Summer of Crows

by Hans Cummings

  Tasha sat on the edge of the bed, testing the mattress. “I don’t think it would do anything to harm me. It seems to know my intentions.”

  “You sleep here, and I’ll keep an eye on Koloman out there.” Aveline turned to leave her friend to rest.

  “You don’t have to stay, Aveline. I can handle Koloman on my own. He’s probably going to sleep the rest of the day.” Tasha covered her mouth, yawning.

  “Nonsense, I’d feel better not leaving you alone with that man, no matter what you can do to him now.” Aveline paused before closing the door. “Rest well. Mind if I raid the larder? I haven’t eaten anything yet.”

  “Help yourself. Most of it replenishes itself.”

  That’s handy. Aveline shut the door, heading for the larder. She delighted to find fresh cream, berries, and a variety of small sweet cakes. After pulling a chair near the window, she ate with her feet propped on the sill. Feeling twinges of guilt for babysitting Koloman instead of patrolling the city, she admitted that, as a citizen, he deserved her protection inasmuch as any of the people who reviled him. At any rate, the city council supported his rule for the time being, and Koloman kept to himself most days. The common folk on the street might despise him, but they could not say he affected their day-to-day lives in a significant fashion.

  The sun streamed in through the window as the morning progressed, and Aveline found herself dozing. She awoke to Alik’s calls for her from the courtyard. Shielding her eyes from the sun, she leaned out the window.

  “Is he cured, Lady Aveline?”

  “Tasha thinks so.” She glanced at Koloman, still motionless on the bed. “He’s sleeping now.”

  “The study is cleaned. I’ve drawn a bath, but it’s getting cold.”

  “I’ll see if I can rouse him.” Aveline considered how best to do that as she approached the bed. Gripping him by the shoulders, she shook him. “Wake up, Koloman. Wake up!”

  Groaning, he pushed her away before draping his arm over his eyes. “Away with you, woman. Can’t a dying man have peace?”

  “You’re not dying, Tasha fixed your dreams, and you need a bath.”

  Koloman rolled over, cracking an eye to regard her. “Why are you in my house? And who opened those damned curtains?”

  Clutching his arm, Aveline pulled him upright. “You’re in the Crow Queen’s hut befouling her bed with your unwashed body. Alik’s drawn a bath. Time to get up. You can sleep again in your own bed after you bathe.”

  “Maris take you.” He swung his legs off the bed. “Where am I?”

  “I told you—the Crow Queen’s hut.”

  Scowling, Koloman peered around the room. “You brought me to some peasant witch’s hovel?”

  “Don’t make us regret saving your life.” Aveline held the front door open for him. “Mind the step and consider showing some gratitude. You would have starved to death eventually had she not intervened.”

  “I doubt that.” Koloman sniffed as he passed her. Pausing, he moved to put an arm around her. “Come, bathe me.”

  Aveline caught him by the wrist. “Touch me, and I’ll throw you out. It’s a long way down.”

  He peeked out the door, his eyes widening. “What sorcery is this? Where in Maris’s domain have you brought me?”

  Twisting his arm behind his back, Aveline marched him down the steps. She ignored his protests. “There are many who think I should have sent you to Maris’s domain. I told you already, the Crow Queen’s hut. Try listening for once.” When they reached the bottom, she turned him toward his front door. “There. Your house.”

  She shoved him forward, releasing him. “Go inside, take a bath, and think of a way to thank the Crow Queen for saving your life.”

  Before Koloman responded, Aveline climbed the steps and entered the hut, shutting the door behind her. “Ungrateful bastard.”

  * * *

  Tasha rolled out of bed, refreshed. She returned to the main room of the hut. Koloman and Aveline were gone, as was the bed. In its place sat a bench with an array of alchemical equipment. A scrap of parchment sat under the edge of the crow carving. Tasha recognized Aveline’s handwriting on it.

  Tasha,

  As soon as I got Koloman up and out, the hut started rearranging itself. I decided to leave before it rearranged me. Hopefully, it doesn’t forget you’re in that other room and seal you up. I’ll be home after dark if you want to talk.

  Aveline

  She returned the note to the table, then examined the alchemy equipment. Although she knew the names and uses of all the tools, bottles, and other accoutrements, alchemy remained a skill for which she possessed little talent.

  “Are you trying to tell me something?” Tasha stared at the ceiling, as if the hut could answer.

  Receiving no reply, Tasha climbed into place above the basin and walked the hut out of Koloman’s compound. She headed north along the city wall toward the Copper Run River. While the hut ran over relatively level terrain, she tweaked the interior layout a bit by moving the alchemy equipment and apothecary cabinet to an alcove near her bedroom and returning the smaller, secondary bed to the central room. Gathering speed as she approached the banks, she leapt across, clearing the water with room to spare. She chose a spot near the edge of the forest just north of Mudders’ Gate and settled in.

  Thunder rumbled in the distance. From the top of the steps, Tasha noticed storm clouds on the horizon. The light breeze indicated rain coming this way would not arrive before dark. Calling her birds to her, she headed toward town.

  People bowed, genuflecting as she passed. Stopping to discourage such activity caused more people to bombard her with requests and demands. Instructing Revan and Korbin to fly away, keeping them safe, she raised her arms to gain people’s attention.

  “Please, I have business in town. I’m not the apothecary anymore, nor am I soothsayer. Everything you want from me you can get in the market.”

  “You heard the Crow Queen.” Torben’s voice rose above the clamor of the crowd. He banged the heads of his axes together. “Give her space, for the love of Cybele.”

  Towering over the crowd, Torben intimidated most people to disperse. Tasha curtsied as he approached. “That’s the second time you’ve parted the crowds for me.”

  “It’s the second time I’ve been fortunate enough to pass through here at the same time you’ve been arriving.” Torben returned his axes to his belt before bowing deeply to Tasha.

  “Thank you for the carving. It’s wonderful.”

  His cheeks growing rosy, he brushed his braids over his shoulders as he turned his gaze to her. “Think nothing of it. I was inspired.”

  Tasha caught herself staring into his grey-blue eyes, feeling warmth rise in her cheeks. Giggling, she averted her gaze. “I’m grateful for your help. The attention is a little overwhelming.”

  “W-w-would you…” He stared at his feet.

  “Yes?” Tasha lifted his head. Torben’s cheeks blazed red.

  “I wondered if you would care to walk with me, tonight. Just out of town, there is an orchard. They have a wonderful garden growing there, benches, and…”

  “I know where you mean.” Tasha took his hand. “I have some business to attend to, but I will try to meet you there shortly before dusk, if that would be all right.”

  The Watchman bowed again. “I would be honored, Lady.”

  “Just Tasha, Torben.”

  “I would be honored, Tasha.” He brought her hand to his lips.

  Tasha felt a flutter in her stomach. “I should go. I need to go to the market before it closes.”

  “May you be unhindered by crowds, Crow Queen.”

  Tasha released his hand, then hurried down the street. What are you doing? You’re not a schoolgirl. Smiling, she giggled again. On the other hand, he is very handsome and polite too.

  She found if she kept moving and did not slow or stop to discourage people from bowing or kneeling as she passed, no crowd gathered around her. It pained her when people treated
her with the same reverence they reserved for royalty. She entered the Church of Cybele to have a word with Mother Anya about it. The matriarch assured her she would instruct her congregation during services not to exhibit such subservience, although many people in town did not attend weekly rites.

  After her brief chat with the matriarch, Tasha sought out Ra-Jareez in the market. As expected, she found him and his sister working in Imrus’s stall.

  “Ah, friend Crow Queen.” Ra-Jareez bowed to Tasha.

  Jazeera scoffed. “Will you next lick her feet clean while you’re down there?”

  Tasha ignored the sibling’s snipe. “I understand you’re interested in my old home and shop?”

  “Yes, indeed.” Raj nodded as he eyed his sister. “We think it would make an excellent trading post for exotic goods from all over the world. Jazeera has already been gathering inventory and capital.”

  “There was a time when I would question where you found the means to do so”—Tasha crossed her arms—“however, it seems a waste to let the building fall to pieces. I’m inclined to just let you have it. You may find it’s in such dire shape you’ll wish you’d gone back to Nakambe.”

  “Now that”—Jazeera gestured to Tasha—“we do not have the means to accomplish.”

  “If you want to go”—Tasha watched a child on the next row steal a loaf of bread, but the vendor caught and scolded him before sending the urchin on his way with it—“I can send you home. It’s as easy as walking through a door.”

  “We came here to trade, sister.” Raj stroked Jazeera’s hand. “Let us not lose sight of that.”

  “We lost everything else.” Upon withdrawing her hand, Jazeera turned away from her brother. “People here stare at us like we’re freaks.”

  Tasha glanced around the market. For the most part, townsfolk browsing the stalls ignored the siblings unless Raj spoke directly to them. “I think you might be mistaking curiosity for judgment. You should ask Aveline about that. She was the first northerner many people had ever seen.”

  “Do you really wish to abandon this, sister?” Raj put his hand on his sister’s shoulder. “I will go back to Shak-Hayla with you, if that is what you desire.”

  “You can’t go back. I will stay with you here; that was the agreement.”

  Tasha raised an eyebrow. “Why can’t you go back? Family trouble?”

  Chuckling, Raj waved his hand in dismissal. “Ah, trouble with law bringers. Certain magistrates disagreed with the way I did business. They are easily avoided.”

  “But if you are caught”—Jazeera spun on her brother—“they will dismember you.”

  “Yes, well, that is why I would prefer to stay here. No one wants to dismember me here, and the watch captain has been exceedingly kind to us.”

  Shaking her head, Tasha covered her eyes with her hand. “Aveline will come down hard on you if you swindle people. I’d stay on her good side.”

  “I will make sure he does.” Jazeera yanked her brother’s ear tuft. “I left several promising suitors behind to sail to Vornstaad.”

  Raj wriggled his ear out of his sister’s grip, chuckling as she left in a huff. “We will be upstanding citizens, honest merchants. You have my word. We are most grateful for your generosity, even if Jazeera is too rude to acknowledge it.”

  “I’ll leave a note of the change of ownership at the Hall of Records.” Tasha decided to combine the trip with a visit to the citadel to check in with Aveline.

  “You are most kind. Please forgive my sister. She has been feeling lonely lately. As she said, she enjoyed the attention of several suitors. Now that we are no longer fighting for our lives, the relative peace of idleness brings her boredom and loneliness into focus.”

  Tasha fished in her pouch for money. “I want one of those copper skillets you tout so effectively. The hut provides me with much, but I find myself wanting for different cooking vessels.”

  Beaming, Raj selected a medium-sized skillet from the stock. “I think this one will work best for you. Not too large, I think. A mere five crowns.”

  “Five? You sold that man a set for six just a few days ago.” Tasha disliked this negotiation game.

  “Did I? Well, for a good friend such as you, I will sell this for four, then.”

  Tasha counted out three crowns, then pressed them into his hand. “I think three will suffice, don’t you, in light of my previous generosity?”

  “Ah, yes. Of course. Shall I wrap it for you?”

  Tasha took the skillet from him. “No, thank you. I’m going back to my hut soon. Be well.”

  Raj saw another potential customer, bowing his head to Tasha before approaching the matron. “Good woman, are you in need of a superior stew pot? We have the finest copper wares in town.”

  “I need a chamber pot.”

  Leaving Raj to his customer, Tasha proceeded toward the Hall of Records and the citadel. Updating ownership of her old shop took most of the rest of the afternoon, owing to poor record keeping and disorganization of the clerks. After completing her business, she stopped at the citadel, only to find Aveline had not been there yet. Upon leaving a note for her friend, she returned home to freshen up and change before going to the orchard to meet Torben.

  Chapter 49

  Although she managed to avoid Maxim while dealing with Koloman, as dusk approached, Aveline’s luck ran out. He cornered her in the larder while she was taking inventory.

  “You knew the Lord Mayor was indisposed, and you deliberately wasted my time sending me to see him!” His finger quivered as he shook it in dangerous proximity to her face.

  She slapped away his hand. “I didn’t know he was that far gone. We’ve solved his issue now, so he should be back to normal in a day or two. If it’ll make you shut up, I’ll authorize a temporary expenditure from the watch funds to hire workers for you to take to Dawnwatch, provided you sign a note saying you’ll repay the money with interest and you send those other requests to Almeria.”

  Aveline hated drawing money from the Watch funds for any purpose apart from payroll and stocking the larder, but Maxim’s presence irritated her to the point she would be willing to pay out of her own pocket to make him go away.

  “You could have done that days ago.” Lowering his hand, Maxim stepped backward.

  “Even now, I do not want to.” Pushing him aside, Aveline exited the larder. “I would be well within my rights to ignore your demands until we receive a response from Almeria.”

  “That could take months.”

  “Exactly.” Upon returning to her desk, she sat in her chair, then propped up her feet.

  “I understand your friend is someone the people here are calling ‘Crow Queen.’ According to local legends, she can travel great distances swiftly.” He placed his hands on his hips. “Is there any truth to these stories?”

  Upon pushing herself away from her desk, she stood. “I’m not going to ask her to run errands for us.” She poked his breastplate. “She’s a servant of the gods, supposedly, not a page and not your squire.”

  Maxim smirked. “Supposedly? You don’t believe her?”

  Sighing, Aveline approached the vault. “I only know what she believes. I never had much faith myself, but it seems clear to me Tasha’s purpose is greater than delivering letters.”

  She shut the door to the vault behind her, cutting off Maxim’s reply. She opened a leather pouch, counting a number of coins into it before returning to Maxim. She thrust the pouch into his hand. “There’s a hundred crowns. Use it wisely. When you get the money from Almeria, I expect half-again as much back.”

  “A hundred and fifty?” Maxim’s mustache quivered. “That’s usury!”

  “That”—Aveline pointed toward the bulging pouch—“is a loan from funds not intended for the Dawnwatch garrison. Agree to my terms or return it now. It’s a drop in the bucket compared to what the princess should be sending you.”

  Snapping his mouth shut, Maxim growled. “Very well. I shall depart for Dawnwatch first thin
g in the morning.”

  Aveline retrieved her mace and shield from the rack. “Fine. I expect regular updates. Get those letters sent before you leave.”

  “Yes, m’lady.”

  She turned her back to him. Maxim bowed before stomping out of the citadel. Aita take him and Princess Valene. Everything was running smoothly without the crown involved. She made her way to the Drunken Horse, intent on washing the distaste from her mouth with several mugs of mead.

  * * *

  Viewing the orchard from the portal in her hut, Tasha’s conflicting emotions collided. I’d hoped that, by now, you’d have moved on. Lorelei’s words echoed in her mind.

  Korbin flew into the hut. When he landed on her shoulder, she stroked the crow’s head. “She’s been gone from this world for over a decade. He’s no elf, Korbin, but then again, few are. He is more to my liking than any of the men I’ve met in Curton, though. They’re good folk, just… I’ve seen so much compared to them.”

  Steeling herself, Tasha stepped through the doorway. The sun, low in the sky, cast an orange glow across the orchard. Korbin flew away, darting among the trees as she made her way to the path leading toward town. She hoped to meet Torben before he entered the orchard.

  To her satisfaction, she found him within minutes, just outside the orchard gate.

  “Have you been waiting for me here?” He glanced over his shoulder toward town and then at her, tilting his head.

  “I’ve only just arrived.” She came up beside him, crooking her arm in his.

  Torben cocked his head. “I… I… I am surprised I did not see you. H-how did you arrive here from town without passing me?”

  Tasha smiled. “I’m the Crow Queen. My ways are varied and mysterious.”

  “Ah, yes, of course.” He bowed his head. “I meant no offense.”

  She laughed. “There’s a portal in my hut that can send me wherever I wish to go.”

  His eyes widened. “Truly? That is wondrous. How does it work?”

  “How? That’s beyond me. I just know it does. I could use it to send you back to the Four Watches, if you wish, although you’d have to take the long way back here. I don’t know of a way to bring someone with me, or to send them and bring them back.” Tasha suspected such feats were beyond the magic of the mantle, and she harbored little desire to experiment. She doubted the gods made the portal for townsfolk to use willy-nilly.