EPIC: Fourteen Books of Fantasy (56 page)

‘What troubles you? Lower that blasted stick before you hit me again.’

Scared by my own behaviour, I let go of the stick, and it banged on the floor. ‘Please… unstitch my eyes. I know it was you. And I know why. I’ll get a knife and do it myself If you don’t.’

‘Come with me.’ He touched my arm.

I shrugged away from him. He sighed and walked in front of me. I followed him with my arms out so I wouldn’t bump into things. I took small, slow steps forward and ended up in his doctor’s room, which smelled strange and bitter. When he opened a container, a familiar aroma dislodged a forgotten memory. I saw it as clear as day—Mother and Father looked down at me, their faces full of worry. Mother’s eyes watered.

This is where it happened
.

‘We really should get Capacia—’

I cut him off. ‘No. Do it now.’

‘I’ll have to put you to sleep.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘If you move, I could injure you.’

His reasoning seemed sound. My eyes were already sensitive, and I didn’t want to feel him touching them. ‘This is where it happened, isn’t it? You put that cloth over my mouth before bringing me here.’

‘Yes.’

‘Well, I’m sure it’ll be easier for you this time. Bet you’ve had lots of practice since me.’ I was trying to increase any shame that he felt. I wanted him to hate himself as much as I hated… everything.

‘Healer girls are rare. Blinding a girl on purpose is unheard of. You were my first and only.’ His tone became heavier, melancholy.

I heard the banging of glass and metal as he fumbled through an assortment of instruments. Then came the pop of a cork and the swish of liquid in a bottle.

‘Ready?’ he asked.

I nodded.

And when he cupped a cloth over my mouth and nose, the fumes swirled through my head, and my brain hummed. My body grew heavy, and just like three years ago, there was nothing.

Chapter XXI

S
EVERAL
PEOPLE
MURMURED
AROUND
ME
. I recognised the voices, but couldn’t bring the names to mind. Hazy thoughts floated through my brain like dandelion seeds on an autumn breeze. They were impossible to catch or comprehend.

A cold cloth pressed against my forehead. The voices grew louder.

‘I am not responsible for your mistakes, Capacia. The girl has her own mind now,’ Klawdia said coolly.

‘A Ruxdor savage presumes to know better than her own mother? It was
my
place to tell her.’

Slowly, I remembered being attacked that afternoon. Butter had been hurt. ‘Where is Butter?’

‘See? She longs for her injured loyal dog because
you
let her wander the streets alone,’ Mother said.

Varago groaned. Obviously, their argument had begun long before I’d awakened.

‘Jemely was supposed to be watching her,’ Klawdia said. ‘I cannot watch the whole town, Capacia. I only have one set of eyes.’

As I suspected, Mother had asked Klawdia to look out for me.

‘It’s not my fault. I was only to take her to school and back. You got me workin’ like a horse as well, Capacia,’ Jemely complained. ‘Why was she over on that side of town anyways?’

‘She is friends with Derkal’s boy,’ Klawdia informed them.

‘Frooby. The sick boy? Oh no, she
isn’t
. No sick boy is going to be Adenine’s friend, given how she heals. Did you tell her how the healers heal as well?’ Mother asked.

‘Never. I am a mother too, Capacia, and respect your place in her world.’

My head throbbed, and I tried to sit up.

‘Adenine, keep still. The dizziness will pass,’ Varago said.

‘How are you my sweet girl?’ Mother asked.

‘Did you do it?’ I croaked.

‘Did I do what, dear?’ Mother asked.

‘Not you. Varago. Varago, did you do it?’

‘No,’ he answered.

I burst into tears. The hopelessness shattered my insides and broke my spirit. Everything that had been pushing and pulling inside of me surfaced. I lay back down and rolled over onto my side, heaving the contents of my stomach onto the floor. Would I ever see again?

‘Fie!’ Jemely exclaimed. ‘Is she well?’

‘She’ll be fine. Just a reaction to the sleeping mixture,’ Varago said.

‘Wrong,’ Klawdia replied. ‘Adenine is a healer. She does not get sick as we do. This sickness is caused by a weeping heart.’

‘Oh, Adenine.’ Mother grabbed my hand, but I pulled away from her.

‘How could you?’ I asked, trying to swallow the leftover bile in my throat.

‘I love you.’ Mother sobbed.

The words sickened me further, and my gut wrenched with each wave of my despair. I felt all the pain from her dishonesty, from when she’d left me alone for those moments after father died.

‘Adenine, you’re a good girl, and so is Capacia,’ Varago said. ‘Be reasonable. There’s no need to dwell like this. You are in your home, with your family, and we all care about you. Did you want to be taken away to Maligna as a child? It was all we could do. ’

‘Don’t you be worrying about these idiots,’ Jemely said. ‘Trust yourself. You’re a sturdy girl.’

Feeling her rough fingers in mine, I squeezed them. Even though I hadn’t always believed it, Jemely had always been on my side.

‘Adenine,’ Mother said.

I turned my head away from her.

‘Leave her now. She needs to mourn,’ Klawdia said.

‘No. I won’t,’ Mother insisted, sobbing harder. The noise only tightened my muscles and strengthened my detachment from her.

‘Yes,
leave
. Klawdia, Jemely, stay,’ I said.

I waited until I heard Mother and Varago leave the room. ‘Klawdia,’ I said.

‘Yes, Adenine.’

‘How long were you really gone to Ruxdor?’

‘Four months. I saw my father for the last time back in summer.’

‘What did you do then?’

‘I investigated Healer Euka’s plans as I told you.’

‘Why?’

‘Your mother asked me to.’

‘She paid you didn’t she?’

Klawdia paused. ‘Yes. But believe me when I tell you that I want you to stay alive.’

I took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Was she Mother’s employee or my friend? She was a warrior, and warriors were loyal to power and money. ‘How much?’

‘Adenine…’

‘How much?’

She breathed out. ‘Four gold a week.’

That was a substantial amount of money, as Mystoria’s weekly profits were less than that. ‘What do you do with the money?’

‘I pay informants to tell me things. I paid them to attack Healer Euka’s men. The rest is used for travel and supplies.’

‘You did what?’ Jemely cried. ‘Have you gone insane? Do you want to start a war?’

‘Healer Euka knows it was me. I work alone. She will not make this a political issue. It will not start a war. But she will try to play dirty.’

‘Well, what sorts of things would she do then? We have to be prepared, don’t we?’ Jemely asked.

‘Healer Euka will get the mayor involved. I’m almost certain of it,’ Klawdia answered.

‘But he was already involved,’ I said, wiping at my mouth.

‘You’re closer to fourteen than you once were. She’ll have reason to put pressure on him now. There are many tricks she could try.’

I thought maybe the best thing would be for me to run away. If I left, Healer Euka would leave my family alone, and I could live my life in peace somewhere else. I sat up, and several hands reached out to steady me, but I shooed them away. ‘Jemely, seeing as you’re one of my caretakers now,’ I said bitterly. ‘You can take me somewhere.’

‘I’ll have to ask your… I’ll have to ask Capacia.’

‘Fine. Ask her. She can’t stop me. Get me my blindfold.’

‘What do you plan to do?’ Klawdia asked. ‘I know you are angry, but where your mother will not stop you, I will.’ As Klawdia moved closer, I knew her threat was authentic.

I took a moment to think but found it difficult in Klawdia’s presence. I could ignore her as well as a rabbit could ignore a wolf. Jemely passed me the soft piece of material Mother had given me a while ago. I swung my legs to the side and dropped to the floor.

‘Where are you going?’ Jemely asked.

‘To see Emala.’

Jemely snorted. ‘Adenine, you can’t see the mayor’s daughter. The mayor suspects you, remember?’

‘She’s my friend.’

‘You’re not going to tell her, are you?’

‘I need a straight answer from her. Something both of you keep avoiding.’

After a long silence, Klawdia finally said, ‘Tell us what you want to know. We’ll tell you.’

I shook my head. ‘It’s too late.’

‘Tell us!’ Klawdia’s raised voice caught me off guard.

I blurted, ‘How healers heal.’

Jemely whispered, ‘Adenine. We’ve already told you we can’t—’

‘Then get me my walking stick.’

The long, smooth piece of wood was placed into my hand, and I grasped it and turned in Klawdia’s direction. ‘I thought you really cared about me.’

I hooked my arm in Jemely’s, and we left.

Mother tried to stop us on the way out by clasping a part of my dress but I pried her fingers away.

‘I forbid it,’ she cried as Jemely and I stepped out into the night.

There was nothing she could do or say to stop me.

Chapter XXII

A
T
THE
MAYOR
’
S
HOUSE
, I could hear someone preparing dinner in the kitchen. Jemely knocked on the door, and it creaked open. Hot air swirled around my legs.

‘Jemely! This
is
a surprise. Oh, and I see you have the little forest girl with you. I’m Mrs. Vawdon, the mayor’s wife.’

‘How do you do, Mrs. Vawdon? Could I please speak with Emala?’ I asked, using my finest manners.

‘Of course you may.’ She chuckled. ‘Good to see you girls focusing on your minds rather than boys. I’ll go fetch her.’

‘Thank you.’ I said. As Mrs. Vawdon walked away, I whispered to Jemely, ‘Stay downstairs.’

‘Fine. You going to ask Emala about—’

‘Yes.’

‘Well, at least don’t tell her you’re a—’

‘Adenine!’ Emala said, her feet pounding down a flight of stairs. She must have skipped the last few, as she landed on the floor with a thud. She ran to me.

‘Do you have time to talk?’ I asked her, hating how my mood seemed to change the feel of Emala’s warm, happy house.

‘Umm, sure. Come upstairs.’

I reached out, and finding her arm, I linked mine in hers.

We walked up the stairs and down a short hallway, then she guided me to the right. Coals popped and crackled, and the room smelled of wet charcoal and apple blossoms.

‘Sit here,’ she said, guiding me to her bed. ‘What’s wrong? Something is bothering you.’

I leaned my walking stick against the bed. My head began to ache. I felt heavy.

‘Oh, Adenine.’ She slipped her arm around my shoulders.

I resisted the urge to shrink away from her touch. I hated pity. ‘Emala, can you tell me about healers?’

‘Healers? You mean like the Meligna healers?’

I nodded.

‘That’s a weird request. What’s happened?’

‘Everything.’ I shuffled back on the bed, getting away from Emala’s hug, and leaned against the cold stone of her bedroom wall. ‘How do healers heal?’

‘We shouldn’t talk about that. It’s grownup talk.’

‘Please. I’m being serious. I need to know.’

‘Well…’ She lowered her voice to a whisper. ‘They lay with men.’

‘Lay with men. Is that like sleeping?’

She snickered.

‘Don’t laugh at me.’

‘Sorry, it’s just… everyone knows what “laying together” means.’

‘I don’t,’ I said, feeling stupid and idiotic. Mother had kept that from me, too.

‘Well, a man and a woman make babies by laying together, copulating. It’s when the man puts his…’ She leaned over and whispered the rest in my ear.

My mouth hung open. No wonder Uncle Garrad had attacked me.

‘You’re really interested in this, aren’t you?’ she said. ‘Has it got something to do with Healer Euka?’

‘You know her?’ I asked, surprised.

‘Of course I do.’

‘She’s trying to get me,’ I stated.

‘What? That doesn’t make sense. She’s my father’s friend and a friend to King Erageo. We can trust her.’

‘Don’t. She’s after me.’

‘Why?’

‘Emala, I’m a healer.’

She gasped. ‘What?’ I heard her stand up, and she gripped my arm and shook it. ‘No, you’re not. Why are you saying that?’

‘Because it’s true. I have the eyes. The golden eyes. And my hair is starting to turn a golden colour too.’

‘Take off your bonnet,’ Emala said.

‘No, it’s too difficult to get it back on again, and besides, Mama’s been dyeing it so you can’t see.’

‘Well, how do you know if you have gold eyes? You’re blind.’

Emala was right. I hadn’t seen my eyes before but I trusted what Klawdia told me, and it was the missing piece in a complicated puzzle. ‘Remember I’ve only been blind for three years. I know what colour my eyes are.’

She took a moment to think. ‘Wait. Father was asking me about you. ’

‘What did he want to know?’

‘Where you’re from. Oh, and he asked about your blindness, like how it happened.’

I stiffened. ‘You asked me about my eyes a long time ago, remember? It was after school. Was that because your father made you?’

‘What? No! I told you I was just curious. Honest, I had no idea. Adenine… about seven months ago, Father… well, Healer Euka gave him a hundred gold, saying something to do with a blind girl. She was here the other night too. The blind girl’s birthday was mentioned several times.’

Seven months ago. Before I met Emala. And she didn’t make the connection? Maybe there were other blind girls in Borrelia. ‘My birthday is in two weeks.’

‘Isn’t it… I mean, don’t healer girls go to live in Meligna when they turn fourteen? I guess you never got on that list because no one knew you were one.’ Emala obviously knew the law. ‘You don’t want to go to Meligna, do you?’

I shook my head.

‘But how did your mother keep it a secret? I mean—‘

‘She hid me away.’

Emala was silent for a moment. ‘What are you going to do?’