands and rested them on the table, “once the storm passes we’ll continue to head northeast.”

  “You are so enlightening,” Kade said with a raised eyebrow. “The mystery is solved.”

  “If you would let me finish.” Faela scolded him with mock indignation. Kade waved at her to continue. “Thank you. You may have figured out some of this, but let me fill in the gaps for you.”

  At this, Jair leaned forward with interest. Navigating around the tables their server returned with a laden tray. She placed the food and drinks on the table with a practiced efficiency and was on her way before they could express their thanks.

  Faela wrapped her hands around her mug and inhaled deeply, allowing the rich and spicy aroma to settle in her lungs. Sipping the wine, she savored its bite as its fiery warmth spread in her belly.

  When she looked up, Jair had nearly finished sopping the remains of his stew from the sides of the bowl.

  Sheepish, he stopped with a hunk of stew-soaked bread in his mouth. “What?”

  Faela grinned. “Not a thing, Jair. Nothing at all.”

  “So, there was something about you closing a gap or something, Faela,” Jair reminded her.

  Searching the depths of her mug, Faela sighed. “Very few within the Orders know anything about the man I seek. His name is Gresham. The only reason I know about him is because my teacher chose to share this information with me. Due to the erratic nature of my gifts, I was under the direct apprenticeship of Ianos, the Scion of the Tereskan Orde
r. I was sent to him while I was still very young and he oversaw my training.”

  At that moment, a man with dusky skin and raven black hair that had frosted at the temples approached the table. Peering down at Faela’s hat, he asked, “Mistress Rafaela?”

  At the sound of that name, Faela went rigid and forced herself to breathe evenly as she raised her head. “Nathan!” She sighed with relief. Right on time, old friend.

  Kade and Jair exchanged puzzled glances.

  “Let me get a look at you, girl.” The man’s grin encompassed his whole face. “Oh, I guess I shouldn’t be so informal anymore.”

  Faela pushed her chair back and Nathan swept her into a bone-crushing hug.

  His face grew somber and serious. “We were right sorry to hear about what happened to your father. Aren’t many like him. The Merchant Houses won’t see another of his kind for some time.”

  Walling away her emotions, Faela nodded once. “He is missed, Nathan.”

  “But from what I hear, House Evensong will remain just as strong with you leading now, Rafaela. But I swear I heard you’ve been ill for the last year?”

  Faela covered her wince with a shrug. “Ethan and Nikolais are managing the House’s affairs for me, but that is not information that leaves the House. I mean it, Nathan.”

  “Our tavern would be struggling to keep ourselves fed, never mind our customers, were we allied to a different House. I know where my loyalty is owed.” His tone lightened. “’Sides, who would I tell?”

  That's what I'm counting on. Faela snorted and smiled with genuine happiness. “Sure, Nathan. Oh, these are my companions, Jair and Kade. We're headed to the western foothills to meet with some trappers.”

  Nathan nodded to each of them in turn. “Anyone in Mistress Rafaela’s company is welcome at my hearth. May the Light shine on you, sers. But I’m needed in the kitchen. I just had to see for myself, because I knew it had to be you, Rafaela, when I saw those coins and my girl, Sara, described you.”