Healer's Touch (16 page)

“You went to see him, didn’t you?” Aris wasn’t looking at Llew. Then she remembered that Jonas was sitting at the end of the bench. “After I told you not to.”

Llew was cold. She looked down at her blood-stained shirt now sticking to her, and pulled her jacket tight, trying to hide the mess. The jacket was smeared, too, but it was cleaner than the shirt. The movement caught Aris’ eye.

“What was that?”

“What?”

He reached down, grabbed the collar of her jacket and yanked it from her grasp. “What in the hell happened last night?”

Llew looked down at Aris’ feet. She didn’t know what to say. Well, she did – she could tell the truth. She hoped Jonas might have something to contribute.

The inn door swung open.

“No sign of them, Aris.” Alvaro stopped. “Llew!” He flew around Aris to kneel in front of her. He looked at her in horror. “What happened? Are you alright?” He half-turned her head and peered at her neck.

“I’m fine.” Her voice cracked.

Suddenly Alvaro had Jonas by the collar, dragging him to his feet and pressing him against the wall. “What did you do? You could have gotten her killed!”

“Nothin’ happened. It ain’t her blood,” said Jonas conversationally, his tone almost bored.

“Nothin’ happened? Like hell!” Alvaro shoved Jonas’ shoulders into the wall.

“Do that again I’ll teach you to fly.”

“That’s enough,” Aris said. He didn’t shout, and he didn’t take his eyes off Llew. “Step back, Alvaro. Go and get Llew a new shirt.”

Glaring at Jonas, Alvaro did as he was told. With but a quick glance at Llew, he headed back into the inn.

“You two’ve got some talkin’ to do, and I suggest you do it now while we’ve some peace. You went to see him, didn’t you?”

Llew couldn’t look Aris in the eye. Instead, she turned to Jonas, hoping he could deliver the news in a way that wouldn’t send the older man into a rage.

Jonas wouldn’t look at Aris, either. But he nodded and told him about the men at the bridge, told him that Jonas had killed two of them and sent the third running, only to turn and find Llew injured. Then he looked at Llew before turning to Aris, and she knew he was going to tell everything. She closed her eyes, pleading for Aris to understand her need to keep the secret just as he had understood her travelling attire.

“She’s Aenuk, Aris.”

There was a long silence.

“And yet here she sits. Alive and, it seems, well.”

Jonas didn’t answer.

“So who cut you?”

Llew and Jonas looked at Aris, both taken aback by the simple question. Neither of them had even stopped to wonder about her assailant. Llew hadn’t seen anyone, only sensed a shadow cross her. Suddenly she felt as if she was being watched. She glanced up and down the street not even knowing what she was looking for. Few people walked the streets of Stelt this early in the morning, but Llew was suspicious of them all: one of them had run a knife across her throat.

Maybe. She hadn’t seen anything. She didn’t even know if what she thought she’d seen had been real.

“You don’t think it was . . . ?” Jonas gave Aris a meaningful look. When the older man didn’t seem to understand, he flicked his head and eyes back at the inn.

“Braph,” said Aris. He turned to Llew, looking her up and down. “From the blood I can see you must’ve been cut bad.” He nodded. “And why would Braph have you attacked and try to kill you?”

“Aenuks don’t come back from the dead,” Jonas muttered.

“No. Aenuks don’t. Just how bad was it?”

“I think I died. Again.”

“Again?” said Aris and Jonas in unison.

CHAPTER TEN

“It’s you,” Aris said. “Oh, lordy, you’re in trouble, girl.”

“I figured that out when Jonas told me what he did to people like me.”

“I’m not talking about Jonas. Ever since we lit out o’ Cheer, the Aghacian telegraph’s been frenzied with news of a witch surviving a hangin’. I should’ve known when we found out you were a girl. My guess is that Braph is here for his own purposes, because there’s no way he’d be this far south already if he was working from the news of your surviving the hanging. But Turhmos will be sending troops now, there’s no doubtin’ that.” He watched Llew, his eyes narrowed. “I can send word ahead to Quaver, but they’re already too many days behind. And tryin’ to explain the need to protect an Aenuk in a telegraph . . . ”

“You think Braph is here for me?”

Aris nodded. “We may regret your hesitation, Jonas.”

Llew looked down. She shouldn’t have been surprised, she knew Aris didn’t like her kind – but it still felt all kinds of wrong to hear them talk so casually about killing her.

“Then again . . . ” Aris said, staring past Llew. “Perhaps Quaver can make use of her.”

“Hey, I’m right here. And I’m a person. What do you mean ‘make use of’?”

“Don’t you see, Jonas?” Aris asked, as if Llew hadn’t spoken.

“I’ve hardly slept, Aris. You’re gonna have to tell me.”

“How many Aenuks have you seen come back from the dead?”

“None. But they usually have my knife in ’em. What’s your point?”

“My point is that Aenuks
don’t
come back from the dead. Not alone, anyway. One Aenuk might be brought back by the combined efforts of six, maybe ten, other Aenuks. Maybe. But I’ve yet to hear of it. My point is that your brother –”

“Half-brother.”

“
Half
-brother, wants her. Why, when he must already have a supply of Aenuk blood?” Aris said. “My point is, Jonas, that just as the Karan race has the Syakaran, the Aenuk race has the Syaenuk, capable of feats even their closest relatives cannot hope to try.”

Jonas peered at Llew.

“My point, Jonas,” Aris said, slow and deliberate, “is that we have, in Llew, quite possibly the greatest discovery since, well, since your own family was rediscovered. We, as representatives of Quaver, have something that Turhmos and your half-brother would do just about anything to get their hands on.” He looked at Llew and Llew drew back. It was as though he didn’t see her as a person but as a thing: a commodity. She swallowed hard. “My point
is
, Jonas, we have two choices. We kill her so no one can have her, or we keep her out of Turhmos’ and Braph’s hands and get her safely to Quaver.”

Jonas didn’t meet Aris’ gaze, and the muscles in his jaw twitched as he clenched his teeth.

“And what would Quaver want with me?”

Aris shrugged. “My guess? They’ll probably kill you soon as risk trouble. But . . . ” He hesitated. “It’s possible we could find a use for you. Destructive as it is, you have immense power. You could tip the balance in our favour.” He looked back to Jonas, who still refused to look at either of them, and nodded. “I guess she lives, then. In which case, I’m putting you, Jonas, in charge of keeping her safe. Alvaro and Cassidy are fully capable of dealing with whatever elements show an interest in Anya. Llew, on the other hand, is going to attract real trouble.”

Alvaro pushed his way through the inn door, carrying the shirt Llew had stolen on her way out of Cheer. Seeing the three of them, he stopped a few yards away, not saying a word.

“That means you don’t leave her side until we get her safely into the custody of the Quaven authorities. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Jonas looked up at Aris. His mouth opened as though to protest, then it clamped shut. He nodded.

“One condition, though.” Aris looked pointedly at each of them. “There will be no funny business.” Then to Llew he said, “Jonas is more important to Quaver than you will ever be. I won’t put him at risk. There will be no . . . canoodling.”

Llew blushed. What would Aris say if he knew what they had been up to the night before?

“Won’t be a problem,” said Jonas. He wasn’t looking at any of them, just focused straight ahead, jaw working. The loss of his friendship was like a kick in her guts. She wished she could have told him sooner, but it was so hard to believe she would be sitting there, still alive, if she had.

“And the second you raise a finger against him,” Aris continued, “I expect that knife to be so deep in you we can hang our coats off your back. Understand?”

“Hey–” Alvaro took a step forward but stopped when Aris raised a hand.

Llew nodded.

“We have to move,” said Aris. “There’s a man of incredible power out there who knows what Llew is. And the folk of Stelt are about to start askin’ questions about all the dead vegetation in their town. There’s a reason few places outside Turhmos tolerate your kind.”

“Maybe I should move to Turhmos, then.”

“Don’t even joke about it, Llew,” Jonas said in a flat tone, finally affording her a brief glance.

“I’ll have a wash basin sent to your room, Llew. Wash and change quickly. The rest of us will be waiting.”

Llew got up from the bench seat and took her shirt from Alvaro. Jonas pushed himself off the wall, winced and, hands on hips, set about stretching his back, a grimace on his face.

“What’s wrong with you?” Aris asked.

“Nothin’, I– Just stiff after helpin’ Llew, s’all.”

“You
what
? You helped heal her?” Aris said sharply. Alvaro looked from Aris to Jonas and to Llew in confusion, trying to piece things together.

“I helped. It was taking so long–”

“Don’t you
ever
do that again. I will not sacrifice you for her. Got that?” He turned to Llew. “Get!”

Llew scooted inside as Jonas agreed not to risk his life for hers again. She hadn’t realised he had done that, that he had touched her while she was healing, giving his ghi to help her heal. She had only healed from other people a few times, and never for anything more than a cut or tear. It must have cost him something to do it. Now she really was confused. He was supposed to kill her, but instead he’d helped her live.

Heading up the stairs, she found herself smiling awkwardly at a confused and questioning Anya, Emylia, and Cassidy as they made their way down with their belongings.

* * *

They left Stelt at a trot – a gait Llew found uncomfortable. She wished she had the time to learn how to ride properly; there hadn’t been much opportunity in Cheer. Her mount must have felt the same way about her abilities, for he switched into a slow, rolling canter, making the journey considerably more pleasant for the both of them. She rode up front beside Jonas, where Aris could keep an eye on her. He clearly felt that any trouble they struck was most likely going to be directed at her, and while there was little they could do that would be risk free, he wanted to reduce the chances of Braph swooping in and grabbing her.

Aris hurried them past the devastation caused by Llew, across the bridge and out of town, leaving little time for questions from the others. Those that did come he deflected or ignored.

They rode the horses hard during the morning and then stopped midday for a brief meal. There was nothing they could do to stop Braph from following, and they couldn’t out-pace him with a lumbering carriage in their party. Keeping moving was the only option. Aris hadn’t told the rest of the group the reason for their haste but, after seeing the state of Llew’s shirt, they needed little encouragement to move. They eased the pace for the afternoon; ruining the horses would be far more dangerous than simply travelling slowly.

About mid-afternoon, a change from the normal rhythm behind her had Llew turning to see Cassidy up by the carriage, talking to Aris. Aris signalled them to pull up.

“Riders,” Aris said as Llew and Jonas rode back.

“How many?” Jonas asked.

“Could be half a dozen, or more. But they’re nearly on us,” said Cassidy.

Jonas cursed. “Where does he find these men?”

“Who?” asked Anya.

“Everybody’s got a price,” said Aris, ignoring her.

“We’ll take care of it.” Cassidy’s voice was filled with confidence as he detached the bow from his saddle and readied his quiver of arrows. “Might be best if you took the ladies down the road a bit.” His horse pranced, sensing the change in its rider. Even Llew was unsettled by the now sober – yet eager – Cassidy who had replaced her usually carefree companion.

Aris didn’t look happy.

“I’ll help,” said Llew. “Besides, if we fail, they’re after me. Don’t put Anya in danger she doesn’t need to be in.”

Aris considered the situation briefly, but whatever advantages there were in having Llew along with them, she was a liability as far as their getting Anya safely to Rakun. He nodded. “We’ll carry on to Osurnu, boys. I expect to see you later.” He straightened in his seat and urged the horses onward. As the carriage pulled away, Anya made an appearance out the back, her eyes big and her face worried, until Emylia pulled the girl under the cover.

“Take this.” Jonas pulled a knife from his vest. “Just in case.” Llew took the knife and slid it into the back of her trousers.

Alvaro drew his sword from its scabbard attached to his saddle and urged his horse closer to Llew’s.