Valdemar Books

by Lackey, Mercedes

  "I'll be fine," he replied, but she was already gone.

  This is more like it! he thought; it was real food, not invalid's food, and not the leftovers from everyone else's lunch, either. It was twice what he normally ate, but he devoured every bite before he finally felt satisfied.

  As he turned away from the tray, his eye fell on his book bag. He weighed the ache in his head against the promise to study.

  If I keep up, maybe I can get a bad headache again. No one would be angry at him for being sick, and Tyron and his gang of bullies couldn't touch him here. He didn't know what had caused the headache and fever, but it could happen again.

  And if it happens often enough, maybe they'll think there's something at school that's making me sick, he thought, with a tinge of hope.

  In a sense, perhaps that was the cause. I didn't get that headache until I got so angry....

  If rage was the cause, he'd be getting headaches and fevers as long as he went to school.

  Well, the only way I'll be able to stay home is to prove I can keep up without actually being in the classes. With a sigh, he pulled his book bag onto the bed, and took out the textbook for his first class of the day.

  Without the distraction of knowing that the Sixth Form was waiting for him at lunch, he got through the work for the first four classes in half the time it usually took him. He got out of bed a time or two to feed his fire and take care of necessary things. He was very pleased that this house had indoor facilities; it was the one improvement over the home in Alderscroft. It was still early afternoon when he finished, and heartened by his progress, he tackled the next four subjects. By the time Kelsie appeared with his supper, he was able to put his last book aside with a feeling that he had accomplished something.

  "Bringing your supper early, or Cook says you're like to be forgot in the bustle," the maid told him brightly. She whisked off, and Lan got up to stretch and light his candles, replacing the stubs in his candlesticks.

  Once again, the increasing traffic sounds outside and the smells and noise of cooking told him that suppertime for the family was nearing. He took a third dose of the medicine, and went back to bed, this time with the euphoria of having spent a peaceful and productive day added to the euphoria of the medicine.

  Last night he had slept dreamlessly; this night was the same. Given that he fought the Sixth Formers virtually every night in his dreams, this, too, was a welcome relief.

  His second day as a "patient" was similar to the first, although a different servant brought him meals, but his third night was different. His headache was almost gone, so he hadn't bothered to take the medicine.

  In the middle of the night, he woke, unable to move, feeling that there was something, some heavy weight, sitting on his chest and smothering him, and something else standing at the foot of his bed, watching him with amusement. He didn't so much think as feel—and his feeling of helpless anger made him label the presence at his feet as his worst enemy.

  Tyron!

  Terror and rage drove out any coherent thought, filling Lan's mind with an explosion of white heat. He tried to scream, but nothing came out; tried to flail at the unseen weight, but couldn't move so much as a finger.

  Then, suddenly, the fire in his fireplace flared up with a roar.

  The room lit up, as if the noon sun shone at midnight; a flare of heat washed over him, snapping the paralysis holding him.

  The weight left his chest; he sat bolt upright as the flames died down to mere flickers and coals again. He took a shocked breath—and the headache knocked him flat on his back, spasming in pain and near-blindness.

  For a very long time he couldn't even move, and hardly dared breathe. Where a moment before, his entire universe had been terror and rage, now it was filled with pain. A solid bar of agony ran between his temples and, from the base of his neck to his eyes, his head throbbed.

  Finally, between one breath and another, it ebbed just enough that he could grope his hand to the bedside table. He didn't trust himself enough to reach for the spoon; he pulled the cork from the bottle and took a full mouthful, gagging down the thick, bittersweet liquid and putting the bottle back on the table before the pain washed over him again.

  Then, after what felt like a hundred, thousand years, came oblivion.

  When he woke again in mid-morning, it was the pain that woke him, but this time it was more like the level of headache that had sent him home from school. He reached for the bottle and took a measured half-dose, which relieved enough of the anguish that he could eat, drink, and take care of himself. Then he took a second half-dose, and retreated into slumber.

  He missed lunch altogether, and evidently even sleeping he had looked as miserable as he felt, for when he woke at last, one of the scruffy little kitchen boys was sitting on a stool at his bedside.

  When he opened his eyes and started to sit up, the boy leaped to his feet and ran off down the hall and the stairs. It was Nelda who brought up his supper tray herself, as he slowly levered himself up into a sitting position.

  "Your fever came back," his mother stated, as she set the tray down and sat on the edge of the bed. "Cook came to check on you herself this morning, and sent me a message that you were asleep and as hot as an oven." She measured his temperature with her wrist, which felt pleasantly cool on his forehead.

  "It came back last night, I guess," he replied, speaking slowly and carefully to keep from jarring his head. "I took some medicine right away." This time, the medicine had worked its magic more quickly, but there was still an ache throbbing in both temples and the back of his head. He eyed the bottle with misgivings; there was just about a quarter of the stuff remaining; what if he needed more?

  "Whatever it is, I certainly hope for all our sakes that no one else catches it," his mother replied in a controlled tone, but with a gentle touch of her hand on his forehead. "Your teachers sent to say they're satisfied with the work you've done, so I suppose it will do no harm for you to miss a few more days until we're certain this fever won't come back a third time."

  All he could feel was relief in spite of the pain. More days! This is—almost worth having my head try to fly apart—

  "Are you hungry?" his mother asked, and to his mild surprise, he realized that he was ravenous.

  "I... think so," he said haltingly, with the feeling that it wouldn't do to look too healthy.

  "Well, Cook informed me that 'feed a fever' is the rule, and the herbalist agreed, so I want you to eat," she told him as she stood up. "He also told me that drinking as much as you can is more important than eating, so we'll be keeping a pitcher of water beside your bed. I've sent for another bottle of this unpleasant concoction since it does seem to have done you some good, and it should be ready in a candlemark or two. He'd have had it ready sooner, but it started raining last night, and it seems everyone in the city is coming down with a cold or the grippe." She looked at the window, though nothing could have been visible but the reflection, and sighed. "It's a nasty, filthy, cold rain, and it's just pouring down. I won't let you go back as long as it lasts, even if it lasts a week."

  He sighed, and felt another measure of relief. "Mother—"

  Nelda paused and turned back at the door.

  "What if this doesn't go away?" he ventured. "What if I stay sick for a month?" I could live with that.

  At that, she laughed, much to his surprise. "Lavan, we're in Haven, not back in Alderscroft. The Healer's Collegium is on the other side of the city. If this mysterious illness of yours doesn't pass on its own in a few more days, have no fear, I'll have one of the Collegium Healers in to see you. The only reason I haven't had one here before is that this fever doesn't seem to be doing you any harm."

  With that, she left, not pausing long enough to see Lan's face plummet with his heart.

  His appetite had vanished, but he dutifully pulled the tray to him and ate anyway.

  I should have known better than to hope that this was anything more than a reprieve, he sighed to himself. C
hewing was an ordeal; every movement of his jaw increased the ache, and he was glad when he'd finished enough that his mother and Cook would be satisfied. He poured himself another generous dose of his medicine, wanting to sleep as long as possible. Sleep seemed to be the one certain cure, and he wanted sleep and relief from pain more than he wanted anything else at that moment.

  But sleep seemed long in coming this time; he tried to soothe himself by reminding himself that he had a few more days of peace, if nothing else. For a few more days, he need not even think of Tyron.

  At least when sleep did come, it brought no dreams.

  FOUR

  WRAPPED in a heavy, brown wool cloak, a sheepskin hat jammed down on his head, Lan plodded unhappily down the gray, cheerless streets under a leaden sky to his first class since his illness. Cold air numbed his nose, and even through his woolen gloves, his fingers were getting chilled. It wasn't quite cold enough for snow; icy rain had been falling for the last three days, and the skies threatened to make it four days in a row.

  The headache had not returned for a third time, perhaps because the herbalist had suggested the use of an ongoing sleeping aid. It was a much, much milder potion than the medicine he'd sent to cure the headache. There had been no more night horrors, at any rate, and when Lan had no more symptoms for a week, his mother had ordered him out of bed and back to school.

  He knew, he just knew, that his worst fears were about to be confirmed. By this time, the rotten weather had kept the Sixth Formers from their after-school pleasures for at least a week, and they were surely exercising their wits at the expense of their schoolmates by now.

  He saw ample evidence of that as soon as he entered the gate and stepped into the front court of the school.

  The Sixth Formers had gathered in a group around some hapless victim, while the other possible targets took advantage of their preoccupation to slink past them and into the front door. Lan did the same, but couldn't help glancing at the group as he slipped past, when a burst of laughter followed Loman's command of, "Jump, Froggy!"

  In the middle of the circle stood the unfortunate Froggy, her eyes bulging more than ever, her face smeared with a bright green cosmetic that almost matched her woolen cloak.

  Lan averted his eyes before she could catch his gaze, and scuttled for the safety of the door. If the others saw her looking imploringly at someone, they would probably turn to see who she was looking at, and seize on him as a fresh source of amusement.

  Another evidence that the Sixth Formers had gotten bored enough to increase their persecution sat in the desk right in front of Lan. Owyn sported a sour expression and a pair of feathers in his curly hair, one over each ear. They did, indeed resemble the false ear-tufts on an owl. Lan resolved to take no notice of the unorthodox ornaments.

  Their teachers certainly seemed oblivious. The lessons went on as normal, with perhaps a little more attention paid to Lan, to make certain that he had kept up with the rest of the class. No one commented on Owyn's feathers.

  Lan not only proved he had kept up to the satisfaction of the teachers, he was actually able to relax a little, as he had read a trifle ahead of the rest. Confined to bed as he'd been, with the only possible amusement being his books, he'd begun to find them more interesting than he'd thought. He still would rather be roaming the woods around Alderscroft, but reading was better than doing nothing.

  "Well, if this is the effect of your little fever, Lavan, I could wish that the entire class would catch it," one of the teachers said dryly. As a nervous chuckle ghosted up from another part of the room, the teacher glared in that direction and added.

  "Perhaps some of you might consider following your classmate's example and actually study when you are at home."

  But as the lunch hour neared, Lan felt more and more nervous. The Sixth Formers had surely noticed that he'd been gone—had someone told them why? What had they been planning for him? How could he possibly anticipate what Tyron would demand?

  He might not demand anything. He might actually feel sorry for me. I have been sick. He might be afraid he'll catch whatever I have. Or maybe the Schoolmaster told him to leave me alone until they know I'm well....

  There was nothing for it. When the bell rang for lunch, he left with the rest, and did his best to slip in unobtrusively. He avoided Froggy's company as if she had plague, but so did everyone else. The girl sat all by herself with a ring of empty seats around her, her bright green face hidden by her hair as she kept her head bowed.

  Lan could only feel relief that it was Froggy sitting there alone, and not him.

  He embedded himself in a group of Fifth and Fourth Formers and ate quietly, with one ear on the Sixth Form table. I'm not here, he thought fiercely at them. Don't even think of me. I don't exist.

  He tried to eat at the same rate as the others, though tension made it difficult to swallow. He wanted to leave when they did, in the crowd, to put off the moment when Tyron noticed he was back as long as possible.

  But sudden silence at his end of the table, the stares of those across from him, and a heavy hand on his shoulder told him that all his subterfuge was in vain.

  "Come along, Scrub," said Loman, clamping his hand on Lan's shoulder hard enough to bruise, and lifting him up out of his seat. "Tyron wants a word with you."

  The Sixth Former shoved him roughly up the aisle between the tables, until they arrived at Tyron's seat. Tyron had turned his chair about and was waiting, watching them down his nose, for all the world like he thought he was the King himself on his throne. Then again—here, he might just as well have been.

  Lan stumbled to a halt, managing not to fall when Loman gave him a final push. "So, Scrub, you've been gone a while," Tyron said, with a glittering, false smile.

  "I've been sick... sir." It was hard to choke out the last word, but he did, anger smoldering, but not yet burning. He dropped his eyes to the wooden floor, determined not to let Tyron see anything in his face that he could use.

  "So I've been told. And do you know, I don't believe it. I think you're lying, Scrub. I think you're a slacker, and a liar."

  Lan gritted his teeth and said nothing.

  Tyron raised his voice so that the whole room could hear—easy enough, now that every other voice had been silenced. "I think you were feigning. You just wanted to slack off, wanted a little holiday for yourself. You might have fooled your mummy, but you can't fool me. Now what have you got to say for yourself?"

  "No one fools my mother, least of all me... sir. Especially not when it costs her money for the services of the herbalist." He managed not to throw Tyron's accusation back in his teeth, and to keep his tone level, though every muscle in his body strained. And—thank the gods!—Tyron laughed at that. "And when I wasn't drinking the herbalist's wretched medicines, she saw to it I got no holiday from books."

  "Owly!" Tyron called. "Is that true?"

  "He's ahead of the rest of us, sir," Owly replied sullenly.

  Tyron laughed again. "And that's one in your eye, isn't it, little bookworm? That's one in your eye!"

  Lan thought for a moment that he might escape, that he'd provided Tyron with enough amusement for the moment.

  "Still, you've not been here, have you? You've not been here to have, oh, any number of tasks set you." Tyron's voice took on that cloyingly pleasant tone it always did when he was about to do something appalling. "So I believe I'll have to set you something that will make up for your absence. Your father is a cloth merchant, is he not?"

  Lan couldn't imagine what his father would have to do with this, but he nodded, rather than trust his tone not to betray him.

  "Good. I need a new wardrobe for Midwinter, and my parents are being stubborn about expenses. Bring me a tunic length of scarlet velvet tomorrow. Silk velvet, mind, not wool plush. I have appearances to keep up."

  At that, Lan's head snapped up as his mouth dropped open. "How am I supposed to do that?" he squeaked incredulously. Silk velvet was worth a gold piece an ell—and scarlet was wo
rth twice that! He couldn't just waltz up to his father and ask for two ells of the stuff!

  "You've pocket money, don't you?" Tyron asked, his eyes sparkling maliciously.

  "No! I don't! My parents—" he choked on the words, blushing as scarlet as the coveted velvet at having to confess in public that he was not given the pocket money that every other student seemed to have.

  "Well, then, I suppose you'll just have to find some other way, won't you?" Tyron lounged back in his chair and waved his hand idly. "I'm sure you'll think of something. Remember, two ells of scarlet silk velvet, by tomorrow. I'm sure you know what will happen—" the greedy eyes gloated at him, "—if you were to fail to get it for me."

  He stumbled back down the aisle, now as much of a pariah as Froggy; people actually drew back from him, as if afraid his misfortune would contaminate them. He didn't even try to take his seat; he had no more appetite anyway. Instead, he went straight to the classroom, waiting in a dull fog for the rest to return. As he sat there, hands clenched in a knot in front of him, the others filed in, wordlessly, casting odd glances at him. He still felt hot, and that smoldering anger had made such a red-hot coal in his chest he didn't feel able to speak. Not that any of them said a word to him.

  Maybe his expression warned them away.

  But when the teacher came in, he didn't look as if Lan appeared any different. The teacher looked over the whole class, then rested his gaze on Lan, and said only, "Lavan. Can you recite yesterday's lesson for us?" as if Lan hadn't been away at all. "I hope you've been as diligent for this class as you seem to have been for the others."

  Lan stood up with some difficulty, for there was a sort of roaring in his ears and his knees felt wobbly. He opened his mouth to speak—

  And the next thing he knew, he was lying on the floor, with Owyn's anxious face leaning over him and the teacher saying sharply, "Clear back, all of you!" As he tried to sit up, he gasped with pain and fell back again. The headache was back, with a vengeance.