Tormina: The Book of Maladies

by D. K. Holmberg

  “He told you this?” she asked Sam after shutting the door.

  “Is it true?”

  The princess glared at Sam for a moment before her expression softened. She motioned to a pair of chairs and took a seat, waiting for Sam to sit before she answered. “That fact should not be known to anyone other than Elaine.”

  “Why?”

  “Because she’s the only one who has always known the truth. Tray—the young man you know as your brother—is my son.”

  Sam blinked. “Your son?”

  “It happened when we were on a mission, serving as emissaries, trying to end this conflict with the Thelns. There was a celebration one night, and I was given too much to drink, and…” She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. Mistakes were made. And I had him. Up until you reappeared, I thought him dead.”

  “Who’s the father?”

  Sam had to know, though she had her suspicions, even without Lyasanna telling her.

  “It was a long time ago,” Lyasanna said.

  “That’s not an answer.”

  “He was powerful. I could feel it. He exuded it and told me that he had a claim to rule. With the wine, and with the celebration, there was…”

  Lyasanna squeezed her eyes shut.

  “It was Ralun, wasn’t it?”

  She took a deep breath and looked over at Sam. “He was angry when I left, and angrier when he learned that I was pregnant. There have been attempts at unions between our people before, but none have succeeded.”

  “But you are a Scribe. How is it that Tray has Kaver abilities?”

  Lyasanna has breath caught. “Kaver?”

  Sam cocked her head to the side. Had Elaine not shared that with her?

  “He has Kaver abilities. We discovered it when Marin attacked and left him injured,” Sam said.

  “If you discovered that, that means you discovered…”

  Sam nodded. “His Scribe. Yes.”

  “Ralun can’t know this. He would use him, and he would attack.”

  “I’m well aware that Ralun would use Tray. He has made that clear to me.” Sam frowned, a question coming to her. “Tray obviously doesn’t know, much like I didn’t know. Why is that?”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “I would disagree. I think it matters quite a bit,” Sam said.

  “We need to stop Ralun. He shouldn’t be in the city. He remains angry with me.”

  “Is that why he poisoned you?”

  “At that time, neither of us knew of Tray’s existence. His attack on me was simple vengeance for leaving him. He feels I wronged him,” Lyasanna said.

  Sam couldn’t believe that all of this was tied to Tray and his birth history. Probably to hers, too. She had many more questions, and she doubted that Lyasanna would answer them easily. Most of them were questions about how all of this came to be? How did they arrange for Tray to be raised as her brother? How did a royal princess hide a pregnancy and birth of a son? What role did her mother play? Is that why she disappeared? There were questions about Marin, and the role that she had, too. Why would Marin have claimed to be Tray’s mother? Did she know that the princess was Tray’s real mother?

  If she could only get her hands on the Book, might her memories answer some of these questions?

  “I need to find him,” Sam said.

  “You don’t need to find him. Others have gone after him.”

  Sam frowned. “Others? Is that where Elaine has gone?”

  “You aren’t fully trained.”

  “I’m trained well enough to know that I can help.”

  “If you were able to help, she would have asked you to go with her. That she didn’t tells me that she doesn’t think that you can be of assistance.”

  The comment stung, more so because it meant that Elaine doubted her ability.

  “How long has she been gone?”

  “Long enough that she should have taken care of Ralun by now.”

  “Should have, but if she hasn’t?”

  Could that be where bushy brow had gone? She looked over to Alec, and he remained silent. He hadn’t said a word since they had gone into Lyasanna’s rooms.

  “Listen. If she’s gone after Ralun, then she’s in more danger than she realizes. I can help.”

  “She wouldn’t want you to help.”

  “It doesn’t matter what she wants. What matters is that I can offer a way to help her.”

  Lyasanna looked like she was going to say something, but then shook her head.

  “Kyza! You’re the princess. Make a decision that can help. You don’t need to wait for Elaine’s permission.”

  Lyasanna stood. For a moment, Sam thought that she might have gone overboard. Pushing the princess was a risky maneuver. Especially as she didn’t know how she might respond. She barely knew anything about the princess.

  “You may find her in the swamp.”

  “The swamp?”

  “There’s a place the Kavers keep there, though few know of it. If I wasn’t worried about what Ralun might do, I wouldn’t even tell you this.”

  As Lyasanna explained how they might find Ralun, Sam glanced over at Alec. It wouldn’t be easy, and she wasn’t certain that finding Ralun would lead them to bushy brow and Beckah, but what other option did they have?

  32

  Return to the Swamp

  The air stank. Alec pinched his nose, trying to ignore the smells all around him. Even though he’d experienced his share of odors, treating patients with all manner of infections, his time at the university, surrounded by the fragrances of hundreds of flowers and the underlying aromas that came from the various medicines stored within the university, had lowered his tolerance for such foulness.

  “Are you sure this is where we need to go?” Alec asked.

  “This is where Lyasanna claimed we could find him,” Sam said.

  They stood at the edge of the city. From here, there was nothing but swamp stretching out into the darkness. Alec didn’t like it, and Sam leaned on her canal staff, almost comfortable. It would’ve been better had there been other Kavers with them, but the princess hadn’t been willing to send any. Alec had a sense that she wanted to keep her connection to Tray a secret, and anything that risked exposing that was to be avoided.

  “How are we supposed to head out into the swamp?”

  “Not we. Me.”

  Alec looked over at Sam. “I’m not letting you go in there by yourself.”

  “You’re not letting me? I’ve gone out into the swamp more than once.”

  “More than once?”

  “Well, the first time was a training exercise, and Elaine basically abandoned me out there, forcing me to figure out how to get back on my own. The other time was not quite as extensive.”

  Alec waited for her to share more, but she didn’t.

  “If Ralun is out in the swamp as you suspect, you can’t do it by yourself.”

  “I can if you place augmentations.”

  “Any augmentation would be better if I knew what you were facing. I can help keep you safe, Sam.”

  “I know that you can, but I don’t think you can travel the swamp.”

  There was movement along the canal, and Sam grabbed him, pushing him back.

  Alec pressed his back up against the wall, modeling Sam’s posture, trying to remain hidden. It was late at night, late enough that the shadows over the city should conceal them, but he didn’t feel concealed. He didn’t feel as if there was enough protection here.

  “And who would be out at this time of night?” a voice boomed.

  “Kyza, take him,” Sam whispered and then stormed forward.

  Alec tried grabbing her sleeve, but she pulled away and reached the edge of the canal.

  “Bastan. What are you doing here?”

  A narrow barge pulled up along the edge of the canal, and a rope was tossed over. Sam ignored it. Bastan appeared at the edge of the boat, smiling widely. “Are you going to help secure the barge, Samara?”

>   “What are you doing here?”

  “I’ve been observing you.”

  “Observing me?” Sam asked.

  Alec approached and nodded to Bastan. The man might be a thief and a smuggler, but he also seemed to look out for Sam, and because of that, Alec didn’t mind him. Someone had to look out for Sam, especially when Alec couldn’t be there.

  “Yes, observing you. I knew that eventually you would find a way to reach this Theln again. He has taken something from me.”

  “Are you still mad about the fact that he beat on you the last time?”

  “I am still mad about the fact that he shut down an entire section of the city to me,” Bastan said.

  “You don’t know what you’re getting in to,” Sam said. “He’s dangerous. I know that you hired the djohn, and I know they have some way of combating the Thelns, but this one is dangerous.”

  “Indeed, he is.” Bastan patted his crossbow. “And I have found a way to slow him that I did not have the last time.” His gaze flicked to Alec, and something of a knowing smile crossed his face.

  Why would Bastan look at him like that?

  “I’m not letting you come with us,” Sam said.

  “Not letting me? Oh, Samara, I think you misunderstand. I’m taking you with us.”

  “You’re not taking me anywhere. I don’t need your help to cross the swamp.”

  “No. I doubt that you do. But he does,” Bastan said, nodding to Alec.

  Alec glanced over at Sam, and then he jumped onto the barge. “Come on, Sam.”

  “Alec—”

  “I’m not letting you leave me behind. I can help, but I can only help if I know what you’re facing.”

  “You know what I’ll be facing. And if they attack you—”

  “You just have to make sure they don’t. You need to make sure that you’re fast enough to prevent them from getting to me.”

  “I can’t guarantee that I will be,” Sam said.

  “I have faith in you.”

  Sam swore to herself and pushed off with her staff, flipping out onto the barge. She glared at Bastan. “Sometimes, you’re a bastard.”

  Bastan nodded to the ship’s captain, and they pushed off, the captain using a long pole to send them out through the canal and into the swamp. Alec hadn’t taken a barge before and found it surprisingly stable. Were they not heading into the strange filth of the swamp, he might’ve found it enjoyable. As it was, he felt uncomfortable with where they were going and what would happen to them.

  “Why out into the swamp?” Bastan asked.

  “Because I’ve heard that’s where he’s hiding,” Sam whispered.

  Alec could tell that she didn’t want to answer, but it was Bastan, and he also knew that she had a grudging respect for him.

  “There aren’t places in the swamp where someone can hide.”

  “There are. There are small islands scattered throughout.”

  “And how do you know which island we need to go to?”

  Sam looked over to him. “Let’s just agree that I know.”

  Bastan grinned. “I suppose we can.”

  They continued on in silence, and it seemed as if time stood still, but hours must’ve passed. Eventually, Sam motioned for them to turn. She leaned toward Alec and whispered, “We’re almost there.”

  “What happens when we reach it? What if Ralun isn’t there?”

  “He’ll be there.”

  Alec breathed out, nerves beginning to send his heart fluttering. He pulled a slip of easar paper out of his pocket and started thinking about what he might document, trying to think of what would provide the best protection for Sam. There had to be a particular combination of words, a way of limiting damage to her if she were to face the enormous Theln.

  And Sam didn’t want to kill him.

  That was difficult for him, especially knowing that Ralun wouldn’t hesitate to do the same to them.

  But Sam wanted answers, and she thought she could only get them by having Ralun alive so that she could discover what he knew of the Book.

  In the distance, a dark stretch of land was visible in the moonlight. The captain slowed, and Sam motioned for Alec. He leaned down and unstoppered the vial, quickly scrawling out a few words on the easar paper. A wave of cold swept through him as it often did when they placed augmentations. Weakness would follow, but hopefully not so much that he would be unable to focus. If he had been careful enough, he would have given them time with the augmentation. He prayed that he had placed it correctly.

  “It’s ready,” Alec said.

  Sam hurried forward and leaned into Bastan. “If you’re going to do this, we need to move quickly.”

  “I will let you lead, Samara.”

  Sam glanced back at Alec, and he frowned. She placed her staff on the deck of the barge, and then she flipped into the air, leaving him to watch from a distance, leaving him feeling helpless. He was her Scribe. What other choice did he have but to observe?

  33

  Reaching the Island

  Stay on the barge,” Bastan told Alec.

  Alec looked past him. “If I stay on the barge, I can’t see anything. If her”—he lowered his voice, shifting his gaze from Bastan to the two plain-looking men with him—“augmentations fail, I need to be able to see her so that I can help her.”

  “If they fail, then she is in much greater danger than we know.”

  “Keep me safe. I can help.”

  Bastan glanced from Alec to the two men. What had Sam called them? Djohn?

  Whatever they were, she believed they were able to combat the Thelns.

  “I don’t like this,” Bastan said.

  “I don’t like it, either. If it were up to me, Sam wouldn’t face him.”

  “And who would? Do you think there’s someone else who is more capable than Samara?”

  Alec shook his head. “I thought you wanted to keep her safe.”

  “I do. I’ve done everything in my power to keep Samara safe over the years. And I will continue to do so.” He pulled the crossbow from his shoulder and reached into a quiver that Alec hadn’t seen before, pulling out a pair of arrows.

  Not arrows. Sam would kill him for calling them that. They were crossbow bolts. They were the same thing that had nearly killed Sam the night they had met.

  “I don’t think those will work against the Thelns,” Alec said, stepping off the barge and following Bastan.

  Bastan glanced over at him, a grim expression on his face. “No? If they don’t, then your father has something to answer to.”

  Alec blinked a moment. “My father?” As he asked, he thought he understood. “Eel venom?”

  “He told you? That was supposed to be a confidential discussion.”

  “No. He didn’t tell me. He only told me that he had collected eel venom.”

  “Ah. Then I guess he gets to live.”

  Alec didn’t know whether Bastan was making a joke or not, but he didn’t like the idea of Bastan threatening his father. “If anything happens to him—”

  “You will what?”

  “It’s not what I will do, but I will make sure that Sam does something.”

  Bastan chuckled softly. “That’s a threat I can actually worry about.”

  Once on the island, Alec tried to ignore the way his feet squelched. Each step was soggy, and he sank in. Had Sam experienced the same difficulty? Probably not. Not only was she lighter than he was, she likely used her staff the entire way, flipping across the bog as she had out in the swamp.

  They were only twenty or so feet in when they came across the first fallen Theln.

  “It looks as if Sam came through here,” Bastan said.

  He motioned to the djohn, and they took off, disappearing into the darkness.

  Bastan held the crossbow out in front of him as he stalked forward. “You might want to stay behind me.”

  “Why does eel venom work against the Thelns?”

  “Why do the eels prevent the Thelns from rea
ching the city?”

  “You knew?”

  “I didn’t, not at first, but rumors have a way of spreading, especially after what Marin attempted recently.” Bastan glanced over at him, and he quickly swung the crossbow over and fired.

  Alec jumped back. Bastan grabbed him, pulling him toward him, and he looked over to see another Theln lying sprawled on the ground, the crossbow bolt sticking out of his chest. He convulsed before his body finally lay still.

  Bastan grunted. “That answers that,” he said.

  “Answers what?”

  “Answers the question about whether the eel venom would be effective.”

  “You didn’t know?”

  Bastan shrugged. “Not with any certainty.”

  “You were willing to risk yourself here even though you didn’t know?”

  “I’ve learned that you need to take risks if you want to be rewarded. Everything in my life is about that. Now. Let’s see how many others we can find.”

  They continued forward, and Alec stayed behind Bastan as he suggested, not wanting to have to confront one of the Thelns himself. He wasn’t sure if he would even be able to. All it would take would be one massive strike, and he would be knocked out—or killed.

  “Where—”

  Bastan turned and fired again, sending a crossbow bolt streaking across the distance.

  It struck a Theln, and he fell, twitching. There was another Theln next to him, and beyond that, Alec saw Sam frozen in place.

  It took a moment for him to realize why.

  Ralun held Elaine.

  Alec stopped, quickly pulled out a sheet of easar paper, and began writing.

  34

  Attack on the Thelns

  The night air whistled past her as she flipped, and Sam held her breath, trying not to focus on the foulness that was the stench coming off the swamp. It was a horrible odor, and she found it worse now than she had before. Was that because the Thelns were here?

  She landed in a roll and swung her staff up, preparing for whatever might be on this strip of land. Lyasanna had finally revealed where to find Ralun. She worried that it was already too late.