“Adrious,” Mauria said. “Good to see you.” Mauria looked at her. “Shareis. You know I can’t let either if you inside the house.”
“We know,” Adrious replied. He turned to her. “He doesn’t trust me either.”
“Can we talk outside?” Shareis asked.
Mauria hesitated before pointing to the chairs on the porch. They took a seat in uncomfortable silence.
Adrious cleared his throat. “How are you doing today, Mom?”
“Well enough,” Mauria replied. “And you two?”
Shareis was surprised she was included in that question. Adrious seemed to prompt her to answer first. “I’ve been better.”
Mauria took a good, long look at her. “Despite the words between us, that does bother me.”
“Thank you. I am concerned for your welfare, too.”
Adrious smiled. “It’s a lovely day, Mom. You should be outside more, you know?”
Mauria shook her head. “There’s no work outside today, so there’s no reason.”
“Life is more than just work,” Shareis said.
“Maybe so.”
“Shareis has been staying with me at the library,” Adrious said. “I wish I had better accommodations.”
“I’ve had ample reading material.”
He chuckled. The conversation died, and with each passing second the tension returned. Shareis was normally fine with silence. Her mental discipline craved it. But this was not good silence.
“I want to talk about what happened with Lilly,” Shareis said.
Mauria frowned. “Which time?”
“How did you two meet?”
Mauria’s scowl softened. “She was injured during a battle in the Proctor Wars. I nursed her back to health.”
“Lilly never told you that?” Adrious asked.
“We talked little of our life here in Masola. Even as a child I saw the pain that washed over her face when I mentioned your name. She mourned for you as though you were dead.”
Mauria grunted. “Might as well have been.”
“It was terrible of her to leave you,” Shareis said.
“Again, which time?” Mauria asked.
“Both. I was too young to know what happened the first time, but I remember our visit here when I was eight. She cried the whole way home.”
Mauria scoffed. “Yes, well… Her sentiments always come a bit late.”
“What happened the first time wasn’t Lilly’s fault,” Adrious said.
“Depends on how you look at it,” Mauria replied. “I don’t blame Lilly for what the elders did to me. But I do blame her for taking matters into her own hands. She could have come back to Masola.”
“But the war, Mom,” Adrious said.
“There wasn’t a bone in Lilly’s body that was afraid of conflict,” Mauria said. “She would have gladly come back to Masola had she cared.”
“She was responsible for Shareis,” Adrious said. “It wasn’t safe to bring her back until the war was over.”
“Lilly never told me what happened when I was young, only that we had to leave Masola due to the war.”
Mauria’s gaze descended to the ground. “I suppose there was no reason to tell you. You were only a child. I spent a year in prison in Selandis as punishment for our relationship.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know. That must have been terrible.”
“Shareis needs to know the rest of the story,” Adrious said.
Mauria gave him a disapproving look. “What good will it do?”
“Rest of the story?”
“I’ve had health complications since then. Numerous infections have taken their toll on me to the point where travel is not really an option.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
Mauria turned to Adrious. “I must show her. Will you give us a moment alone?”
Adrious nodded. “I have to be going, anyway.”
She was afraid that her civil connection with Mauria would fade if he left, but she couldn’t stop him.
He put his hand on Mauria’s. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mom. I love you.”
Mauria took his hand in hers. “I love you.”
After Adrious had left, Mauria stood. “I will need your help.”
“For what?”
“I need to show you why I couldn’t travel to see you.”
“You don’t have to prove anything to me.”
Mauria lifted her arms. “Please help me take off my dress.”
She looked around. “But… we’re outside. Are you sure?”
“I thought Proctors don’t care about such things.”
“Well, we… I don’t… but you do.”
Mauria sighed. “I used to have modesty. They took that from me, too.”
She did as Mauria asked until she was nude. “I don’t understand.”
When Mauria turned away from her, it was impossible to silence her gasp. Numerous deep gouges crisscrossed her skin. There wasn’t an unscarred spot on her back or upper buttocks.
Utter shock overcame her. Everything blurred but the marks of misery that cruelly raced across her mother’s back. Her voice broke. “Oh… Mom…”
“The lashes were horrible, but that was only the start. I laid on my stomach, breast swelled with your milk, for nearly a week while women kept applying brine to my wounds. One time, they weren’t so quick with the bedpan, so I walked, in agony, to the outhouse. I slipped and fell before I arrived, my back landing on the dirty gravel path. I’m certain everyone in the entire township heard my scream.”
“It took the ladies the entire evening to remove the dirt from my wounds. At some point, thank the creator, I passed out from the pain. It was weeks before I could walk again. When I could finally put on a dress, they deemed me fit enough to serve my prison sentence.”
“I spent half my sentence shivering in fever, unable to wear hardly any clothes. Some of the degenerates in the cells thought that meant they had free reign over my body. I was in no position to fight them off. Soon, I just begged them not to make me lie on my back while they took whatever pleasure they wanted.”
Shareis tried to cover her mother.
“So, you see, Shareis, I cannot help but to conflate the two most wonderful things in my life—you, and Lilly—with the start of utter agony. I am wrong to hold you accountable for that.”
“I… I understand.”
Mauria turned to face her. “No, you don’t. No one does. I don’t even think I understand half the time.”
She helped Mauria put back on her dress. “I don’t know what to say.”
“There is nothing to say, Shareis.” Mauria paused, then corrected herself. “No, that’s not true. There is one thing to say.” Mauria took her hand. “I owe you an apology.”
Tears immediately welled. “Mom, I… No, you don’t owe me—”
“I wish I could take back everything I said. I… I’ve been angry for far too long. That anger is so comfortable I don’t know what I would do without it.” Mauria staggered back to the chair and winced as she took her seat. “I’ve spent the last few days thinking about our previous conversation.”
“It all makes sense. I understand.”
“No, it doesn’t. I shouldn’t blame you. Not for Lilly’s mistake. She did the right thing by taking you away from this backward place. If anything, I’m upset she didn’t take me.”
“Is that why you two barely spoke when I was eight?”
“Oh, Shareis, we spoke, argued, cried… everything. We kept that from you because you had been through enough. She even offered to heal me.”
“And lose her eyesight in the process?”
Mauria nodded. “I wouldn’t allow it.”
“Then why are you still angry with her?”
“We had a terrible argument before she left. Your mother is a strong person. Maybe the strongest I have ever known. But when it comes to having a relationship, she’s incredibly weak.”
“That can be said for most Proctors.”
“I tried to keep that in mind,” Mauria said. “But that does little to soothe me.”
A faint noise drew her attention to the road. Manis and two companions were walked up the path.
“There you are, Proctor,” he yelled. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”
She walked to the step of the porch. “How can I help you?”
“What are you doing talking to my mom?” he asked.
“I’m just visiting,” she replied. She hoped to keep the information she provided to an absolute minimum.
“That’s not good enough.”
“I don’t want any trouble.”
Manis chuckled. “You won’t get any if you leave.”
“I have no quarrel with you.”
Manis drew a dagger. “I can’t say the same.”
Chapter 37
Frasie didn’t like being away from Olivia, but she left only on the condition that Aiden would take her place. Not in the bed with Olivia, of course. That would be weird. Even though she trusted Aiden, she didn’t relish that thought. Even in Olivia’s weakened state, she possessed more charm, good looks, and sensuality in her little finger than Frasie did in her whole body. And then some.
But enough of that. Frasie was on a mission. Olivia’s state had deteriorated even further. She slept most of the time, only waking enough to take the slightest of nourishment. She missed the lively conversation they had before she had fallen ill. She feared staying with Olivia would become a deathwatch.
That wasn’t going to happen.
She knocked on Kytis’s hotel room door. He had to be there. She shifted her weight as she waited for him to answer. A sense of relief washed over her when he greeted her. Maybe he could help.
“Olivia is getting worse,” Frasie said. “I’ve been staying with her the whole time since we found out she had tried to kill herself, and—”
“She tried to commit suicide?”
She nodded. “She lied. I don’t know why.”
Kytis peered outside his door and looked down the hall. He motioned for her to come inside.
“Oh, Kytis, she’s sick. I’m afraid she’ll—”
Kytis put his fingers over her lips. “No, no, my dear Frasie. Don’t give that thought any words.”
“I can’t help it. I’m worried.”
“Is someone with her?”
“Yes, Kytis. Aiden is with her. Why?”
“Oh… Well, she shouldn’t be left alone.”
She saw some of his most recent paintings. All were views of the city—one at night, one during the day, and one at sunset.
“I dislike these,” he said.
“They’re pretty,” she said. “You should be proud of them.”
He shrugged. “I prefer… well… rather need to draw people.”
She tilted her head. “Need?”
“It’s a way for me to constructively use and hone my Skilla magic. You see, Frasie, painting is a way for me to build my energy.” He surveyed the paintings with her. “But these don’t do it. I suppose I’ve been in a slump.”
“So, you put Skilla magic into the painting?”
“Yes. I spell the paints and charcoal, and as I paint or draw, I can integrate a magic spell into the artwork.”
“Any spell?”
“For the most part, yes.”
“Is that the new treatment you tried with her. The re… regress…”
“Regressive psychoanalysis. No, that is different. That isn’t magic, just a form of counseling.”
“Are you willing to try it again?” she asked.
He stared off in thought. “Last time the technique seemed to do more harm than good.”
“We have to do something! Emira already tried to heal her. It had no effect.”
“She needs an infusion of dark energy.”
“Isn’t darkness a bad thing?”
“Not at all. Dark or light, good or evil—they are just two states of our existence. One cannot exist without the other. Our assessment of good and bad is completely subjective.”
She didn’t completely follow what he was saying, but it didn’t matter. Healing Olivia was her only concern.
“I raise magical power through my artwork,” Kytis said.
“Can your artwork heal her?”
“Yes. I can extract raw, sensual energy from you and, in a separate ritual, infuse her with that same power.”
“What do we do?”
“It isn’t a simple matter. Raising that much energy takes considerable time and effort.”
“It’s worth it,” she said. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
He rapped his brush against a new, fresh canvas. “There is, but…”
“But what? Tell me. I’ll be glad to do it.”
“Eh… no, I don’t think so.”
“Don’t think what?” she asked. He started to put the canvas away, but she stopped him. “Wait, Kytis… Please, tell me what you need me to do.”
He hesitated. “I can use magic to draw a bit of magical energy from a person and put it into the canvas. Then, by painting over that work with a picture of the target, I can transfer that energy to them.”
“That’s fascinating,” Frasie said. “So, you’ll need to paint someone with magic, right?”
“Yes,” he replied. “But… everyone has some magic. Especially darker, sensual energy.”
“Oh… I didn’t know. So… wait! I have an idea. Kytis, can you paint me? I’m certainly not as beautiful as Olivia nor have any idea about being a sensual person, but if you can extract something from me and give it to Olivia it might help.”
“Hmm… it could work,” he replied with a sheepish grin. “But you sell yourself short, my dear.” He touched her chin. “You are a very beautiful woman.”
She shied away. “Thank you, but you must have trouble seeing. I am a plain, homely girl from the woods.”
“Not at all. Your green eyes are so bright, so vibrant. Just like your gorgeous red hair.”
She scrunched her nose. “I always wished I had hair more like Nivvy.”
“Oh, dark hair is lovely, Frasie, but hair so lively is quite unique.”
Warmth surged across her face. “You are very kind, Kytis. If you can see this magic within me and think you can extract it, then let’s do it quickly. I don’t know how long Olivia has left.”
“I will do what I can,” he said.
“What do I do?” she asked.
“I will need your pose to be more… sensual this time.”
“Be sensual?” She scoffed, then looked down at her chest. “With what? I’m as flat as one of your canvases.”
“Oh, Frasie, you look lovely. A seductive pose would accentuate your athletic figure.”
“I’m afraid if I tried to be seductive, I’d sprain something.”
Kytis chuckled. “You have the most wonderful sense of humor. Even if it is self-depreciating.”
“Self… dep… what?”
Kytis pointed to her. “That’s what makes you so attractive, Frasie. That fierce warrior spirit is tempered with the skill of an unintentional comedienne and the grace of a country girl. It’s an incredible mixture.”
“I am far from graceful.”
“Nonsense! I’ve seen you training with the archers. Your skill is unmatched.”
“I’m good with a bow. But what does that have to do with being appealing?”
“The same grace and confidence you use in archery can be used in the bedroom. A sensual pose, for a female, involves emphasizing beauty while revealing just enough of your vulnerable, sexual nature to entice your partner. In this case, your partner will be the canvas.”
“If you say so.”
“I do. Now, please pose on the couch in a reclined position.” Before she could reach the sofa, he stopped her. “Oh, and Frasie, you’ll need to remove your clothes.”
Chapter 38
“Manis, that’s your sister!” Mauria yelled.
Manis glanced to
ward his mother. “I’ve only got a brother.”
Shareis took a confident step forward. “I’m your half-sister, Shareis. You and I are lucky enough to have Maura for a mother.”
“No… you aren’t my sister.” Manis snarled his nose. “My mother was seduced by Lilly. You are the product of vile magic. We share no blood.”
Mauria put her hand on Shareis’s shoulder. “Shareis was conceived in love. I carried her and nursed her just as I did you.”
Despite the tense standoff, she adored hearing those words.
“Lilly manipulated you! Besides, it changes nothing. Her kind have been wreaking havoc in Masola for decades. She’s not going to spread her filth near my family.”
Hate oozed from Manis’s every pore. Could he be separated from his willful, bigoted ignorance? Manis was family, and that made it worth her effort to try.
“So many were killed in the Proctor wars—on both sides,” she said. “But we’ve been at peace for a long time, Manis.”
“There’s been no peace. Not for me.”
“I know. And I’m sorry for that.” She took another step forward. He shifted his stance and adjusted the grip on his dagger. “Stay back, Proctor.”
“I won’t hurt you, Manis,” she said. “But you will listen to my words.”
“I don’t have to listen to anything from you!”
She suppressed any hint of emotion in her voice and remained calm. “If you don’t want to hear me, walk away.”
“This isn’t your land,” he said. “You can’t tell me what to do.”
“Neither of us owns this land. We are both guests. Our mother cares for his house while the owner is away. Will we disgrace her with violence, or honor her with understanding?”
“Your honeyed voice and weasel words are a cover for the evil inside you.”
“You’re right, Manis. You have no idea the darkness that resides in me. I see it in my meditation, I hear it in my thoughts. I felt a surge of it when I saw the sunlight dance on your dagger.” She drew her blade. “This weapon helps me channel that madness into something productive.”
“Get back!”
“There are only two ways this will resolve, Manis. Either we will both sheath our blades, or we will give into that darkness.”
Olivia Page 13
