by Becky Allen
She didn’t even know how she’d help him, with the Curse still compelling the man to work, but it didn’t matter. They couldn’t chance attracting the Avowed overseer’s attention. If they did, they’d have to fight, and Jae would have to use magic to escape. That would bring the Highest’s wrath down on these Closest, and all of them here would suffer, maybe even be killed. Not just the one man who was limping away from them.
The sun inched forward in the sky as they waited. Elan occasionally shifted next to her, sending the delicate flax stalks waving, but Jae was still as stone.
Her legs were beginning to tingle from the lack of movement when the Closest worker did finally make a noise, the slightest groan, and he dropped unconscious. From the sun, or from blood loss, or a deadly combination of both—she had no idea. But the Avowed supervisor swooped into her field of vision.
She braced herself, reaching for the earth’s energy, just in case. If he saw them…
But he just looked at the fallen Closest, muttered, “Cursed clumsy idiot,” and walked off again.
“He’ll send someone to help,” Elan said, leaning as close to her as possible, keeping his voice as soft as the wind. “He has to.”
Jae shook her head. He didn’t have to—no one but the Highest could make the Avowed do anything, and the Avowed didn’t care about the Closest at all. If that man died, the only thing the Avowed would mourn would be his ability to work the fields—and even then he’d just insist the rest of the Closest cover more ground to make up for it.
It was maddening to lie there in silence, the unconscious man so nearby but still beyond their help. The longer they lay trapped, the more Jae found herself thinking that Tal would have helped. Her brother would have found a way, even if being caught would have risked his life. But Tal was dead. He’d given his life to save the Closest from the drought and to give Jae a chance to free them all, so now Jae couldn’t risk getting caught if she wanted to honor what he died for. If the Highest found her before she could break the Curse, it was all for nothing.
Finally the sun started to sink. The supervisor hadn’t returned, and Jae couldn’t stand it anymore. Hoping dusk was enough of a cover, she rose to her hands and knees, her limbs protesting at the sudden movement, said, “Keep watch,” and crawled forward. Elan followed her slowly.
She reached the man and found him still breathing, but the pool of blood around him was thick and it was possible he wouldn’t ever wake again. She pulled his robe open, and then the material of his pants.
The wound was as deep as she’d feared. She didn’t have any bandages, but she pulled her canteen and an old shirt from her bag. She poured water onto the man’s leg, used the shirt to pat the blood away and try to clean out the dirt and mud, then flipped the shirt over and pressed the other side against the wound itself.
Elan let out a ragged breath and held out a small jar to her. “Here. Shirrad gave it to me before we left. She didn’t have much, but…” He hesitated. “It’s a salve for wounds, to stop infections. She thought we could sell it if we needed money, but I thought we might need it.”
Jae nodded, not bothering with words, and twisted it open. She peeled her shirt off the man’s legs and spread the salve over it, then pressed the shirt back in place. It was hard to tell, but within a few minutes she thought the bleeding had slowed down, maybe even stopped.
The Avowed supervisor yelled something in the distance, and the Closest straightened up from wherever they were in the fields. They started to walk off, hauling what they’d cut with them. Luckily, only one saw them as they walked by—the same man who’d seen them in the first place. His gaze cut over to them.
Jae gestured at him to keep moving. He frowned but probably had no choice in the matter anyway.
The sky grew darker, and the field grew still. As stars started to come out overhead, Jae decided it was as safe as it was likely to get—hopefully the Avowed had left for the night and they could get the man to safety. She couldn’t stand the thought of leaving him when they’d been the ones who’d distracted him. “Let’s get him to the enclave. Maybe they can help him more there.”
“I’ll carry him,” Elan said. He was very, very careful as he picked the man up. The man moaned a little but didn’t wake. Elan had to straighten up all the way to carry him, cradling him carefully so he didn’t jostle the man’s leg any more than necessary, but no one else was still waiting around.
Jae kept alert but didn’t see the Avowed or any signs of the fake traders who’d chased them off the path as she led the way toward the Closest’s enclave—the gathering of low, stone buildings where they all lived. It was still a little odd to her. She’d grown up in an estate house, constantly anxious about keeping out of the way of her Avowed masters, but most Closest lived like this. Their houses all held several families who lived and dined together, and for the most part, when they weren’t working, they were left alone. Doubtless with orders that kept them from running off, or doing anything else the Avowed wouldn’t approve of—but unless there was some kind of crisis, no Avowed would ever come to the enclave to bother them. The Avowed considered the whole place dirty and beneath them. It was nothing like freedom, but in its way, it was closer than anything Jae had known.
More Closest noticed them as they drew near, going still, giving them wary looks. She and Elan didn’t look at all like Avowed, who always cloaked themselves in splendor, but they also didn’t look like Closest—and no Closest would ever trust a stranger.
Jae held up her hand again, this time making the opposite gesture, opening her fist to a wide palm. The signal that meant it was safe to talk. Even so, no one spoke a word. She glanced at Elan, who still held the unconscious man, and kept going forward.
Finally one of the Closest walked toward them—the one who’d seen them in the field. He stopped a good way away, though, sizing them up.
“He injured himself in the field,” Jae said, answering the unspoken question. “We saw but couldn’t help, not until it was safe.”
“We treated the wound with salve,” Elan added.
The man frowned, but finally said, “This way.”
He led them into one of the houses, and a few other people trailed, curious, now that it was clear they weren’t Avowed. The house was long, with only a few rooms sectioned off within, and large, gaping windows. The ground inside was dirt—mud, really, especially by the windows—covered in some places with old, stained rugs. There was a cooking area near the center of the main room, where two women were tending a fire in a low stone pit, the smoke wending its way out an opening in the ceiling. Both women jumped up, startled.
Elan laid the man carefully on one of the rugs. “The bleeding stopped, but he did lose quite a bit of blood before we were able to help him. I don’t know if we were in time….”
One of the women all but ran to them, crouched next to the man, pressed her hand against his cheek, then stared up at them. “Thank you.”
“I’m sorry we couldn’t do more,” Elan said, and then, with a glance at Jae, added, “I know we’re strangers, but I promise we’re friends. We aren’t Avowed, and we won’t ask you any questions. When we leave, we’ll be careful that no Avowed see us. You won’t be asked about us, I swear it.”
The woman let out a large breath. “Thank you. My name is Salla. This is my husband, Badann.” She stroked the unconscious man’s cheek.
“I’m Elan,” he said. “This is Jae.”
“We don’t have strangers here often—ever,” the older man said. “I’d like to know what you’re doing here.”
Jae hesitated and looked at Elan, and he shrugged a tiny bit. The chances were that no Avowed would ever know they’d been here, so it was safe enough to say. Besides, a part of Jae was still fiercely joyful about this, what she was about to tell them.
“My name is Jae,” she repeated. “We’re here because…I was born Closest, like all of you.” That earned her shocked looks, and she nodded, acknowledging them. “But now I’m free.”
“Impossible,” Salla said.
“Not quite. Watch.”
Jae held out her right hand, palm open and up. She shut her eyes for a moment, focused fully on other-vision. It was easier to do when she was surrounded by Closest and could feel the binding that tied all their bloodlines together. She grasped the beautiful shimmering energies and crafted what she wanted in her mind. Then she pushed the energy out, filling the space in her hand with it, shaping what she wanted. She heard the gasp, and opened her eyes.
A beautiful purple flower sat in her palm, grown from thin air. Jae offered it to Salla, who took it, hand trembling, eyes wide.
“I’m a mage,” Jae said. “I was born cursed, but I freed myself once I found my power. And I’m going to free us all.”
Everyone in the house except Elan stared at her, silent and awed, but before anyone could work up the courage to ask more, there was a clamor outside. Another woman, this one almost as young as Jae herself, skidded in and gasped, “Outsiders. Looking for someone. They—” She broke off, saw Elan and Jae, and stared. “Oh, no.”
Jae glanced from the frantic newcomer to Elan, but before she could figure out what to do, a shrill female voice yelled, “All Closest outside—now! Right now!” Jae winced as everyone but her and Elan suddenly jerked into motion, compelled, which meant it was an Avowed yelling. Which meant trouble for everyone.
The older man and Salla worked together to pick up the still-unconscious Badann. All Closest hadn’t meant every Closest who was awake, who could walk, but as they dragged Badann toward the door, Salla said, “Hide, Lady Mage, or run.”
Jae swallowed. She understood why Salla urged her to go. There wasn’t a Closest alive who wouldn’t risk their life for a chance at freedom from the Curse—Jae had taken plenty of risks, and sacrificed so much. But it was bad enough that she’d had to wait so long to help Badann when he’d fallen. Any Avowed who were looking for her and Elan wouldn’t care what they did to Closest who’d seen them. Once the Avowed found out they’d been here, they might kill the whole enclave, or at least everyone in this house. Jae didn’t know what would happen, but she couldn’t leave the Closest to that.
“We can’t go,” she told Elan.
“I know,” he said, despite the fact that if he was caught by the Avowed, he’d be killed right along with her. They were terrified of her, but he was a traitor—if any of them knew what he’d done, they’d despise him the way even his own father did.
Yet he didn’t run. He followed Jae as she straightened her spine, kept her head up, and walked out into the lane between Closest dwellings.
There, outsiders were easy to tell from the Closest: while Closest were barefoot, their robes faded under muddy patches, fraying at every seam, the outsiders were in the same fake tradesman garb they’d had on earlier. They had colorful robes, jewelry around their necks and wrists. But they were also all armed, brandishing blades.
The Closest outside were perfectly still. Even so, Jae could tell they were terrified.
“You aren’t looking for these people,” Jae said, pushing past Salla. “You’re looking for me.”
“Yes,” one of the outsiders said. A woman whose voice was too deep to have been the one who had summoned all the Closest. “And him. Good evening, Lord Elan.”
“I’m no lord anymore,” Elan said, stepping up even with Jae.
“You, Closest, come here,” one of the other outsiders said, and this was the Avowed who’d shouted. She pointed at Salla, gestured her forward. Salla had no choice but to obey, walking toward the Avowed as if dragged by an invisible rope.
“Leave her alone,” Jae said. “Leave them all alone.”
The first woman glanced over at her companion and said, “Leave her be. We don’t want any trouble.” She looked back at Jae. “We truly don’t, Lady Mage. If you’ll come with us, we’ll leave here, and no one needs to be harmed.”
Jae hesitated, even as she gathered as much magical energy as she could. It would be easy to get rid of these people—to create an earthquake that would knock them off their feet, to open a chasm to swallow them. Except that any magic that enormous would draw further attention, bring even more Avowed in to investigate. But a single order from the Avowed woman could hurt all of the gathered Closest. Jae couldn’t think of a single non-magic way to protect them.
“We aren’t your enemies, Lady Mage,” the woman said, stepping forward slowly. She paused a few feet from Jae, then pushed her robe and shirtsleeve up her arm, revealing a tattoo.
Jae gaped, recognizing the symbol immediately: four circles, all overlapping in the center. It represented the four elements, an ancient symbol mages had used in much of their artwork.
“In fact, we’ve been trying to find you before your enemies can. They’re searching for you everywhere. But we want to help you. We do,” the woman continued.
“I don’t believe you,” Elan said.
The woman regarded him coolly, and Jae regarded her right back. It was hard to tell how old she was, but certainly older than Jae, with wrinkles on her face from frowning. Her hair was thick, pulled into locs that were starting to gray, but she looked strong and solid, and she was armed. Jae suspected she was extremely skilled with the blade she had at her side.
Finally the older woman pointed at the younger and said, “Push down your hood.”
The Avowed woman hesitated, then did so, giving them a clear look at her features. She was young, but before Jae could take in more than that, Elan gasped.
“Palma?”
The woman dipped her head, nodding. “Elan. I…didn’t expect to see you again.”
Jae turned to stare at him, but his wide-eyed shock was fixed on the woman. Someone he knew.
“Turning me in won’t get you back on my father’s good side,” Elan said, but his voice was shaking a little. “Nothing can do that.”
“I know,” the woman said, sour. “If I could get back on your father’s good side, I wouldn’t be here. But I am.”
“Enough,” the other woman said. “We aren’t your enemies, Elan, Lady Mage. In fact, we all want the same thing. I’m just asking you to hear us out.”
“And what’s that?” Jae asked, letting the question fall blunt and direct between them. “What is it that you think we want?”
The woman slowly looked around, first at Jae and Elan, and then at the gathered, terrified Closest. “You want to topple the Highest’s rule. So do I. And if we join forces, we just might be able to do it.”
At her side, Elan frowned, but he didn’t say anything. She almost wished he would—he knew one of these strangers, and he knew much more about the world of the Avowed than she did. But Jae was the mage, and the one these people were looking for. It was her decision.
She didn’t trust the woman who seemed to be in charge, and she trusted the Avowed woman with her even less—no Avowed would ever defy the Highest. Even Elan had needed to hear from his father himself that the Highest were liars and murderers before he’d been willing to give up his title. But Jae didn’t want to see any harm come to these Closest, either, and listening had one advantage. “Fine. I’ll listen. But not here. Not where you can hurt anyone.”
“Of course, Lady Mage. Come with us—that’s perfect. We’ll leave this place behind, and no one will know we were here. Everyone will be safe.”
“They’d better be,” Jae said. “Because if I find out that you’ve harmed anyone…”
She trailed off, letting the woman imagine what would happen. The woman nodded quickly, gestured her people away, and hurried back between buildings, toward the same muddy path Jae and Elan had been following earlier. Jae followed, tense, and some of the outsiders circled around her and Elan. Palma, the Avowed woman, walked especially close, and Elan kept stealing glances at her. As they left the Closest enclave behind Jae could only hope Badann would recover, but at least getting this threat away from the enclave would protect Salla and the others.
Eventually they came to a group of hor
ses and wagons. The woman in charge dispatched someone to dig a set of clean robes out of a pack on the wagon. “We’ll be traveling into a town, and you look like…”
“We’ve been avoiding towns,” Elan said.
“I know, it’s a risk,” the woman agreed. “But the people looking for you are looking for the two of you—not a group—and they know you’re avoiding towns, so more people are watching for you in fields and farms. The closer to the central cities you get, the safer you are.”
Elan still looked skeptical, but Jae accepted the clean robe in place of her own. At least she was able to keep her own boots. She preferred to go barefoot, as she had her whole life until recently, but that simply wasn’t practical for traveling—and she’d discovered that breaking in boots was painful.
The woman ushered them up onto one of the carts, sat with them, and motioned everyone else to get going. Palma and the others mounted horses, and one of them got the horses attached to the cart moving, too. Jae’s stomach lurched but settled after a moment. She’d never traveled like this before.
“My name is Lenni Talmotta,” the woman said at last. “And these people—everyone here—is part of my group, and sworn to end the Highest’s rule. We are called the Order of the Elements.”
“Palma is Avowed,” Elan said. “That’s vow breaking. She wouldn’t…”
“It’s only really vow breaking if she gets caught,” Lenni said. “We’re very careful. Most of us are Twill, but she isn’t the only Avowed.”