Flower's Curse

by Madison Keller

  They’d never get away like this. Plus, ahead the line of dens ended opening up to a wide alley. Too far to jump in their condition. They had to get down. Below them on the side away from the chasing mob she spotted a blue awning covered a rickety looking stall.

  Arara gefired to Sels and Yegra, pointing to the awning.

  Sels paled but nodded, although Arara could feel the fear overflowing through the bond. Arara reached for his hand while Yegra grabbed her other paw.

 

  They all jumped at the same time. The fabric gave, then sprang back, bouncing them a few fingers into the air. When then hit again there was a ripping sound and they fell through to land in a heap in the middle of the merchant’s stall. Baskets flew everywhere and Arara felt several crush beneath her.

  A cry of distress brought her attention to the merchant herself, who turned out to be a young Jerling, probably left to mind the wares while her parents were away.

  “Sorry about the mess,” Sels said.

  Yegra helped him to his feet while Arara struggled to extract herself from a particularly large basket that had crumpled around her leg.

  “Yegra, would you take the pouch from my sleeve?” Sels held his arm out so Yegra could fish out his gem pouch. Once she had it, Yegra dropped it into Sels palm. Sels pressed the entire thing into the surprised girl’s paw. “If that’s not enough send the bill to the palace.”

  Arara growled under her breath, annoyed at the delay but impressed that he’d stopped to think about the economic impact their fall had made on the family. From the look of things a good portion of their stock had been crushed by their fall. Without help she doubted they’d ever be able to recover. Though she also doubted they would ever dare to bill the palace even if what was in the pouch wasn’t enough.

  The girl pulled the pouch open and poured gems into her paw, eyes going wide at the sight. She didn’t even notice as Arara, Yegra, and Sels dashed away.

  Once they’d turned a corner Sels stopped, concern etched in the lines of his face.

  Arara trotted up to him and pushed up to two legs so she could see better. The puppy was shaking, and Arara could barely feel her mind. She was hanging on by a thread.

  A shout drew her attention back the way they’d just come, and Arara felt a press of minds approaching. She pushed Sels into motion. “They caught up with us, go.”

  They ran down the alley, but already Arara could tell that they weren’t going to make it. She and Yegra were limping on burned feet, while Sels was exhausted from running and carrying the burned puppy.

  “You go, I’ll slow them down, give you time to get away,” Yegra said, stopping to lean against a nearby wall.

  “No, I’ll stay. It’s my duty as sedyu to protect my Prince.” Arara turned back the way they’d come, despite her pounding head. Yegra didn’t stand a chance against a mob of Jegera, but Arara with her powers would at least be able to put up a fight.

  “If anyone is going to stay it will be me,” Sels said, voice tight with fear and emotion. “I’m responsible for the whole mess.” Tears streamed down his face.

  “Prince Sels,” Yegra stood up on two legs to look down on him. “You need to get that little girl to the healer. Roel will do it, for you. And as your sedyu Arara has to stay with you. It has to be me.”

  Arara whimpered but knew better than to argue. She grabbed Sels hand and pulled him away. “I trust you, Yegra. Stay safe.”

  Yegra nodded and turned to run back around the corner as Arara and Sels ran on. Behind them her enhanced sedyu hearing allowed her to hear Yegra confront the mob. Her cries of pain followed Arara, tearing into her heart.

  BY THE TIME THEY ARRIVED at Roel’s clinic Sels could barely walk, but he refused to let Arara take the puppy from him. At mid-afternoon a line of Jegera already snaked out the front door and down the walkway in front of the building. Upon seeing the state of the puppy in his arms, those at the back called forward to let him through, and soon Sels found himself staggering past the rest of the Jegera in line.

  Poy, a brown-furred Jerling on the cusp of adulthood and Roel’s main assistant, stood just inside. He held a wooden memory board, onto which he was jotting down a list of symptoms recited by an old white-muzzled Jegera leaning on a cane in front of him.

  “Bring Roel, quickly!” Sels snapped at Poy as he pushed past the rest of the confused patients lining the lobby.

  Poy’s eyes immediately focused on the Jegera puppy clutched in his arms, and the dried blood covering Sels clothing. “Of course.” He spun, dropping the board to the floor with a clatter as he darted into the hallway howling at the top of his lungs for Niq and Roel.

  Unwilling to stand and wait while the girl’s life was on the line, Sels started after Poy with Arara at his heels. The puppy’s eyes had blinked open on the way here, but they’d quickly glazed over with pain despite his encouraging words.

  He’d only gone a few steps down the hall when Roel, wearing an emerald green Healer’s robe speckled with blood, stepped out of a room at the end of the hall.

  “Prince Sels!” She exclaimed, fast walking towards them while wiping her hands clean with a towel. “What happened?”

  Sels opened his mouth, intending to explain what had happened with the fire and the thieves, but instead burst into tears. He held out the puppy, sobbing uncontrollably, finally managing to stammer out, “I burned her. Please make her better!”

  Roel’s beautiful blue eyes widened as she stared down in shock at the puppy. “Oh, my,” Roel pointed and Niq opened a door on the hallway and gestured them inside. Meanwhile Poy left, heading back up to the front to deal with the hordes of patients.

  Arara fidgeted by the door. “I’m going to go look for Yegra. I’m worried about her.” Before Sels could respond she ducked out, sending him a surge of reassurance through the bond. He could feel how worried she was about Yegra, so Sels didn’t protest. He was safe enough here with Roel.

  “Lay her on the bed, there,” Roel said, her tone brisk and business like as Niq carried over a tray of fabric-swathed tools and a bowl of warm water.

  The bed in question was a hard wooden mat covered by a thin blanket, just like what he’d woken up on the first time he was here. Sels did his best to jostle the puppy as little as possible while he laid her on the mat. Her head slumped to the side, muzzle slightly open, and tongue flopping out.

  Roel frowned and held a small hand mirror in front of the puppy’s nose. Only the faintest hint of fogging appeared on the shiny surface.

  “You’re in time, barely.” Roel tucked the mirror back into the pocket of her robes and settled down onto a stool next to the bed. Sels looked around, but not seeing another stool, sat at the end of the bed. There was plenty of room; the puppy looked so tiny lying there. His hands were shaking and he realized he was still crying when Roel held out a handkerchief to him.

  “Thank you,” Sels took it and dabbed at his face while he watched Roel work.

  For her part, Roel leaned over the table and splayed her hands out just above the puppy’s tummy, chanting in the language of magic. Although Sels couldn’t feel or see it he knew that the magic was rising in her. After a few moments her palms glowed, a warm white light which seeped down into the puppy, but nothing else seemed to happen.

  Roel stopped chanting and leaned back, face drawn and pale, eyes downcast. “Niq, take the Prince to my office.”

  Niq trotted forward and slipped his paw into Sels’s hand, which was still tacky with the girl’s blood, and pulled him away.

  “No,” Sels pulled his hand from Niq’s grip and stood, moving to the head of the bed and knelt to put his hand on the puppy’s head. “No,” his voice cracked when she didn’t respond.

  “Sels, you did the best you could,” Roel said softly, reaching across the bed lift his hand off the girl’s still form.

  “Co
me on.” Niq tugged at Sels’s sleeves. He allowed Niq to help him to his feet and out the door, although he didn’t remember how they got to Roel’s office; or how long he was there alone, crying. His tears had stopped flowing by the time Roel joined him.

  “I’m sorry, Sels,” Roel sat on the bench next to him and settled a bowl of water and a rag in her lap. She lifted up his arm and began to gently scrub the blood from his hand and wrist.

  “She was still alive when we got here,” Sels shuddered, enjoying the sensation of her touching his hand and hating himself for it at the same time. “Why did she die?”

  Roel focused on his hand, not looking up. “She was alive when I began the healing, yes, but she resisted.”

  “Why, though?” Sels repeated, pulling his hand out of Roel’s and twisting the dirty handkerchief in his hands.

  “You had to have noticed how light she was, how thin. She was underweight, close to starving to death. Her body didn’t have any more resources to put towards healing.” Roel moved the bowl of water to her desk and placed her hands over-top of Sels’s, looking him in the eyes. “You made a heroic effort to save that girl, be proud of yourself.”

  Arara’s love and regard flowed through the bond from wherever she was, backing up Roel’s words. Sels hadn’t even thought to try to protect Arara from his grief, hoped he hadn’t distracted her from saving Yegra.

  “Are you up to telling me what happened?”

  Sels nodded and haltingly recounted their fateful afternoon at the market. When he got to the part about burning the thief and feeling momentarily proud of himself Sels burst into tears again. But with Roel’s encouragement he was able to finish the tale.

  “So you were the one that set it off,” Roel mused and gave Sels hands another squeeze when he looked at her in shock. “Please don’t blame yourself. Please. But I heard... Well, part of what took me so long is that there was a big riot in the Jegeran district. It started in the marketplace and moved out. Lots of damage to homes and buildings, and a few of the rioters were hurt by the guards when they came in to restore order.”

  Sels groaned and covered his face. This just kept getting worse.

  “By the way,” Roel murmured. “Do you have the gems to cover the fee for the healing?” she held up a hand before Sels could say anything. “I only ask because I can only do so much healing in a day, and any lost fee hurts this clinic.”

  He shook his head, numb. “I lost them all in the market ...” he trailed off, unable to say it. “But don’t worry. I’ll bring it next time I come to visit you.”

  Roel smiled and batted her lashes, “next time? I can’t wait.”

  Sels couldn’t help but smile back at her. She was so pretty when she smiled. “I’m sorry about Sesay’s actions last time you were at the palace. As far as I’m concerned you’re still welcome to visit me anytime.”

  Her laugh was like bells in the air. “How about from now on you visit me here instead. I mean, isn’t it nice to get away from all the guards? Be alone, just the two of us?”

  Sels had to agree he was a little bit tired of Sesay always knowing about every little thing he did and every visitor he saw. He smiled. “It’s a deal.”

  THE STREETS HERE WERE like a maze, but to Arara's nose the trail was clear. Sels’s scent called to her like a beacon and on top of that the puppy had been bleeding; the droplets of blood were still clear on the cobblestones, marking their path. The fact that the mob hadn’t pursued them despite the trail told her that Yegra had at least accomplished her objective.

  Her paws ached from where they’d been burned on the tile roof, but she pushed it out of her mind and focused on her goal. She’d felt horrible leaving Yegra behind; couldn’t stop thinking about how she was hurt, scared, and alone while Arara had gone off with Sels. When she’d seen him into the clinic and with safe Roel she hadn't been able to wait any longer.

  Broken glass, pottery shards, and debris became more prevalent the closer she got to where they’d left Yegra. Although the street was deserted, there were fresh scents of a large number of Jegera permeating the area. Enough to muddle the trail for anyone but the most experienced tracker.

  When she reached the basket weaver's stall there was no sign of the Jerling girl that Sels had given his gems to, and no sign of Yegra. The baskets crushed in their fall from the roof still lay smashed where they’d left them, the torn awning flapping in the breeze. There were droplets and puddles of dried blood scattered around and claw marks on some of the brick walls and cobblestones.

  Arara sniffed around, following Yegra’s scent to the largest puddle of blood, now dried to a tacky reddish-brown. Her stomach dropped and she couldn’t stop her ears from lying back and her tail from curling between her legs. There were marks, bloody scuffs farther up the road heading away from the stall in the opposite direction Sels and Arara had run. It looked like Yegra had crawled or was dragged.

  She followed the trail of dried blood, trotting as fast as she dared. The trail paralleled the market, but never went inside of it. It suddenly struck her how quiet it was. From here she should have heard the cries of the vendors hawking their wares and the buzz of haggling shoppers.

  The trail eventually turned, heading farther into the district. Now Arara could hear sounds of life, although she still hadn’t seen anyone, aside from a few shadows ducking away from broken windows as she passed. It sounded like fighting, the snarls, cries and howls carrying on the breeze.

  A barked order stopped her, and she stopped and cocked her head to find the source. A tree-length ahead of her a group of four black-uniformed palace guards trotted out of a side street. They turned onto her road, heading away from her. She didn’t recognize any of the guards, but one of them might know Yegra or have heard news of her.

  “Excuse me!” Arara called, sprinting to catch up with them. “I’m looking for Yegra. She’s one of the palace guards, and-”

  The leader of the pack turned to look at her, then did a double-take. “Arara, Prince Sels’s sedyu?” he stopped and turned. The rest followed his lead and a moment later four pairs of eyes stared down at her.

  “Yes,” Arara panted as she caught up. “Yes, that’s me. We were in the market, but got separated from Yegra. I think she’s hurt, have you seen her?”

  “She’s being tended back at the palace,” the leader advanced on her, his ears going back and lips curling up into a snarl. “Where is the Prince? Why aren’t you with him?”

  Arara skidded to a stop, taken back by his tone and display of anger. “He’s safe, at Roel’s healing clinic.” When the guard’s eyes got wide Arara clarified, “he isn’t hurt, he’s fine. There was an injured puppy and he insisted we get her help...” She’d messed up, leaving him alone with no guards. She could see it in the thoughts of the entire pack, which were coming through her weakened shield’s with frightening clarity. Yegra was a guard-in-training and could take care of herself; the Prince needed her more. Massive groups of rioters were going through the district, hurting kin and destroying property. If they hit the clinic Sels would be defenseless.

  The guard sent a gefir to his commander, stationed a few blocks away. Arara cringed at the things he said about her, not knowing she could hear every word. When he was done he looked at her with contempt.

  “A squad is on their way there to pick him up now.” The guard snorted and pointed back the way she’d come. “There is a carriage one block east and south. Take it back to the palace and wait for him there.”

  “But-”

  “That’s an order direct from the Queen.”

  Arara hung her head and trotted off to find the carriage. The ride back was quiet and lonely. One of the guards had accompanied her and now sat across from her in the small compartment. His eyes narrowed each time she moved, so Arara did her best to make herself small and still.

  When Arara stepped out of the carriage in the palace courtyard, Sesay was there with tears in her eyes, waiting for her.

  “The guards told me Sels is
at the healing clinic?” Sesay didn’t even wait until Arara was fully down the ramp before she rushed forward.

  “He is, but he isn’t hurt.”

  “Thank the Sun God,” Sesay brushed at her eyes with her sleeve. “When I heard about the riots, and that you and Sels were missing, I didn’t know what to think. And then Recka found Yegra hurt and bleeding. When we found out she’d been with you...”

  Arara jumped on this. “Yegra, where is she?”

  Sesay pointed off towards the infirmary and Arara dropped to all fours, taking off running.

  “Arara, wait! I’ll go with you.” Sesay called after her, but Arara ignored her; until a big guard stepped into her path with his ears back and a growl on his lips.

  Arara hopped from one side to the other, waiting impatiently. The guard moved aside with a nod.

  Sesay walked slowly, but her long legs took her as far as three or four of Arara’s steps and she found herself having to trot to walk abreast of her.

  “So, Sels ran right to Roel,” Sesay sighed and contemplated her laced fingers, only glancing at Arara out of the corner of her eye.

  “It’s not like that,” Arara longed to let down her shields, to find out exactly what Sesay was thinking, but that would have been a very bad idea. Instead she went on to describe what had happened in the market and about the burned puppy that needed help. Sesay was quiet as she listened. A few times her fists tightened, first when Arara told her about the Sels setting the thief and part of the market ablaze, and again when she described leaving Sels alone with Roel and how she’d felt Sels’s deep grief at the puppy’s death.

  By the end of the story they reached the infirmary.

  “You should not have left him there alone,” Sesay said at long last. They turned into the tree, and Sesay led her, not toward the Royal’s private rooms, but to section Arara hadn’t visited before.