Chapter Six
“Come in, come in!”
Sabetha’s voice, warm and hearty, beckoned to them as surely as the woman herself. She stood in the arch of one of the side doors that punctuated the wall around her warehouse and stable yard. Altogether, the compound comprised the trading offices she shared with her business partner and son-in-law, Gormren.
“We picked up a horse, Sabetha,” Daen said. “If you can call him that.”
“I see.” Concern shaded into Sabetha’s tone. “He looks half-dead, poor thing. One moment, I’ll open up the gate for you.”
Vil used the time it took for Sabetha to disappear back inside the walls and reappear at the larger gate to study Aelys’s face. Fatigue smudged dark circles under her eyes, which was understandable, given the events of the day. But she bit and worried at her bottom lip, and her wide eyes and pinched brows said clearer than words that fear, rather than fatigue, haunted her mind.
“Bring him in,” Sabetha said as she swung the gate wide. “Hello, sweet boy! Oh, my goodness, you are in bad shape, aren’t you? Zavin here will take good care of you, won’t you, Zavin?”
One of the grooms Sabetha and Gormren employed to look after their horses came forward, murmuring soft reassurances under his breath, and took hold of the gelding’s bridle. Aelys flipped the reins to him, then leaned forward to swing her leg back over the horse’s haunches in a dismount.
Vil stepped up and caught her waist, easing her down. The lightly floral scent of her soap teased at him, and his fingers flexed involuntarily. She let out a tiny gasp.
“Did I hurt you?” he murmured just behind her ear as he set her feet down. She felt warm against him.
“No,” she whispered. “I just…was surprised.” Her voice was tight and a little breathless.
“You shouldn’t have been,” he said, and then stepped away before he could wrap her up more fully and give in to the desire to taste that bit of skin below her ear. She shivered and pulled her cloak tighter around herself.
Are you cold without me, Bella? Or are you feeling my thoughts the way you used to do?
“Come this way,” Sabetha urged as she strode toward them and wound her arm through Aelys’s. “I’ve hot wine, ale, and sandwiches waiting for you in my office. Let’s get you out of the chill and get you something to eat, and then you can tell me how it went.”
Vil wasn’t normally the trusting sort, but Sabetha had mostly won him over during their employment with her. She paid well and promptly, treated him and his brothers like an extension of her family, and positively doted on Aelys. Vil still watched her carefully for unexpected movements and had taken the time to learn as much as he could about the various ways in and out of the trading company complex, but overall, he liked Sabetha.
True to her word, she ushered them into her large, brightly lit office. Platters of meat and cheeses stood on the large round table she used for meetings. She shooed them into seats, then piled a plate high with food before setting it down in front of Aelys. A goblet of wine, steaming with fragrant herbs, followed, and then Sabetha sat beside Aelys while Vil and his brothers served themselves.
“So,” Sabetha said, bracing her elbows on the table and leaning forward. “How was Elva Barthon?”
“Her fever was quite serious,” Aelys said, as she unfastened the clasp on her cloak and let it fall to drape over the back of her chair. She reached for her wine and took a sip, closing her eyes briefly. “That is lovely, thank you,” she added, opening her eyes and smiling briefly at Sabetha.
“You’re welcome,” Sabetha said, glancing up at Vil with a brief smile as he slid into the seat next to her. Romik took the one on Aelys’s other side, but Daen took his plate over to the door, where he leaned against the wall and ate without looking at them.
“Were you able to help her?” Sabetha’s question brought Vil’s attention back to the table, and he picked up a small chunk of cheese and popped it in his mouth while Aelys continued.
“I was,” she said with a small, proud smile and a nod. “We found some carvacra, and I mixed it with meadowsweet and ginger in a tea. That let me bring her fever down.”
“Not just that,” Vil said. Sabetha raised her eyebrows and turned to look at him.
“What do you mean?”
Vil cut his eyes to Aelys. “Tell her the rest, Bella.”
Aelys swallowed. “Well, I…her fever was quite severe. And her daughter said she hadn’t responded to meadowsweet in the past. Part of that was that she couldn’t keep it down, but…well, I tried something new.”
“A new herb?” Sabetha narrowed her eyes and leaned further forward, consternation creasing her expression. But Aelys shook her head.
“No, nothing like that. I just…well, I infused some magical energy into the carvacra before I brewed the tea, when I dried the herb out. And that sort of magnified their effect.”
Sabetha sat back, blinking. “That is…I’ve never heard of anyone doing that. How do you infuse magical energy into an herb? They’re not living…at least, not after you’ve picked them.”
“Right,” Aelys said. “It’s unorthodox, to be sure, but I’ve been reading about artificers—mages who create magical objects. Part of what they do is to infuse magic into the very structure of the object’s component materials, like for a magic sword, or a shield. Before they ever begin to forge the actual gear itself, they pour power into the steel, or the leather, or the wood.”
“Wood…” Sabetha’s voice went soft, thoughtful. Aelys’s smile deepened slightly, and she nodded.
“Right,” she said. “Wood. Which is just plant material…just like carvacra leaves.”
“But how did you…Never mind. I doubt I’ll understand the explanation, since I don’t work with magic. So, you poured power into the carvacra, brewed it with meadowsweet and ginger, and then fed it to Elva? And she showed improvement?”
“Marked improvement.” Aelys leaned forward, her eyes bright with excitement. “Within an hour, her fever had broken, and within four, she was able to sit up and drink some broth. From all indications, she should make a full recovery.”
“Full recovery? From a fever that had her down for the better part of ten days? That’s unheard of!”
“I know,” Aelys said. “I really think we’re on to something here. I would like to go back in a day or two—”
“Are you joking?” Daen’s angry voice whipcracked through the room, pulling the group’s attention to them.
“No,” Aelys said, getting quieter as the excitement drained from her eyes. Vil gritted his teeth as her shoulders started to slump inward. “I just thought—”
“No, you didn’t. You didn’t fucking think at all if you want to go back there!”
“Daen—” Romik’s tone held a clear warning. Daen’s scowl deepened and he pushed off the wall, putting his plate down on Sabetha’s table with a clink.
“Did you forget about the thugs that showed up as we were leaving?”
“No, I—”
“They were looking for you, Aelys. By name. Are you trying to get us killed?”
Aelys blanched, her eyes going wide. “No! I just—”
“Because we got lucky today, Bella. The group that found us was completely incompetent, and too small to take all four of us on. But Gadren will know we’re here when his idiot fake nobleman doesn’t report in, and he’ll send others. Lots of others.”
“Daen is right,” Romik said, his deep, gravelly voice cutting through Daen’s impassioned rant. “You can’t go back there, Aelys. None of us can.”
“I will check on Elva in a few days.” Sabetha raised her hands in a mollifying gesture. “I only sent you because I hoped you’d be able to help where I couldn’t. Just as you did…but what is this? Who is Gadren, and why is he sending anyone after you?”
“We don’t actually know who he is,” Aelys said, her voice going softer as she curled further into herself. Vil gritted his teeth and took a sip of wine to keep himself from reaching out to grab her and demand she stop.
“Just that he’s been sending men after Aelys since she left the Lyceum,” Romik said. “Bandits, that is. They trapped us in a roadside inn and set fire to it the night we met. He’s put some kind of price on Aelys’s head.”
“They even attacked us here in Mageford the first time we were in town,” Vil added.
Sabetha’s eyebrows went up. “You never mentioned this,” she said. “I would have had you take precautions.”
“Like what?”
“Disguise,” Vil said, mentally kicking himself for not thinking of it earlier. “Different clothes at least. You’re rightfully proud of your title, Bella, but it does rather make you unforgettable in these parts.”
“Yes, clothing, but also her hair,” Sabetha said, getting up from her seat and walking around the table. “Anyone who looks at you can tell you’re a Brionne, child, even if you’re not claiming the connection.” She reached out and touched one of the white-blonde strands that curled down Aelys’s cheek and brushed her shoulder. Vil curled his fingers into fists and hid his hands under the table in response.
“I’ve an herbal solution that may do,” Sabetha went on. “It should darken it a little, at least, without damaging your hair or scalp. Perhaps some cosmetics, too. Darken your eyebrows a little, make them look a little heavier. You’d be surprised at how much difference a few subtle changes to the eye line can make.”
Then she met Vil’s eyes with a grim smile. “Or maybe you wouldn’t,” she murmured. “In any case, it should be enough to get you to Cievers.”
“Wait…Cievers?” Romik asked, leaning forward. “Why are we going to Cievers?”
“I’m not going to Cievers,” Vil murmured quietly.
“Well, not Cievers, exactly,” Sabetha said. “But the Lyceum.”
Aelys jerked forward. “What? I—I can’t! My aunt is a Sanva there! People will see me, word will get back to her and then—”
“Hush, child.” Sabetha put her hand on Aelys’s shoulder. “Relax and listen to what I propose before you immediately jump to disastrous conclusions. From what Daen and Romik have said, you cannot stay here. We can disguise you as I’ve said, but you’re already well known here in Mageford. That’s a problem, but if you leave, it may work in your favor. I will have a word with a few of my friends in town. We can spread rumors of you being various places, both in Mageford and elsewhere. In the meantime, you four will be safely ensconced with one of our caravans headed south.”
“But why the Lyceum?” Aelys asked. “I still don’t—”
“Because tomorrow’s caravan is going to Cievers. And because if what you told me about Elva’s fever is true, then you must certainly report your findings to Erisa. She and I have remained friends for years. I trust her. I will write to her in our private cypher and let her know that you need employment far from Mageford for the time being. She may have ideas.”
“Sanva Erisa is an instructor just like my aunt,” Aelys said. “Do you not think she will inform her about me?”
“Not if I ask her not to.” Sabetha patted Aelys’s shoulder. “Trust me, child. Erisa is a good friend. We will see you and your men safe, at least for the time being, until we can figure out who this Gadren is and what he wants with you.”
Aelys looked up at Sabetha, then flitted her gaze to Daen, Romik, and finally Vil.
“It’s a good plan,” he said, his voice soft. “We should go.”
“I’m afraid,” Aelys whispered, her eyes wide and glossy with unshed tears.
“We’ll be with you, Bella,” Romik said, reaching across the table to take her hand. “You don’t have to do this alone.”
“But you do have to do it,” Daen said, his voice quiet but hard as iron. “Sabetha’s right. This is our best option.”
Aelys swallowed and turned again to look at Vil. Then she nodded and met Sabetha’s eyes.
“All right,” she said. “We’ll go.”