Текст книги "Touch of Power"

Автор книги: Maria V. Snyder

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“It’s getting late,” Kerrick said.

I jumped a foot. “Will you stop doing that!” I spun in the direction of his voice.

“Doing what?” He stepped from the shadows, but halted a few feet away.

“Sneaking up on me.”

“I wasn’t. You’re just deaf to the sounds of the forest.” His reasonable tone at least meant he’d gotten over his earlier snit.

“I don’t have your forest magic.”

“You don’t need it. The forest has its own unique…song. I taught my men how to listen for notes that are off-key, and for those silent pauses which means danger.”

Curious, I couldn’t help asking, “Did you teach them how to move without making noise?”

“Yes. Except they do make noise. It just blends in with the forest’s song so it doesn’t stand out. I could teach it to you if you’d like.”

I searched his expression, but I couldn’t tell if he joked or was serious. Instead of responding, I asked him, “Why didn’t you tell your men about your magic?”

“I don’t want them to rely on it.”

“But you use it all the time.”

“Only since you’ve been with us. I don’t want them getting lazy or sloppy, believing I can protect everyone. There’s a reason I taught them how to navigate the forest. If something happened to me, they need to be able to protect themselves.”

“What about Belen? He’s been with you the longest. Doesn’t he suspect?”

“We’ve never talked about it. He may.”

“He probably felt you using magic at some point.”

A strange queasy expression, almost a flinch, creased his face for a second. “Those without power can’t feel it. In fact, I was under the impression that only a fellow forest mage could sense it, and only when we were both in the forest. I can’t feel others’ magic unless they use it when we’re both in the woods.”

That would explain his queasiness. “When you grabbed my hand, I not only felt the magic, but I sensed what you did. Is it your power or mine that makes that…connection possible?”

“I don’t know. I’ve encountered a few other magicians, but nothing like that has happened to me before.”

“And I’ve only been around other healers. We can share power—like when I sent you a portion of my energy, but that connection has been…unique.” Except when I had been inside the Death Lily. Interesting.

Thinking about magicians reminded me of the night we had rescued Melina. “Why didn’t those two magicians who searched for us sense your power?”

“They aren’t of the forest. One is a water mage and, I think, the woman drew hers from the moon.”

The plague had decimated the ranks of magicians, as well. No wonder they traveled with seven others for protection.

“Were they powerful?” I asked.

“Hard to tell for sure.”

With every merc and bounty hunter searching for me, it seemed odd Tohon would send two valuable supporters. And where were they earlier when the Death Lily had me? I don’t remember sensing them among the mercs. Remembering what Melina had said about Grzebien, I made an unpleasant connection.

“Those two magicians aren’t from Tohon. Who else is chasing us?” I asked.

“How did you make that leap?”

I paused. Was he testing my logic or was he indeed surprised by the possibility of another faction? Probably testing me. I repeated Melina’s story. “Estrid of Ozero’s people could be hunting us, as well. She’s giving gold for information, and I’m sure she doesn’t want Tohon or Ryne to have a healer, either.” I suppressed a sigh. “It’s all a big game, isn’t it? A power struggle to see who can grab the most between the three of them.” Sadness filled me. If I wasn’t a pawn in this game, I’d be free to heal those who needed me.

“Ryne wanted to organize the survivors and help them rebuild their towns even before the plague died out. He knew if no one stepped up to enforce the laws that criminals would take full advantage, forming gangs, and marauders would wreak havoc,” Kerrick said. “If he hadn’t gotten sick, I think we’d still have Fifteen Realms.”

“But he did get sick and now he’ll need a large army and magicians to disband the mercenaries and all the other factions, and to stop both Tohon and Estrid. An impossible task.”

“Ryne will find a way.”

“You can’t know that for certain.”

“I can.” His gaze burned into mine. “I wouldn’t have spent two years searching for you if I didn’t have utter faith in him.”

The next logical question would be why Kerrick had this faith. But I squelched it. I didn’t want to know. Or was it because I was afraid to know?

I glanced away.

He said, “You’re right about Estrid. She sent her dogs to stop us from reaching Ryne. They’re moving to block the pass through the Nine Mountains as we speak.”

“I thought there are other routes across them.” All infested with dangerous marauders and ufa packs. Swell.

“Not in the winter.”

“Can we beat them there?” I asked.

“No. We’ve had too many delays.” He gave me a pointed stare.

“What’s next, then?”

“As you pointed out, the mercs believe we’re dead. If we lay low for a few weeks, then word of our demise should reach Estrid and she’ll recall her troops.”

My heart skipped a few beats. “Lay low as in hide?”

“Yes. It shouldn’t be a problem for you. You’re adept at running and hiding.” He turned and disappeared into the shadows.

Oh, joy. The nasty jab from Kerrick paled in comparison to the thought of spending even more time with him and his loyal companions.

I returned to the campfire. The others had fallen asleep. Squirming under my blanket, I stared at the clear night sky. Kerrick’s hideout would probably be inside a cave, which would obscure this fantastic view. Sleeping under so many stars felt magical. Although sleeping through an ice storm would be horrible. In that case, a cave would be welcome.

Tonight was the perfect night to see the various star patterns. I found the cluster my father had called the bull’s horns. Grinning, I remembered his story about the absentminded bull who had lost his horns. The stories had been his way of teaching us various life lessons, but at the time, I had believed poor Yegor still searched the earth for his horns. If only the bull had looked up, all would be well.

I hadn’t fully appreciated those late nights, sitting on the porch with my two brothers and my sister, Noelle, tucked in my lap, listening to my father’s stories. He’d been a romantic stargazer. Looking back, I realized it must have been terrible for him to work so deep underground in the mines. He’d taken the high-paying job so we could afford the apprenticeship fee for me.

What a brat I’d been then, complaining about having to wait a few months before I could start my lessons. Not even thanking my father for his hard work and sacrifice. And I didn’t even consider Noelle’s feelings. She’d been my almost constant companion since she was born, and I had left for the month-long trip to Galee without any thought to how she would react to me being gone. The distance between my home and Tara’s had been too great for visits, although I had planned one about halfway through my four-year apprenticeship with Tara.

It was difficult to sleep with guilt lodged under my heart. I tossed and turned until daybreak erased the black sky.

We traveled east for five days. I was right. Kerrick stopped at a cave system close to the town of Grzebien, and proclaimed it home.

“Isn’t this Pomyt Realm and occupied by Estrid?” Loren asked. He built a fire ring as Quain and Flea fetched rocks for him. Belen had been sent out to collect firewood.

“Yes.” Kerrick sorted through his pack.

“Then why—?”

“Estrid’s searching for us.”

Loren glanced up, but Kerrick didn’t offer to explain further.

“Logically, we should head west away from the people intent on harming us.” I tossed a few sprigs of parsley into the soup—my first attempt at cooking. “Which makes hiding in her occupied lands a strategic move. I’m guessing this area isn’t well-known to the locals or used. Right?” I aimed my question at Kerrick.

“Right,” he said.

“Still seems too risky to me,” Quain said.

“Consider it from Estrid’s point of view.” I tapped the spoon on the pot. “She believes we’re intent on reaching Ryne, and she has blocked the route. When we fail to arrive, she’ll think we’re either dead, captured by Tohon or holed up somewhere nearby so we could dash across the Nine Mountains at the first opportunity.”

“You don’t dash across those mountains,” Kerrick said.

“That’s beside the point.”

“And what is the point?” Flea asked.

“You tell me,” I said.

He chewed on his lower lip. “This is probably the last place she’d search for us?”

“That’s right.”

“I still think it’s dangerous,” Quain said.

“Dangerous would be getting too close to Tohon,” Kerrick said.

“Or trying to go around the mountains,” I said.

Kerrick shot me a surprised glance as if he hadn’t considered that idea before.

“No,” I said. “It would add months to the journey and the Ronel Sea is treacherous even in the summer. It would be suicide in the winter.”

When he kept his contemplative purse, I added, “And we’d have to cross Pomyt. It’s one thing to hide out just within the border, but to travel in the open…”

“Is asking for trouble.” Quain supplied.

“Who’s asking for trouble?” Belen asked. He entered the cave carrying a huge pile of firewood. Dumping it in a corner of the cavern, he collected a handful of thin branches.

“Guess,” Quain said. He smirked, pointing to me behind Belen’s back.

Belen bent over the fire ring, building a lattice of kindling around a few thicker branches. Without looking at Quain, Belen said, “I’d say you’re looking for trouble, Quain. Because that’s what you’ll get if you keep teasing Avry.”

Unaffected, Quain challenged. “From who? You or Kerrick?”

“From Avry.” Belen straightened. “She can hold her own, don’t you forget that.”

My turn to smirk. Quain opened his mouth to retort, but Kerrick silenced him with a single raised eyebrow.

Belen had the fire roaring in no time. The smoke vented through a natural chimney in the ceiling. I wondered how Kerrick had found all these caves. Water had eroded parts of the bedrock, forming them. I’d think sensing holes in the ground would be part of a rock magician’s skills and not a forest mage’s. However, I wasn’t an expert. I’d learned the eleven different types of magic—forest, earth, water, fire, air, life, rock, death, moon, sun and healing—but my education hadn’t gone beyond the basics.

I could ask Kerrick, but that question would have to wait until we were alone. Not likely now that we were “home.” Considering he hadn’t said more than a few words to me since that night we talked about Ryne, I doubt he’d talk to me.

“We’re getting low on supplies,” Kerrick said. “There’s a market in Grzebien, but a few of us would be too recognizable.”

“The monkeys can go,” Belen said.

“Except they made quite an impression on the town watch the last time we were here.”

The monkeys exchanged confused glances.

“Whiskey Wendi,” Kerrick said.

“Oh, yes,” Loren said. A slow smile spread on his lips. “That was Grzebien? Wow that was…a wild time.”

“That was also over a year ago before Estrid and when the Booze Baron ruled the town. Do you really think the people would remember us?” Quain asked.

“Whiskey Wendi,” Loren repeated, looking at Quain with a gleam in his eyes.

“Oh, yeah.” Quain grinned. “Yeah, they’d remember.”

“We have enough provisions for a week,” Kerrick said. “Then Flea can take her if…” He focused on me. “If she can learn how to move through the woods without sounding like a buck protecting its territory.”

“I think she sounds more like a brown bear defending her cubs,” Loren said.

“You guys are nuts,” Quain said. “She sounds exactly like a troop of watchmen after some poacher.”

With a wide grin, Flea joined in the teasing. “When I hear her, I’m always reminded of when we were chased through Horse Shoe Forest by that pack of wild dogs.”

Everyone turned to Belen. “I think she does pretty good considering she hasn’t had any training.”

“Thank you, Belen,” I said, giving him a sweet smile.

The rest groaned. Quain threw a rock at him. Belen caught it in one hand. While the men joked, I added the remaining ingredients to my soup. I fished a few hot embers from the fire and placed the pot over them. As I stirred the liquid, my thoughts returned to Kerrick’s comment. My excitement over the chance to go into town warred with the unappealing prospect of Kerrick teaching me how to match the forest’s song. Perhaps Belen could instruct me instead.

When the soup was done, I made a show of letting Belen try it first since he had defended me.

“Fine with me,” Quain quipped. “He’ll also be the first one to keel over, killed by Avry’s cooking.”

“But what if I used a heavy poison?” I asked. “One that sinks to the bottom and only kills the men who eat the last couple of bowls?”

Quain stared at me as if he wasn’t sure if I joked or not. “You have an evil mind,” he hedged.

“Thank you.” I grinned.

“Aren’t healers required to take an oath not to harm anyone or something like that?” Loren asked.

“After we complete our apprenticeship, we travel to the Guild House and work there for a year, demonstrating our knowledge to the Elders. At the end of that year, we graduate. During the ceremony, we swear an oath not to intentionally cause harm or death to another.” Unless in self-defense.

“But you zapped Flea, and hurt the merc leader,” Loren said.

“I didn’t graduate. Therefore, I haven’t taken the oath.”

My revelation caused a ripple of…not quite concern, but unease. Belen’s hands suddenly went to his throat. He wheezed and gasped, then slumped over.

Everyone but Kerrick jumped to their feet. I knelt beside him. Was he allergic to parsley? His body shook and I touched his shoulder. He was laughing.

I played along, fussing over him, apologizing for not waiting long enough for the poison to sink.

When the three men inched closer, he sat up. “Gotcha!”

They yelled, then scolded him for his prank.

Still laughing, he said, “I can’t believe you fell for it. Why would Avry poison us when she could have let me die, and Flea get eaten?”

“Besides,” I added, “I wouldn’t want to waste good poison on you guys.”

“Ha. Ha. Not funny,” Flea said.

“Is there such a thing as a good poison?” Loren asked.

“Actually, there is,” I said. “The fulip plant is poisonous, but if you dry it, crush it and mix it with ginger water, it becomes a remedy for an upset stomach.”

“You seem to know what you’re doing. Why didn’t you graduate?”

“The plague came before I finished my apprenticeship.”

The humorous mood faded in an instant. The plague had ruined all our futures. I served the rest of the soup, but noticed everyone but Belen waited until I swallowed a few mouthfuls before they ate. Joking aside, they still didn’t trust me.

“Stop overthinking it. Your head is getting in the way of your feet,” Kerrick said.

“That makes no sense,” I said, stifling my frustration.

I had been walking through the woods all morning and getting nowhere. Back and forth outside the cave, I tried to copy Kerrick’s silent movements.

“It’s all in how you step and how you distribute your weight.”

He watched while I made another pass.

“Use your hips more.”

“Like this?” My hips swayed with each step. I felt ridiculous.

“No. Not like that.” He came up behind me. “Let me show you.”

When Kerrick grasped my hips, his magic flowed over me, igniting a tingling warmth in places it shouldn’t.

“Why are you pulling power?” I asked.

“Am I?” He sounded surprised.

“Yes.”

“Habit, I guess. Keeping my connection with the forest just in case. Ignore it.”

Easy for him to say. He didn’t have someone leaning against his back sending him distracting vibrations.

“Walk like you did the last time,” he said.

As I stepped, he corrected my gait. We did a couple passes. I understood what he had been trying to explain, but when he released me, I wasn’t so sure.

“That’s better. Try again.”

I did. Again and again and again. All afternoon, which normally would have been unpleasant, but there was a big difference in personalities between Kerrick the teacher and Kerrick the leader.

“That’s it,” he said. “You got the technique. Now you need to—”

“Practice.” My words to Flea had come back to haunt me.

“Right. I’ll give you two days.”

“And if I don’t improve?”

“I’ll go with Flea to the market. But if you do improve, you’ll graduate.” Humor lit his gray eyes—they had changed color to match the winter forest.

“As long as graduating doesn’t involve swearing an oath.”

“Oh, no, wouldn’t want to do that. Besides, you’ve been true to your word. That’s all I need.”

I spent the next two days practicing in the woods on my own. It was refreshing to be by myself for a few hours. And without the pressure of someone watching me, I could focus all my energy into listening to the forest’s song. Once I knew what sounds to listen for, I wondered how I had missed them before.

After my two days of practice, Kerrick announced we’d all play a game of hide-and-seek. “If she can find everyone, she wins.”

“Sweet,” Flea said.

“The rules are…” Kerrick waited for everyone’s attention. “You can’t stay in one hiding place too long. You have to switch spots to give her a chance to hear you.” He paused dramatically for a moment. “Ready. Set. Go!”

Chapter 10

The game of hide-and-seek was on. The men scattered into the woods. I turned my back to the forest, facing the outer rock wall of the cave.

“And no cheating,” Quain called. “Make sure you count to a hundred before seeking.”

“Don’t forget to shout out the ‘Ready or not’ at the end,” Loren said.

Half of me felt foolish, the other half reverted to my childhood days—when no other worries sullied the pure thrill of the hunt. I embraced my childish side, pushing away the dull adult sensibilities. I counted faster. Long-forgotten strategies surfaced in my mind. Too bad all the…boys—couldn’t call them men when playing this game—wore gray, black or dark brown clothing. It made sense for blending in with the winter landscape, but it gave them an advantage for now.

“Ready or not, here I come.” I spun around, hoping to catch a flash of movement as one of the boys dashed to a hiding spot. Nothing. Not even a branch swayed. I listened to the forest for a moment. Off to my right, an unnatural off-note sounded.

Despite the cold air, I removed my cloak. I wore my black clothes, but I had taken the time to smear gray clay I had found at the bottom of a shallow pool in the caves over sections of my shirt and pants, equalizing the playing field.

Instead of going right, I walked with the special—what to call it?—gait straight for a while before veering right, hoping to come in behind the unnatural spot. I stopped often to make sure my quarry hadn’t moved. As I drew closer, I noted a dense little thicket that would be perfect to hide behind. I stood nearby and waited. Sure enough, Flea slipped out, searching for another spot. I followed.

Once Flea found a place to hide, I crept up on him and pounced. His yell of surprise echoed throughout the forest.

Sputtering with indignation, he said, “You didn’t have to scare me!”

I feigned innocence. “I thought you heard me.”

“Yeah, right. You have that evil gleam in your eyes. Have you’ve been pretending to be noisy all this time?”

“No. But you don’t know everything about me. Like the fact that when I was younger, no one could hide from me. I was Queen Seeker.” I had grown up in a small city, but a few of the strategies for seeking someone in an urban environment worked out here, as well.

Flea grumbled, but I shooed him back to the cave. “Hurry up so I can find the rest.”

“You won’t find Kerrick,” he said.

I waited until the forest settled, then honed in on another off-key area. This time I caught Quain.

“At least I’m not the first one,” he said. He wore a gray wool cap over his bald head. “You’re a fast learner, but you won’t find Kerrick.”

If Quain and Flea had been trying to discourage me, they failed. I continued to stop and listen. But when I encountered the perfect hiding spot—a dried creek bed hidden under the branches of a fallen tree, I knew one of the boys wouldn’t be able to resist this place. I squirmed below the thickest part of the branches and pressed against the bank. My years on the run hadn’t been a total waste. A couple of the skills I had learned aided me today. The biggest one was patience.

After twenty or thirty minutes, Loren slid under the tree.

“Ah, hell,” he said. “I should have known this spot was too good to be true.”

Three down, two to go. I made half-circle sweeps farther and farther from the cave and, on my tenth pass, I sensed a strangeness. Boulders jutted from the ground. A few were in mounds while others stood alone. As my gaze traveled over the area, something seemed wrong. Not the color, not the size, but one shape kept snagging my attention. One large boulder had soft lines and a symmetry to it.

When I touched the boulder, it chuckled. Belen peeked out from under his cloak.

“With my size, I didn’t have a lot of choices,” he said.

“You blended in,” I said. “But one thing I did learn as a healer’s apprentice was to be observant. A rash could be just an ordinary rash, but if it had blurry edges, it was a sign of a more serious illness.”

“I knew you were smart, so I’m not surprised you found the four of us. But—”

“I won’t find Kerrick. Everyone seems to delight in telling me that.”

“Don’t take it the wrong way,” Belen, ever the peacemaker, said. “His ability to disappear in the forest is impressive. We’re just proud of him.”

As Belen returned to the cave, I wondered if they’d still be proud of him if they knew about his magic.

I considered the problem. Kerrick wouldn’t make any noise, and the forest wouldn’t give him away with out-of-tune notes. He would be camouflaged, but not by magic. That wouldn’t be fair unless he used it unconsciously, keeping contact with the forest just in case. I might be able to feel it and follow it to him.

Except I only felt it when we touched. Skin to skin. I searched my memories. Something Kerrick had done…when he knew about the mercs… An image formed in my mind of him crouched down, touching the ground with his hand.

I pressed my palm to the earth. A slight tingle rolled along my fingers. Was it going in any certain direction? Concentrating, I thought it might be coming from my left. Which didn’t help since I couldn’t crawl because he’d hear me. I needed to stay on my feet. Of course!

Sitting down, I pulled my boots and socks off. I stood, cringing as my soles touched the cold ground. After my skin adapted to the temperature, I felt that tingle pointing to the left. I’d have to find him before my feet froze and lost all sensation.

The vibrations intensified as I walked. I covered a good bit of ground before the tingle stopped. Which probably meant Kerrick had seen me with bare feet, figured out what I was doing and ceased using magic, or my feet were numb.

Kerrick must be close. I turned in a circle, scanning the forest before remembering he wouldn’t stand out. Frustration swelled, but I shoved it down. What were my options? I couldn’t use sight, touch or sound. What’s left? Taste and smell.

Not about to taste the dirt, I sniffed the air. The cold damp scent of earth with a slight rotten taint filled my nose. With no other options, I returned to the cave and did sweeps again, but instead of listening, I drew in deep lungfuls of air. Ten, twelve, fifteen, twenty, twenty-three sweeps later, I caught a hint of spring sunshine. Like a hunting dog, I followed it, sucking in so much air I was dizzy.

The scent increased and I focused all my energy into staying with it. It led me to a huge briar full of thorns. I remembered when Kerrick had rolled me right through the underbrush. But then he had used his magic. Of course, he could have pulled power to get inside, then stopped. Except his scent wasn’t coming from the patch, but seemed to surround me. Odd.

I circled the briar a few times, puzzling over the inconsistency. No brilliant solution came to mind. I’d lost him. That one word—lost—jolted me. Yegor the bull had lost his horns. I scanned the trees above my head.

Kerrick lounged on a limb. His amused half smile grew into a full-blown grin. “What took you so long?”

“Well, I napped a couple hours this afternoon so the boys would believe they were hard to find.”

“Ah, yes, the fragile male ego. Always good to keep it intact.” Kerrick swung down from the limb and landed beside me without making a sound. “So what gave me away? My magic?”

“At first, but you stopped using it.”

“Once I realized I’d connected to the forest, I had to stop. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been fair.”

“Uh-huh. Keep repeating that, and maybe one of us will eventually believe you.” Now that the game had ended, I relaxed and woke to other sensations. The cold air assaulted my exposed skin. My hands and feet were numb. I retraced my steps to where I’d left my boots.

Kerrick followed but kept quiet as I pulled on my wool socks. I shivered. My cloak was back at the cave. Of course Kerrick had gone the farthest.

We headed back “home.”

After a few minutes, he said, “You didn’t answer my question. How did you find me?”

I feigned confusion. “I didn’t answer? Odd. Doesn’t sound like me.”

“You’re not going to tell me, are you?”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because if you tell me, I might change something and you won’t be able to find me next time.”

And I was too embarrassed to tell him I sniffed him out. I shouldn’t know he smelled of spring sunshine, shouldn’t care and shouldn’t tell him a damn thing. But, knowing him, he would pester me for an answer.

I asked, “Remember when Belen was injured by the mercs?”

“Hard to forget.”

“You distracted them while Flea and the monkeys positioned themselves up on the rocks. It was a good strategy. People don’t usually look up. When I lost your trail, I remembered it.”

“Interesting.” He didn’t say anything else for the rest of the trip.

The others waited for us outside the cave. Their expressions remained uncertain as they looked from me to Kerrick and back, searching for some hint of what had happened. They hoped I’d failed. After all, they had boasted about Kerrick’s superior forest skills.

Finally, Quain asked, “Well?”

“You were right,” I said before Kerrick could open his mouth. “I couldn’t find him.”

I endured a few “told you so’s” from the monkeys and Flea. They whooped and were obnoxious. Belen, though, gave me a shrewd look. I met his gaze without flinching or glancing down. I’d learned to lie while on the run. My life had depended on it. Funny, my mother didn’t even have to see my face to know when I’d been lying.

Once the boys were done crowing, they returned to the cave for a special surprise. I grabbed my cloak and moved to follow, but Kerrick clasped my shoulder, stopping me.

“Explain,” he ordered.

“I couldn’t disappoint them.”

“That makes no sense. I let them down. Not you. Besides, it’s just a silly game. And they won’t let you forget it. You did boast you were Queen Seeker.”

“It may have been a silly game to you, but not to them. You’re their leader. They have complete confidence in you, which they should. Any doubt, no matter how small or silly, can be detrimental to their trust. You’ll be ordering them to risk their lives, not the Queen Seeker.”

Kerrick stared at me so long I grew uncomfortable and wondered what he was thinking about. I almost swayed in relief when he glanced away.

He swept a hand out, gesturing to the entrance to the cave. “After you, your majesty.” He bowed.

I punched his arm. “Don’t start. I’ll take the ribbing from the boys, but not from you.”

“Who said I was teasing?”

Now it was my turn to stare at him.

“Hey, what’s taking you so long?” Quain called. “Can’t Avry find the entrance?”

Laughter erupted from inside the cave.

“I warned you,” Kerrick said.

“I grew up with two brothers. I can handle harmless teasing. Besides, laughter heals the soul. You should try it sometime.” I walked into the cave without looking back.

Cheers and a few good-natured taunts greeted me. The men stood in a line with their hands hidden behind their backs, fidgeting like kids who had been caught stealing sweets. Their attention focused on Kerrick, who had followed me inside. He nodded.

“Okay, boys. What’s going on?” I asked.

Belen stepped forward. “We decided that even though you didn’t find Kerrick, you did catch the rest of us and should graduate. Congratulations!” They hooted and hollered.

“Thanks. Now stop blocking the heat, I’m frozen solid.”

“Not so fast,” Belen said. “We still need to give you our graduation gifts.”

“But—”

Belen approached and brought his hands forward. With a dramatic flourish, he opened them, revealing a pair of black gloves. “I noticed you didn’t have a pair.”

“Where—?”

“They were mine, but they had holes in the fingertips. I just cut them down for you and sewed them.” He gave them to me. “Try them on.”

They fit, but all I could say was, “You sew?”

“After two years on the road, someone has to. Do you like them?”

“Yes. They’re lovely…thanks.”

Quain and Loren presented me with a piece of leather rolled up and tied with twine.

“Untie it,” Loren said.

I had to take off my gloves to loosen the knot. Unrolling the leather, I exposed the inner side. Pockets lined the material. I puzzled over it.

“It’s for your plants and herbs,” Quain said. “You can store them in separate pockets and, when you roll it up, you can carry it in your knapsack.”

“That’s…” Unbelievable. Unexpected. “Perfect. Thanks.”

Flea came up next. With a shy smile he flourished three rocks and proceeded to juggle them. He performed a whole routine, with high throws and low throws, ending the show with one rock going up to the ceiling while he spun around in a circle before catching it behind his back.

The others cheered and clapped. I couldn’t speak for a long moment. When the cave grew quiet, I said, “You’ve been practicing.”

“A little,” he said.

“Wow, that was…amazing. Thank you.”

Kerrick handed me a piece of paper. I squinted at the words with suspicion. Was this an oath? But it was a list of supplies.

“Things to buy at the market,” he said. Then he dropped a pouch full of coins in my hands. “You and Flea can go tomorrow. I suggest you wear your green skirt and tunic to match the market crowd.”