Demonkin
Page 26
“There is a new healer in town,” she said quietly. “I heard that his potions will cure anything.”
“How do I send for him?” asked Tedi.
“He doesn’t come to people,” answered the girl. “You have to go to him.”
“My wife is not well enough to walk very far,” Tedi said with a shake of his head.
“You wouldn’t be walking anyways,” replied the girl. “His shop is in the center of the slums. You would have to ride to get there.”
“There must be someone closer,” objected Tedi.
“There probably is,” shrugged the girl, “but I wouldn’t give a copper for any of them that I’ve seen. Most of them will mumble strange words and then stick their palms out for gold. I’ve never seen any of them heal anyone.”
“And this healer in the slums is any different?” Tedi asked with disbelief.
“Oh, he is,” the girl nodded exaggeratedly. “He is the talk of the town, he is. He has a potion for every illness. He is awfully expensive from what I hear, but at least the people get better. That’s better than those other healers.”
The girl’s words about the poor quality of the local healers disturbed Tedi. He did not plan on losing Natia to some poison. “How would I find this healer?”
“You can’t miss his shop,” answered the girl. “It is right in the center of the slums, and it is the only building that looks decent, if ya know what I mean.”
“Perhaps I will ride out there if the healer that the innkeeper is getting doesn’t work out.”
“You riding to the slums will do no good,” replied the girl. “He demands to see the patient in person, and he don’t leave his shop for nobody.”
The noise of the back door opening sent the serving girl hurrying off. The innkeeper entered the room and moved towards the counter.
“They used the same healer we did,” stated the innkeeper. “I have no idea who to call for. Perhaps you can go to the merchant district and ask around. I think they have a few healers up there. It might be a day or two before you can convince one of them to come all the way here, though.”
Tedi thanked the man and returned to his suite. He didn’t want Natia to worry while he went for a healer. He explained the circumstances to her and promised to be back as soon as possible. As he turned to leave the bedroom, Natia grasped the edge of his tunic.
“Don’t leave me here,” Natia pleaded. “I really think that I am poisoned. Whoever did this might come back while you are gone. I am in no condition to defend myself.”
Tedi stiffened at the thought of someone harming his wife. He also worried that she might not live long enough to wait a couple of days for a healer.
“Do you think you could stay on the unicorn if I got you on one?”
“I am a gypsy,” Natia smiled weakly. “They say that gypsies are born to ride. You get me in the saddle, and I will stay there.”
Tedi strapped the staff to his back and then gently picked up his wife. He carried her to the door of the suite and struggled to open the door. When he got her through the doorway, he balanced her clumsily as he closed the door. He didn’t bother to lock it. Tedi carried her down the stairs and out to the stables. He ordered the mounts readied and waited impatiently as the stable hands saddled the unicorns and led them out of the stables. He gently lifted Natia and placed her in the saddle. He mounted his own unicorn and told it where they were going. The two unicorns walked out to the street and headed towards the slums.
“I think the air might be good for me,” Natia said weakly.
“Being sick in a closed room is never pleasant,” agreed Tedi. “I am sure that the fresh air is good for you. If you think you need to stop, just say so.”
The unicorns moved swiftly through the streets of Valdo, but they adjusted their gait to keep Natia as comfortable as possible. Tedi watched his wife warily, fearing that she might fall to the dirty pavement. As closely as he watched Natia, he could not help noticing the change in the city around him. The landscape grew bleak, and the people grew dirtier and frailer. Just as he was beginning to have second thoughts on bringing Natia to the slums, he saw a gaily-painted building with carriages parked in the street in front of it.
“That must be it,” Tedi announced hopefully.
Natia opened her eyes and looked around. She saw the shop, but she also saw two men across the street from it. She stared at them with the nagging thought that she had seen them before, but there was no time for her foggy mind to dwell upon it. The unicorns halted and Tedi leaped to the ground. He lifted Natia from the saddle and carried her towards the shop. One of the men from across the street hurried to the door and opened it for Tedi. He followed them into the shop. Several people were leaving, and Tedi hurried through them in haste. That earned him a few glares from the elite of Valdo, but Tedi did not care. A man behind the counter saw Tedi heading towards him. He moved quickly to push a couch towards the counter and waved Tedi towards it.
“Put her here,” ordered the man. “What ails her?”
“We think that she has been poisoned,” answered Tedi as he placed Natia on the couch and knelt next to her, “but we are not sure. Are you the healer?”
“I am Kalmar.” The man nodded as he kneeled to examine the gypsy princess. “I am one of the healers. How long has she been vomiting?” he asked as his nose crinkled with distaste.
“This is her second day,” answered Tedi. “It started late last night.”
Kalmar placed his hands on her body and frowned puzzlingly. Natia closed her eyes and fell asleep. “What did she eat that day?”
“We went down to the waterfront to eat,” answered Tedi. “She had some fish.”
“And you did not?”
“I did not,” answered Tedi. “I grew up fishing, and I didn’t care for the look of what they were serving. I had meat.”
Kalmar nodded knowingly. He rose and walked behind the counter and returned with a bottle filled with a thick, green liquid.
“You think the fish was bad?” asked Tedi.
“You thought it looked bad,” smiled Kalmar. “Yes, I think she was poisoned by the fish. It is good that you brought her here. This poison could kill her.”
Tedi exhaled slowly and nodded. “Will that potion cure her?”
“It will,” answered Kalmar. “She will be well within minutes. The cost of the potion is three thousand in gold.”
“Three thousand?” balked Tedi.
“Is she not worth that much?” asked Kalmar.
Tedi bit his lip and shook his head. “No. It is an outrageous sum for a potion, but I will gladly pay it.”
“Charge him the local rate,” stated another voice.
Kalmar and Tedi both turned to look at the newcomer.
“Why, Zynor?” asked Kalmar. “You have never intervened in my business before.”
“They rode here on unicorns,” Zynor said softly. “Whoever they are, they are not the type of clientele for that price. Charge them fairly.”
Kalmar nodded and handed the potion to Tedi. “Wake her gently and have her drink half of the bottle. Give the potion a few minutes to settle and then have her drink the rest. I will be back in a few minutes to check on her.”
“How much for the potion?” Tedi asked as Kalmar rose to leave.
“Three gold? Three thousand gold? Or somewhere in between. You choose. I trust in the judgment of my friend, Zynor. I will be back.”
Both mages walked away, and Tedi gently woke the gypsy princess. He fed her half the contents of the potion, and her eyes grew wide.
“What is that stuff?” she asked.
“The healer said that the fish was bad,” answered Tedi. “This will cure you. Rest for a few minutes and then I will give you the rest.”
“I have seen these men before,” Natia whispered.
“What men? Kalmar?”
“Him and the two men across the street,” answered Natia. “One of them held the door for you.”
“That would be Zy
nor,” frowned Tedi. “He knew that we rode unicorns. How could he possibly know that? Where have you seen them before?”
“In Waxhaw,” replied Natia. “They were traveling with Fakir Aziz. Do you remember when Kalina left the group to go talk to him?”
“I remember,” said Tedi, “but I did not pay much attention to the other men. Is that how they knew the unicorns?”
“They ride unicorns, Tedi. Is it much of a stretch to think they might recognize them?”
“Then Fakir Aziz might be in the city,” Tedi suggested. “I would like to see him again. I would like to apologize for the way I treated him outside Giza.”
“There is no need to apologize.”
Tedi and Natia both looked up and stared into the face of the Mage.
“I was a stranger in your camp,” Fakir continued. “You treated me well for a stranger in Zara. You may have harbored some wary thoughts, but Zara is not typically a friendly place to be. How is the gypsy princess?”
“Feeling better,” smiled Natia.
Tedi handed the potion to Natia and rose to his feet. “Drink the rest, Natia.” He turned to face Fakir Aziz. “I am pleased that you hold no grudge for my behavior, but I still feel bad about it. Why didn’t you tell us who you are?”
“You had no need to know,” stated the Mage. “At the time, I thought our paths would remain separate and distinct.”
“And now you think otherwise?” asked Tedi.
“For a short time,” replied the Mage. “There is someone in the back room that I want you to meet.” When Tedi glanced at Natia with concern, Fakir continued. “There is no rush. Let the potion work on Natia and then come through the curtain when you are ready.”
Fakir Aziz did not wait for a reply. He turned and walked through the curtain. Natia emptied the bottle and Tedi took it from her hands. He placed it on the floor. Natia smiled and sat up.
“Whatever was in that bottle, it works like a miracle,” she said. “I feel fine now. What do you suppose Fakir Aziz wants with you?”
“I am curious,” admitted Tedi. “If you are well enough, I am anxious to find out what he has in store for us.”
Natia rose off the couch. Together the two Knights of Alcea walked to the curtain. Tedi parted the curtain for his wife, and Natia preceded him into the back room. There were a dozen beds in the room and each of them was occupied. Two women moved from one bed to another caring for the indigent patients. Fakir Aziz smiled as he crossed the room to meet the Knights of Alcea.
“This is the infirmary for the poor people of the slums,” explained Fakir Aziz as he pointed to a door in the wall to Tedi’s left. “There is another room through that door that is a kitchen and dining room where the poor are fed. Kalmar sells his potions to the wealthy at inflated prices. He uses the proceeds to buy food for the poor.”
Tedi’s eyes widened. “You have set up a rather impressive operation.”
“Not I,” smiled Fakir Aziz. “This is the work of true Zarans. Well, most of them are Zarans,” he added with a grin as he took Tedi’s arm and steered him towards one of the female healers.
The woman turned and Tedi was surprised to see that she was an elf.
“Tedi Markel,” introduced the Mage, “this is Eulena. Eulena, this young man is the person I was telling you about.”
“You are the one to free the elven children?” asked Eulena.
Tedi’s eyes widened in shock. His mouth opened, but nothing came out.
“They think they have secrets,” chuckled Fakir Aziz as he took Natia’s hand. “Natia and I will go for a walk so you two can discuss whatever you need to discuss.”
Eulena smiled at Tedi. “I have asked to be a part of the rescue. Having finally met you, I am glad that I insisted. The elven children will not follow you blindly.”
“I had thought of that already. I will have an elf speak to them before the rescue.”
Eulena nodded approvingly. “I can still be of service. I am a mage, and I want very much to be involved. They are my people.”
“I certainly will not refuse your help,” smiled Tedi. “In the very least, some of them might need healing when they reach their destination.”
“I am not going with the children to the Isle of Despair,” stated the elf. “I will help you with planning and with the execution of the rescue, but that is all. My future lies along another path. There will be competent healers on the island to care for the children.”
“You seem to know a great deal about our plans,” frowned Tedi. “Has Fakir Aziz explained this to you?”
“I am an elf,” Eulena answered before she realized that her words did not convey her meaning. “I mean that I live in Elfwoods. We all know the overall plan of the rescues.”
“You are from Elfwoods?” gasped Tedi. “I thought it was forbidden to leave.”
“It is,” replied Eulena. “The penalty is death, but some things are more important than life. My path is one of those.”
“And what exactly is your path?” questioned the Knight of Alcea.
“I do not know.”
“You mean that you would prefer not to divulge it,” Tedi said knowingly. “I understand.”
“I meant what I said,” insisted Eulena. “I only know that my future does not extend to the Isle of Despair. Tell me what you have planned so far, and I will try to determine how I can best help.”
Chapter 21
Full Circle
Morro stood on the limb of the tree and gazed down at the twenty-fourth Door. Like all the others, it was guarded by a squad of Federation soldiers. The soldiers were camped about a hundred paces away from the Door, and that got Morro to thinking.
“Why do they camp so far away from the Door?” he asked Sparky. “You would think they would want to be closer.”
“Maybe they are afraid of it,” suggested the fairy. “They must realize that it is magical in some way.”
“Perhaps,” Morro frowned, “but I do not think so. All twenty-four squads were the same distance away. That would indicate to me that their orders specify where they should camp. But why?”
“To give them time to react if someone comes through the Door?” posed the fairy.
“Now that makes sense.” The elf nodded. “I bet each squad has a designated runner to alert someone if the Door is opened.”
“You are planning to open one of the Doors?” asked Sparky.
“No,” balked Morro. “I have no reason to do that. Besides, I don’t have any idea where they go.”
“This one goes to Mya,” stated the fairy. “Should I check the number on it?”
“Yes,” answered the elven thief, “but be careful.”
“As if I haven’t been careful checking the other Doors?” quipped the fairy.
Morro smiled and shook his head as the fairy dived for the forest floor. The elf watched the fairy head towards the Door, but the little man was so tiny that Morro lost sight of him long before the fairy reached the Door. The elf shifted his gaze to the soldiers. He watched them to see if they were alerted to anything. After a while, Morro became concerned. The fairy had not returned, and the Door was not that far away. He took his eyes off the soldiers and stared at the Door, but he could not detect the little green man. The minutes dragged by, and Morro began to get nervous. He removed the hourglass from his pouch and moved his finger towards the trigger. He was just about to trigger the device and go looking for the fairy when Sparky landed on his shoulder.
“You were gone a very long time,” scowled the elf. “I was just about to go looking for you.”
“That is not a very nice tone for a partner and fellow spy,” pouted Sparky. “I should not tell you what I found.”
“Let me guess,” chided the elf. “It’s Door number twenty-four.”
“Yes, it is,” the fairy answered with a superior air. “It is also Door twenty-five, and twenty-six, and twenty-seven…”
“What?” Morro asked in confusion. “How can it have so many numbers?”
“Why are they here?” asked Morro.
“I don’t know,” answered the fairy. “Should I go and ask the soldiers?”
Morro fell silent as he wondered why the Doors were just sitting there.
“Perhaps they had all the Doors on a wagon,” suggested the fairy. “When they finished setting up Door twenty-four, they just piled the rest on the ground in case they needed them. They are sitting on a line of posts similar to the ones that hold the Doors upright.”
Morro nodded at the fairy’s explanation. “I guess it is as good a place as any to keep them. They are far enough away from the tunnel entrance that they wouldn’t be damaged if the valley was attacked, and if they needed them in Alcea, they could just send them through Door twenty-four. Let me note their location on my map.”
“The secret door to Tarashin is not far away from here,” stated the fairy. “Have you thought about how we are going to get through it? There is no mechanism for opening it on this side.”
“I have thought about it,” answered the elven thief. “You will have to crawl through their viewing hole and get someone to open it from the inside.”
“I can do that. Shall we go?”
“Not just yet,” Morro replied as if his mind was elsewhere.
“What is left to do? We have mapped the entire valley.”
“I want to see that pile of Doors,” Morro declared.
“You will be seen,” warned the fairy.
“I don’t think so,” grinned the elf as he held out the hourglass.
“Have you ever stopped to think that the hourglass might only have so many uses?”
Deep furrows creased the elf’s brow, and he stared at the hourglass for a moment. “I had not thought about that, but it is something to keep in mind. Nevertheless, I need to see those Doors.”
Morro moved around the tree so that it blocked him from the field. He climbed down to the forest floor and triggered the device. He was just about to run into the field, when he noticed Sparky hanging in the air in front of him. He reached out and gently grabbed the fairy and slid him into his pocket. The elf moved without caution as he ran into the field and turned to see the Doors. As the fairy had described, the twelve Doors were in a single pile sitting on top of twelve long posts that were assembled like a raft. He quickly looked at the numbers, not to check what the fairy had told him, but rather to see the order they were piled in. The lowest number was on top, which lent credence to Sparky’s theory.