by C. J. Archer
"Hard working? You haven't done a thing while you've been talking to me."
"Look at 'em all!" He indicated the men around us, some simply standing about doing nothing, others asking anyone who passed if they were in need of workers. "A year ago, I knew every single person here. Now I hardly know anyone. Mull is full of strangers."
"That's no reason to be angry at them, Ivor. It's nobody's fault that Mull is changing. It's just the way things are, and we have to adjust the best we can."
"Why are you taking their side against people you've known your entire life?"
"I'm not taking anyone's side."
He sniffed, wrinkling his nose. "Ever since going to the palace, you've been all high and mighty. You haven't got time for us no more."
"I certainly haven't got time for your hostility."
"Me? Hostile? I'll have you know, I was willing to court you, Josie, maybe even marry you."
"Willing?" I laughed. "How charitable of you."
Ivor bristled. "Aye, it was. But now I'm glad I lost interest. You ain't the girl you used to be, now you've been to parties with lords and ladies. They say you even pretended to be a lady, all dressed up in silk and jewels."
"Who says that?" Only Lady Deerhorn had recognized me but it wouldn't surprise me if she'd spread the rumor among her staff. A Deerhorn maid or footman must have taken that rumor to the village on their days off.
Ivor simply smiled.
"It was one party," I said. "As for my other visits, I've had work to do, just like the servants. Would you deny me a way to make a living?"
"If you married, you wouldn't need to make a living. Your husband would take care of you."
This conversation was going to make me angry if it went on any longer. It was best to end it if we were to remain civil. I pushed past him.
"Do you know what everyone's saying about you and the captain of the guards?" he called after me. The sneer in his voice should have warned me. I should have walked faster, or turned around and ordered him to stay quiet. "That he's your whoremonger."
Several passersby looked at us while others slowed down to listen. I knew some of them. I'd delivered their babies or attended to them with my father. None told Ivor to retract his words. It was up to me.
I marched back to him. "Nobody thinks that except you. And if you believe it, then you're pathetic and I thank the goddess that I wasn't foolish enough to encourage your advances."
The two spots of color on his cheeks brightened with each passing moment until the freckles looked as if they'd explode off his face. Before he could speak or intercept me again, I strode off through the crowd. A few snickers followed me but I wasn't sure if they were directed at me or Ivor, and I didn't care. I couldn't believe he'd say such things to me when mere weeks ago he'd wanted to give me flowers. I couldn't believe I'd never seen this side of him before. We may not have been close, but I hadn't realized he was cruel.
By the time I left the concourse and entered the main street behind the warehouses, where the permanent shops were bustling with trade, my anger had faded. Ivor's words still stung, however. I felt betrayed by one of my own.
My own what? I hardly recognized parts of my village anymore, let alone some of the people in it. Thank goodness there were still good people like Peggy in the Buy and Swap Shop who waved at me as I passed her window where she was setting out a display of tin plates.
People like the Taos, too. It was time to face them. The sooner I did, the sooner I'd feel better about buying supplies from Mika's stall again.
The door was opened by one of the younger children who informed me that Mika wasn't at home. I asked to see his mother instead and was led to the kitchen where Mistress Tao stood at the table cutting up a bunch of herbs. The tang of spices tickled my nose and the back of my throat. There were too many for me to identify individually but the combination smelled delicious.
Mistress Tao wiped her forehead on her sleeve and offered me a seat. "Tea?" she asked.
"If you'll join me," I said, sitting.
She checked a small pot hanging over the fire beside a larger one and threw in some dried leaves. "If you need supplies, Mika is at the market."
"I've got enough stock for now," I told her. "The apothecary business has been slower than usual since Father died."
She gave me a sympathetic smile. "So has the spice business."
In my case, it was because Father wasn't around to prescribe the right medicines to those in need. In Mistress Tao's case, it was the association with her husband and his crime of knowingly selling poison to the poisoner. The other spice merchant in the village was servicing more customers than ever. I made a silent promise to go to Mika's stall next time.
I glanced toward the door to make sure none of her other children were within earshot. "How have you been?"
"Fine," she said, lifting the pot off the hook. "The younger ones still cry for him. Mika doesn't say much but I know he misses Tam."
"And you?"
She stared into the pot. "I miss him too."
"If there's anything I can do to help, Mistress Tao, please come and see me."
She poured the tea into two cups and joined me at the table. We sat in awkward silence as I tried to find a suitable way to broach the topic of magic. I wished I'd known her better, but her reclusiveness had made friendship impossible.
"Do you know any other Zemayans in Mull?" I finally asked.
She shook her head. "As far as I'm aware, there aren't any living here permanently. Sailors come and go with their ships but few remain. Most Zemayans prefer to stay on their side of the Sapphire Sea."
"Do you communicate with your husband's relatives regularly?"
"Not particularly. Miss Cully, I appreciate your concern for our wellbeing, but just because my children are half Zemayan doesn't mean Zemayans should seek them out now that my husband has passed."
"That's not why I'm asking." I sipped my tea. It was warm and spicy. "I actually want to ask someone questions about magic."
"Magic?" She frowned. "Why?"
I lifted a shoulder. "Just a passing interest."
She leaned forward and whispered, "Does this have something to do with the palace?"
I stared at her then forced myself to chuckle. "Nothing like that. My father believed in magic, and I find I want to know why, now that he's gone. It's my way of remembering him."
She sat back, looking somewhat disappointed. It seemed everyone wanted to gossip about the mystery of the palace. "I can't help you. Tam believed too, of course, like most Zemayans, but we didn't speak about it." She shrugged. "It simply wasn't a topic of discussion."
"My father said he didn't believe until he traveled to Zemaya, but I don't know why he changed his opinion. I suppose he heard stories."
"There are a number that involve magic. Some are just tales to scare children into being good or to teach them right from wrong. Tam used to tell the children their teeth would be made into a necklace by the sorcerer if they didn't chew bark from the chalk tree to clean them."
"Sorcerer?"
"Zemayans believe there's a sorcerer who controls all the world's magic. He can wield it as he sees fit."
"What kind of magic?"
"Manipulating objects. Making things appear out of thin air." She watched me over the rim of her cup. "Such as a palace and all its inhabitants."
I swallowed more of the tea. It burned my throat as it went down. "And where is the sorcerer supposed to be now?" I asked, setting down the cup. "According to Zemayan beliefs?"
"I don't know. As I said, we didn't discuss magic much. It was just a belief Tam had but one I didn't share. Not then, anyway. Not until a few months ago when the palace appeared."
I met her gaze. "Why did Tam believe in magic?"
"Why did your father?"
"I don't know."
"In Tam's case, it was part of his culture. I don't think he'd seen or heard anything in particular, though. He just assumed a sorcerer existed and could use
his power when he wanted. He'd just had no need to use it in centuries."
"Where did Tam think the sorcerer went in that time? Why did he have no use of his power until…?"
Another shrug. "I really can't tell you anything else."
I sighed. "I have to ask a Zemayan." That meant waiting at the harbor for the next ship from that country to arrive. After meeting Ivor there, I didn't want to be near the docks.
"There is a prominent believer based on The Fist," Mistress Tao said. "He wrote a book on magic, many years ago. Tam wanted to find a copy for me to read but I wasn't interested." She tapped her finger on the cup and frowned in thought. "What was the title?" she muttered.
"Is he originally from Zemaya?"
She shook her head. "Vytill, I think. He spent a few years in Zemaya. Even so, Tam thought it a good book for me to read to learn about magic. He thought I might appreciate it more, knowing an educated Fist lord believed so strongly." She blinked watery eyes into her cup.
I reached across the table and touched her arm. She smiled sadly. "Do you remember the lord's name?" I asked.
"Something starting with B."
I knew the name of only one lord from Vytill beginning with a B. Surely it couldn't be him. "Barborough?"
"That's it. Lord Barborough. Do you know him?"
"No. It's just a name I've heard." I stood and thanked her for the tea. "If you're near my house, please do stop in," I said. "I'd like to return the favor."
She promised but I knew it was an empty one. She was unlikely to leave the house after all this time.
Heading home, I considered how best to give the information about Lord Barborough to Dane. He should be informed, but a note might not be taken seriously. I'd have to go in person. At least, that's what I told myself.
I was about to set out the following morning when I met Meg leaving her house to go to the market.
"Want to come with me?" she asked. "I can even carry your things in my basket. I doubt I'll fill it otherwise. The prices are even higher this week than they were last week. It's outrageous. Papa says we won't be able to afford to live in Mull soon."
"Not today. I'm going to the palace."
She looked up and down the street. "Have you been summoned again?"
"I have a message to deliver. About the maid I attended yesterday," I added when she gave me an odd look. "Something about her condition."
"Oh, poor thing. I do hope her pregnancy isn't difficult."
I pressed my lips together. I hated lying to her, but I couldn't tell her Ruth's problem. I'd promised secrecy.
"Who will you speak to there?" It sounded like an idle question, but the fingernail picking at one of the broken rushes on her basket handle told a different story.
"The captain, I suppose," I said. "I might even see Sergeant Max."
The picking became more determined. "Oh? Who?"
"The handsome man who collected me yesterday."
"Is that his name? I'd forgotten."
"Liar," I said, laughing.
Her face blushed fiercely. "You're imagining something that wasn't there, Josie, and I'll thank you not to spread rumors about me being interested in him."
My smile died on my lips. "No, of course not. I'm sorry, Meg, I didn't mean to upset you."
She glanced back at her front door. "I'm not upset, I'm merely being cautious about rumor-mongering, especially when the rumor involves someone from the palace. Speaking of the palace and rumors, I heard what Ivor said to you. I can't believe he would say that about you and the captain. My brother was appalled when he heard."
"Ivor has shown his ugly side," I said. "I want nothing more to do with him."
"Nor I. And don't worry, nobody who truly knows you thinks that of you. Those who do are just jealous because you've been to the palace several times, including to a party, and they're stuck here in dull Mull."
"Mull isn't dull of late," I murmured, wondering how many besides Ivor felt the way he did.
She hooked her arm through mine and we walked to the end of the street together where we parted and went our separate ways. I decided to walk to the palace since I was in no hurry. The day promised to be warm but the sun hadn't reached full strength yet. Even so, I was hot by the time I reached the gilded gates. Despite recognizing me, the guards wouldn't let me through, but one did fetch the captain. I was allowed through only upon Dane's say so.
"You've increased security," I said to him as the guard bolted the gate behind us.
"I have."
I waited until we were out of earshot of the guards before asking, "In response to what happened to Ruth?"
"Yes."
"But if the rapist is living or staying here, how is locking the gates going to keep him out?"
"Did you come here just to ask questions about my security measures?"
"Sorry. I have something to tell you, but not here or in the garrison. Can we go somewhere more private?"
"Balthazar's office is the best place."
"Not if he's there."
He frowned. "You can trust Balthazar."
I offered no comment. I couldn't tell him my suspicions about Balthazar. Indeed, I didn't quite know what I suspected him of doing. Aside from his sharp tongue, the master of the palace seemed to be keeping something back from Dane and Theodore. Surely he knew more than he was letting on about the palace's construction. And how had he achieved such marvels on the night of the revels? I'd not seen an orchestra, yet the music came from all around us. The dancers had performed beautiful dances and the acrobats performed feats that defied death, yet no one had seen them practice. No one in the village knew where they'd come from either. They'd not been through Mull. How could someone who never left the palace and have a memory going back a mere four months even know where to find such people?
"Very well," Dane said cautiously. "We won't go to the palace. Do you feel like walking some more?"
"Where are we going?" I asked as we headed past the commons.
"As far away as necessary."
We left the southern wing of the palace behind and kept walking. Dane's purposeful strides took us down a long series of steps that turned out to be on top of one side of a U-shaped building flanking a semi-sunken garden. The building's enormous arched windows offered a view of the lush trees and shrubs inside. We continued on, past the pottage garden where several gardeners prepared a fresh bed while others picked what appeared to be lettuce. For a garden only a few months old, the plants were well advanced.
On the other side of the path was another lake bordered by lawns that in turn was bordered by trees. We finally stopped at the end of the lake. From there, we could see the top of the palace over the greenhouse with the arched windows.
"The guests prefer the flower gardens on the western side of the palace," Dane said. "And the view of the palace is better from Lake Grand. Sometimes the staff come here when they have time off, but the mornings are always their busiest. We seem to have this spot to ourselves."
He finally turned to face me, and I momentarily forgot what I wanted to say. Those clear blue eyes had a way of making me feel as though we were miles from anywhere and anyone, and that anything could happen between us.
He turned away and the magical moment vanished, leaving me wondering if it had ever been there or if I'd imagined it.
"What is it you wanted to see me about?" he asked.
"Do you mind if I sit down?"
"Please do. You've been on your feet for some time."
I was tempted to remove my shoes and dangle my feet into the water, but this was the palace, not the beach at Half Moon Cove. I sat on the lawn instead. Dane hesitated then he sat too, pushing his sword out of the way behind him.
"I made some inquiries about magic yesterday," I told him.
He looked sharply at me. "Why?"
"Why not?"
"Because it could prove dangerous."
"How?"
"If the magician who made the palace wants to keep his creatio
n a secret."
"If he wanted that, he should have taken more time to build it. He should have made sure his magical builders were seen and heard."
His lips flattened. "You should still be careful."
"I was careful," I said snippily. "Do you want to know what I learned?"
He glanced at the nearby trees and nodded.
"I learned that the Zemayans seem to treat magic like a religion. They believe in it even though they have no real evidence that it exists."
"As you do with your god and goddess."
"Precisely. They have stories about magic and an all-powerful sorcerer, but I don't know if those stories are based on real events that occurred centuries ago or if they're made up. The Zemayans seem to believe them, though."
"Do any of the stories include a gemstone?"
"I don't know, but there may be a way we can find out."
His eyes narrowed. "We?"
"Yes, we. I plan on helping you."
"That's not wise. "
"It's very wise, since I have the time and you don't. Also, I am in possession of the information you need."
He grunted. "You're blackmailing me."
"You forced me to it."
Another grunt. "I'll consider it."
I lay back on the grass, closed my eyes, and linked my hands over my stomach. "Let me know your answer when you've made up your mind."
He took far longer than I expected. The silence stretched on, the only sound coming from a bee buzzing nearby. There wasn't even a breath of wind to rustle the leaves or ripple the water. It was one of those summer days where the heat seems to slow everything down, including time itself, and where cares melted away beneath the sun.
"Josie," Dane murmured.
"Hmmm?"
"Are you asleep?"
I sat up, smacking my forehead against his cheek. He must have been leaning over me.
"Sorry!" I winced and rubbed my forehead. "Did I hurt you? Let me see."
"It's fine," he said, laughing softly. "You were asleep."
"I was not. I'd only just closed my eyes."
"So you drool when you're awake?"
I swiped my hand across my mouth. Dry. I checked the corners. Dry. So I did what any girl would do when she likes the man teasing her. I thumped his shoulder. He held up his hands in surrender but the smile lingered, and it was delicious.
