“There’s actually a sewage system built in under the street,” Ashlynn explained wearily. “But it was never made to accommodate this many people. It’s overrun and becoming stagnant as it builds up. We’ve told them not to throw their garbage into the street gutters, to use the bins, but they’re too lazy to walk all the way to the nearest one. So it builds up in piles, and stinks up the place, until I stumble across it and clear it out.”
“Lass, I be thinking ye and that king of yers need to build some houses and clear out some of these people.”
“Oh, I hear you.” Ashlynn nodded in fervent agreement. “Trust me. As soon as that wall is up, the first thing we’ll do is build places for these people to go. Until then, well, I get the feeling I’ll be using that spell quite often.”
“Aye.” He looked around, but of course had no idea where they needed to go.
“Now, let me explain a few things.” Ashlynn pointed to a necklace that hung just past her collarbones. It was a long rectangle, with three wavy lines imprinted into the soft gold metal. “See this? It’s a calling system of sorts. I have it set up throughout the city. This symbol is on several different posts on different street corners. People can put their hands flat against it and speak to me directly whenever they need help. Each one is marked so that I know instantly which one they’re calling from.”
Broden let out a low whistle. So magic could do even that? “How many be there?”
“Two dozen. I’m sorely tempted to add more, but haven’t found the time necessary to make and install them. Regardless, this is how everyone contacts me when there’s a situation. If I don’t get a call, I just patrol the streets as much as I can and stop trouble when I see it.”
“So now we walk about until ye get a call?” he guessed.
“And then we race like madmen over there, wherever ‘there’ is.” She beamed up at him. “Let’s walk this way, as I haven’t been over here in about two days. While we walk, tell me something about yourself.”
Obligingly, he told her much of the same history they’d told Ash. Ashlynn was a good listener, only asking a question here and there as he paused for breath. She took his family history in stride, just as Ash had, her only surprise coming from how badly the prejudice had followed them. “So you came with Ash to escape from Cloud’s Rest?”
“Aye,” he admitted without a bat of an eyelash. “That and he offered good money and position. I had a hope or two it’d be safer for me daughter as well, but…”
“It’s not looking like that right now, I know,” she soothed. “But we’ll put things back in order soon enough.
He hoped so. “Now it be me turn to ask questions, I think. How did ye come to be Edvard’s wizard?”
“Well, as to that, his father was the one that paid for my and Ash’s apprenticeship fees. Sort of. See, Edvard’s father was a ne’er-do-well when it came to women. He had more children than anyone’s sure of. At one point, he came to fancy my mother—” she abruptly cut herself off and picked up the necklace. “This is Sheriff Fallbright.”
“Sheriff,” a tinny sounding voice came from the necklace. “We need you here now. There’s been an attempted robbery, but the man fought back with a knife, and now I have two men bleeding out here on the street.”
Ashlynn swore loudly and viciously, even as she spun sharply on her heel and took off at lightning speed. Broden was not a particularly fast runner, and it was all he could do to keep up with her. They turned a corner suddenly, rounded another, and soon the streets became a twisted snarl in his mind, to where he could not swear he’d be able to find his way back again if he tried.
She barely went around the next corner before she slid to a stop, dropping to her knees and reaching out without even trying to assess the situation first. “Broden, the other man, put pressure on his wound to stall the bleeding until I can get to him.”
He took two seconds to take in the scene before he did as directed. Two men, both looking rough about the edges, were lying right next to each other. One had a knife sticking out of his chest, and judging from the wet sounds he made as he breathed, blood was quickly filling up his lungs. The other was crimson around the stomach, and Ashlynn’s hands were already covered in blood as she worked her magic at a frantic pace to try and save the man’s life.
Around all of them stood three guardsmen, keeping a crowd of onlookers at bay while their sheriff-wizard worked. Broden sank to his knees and grabbed a kerchief from his pocket, which he used to staunch the flow of blood leaking from the man’s chest, careful to avoid slicing himself on the knife as he did.
“Shouldn’t you take the knife out first?” one of the guardsmen asked, sinking to his knees so that he sat near the prone man’s head.
Broden shook his head in disagreement. “No, master, that would no’ be wise. I saw it once, when they took a knife from a man without any means to staunch the blood. Man bled out in minutes. Worse, from the sound of it, this man’s lungs be half-filled. I will wait for yon lass to come and yank it out herself.”
The guard listened to him, returning the same scrutiny that Broden gave. He was in that dark grey uniform Broden had seen Edvard wear, black boots scuffed and slightly muddy. His brown hair stuck to his forehead from the sweat on his skin, dark eyes calm as if he’d seen worse than this. He likely had. “I’m Seth Feibelman, Estole Guard Second Class. Who might you be?”
Now, how to answer this? “Broden Ravenscroft. I be yon lass’s partner.”
“My wizard-partner, to be precise.” Ashlynn rose up just enough to scoot over to Broden’s side, completely missing the jaw-dropped surprise of Seth Feibelman. “Broden, thank you. If you could, take the knife out as quick and clean as you can without causing more damage. I have to close this wound up and then figure out some means of draining the blood from his lungs.”
“Lass, I do no’ mean to tell ye yer business,” Broden started, half-hesitant, “but I’ve seen a wound like this afore.”
Her eyes flew up to his face. “You have? Did the man survive?”
“Aye, though it be touch and go for a while. We put a straw in his wound, then coaxed the blood to flow through it. It took a mite to drain, and it be painful, but it got enough out that he could breathe proper again.”
“Broden, that’s genius.” She pointed a finger at the kneeling guardsman. “Seth, go get me a straw. Now. Oh, and a basin. Mark, get this other man to his home and tell his wife to pour liquids down him for now. He’s not to have anything solid to eat for at least three days. I’ll check in on him this afternoon.”
“Yes, Sheriff.” Mark, a swarthy-looking man that had the markings of a former bandit, leaped to obey the command.
Seth came scurrying back with a wooden straw that might have been a river reed in a previous life and a small ceramic basin that had seen better days. Ashlynn promptly took both from his hands. Looking up at Broden, Ashlynn asked, “Ready?”
Broden took in a deep breath, blew it out in a taut stream, and answered, “Ready.”
“Then pull it out gently.”
He tried, but of course, a knife hurt as bad coming out as it did going in. Deciding it’d be better to be quick than slow, he opted for speed and took the knife out as cleanly and painlessly as possible. As soon as the knife was free, Ashlynn slipped the straw into the open wound as gently as she could.
The man under her hands clenched his teeth around a scream. Broden tossed the knife to the ground, held him down firmly, and spoke calmly to the man, “Aye, man, it hurts. Ye can curse the gods properly later, after the lass here be done with ye. Tell me, now, what happened here?”
“That idiot came after me, saying something about me not having the right to have first dibs on housing. He wanted my deed!” He gurgled a little and spat out the side of his mouth. Broden kept an eye on Ashlynn as he answered and found that she’d adapted his method a mite. She was coaxing the blood out with magic, making the straw look like some sort of macabre fountain as it poured out blood into the basin. Fr
om the smug grin on her face, it was working well.
“A deed, be it?” Broden prompted, trying to not only get the story, but to keep the man’s mind off the reed stuck in his chest.
“Yes. The king has issued deeds to new houses, promises, really, that we can have one as soon as they’re built. He’s giving them out in order of arrival, I think.”
“That’s right,” Ashlynn confirmed. “But they’re only going to tradesmen, merchants, or people with steady incomes. We can’t give the houses to people that don’t have the money to support them.”
Made sense. Why give a beggar a house when he’d only bring it to ruin because he did not have the means to keep it? Although it made him wonder what Edvard planned to do with the people who could not afford a house.
“Oh.” The man lying on the ground apparently had not realized there was a rule about this. “So, he was trying to get mine because he couldn’t get one of his own?”
“Likely, yes.” Ashlynn braced herself. “I think the blood’s out. Broden? Good, hold him down just like that. Sir, what’s your name?”
“Behrens.”
“Master Behrens, clench your teeth and hold as still as you can. I’m going to draw this out as quick as possible. Then I’ll heal you and we’ll get you taken home so that you can rest up properly.”
He nodded in understanding, already turning white with the anticipated pain. Ashlynn was quick, as promised, and the straw pulled out clean. Behrens gasped in pain, the sound almost keening, body twisting slightly under Broden’s hands. Then she laid a glowing hand on the man’s chest, the skin healing over as if there had never been an injury there, and the pain left his face entirely.
“Oh. Oh, thank you. That feels strange, but so much better.”
Ashlynn pulled back and smiled at him, just as relieved as he that she had not had a man die under her hands. “Master Behrens, you should rest easy for about three days. Eat plenty of meat to restore the blood you’ve lost, and drink as much water as possible. In three days or so, you can start working again, but again, take it easy. If there’s any pain, stop. I think it’ll take at least a week before you’re back to your old self.”
“Yes, I understand, thank you.”
“And next time,” she added with a touch of exasperation, “just give him the deed and report the theft to a guardsman, alright? We have the deeds recorded in a big book. We know whom they belong to. Stealing a deed won’t do anyone an ounce of good because we double-check it against our records.”
“Oh.” Behrens looked down at himself before offering her a wry smile. “I’ll remember that. If there’s a next time.”
“Hopefully there won’t be.” She nodded up to Seth. “Take him home. Give his wife the same instructions I just gave him. Master Behrens, I’ll try to check in on you later this afternoon.”
“Thank you, Sheriff,” Behrens said as he was gingerly lifted up with a canvas-and-pole stretcher.
Broden took the water flask from his belt and rinsed his hands clean before taking Ashlynn’s hands in his and also washing hers. He worked without a word, finished, and replaced the flask before looking up. Ashlynn watched him with a gentle expression, eyes lifted in a silent smile. “You’re not a man to spook easily in a crisis, are you?”
“A man can no’ be easily spooked and survive Cloud’s Rest,” he responded dryly.
“Good point.” She lifted her hand, fingers quick and deft as she drew a spell in glowing lines, then spoke a word.
Magic washed over him with a quick zing, cleaning both his clothes and skin with equal fervor. He half-yelped in surprise, sheer reflex sending him to his feet at the suddenness of the attack. Looking down, he realized she’d washed him clean of the blood that had splattered on him as well as made up for the fact that he’d made do with a quick wash earlier.
Ashlynn grinned up at him with unrepentant delight at his reaction.
He glowered back at her. “Lass, the last time a woman washed me, it be me own mother.”
Laughing, she gained her feet and said, “Well, this isn’t quite how I thought your first day in the city would go, but it seems we’ll have nothing but trouble today. Regardless, welcome to Estole.” She smirked at him impishly.
Just what had he gotten himself into?
Chapter Eight
Ash and Riana didn’t get far before they were hailed by a young girl standing just outside the door. “Ash!” she called in excitement, running the rest of the distance and throwing her arms around Ash’s upper thighs.
Bending down, Ash returned the embrace with a bright smile. “Gwen. I’m home.”
“Welcome home.”
Riana stepped around Ash to get a better look at the girl. She was six or seven, with thick black hair in ringlets, deep blue eyes, and a cherub face. The resemblance between her and Edvard was uncanny, and Riana knew that the girl was likely a sister of the king. The blue silk dress she wore said she was royalty all by itself.
Turning, Ash motioned to her. “Gwen, this is Riana Ravenscroft. She’s my partner. Riana, this is Gwen Knolton, my sister.”
Sister? With the last name of Knolton? Puzzled, but not sure if she should ask, she simply took it in stride. “May harmony find ye, Gwen.”
“I greet you, Riana Ravenscroft,” Gwen responded in an adorably serious manner, as if she were pretending to be a grown woman. “Partner? Are you his wizard-partner?”
“Aye,” she hesitated, not sure about that herself. She darted a look at Ash’s face before adding, “For now, at least. Me da can also partner with a wizard, y’see, so it be atween me and him at the moment for who will partner with Ash.”
“We’re hoping that one of them will partner with Ashlynn,” Ash explained. “So right now, we’re just spending time with each other, and figuring out who works best with whom.”
“Ohhhh.” Gwen nodded sagely. “I see. Edvard sent me to find you.”
“He did?”
“Yes. He said, before you build the wall, he needs to talk to you.”
Ash let out a put-upon sigh. “Why do I get the feeling that he’s going to change that very nice blueprint I drew up?”
“Because he wants to make the wall bigger?” Gwen asked in all innocence.
Ash glowered down at her. “Of course he does. Maybe it’s a good thing I got that extra lumber after all. Alright, where is he?”
“His study.”
Grumbling to himself inarticulately, Ash patted her head in thanks before he turned about and went back inside the castle. He didn’t go back upstairs, though, but headed down a hallway that led toward the back of the building. Riana followed him, her eyes more on her surroundings than on his back. This hallway seemed cramped compared to the others she’d seen, with barely a rug on the floor to soften a man’s tread. There were plenty of windows, though, looking out over a perfectly kept garden. Her eyes kept darting to look outside, and she nearly plowed into Ash when he stopped in front of a door.
He gave two quick raps on the wood before stepping through, not even giving the man a chance to call for entrance. “Edvard?”
“Oh good, I caught you before you started building. Come in, come in.” Edvard rose from his armchair and moved to a table that was big enough for a man to make a bed on.
Riana halted in the doorway, eyes wide as she took in the room. Never, in all her days, had she seen so many books! The walls were covered with them from floor to ceiling, with nary more than a space here and there for a window to let light in. The floor was covered with multiple rugs, with softly padded chairs in every corner and four arranged in the center of the room around the large table.
“I looked at the immigration reports this morning,” Edvard said as Ash joined him at the table, “and the wall that we planned to build will barely suffice. At the rate we’re growing, we’ll be pushed to the brink of the walls within a year. We need to push it out, give ourselves more growing room, or we’ll be in desperate straits.”
“How much further?” Ash asked
cautiously. “Remember, I didn’t bring a lot of excess lumber with me.”
“I know. But instead of here,” Edvard pointed to a line drawn on the map in front of him, “let’s put it more southeast, about here.”
“Edvard!” Ash protested in a near whine. “I said I didn’t have that much extra lumber!”
“No? Then, what about here?”
“Well, that’s certainly more plausible, but if you do that, the south gate will have walls bracketing either side of the road for several hundred feet, and that’ll congest the traffic even more.”
“Oh. Curses. I hadn’t thought of that.”
Riana drifted over to the table to peer down at the map herself. They’d drawn boundary lines that indicated where the new borders for Estole would be, right over an old map of the estate lines. She could tell from the different colored ink. Then, over that, there was a fine blue line drawn around Estole itself, smaller than the land, which she took to be the proposed area for the wall. Interestingly enough, the line was drawn completely around the town. Why they would do that, when they were right next to the Narrow Channel, she had no idea.
“Be there a reason why ye be blocking the channel?”
Both men stopped dead and looked at her.
“Why?” Ash asked, puzzled.
“Aye. why? The wall be to block armies and the like, right? I do no’ think an army can march over water. So would it no’ be better to build the wall so it ended on the shore, and let the water be a wall for ye?”
Edvard gaped at her. “Why didn’t we think of that?”
“It would also open up trade, if we didn’t have a wall standing there blocking merchant ships,” Ash muttered, almost to himself. “And it’ll give more space to people that want to live along the shoreline. Edvard. Were we so focused on a completely enclosed city that we missed the obvious?”
Arrows Of Change (Book 1) Page 7
