Embers at Galdrilene

by Audra Trosper

  He stood at the back door of the boarding house. He was there already? He couldn’t think clearly enough to form an answer. Shaking his head to try and clear it, he cracked the door open and looked to make sure no one was in the hall. He didn‘t want to chance being seen. Finding it empty, he slipped in and started up the first flight of stairs. Halfway to the second floor, his knees almost gave out as little black specks swirled across his vision. He hung onto the grimy rail and waited for the dizziness to pass. His eyes drooped closed and when he jerked them back open he stood in front of Serena’s door.

  When did he finish climbing the stairs? He tried to remember, but couldn’t penetrate the haze in his mind. His arm felt almost too heavy to lift and he managed only a single knock. He leaned against the door and closed his eyes. He just needed to sleep for a little bit.

  Serena sat at the small table near the tiny hearth in her room. She’d worked hard to make the grubby little place with its narrow bed more inviting. She still wasn’t proud of it, but it was what she could afford after being cast away from her family in the Dellar District. She’d been careful with her coin, though. A few more months of saving and she could leave the Mallay for someplace she didn’t have to chase rats from her room.

  Spring had arrived early and the day felt unusually warm. With only one window in the room there was no air movement, but she refused to leave her door open to allow what little breeze there was to be pulled in from the hall. Without the door closed, she wouldn’t be able to read. Books and reading were illegal in the Mallay.

  In response to the heat, she’d bound her hair into a bun and settled down with one of the few books she owned. Serena received only two free days a month from the tavern and she enjoyed the chance to relax.

  A single knock at the door drew her attention from the book. Marking the page, she stood and hid it well before crossing the room to the door. She lifted the latch and stifled a scream as her friend fell into the room. “Kellinar!”

  She gasped when she rolled him over. Blood covered his hands and caked on his shirt and pants. She peeled back the blood-soaked rag. A deep cut laid open his side below the rib cage.

  His ice blue eyes drifted open. “Serena, I’m sorry.”

  She raised her eyes to his ashen face. Pain etched lines around his mouth and eyes. “Sorry for what, Kellinar?”

  “Couldn’t think…I didn’t know where else…” His eyes closed.

  Serena looked at him in desperation. Why had he come to her? Why not a healer? She could heal the wound, but for a moment indecision held her. If she healed him, he could turn on her and she would end up in the Keepers’ hands again. This time she would die. This was a gaping wound, not a disease someone might be lucky enough to recover from.

  She shut the door, knelt next to him, and took a deep breath. It didn’t matter. This was Kellinar and no matter what happened after, she couldn’t let him die. Serena laid her hands on the injury and closed her eyes. She reached out for her magic. In her mind’s eye, it was like a thousand threads.

  Serena selected a few strands and mentally wove them together. Power flowed into her body, down her arms and through her hands. It expanded into the wound and she could see in her mind, the damage inside the injury. Working carefully, she laid the weave on the cut flesh and muscle and began to repair it. When she finally pulled her power back and let it dissipate, late afternoon light cast shadows across the room.

  She sat back and looked down at him. His breathing was better. Though still too pale, his face held more color. Blood crusted in his short blond hair and his face was smeared with dirt. He smelled as if he had spent the day in the dirtiest alley he could find. His clothes were ruined and he needed to wash. She shook her head in exasperation. “What trouble have you got yourself into now? What trouble have you brought to my door?” His sleeping form offered no answers.

  Though only a few inches taller than her and of a fairly slender build, he was still muscular and too heavy for her to move. After some thought, she rolled him onto the rug on the floor and placed a pillow under his head. Pulling her leather coin purse from its niche behind a loose stone in the hearth, she left him.

  She needed to find Loki and learn what happened. Kellinar was a thief, but not one that would ever be brought in by the city guard; there was too much demand for his services by the High Houses of the city. If anyone would know it would be Loki, Kellinar’s bright-eyed young pupil. The youngster always seemed to know everything that went on in the Mallay before anyone else.

  No one paid any attention to her as she left the building and for that she was grateful. It meant no one knew Kellinar had come to her. Until she knew what was going on, she had no intention of telling anyone where he was located.

  The number of Keepers and city guards roaming the streets caught her attention. The Keepers would be involved for only one reason. She started paying more attention to the people walking past her and those gathered in groups around shop fronts and doorways. Whispers of “magic” and “escaped” reached her ears more than once. She wove through the crowds of people and past shopkeepers hawking their wares, looking for the little boy with sandy-blond hair.

  The buildings of the Mallay, rising four, five, and sometimes six stories high, were laid out in no organized fashion. The warren of narrow streets wound around in a confusing maze of stone. Sometimes the buildings were so close together that a horse-drawn cart wouldn’t fit between. Other times, one building was built into the next and they bridged over the road from the third story up. It had taken her months to get used to moving through the Mallay. She had grown up in the Dellar, a district of the city where things were clean and laid out in a predictable pattern.

  Everything about the Mallay spoke of the indifference to those who lived in the poorest part of the city. The Trilene, the highest level of the city, had private baths in the houses that were used for elimination, the washing of bodies, dishes, and clothing. All of the water and waste was washed down pipes with scented water. Those pipes drained into small canals in the Dellar D istrict, where they had communal bath houses for the same reasons. The waste was flushed directly into the canals, which poured off into the Mallay and ran under the city wall. What they ended up with in the Mallay was a wide, reeking, flow of sludge that ran through the district. There was no way to connect the district up with the canal, so they used the alleyways. Anyone in the Mallay caught dumping refuse into the canal was fined. The poor simply didn’t have the money to pay the taxes required to use the canal, therefore, they had no rights to it.

  She passed an opening to one of the many alleys and crinkled her nose at the putrid smell that wafted from it. The alley itself was barely wide enough for two to walk abreast and filled with refuse of all kinds. She glanced at the interior, darkened by the deep shadows of the tall buildings and wondered if Kellinar really had spent the day in something like that.

  She turned from the dark opening and found a sandy-haired boy standing next to her. Relief washed over her. “Loki, I’ve been looking all over for you. I need your help.”

  The young boy looked up at her with bright blue eyes. “What do you want stolen?”

  Serena sighed. “I don’t want anything stolen. I want information about Kellinar.”

  The boy eyed her in wary silence.

  “Please, Loki. I think he is in trouble and I need to know what’s going on so I can help him.”

  He reached up, grabbed her arm, and pulled her into the mouth of the alley. He looked up at her, his eyes wide and serious. “I don’t think you can help him. He flaming killed a man today and he did it with magic.”

  Serena felt numb. The boy only confirmed what she’d figured out for herself, but somehow hearing it only made it worse. “Are you sure?”

  “I seen it myself. Some fire-brained, outland cut-throat got him bad with a knife. I never seen anyone in the Mallay try to hurt Kellinar.”

  “Then what happened?” At least now she knew how he’d come by the wound.

/>   “The man was thrown across the square and his neck broke when he hit the ground.”

  “How was the man thrown?” Her voice sounded strange in her own ears, as if it came from far away.

  “That’s the magic part, he was thrown by something invisible, like air or something. Kellinar turned white as a sheet when he seen what he done. Blood was everywhere and he was grabbing his head and yelling, ‘Get outta my head.’ Then someone yelled for the Keepers and Kellinar run outta there.”

  The late afternoon sun pressed down in the street behind Serena. She couldn’t breathe. Fear for Kellinar, and for herself, filled her to the point of blocking everything out. Black spots swam in front of her eyes and she swayed back against the wall.

  “You okay, Serena?” She heard Loki’s voice through the haze in her mind. Panic built deep in the pit of her stomach, it threatened to rise up and overwhelm her. How could this be happening and how was she going to get them out of it?

  The low hum in her mind settled into a comforting croon that cut through the haze and panic, and helped her focus.

  She pushed herself away from the wall and looked into Loki’s earnest face. “Yes, I’m okay for now. But if Kellinar and I are going to stay that way, I’m going to need your help. I need to find a way into Kellinar’s cave.”

  “But Serena, you ain’t the right sort of lady. They’d never let you in.” Loki’s eyes were wide as if shocked that she would suggest such a thing.

  Serena chewed her bottom lip for a moment while she thought. Everyone knew only whores were allowed into the Thieves’ Caves. She’d hoped that Loki would be able to show her a secret way in, but either he didn’t know or wasn’t willing to give up thieves’ secrets. She really didn’t want to involve the boy more than he already was, but she didn’t see she had much choice. “Can you do it for me?”

  He puffed out his narrow chest. “’Course I can. What d’you need?”

  “I need you to go to Kellinar’s cave and get some things for me.”

  “What sorts of things?”

  “The kind of things he will need if he won’t ever be going back,” she said gently.

  Loki’s face lost the look of assured confidence and for a brief moment, tears swam in his big blue eyes before he scrubbed them away with his sleeve. “I understand.”

  Kellinar’s eyes fluttered open and he looked slowly around. Why was he laying on the floor of Serena’s room? Weakness washed through his body and his muscles felt like jelly as pushed himself into a seated position. He rubbed his eyes and glanced around, trying to sort through the confusion in his mind. Late evening shadows pooled in the corners of the room. It shouldn’t be late evening. The last thing he remembered clearly was heading to the market square…

  Memories from the afternoon flooded him. His heart started pounding. He had to leave, had to get away. His hand went to where the injury should have been and found smooth skin. Pulling up his shirt, he looked down. Only a thin, faded, white line remained of the deep cut.

  The door opened and he looked up. Serena stood in the doorway with a bundle in one arm and a bucket in another. Her dark blue eyes held a wary look and she seemed to hesitate as if unsure of him.

  She looked away and closed the door behind her. “Your clothes are ruined, so I got you some more and I brought up some water so you can wash.” Her eyes on the floor, she crossed the small room and set her burdens down on the table.

  He watched her pick the bundle up once more, only to set it on the table again. Her hands trembled as she fussed with the buckles that held it closed. She avoided looking at him. Why? Had she heard what he’d done? Had she turned him in? He glanced at the door. Maybe she was waiting for the Keepers to arrive and was afraid to be in the same room with him. But his injury was healed. Completely healed. That wasn’t possible unless she… A rush of adrenaline pushed him to his feet. He stared at her in shock. “You can use magic.”

  Her hands froze. She took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh. “Yes.” She turned and her eyes met his for the first time since she shut the door. “From what I heard, so can you. I’m guessing from the smell you came here by the alleys.”

  His breath caught. She admitted it. Oh Fates, she’d used it on him. She’d saved his life and since he could use magic too, he didn’t see how he could complain. Still, the thought made his skin crawl. What if she was just trying to draw a confession out of him? That didn’t really make sense. The whole market saw him use magic, they didn’t need a confession. He was still wary. “I don’t flaming know what happened today.”

  Serena shook her head at his denial. “Yes you do or you wouldn’t have run. You may be able to lie to the city guards and worm your way out of most anything, but you can‘t lie to me, Kellinar.” She walked to the hearth and made a small pile of kindling. “Why did you come to me? I understand now why you didn’t seek a healer, but whatever made you think I could heal something like that?”

  He watched her strike a flint and set a fire for the evening. When the wood was burning well, she lit a small taper and used it to light the two lamps on the wall.

  Adrenaline still pumped through his veins. He started pacing back and forth across the small space in an effort to work out the nervous tension in his muscles. “You apprenticed under a healer. I figured you would be able to do something for it.” He gestured at his side. “But not this.”

  Serena moved past him to put away the taper and he stopped and looked at her. “Besides, you’re my best friend. I hoped you wouldn’t turn me in. You didn’t turn me in, did you?” he asked softly. He wasn’t sure if he was really asking or just confirming what he thought he already knew. By the Fates, he was confused. “How did you get let go if you are cursed?” He paused. She’d never said anything about her time with the Keepers. “I’m sorry. I’m sure it’s not something you want to talk about.”

  “No, I didn’t turn you in. Even if it didn’t draw their attention to me again, I wouldn’t turn you in.” She sank into one of the two chairs at the table. “And no, talking about it isn’t at the top of my want list, but you deserve to know.”

  Several strands of dark hair had escaped the bun atop her head and she brushed them away from her face. He waited while she idly turned one of the loose buckles of the bundle in her hands.

  She looked up at him and he was struck by the sadness in the dark blue depths of her eyes. “The Keepers had no real proof, only suspicion. Given my family’s position, they had no choice but to let me go. The embarrassment was enough to make my parents toss me aside, even though they were happy not to have the stain of magic use on the family name.” She looked away as a tear leaked out the corner of her eye. She brushed it away and looked back at him. “The Keepers will find out we are friends and search here, you know. I will be under suspicion again because of my past and what you have done.”

  He hadn’t realized how much he would mess up her life by coming to her apartment. Of course since she was cursed, her life would already be messed up. Eventually she would go insane. Wouldn’t she?

  “I’m sorry, Serena. I didn’t know what else to do. I’m not one to care about legalities, but thieving and magic using are two very different animals. Even so, I can’t turn myself in.” He started pacing again in agitation. “I thought about it, but there is something in my head and it wouldn’t flaming let me. I know it doesn’t make any sense.”

  Serena studied him for a minute. “Something in your head? Is it a vibration or a hum? Low and hardly noticeable most of the time? Other times it’s as if you can feel…something else”

  His eyes met hers. “Is it because of the magic?”

  She shrugged. “I have no idea. It started at about the same time as the magic. I don’t know what it means, what it is, or why it’s there. I know if I focus on it, I can make my magic work better.” She looked at him. “So what are you going to do now?”

  Kellinar sighed. “I can’t stay. It’ll be bad enough for you when they search here. If the Keepers actuall
y find me in your apartment, you’ll be in even more trouble.”

  “For now, why don’t you wash up and change clothes. You smell worse than rotting meat.” She crinkled her nose. “I’m going down to the main room. Dinner will be ready and I’m hungry. You get cleaned up and I’ll bring a plate back with me.”

  “They won’t notice you bringing up an extra plate will they?”

  Serena rolled her eyes. “Hardly. Salindra has ‘entertained’ so many different men–and not the kind that pay–that Mistress Enita has started charging her for the extra plates of food.”

  Guilt for the predicament he had put her in settled over him as the door clicked shut. She used magic. Somehow, that fact calmed him. Maybe because now he wasn’t completely alone. She had been using magic for over a year. How long did it take to go insane?

  The city gates closed at sundown. Weakness replaced the adrenaline and he didn’t think he could make the climb across the rooftops that night. Escape would have to wait until morning when the gates reopened. Maybe he could think of a way to slip past them by then.

  The Thieves’ Exit offered a slim chance at escape, but for that he’d have to go through the Thieves’ Cave. He was the unofficial leader of the thieves, but that wouldn’t stop them from throwing him at the feet of the Keepers. Not even thieves would harbor a magic user.

  Kellinar removed the various knives he carried tucked about his person. He laid them on the table and set his coin purse next to them. He peeled off his clothing and stuffed the smelly bundle down the small shaft in the wall that slanted toward the alley.

  He scrubbed away the grime. When he picked up a dipper full of water to rinse with, his thirst overwhelmed him and he raised it to his lips instead. His eyes closed as the cool liquid slid down his throat. The dipper of water did little to ease his thirst, but he resisted drinking more. There needed to be enough to rinse with.

  He was careful to stand near the wall where the floor was made to funnel liquids down the shaft. All household waste went down similar shafts all over the Mallay. He tried to keep his thoughts away from what he might have walked through as he dried off with a thin towel.