by J. K. Holt
Tess and Rosie helped Lenora walk back to the spring, where she discarded the blanket and stepped into the pool, wincing. “It stings,” she said by way of explanation.
“It might be the minerals,” Tess said. “The salt will help clean the wounds. And we have a poultice to apply to them and fresh bandages when you come out, to try to avoid infection.” She sent a silent prayer of thanks to Alice.
Lenora sat for a few minutes, as long as her body would allow, and then they helped her get out. They wiped her wounds gently, bandaged them, and helped her into clothes that Tess and Rosie had cobbled together from the spare outfits that were in their paniers on the mules.
“Better?” Tess asked.
Lenora nodded.
“You need to eat before you rest again,” Rosie said. “But then you can get some sleep.”
Lenora ate a few spoonfuls of soup and drank a bit more water before retiring into Tess’s sleeping cot. Alice had given them an extra blanket as well, which Tess draped over Lenora’s prone form.
“I’ll keep watch first,” Tess said. “I’m going to go back down to the spring, where I can see further down the trail. I’ll come back when I can’t keep my eyes open any longer.”
The others dropped off quickly, and Tess retraced her steps to the small pool. She took off her shoes and lowered her feet into the water, sighing as the hot bubbles tickled her feet. Then she leaned her back against a rock and settled in, pulling her cloak tightly around herself.
Tess found herself beginning to nod off when she her a noise and shot up, alert. It was Dray, drawing nearer.
“Did I fall asleep? I didn’t think it had been that long.”
“It hasn’t.” He sat a comfortable distance away.
Tess studied him. He looked nervous. “Is something wrong?”
He ignored the question. “Do you remember the last time we were here?”
She snorted. “It was only a day ago, believe it or not. So yes, I remember.”
He took off his shoes, leaning his frame towards the spring as he mimicked her posture, dropping his feet into the water. He gripped the edge of rocks with his hand, studying the steam as it swirled around them. “I meant our conversation, specifically.”
Tess’s heart skipped. “Yes. I remember that too.”
“Oh, Tess. I’m so sorry. I was a fool.” He sighed, and for a moment, he looked so old and weary that she barely recognized him.
“It’s alright,” Tess said, uncertain what exactly he was apologizing for and unwilling to get her hopes up. “I wasn’t angry. Just hurt. Even so, I meant it when I said I wanted to be friends with you, regardless.”
“But I don’t want to be your friend,” Dray said. He looked up, fixing the intensity of those grey eyes upon her so that she could see his meaning. A small shiver rose up Tess’s back, and she suddenly felt out of her depth. Still, she hesitated.
“You’re not afraid I’ll leave you anymore?” she asked.
“I’m afraid of a lot of things,” he admitted. “But none of it is a good enough reason to not be with you. I’m more afraid of that than anything.” He slid closer, until their thighs touched. “Please. Tell me I’m not too late to change my mind.”
Tess chuckled. “Well, despite my best efforts, I was unable to find myself another suitor today, so you might still have a chance.”
She ducked her head and tucked it against his chest as he wrapped an arm around her back, and she felt immediately safe. “That’s very good news,” he said. He rubbed his hand up her arm.
Her skin tingled from his touch, and she turned her head up, finding the length of his jaw. A boldness seized her, and she tilted her head further until her lips found his neck. She brushed them against his skin in a soft kiss.
Dray went completely still, his hand frozen on her arm. She kissed him again, in the same spot, and then moved slowly up to his jaw. She could feel him beginning to melt, his breath shuddering. Still, though, he did not reciprocate.
Suddenly self-conscious, she whispered, “is this okay?”
He breathed out a shaky laugh. “Snails. Yes.”
Tess reached up, pulling his face towards her own. She kissed him then, and he returned with gusto, wrapping his arms around her and shifting her weight so that she straddled him. He held her waist with both hands, and they enjoyed each other, and the moment, for as long as they could.
Chapter Twelve
Lenora was less than forthcoming about why they’d found her lying in her own filth in the cellar, although Tess didn’t blame her. She didn’t know them, and though they’d saved her, Tess saw it in Lenora’s eyes- she wondered if it was another trap.
They’d probed her gently over breakfast, but she would only confirm that she’d been their prisoner, held against her will, and that she was not working with her captors- basically, things that any of them could have easily guessed. She was polite, and very appreciative of their help, but gave vague answers or feigned confusion whenever asked a direct question regarding anything else. Tess could see that the others were becoming impatient, and decided to change tactics.
“Look, Lenora, we have very little time. So, here’s what we know,” Tess said, ignoring the warning looks from the others. “There’s an organization- we call them the lampreys. Sneaky bastards, like to hide in the shadows- sound familiar? I think we just saved you from them yesterday. They’ve been making themselves at home in Wharfton while they do something out near the Sea Dimple, an old fishing spot offshore. Before that, we think they were in the Lonely Isles- they might still be there. We don’t know what they want with the Sea Dimple exactly, but we do know that when we started poking around, we got their attention in a very unwanted way. We took one of their men. His name’s Reydon.” She watched Lenora for any reaction to the name, but she kept a poker face. “Anyway, while in- let’s say, an ‘altered’ state of of consciousness, Reydon told us they were keeping someone here, outside Green Springs. We came all this way because of that. To get you out.”
Lenora had shrewd, hooded eyes, and a sharpness to her gaze that suggested a deep intelligence. “That’s a terribly long way to travel to save someone you don’t know.”
“Yes, it was.” Rosie said. She gave Lenora her wolf-like smile. Tess caught her eye and shook her head.
“That’s what we know. Now, here’s what we think we know,” Tess said. “The lampreys took a high scholar from Turand. We don’t know why. But we think that’s you.”
Lenora slit her eyes and pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders. She glanced around as if looking for an escape.
“You’re not our prisoner,” Dray said. “You can go whenever you choose, or we can help you find your way to where you’re going. But we’d love it if you chose to trust us. We risked a lot to come and help you, because this is important.”
“Why? Why is this so important to you?” Lenora asked.
“Because we’ve lost people!” Rosie said, throwing her food on the ground. “Because they’re crippling us. Because we have nothing else left!”
“Rosie-” Dray began.
“No! I don’t need to be reigned in. I have a right to be angry! Russ is gone! He’s gone,” she said, heaving a sob. “I…” She shook her head, and then hauled herself up, stalking away.
Tess moved to follow. “Let her be, Tess,” Dray cautioned. “She’s likely to take your head off right now.”
Tess took a deep breath before choosing to ignore him.
She caught up with Rosie a fair distance away, pacing like a caged animal. She whirled on Tess when she caught her arm, and nearly hit her. Tess flinched but kept hold of Rosie’s arm. “I know,” she said. “I know, Rosie.” Rosie sobbed and collapsed against Tess. The floodgates had opened, and she screamed against Tess’s shoulder, releasing a month’s worth of grief, squeezing her until Tess’s ribs flared up in protest, an old wound remembering its pain, but Tess held steady. She squeezed back, stroking Rosie’s hair, and repeated her mantra over and over until
the grief again became manageable. “I know. I know, Rosie. I know.”
And Rosie knew she did. So she trusted Tess with her unbearable pain.
∞ ∞ ∞
“What do you mean when you say you’ve lost people?” Lenora asked.
“They’ve been blurred,” Fish answered. Lenora raised an eyebrow at the term.
“Blurred. Erased. The lights are on but no one is home,” Tess elaborated. “They’re sucking the souls out of people. That’s how we knew they were in the Lonely Isles before Wharfton- we followed the disease. They leave a wake of blurred people wherever they’ve been. We think it’s a convenient way to clean up their mess.”
“And you have proof that they are doing this?” Lenora asked.
Tess weighed her options, and then rooted around in her bag. From the bottom, tucked in cloth, she withdrew her prize and unwrapped it. She held up the blurring device. “This is what they use. It gets pressed against the back of the skull.”
Lenora’s eyes widened, and she reached for it. Tess pulled it out of her reach. “Where did you get that?”
Tess wrapped it again and handed it to Rosie, who secured it back in her own pack. “We ‘procured’ it from Reydon,” she answered.
Lenora’s gaze darted between them, suddenly more furtive than before. “You don’t understand what you have there.”
“Then feel free to inform us,” Tess said. At Lenora’s silence, she pushed on. “We’ve told you enough. And we may choose to tell you more at some point, but we’re done with the one-sided flow of information. If you want to see that device again, or learn anything else about how it works, or whatever else we know, you’ll need to start talking to us. Think it over.”
“In the meantime,” Rosie said, tucking her blanket back into her pack, “we need to consider leaving. In the light of day, anyone looking could probably find us here.”
The others began to rise.
“It’s an opprimer.” Lenora said quickly. “I only know of three that still work. Please, sit,” she implored.
The group shared hesitant glances with one another before settling back down. “And how do you know that?” Tess asked.
Lenora gritted her teeth. “Because I am what you say.”
“The high scholar?”
She nodded.
“Why did they kidnap you?”
“They wanted information, information that we are guarded with keeping.”
“Did they get it?” Dray asked.
“No. Though not for lack of trying.” She rubbed at her legs, and Tess remembered the sores that covered them.
Something didn’t make sense to Tess. “If the information you have is so important, why were they leaving you to die?”
“They weren’t. They kept me in the house first. Then, when other methods failed, they thought the cold hard floor of the cellar would be a good punishment.” Lenora continued to rub her leg absently. “That’s how the brutes think.”
“But, you were starving,” Rosie said.
“They brought down food and a jug of water daily. I just chose not to eat or drink it.”
“Why? Did you think they were poisoning you?”
Lenora frowned. “No. But I was beginning to lose hope of rescue. And no person can hold out forever.”
They took her meaning.
“Snails,” Rosie muttered. “What did they want to know so badly?”
Lenora gave her a withering look. “I was willing to die to protect that information.”
Clearly, they were at an impasse. Tess tried something else. “Do you know who was behind all of this?”
“I have my suspicions.”
“And if we get you safely back to the capital, can you stop them?” Tess asked.
Lenora cringed at the question. “Truly? I’m not certain. It’s complicated, and the lampreys, as you call them- they have high connections there. But it’s still the best route forward. And if you come with me, and give me the opprimer, I can get you an audience with powerful people. And I give you my word that I’ll do everything in my power to expose the lampreys for what they are.”
Rosie snorted. “And what’s that?”
“Misinformed and dangerous people who must be stopped at all costs.”
“Well, I don’t know about the others,” Rosie said. “But I can live with that.”
But it was more complicated than it seemed. Though reluctant to separate, they disagreed on the path forward. Tess and Rosie wanted to take Lenora to the capital, while Dray and Fish seemed anxious to get home. Tess could see that Dray was fueled by anxiety for his family, from whom he’d already been separated for too long. The knowledge that the lampreys were well connected in the capital, and that Reydon could be on his way to Wharfton at this moment, only furthered his need.
“We’ve done what we came here to do,” Dray argued. “We can send Lenora on her way with one of the mules.”
“How are you saying this?” Tess argued. “You of all people know how important it is that she make it back safely.”
“Yes, but staying with her is risky. Once they find out she’s gone, they’ll set after her. And what will happen if they capture both her and you? They’ll have two prizes instead of one.”
“It’s worth the risk,” Tess pushed back. “It has to be.”
Dray fumed. The four of them packed their bags as Lenora soaked one more time in the spring. She’d given them their space intentionally, and though Tess didn’t like her not being within their sight, she remembered what Dray had said to Lenora- she wasn’t their prisoner and could go as she pleased.
“I need to see this through,” Tess said.
“So do I,” Rosie shot back from behind her mule.
“I don’t like it,” Dray said.
“You don’t have to.” It sounded harsher than she’d meant it to, and Tess walked to Dray and pulled him to her, wrapping her arms around his back. “I know you’re scared,” she whispered against his chest. “But I need you to support this.”
He sighed, returning the hug. “I won’t try to stop you.”
“Go back. I know your family needs you,” Tess said. “And take Fish. He’s desperate to have your back.”
“Who will have yours?”
“Me, you rutting moron,” Rosie said, as she walked back around to them. “Here’s half of what we have left,” she said, holding out a small purse. Tess detangled herself from Dray as he reached out. “What’s this for?”
“It should be enough to secure passage on a shipping vessel. It won’t be a straight journey, but Rodon is only a few days east of here. You can jump one there and get as far south as Moorhen. At the least, you’ll skip the Misties. At best, you can find another ship heading south and ride all the way to Wharfton. When you get there, tell my uncle I’ll bring the horses when I return. And take care of my parents.”
Tess turned a pleading glance to Dray. “Gowan, too.”
Tess pulled out a bundle from her pack. “Take this with you. It’s the opprimer and the letters we found in the cabin- no one’s read them yet, and there might be information in there that could help us.”
Dray took it warily. “Why don’t you want it? It might prove helpful.”
“Aye,” answered Rosie. “But it’s not best to keep all your valuables together. Regardless of whether Lenora wants the opprimer with her.”
He sighed, rubbing his head. “I can’t convince you two otherwise, can I?”
“Cheer up,” Rosie said. “Try smiling more. Girls like that.” She flashed him a wicked grin and he chuckled.
“Come here, Rosebud.” Rosie acquiesced, enveloping him in a tight bear hug. Tess stepped back to give them some privacy as he whispered something into Rosie’s ear. Rosie whispered back, and withdrew enough to look Dray in the eyes, holding his face in a somber moment. She kissed him on each cheek and wiped at his eye before withdrawing.
“Come on, Fish,” Rosie said. “Let’s go tell Lenora.”
Fish stopped at Tess.
“I could come with you. It doesn’t feel right to have gone this far only to part ways.”
Tess grasped his hand. “You’ve been the best company, Fish, and I wish you were coming. But I’d feel much more comfortable knowing you were with Dray, and that you were watching out for each other on the trip back.”
Fish was expecting that response. He nodded and followed Rosie down the trail.
Dray’s back was to Tess as he collected his pack from the ground. She watched him work, suddenly overcome with a sadness that she couldn’t allow him to see. She needed to be strong for him, so that he wouldn’t feel worse about his decision to go back.
She pulled herself together quickly and bridged the distance between them. He turned, understanding that there were no more words to be said, and kissed her roughly. She felt his desperation and returned it. Then he held her for a moment, and together they pulled strength from one another. Tess only hoped it would be enough to last her.
∞ ∞ ∞
They parted ways at the crossroads in Green Springs, the men turning east, towards the coast, while the women continued north. Tess didn’t allow herself to look back over her shoulder. She couldn’t risk it. Lenora rode behind her in the saddle, arms wrapped loosely around Tess’s waist. Tess spared a grateful look at the Inn as they passed, sending up thanks for Alice. She wasn’t sure what they would have done without her.
They made slow progress. Lenora was still weak and sore, and she needed to rest frequently. Plus, they were riding two to a mule now, and they were reluctant to push their mounts. These mules might have to last them the rest of the journey.
“Do you have a plan?” Rosie asked Lenora during their second rest of the morning.
“We’ll travel north to Port Harbour, and board a ship to Turand from there,” Lenora said.
“Port Harbour? But isn’t that the closest point on Alitura to the Lonely Isles?” Rosie said.
