Sea of Sighs (Empath Book 2) (24 page)

“Stop? I thought you were a warrior now. You
should be able to run all day long. What’s wrong with you?”

“Firstly, I’ve been learning for, what, four
days? Secondly, what’s
wrong
with
me
? Have you looked
in a mirror any time recently?”

“You mean the…”

“I mean whatever you think I mean. You look
terrible, Maertn. What have they been doing to you?”

“They haven’t been doing anything, Quinn.
This is normal.”

“Normal? What is it, a test? If you don’t
die
in your first few weeks
of training, they’ll move you on to the next stage?”

“All of the active healers look like this.
Did you see those men on the cushions? The healers are always
exhausted. It’s just the way things are. What we do is
draining.”

“You were never like this with me.”

“Yes, dear heart, but I was only ever really
healing you. Sure, there was the occasional childbirth, but I
shared my duties with Torran, and we didn’t serve the whole of the
city. The apothecary was only available to those in the court and
the castle. Here, we have all of Farn to heal, not just the rich
and those that can afford it. All of the commoners get whatever
healing they need at the hospital, no matter who they are. So, we
take it in turns, and to be quite frank, it’
s
exhausting.
”

“You’ve been healing in the hospital
already?”

“Of course. How else am I meant to learn to
heal?”

“By reading books—weren’t you in a classroom
just now?”

“Yes. There is still some theory I need to
learn, and even the masters continue their studies in the classes.
Because of all the practical healing I’d done in Everfell, they
thought it would be safe for me to put my skills to some good
use.”

Quinn beamed at Maertn then, delighted to
hear the joy in his voice. Maertn’s happiness and well-being were
more important than the way he looked. If he was just tired, like
the other healers, then Quinn wouldn’t judge his guild harshly for
it.

“That’s amazing! What did you do at the
hospital?”

“A boy came in, on my first day. He’d been
hit by a loose horsecart.”

Quinn’s hands shot to her mouth. “That’s
awful! How did you save him?”

“Honestly Quinn, I’d tell you if I could,
but I can’t even explain it to myself. He’d lost so much blood, and
his legs…
I don
’t even think about his
legs. They weren’t at natural angles. But I did what I did to
you.”

“To me?”

“Yes. Remember the Beach? I went to get him.
He was already quite far out. Not as far as you had been that
second time.”

Quinn shuddered at remembering that fateful
day on the Beach of Bones, and pushed Maertn to carry on. “So you
managed to coax him back from the Beach. I thought you could only
do that with me? How did that help his legs?”

“
I don
’t know how
it helped him. It was easier bringing him back than it was you,
that’s for sure. When I woke up, his legs were healed, and hours
had passed. They weren’t completely healed, but the bones were back
in place. He will walk again. Xander, my master in the hospital,
was so pleased! Apparently apprentices have never done that before.
I haven’t even told them about the healings I did for you,
yet.”

“Has he asked anything about me?”

“They’ve asked about Sammah, and what it was
like growing up with an empath, but that’s it. They’re treating me
like a new student. They want me to have a good grounding before I
work on the more intricate things.”

“As if you’re not capable. So why let you go
to the hospital? Surely bringing someone back from the Beach is
considered complex.”

“
I don
’t fully
understand their ways yet, so I won’t question it. All I know is,
I’m enjoying it, and I…I’m doing so much
good
here, Quinn. I’m helping normal people, and
already saving lives.”

Quinn grabbed his hand and squeezed it. “I’m
so glad for you Maertn, I really am. Let’s go. We need to be at the
council Hall quickly if we’re to back it back in time for our
masters.”

Maertn agreed by sprinting off. Quinn ran
after him, heading straight for the council Hall.

* * *

The hall wasn’t any less intimidating than
the first time Quinn had been in there. It was, however, empty.
Their set of footsteps echoed through the cavernous space. The
cream marble, polished and immaculate, bounced the orange sun of
the dying day up into Quinn’s face. Quinn decided this was a tactic
used to intimidate visitors, though she had no idea how the men and
women of the council ever got used to being bombarded by light.

As the baron was expecting a visitor, he
should be in his rooms behind the Hall. Maertn didn’t hesitate as
he dragged back to the offices, making Quinn think her friend had
already been here before. Quinn hadn’t thought yet of asking Maertn
about Ross, and she felt guilty for that.
Remember to ask the
baron
. Pax, seeing that she was being cooperative with her
master, would hopefully part with more information on Ross than her
previous visit.

Quinn hadn’t been in the baron’s personal
offices yet, so she was surprised when she found a simple room more
reflective of apprentices than the leader of the city. She recalled
what Baron Sammah’s apartments had been like in Everfell, and he
claimed to have been working in squalor compared to his rooms at
home.

Pax’s offices were bare, with nothing
adorning the walls, and a light sheen of sand scattered across the
floor instead of an ornate rug. He was sitting at his table, the
light of one single candle guttering as his quill scratched across
parchment. He looked up when they both walked in, and his smile
made Quinn think he was genuinely surprised to see them both. Just
a quick check told Quinn that he was indeed thrilled. But Quinn
knew her powers could be deceptive—why was he pleased? If pleasure
was his basic emotion, what was the reason for it?

“Maertn! Your timing is excellent, as
always. I wasn’t expecting you here though, Quinn?”

“Tarik said I could accompany Maertn. I’ve
been doing well in training, and I had a few questions for you, if
that is okay?”

“Of course, it’s fine; you’re not a prisoner
here.”

“So you keep telling me.”

Maertn elbowed her, and gave her a dangerous
look which, in no uncertain way, was telling her to be quiet. Quinn
was surprised at being admonished, especially by Maertn. Usually,
her brother was on her side in all things.

“Well, it was Maertn I arranged to see, so I
will see to my business with him first, if that’s fine with you?
It’s not a private matter, not between family, so you may stay in
the room—if Maertn is okay with that?”

Maertn shrugged as if to show he didn’t mind
either way, so Pax waited for them both to sit down. Pax finished
writing a sentence, and placed his quill down on the desk. He laced
his fingers together, cocking his head. An awkward smile played
across his face. Quinn was surprised to find that he was
nervous.

“Rall tells me you’re already working in the
hospital, Maertn. How are you finding it?”

“I must admit baron, it is tough work. I
didn’t realise just how many people you treated here.”

The baron nodded knowingly, “That’s why the
healers are so important to us. We need every single hand we can in
the hospital, and you will be a valuable addition to our community
here in Farn.”

“Thank you… Is that all you wanted from
me?”

“I asked for Rall to train you for a reason,
lad. You’ve had experience a healer before, and you were
practically autonomous in Everfell. I was worried that you’d push
yourself too hard, and I know that of all my men, Rall is the
best-positioned to monitor you. His last message to me was
disturbing, and I am disappointed to see that your master was not
lying to me. You are working too hard,
Maertn. I
don
’t want to sound ungrateful, but we don’t want you
draining yourself out. That’s the whole reason for us having
multiple healers. You don’t need to work until you pass out.”

Maertn bowed his head. “I’m sorry,
baron.”

“Never be sorry for helping people, Maertn.
Just remember that you can’t help anybody if you can’t help
yourself. Be careful. Don’t stretch yourself. That’s all I really
needed to say to you. We care about our people, in times of peace,
and in times of war. So, Quinn, what did
you
need from
me?”

Quinn gulped a few times, the baron’s show
of support for Maertn completely disrupting her own trail of
thought. She stuttered a few times before eventually finding her
voice. “Where’s Ross?”

As Maertn was clearly fine, despite how he
outwardly looked—and the rest of it having been brought upon
himself—Quinn decided to be blunt in asking what had happened to
her other friend.

“He’s fine. You can ask any of the
guardsmen. They rotate shifts guarding his rooms. You don’t need to
come to me to ask this thing.”

“They won’t tell me anything about it.
Master Tarik didn’t know anything either.”

“Tarik isn’t a guardsman, and he hasn’t been
paid to chatter with you. He is being paid to teach you how to
swing a sword. Find a man in the Farn house uniform—black with gold
trim—and they will be able to tell you about Ross. Is that all you
wanted?”

Quinn blushed. No, she wanted to ask about
Nerren, but the baron had taken all of the wind out of the sails
and now she was too scared to ask. Not wanting to seem like a
blustering fool though, she changed the topic. “Will there be a war
soon, do you think, if you’re employing someone as skilled as Tarik
to train me?”

“Now that is a better question, especially
given your status in the court.

“The council has spoken more on this matter,
now we have had time to think about it. We haven’t heard much from
Everfell about Sammah’s trial. Even Lord Lynton is surprised. We
haven’t told the lord this, but yes, it is looking more likely that
a war is inevitable. You know that I would prefer to sit and wait
it out, but I cannot leave my people unprepared, in case the men of
Everfell decide to invade.”

“You keep saying,
your people
. I
thought the council made decisions for Sha’sek as a
collective?”

“The council debates decisions for the good
of the islands, this is true. We don’t all agree on things, but
despite our disagreements, our paramount aim is to secure a better
future for our people. There are twelve of us, but there must be
one person above others, to guide and to speak on the council’s
behalf. If a vote on a ruling is split, there must be one person
who has the ultimate right to judgement. That person is me, now.
Sha’sek might not have a king, like Everfell have Vance, but I’m
the closest thing they’ll ever have to one.”

“What if you win the war? What of the people
of Everfell?”

“We’re not going to butcher everyone, if
that’s what you’re thinking. The whole point is that we can’t
survive, separated over so many islands. The council wants to bring
the lands together. The people of Sha’sek will move inland.”

“And that’s always been the reason Sha’sek
and Everfell have been at conflict?”

“Sha’sek didn’t start the last war, Quinn.
No matter what you’ve heard about Nerren and his influences, he
wasn’t acting alone and he didn’t not force everyone to take up a
sword. He was powerful, but he was not
that
powerful. Shiver
struck first, and we reacted in self-defence. All Nerren wanted to
do was defend his people….”

Pax was getting loud and irate. Quinn had
hit a nerve; she could feel the heat of anger and passion roiling
around him. If she let it, it would heat up the room for her, but
she couldn’t concentrate on his words and his emotions. “You
shouldn’t be concerned with this yet, Quinn. You…perhaps this is my
fault. I’ve kept you isolated since you got here. This is the way
we used to treat empaths, and I thought it was for your own good.
Clearly that isn’t the case. You need to see the side of Sha’sek
the other people see, and the bit the people that people of
Everfell really don’
t understand.

“Go back to Tarik. Maertn, you too, return
to your master. You’re both to have the night off. The council is
entertaining tonight, and you are invited. Quinn, you are to ask
your maid to take you both to Laise. She will make you a dress to
wear tonight, Quinn, and a suit for you, please, Maertn. You have
met the council, and you have both started your study with our
masters. Tonight, you will see what it really means to be a part of
the Sha’sekian court.”

Quinn had been reticent
about telling Tarik she wasn’t going to be training with him that
evening. Her gruff master seemed pleased, though, and his eyes lit
up when Quinn told him that she needed to see Laise. The woman was
a renowned dressmaker, and Tarik informed her that the woman’s
talent was just that—dressmaking.

Quinn hadn’t considered this. Beyond the
fearful control of emotions, all she had seen of Sha’sek were its
fighters and healers. She hadn’t considered that people would have
more benign skills, and the prospect made the residents of Farn
seem less intimidating as a whole. Sara clapped her hands with glee
when Quinn told her where they were to go, and declared her
jealousy. Only the rich wore dresses made by Laise.

Laise’s shop was in the street of tailors.
It was a proper shop, with windows and a small display in the
front, completely in contrast to the silk stores Quinn had seen in
the markets. A small bell tinkled as Quinn walked in, and Laise,
sitting at a table, turned to glance at them. She reminded Quinn of
Renner, the matriarch of Everfell’s kitchens. She was an officious
woman, bustling around her workshop like it was her own private
kingdom, a handful of girls scuttling around after her making
threads, sweeping floors, and putting up the dresses to hang that
just been made by their mistress. When Quinn had sidled in, she had
been shooed away, but when she passed over a scroll sealed by the
baron himself, Laise had come scuttling over, raising her hands in
delight.