by Colt, K. J.
‘Do you have time to talk?’ I asked her, hating how my mood seemed to change the feel of Emala’s warm, happy house.
‘Umm, sure. Come upstairs.’
I reached out and, finding her arm, I linked mine in hers.
We walked up the stairs and down a short hallway, and then she guided me to the right. Coals popped and crackled, and the room smelled of wet charcoal and apple blossoms.
‘Sit here,’ she said, guiding me to her bed. ‘What’s wrong? Something is bothering you.’
I leaned my walking stick against the bed. My head began to ache. I felt heavy.
‘Oh, Adenine.’ She slipped her arm around my shoulders.
I resisted the urge to shrink away from her touch. I hated pity. ‘Emala, can you tell me about healers?’
‘Healers? You mean like the Meligna healers?’
I nodded.
‘That’s a weird request. What’s happened?’
‘Everything.’ I shuffled back on the bed, getting away from Emala’s hug, and leaned against the cold stone of her bedroom wall. ‘How do healers heal?’
‘We shouldn’t talk about that. It’s grownup talk.’
‘Please. I’m being serious. I need to know.’
‘Well…’ She lowered her voice to a whisper. ‘They lay with men.’
‘Lay with men. Is that like sleeping?’
She snickered.
‘Don’t laugh at me.’
‘Sorry, it’s just… everyone knows what “laying together” means.’
‘I don’t,’ I said, feeling stupid and idiotic. Mother had kept that from me, too.
‘Well, a man and a woman make babies by laying together, copulating. It’s when the man puts his…’ She leaned over and whispered the rest in my ear.
My mouth hung open. No wonder Uncle Garrad had been forced to attack me; I would never have given him, or anyone, permission to do something like that to me.
‘You’re really interested in this, aren’t you?’ she said. ‘Has it got something to do with Healer Euka?’
‘You know her?’ I asked, surprised.
‘Of course I do.’
‘She’s trying to capture me or something,’ I stated.
‘What do you mean? Why would she want to do that?’
‘Emala, I’m a healer.’
She gasped. ‘What?’ I heard her stand up, and she gripped my arm and shook it. ‘No, you’re not. Why are you saying that?’
‘Because it’s true. I have golden eyes. And my hair is starting to turn a golden colour, too.’
‘Take off your bonnet,’ Emala said. ‘I want to see.’
I shook my head. ‘It’s too difficult to get it back on again, and besides, Mother’s been staining it so you can’t see.’
‘Your mother is here?’
I didn’t reply.
‘Well, how do you know if you have gold eyes? You’re blind.’
Emala was right. I hadn’t seen my eyes before, but I trusted what Klawdia had told me, and it was the missing piece in a complicated puzzle. ‘I’ve only been blind for three years.’
She took a moment to think. ‘Wait. Father was asking me about you. ’
‘About?’
‘He asked me if I knew how you became blind, but this was a week ago. I swear, that first time I brought it up, I didn’t realise.’
I stiffened. ‘Promise?’ Why should I trust her when everyone else had been lying?
‘I promise! Honestly, I had no idea. Adenine… about seven months ago, Father… well, Healer Euka gave him a hundred gold. They mentioned a blind girl, and she came here the other night as well, talking about the girl’s birthday.’
‘Why didn’t you tell me? How many blind girls do you know of, Emala?’ I’d raised my voice.
‘I-I’m sorry.’
‘My birthday is in two weeks.’
‘Healer girls go to live in Meligna when they turn fourteen… and you were never on the register because… you’ve been hiding it.’ Emala was putting the pieces together.
Emala was silent for a moment. ‘What are you going to do?’
‘Leave town.’
‘To Phrest?’
As Emala was the mayor’s daughter, I thought it best not to tell her where I was going. I nodded, agreeing with her to throw her off my track. If her father thought I was in Phrest, then he’d leave Mother and everyone else alone.
Emala hugged me tightly. ‘You must go. Father will be home soon.’
Was she ashamed of me? Did she want to avoid getting into trouble, or was she a real friend and trying to protect me? ‘Wait.’ I lifted my blindfold.
She put a hand on my shoulder. Her breath came steady, in and out through her nose. Then it quickened. ‘Your eyes. B-but… I…’ she stuttered.
I could tell that she thought my eyes were hideous.
‘Oh, Adenine, someone’s sewn your lids shut. Was that to hide the colour?’
I nodded.
‘That’s horrible.’ She placed her hands on the tops of my arms. ‘I believe you. Did your mother in Phrest do that?’
‘Yes.’ My eyes began to sting with the threat of tears. ‘I’m having the thread removed.’
‘You mean taken out? Will you be able to see?’
‘I think so. I hope so.’
She gasped. ‘That will be wonderful! Imagine being able to see again. I bet you’re relieved that your sight can be cured.’
Voices drifted up from downstairs.
Emala inhaled sharply. ‘Father’s… He’s here.’
‘Stay calm,’ I said.
Before long, there were footsteps on the stairs. Emala pushed past me and went out into the hallway.
‘Good evening, Father,’ she said in her sweetest voice.
‘Evening, Emala. Adenine.’ He said my name as if he were suppressing a curse. He cleared his throat. ‘What brings you to our home?’
‘We have homework together,’ Emala piped in.
‘I see.’ Mayor Vawdon took a step forward. ‘I think it’s time you went home, Adenine.’
I shuffled around Emala and her father, pressing my hands against the wall to find my way. I could feel him watching me. Fingers brushed my hair, and a small breeze tickled the hairs on my neck.
‘Father, don’t!’ Emala said.
I moved faster, and when the wall gave out, I found the stair rail. I’d forgotten my walking stick. Emala can keep it, I decided.
‘That was a quick visit, Adenine,’ Mrs. Vawdon said as she strode across the room to take my arm. ‘Would you and Jemely like some cherry pie? We don’t get many young guests.’
‘No, thanks, Mrs. Vawdon. Goodnight.’
Jemely put her hands on my shoulders and guided me out into the night air. It was a relief to be outside. The open space made me feel safe again.
‘Adenine…’ Jemely started.
‘Take me home.’
‘What happened?’
‘He knows.’
‘Who? The mayor?’
‘Yes.’ Tiny pricks of cold touched my skin. I raised my face to the night sky, allowing the snowflakes to land on my cheeks and lips. The first snow of winter.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
MYSTORIA WAS AS QUIET AS the lifeless hours before dawn. Upstairs, there was muffled movement and the light murmur of voices. One was Mother’s, and the other belonged to Varago.
‘That horrible mayor knows,’ Jemely said to Mother as soon as we reached the living room.
‘Jemely!’ I scolded her. ‘Couldn’t keep it in, could you?’
‘Nope. And why should I?’
Mother said, ‘Knows what? Did you tell him you’re a healer?’
‘No, he tried to take off my blindfold. Healer Euka saw the stitching in my eyes and sniffed my hair. She knows about the dye. She probably told him.’
Mother said. ‘I warned you not to go out on your own. See what’s happened now?’
‘So what do we do?’ Varago asked.
‘There’s
nothing we can do,’ Klawdia said. I hadn’t known she was there. ‘While Adenine is under my protection, Healer Euka won’t act illegally. And Mayor Vawdon works for King Erageo. He’ll simply try to get Capacia, being her immediate guardian, to sign the healer register.’
‘No,’ Mother said. ‘I’ll not sign that thing, and neither will Adenine. I’ll not give my permission to have her taken to Juxon City or to Meligna or anywhere.’
‘The register will prevent the Queens from selling her as a slave,’ Klawdia said. ‘And she’ll be allowed to return when she’s eighteen.’
Mother made a scoffing noise. ‘They never return.’
‘When Adenine is being transported to Meligna, we could have a band of heavies attack the soldiers and steal her away,’ Klawdia said.
‘That’s an idea,’ Varago said.
‘And then what?’’ Jemely said. ‘It’s winter, where will she live?’
‘No,’ Mother said. ‘We could flee now but we’ll always be on the run. There has to be another way. Suppose the heavies failed in their task. You know what happens in Meligna, Klawdia.’
‘What does happen in Meligna?’ I asked.
There was a sudden silence in the room, and I knew I wouldn’t like the answer.
‘By your fifteenth birthday, you’ll be healing men,’ Klawdia answered.
‘Appalling,’ Varago said, sniffing.
‘You mean laying with them?’
Mother sighed. ‘I guess Emala told you. Now can you see why I’ve done so much to protect you?’
‘I do not think Adenine would deal well with what the healer girls must do in Meligna,’ Klawdia said. ‘Given her… past, that is.’
I knew Klawdia meant given that Uncle Garrad had so obviously tried to force me to lay with him. Thanks to Emala, I understood why he had held me down and bruised my legs. But I’d been so young, and even though he’d caused me a lot of pain, he could have done even more damage had he succeeded. He’d left other scars, though, invisible ones that made me wary of adult men.
‘It’s what Uncle Garrad tried to do, isn’t it?’ I said through clenched teeth. It was difficult to speak about it out loud.
And then Mother’s arms were around me. ‘And he was wrong to do so. You know that, don’t you?’ Her hands stroked my hair against the sides of my face.
I nodded. I suddenly felt very heavy, and my shoulders drooped.
‘She tires,’ Varago said.
‘Yes,’ Mother agreed. ‘We all need sleep.’
But I had more to say. ‘Emala told me that Healer Euka bribed Mayor Vawdon with a hundred gold.’
Klawdia gasped. ‘It’s already done.’
‘He’s already sold her!’ Mother said angrily. ‘Fiend. He’s supposed to protect our town and the people in it. How could he accept such dirty money?’
‘Most mayors have debts,’ Klawdia replied, but her tone was grave. ‘It matters not. Whether by register or by underhanded ploys, Adenine is destined for Meligna.’
A hand landed on my shoulder, and I knew it was Klawdia’s. It was her way of comforting me.
‘I don’t want to sleep,’ I said. ‘Varago, I need you to fix my eyes. If we flee, I’ll need my eyesight.’
‘Adenine—’ he began.
I stomped my foot. ‘No. No more arguments. If I can see, I can hide, and be able to know who’s near me. And if I have to run for any reason, I’ll have more chance of getting away. Please. I need to be able to see if I’m to stand a chance against Healer Euka and Mayor Vawdon.’
Mother whimpered. ‘Varago, just do it. And Klawdia, maybe we all don’t have to go. You can hide her in the mountains, can’t you?’
Mother’s plan made sense.
‘Wait,’ Klawdia said. ‘There’s something… strange. There were four months when I was absent, and the mayor had already taken the money—why didn’t he just seize the girl and arrest you? The mayor might not be Healer Euka’s ally.’
‘Healer Euka attacked me,’ I said, ‘but only to look at my eyes. She’s been talking about Meligna like I had a choice in whether I wanted to go there or not.’
‘If Adenine has a choice, then why bribe the mayor with gold?’ Varago mused.
There was silence in the room. ‘It might only be that they need more proof. Hair stain and sewn eyes are not proof of anything,’ Klawdia said. ‘Varago could come up with an illness that requires her eyes to be kept closed, and the colouring is well blended and convincing.’
‘Women of certain ages know these tricks,’ Mother said, gloating.
Varago and Klawdia chuckled.
‘Perhaps you could send word to the king, Klawdia, and get his permission to hide Adenine.’ Mother asked. ‘Surely he hasn’t told the Queens about every healer girl in the lands.’
‘I don’t know. We haven’t spoken for many years. What we can be certain of is that Borrelia is no longer safe for Adenine.’
‘Can you really survive out there in the cold? You’ll need shelter in the blizzards,’ Jemely said.
‘Adenine’s body is resistant to sickness, and I am sturdy. We may survive a week or two in a cave or covered space.’
‘What about heading south?’ Mother said.
‘That will increase our chances of being noticed,’ Klawdia replied. ‘Mayor Vawdon might not be Healer Euka’s ally, but that does not ensure he will help us. This is not the only thing that concerns me. Even if we are not caught, if Adenine suddenly disappears, then Varago, Capacia, and Jemely, all of you are in danger.’
‘If it comes to that, we’ll find a way to carry on,’ Varago said.
‘Then that settles it. Varago, please, my eyes,’ I reminded him.
He sighed. ‘Give me a half hour to return with my doctor’s bag.’ And he left.
‘Adenine, what happened at the mayor’s house?’ Klawdia asked.
I slumped to the floor, crossed my legs, and rubbed my hands through my hair. I removed my blindfold. I was sick of wearing it, so I threw it to the side. ‘I told Emala I’m a healer. She was surprised, and offered her help.’
‘Foolish,’ Mother said. ‘Emala will tell her father.’
‘Not everyone is as bad as you think they are,’ I said to Mother. ‘Emala would never do that; she’s my friend.’
‘Capacia is right. It was a stupid risk to take,’ Klawdia said to me.
‘They’re going to get her. I know it,’ Mother said sadly. ‘If I sign the register, Adenine will go to Meligna; if I don’t sign it, she won’t be under the king’s protection. Either way, I can’t win.’
I sighed and faced one of the only options I had left. ‘We could hide at Garrad’s hill shack and you can say I’ve gone back to Phrest to live with my real mother or grandmother. Emala doesn’t know I’m your daughter.’
While living at the hill shack was better than becoming a healer, the idea of living in my uncle’s home still made me uneasy. To be close to the man who had betrayed me hurt more than words could express. It would be a nightmare.
‘No. The mayor knows Garrad is your father. He would look there first,’ Klawdia said.
‘What if we sell the property?’
‘Selling the shack might help,’ Mother said. ‘I could say I paid someone to take you far away, and the money from the sale would help. There’ll be no occupant through winter, and you could hide there.’
‘It’s worth a try,’ Klawdia said.
‘I’ll organise the sale. Whatever keeps you near me.’ Mother placed a hand on my leg.
My heart warmed. She wanted me in her life. It was a simple wish from a loving mother. I wanted to trust her again so we could be close, and that seemed possible as long as she didn’t keep any more secrets from me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
‘ADENINE?’ VARAGO SHOOK MY SHOULDER.
I adjusted my head to hear him better.
‘Adenine, wake up.’
‘I am.’
‘It’s done,’ he said.
I tried to wade through the
grogginess in my head. I smelled Varago’s sleeping concoction. It’s done. I replayed Varago’s words in my mind, trying to figure out what he was talking about. It’s done. The thread is gone! I sat up in my bed. The movement brought a wave of sickness to my stomach.
‘Amazing. You’ve got an impressive recovery rate and an iron stomach that would shame the toughest of men. Be slow with your movements, though.’
I lifted my hands to my face.
Varago grasped my hands and pulled them down to my lap. ‘Not yet. Your wounds are still fresh and susceptible to infection.’
The insides of my eyelids glowed red, letting me know he’d moved a lantern close.
‘Astounding!’ he exclaimed.
‘What?’
‘Initially, when I pulled out the thread, there were holes. It’s hardly been… what, a quarter of an hour? And yet they’re completely healed.’ He tilted my head to examine me from all sides. Then, he took the lantern and moved away. ‘I remember all those months ago when your mother was stuck in her bed. You cut your foot badly then. Let’s see if there’s a scar now.’
He ripped back my bedclothes. I jerked upright and crawled to the opposite side of the bed. Images of my uncle pushing me onto my back in the tub flashed in my mind.
‘Don’t be scared. I’ve no intention of harm. You know me now, right? I’ll not hurt you.’ He grasped my ankle. I tried not to kick or flinch. He twisted it about in his wrinkled hands. ‘See? No scratch there, either. You’re a rare one to carry no signs of broken skin. Well, perhaps this means your eyes will already be working too, eh? Wouldn’t that be a miracle? I expect it’ll be several days for them to work properly, if indeed they work at all.’
‘Can I touch them now?’
‘Yes. With no wounds, there should be nothing to fear.’
My eyelids were smooth and framed by long lashes that tickled my fingers as I traced the grooves where the top and bottom lids met. There was resistance as I tried to part them. I took a deep breath and put even more pressure on the crease. I felt a small rip of skin, and light flooded my eyes. I breathed sharply at the sensation that was more discomfort than pain. I saw a yellow light. It wasn’t red or black or maroon. My eyes ached a little, so I closed them again.
