Amnesia: The Book of Maladies

by D. K. Holmberg

  “There is something to it, Master Eckerd. How many lowborn physickers are there?”

  “There are none.”

  “And is that because you haven’t offered, or is it because they don’t have the potential?”

  “It’s because we have lost track.” He sighed and looked at the books on Alec’s table. “It becomes more and more difficult to follow people when they move to the outer sections. Even tracking you when your father moved you to your section. The merchant sections are difficult for us to have much of a presence, and try as we might, we simply can’t follow everyone.”

  “But you don’t even try.”

  Master Eckerd sniffed. “You are one of the first people in a long time to care about such things. I think if you were to remain at the university, you might cause great change. I suspect that is why I have been tasked with keeping an eye on you.”

  “Tasked by who?”

  “Tasked by those who sit even higher than me.”

  Alec tried to focus on the words. He didn’t think the poisoning had gotten any worse, but he did think he was getting more tired again. He would have to rest soon, but when he did, he would not be able to offer any assistance in their searches. For Master Helen. For Beckah.

  “Who sits even higher than you?”

  “That… That is a difficult answer.”

  “Is it the king? Is it people in the palace? Is it—”

  “The Anders family came to the city, settling here centuries ago, solidifying their rule over the city,” Master Eckerd started. His voice took on the tone and inflection of someone giving a lecture. “When they came to the city, this place was little more than a collection of villages, set on two distinct islands that were naturally occurring at the time. They sought this place out, wanting it for its isolation.” Master Eckerd looked up and met Alec’s eyes. “Have you ever given much thought to why we are isolated in the way we are? We have the swamp to the north. We have the steam fields to the west. We have the ocean to the east and south. All of it making us quite inaccessible. Oh, skilled merchants can sail here, but even they have a difficult time making it through the harbor. It takes knowledge, and it takes flat-bottomed boats to travel out to them, to ferry in everything off those ships before bringing them into the canals and through the rest of the city. Barges like that are not meant for warfare, which keeps the sea inaccessible.”

  “What are you getting at?”

  “What I’m getting at is that the Anders family ran from something centuries ago, Alec. Those of us with any sort of power are descended from those who came here long ago.”

  “I’m not descended from them.” If anything, he might be descended from Thelns.

  “You are a Scribe. Because of that, you have abilities others do not.”

  “What does this have to do with anything?”

  “We had peace for a long time,” Master Eckerd said. “From what I can ascertain, and my ability to reach records that old is limited, restricted the same as yours would be, tells us that we came here to get away from violence. That was the reason the Anders settled in a place that would be mostly inaccessible. They were safe. The people of these lands were welcoming, and as the Anders demonstrated abilities and magics the people here did not possess, they gradually took on more and more power, ultimately ruling. They shifted the center of power to the place where it now stands.”

  “The palace?”

  Master Eckerd shook his head. “The university.”

  “What?”

  “The first Scribes were the original rulers here. The Kavers protected them.”

  “I don’t understand. I thought the Anders family ruled in the city.”

  “Over time, the family has changed, but for the most part, the university still sets policy within the city. The royal family is perceived as ruling, but only because it draws attention to them rather than to us.”

  “So, the Scribes—”

  “There are only a few people who understand the true nature of the politics within the city. Even I don’t understand, not entirely.”

  “And Master Helen?”

  “Master Helen has sat on the ruling council for a long time.”

  “Then why would she have attempted to poison me?”

  “I’m not certain that she did.”

  “It’s the only thing that makes sense,” Alec said. “The mixture I was working on was not enough to do this to me. We tested it at my father’s apothecary shop.”

  “If she did, then there was a reason for it. Perhaps that reason is she believed you threatened the safety of the city.”

  “It doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that the princess attempted to murder her son?”

  Master Eckerd frowned. “The princess has no children. She has chosen to continue her studies, wanting to develop as a Scribe. She has said that will be her focus, at least for now.”

  “Since you have shared so much with me, let me share something with you,” Alec said. Master Eckerd leaned forward, resting his elbows on Alec’s table as he listened. “The princess made a trip to the Theln lands.”

  Master Eckerd frowned and nodded. “That was many years ago. How is it you know of it?”

  “When she was there, she met a Theln by the name of Ralun. He is some sort of royalty there. As far as I can tell, while she was there, she and Ralun had an intimate relationship. She had a child. That child would be half Anders and half Theln.” Alec decided not to tell Master Eckerd that the child had been born half Kaver and half Theln. “And when she realized what she had done, she ordered the Kaver who served her to destroy the child. That Kaver refused, instead rescuing—I guess kidnapping—the child, bringing him here, and offering herself as his protection. But she didn’t think that was enough. She decided she needed to ensure others with power didn’t try to destroy this child if they ever discovered him. She needed a different sort of protection. And so she managed to convince another, the same age as this child, and together they grew up as brother and sister.”

  Master Eckerd stared at him, blinking. “Marin?”

  “Marin. She was assigned to kill Princess Lyasanna’s son. She refused, and she escaped with that unborn child. She raised him but stayed distant enough that he didn’t know anything. He believed he had lost his mother, but he lost his father, and knew only his sister.”

  Master Eckerd gasped. “Your Kaver. That’s what you’re trying to tell me, isn’t it?”

  Alec nodded.

  Master Eckerd looked down at his hands. “I was on that trip,” he said. “At least, in a way. The Kaver I serve was there, and she took a supply of our blood, prepared for any augmentation she might need. I felt several of them as they swept through me. I know something happened, and that when they returned, one of the greatest Kavers in the city was gone, dead.”

  “You still haven’t answered my question,” Alec said.

  “The Thelns continued to offer peace. There had been no fighting with the Thelns for… a long time. As far as I know, it had been a decade since there had been any fighting with them. They were content to leave us alone in the city, content to not pressure us here, as we were too isolated. There was nothing for them to gain by coming here. Instead, we sent envoys every few years, and those envoys would always return to ensure peace remained. Occasionally, some would stay behind—”

  “Scribes?”

  Master Eckerd nodded. “Scribes would remain. Always Scribes. It got to the point where those who went no longer took Scribes along, knowing that it was possible those who did go would be corrupted, and coerced into staying behind.”

  “What happened then? Why have the Thelns begun to attack?”

  “Princess Lyasanna went on that envoy. We always ensured that somebody with some rank would go. They had to be high enough ranking that it was believable. Typically, we sent Kavers, and since the Anders have always been Kavers, Princess Lyasanna was chosen.”

  “But she’s a Scribe.”

  “It was a risk, but we thought…
we thought she might have a different perspective. Having her back was a relief. It was dangerous for her to go, at least in hindsight. At the time, those who were with her said she was never in any danger.”

  “Did they talk about her relationship with Ralun?”

  “Those who went didn’t talk about anything, other reporting that the Thelns had refused the peace that was offered. They returned, claiming that peace talks had failed. It was the first time that had happened in many years.”

  “And then what happened?”

  “And then we began to train. We began to prepare. And we began to lose those with abilities. It began slowly, but the numbers increased over the years.”

  Alec leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes, trying to think. What Master Eckerd was telling him was important, but he couldn’t think straight. He couldn’t think about why it was important and what he needed to do, if anything.

  “We need to know what happened back then,” he said to Master Eckerd.

  “There is no way for us to know. Short of Princess Lyasanna sharing, and I suspect if what you’ve told me is true, she will do everything she can to protect herself and her secrets. We have no other source who could tell us what we need to know.”

  Alec breathed out heavily. He needed a way to find out what had happened decades ago. Strangely, that seemed to be pivotal now. And it might even help him help Sam. If they understood what had happened, they might be able to get to Tray more easily, even use that to convince Ralun and keep him from destroying them.

  That was if Alec was allowed to go. He wasn’t sure it was a journey he was fit enough to take, not anymore. As weak as he felt, he might have to remain in the city and let Sam go on her own.

  That pained him.

  “What is Master Helen’s role?”

  “Master Helen is a Scribe, you know that.”

  “And who is her Kaver?”

  “I’m not supposed to say. That is reserved for only the inner circle of master physickers.”

  “I thought you were going to continue sharing.”

  Master Eckerd breathed out heavily. “Her Kaver is the king.”

  18

  Chase

  Sam chased Bastan down the hallway, catching him as he neared the stairs that would lead down and back out of the university. Lanterns glowed softly on the walls. The halls were lined with smooth marble, polished and gleaming, giving the entire university an almost palatial feel. She wasn’t sure why she had never noticed that before. The only place where it felt different was the hospital ward, the place where people from outside were sequestered.

  “What are you doing, Samara?”

  “I’m going to help you.”

  “This is something I have the capacity to do myself. I’m not sure you are able to help with this.”

  “You’re going after information about where to find Master Helen.”

  “I am.”

  “And then I am going to go after information.”

  He glanced over. “I think Marin has shared with you about everything she can, at least everything she will.”

  “We haven’t ever asked her specifically about Master Helen.”

  “Do you think that will matter?”

  Sam shrugged. “I don’t know if it will matter or not. All I know is that somehow, we have to get this resolved so that I can go after Tray.” That still drove her. She needed to finish this task so she could move on to the next one. It felt like barriers were being continuously put in front of her, blocking her from what she needed to do. Alec’s poisoning being the most disturbing event so far. She didn’t mind staying in the city and continuing to parse through everything that cropped up, but eventually, she would need to go and reach her brother. She would need to know what danger he was in with the Thelns. She would need to stop them from damaging him and leading to greater damage in the city.

  “I don’t know what matters anymore. I thought that when I gained these powers, and when I began to understand everything I could do, I wouldn’t feel quite so helpless. No matter how much strength I can augment, no matter how much my skills improve, I still feel like I’m not enough.”

  Bastan stopped her outside of the university on the lush, rolling lawn. Trees dotted the grounds, and flowers were planted in beds, giving a fragrance to the air. “You should never question whether you’re enough. Everything that you have done has proven you are stronger than you let on. I know that you blame Marin for everything she did to you, but in a way, I think you should be thankful of what she allowed you to do and see. Were it not for Marin, you would never have realized the strength you possess. You never would have known the depths of abilities you have. And you never would have—”

  “Yeah. I know. I never would have known my brother.”

  “I wasn’t going to say that. I was going to say that you never would have known me.”

  He guided her to the bridge leading them off of the university section. Like all bridges in the central sections, the stonework was exquisite. As they neared the outer sections, the bridges were more dilapidated, stone crumbling in places, though still quite stout. Masons worked diligently to repair the stone as needed throughout the central portions of the city, but they were less likely to spend time in the outer sections. It was left to the citizens of those sections to take care of on their own. Often, they didn’t have the same skill, which meant the repairs were done, but the results didn’t retain the original beauty .

  “I’m not unhappy that I know you, Bastan. The life I lead is… Well, it’s the life I lead. I don’t think anything could change, and even if I could go back and unlock those memories, I don’t know…” She shook her head. Sam didn’t know what she wanted. She still didn’t even know how old she had been when Marin had taken her and didn’t know what would happen if she were somehow able to restore those memories. What would she recall?

  Maybe she was too young to recall anything. Maybe it didn’t matter, and the only thing she had lost out on was a mother who was too cold to care what happened to her. If anything, Bastan was much warmer than the Elaine she knew now. Had she always been that way?

  “I think,” Bastan started and then looked around, his eyes darting from side to side as he took in their surroundings. Sam followed the direction of his gaze and wondered what it was he saw. “I think we should move more quickly.”

  “Bastan?”

  “There are at least three following us,” he said.

  “Three what?” Sam asked.

  “Since they each seem to be wielding a staff, I would venture a guess that they are like you.”

  “Kavers?”

  Why would Kavers be following them?

  “We can get away from here, but then one of us should go back and warn Alec. If they’re after us, and have already made an attempt on him, he may be more danger than we know.”

  “One of us? He’s at the university.”

  “We’ve already seen how that’s not safe, especially when faced by someone in a position of power. If nothing else, we can alert him of what we’ve seen. Considering you have the abilities that you do, I would normally suggest it be you, but I think that in the university, you would be at a disadvantage. We need someone who can go in and can be less obtrusive.”

  They hurried along the street, and Sam pulled out the halves of her canal staff, readying to put them together. If there were Kavers coming after them, it was possible they would be augmented.

  “What do you propose?”

  “I don’t know that it can be me, either, but I think…” Bastan looked around, then nodded to the next bridge. They hurried toward it, now running. If they were to separate, Sam could use her canal staff to clear the canals and could move more quickly, but it meant abandoning Bastan. There was a time when that wouldn’t have bothered her, but that was a time before she had said felt the same affection toward Bastan as he clearly felt toward her.

  “Yes. There is someone I can contact. I will send help to Alec and get h
im out of the university if needed.” He looked over at her. “I can’t promise that it won’t be violent.”

  “I don’t care about violence. I care about Alec getting out safely.” She looked around and saw one of the people following them. A man. It wasn’t anyone she knew, and there was a stealthiness to him. Bastan had been right. He carried a canal staff openly. “Bastan, can you acquire more eel meat?”

  He frowned but nodded. “You think to have him continue to take it until you find the solution?”

  “I think we need to,” Sam said. “Until we understand what happened, and what Master Helen did, Alec needs to take the one thing that might help him, even if it is forbidden by the university.”

  Bastan clapped her on the shoulder. “Move quickly, Samara. Get to Marin and see what she might be able to tell you. I will send someone to get Alec, and once I find the information about this Maser Helen, I will return to the cells.”

  Sam and Bastan separated, heading in different directions. She watched him go, feeling anxious for him. She didn’t worry about herself, not much. Even though there was the potential of Kavers coming after them, that didn’t worry her, though she wondered if perhaps it should. With her command of the canal staff, she thought she would be able to escape, at least stay ahead of them. But she worried about drawing them into Caster and gaining the wrong kind of notice.

  Sam screwed the ends of her canal staff together and started off.

  When she did, movement behind her surged.

  She reached the canal and launched herself over, pushing off with the staff as she cleared the canal in a single jump. When she landed, she glanced over her shoulder and saw the two Kavers. One of them was the nondescript man she had seen out of the corner of her eye. The other was an older woman with dark brown hair and a weathered face. She’d never seen her before, either. How was it there were so many Kavers she didn’t know?

  Was it something that Elaine was keeping from her?

  She had met a few other Kavers, but they had only participated in her training, and had done little else. As Sam ran, she continued to look over her shoulder, watching them as they followed. They were skilled, jumping with nearly the same ease as she did. It reminded her of when Marin chased her.