Amnesia: The Book of Maladies

by D. K. Holmberg

  It was a stout door, but the massive bar that prevented access did most of the heavy work. “Is he down there?”

  “Not yet. I thought he was with you?”

  “He was, but we separated when we returned to the city.”

  “Then he’s probably at the tavern. You know how Bastan is.”

  Sam huffed. “Yes, I know how Bastan is.” She waved and headed down the hall, taking the stairs at the end. There was no light, but Sam knew her way well enough and had traveled along the stairs often enough that it wasn’t difficult for her to reach the bottom in the dark. From there, a few lanterns provided light to allow her to see where she was heading. Two more doors were set on to either side of the wall, and only one of them would take her to Marin.

  Sam tapped on that door and waited for it to open. Bastan kept layers of protection, so that anyone who might reach this place would have difficulty getting all the way inside. She suspected he had even more layers than she was aware of, something typical of Bastan.

  The door opened, and another balding man with a thick beard poked his head out. Many of Bastan’s men had a similar look to them, and she suspected they were related, though she had not questioned.

  “Ricken.”

  “Samara. Bastan isn’t with you?”

  Had Bastan really shared so much detail with each of his men? Could they all know that they had been together? “No. Bastan isn’t with me. He’s probably at the tavern.”

  “Maybe he’ll bring some food,” Ricken said.

  Sam patted his belly as she slipped past. “I’m not sure that you need any more food.”

  A hurt expression briefly crossed his face as he closed the door and slipped a massive bar over it. “There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a little food.”

  “Nope. There is nothing wrong with you enjoying a little food.”

  He frowned at her. “Why do I get the sense that you’re mocking me?”

  “I’m not mocking you.” She flashed a smile. “Has she tried anything?”

  “Nothing more than the last time.”

  The last time, Marin had been restrained by two men, each the same size as Michael and Ricken, and both of them had nearly been thrown off. That was enough to tell Sam the extent of Marin’s ability. She was incredibly talented, even without a Scribe to assist with her augmentations.

  Ricken waved her past him. Sam headed toward the back of the room and still another door. This time, she didn’t knock. She pulled it open, and a row of cells greeted her. She didn’t know how long the cells had been here but suspected it was years. The metal was thick, almost as wide as her wrist, and spaced closely together. None of the other cells were occupied. Marin was the sole prisoner here.

  The man sitting in front of Marin nodded at Sam.

  “Can I have a moment with her, Timod?”

  Timod was even fatter than Ricken and Michael but was probably the strongest of all of them. Though he didn’t bear much resemblance to the Thelns, he was solid and created an imposing appearance. “Be my guest. Just be prepared for her to try something stupid.”

  “What has she tried already?”

  “More than she should have,” he said.

  He squeezed past her and stepped outside the door, closing it behind him.

  Marin stood and approached the bars, gripping them. Her hands barely made it all the way around them. Sam couldn’t believe she had managed to escape—twice.

  “Samara. Have you come to taunt me again?”

  Sam stood far enough away that Marin couldn’t attempt to squeeze her arms through the bars to reach her. “Taunt? I came to see what else you might want to teach.”

  Marin grunted and attempted to shake the bars. Had she placed an augmentation on herself? Though there were times when it was obvious, Sam couldn’t always tell. “Teach? You continue to hold me here. Why do you think I would teach you?”

  “What else would you do? Bastan has made it clear that he intends to hold you here for… For a long time.”

  Marin grunted. “Maybe it would’ve been better if Lyasanna had captured me. At least then, the end would have been quick.”

  “Are you sure you deserve quick?”

  “Are you sure I deserve this?”

  “I haven’t decided.” Sam decided that she could be honest with Marin. She wasn’t sure what she would do with the woman, just as she wasn’t sure what she deserved. There was no debating that Marin had done evil things to her, but there was the fact that Marin had done so because of what she perceived as a good reason. And without Marin having done what she had, Tray could have died long ago.

  And had that happened, Sam might never have had a brother. Regardless of anything else, she was better for having Tray in her life. She was better for him being her brother.

  “What is it that you would like to know this time?”

  “I have been wondering why some of the augmentations I place upon myself aren’t as strong as what Alec can place on me.”

  Marin offered a half smile. “Some?”

  “Fine. None. None of them are as strong as what Alec can place on me.”

  “Because you are inexperienced, and likely because you are trying to use them ineffectively.”

  “Ineffectively? I did manage to beat you.”

  “You beat me, but you still had your Scribe assisting you. Without him, would you have managed to be quite as effective?”

  Both Sam and Marin knew she would not have been. Without Alec adding to her, she would have failed, but then, maybe what Bastan told her was valid. Maybe she did need to stop trying to do things on her own. Maybe she did need to have the help of her Scribe.

  “Are there any ways that you can teach me to improve the efficacy of my own augmentations?”

  “That has to come from within you. You have to find your own way of augmenting, and your own way of making them effective.” Marin released one of the bars and started to turn away before pausing. “How do you manage it?”

  “I do as you told me. I imagine the augmentation, and the effect that it has, and let it wash over me.”

  “That’s not it. There has to be more.”

  “I also try to think about what Alec would have done,” Sam admitted.

  “That’s why your augmentations are weaker.”

  “Why? Because I’m relying on what Alec would have done?”

  “Because you are still depending on your Scribe. You need to focus on the power that comes from you, not on the power that comes from him.”

  “But the power that comes from him and from he does is what allows me to be augmented.”

  “In the way you achieve it. There are other Kavers who have a different technique. That is what you need to accomplish.”

  “Why can’t you simply tell me?”

  “Why can’t you simply release me?”

  “Because you want to hurt me.”

  “You? Had I wanted to hurt you, I would have done so years ago. I’ve never wanted anything but your help. It’s because of you that Tray lives. The only person I want harmed is Lyasanna.”

  Sam shook her head. “Sometimes, I think I want the same thing.”

  “Only sometimes?”

  Sam sighed and started to turn away. Marin wasn’t going to tell her anything, certainly nothing of use. And her threats were doing nothing. How long would it be before Marin attempted to escape again? Sam would have to ensure that Marin never had the chance to run.

  “I think she sent Kavers after Tray,” Sam said.

  Marin grabbed the bars and shoved her face between them, glaring at Sam. “How many?”

  “I saw three.”

  “You saw them?”

  “I was training in the swamp. I saw movement, and there were three Kavers making their way across the swamp.”

  Marin pounded her fist against the bars and turned away. “If you saw three, it means there were probably more.”

  “How many more Kavers could there be? I’ve only seen a few in my time at the pal
ace.”

  “You’ve seen what she wanted you to see. You’ve seen what they all have wanted you to see. There aren’t that many Kavers, so the fact that three were sent is enough to tell me she intends to finish what she had asked me to start.”

  That was Sam’s concern, as well. “She didn’t send Elaine.”

  “Because Elaine isn’t nearly skilled enough. There are others, those who taught me, and they would be far more formidable for the Thelns. Most of them would not require a Scribe, but I suspect that given their joint training, they have access to enough knowledge.”

  “What sort of joint training?”

  “Why do you think Lyasanna has been sneaking one of the master physickers into the palace?”

  “I thought it was so that she could study without heading to the university.” It wouldn’t do for the princess to be seen at the university and studying. Master Helen had been going in and out of the palace, but Sam couldn’t be sure it was because she had been working with Lyasanna.

  “Is it so she can study, or is it because others needed to study?”

  “What others?”

  “The other Kavers. With enough knowledge, and armed with enough easar paper, the augmentations they are able to generate on their own, along with the assistance of their Scribes, would be quite formidable. Maybe unstoppable.”

  Unstoppable Kavers heading toward Theln lands. Tray there with his father, Ralun, and trying to understand who and what he was. And Lyasanna trying to cover up a mistake she made when she was younger.

  All of it told Sam what Lyasanna intended.

  “I can help you,” Marin said.

  “I can’t trust you.”

  “You don’t have to trust me. You have to trust that I want to help Tray. When have I ever done anything that would tell you otherwise?”

  Sam let out a heavy sigh. Marin was right, and it was exactly what she had intended, thinking that she would need to trust and rely on Marin to tell the truth, but she couldn’t get past the idea it would require releasing her, and if that happened, if Marin disappeared on her, any expertise and knowledge that Marin might be able to provide would be gone.

  “If I do this, you need to share with me everything you know about the Thelns before we go.”

  “What do you think that will accomplish?”

  “What it will accomplish is that if you try to run on me, I still have every chance at succeeding. I will keep Tray safe.”

  Marin stared at Sam for a moment before smacking the bars of the cell. Sam resisted the urge to jump back and held Marin’s gaze. Finally, the woman nodded.

  8

  Reaching Theln Lands

  “Once you get past the swamp, then it becomes difficult,” Marin said, sitting just inside the cell with a large piece of paper in front of her. She had a pen and used nothing more than regular ink. Sam made certain that no one else was with them in the row of cells, but Bastan had insisted on being present to listen.

  “So you don’t think getting across the swamp is difficult?” Bastan asked.

  “No. Getting past the swamp is the easy part. If you prefer, you can head across the steam fields, but then you have to climb the mountains, and once there, you have to venture through the Farlesh Forest. That is where it becomes incredibly difficult.”

  Bastan grinned. “Getting through the forest? What is this, Marin? Are you trying to ensure you remain useful? I think you’ve already proven that to Samara.” Bastan glanced over at Sam, and he shook his head. Sam knew he was not thrilled with what she intended—or the fact that she intended to leave as quickly as she could. Bastan had always been more in favor of meticulous planning. He claimed it was how he had maintained his control on his section for as long as he had.

  “There are parts of the forest much more dangerous than others. Knowing the way through is tricky, and even if you know the way, you still can run into situations where you are in danger. So yes, I would say crossing the swamp is the easiest part. For a Kaver, she can simply use her canal staff. Sam has already demonstrated a talent with jumping, and I suspect she has discovered she can rest in the trees along the way. Even if she were to fall into the water, the eels wouldn’t attack her immediately.”

  Sam laughed darkly. “You want to bet?”

  Marin looked over at her. “The eels aren’t that aggressive, Samara.”

  “What about the one that bit you?”

  “That was because we were close to the shore. You drew it to me with all of your splashing around.”

  Sam shook her head but decided not to debate Marin on that. She wasn’t convinced that the eels had only been drawn toward them because of their splashing around. The eels seemed to be drawn to her every time she was in the swamp. Almost as if they didn’t want her to attempt the crossing. Maybe she should ask Elaine about that.

  “Why is the forest so difficult?” Bastan asked.

  Marin proceeded to dip the pen into the bottle of brown ink, and she started drawing out what she represented as the city and then the swamp. From there, she depicted the forest. It abutted both the mountainous access as well as the swamp, pointing out that they would be forced to navigate the forest either way. “Not all of the ground is trustworthy. There are areas of sinkholes, places where one misstep will cause you to disappear beneath the ground.”

  “Can you travel through the trees?” Bastan asked.

  “You could, but you would need to know how to navigate through the trees, and even then, you run the risk of the chamyn.”

  “Am I to presume those are some creatures that live in the trees?” Bastan asked.

  “Enormous cats. They prowl along the trees, preferring to prey there, as it is much safer to find their meals than on the ground. They are fast, and they can streak along the branches, with claws that hold them in place. Some have been known to walk upside down and drop down to attack.”

  Bastan started chuckling loudly. “It sounds to me like you are telling us children’s tales, Marin.”

  “I’m telling you what I have seen and experienced.”

  “And if you have seen and experienced this, and if what you have told us about Tray is accurate, then you would have managed to navigate this forest with an infant. Either it’s not nearly as difficult as you would have us believe, or there is another way.”

  “I’m just telling you what I know of the passing. Kavers over the years have made maps, and those maps allow safe crossing through the forest.” Marin’s gaze shifted to Sam. “There was a time when I had access to those maps, but…”

  Sam frowned. “Did you have something in your room that help you make this crossing?”

  “Not in my room. What I had there was nothing more than a few references. I made my own notes, but that was from memory, and not from the Kaver guide.”

  “You’re suggesting I need to find this guide?”

  Marin shrugged. “We can certainly try to go by memory. If you have access to my records, I did make notes that should provide help, but it may not be enough. We may still end up falling into one of the sinkholes or end up in one of the chamyn dens.”

  “Even if we don’t end up in one of their dens, I thought you said they prowled through the trees?”

  “Through most of the trees. It seems there are certain places they avoid.”

  Bastan chuckled again. “Of course, they do. Why wouldn’t they avoid certain trees so that Kavers like yourself can guide us?”

  Marin glared at him. “I don’t need you to believe me, Bastan. I have done nothing other than tell the truth—”

  “Have you?” Sam asked. “When did your truth telling begin?”

  “When it no longer mattered. When you discovered that you were a Kaver, and when you discovered Elaine, lying to you no longer mattered.”

  “I’m not going to continue debating this with you, Marin. You have continued to lie to me, even when you told me you were telling the truth. It wasn’t until recently that you shared with me that Lyasanna was Tray’s son.”
/>   “Had I told you sooner, what would you have done?”

  Sam bit her lip as she thought. “I don’t know,” Sam said.

  Marin held her gaze for a moment before looking back down, and she began to draw something more on her makeshift map. “This is the Unseen Plain.”

  “I suppose that you will tell us the grasses here will try to kill us,” Bastan said. “Or that there is some dangerous creature hiding within the grasses.”

  Marin shook her head. “No. The only thing dangerous about this is how tall they grow. It’s easy to lose your way. Some have wandered aimlessly for days, long enough that they get lost, never to be seen again.”

  “And I suppose you have some way of preventing that?” Bastan asked.

  “Nothing that will help. If it’s overcast, you will lose your way. If it’s sunny…” She glanced from Sam to Bastan. “This is the least difficult part of the crossing.”

  “Not the swamp?”

  “The swamp is only difficult for those who aren’t Kavers. The plain is not physically taxing, but it is challenging, and without the right preparations, it is possible that you will fail when you try to cross it.”

  “And your guide?” Bastan asked. There was a smile, almost a look of incredulity, on his face. “Will this help us somehow pass through the plain?”

  “Unlikely,” Marin said. “The only thing you need to know is that you must head straight west. From there, you will cross into easier places to access. There will be villages leading to cities leading to the Theln capital. Once you cross through the plain, though, you are in Theln lands. They are nearly inaccessible, difficult even for a skilled Kaver, so know that the moment you reach their lands, you will be in danger.”

  Bastan stared at Marin for a long moment. “I don’t know whether you’re lying or if I should be impressed that you survived this with Tray when you claim to have escaped.”

  “If you are determined to come with Samara, you will see for yourself.”

  “Oh, I am determined to accompany Samara. I don’t have any interest in allowing you to be the one to guide her, especially if that means that she will be thrust into danger that relies on your ability to get her free.”