by Imogen Elvis
“A few months. Probably ‘til autumn at least.” Ava shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Autumn.” Briar took a deep breath, pressing her hand against her chest as it tightened. She chose her words carefully. “It’s wonderful that Cook wants you to go with them. But you’re too young to go all the way to Mizra on your own, Ava.”
“Why?” Ava stilled, a frown shifting over her face. “I can look after myself. And Cookie’ll be there. I’ll be fine.”
“Ava, you’re twelve. You can’t go that far away just yet.”
“Please, Briar. I really, really want to go.” Ava turned wide, pleading eyes up to Briar, her tone wheedling. “Cookie says the house is right by the river. And they have swans. And the servants get to go on picnics sometimes in the woods when the family’s not there. Oh, Briar, please let me go.”
“It does sound wonderful. But I’m sorry, Ava. You’re too young to go without me.” There was just no way. How was Briar supposed to take care of her sister when she was all the way in Mizra?
Ava folded her arms, her chin jutting out. “I’ll just go anyway. You can’t stop me. You’re not my mother.”
Briar’s fingers curled. “No, I’m not your mother. But I’m the closest you’ve got.”
“Mama and Papa would let me go.”
“Well, they’re not here, are they?”
“I wish they were.” Tears brimmed in Ava’s eyes. “They’d understand.”
Briar shook her head, to trying squish down the small stab of guilt that rose with those tears. “When you’re older, you can go anywhere you like. You can travel the whole world if you want to. But right now, I have to look after you, and I can’t do that if you’re in Mizra.” Briar sucked in a sharp breath, willing her sister to understand.
“You can’t stop me.” Ava clenched her fists.
“That’s enough.” Briar’s voice was too sharp. “Until you stop acting like such a child, you’re going to stay right here, where I can keep an eye on you.”
Ava’s face crumpled. “You… you’re… I hate you!” She swirled around and took off into the crowd, a gust of wind blowing her braids out behind her.
Briar let her go. Ava would understand this was for the best. Eventually. Cook painted the most delightful picture of life in Mizra. It sounded so enticing that it was no wonder Ava was dying to go. But there was just no way Briar could allow her to travel that far. Not yet. Ava might be angry now, but it was for the best.
“Novice Briar.”
Mistress Willow? Briar turned, and her heart sank into her boots. The mistress stood a few paces away, arms folded, with a face that could have crumbled stone. Behind her stood Rayna and another mistress she didn’t recognise. Briar caught Rayna’s eye, and her friend gave her an apologetic shrug.
“What is the meaning of this?” Mistress Willow was far too calm.
“I… I…”
“I thought you were old enough to be trusted not to wander off. It seems not.”
Briar scuffed the toe of her boot across the cobbles, her shoulders hunching under the weight of the mistress’s disapproval. “I’m sorry Mis-”
Mistress Willow cut her off with a wave of her hand. “Help Rayna with the baskets. We’re going back to the order house. Now.” She turned to the other mistress. “I’m so sorry about this, Rhosmari.”
“Novices make mistakes.” The second mistress eyed the two girls with a calm smile. “We were young too once, Willow.” She wore a medallion much like Briar’s, emblazoned with the image of the Crystal Tree. Only Mistress Rhosmari’s was made of shining silver instead of dull iron, marking her as a visitor of some importance.
“That never excused us, and it doesn’t excuse Briar.” Mistress Willow turned sharply and marched away.
Briar and Rayna trailed in the wake of the two mistresses, laden with the baskets of herbs and spices. The mix of sweet smells turned Briar’s stomach. This wasn’t how she’d seen this afternoon going at all.
“She usually takes forever,” Briar whispered to Rayna. “What happened?” With the length of Mistress Willow’s list, there was no way she’d had time to buy everything they needed.
“Mistress Rhosmari arrived, and Mistress Willow decided to leave at once and get the rest another day. That’s when she realised you were gone. I tried to excuse you, but she wasn’t impressed.” Rayna gave her an apologetic shrug. “Sorry, Briar.”
Briar forced a smile. “It’s alright.” Rayna was the least of her troubles. First, she’d had to deal with Captain Bren, then she argued with Ava, and now she was in trouble with Mistress Willow. This day could not have gone any worse.
When they reached the order house, Mistress Willow stopped in the entrance hall and turned to the two novices, her face still cold and stern. “Take the baskets straight to the healing room. Store the herbs and return the baskets to their places, then go to the evening meal. Briar, I will speak to you later.”
“Yes, Mistress.” Briar hunched her shoulders. She was not looking forward to that.
“Rhosmari.” One of the other visiting masters stepped through the connecting door into the entrance hall, thankfully interrupting anything else Mistress Willow might have had to say. He dipped his head respectfully, though his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Welcome to Osman.”
“Sachio.” Mistress Rhosmari mirrored the false smile right back. “I’m glad you could see your way clear to joining us.”
“My first duty is, of course, to the Order.” Master Sachio straightened. “The others are here already.”
“Excellent. I look forward to meeting with them.” Mistress Rhosmari swept past the master. “Come, Willow. We have so much to catch up on over the evening meal.”
Mistress Willow fell into step beside her, and Master Sachio followed a moment later, leaving the two novices alone in the empty hall. So that was why Mistress Rhosmari was here, to see the other masters and mistresses who had arrived over the past week or so. Why anyone would come to Osman was beyond Briar. It was hardly the most important order house.
“Well,” Rayna said. And that about summed things up. “I guess we’d better put these away before we get in even more trouble.” She led the way towards the healing room, which was on the opposite side of the building.
“Don’t remind me.” Briar grimaced. “I was certain I would have more time. She usually takes forever gossiping with Zamir.”
“Well, maybe she’ll be too busy with the visitors and forget all about you.”
“I hope so. I’ve never seen so many guests before.”
Rayna pushed the door to the healing room open. Someone had closed the shutters at the end of the afternoon’s healing session, and the room was cool and dim. “Well, Mistress Rhosmari’s actually from Osman originally.”
“Really?”
“It’s true. She was a mistress here a while ago, I think, well before I joined the Order. Then she left to become a member of the song council.” Rayna frowned. “Come to think of it, Master Sachio’s on the council too.”
“Wait, he’s that Master Sachio? As in, the king’s brother?” Briar set her basket down slowly. “What in the name of the Tree is he doing in Osman?”
Rayna shrugged. “I don’t know. But he’s here, and so is Mistress Rhosmari. So I guess it must be important. I wonder if any of the others are from the council. I’m going to ask around, see if anyone knows anything.”
“If Mistress Willow finds out you’ll be in even more trouble than I am.”
“She won’t.” Rayna grinned suddenly. “Anyway, it’d be worth it.”
Briar shook her head. “If you say so.” Nothing was worth being in that much trouble. Rayna would be scrubbing floors for a month if the mistress found out. Then again, Briar was probably going to be doing that anyway, so at least she’d have company. She tipped the basket of herbs and spices out onto the bench. “Come on, let’s get these sorted or we’ll be late for the evening meal. I’m not risking any more wrath tonight.”
CHAPTER THREE
When the evening meal ended, the novices streamed towards the dormitories. The masters enforced a strict bedtime in the order house, at least for the novices. Briar and Rayna shared a dorm with four other girls from all different song strands. In larger houses, each strand would have their own room. But the Osman order house wasn’t nearly big enough for that, so Briar shared not only with Rayna, but also a fire singer, a couple of water singers, and an earth singer as well.
“You go on ahead,” Rayna said as they reached the dorm. “I want to see if anyone’s heard anything about the visitors.”
Briar shrugged and continued on alone. Rayna wasn’t going to let that go until she knew every detail. Then again, in a place as routine and structured as this, where you did the same thing every day of your life, anything that broke up the regular rhythms was eagerly welcomed. Ordinarily, Briar might have considered joining the gossip, but not tonight. Tonight she needed a few moments to be alone.
Her bed was at the far end of the dorm, furthest from the door but right by one of the narrow windows that looked out into the enclosed garden. The shutters hung open still, letting in a playful breeze, scented with sweet jasmine and wild rose. Briar leaned on the windowsill, drinking in the crisp evening air. If she closed her eyes, she could almost be home with Mama, Papa and Ava. There would be a little fire crackling on the hearth, and Papa would tell tales of the old times, of the Crystal Tree, the Song Wars, and the legends of the banewulfs. Home hovered just beyond her reach. If she stretched out her hand, she could almost grasp it.
And then someone laughed, and the sound shattered the soft memory. Briar breathed a sigh, her fingers closing around the comforting shape of her medallion. Osman was home now, for her and Ava. At that thought, she heaved another, deeper sigh. Maybe she shouldn’t have been so harsh earlier. But Ava really was far too young to go to Mizra on her own. It was for her own good. And yet, the memory of the betrayal on Ava’s face, and the anger burning in her eyes stirred up guilt in Briar’s heart. Letting her go wasn’t losing her exactly. And yet, in a way, it was.
“Hey.” Rayna grabbed Briar’s shoulder, jolting her from her thoughts. “Wake up, Briar. I’ve got news.”
Briar blinked, struggling to return to the present. “What is it?”
Rayna plopped down on Briar’s bed, her face aglow. “Alright, so I was talking to Kira, and she reckons that something’s happening in the wind singer’s room this evening. They moved tables and chairs in there during the afternoon. I’d bet the council is meeting there.” Rayna gave Briar a grin that meant trouble. “We should eavesdrop.”
Briar shook her head before Rayna had even finished speaking. “No way.”
“Why not? No one would even know we were there.”
“We’d never make it that far without someone catching us. Plus, do you know how much trouble we’d be in if someone caught us eavesdropping on council business? They’d throw us out of the Order for sure.”
“They won’t. I have it all planned out.” Rayna wrapped her hands around her knee. “We’ll wait for everyone to go to sleep, and then we sneak out and hide in the wind master’s room. It’s right next door, and the walls are only thin, so we’d be able to hear well enough. No one would ever suspect we were there. It’s perfect.”
Briar stared at her friend. “You’re not serious are you?”
“Absolutely. It’s our chance, Briar. Don’t you want to know what they’re doing?”
“Not enough to risk the punishment when we get found out.” Briar turned away and started unbuckling her belt. Someone would be in to blow out the candles soon, and she hadn’t even begun dressing for bed.
“Briar, please.” Rayna grabbed her arm, spinning her back around. “You owe me this. I cover for you all the time when you meet with your sister. Look, I’ll take all the blame if we get caught, tell them I forced you to do it. But I need you. Please, Briar.”
They shouldn’t. She shouldn’t. This was such a bad idea. And yet, Rayna did have a point. Briar owed her an awful lot. Her shoulders sagged. “Fine. I’ll come.”
Rayna’s face lit up. “Thank you, Briar. You won’t regret this.”
“I already am,” Briar muttered. She grabbed her nightgown. “Shouldn’t you be getting changed? The mistress will be here any moment.”
“Sairth.” Rayna darted off and began changing at speed, leaving Briar to slip into her nightgown, still wondering how exactly Rayna had managed to get her to agree to do something so utterly stupid.
“Wake up.”
“Mph…” Briar pulled the blankets tighter, drifting halfway between sleep and wake. Maybe the person would go away if she didn’t answer.
“Briar.” The pillow disappeared from under her head. “Wake up. It’s time to go.”
Time to go? Oh, the council meeting. Briar’s eyes flew open. “I’m awake. I am.” The candles were cold and dark, but the shutters were still open on the window by Briar’s bed, and the silvery moonlight was just bright enough to see Rayna standing over her, Briar’s pillow in hand.
“It’s about time,” Rayna hissed. “You sleep like the dead.”
And it had been a good sleep too. Briar yawned and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. “Well, I’m coming aren’t I?” Now that they were actually about to sneak out, she was even more convinced of just how foolish an idea this was. But it was too late to back out now.
“Hurry.” Rayna slipped away towards the door. Briar tugged on her habit and slid off the bed. Her toes curled as they hit the floor and she shivered. The spring nights were still far too cold. She laced her boots and took a deep breath. Alright. She was ready.
Briar padded past the other beds, her eyes moving from pillow to pillow. In the bed second from the door, Kira, the fire singer, muttered something and shifted restlessly. Briar froze. Was she waking up? Kira murmured again, and cuddled back down, falling still. Briar let out her breath slowly and tiptoed on. That was close.
“Let’s go.” Rayna wrapped her fingers around Briar’s wrist and dragged her out the door into the darkened corridor beyond.
Here, there were no windows to let in the moonlight, and the candles in their sconces were dark, though the air still smelled faintly of warm wax. Briar trailed the fingers of her free hand against the wall, her wide eyes staring into the darkness. Step by step, they crept down the long passage.
Hinges creaked and up ahead, a door swung open slowly, letting the dim glow of candlelight spill into the corridor. The girls froze. For a moment, neither moved, as though, if they stayed perfectly still, the approaching master or mistress wouldn’t be able to see them. And then the person sniffed sharply, breaking the spell.
“Hide.” Rayna pushed Briar.
She backed up, her fingers running along the wall, eyes fixed on the light. Hide where? There was nowhere to hide in the empty corridor. They’d be seen for sure. Wait. Briar’s fingers ran over wood instead of stone. A door. She felt around for the handle and pushed it open, her mouth dry as she waited for it to squeak. The hinges swung silently, and Briar dragged Rayna inside, ducking behind the door. No time to close it now.
The footsteps drew closer and closer, the light growing stronger as the master or mistress approached. The room lit up, shadows flickering over the walls. Briar swallowed hard as the steps stopped right outside the door. The person sniffed again, then stepped closer, closer. Golden light flooded the room. Briar’s fingers curled around her medallion. This was it. She’d be back on the streets before morning.
Another sniff and the door swung shut, latching firmly. The footsteps resumed, growing fainter and fainter as they carried on down the hall until finally, they faded to silence. Briar blew out a breath. Too close. Her hands trembled as she eased the door open again. The hallway was still and dark. Somehow, they were safe.
“That was close.” Rayna slid past her. “Come on. This way.”
That was the last thing they should be doing, especially after such a close encount
er. But Rayna’s grip on her arm was firm, and Briar allowed herself to be dragged along. The walk to the other side of the building had never seemed so long as it did as they crept through the darkness. Any moment, someone could open a door and catch them sneaking by. But no one did, and there, at last, was the wind singer’s room.
A thin line of light glowed from under the door, and the soft hum of voices from inside proved Rayna was right. Someone was meeting in there. Briar strained her ears, but couldn’t quite catch the words. Crouching in the hallway would be far too exposed anyway. Briar followed Rayna into the little room next door.
This was the wind master’s private room. Shutters covered huge windows that were left open during the day so that the wind could swirl in and out as it pleased. Here, the interior walls were made of wood, rather than the stone that formed the rest of the building. If she pressed her ear to it, Briar could just make out what was said next door. She and Rayna crouched by the wall, and at once Briar was drawn into the conversation.
“…makes these attacks so different from any of the others?” The voice was vaguely familiar. Briar had to think for a moment before she could place it. Master Sachio, right?
“They specifically hunt magicians.” This from Mistress Rhosmari. “In each town, the order houses were completely destroyed, and our magicians hunted through the streets. It happened in Kenlan, and in every attack before this.”
“When you say they ‘hunted our magicians’ exactly what do you mean?” This from another man, his words clipped as if impatient.
“They actively look for and kill masters and mistresses. They take novices, often ignoring the townspeople.” Briar imagined Mistress Rhosmari’s lips tightening with every word. “They hunt our people down like animals, Talor.”
“Haven’t the magicians fought back? A couple of good fire singers can do plenty.”
“It’s not that easy,” Mistress Rhosmari answered. “These attackers are magicians too, and exceptionally powerful ones at that. People are calling them the ‘Nameless Ones’.”
