by Kel Kade
Peck groaned as he worked his way to his feet, supporting Mory beneath the arms. He glanced at the sign over the stoop where he had fallen in the dark. It held the image of a mortar and pestle, the symbol of an apothecary. He grinned and gripped Mory tighter before dragging him backward into the establishment.
Mory looked over at Myropa as they followed Peck into the building. “You led us here?”
“You followed,” she said with a sad smile.
“You mean, I don’t have to die?”
“If your body can be saved, sometimes the Fates will spare you. It is up to the talents of the apothecary and the Fates now.”
CHAPTER 16
“So, I’m good to go?” said Teza.
Aaslo averted his gaze, busying himself with tying his boots. “Yeah, the healer said you should drink the contents of that bottle and then you’ll be okay. It’s best if we get moving.”
Teza looked out the window. The sky was implementing a full-on assault, seemingly holding nothing back. “Are you sure we shouldn’t stay another day? Maybe we can wait it out.”
His stomach churning, Aaslo said, “It’s really important that we get there as soon as possible.”
She turned back to him. Although she looked much better, her face was still pale, and dark circles made her eyes appear tired. “One more day?”
Aaslo stood and turned to her. He was suddenly captive to her dark gaze. She reminded him of a haunting woodland creature, the curious kind that desired a connection but was too fearful to allow it. He said, “I’ll leave it to you. If you don’t feel well enough, we’ll stay.”
She nodded and sat on the bed, silent in thought, as if assessing her own health. His stomach churned again, and he lost his resolve.
“Don’t do it.”
Aaslo ignored Mathias and said, “If you had a choice between going with me and returning through the evergate, which would it be?”
She looked at him and frowned. “I told you I can’t go through the evergate.”
“But if you could…”
“Why would she want to go the long way when she could be there in a second?”
She appeared thoughtful; then her expression hardened. “I’d go with you.” She nodded toward the window. “But not in this weather.”
Aaslo released a breath and nodded. “Very well. We’ll stay another day.”
“You could’ve lost your guide. That was stupid.”
“She wants to go with me,” he mumbled.
“What happens when she finds out you lied to her?”
“Good point,” he said. He looked at Teza, who was staring at him with a knowing grin. She probably thought he was talking to himself. Maybe he was. He said, “The healer wanted to take you through the evergate. I was hoping you’d go with me before he returned.”
An amalgam of expressions crossed her face as she finally replied. “Good call.”
His breath rushed out of him before he realized he had been holding it. “What?”
Her dark curls bobbed as she spoke matter-of-factly. “If I’d gone with him, you wouldn’t have had anyone to take you to the citadel.”
Aaslo dropped his gaze to the floor again.
“You couldn’t do it, though, could you?” she said. “The guilt is written all over your face. It’s kind of cute.” He glanced up to find her grinning at him again. She winked and said, “From now on, leave the lying to me.”
“See? It’s better this way,” he said to Mathias.
“I agree,” she said, then paused. “Oh, were you not talking to me?”
“Of course I was,” he said, blatantly surveying the room. “Who else would I be talking to?”
She shrugged. “You haven’t told me yet.” She waited and then said, “It’s your friend, isn’t it? The one you talk about—Mathias?”
He looked out the window to avoid seeing the judgment that was surely in her gaze. “Yes, I’ve heard him since I left the forest.”
“That was hard for you, wasn’t it?” she said.
He turned back to look at her. He wanted to know what she was thinking. Would she run screaming from the madman? She didn’t seem the type. Would she try to heal him? He didn’t even know if problems of the mind could be healed. He said, “I thought never to leave the forest—never, for any reason.”
“So, you endured two great losses at once.”
“And more,” he said. The sadness, the pain, the overwhelming sense of dread welled up inside him, threatening to drown him worse than any storm. He took a deep breath to steady himself, then cleared his throat. He grabbed his cloak and stomped toward the door. “Let’s go to the common room before they stop serving breakfast.”
The common room was empty when they arrived, so they had their pick of tables. Teza chose one nearest the stairs, but Aaslo shook his head before crossing the room to take a seat near the hearth.
“Are you cold?” she said.
“It has three seats,” he muttered before settling the sack in front of the chair beside him.
“Are we expecting someone?” she asked.
He looked at the bag and realized that she probably already thought he was crazy. “No,” he said. “Maybe. You never know.”
“Okaaay,” she drawled, and he was glad she didn’t press him for more.
One of the twins brought their meals, a combination of the previous night’s dinner and fresh eggs and bread. As they were finishing, Mistress Nova entered the common room with Mage Soter on her heels.
“The guide thief is back.”
Mistress Nova took Mage Soter’s wet cloak and dripping hat, then disappeared into another room. Mage Soter stepped up to their table and smiled as he held his hands in front of the hearth next to them.
“Greetings, Fledgling Teza. You look much better today.”
Teza shifted uncomfortably. “Who are you?”
“Oh, I apologize. I forgot you were unconscious when I treated you last night. I am Mage Soter, Healer.”
“Greetings, Mage Soter. You should know, though, that I’m not a fledgling anymore.”
Mage Soter’s expression fell. “Yes, I know of your problems at the academy. For what it’s worth, I think they were too harsh.”
“Outright wrong,” she said.
He looked surprised and then shook his head. “Maybe I was mistaken. It seems you still have not learned your lesson.”
“Are you going to let him talk to her like that?”
“It’s not my business,” Aaslo muttered.
“No, it’s not,” said Mage Soter. “But that’s no longer important, considering the news. It’s kind of funny how perspectives change on individual failures when the community as a whole is threatened.”
“What are you talking about?” she said.
Mage Soter turned to Aaslo. “You haven’t told her?”
Aaslo met the man’s accusatory gaze and grumbled, “It’s not my business.”
Teza abruptly stood and placed her fists on her hips. “He told me you want to take me back through the evergate. What makes you think I would abandon my friend to go running back to those sanctimonious, hypocritical slanderers?”
Mage Soter’s brows rose toward the ceiling. “Slanderers? I heard you admitted to cheating.”
Crossing her arms with a huff, Teza said, “Yes, I cheated. I admit it, but it’s not like anyone got hurt—except me.”
Mage Soter furrowed his brow and looked at Aaslo questioningly. Aaslo shrugged. He didn’t understand the woman either. Her reasoning made no sense, but she was passionate about it. All he cared about was getting to the citadel. To the healer, he said, “Would you be willing to tell me how to get to the citadel?”
Teza reached over and flicked his ear. “I told you I would take you!”
Aaslo rubbed his ear and looked back to the healer, who shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
“See? He’s hiding things. Plotting.”
“Is it some big secret?” said Aaslo. “No one se
ems to know, and I can’t find it on any maps.”
Mage Soter looked embarrassed. “No, I don’t think it’s a secret, as such. It’s just that I’ve never gone the long way. In truth, I don’t actually know its location.”
“He’s lying.”
Aaslo stood, frustrated by the man’s lack of assistance, considering he appeared to know more about what was happening than what Aaslo had told him. “Forgive the observation, Mage Soter, but you don’t look to be a young man. Assuming your appearance is indicative of your true age, you must have spent quite some time at the academy and citadel. During all those years, you never once asked where you were?”
Mage Soter lifted his chin. “I’ve never been a curious man nor an adventurous one. I was perfectly satisfied with my life as a healer in Yarding. All of that is being upset now, and I’m only trying to do what’s right.”
Aaslo dipped his head and said, “Please forgive my harsh tone, Mage Soter. It seems you and I are more alike than either of us thought. I, too, have a task I’d rather not be doing; but it must be done, and I need her to do it.”
Mage Soter’s mouth was set stubbornly as he looked at Aaslo. “I’ll not force the young lady to do anything she doesn’t want. It’s up to her.” He turned to Teza and held out another bottle. “This is the second treatment for the selkesh fever. You may still be contagious for another day, so it’s not safe to take you to the citadel yet. I’ll leave tomorrow at midday. If you want to go with me, be at the evergate.”
Teza took the bottle and thanked the healer before he left. She turned to Aaslo. “What was he talking about? Why was his life upset, and why does he want to take me back through the evergate?”
“Death, Aaslo.”
Aaslo shook his head. “I don’t know. He didn’t tell me the details, but the Council of Magi was attacked, and all of the magi have been recalled.”
Teza dropped into her chair and stared at him. “All of them? Even me?”
He scraped at the grain in the table with his thumbnail. “So it would seem.”
She stared out the window for a long while, watching the rain and humming to herself. Finally, she said, “Well, we’re going to the citadel anyway.”
Aaslo nodded. “He seemed to think there was some time constraint, but he wouldn’t say why.”
Teza turned to him. She met his gaze with eyes so dark he thought he might get lost in them if he looked too long. She said, “Why should I stick with you? What’s in it for me?”
He was jarred by the question, which he knew should not be answered lightly. Leaning back, he mulled it over in his mind. With every second that passed, the corners of her lips dipped lower. Finally, he said, “You know I need to get to the citadel and that it’s a matter of great importance.” She nodded. “As for what’s in it for you, I guess not much.”
“Not helpful, Aaslo.”
“I don’t know you well,” he said, “but what I do know of you is interesting.” She continued to stare at him, as if waiting for more. “You’re a different sort of person than any I’ve known. You’re strange and sometimes frustrating, but I think I’d like to know more of you.”
After a moment of silence in which she continued to stare at him, Teza jumped to her feet. She crossed the room and skipped up the stairs, calling back, “We’ll leave in the morning, rain or shine.”
“I suppose that was well done.”
“You’re not Mathias,” muttered Aaslo. “He wouldn’t have been cruel. He wouldn’t have lied.”
“Are you sure? Being the chosen one, having the fate of all life on one’s shoulders, is a heavy burden to bear. It changes a man.”
Aaslo looked down at the sack next to him and wondered how the small table could hold its weight. It took all his strength to lift the bag and tie it to his waist. His seemed to sink into the floor as he crossed the room, and his legs threatened to buckle under the intensity. Once he left the porch, liquid splashed over his face, blurring his vision. He sucked in a breath as his heart leapt through his chest. Everywhere he looked, the streets were filled with the white-blooded creatures that had killed Mathias. He took a step back and stumbled, collapsing onto the porch. When he looked up again the monsters were gone. The streets were nearly empty as the rain pummeled them into a murky mess, and not a single leaf of green was visible among the dreary grey. He buried his head in his arms and held his breath to stave off the tears that threatened to drown him.
“Are you okay?”
He nodded. “I’m fine. I guess—I guess it was an attack of conscience.”
“More like panic.”
“Can you blame me?”
“I never have.”
“I should have been faster.”
“Are you okay?”
“I said I’m fine,” he snapped as he looked up.
Teza held up her hands. “Okay, I was just checking. Where are we going?”
“You need better travel gear,” he said as he pushed to his feet. “Maybe you should stay here. It wouldn’t do for you to get sick again.”
Teza crossed her arms and lifted her chin stubbornly. “And let you shop for me? I don’t want to imagine how that would turn out.”
Together, they sloshed through the mud and rancid muck that Aaslo had come to realize was common in city streets. On the next street over was a market. The stalls were closed, but a few of the larger shops welcomed customers. He entered a shop that looked to specialize in clothing.
“Hello, I’m Jennis. May I help you?” said a young woman wearing an apron with multiple pockets filled to nearly overflowing with pins, spools, scissors, measuring instruments, and other baubles. She had long, mousy brown hair, a sharp nose and chin, and a smile to light the room.
“Yes,” said Aaslo, gently pushing Teza in front of him. “She needs a waxed cloak.”
Jennis looked down at the muddy puddle around his feet and said, “It looks like yours is doing the job fine.”
“Oh,” he said, removing his cloak and hanging it on a hook by the door. “My apologies. Do you have a mop and bucket? I’ll clean it up.”
Jennis laughed and shook her head. “Don’t bother. It’ll give me something to do later. No one’s been in all day. A cloak?”
“Yes,” said Teza, stepping between them. “Something warm, please.”
“Sure thing. If you’ll follow me?” Jennis led them past racks and tables stacked with items. “We don’t have much that looks nice, mostly functional things.”
“That’s fine. We’re traveling,” said Teza.
Jennis looked back at her and grinned. “I know what I’d want if I were traveling.”
“What’s that?” said Teza.
Jennis grabbed a cloak from a hook on the back wall and thrust it out so that it fanned over another stack of clothing. “Pockets!” More than a dozen pockets were hidden in the inner lining of brushed black wool. The outer fabric was heavily waxed and the color of honey.
Teza pursed her lips and said, “Do you have anything more colorful?”
Jennis shook her head. “Not much, I’m afraid. You’d have to go to the dressmaker for that, but she’s closed today.”
Aaslo leaned against a wall watching in amusement as the two women settled into a practiced dance of bargaining. Teza made a show of browsing through the small assortment of waxed cloaks, grumbling over things she didn’t like about each one, while Jennis pointed out the tiny differences that were sure to make each one better than the last. Finally, Teza held up the first one and sighed as if disappointed for having to settle.
Jennis peeked around the cloak and said, “Look, we can save the bartering. I know you like this one. It’s the best we have. I’ll give you a good deal on one condition.”
“What’s that?” said Aaslo, earning a scowl from Teza.
“Keep me company for a bit? I’m so bored I’ve actually started talking to the clothes. No joke.” She pointed to a rack of hats. “That one is Orn.” She turned to a display of scarves next to Aaslo. “That
’s Lady Lona. Orn wants to ask Lady Lona to join him for dinner, but he’s afraid she’ll laugh at him.”
“Will she?” said Aaslo.
Nodding solemnly, Jennis said, “Probably. She’s way above his station.”
Teza huffed. “I don’t get it. They’re just hats and scarves.”
Jennis waggled her eyebrows. “Don’t let them hear you say that. They might take offense.” She lifted her chin toward a hanger bearing petticoats. “Maid Arisha has been in love with Orn since she first laid eyes on him. I’m sure he’ll realize her love is true and greater than anything Lady Lona has to offer.”
Aaslo studied the scarves with interest, running the soft material between his fingers appreciatively. “I don’t know. Lady Lona looks quite warm and soft. I might want her for myself.”
“Aaslo!” said Teza with indignation.
Jennis laughed and winked. “She can be yours for the right price.”
“I didn’t realize she was that kind of lady,” he said.
“Those are the only kind of ladies we have in here,” she said. Then her eyes widened, and she sputtered, “The clothes, I mean. I didn’t—not me, of course.” She glanced at Teza, who doubled over in laughter. Jennis quickly hid her face behind a coat hanging on the rack next to her.
A sensation Aaslo hadn’t felt in a while burbled up from his core, and he burst into laughter. It wasn’t his usual subdued chuckle, but a full-bellied laugh. With it came the release of so much tension that he felt drained afterward. Teza stared at him in concern throughout the entire episode.
Aaslo enjoyed chatting with Jennis. She was easy to talk to, and to his relief, she did most of it. He was reminded of the times he and Reyla would stroll around the lake gossiping about the nonsensical mischief the other young people got into, mischief often headed by Mathias. Aaslo had always felt free with Reyla. It was the only time he felt that it was okay to stop working and relax. His father had told him that courting a woman was like tending the forest. When you were in the midst of it, it required your full attention. Unfortunately, relationships hadn’t worked out for him or his father.
Teza paced anxiously around the store as he chatted with Jennis. She finally grabbed the cloak and left, claiming she needed to look for something in another shop. A short time later, Aaslo paid for the cloak with the marquess’s money and went to look for her. He searched the shops along the path back to the inn, but she was nowhere to be found. By the time he returned to their room, he was ready for dinner. When he arrived, he found a tub filled with water sitting in the middle of it.