But I’m going to try.
Getting my hands on a set of Bone Mending books turns out to be more difficult than Tessa and I thought. Rasmus is watching us all the time, and ever since the librarian found me in an unauthorized area, she’s especially vigilant whenever any of us step foot among the stacks.
“We’ll have to get someone else to loan you the books,” Tessa says, “but I still don’t understand why you need to learn. Why can’t I just heal the bone for you?”
“Just trust me,” I say.
I don’t tell her the truth. Latham is closing in on me. I can feel it like a hot breath against my neck. When he catches me, I don’t want my friends to be anywhere close. Besides, I’ve seen myself dying in a dozen visions, and Tessa wasn’t there in any of them. She won’t be able to help me in the end. This is something I need to do alone. If I’m going to stop Latham, I need to learn how to mend bones.
Tessa worries her bottom lip with her teeth. “Give me some time and I’ll find a way.”
And she does.
I’m leaving the workshop the next day when someone taps me on the shoulder. I spin around to find a Healer. He’s short and slight with a pair of thick-rimmed spectacles that have slid halfway down the bridge of his nose. It makes him look years younger than the rest of the apprentices—he looks seven instead of seventeen.
“Saskia, right?”
“Yes,” I say, “and you are?”
“Tessa asked me to find you. She said you might want some help from me?” He struggles to keep pace beside me as I climb the stairs.
“Oh, you must be a Mending Healer.”
He nods. “So what kind of help were you looking for exactly? Tessa didn’t really say.”
“I want to learn everything there is to know about mending bones.”
His eyes go wide and he shifts the large stack of books he’s carrying from one arm to the other. “Like, you want a tutor?”
“No, no, nothing like that. I was hoping you might have some reading material I could borrow. Tessa says you have quite a large collection.”
“But aren’t you a Bone Charmer?” He shoves his spectacles back into place. The hint of suspicion in his voice is exactly why we didn’t get the books from the library ourselves.
We reach the top of the stairs and enter the grand foyer.
“I am, yes. But I’m working on a reading for a Healer. A Mender like you. And it would really help if I understood his craft a bit. My accuracy improves if I’m more informed.”
His face relaxes. He shifts his books to the other arm. “Oh, that makes more sense. For a moment I thought …” His cheeks flush.
“It’s an odd request, I know. But Charmers have to learn a bit about everything. And Tessa says you’re the best.”
At that his cheeks go from slightly pink to scarlet. “Oh. Well, Tessa,” he stammers, “she’s …” He swallows. Collects himself. “That’s very kind of her.”
“It’s very kind of you,” I say.
He gives me a sheepish grin. “I could get the books for you right now, if you want to wait?”
“Thank you,” I say. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”
The Healer hurries up the stairs toward the men’s dormitory. I throw a glance over my shoulder at Rasmus, who is watching me with something like a smirk. He was too far away to hear the conversation, so I’m sure it looked like I was flirting.
I miss the days when I could humiliate myself without an audience.
A few minutes later the Healer returns with a different stack of books that he presses into my arms. “That should be a good start,” he says, “but let me know if you have questions. And tell Tessa … tell her I said hello.”
I rush to my bedroom to study the healing book—it’s something to think about besides the looming third bone game and the possibility of a traitor at Ivory Hall—and then spend every free moment over the next few days scrutinizing each page. I read all about blood clots and calluses and using magic to repair fractures. In truth, I’m not sure I can heal the broken bones on my own, even if I am willing to break the law.
When I first discovered the bones, I thought I’d be content to prevent Latham from changing the past. But the Grand Council seems no closer to apprehending him than they were when I first arrived at Ivory Hall. And if he has someone on the inside—maybe even someone on the council—it seems unlikely they will. As I’ve thought about everything I’ve seen in Latham’s past and in his future, the shape of his plan has begun to emerge in my mind. Once he has my bones, he can heal each of Gran’s individually, carefully choosing the paths that will shape his life any way he pleases. And understanding his plan has made my own crystallize.
I’m not content with preserving the past anymore. If the Grand Council can’t find Latham to punish him, then I’ll do it with the bones he broke. I’ll change his past to give him the worst possible outcomes.
I’ll gift him with the future he deserves.
I just need to figure out how to do that without the benefit of my own bones to complete the spell. And for that I’ll need Bram’s help.
But something inside me recoils at the thought of approaching him for help. We haven’t been alone since the other night when I all but confessed I was still in love with him. And he didn’t return the sentiment.
I’ve been avoiding him.
My heart is too bruised to risk it again. And yet I can’t stop picturing Bram’s lips inches from mine. That unexpected swell of hope that crashed into bitter disappointment. I take a deep breath. I need to pull myself together. There’s too much at stake to let my wounded pride stand in the way of doing whatever I can to stop Latham and find my mother’s bones.
Before I can change my mind, I hurry to the men’s dormitory and tap softly on Bram’s door. He probably didn’t hear. I should try again, but I hesitate, my fist suspended in midair, willing myself to knock. This was a terrible idea.
I turn to leave, but just then the door swings open.
“Saskia?”
Bram’s hair is mussed, as if I’ve woken him from a nap. His feet are bare. My stomach flutters.
I give him an apologetic smile. “Can I come in?”
His gaze darts to Rasmus, and then back to me. He opens the door wider and gestures for me to come inside.
“I’m sorry,” I say after the door clicks shut behind me. “Having a bodyguard makes things awkward.”
“Sure,” Bram says lightly, “that’s what makes it awkward.”
What little confidence I had vanishes. “Should I not have given you details? About the other path, I mean?”
He rakes his hands through his hair. Paces around the tiny space. “Yes. No. I don’t know.”
If hearing more about our relationship on my other path makes him this uncomfortable, he isn’t going to like what I’m about to ask him.
“Maybe I should come back another time,” I say, reaching for the doorknob.
His hand darts out and circles my wrist. “No, Saskia, wait.” He gently spins me around. “Don’t go. What is it?”
His eyes are soft. His face is too close to mine. I swallow. “I need your help. If you’re willing.”
“I’m listening.”
“I was wondering if you could teach me …” I bite my lip. It’s the wrong way to start. I try again. “I heard once that you can pull magic from the bones of someone living.”
His face goes ashen. “Where did you hear that?”
“Esmee told me.”
A crease appears between his brows. “You know Esmee?”
“No. But I did on my other path. You introduced us.”
His expression is guarded. Wary. I can tell he’s weighing whether to believe me or not.
“She loved you,” I say.
“Loved? I assume she still loves me unless I’ve done something to offend her.”
A bright spark of surprise goes through me. Esmee is alive in our reality. It hadn’t occurred to me until this moment. I’ve see
n the fire that killed her so often in my readings of Gran’s healed bone that I’ve thought of her as gone. But she’s not.
I smile. “I think she wishes she saw you more often, but yes, I’m certain she still adores you.”
“I don’t understand. Why would I introduce you to Esmee? And why would she tell you that?”
“Is it true? Can you pull magic from the bones of the living?”
His gaze holds mine. “Yes.”
“Can you teach me?”
He gives me an uneasy look. “Why?”
“Latham needs my bones to choose which paths survive. It would be nice if I could heal them before he does and save him the trouble of killing me.”
“You want to figure out how to pull magic from your own bones?”
“Well, it’s that or the rest of you are going to have to kill me and then use my remains to stop Latham yourselves.”
“That’s not funny.”
I lift one shoulder. “It wasn’t meant to be. So, is it possible?”
He scrubs a hand over his face. “Maybe? I’m willing to try.”
I let go of a long breath. “Thank you.”
“When would you like to start?”
“How about now?”
He laces his fingers behind his neck and touches his elbows together. “I don’t know. It’s not a quick skill to learn.”
“Maybe I catch on faster than your other apprentices.” I’m teasing him, but a spasm of pain flashes across his expression. He drops his arms to his sides and shifts his weight from one foot to the other.
I’m not sure what I did wrong, but I clearly made him uncomfortable. “Never mind.” I open the door. “We can do this another time.”
“No.” His voice is soft, but forceful. “Now is fine.”
I hesitate, my hand on the doorknob again. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. Let’s get started.”
The task makes us forget our discomfort with each other.
Bram tries to explain the sensation of drawing magic from bones that haven’t been prepared—bones that are still inside a living body.
“In some ways it’s exactly the same,” he says. “When I was young, I didn’t even realize I was doing it at first. But now that I think about it, the technique is slightly different—push instead of pull. Does that make any sense?”
“Not really.”
“When the bones aren’t prepared, it takes more focus. More control.”
“More control how?”
He cocks his head to one side and stares at the wall. “It’s hard to articulate. Maybe you should just attempt it, and I’ll try to guide you.”
So I sit across from Bram, trying to focus all my attention on my own bones. I cradle my elbows in my palms and feel the pointy contours of my olecranon. I try to envision it just as I would if it were lying on a velvet cloth in front of me. I can sense the magic, but it’s distant—like a scent on the breeze that vanishes as quickly as it arrived.
“It doesn’t feel right,” I say. “I don’t think it’s working.”
“How do you usually feel bone magic?”
The question takes me by surprise. It never occurred to me that it wouldn’t feel the same for everyone. “It’s usually like a pull in my belly.”
“Like the magic drawing you in?”
“Yes,” I say, “exactly.”
“I have an idea.” He offers his hand and pulls me to my feet. Then he moves so he’s standing behind me. “May I touch you?”
My breath stills. I nod.
He lays a palm on my stomach, and every thought flies out of my head. If he imagined this would help me focus, he was mistaken.
“You’re trying to feel the magic here, right? Like a tug that pulls you forward into a vision?”
I have to force the answer from my lips. “Yes.”
“So I need you to try the opposite. Imagine you’re trying to pull my palm toward your spine. Draw power out of the bones and reel it in. Instead of falling forward into magic, you’re gathering it in your center.”
His breath ripples against the nape of my neck. My heart bumps against my ribs.
“Close your eyes and try again.”
I obey. My stomach feels hot beneath his hand. I can’t think with him touching me. I wish …
What, Saskia? What do you wish? Bram’s voice floats to me on a memory. The two of us standing on the deck of a ship. Stars glittering overhead. My two paths melt together in my mind, become undistinguishable.
A knock on the door makes my eyes fly open. I spin around, and Bram’s hand falls away. He studies me with a careful expression. With eyes that belong to the Bram from this reality, not the Bram from the other one.
Not the Bram who was in love with me.
I try to swallow my disappointment. I feel like a fool.
Bram takes in my stricken expression and his face changes.
“Saskia …”
“Aren’t you going to answer that?”
His gaze flicks between me and the door.
“It could be important,” I say.
Finally he sighs and pulls it open.
Niklas stands on the other side. “Oh good, you’re both here. Norah wants us in the workshop.”
“Why?” Bram asks.
Niklas shrugs. “Everyone is speculating it’s about the next bone game.”
“We should go,” I say, pushing past Bram and joining Niklas in the corridor. “We don’t want to be late.”
“Saskia, wait.”
I pause and lift my eyes to his.
Niklas moves away to give us privacy.
“I care about you,” Bram says, “but I’m not the same person I was on your other path.”
“I know that,” I say softly. My memories of Bram feel like the treasures I used to carry around in my pockets when I was a little girl—broken rocks with shimmery bits inside, old coins whose faces had been rubbed bare with time, the colorful feather of a small bird. But now I feel as if I’ve opened my fist, excited to share my precious things, only to realize the truth as they lay on my palm: They are worthless to anyone but me.
I give him a tight smile. “Thank you for your help. I’ll try practicing on my own.”
“Saskia, I’m trying—” He blows out a frustrated breath and rakes his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know what you want from me.”
My gaze falls to his bare wrist.
“I want something you can’t give,” I tell him. “I want you to remember.”
“Remembering isn’t the problem.” His voice is soft. Careful. He opens his mouth to say more, but something about my expression makes him abruptly stop talking. I feel as if he’s punctured my heart with a pin, and I can feel it shriveling in my chest.
He catches my fingers in his. “Please, let me explain.”
But I’m already backing away. I don’t want to hear him say he’s not in love with me. I hurry into the corridor, where Niklas is waiting.
Niklas wrinkles his forehead in concern. “What’s wrong? What did he want to tell you?”
“Nothing I don’t already know.” But for just a moment, I wonder if I’m wrong. Maybe Bram was trying to tell me something else. But then I push the thought away. I can’t keep stoking the fires of false hope. We’re not meant to be.
Not in this reality.
Chapter Twenty-Five
The workshop is louder than usual. I assumed Norah had summoned only our team, but it appears every apprentice at Ivory Hall is here. And they’re all talking at once. The air hums with anxious conversation—worry and speculation and excitement blend together to create a low roar that makes my head ache.
Norah steps onto the amphitheater stage. “Take your seats, please.” She speaks into a bone-carved trumpet that amplifies her voice across the workshop. The chatter dulls as we all file into our color-coded sections.
A sorrowful feeling steals over me as I sit on one of the red-painted benches reserved for Bone Charmers. I’ve grown accustomed
to being with my team, and I feel their loss sharply. Regret knots inside me. I should have never let myself grow so attached. My connection to them has made me more vulnerable. It’s so much easier to lose something you never expected you’d care about than to lose it after hope has taken root.
My eyes slide to Bram.
Norah claps her hands and the room falls silent.
“Congratulations, apprentices. You’ve nearly made it to the end of the term, and now the final bone game is upon us. This one will be a bit different from the others.”
Norah paces from one end of the stage to the other as she speaks. Every pair of eyes in the room is glued to her. “Up until now, each of the challenges has been custom-designed to test your team’s strengths and reveal your weaknesses. But in real-life situations, this won’t be the case. Difficulties will arrive without respect to your readiness or your skill. So, for your final bone game, we have replicated real-life scenarios that actual town councils have faced. Each group will receive the name of someone who has broken the law, and your task will be to find the clues you need to locate and apprehend the criminal.” She smiles. “We will use actors, of course, but the details of each case will unfold precisely as they did then—with each team acting as an independent town council.”
It sounds similar to our first bone challenge, except this time instead of convicting a criminal, we have to catch one. But for the other teams, who only had to contend with obstacle courses and puzzles, it will be much harder.
“But this time,” Norah continues, “the stakes are higher. The first team who solves their challenge will have their choice of assignments at the completion of their apprenticeship.”
A murmur ripples across the room. Graduating apprentices don’t typically get a say in where they’re sent. Most end up back in their own towns, or the towns of their mate if they are romantically attached.
“And unfortunately, any team that doesn’t apprehend the criminal in time will fail the challenge. Best of luck to all of you.”
As soon as Norah leaves the stage, the apprentices peel apart like petals on a blooming flower. One moment we’re organized into distinct sections by cloak color, and the next the room is a kaleidoscope of jumbled hues.
The Bone Thief Page 22
