“Of course, not a problem,” Pem said, bobbing his head and adjusting a long, canvas bag on his shoulder.
Elaina shifted sideways to open the door wider, and Pem slipped in through the gap. He found a place at the foot of the bed Elaina had slept on and watched her as she shut the door.
Darkness didn’t fully return, despite cutting off the light from the hallway, and Elaina was surprised to see Pem’s hat glowing softly along the sides and beneath the brim. Gleaming filaments crisscrossed the stiff fabric, as though he’d draped it in spiderwebs. The muted light illuminated his face and hands.
Elaina glanced at the beds, checking if Pem’s presence had woken anyone, and was relieved to find everyone still asleep. She looked at Pem. “We need cloaks, warm enough to sleep in on the road, and boots for my girls if you have them. And food and water for at least several days.”
Pem nodded and looked at Lyric and Runa. “I may have something that will fit the lasses,” he said softly. He glanced at Kell. “The boy?”
Elaina eyed Kell’s clothing. “He has a cloak already,” she said. “He was a bit sad to lose his staff though.”
“Ah,” Pem said, grinning. He removed the bag from his shoulder and set it on the ground, loosening the cord around its neck.
“And,” Elaina said, “we need a Soulworm.” She’d fallen asleep wondering how to find her daughter’s body, and a Soulworm had appeared inside her dreams.
Pem’s eyebrows lifted into his hair, and then he grinned delightedly. “Ah,” he said, looking towards the girls. “It just so happens that I received one earlier today in trade.”
“How fortunate,” Elaina said. Her eyes narrowed, a tad suspicious, but then Suppliers always did seem to have what you were looking for, and often things you were not but would ultimately need.
Pem opened the bag and reached inside, his arm disappearing to the shoulder, and then he pulled out, in rapid succession, two heavy gray cloaks, two pairs of softly glinting boots, a staff that nearly reached the top of Elaina’s head, and a small cage.
Despite herself, Elaina was surprised and eyed the bag with a small measure of awe as Pem placed the items carefully atop her bed. The bag didn’t seem big enough to hold much, certainly not a staff for a grown man.
“Are those Wanderer Boots?” Elaina asked, leaning closer. She could see activated runes glowing along the heel. They were magicked to keep the leather soft and supple and wick away exhaustion. Someone wearing these boots wouldn’t complain of sore feet or ever develop a blister no matter how long they walked. If you had to wade through a river, you’d still find your feet dry on the other side.
Elaina wet her lips, thinking. A single pair of Wanderer Boots would empty her money pouch.
“Yes,” Pem said. “The only boots you’ll ever need! Lucky I have two.” He reached into his bag again and pulled out four leather packs, four waterskins, a bronze kettle and several bundles wrapped in waxed paper. “Cheese, bread, apples, dried meat, a kettle, and salt for your stew pot,” he said, as he laid them atop the cloaks. “Easiest thing to bring into the Veil.”
Elaina nodded, pulling her attention away from the boots. The apples would have to be eaten quickly, or they would begin to spoil and turn purple. It was a peculiarity that Elaina had experienced on her first visit to the Veil. They were not safe to eat when that happened.
“Payment?” she asked. She narrowed her eyes in anticipation of a quick barter. She’d probably have to pass on the boots.
Instead, Pem cocked his head and returned his bag to his shoulder. “A favor,” he said.
“A favor,” Elaina repeated, fingers straying to her belt. What could a Supplier want of her?
“Nothing too dangerous, I assure you,” Pem said, smiling. “I need something delivered.” His fingers flashed inside his vest, and he withdrew a folded sheet of paper, sealed with black wax. “A letter.”
Elaina raised her eyebrows. “Letters can be just as dangerous, if not more so, than a knife in the back,” she said.
Pem shrugged and smiled, waggling the letter between his fingers. “You can say no.”
“Would you accept anything else?”
“Ah, well the Soulworm is quite rare, you see. I’m not sure you’re carrying enough coin for that.”
Likely she was not. It had taken a lot of money to reach the girls quickly. Accepting Pem’s letter was a bad idea, Elaina could feel it in her gut, but without the Soulworm, they might wander inside the Veil for weeks. She wracked her brain for another way to locate Runa’s body, but all they had to rely on was luck and time. Time they might not have. Maybe Galgosha would find the Screamers, find Runa’s body, but how long would that take? The girls could survive without the boots, but not the Soulworm.
“Deliver where?” Elaina asked.
Pem chuckled. “A woman, in Raendashar. Her name is Amana. She owns The Onyx Wing, a dress shop in the market district in Rathgar’s Hold.”
Elaina’s lips pinched. Why did Pem presume she’d go to Raendashar? Or did he recognize her heritage by the color of her hair and think she’d return home upon leaving the Veil? “I can’t promise when I will deliver it,” she said.
“Before winter’s end, will be fine,” Pem said. He proffered the letter again, and Elaina took it in careful fingers. “It’s spelled to turn the eye of all but its courier.”
The paper was silky and felt more like a woman’s dress than writing parchment. Elaina eyed the raised seal. It was a Valen moth, the familiar skull-shaped pattern exquisitely depicted upon its back. She’d never seen the insect used as a seal before.
“And thus our business is concluded,” Pem said, his voice still bright and friendly.
Elaina tucked the letter into her belt and looked up at him, studying his face carefully. He seemed entirely sincere. Pem’s innocence only heightened her suspicion, and she regretted accepting the trade, but what else could she do?
If Runa did not return to her body soon, real death would claim her. It was dangerous for a separated soul. It became comfortable on its own, shedding its ties to the organic shell that’d once carried it. The longer Runa stayed here in the Veil, the more it’d feel like home, and the more her soul would let go, move on. Elaina could lose her forever.
“Yes,” Elaina said, ignoring the pain in her chest. “It is done.”
Pem touched his fingers to his hat and opened the door, slipping back into the hall.
“Who was that?” a sleepy voice asked behind her.
Elaina turned and found Kell watching her. He wiped the side of his mouth and straightened in the chair, releasing a little groan.
“You should have taken my offer for sharing the bed,” she said, looking him over.
“Yes, well,” Kell said vaguely. He rolled his shoulders and glanced towards Lyric.
Abruptly Runa sat up, her eyes large in the dim room like a fox on high alert.
Lyric, perhaps sensing her sister’s movement, groaned and opened her eyes.
It was unlikely anyone would sleep now. Elaina reached for the lamp and turned it on, tapping the rune on its base. Purple flame hissed to life beneath the glass shell, and Elaina squinted as her eyes adjusted.
“What is that?” Runa asked, her voice sharp, suspicious.
Elaina looked at the bed. “The Supplier came by,” she said. She stepped up to the pile and examined what she’d traded the letter for.
The cloaks were dark gray and made from quality wool. She brushed her fingers along the heel of one of the boots and energy buzzed against her skin. As long as the girls didn’t lose them, these boots would last forever. Reaching for the packs, Elaina separated the food into them. She looked sideways as motion caught her eye.
Runa and Lyric were sitting up, watching her.
“Is that a staff?” Lyric asked, her voice bright with wonder.
“What?” Kell asked.
Elaina felt him move behind her and she looked at him, smiling at the expression on his face. The first time she saw him,
he’d been using one to knock an apple from a tree.
“Yes,” Elaina said. “I thought you might feel incomplete without one. It’s my fault yours was left back at the house.”
Kell grinned at her, the excited smile rejuvenating him, and he reached for the staff. He lifted it reverently, cautiously stepping back, so he didn’t hit the girls’ legs.
It seemed to be an excellent, sturdy staff to Elaina’s eye, crafted from pale brown wood. Whorls covered its surface, enhancing rather than suggesting flaws in the wood, and the head was carved into what might have been a dragon’s head.
“It’s beautiful,” Lyric said. She beamed at Kell. “It suits you.”
Elaina eyed her daughter, then glanced at Kell, catching the shine in his eyes. She should have expected this, sending a young man to her girls. Protectiveness and annoyance swelled in her chest, and she gave Kell a look.
His smile dipped uncertainly, and he cleared his throat, looking down at the staff in his hands.
She had to do something before Lyric grew attached. She couldn’t let Kell become more entangled in their lives, not with the strings binding him to her father. Not with his mother a Daughter of Valen. What would happen when Kell remembered who he was? When they found his mother? What destruction would he leave in his wake?
Elaina handed two of the packs to her daughters, then passed them the cloaks and boots.
Lyric eyed her carefully, her brows furrowing over her green eyes. Maybe she’d caught the look she’d given Kell, and Elaina was taken aback by the maturity in her daughter’s face. She saw glimpses of the innocent girls she’d left behind, but both Lyric and Runa looked older now, harder. Lyric’s face was not as open as it used to be, not as trusting, and sadness stabbed through Elaina’s heart. She deserved their mistrust, but it hurt.
Runa’s unveiled suspicion was familiar, and Elaina drew strength from it, smiling at her red-haired daughter. They’d often butted heads while Runa was a child. Runa was all fire, just like Elaina had been. She’d known Runa would survive her disappearance and would protect Lyric.
“Why buy a cloak for me?” Runa asked, rubbing the heavy fabric between her hands. She stared at it skeptically.
“You’ll need warm clothing when we leave the Veil,” Elaina said. “You may not feel anything now, may not need to eat, but once you reunite with your body, all those things will return.”
“I can touch things here,” Runa said. She glanced up. “I could before sometimes, but I can feel them now.”
Elaina nodded and tried to keep the alarm from her face. “It’s the Veil, and you are a soul. Things work differently here for the disembodied.” She nodded at the boots. “Put them in the pack; you should be able to carry it. If not, one of us can.”
“I can,” Runa said, her chin jutting out.
“Mama, have you ever dreamed of anyone while here?” Lyric asked, without looking up. She was changing her boots for the new ones.
“Dreamed?” Elaina asked. She raised an eyebrow. “Yes. Sleep works much the same here.”
Runa glanced at Lyric, her eyes intense, and something passed between them.
Elaina waited to see if Lyric would ask anything further, but before she could prompt her, Kell pointed at the small wire cage.
“What is that?” he asked.
Elaina turned her head and reached for the cage, lifting it in her hand. Something black curled inside.
“It’s a Soulworm,” she said. “It will help us find your body, Runa.” She grimaced apologetically. “I’m afraid you’ll have to eat it.”
Runa looked at her. “Eat it?” she asked. “Is that even possible?”
“Yes,” Elaina said. “It’s not like eating food, more like swallowing magic. Something incorporeal.”
“It looks fairly real to me,” Runa said.
“The Soulworm needs to become part of you to know what’s missing. You should get a feeling inside your gut, tugging you in the direction you need to go. That’s how we’ll know where to start looking,” Elaina said.
“It doesn’t look too big,” Lyric said, earning a glare from her sister.
“Any other suggestions?” Runa asked, addressing the room.
“Not unless you know a god,” Kell said.
Runa huffed at him.
Lyric laughed and covered her mouth.
Sagging, Runa reached forward and snatched the cage from Elaina’s hands. “Fine,” she growled. Ripping off the lid, Runa reached inside with her thumb and index finger and pulled out the worm. She raised it, glaring and grimacing, as it hung limply from her fingers. It was not thick, but it was long, and Runa’s face blanched.
The worm was thin and black, with an odd, rippling pattern on its slick back that glowed purple. It had no visible eyes, and its mouth was a tiny, flesh-covered hole that fluttered like delicate vellum.
“Oh,” Lyric said. She coughed and looked at Runa’s pale face.
Kell, eyes curious, leaned forward, and Runa flicked the worm at him, causing him to laugh and lean back.
“No one speaks of this,” Runa said. “Ever.” She uttered a curse that had Elaina’s eyebrows lifting into her hair, and then she stuffed the entire worm into her mouth and swallowed. Coughing, Runa shook her head and forced it down, her throat working, and then she slapped the empty cage back into Elaina’s hand.
“Odd,” Runa said, sticking out her tongue. “I couldn’t taste it. I could feel it though …”
Lyric leaned forward, an impressed expression on her face. “What happens after we find Runa’s body?” she asked. “How do you get rid of the worm?”
Runa looked at her, alarmed.
“It disappears,” Elaina said, gesturing absently. “When your soul reunites with flesh, it … becomes something else.” She shrugged.
“Well I’m glad you’re so knowledgeable about the long worm I just put into my stomach,” Runa said, her voice dark. She pressed a hand to her abdomen. “I don’t feel anything but vaguely sick.”
“It might not work until we leave Galgosha’s,” Elaina said, unconcerned. She grabbed her pack and handed the last one to Kell. “Her power blocks magic so it might be interfering with the Soulworm’s ability. Let’s go outside.”
“Well I hope I didn’t swallow it for nothing,” Runa said, glowering.
“Should we change your dressing?” Lyric asked, gesturing at Elaina’s arm.
Elaina shook her head. She’d already shoved the bandages into her pack. In truth, she’d forgotten about her burn. More pressing concerns occupied her mind. “It’s fine,” she said. “Let’s get going.” She waited as Kell, Lyric, and Runa slipped the bags on their shoulders and then opened the door. The hall was empty and quiet, and she led them back up the stairs.
It was much like when they’d arrived, the large room nearly empty, with only a handful of people scattered about the tables. The large, stone fireplace had been lit, and dark purple flames danced inside. A woman, with long, floor-length cerulean hair was tuning a gourd-shaped instrument beside it. As she manipulated the instrument’s levers, it released a series of short, honking notes that punctured the low murmur of conversation inside the room.
Elaina turned, letting the girls slip past her, so she saw when Kell staggered in horror and grabbed Lyric’s shoulder. “What is that awful thing?” he gasped.
Lyric grinned and looked up at him, her eyes shining. “Aren’t you supposed to love all instruments?” she asked as they walked past Elaina.
“Gods no,” Kell said. “I’m not even sure what that is. It’s like …”
“A dog mated with a goose?”
“A demon goose,” Kell said. He surreptitiously tried to plug one ear.
“Stop being idiots,” Runa said, rolling her eyes.
Elaina watched them banter, and a smile curved her lips. The companionship between them was light and happy, and for a moment, she felt hope that life might be kind to her daughters. That death and heartbreak would not be their future. Perhaps they coul
d escape it all, and stay away from the war.
But they were women now, not little girls she could order to obey. Elaina doubted Runa would ever take her word again, ever trust her without argument. They wouldn’t just forget the world she’d dragged them into and go back to their own lives.
Smile fading from her face, regret and weariness seeped back into Elaina’s bones, and she followed them slowly to the bar.
Galgosha, writing in a dark leather ledger, looked up.
Kell, Lyric, and Runa paused by the exit, as Elaina reached into her money pouch and placed several coins atop the counter in front of Galgosha. “We’re going to use a Soulworm,” she said.
Galgosha nodded. “I’m sorry I couldn’t locate them, Dandashara,” she said.
“They’re more careful than we expected,” Elaina said. “I will find them. Until next time.” She signed farewell, and Galgosha nodded at her, tapping the side of one hand against her upper chest.
“Until next time,” Galgosha echoed.
Elaina walked between her daughters and opened the door, stepping out into the darkness of the Veil. The light and noise from the waystation disappeared, and she took a deep breath. The scent of decay was gone. Now the air smelled sharp like it’d been laced with peppermint. She breathed in again, drawing the chilled air into her lungs.
Tapping the stored light spell on her belt, Elaina summoned the glowing orb, which she split into four with a quick command uttered beneath her breath. She turned around and looked at her three companions. “Runa?” she asked, looking at her red-haired daughter expectantly.
Runa pressed a hand against her stomach, her face sour, and pointed. “That way,” she said. “I feel a tug that way.”
“How are you doing that?” Lyric asked, pointing at the light above Elaina’s head.
“The light?” Elaina asked.
Lyric nodded.
“It’s a spell, etched into my belt.”
“It’s permanent? Like Kell’s tattoo?” Lyric asked.
Daughters of Fire & Sea Page 7
