EPIC: Fourteen Books of Fantasy (61 page)

If she didn’t care about me, then why get so involved with helping me? Maybe she wanted revenge on the healers. Maybe helping me was like helping all those girls that she’d stolen for the Queens.

‘Adenine.’ She shook my arm. ‘This is bad. The rumour will spread. People will go to your home either for a healing or to drive you out of town. Imagine people full of fear and desperation. We need to talk to Capacia. Now.’

Chapter XXVI

B
EFORE
WE
LEFT
, K
LAWDIA
GATHERED
her hunting bow, a quiver full of arrows, a dagger, a sword, and a knapsack.

‘Times will be more difficult for you once the rumour spreads. The mayor will use this to his advantage.’ She threw a strip of leather at me.

In an attempt to catch it, my hands flayed in an uncoordinated manner. The material fell to the floor. I bent to pick it up.

Klawdia looked dismayed. ‘You can’t catch?’

‘Out of practice,’ I said.

‘Never mind that. Just use that for a blindfold.’ Klawdia decorated her body with the various weapons. A knife went into her boot, a bow hugged her back, and her sword was sheathed at her side. With one hand she held both the quiver—which had long sharp spikes on the bottom—and her bag.

‘What’s going to happen?’ I asked, gawking at the weapons.

‘This is precaution. Let’s go.’

As we left her house, she lodged an object between the door and a doorframe.

‘What’s that for?’

‘If this piece of wood has fallen, it means someone has entered my house. We’re going that way.’ She pointed toward the left of the houses that framed the village square.

Klawdia walked out onto the road ahead. She looked to the left and then to the right, then gestured for me to follow her. I went down the two steps at the end of her porch and tied the blindfold over my eyes. The leather material was solid and blocked my vision. While I could see underneath, I couldn’t see ahead.

‘Klawdia, you need to guide me. I can’t see.’

She walked back to me, and I held her arm.

Several townsfolk passed us. They said nothing and neither did Klawdia. It must have looked strange to them that she was wearing so many weapons and leading a blind girl. Weapons weren’t that uncommon, as I had recently discovered. The soldiers in Borrelia always held swords and daggers and other men had bows and quivers on their bodies. It was Klawdia’s flaming red hair that made her threatening. But luckily, she’d covered that with a cloak.

‘We turn here,’ she said.

We wound through a shadowy alley until the ground became muddy grass.

‘Take that off,’ she said, tapping my forehead.

I untied the blindfold. We were standing in my backyard. Klawdia entered the house, telling me to wait. I heard urgent voices inside, then the snap of a door latch. Klawdia appeared, gesturing for me to enter.

‘Adenine,’ Mother cried and wheeled her chair towards me. ‘The mayor was here, and Healer Euka. They want—’

‘Me to go to Meligna,’ I finished for her. ‘I heard the conversation.’

‘Jemely said you were outside, and we feared the worst when we couldn’t find you. Where did you go?’

‘I won’t go to Meligna,’ I insisted.

‘I know. I had a letter from Mr. Corgastor. He’ll be paying me a visit tomorrow. He said he’s agreed to the sale and will pass the land rights over to the Borrelia council, who will take care of finding the shack a new owner.’

‘Hm,’ Klawdia said. ‘That might draw some attention to us. Although if Mayor Vawdon is preoccupied with Adenine, he might overlook that matter. If he does notice, I doubt he’ll have the place inspected so close to winter. Anyway, we have more important matters to discuss.’

I swallowed and looked at my boots. It had been irresponsible of me to keep the blindfold off at Frooby’s house. But he’d been so happy to see me. Looking into his eyes, having him accept me, made me feel good about myself. Maybe other people could learn to like me as Frooby had.

‘Oh, no. What happened now?’ Mother asked.

‘You tell her, Adenine,’ Klawdia said.

‘I-I saw Frooby.’

‘You saw that sick boy? I don’t like the fact you’re friends with him. He’s older than you, and if he knew what you were, he might try to…’ Mother put a hand up to her face and closed her eyes.

‘What, Mama?’

‘Rape you.’

‘What do you mean?’ I asked.

‘Is it wise to scare her further?’ Klawdia asked irritably.

Jemely came downstairs. ‘Adenine. You’re well!’ She hugged me. ‘I thought maybe the mayor had caught you or something. He was talkin’ about forcing you to have your eyes unstitched. Did you know that?’

I smiled, but my eyes were still locked on Mother’s. I was waiting for her to explain what she’d meant.

‘Well?’ I asked, and Jemely screwed her face up and glanced at Capacia. ‘Mama is worried Frooby will rape me.’

‘Ahh, so that’s where you were this afternoon. Got a little crush on him, have you? But honestly… Frooby, rape?’ She laughed. ‘That colt’s as frail as a snail shell. Can hardly lift his spoon to eat his breakfast than pull down his pants and hold down a fighter girl like Adenine. He’d break in two just getting on her.’

‘Oh hush, Jemely!’ Mother said, glaring at her. Jemely stopped chuckling.

‘Rape is when a man forces himself on a woman, when he makes her lay with him even when she does not approve,’ Klawdia said.

‘Like what Uncle Garrad tried to do to me?’ I asked.

Everyone shifted their eyes to the ground.

‘What?’ I asked, confused by their reaction.

‘Yes. It’s what Uncle Garrad tried to do. But perhaps you shouldn’t mention it in passing conversation,’ Mother said and patted my head. ‘I guess it’s presumptuous of me to assume that your friend Frooby wants a healing from you. I just want you to be careful, Adenine.’

Klawdia nodded. ‘I agree. Frooby is harmless. But your mother’s advice is right, Adenine. Men will try to persuade you to heal them. And wives will try to get you to heal their husbands. Daughters will try for their fathers, and sisters for brothers. Your gift makes you a target, and since the Meligna Queens are hated by southerners, you’ll be seen as one of them. And with the whole town knowing—’

‘What do you mean the whole town knows?’ Mother cried. ‘How does the town know about this? Mayor Vawdon did something, didn’t he? I’ve known that man his entire life. I’ll give him my harshest opinion if need be.’

‘That would be unwise, Capacia,’ Klawdia said.

‘Yeah, he’s already said you have to cooperate,’ Jemely reminded Mother.

‘What happened at Frooby’s then? Did you show him your eyes?’ Mother asked.

‘Yes. His maid saw, too. It was a mistake. Honest.’

‘I thought you were clever,’ Mother said, throwing her hands in the air.

Klawdia shook her head. ‘The townspeople will make this a personal issue. Adenine and I will go to the hill shack tonight. If the mayor comes here, tell him Adenine has run away. He can’t blame you for that.’ Klawdia took out a knife, tossing it from hand to hand.

‘Jemely,’ she said, pointing the knife at her, ‘you stay here, and if anything happens to Capacia, you come to the hill shack. Capacia, do you have some parchment and ink?’

‘Yes. Over there near my inventories.’ Mother pointed at her desk.

Klawdia stood and searched the table. After finding an ink pot, quill, and one rolled rectangle of parchment, she came back to our gathered group. She dipped the quill in the ink and wrote with long strokes on each side of the paper: North. West. East. South.

‘Do you understand maps?’

‘Of course I do. I’m not an idiot,’ Jemely said.

‘All right, well, here…’ Klawdia drew small symbols that looked like little houses. And then she drew mountains around the houses. To the left, she made a long mark with little squiggles. ‘Here is the river; here is Borrelia and the mountains. This is how you get to the hill shack. She drew a new picture of a road going north from Borrelia that connected with the main road leading to Meligna, which was called The Healers Walk. I’d learned that in school. ‘You travel up this for one and half hours. You will turn into the bushes on your right. Find a fence. Jump that fence and walk directly east. There’s a wide creek and, beyond that, is the shack at the base of a mountain.’

‘I can do that. I’ve an idea where that is too. I did a bit of exploring in my younger days.’

‘Oh, you’re so old, Jemely,’ Mother said, rolling her eyes.

That looked funny to me, and I giggled.

Jemely pointed at Mother. ‘Hey. I’m one and nine. Most girls I know have children.’

‘Concentrate,’ Klawdia ordered.

Someone knocked on the front door, and all four of us froze. Klawdia crouched and slinked towards the entrance. She went to a nearby window dressed in white drapes, peeled the curtains back, and peered outside. After a moment, she unlatched the door, opened it, and yanked Varago towards her. He tripped over her boot and nearly fell to the floor. She slammed the door again, relocking it.

‘No need to make an old man fly about the room,’ he said, brushing himself off.

‘There’s a problem,’ Klawdia said and stormed away from him giving him a brief, but stern glare.

He raised an eyebrow. ‘There always is.’

Mother relayed the story about Healer Euka and the mayor’s visit.

‘We’re wasting time,’ Klawdia said. ‘Adenine, go upstairs and fill a bag with clothes and footwear. Get some flint, a couple of rabbits, preserves, bread, spices, chalk, and soap. I can hunt with my bow, and I have a few other items to keep us alive and fed for a while.’

‘What about Butter?’ I asked.

‘He’ll be safe with me,’ Mother said.

‘Yes, Capacia will look after him until he is recovered,’ Klawdia agreed.

I went upstairs and checked on Butter. He was asleep near the hearth. His ears perked up at my approach, and he lifted his head and panted at me. Life had returned to his eyes, and he wagged his tail and stood on shaky legs.

‘Well hello, my little snow angel,’ I said, scratching him behind the ears. He was getting so big that his head reached my own when I crouched. He licked my face and nuzzled me.

‘I’ll be back to get you soon. You just keep getting better, all right?’ I hugged him and led him back to his bed. I patted the soft deer hide, encouraging him to lie down. He did, sighing through his nose, blowing dust along the floor and closing his eyes.

I left him to gather the items Klawdia had requested. I could hear strained voices downstairs and knew Mother was giving Klawdia a lecture on taking care of me. Klawdia didn’t appreciate being told what to do and was barely tolerating Mother’s harassment.

I made sure to grab some extra cloth from the storeroom and threw the coarse piece of leather Klawdia had given me to the ground. After fashioning a new blindfold with the thin black material, I scaled the attic stairs. I collected my clothes and went to the kitchen to gather food. There were sweet cakes and sugared goodies on the benches. I put every one of them into small pouches. The leather knapsack was full when I was done.

After taking one more look around the house, I made my way back down the stairs. A loud banging at the front door scared me so much I almost fell.

There were thumps and shuffles, then Klawdia appeared at the bottom of the stairs. ‘Adenine, hurry up. It’s Frooby’s father, Derkal. He’s brought the mayor with him.’

My heart raced. Klawdia yanked the knapsack out of my hands and plonked it at the back door.

‘Capacia! Open up!’ the mayor yelled.

‘Adenine, push that blindfold up. I want to look into your eyes,’ Mother said, and I obeyed. A tear rolled down her face. ‘Don’t ever get caught, you hear me? You do everything you can to stay out of sight. And Klawdia, you better damn well protect her.’

‘I love you,’ I said to Mother. I pulled the material back down over my eyes, and Mother gathered me up in a hug and kissed my cheek.

Klawdia and I barrelled out through the back door. We paused only to check for soldiers watching the house and then sprinted down a dirt road leading directly north out of town. My chest ached, and my lungs felt as if they would burst. When the muscles in my legs seized, I collapsed onto a grassy patch alongside the road.

‘Adenine, get up. We must keep going.’

‘How much further?’ I asked.

‘Another hour yet.’

‘Of running?’ I groaned.

Klawdia’s eyes were fixated on the road, on the forest, on the sky. She was watching and listening as if she were a predator calculating her next move. ‘The day is closing. See how the angle of the sun changes? See how the birds flutter about looking for their last scrap of food? And there are no scurrying ants.’ She dug the toe of her boot into the ground. ‘The day animals are making way for the night ones. You must read nature, for very soon, your life may depend on it.’ She frowned and searched through her bag. ‘Here.’ She handed me a dagger.

‘Why do I need this?’

‘The shack is at the base of Borrelia mountain range amongst thick forest. There are bears, wolves, and lions. It is still autumn, but winter is near us. The animals grow desperate for food. Unlike people, predators hunt because it is their nature. Now, when you use a dagger, you thrust it like this.’

She stood with her legs slightly apart and bent her knees, shoulders and feet aligned. She turned her body to the side. And then she lunged. The movement was quick and startling, and I heard the blade whoosh past my ear.

‘You see. This,’ she said, patting her legs, ‘makes you sturdy, like a rock. Try to push me over.’

I shoved her several times. When she didn’t budge, she grinned.

‘See?’ Her eyes flashed like blue flames. ‘Now, grip your dagger like this. Point it outwards and lunge forwards like I showed you.’

I did as she asked and imagined my blade going into the neck of a bear, or the body of someone attacking me. But I didn’t like the thoughts at all, and I felt frightened at the idea of having to defend myself.

‘You hesitate. No fear, Adenine. No fear.’ She replaced the dagger in her boot, looked me up and down, and threw her bag over her shoulder. ‘Let’s keep going.’