by S. J. West
“Why didn’t you ever mention that you were—or are—a doctor to us?”
Kalder shrugs his shoulders. “It didn’t seem relevant since I no longer practice medicine. About the time I decided to stop, my father died, and I fell back into fishing.”
“The first time I saw you, it looked like you fell back into drinking,” I say, raising a brow.
Kalder grins, but it’s not joyful. If anything it’s melancholy. “That too.”
I remain silent for a moment because I want to see if Kalder will explain why he no longer practices medicine. When he takes a sip from his coffee cup instead, I know he needs a little more prodding. I’ll have to coax the information out of him if I’m going to learn the truth about his past.
“Why aren’t you a doctor anymore, Kalder?” I ask point blank. “And what drove you to start drinking?”
Kalder sets his cup back down on the table and stares at it instead of meeting my gaze. He clears his throat and crosses his arms over his chest as if warding off my interrogation. After brooding for a while, he looks directly at me.
“Being a doctor, especially one who works in the trauma unit all the time, can be taxing on your mind and emotions. For a long time, I ignored what it was doing to my personal life. I chose not to have a wife or kids because they would never get the best part of me. I would have to save that for my job. My sister was just as ambitious as me. The day she was claimed by the Thorns was the happiest day of her life.”
I sit up straight in my chair because Kalder has gained my full attention.
“Do I know her?” I ask, thinking through all the Thorns I personally know and not recalling having heard the name Blackstone mentioned before.
“No,” he says with a somber expression. “You had probably just been accepted into the academy when she was at Shadowspire. I thought she was nuts for wanting to go, but Franny knew she was meant to be a Thorn. Every time she would come home on holidays, she would make me spar with her. That’s how I became so good at fighting. We would practice until I practically fell down from exhaustion. Franny eventually married a guy named Steve, and they had a son together named Adam. Franny and her husband and son were the only family I had. Our mother died when we were kids, and our father had a hard time coping with her death. He turned into a useless drunk, and I stayed away from him as much as possible.”
“Where is Franny now?” I ask, having a bad feeling I know where this story is going.
“Do you remember the mage who went mad and started burning people inside their homes while they were sleeping?”
“I remember that,” I say. “Commander Ford was the one who finally brought him in.”
“Franny was assigned to investigate that case, and she almost caught him, but he ended up burning her house down while she and her family were inside. By that time, the mage had learned how to control what he burned. He didn’t kill them quickly. He stopped the fire and left all three of them alive but with third degree burns all over their bodies. By the time they arrived at the hospital, all we could do was drug them to minimize the pain and watch them die.”
“Oh, Kalder,” I say, shocked and sad for my friend. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”
“When I lost them, I lost what was left of my family,” he says in a hollow voice. “I quit my job here because every time I stepped through the doors, I saw Franny and her family screaming in pain. Poor Adam was the first one to die. He was only five years old then, Cin. Five! His life had barely begun before it was snuffed out by a madman. If my sister had never become a Thorn, none of that would have happened and she would still be alive today.”
“You can’t blame what happened to her on the Thorns, Kalder,” I say. “No one could have predicted that would happen to her and her family. No one can see into the future.”
“She died because she was a Thorn going after a madman,” he replies. Anger shines in his eyes. “I lost the last people I truly cared about and who honestly cared about me that night.”
I reach out and cover the hand Kalder has resting on the tabletop beside his cup.
“I care about you,” I tell him sincerely. “And the other girls do too. You’re not alone, Kalder. Not anymore.”
Kalder looks at something over my shoulder.
“I’m not sure Prince appreciates you trying to comfort me,” he says with a smirk.
I turn my head to catch Coltan watching us with a troubled frown. I turn my head back around to look at Kalder while I pull my hand away from his.
“He just doesn’t like you. Why did you refuse to take Coltan to Ravenheart Island?” I ask since it’s a question that’s been bothering me for a while. “He told me he tried to get you to take him there on multiple occasions.”
“He would have died if I had taken him there,” Kalder replies. “I didn’t feel like being responsible for another death.”
“So you did it to save his life?”
“Someone had to protect him from himself,” Kalder says. “Now that you’ve been there, don’t you agree that he would have never escaped that place on his own?”
I can’t say that he’s wrong. If Coltan had gone without me, it’s likely he would have been trapped by Ari’s magic and been doomed to death or become a revenant like the Thorns.
“Did you ever tell him that?” I ask.
“No,” Kalder says. “I decided to let him believe I am a heartless lout.”
“But you’re not,” I say, wanting to reach out to him again, but deciding not to.
Kalder sighs and runs his hands through his hair.
Finally, he says, “You should get back to Prince and your friends, Cin. They need you more than I do.”
“Thank you for sharing what happened to your sister and her family with me,” I say. “I know that couldn’t have been an easy thing for you to do.”
“I figured you should know why a handsome young man like me is such a curmudgeon,” he replies. I can tell he’s hiding behind his humor because our talk has become a little too personal for his taste. “I’ll be heading back to your house soon. Do you need anything from there that you want me to bring you?”
I shake my head. “I’m fine. I’ll be going back myself tomorrow to freshen up. Oh, you should probably know that your toolbox is sitting right by the front door in the foyer. I had to use your hacksaw to cut something earlier.”
“You used my tools?” he asks as if I’ve committed a great sin. “Did you bother anything else in the box?”
“No,” I say, crossing my arms. “I only needed to saw through something. Everything else is precisely where you left it, except the box itself. I didn’t want you wondering why it was sitting there instead of being in the kitchen where you left it.”
“Thanks,” he says, not sounding grateful at all. He looks disgruntled that I laid my hands on his personal property. I consider reminding him that he trespassed inside my father’s house before it was even officially mine, but I refrain from doing that. Kalder shared something highly personal from his past with me, and I don’t want to ruin the friendship that we’re building over something as petty as a toolbox. The more I think about it, the more I wonder if Kalder uses everything he can to keep people at an arm’s length.
“If you had been around, I would have asked first, but it was an emergency. I promise I won’t use something of yours again without asking for permission first,” I tell him to smooth things over.
His lips pop slightly open, and I can tell Kalder wasn’t expecting me to apologize so readily.
“It’s all right, Cin. I just get a little grumpy when people touch my things.”
“I get it,” I say as I stand from the table. “I better help Coltan. We’re taking food to everyone else in Henry’s room.”
“How have things gone today with you and Prince?” Kalder asks, looking genuinely curious.
“As well as can be expected, I suppose. It hasn’t exactly been an easy day for either one of us.”
“Can I make a
suggestion?”
“Sure,” I say hesitantly.
“Try to find some time for the two of you to be alone,” he says. “He laid his mother to rest today, Cin. He needs someone to talk to about it, and if you care about him, you’ll find a way to do that for him.”
To say I’m surprised by Kalder’s suggestion is an understatement. He’s far more compassionate than I gave him credit for.
“This softer, non-sarcastic side of you . . . is it here to stay, or is it just an occasional visitor?” I have to ask.
Kalder grins. “I suppose it’ll crop up every once in a while, but I wouldn’t get used to it. As you said, today has been a bad day, including for me.”
Kalder stands from his chair. “I’m heading back to your house now to shower and get some sleep. Feel free to call me if I’m needed here, but I don’t foresee any complications coming up with Henry’s recovery. Like I said earlier, the staff here is good, and I made sure Henry got the best surgical team available.”
“Thank you for your help today,” I say. “We all appreciate it, and I think it helped Isabel to have someone she knew to look after her father.”
Kalder nods to acknowledge my gratefulness before making his way out of the cafeteria.
When I walk over to Coltan by the counter, he’s still waiting on the food he ordered.
“All they serve this late at night are sandwiches,” he tells me. “I ordered a variety so people can pick and choose.”
“That sounds fine,” I reply as I think over my conversation with Kalder.
With everything that’s happened, Coltan’s own tragedy was pushed to the back of my mind. I feel a certain amount of guilt for letting that happen. A true friend wouldn’t forget such a major life event, and I try to think of something I can do to make up for my shortsightedness.
“Have you ever toured the Guild?” I ask Coltan.
He turns away from the counter to face me. “No. As a matter of fact, I’m probably the first Prince who’s ever set foot on its property.”
“Then I would like to show you something,” I tell him. “After we take the food to the others, would you like to drive over there with me?”
“Sure,” he replies, looking intrigued. “What are you going to show me?”
“Why don’t we leave that as a surprise?” I suggest. “Aren’t you the one who likes surprises?”
“I like to give them,” he replies. “I can’t say I’ve received them very often.”
“Well, you’re getting one tonight,” I say as the checkout girl behind the counter brings us three bags of food to take with us.
I charge the meals to Maximus’s room, and we walk back to Isabel’s father’s room to hand out the food. When we get back, Gus has left to stay with Maximus for the rest of the night, and Scarlet takes one of the bags to the fifth floor to give him his share of food. I pull Gretel aside and tell her what my plans are for Coltan.
“Good,” she tells me. “Kalder’s right. He needs a break from the madness to focus on what happened today. It isn’t good to overlook the fact that he buried his mother. From what you’ve told me, they were really close to one another.”
“They were,” I agree. “Anyway, I wanted to let you know where I’ll be. Can you keep Anwen with you?”
“Sure thing,” Gretel replies. “I think she fell asleep on Isabel’s shoulder anyway.”
“Okay. I’ll see you all in the morning. I have a lot to tell everyone about what I learned today,” I tell her.
“Is any of it good news?” she asks doubtfully.
“It could be,” I reply, being careful with what I say. I don’t want to get her hopes up because there’s no guarantee we’ll be able to figure everything out. But we can try our best.
Coltan walks over to me with one of the paper bags in his hands, which more than likely contains our share of the sandwiches.
“Are you ready to go?” I ask him.
“Ready,” he says with a faint smile.
I look at Gretel. “I need you, Scarlet, and Gus to meet us back home in the morning, if you can. Kalder will already be there. I’m sure Isabel will want to stay here with her dad until he wakes up, so don’t bother her about coming. I can fill her in later.”
“Okay, Cin.” Gretel leans in and gives me a brief hug. “Take care of yourself.”
“I will,” I promise. Before I leave, I look at each one of my friends and hope we will be strong enough to find Briar Rose’s other sisters and finally end the curse she has endured for almost a hundred years.
Chapter 9
Coltan and I walk out of the hospital and get into my car to head straight for the Guild. He offers me a sandwich to eat on the way, but I suggest we wait until we get to where we’re going. After that, he doesn’t say much more. He simply watches the city go by. When we reach the gate to the Guild, a young boy, who looks somewhat familiar, opens it for us. Since it’s so late at night, Gordan, the usual guard, has gone home for the evening.
Once we’re on the grounds of the Guild, I drive all the way back to where the agricultural faction is located. Not long after the curse was cast, the production of food became the main priority and the agricultural section of the Guild was established first. Luckily for us, a few farm animals were trapped within Briardale at the time. We have cows because of a cattle expo that was taking place at the convention center and chickens due to some people inside the city who preferred to eat fresh eggs and had coops. Seeds and cuttings from every plant available were also inventoried to provide us with fresh fruits and vegetables, but those were limited to what was on hand at the time the curse was cast. Unfortunately, we have no horses for travel because there were no horses present at the time. Very few domesticated animals still exist since it was decided that magic shouldn’t be wasted on creatures (most people deem them a luxury item).
I pull up to one of the greenhouses, although that word doesn’t properly describe the building. On the outside, it is a rectangular building about ten feet long and five feet wide built out of opaque glass and steel. However, on the inside, it’s a magical place that can only be believed by setting eyes on it yourself.
When we get out of the car, I take hold of Coltan’s free hand while his other one is still holding the paper bag with our meal inside of it.
“Come on,” I say as I lead him to the front door of the greenhouse. “I want to show you one of my favorite places here.”
Coltan eagerly follows me. After we step through the insulated door of the building, I allow Coltan a few seconds to take everything in and become adjusted to his new surroundings.
“Wow,” he says as he looks out at the vast array of crops being grown inside the building. The interior is the size of a small town. “I assume this is some sort of spell.”
“You assume correctly,” I tell him. “There wasn’t enough empty land to produce the amount of food that was needed to sustain the city, so the mages pooled their magic to make all of the greenhouses like this. If they hadn’t, we would have run out of food a long time ago.”
“Does it require magic to keep it this size on the inside?”
“It takes a certain kind of spatial magic, and there aren’t many mages being born with that ability. If we haven’t awoken Briar Rose before what we have runs out, we might be in trouble. Come on,” I say as I tug on his arm again. “I want to show you one of my favorite spots here that I used to come to during school breaks.”
We pass by the corn and wheat fields as I take Coltan to a very realistic but artificial waterfall surrounded by a mixture of cherry and apple trees in full bloom.
“I can see why you liked to come here,” he says in complete awe of my hideout.
I pick my favorite place to sit beside the river, which is used as a large irrigation system. Coltan sits across from me and opens up the bag. After he hands me a roast beef and cheddar sandwich, I realize it’s time to tell him the real reason why I brought him here.
“I have to confess something,” I say
as he takes his first bite out of his chicken salad sandwich.
After he swallows, he looks up at me. “What in the world would you need to confess to me?”
“Bringing you here wasn’t completely my idea,” I admit. “Well, bringing you to this exact spot was, but getting you out of the hospital wasn’t.”
“Whose idea was it then?” he asks. He lays his sandwich on the paper bag as he awaits my answer.
“Kalder’s actually,” I tell him, picking at the grass. “He suggested you might want to get out of the hospital for a while, considering today’s events.”
“That was . . . uncommonly considerate of him,” Coltan says.
“Are you still mad at him for not taking you to Ravenheart Island sooner?”
Coltan contemplates my question for a few seconds before shaking his head. “Now that I know everything, no. I’m not mad at him. Odds are I would have gotten myself killed if I’d gone there without you.”
“That was his reason for not taking you. He knew you probably wouldn’t survive the trip considering the history of the place. I know you were mad at him for a long time because he refused to take you, but I hope you can forgive him for that.”
“There’s nothing to forgive,” Coltan says. “He saved my life. I should be grateful he was so stubborn.”
I take a bite out of my sandwich and realize how hungry I actually am. In a matter of seconds, I’ve devoured it and ask Coltan if we have any more to eat. Thankfully, we have two more sandwiches left in the bag. I eat my second sandwich just as fast, and Coltan offers me the last one.
“Are you sure?” I ask as I start to feel like a selfish pig. “Let me split it with you instead.”
“No, you take it,” he insists. “I ate earlier while you were at Shadowspire. One of the nurses brought me a meal to eat in Maximus’s room. She was very friendly,” Coltan remarks with a blush. He doesn’t seem embarrassed, but rather sorry that he was approached in this way at all.