Adept

by J. P. Larson

  "So your objections are because you do not care for your mother-in-law's attitude?"

  "Yes."

  "Is she a poor midwife?"

  The woman didn't want to answer, but the truth spell took over, and she spat out, "No."

  "Is she a good midwife?"

  Again, she didn't want to answer. "Yes."

  "I bet that stuck in your craw!" Hasteen said.

  Eva shook her head. "You know, I'd toss a truth spell back there for you, but you don't seem to need one."

  That earned her some laughter.

  "Ms. Quicknight," Eva said. "Don't you care about the health of your child and grandchild? And don't you think your daughter's grandmother should be a part of her great-grandchild's life? I understand she is somewhat colorful, but from Adept Kia's reactions so far, I suspect she is a very, very good midwife."

  There were enough questions that the woman didn't know what to say, and the truth spell didn't force anything.

  "Hasteen," Eva said. "Are you hale?"

  "Of course I'm hale," she said.

  "Do you mind moving up here where we can see you more readily? Someone put a chair in place for her, right here in the middle."

  The mayor gave up his own seat to the old woman. She moved well and patted his cheek. "You're a good boy," she told him. She sat down. Then, as Drent wasn't using it, Nickor took his son's chair. Hasteen looked down at Drent. "I suppose I couldn't learn how to do that." She pointed to the boy.

  "I'm sorry," I said. "I'd teach it to you if I could. It took me years and years to learn."

  "All right," said Eva. "Gwenda, do you have objections to your grandmother serving as your midwife?"

  "Grandma Hasteen?" the girl asked. "No. Grandma Wrena though, no, I wouldn't want her as my midwife."

  "Hasteen, do you take this responsibility?"

  "Of course I do."

  "Well then, whether or not we accept the mayor's offer, I proclaim that Hasteen shall serve as midwife for this child." She turned to the mother. "Your mother-in-law's word is law when it comes to the birth of this child. Do I make myself clear?"

  The woman glared, but finally said, "Yes."

  "Hasteen, perhaps household harmony is better for the expecting mother and her baby. I believe you know what I am saying."

  "I'll confine my busybody opinions to the baby," Hasteen said.

  "And I will pay Hasteen for her services," said the mayor. "My other conditions are this. I understand their reluctance regarding my son. I have hopes he will learn some maturity. However, I am going to be a grandfather, and I insist on being known as the girl's grandfather and involved in her life like any other grandfather would be involved." He looked across the aisle. "Please."

  No one said anything.

  "Were there other conditions?" Eva asked.

  "There are details on what I just said," the mayor said. "The other condition is simple. If she should show special aptitude, such as in music, then I would want her to receive the best education she can."

  I reached out and touched Eva's arm. She leaned over and whispered, "I already know what you would say." And I nodded. I wouldn't want the girl to be forced to accept an education she didn't want.

  "Mr. Mayor, are you suggesting you would send the girl to a faraway school, even if she doesn't wish to go?"

  "No, but I would want it to be her decision, and Gwenda's. I would not want undue influence from sources any more removed than that."

  Eva looked back and forth. "That's it? Those are the conditions?"

  "I would want the girl to visit me. I would invite her and her mother to travel with me from time to time. Nysteria, Roland and I do not get along. We could tolerate each other for family dinners, but not an extended trip, and they would not be invited."

  "Very good," Eva said. "Gwenda, the mayor has made a generous offer. Do you understand it?"

  "Yes," she said. "I already told him yes, but Mama said 'no'."

  "Please review your understanding of his offer."

  "He'll help pay for my little girl's needs. He wants to be her grandfather. He wants Grandma Hasteen as midwife. He wants what is best for my little girl. He's a good man and has always been kind to me. I don't know why Mama would say 'no'."

  "It is not your mother's decision, Gwenda. It is yours. And mine."

  "Then I say 'yes'. He'll be a good grandfather. And I want Grandma's help."

  The mayor began beaming. Hasteen looked particularly pleased as well.

  "Well then," Eva said. "It seems we have reached an agreement. Are all parties satisfied?"

  "I am," said the mayor.

  "I am," said Gwenda. She began to smile. "I'm going to be a mama!"

  "Very good," said Eva. "I will have a written decree by the time we leave in the morning. There will be copies for both parties as well as a copied filed in Nalori." She paused. "Mr. Mayor, I am granting you rights and responsibilities as the child's grandfather. I am not granting any rights or responsibilities to your son. If at some time he expresses a desire to be involved in the child's life, it will be Gwenda's decision whether to include him or not. And if I get a letter from her telling me she is being pressured in that direction, I will not be pleased."

  "Of course, Magus Eva."

  "Furthermore," she said, "life is uncertain. This agreement will precede other claims against your estate, should you expire before the child turns twenty-one."

  "Thank you, Magus Eva," he said. "I will add the child to my will, but it is good to know her care will be enforced by the crown, if necessary."

  I decided I really liked the mayor.

  "Gwenda, did you understand that?"

  "If Nickor dies and Drent is a rude, selfish jerk and tries to deny my little baby her money, the queen will yell at him?"

  Eva laughed. "She'll probably send me to yell at him, but yes. However, she won't know about it if you don't bring it to her attention. Do you understand?"

  "Yes, Magus Eva. Thank you."

  "You are welcome," she said. "Now, do you mind if I attend your examination?"

  The girl laughed. "No."

  We began to file from the room, but from behind us, Nickor asked, "What about Drent?"

  Eva sighed. "How long will that last, Adept Kia?"

  "A day or two, probably," I said. "He seemed uncannily susceptible."

  Eva sighed dramatically. "You probably should let him up."

  "I think I want Lunia and Loralai nearby if I do."

  "Good idea," she replied.

  * * * *

  As a fairly large group we retired to my tent. I invited in Gwenda, Hasteen and Eva. I then asked Gwenda if she wanted anyone else.

  "Are you going to make me take my clothes off?"

  "For a bit."

  "Then just this," she said. "Mama will fight with Grandma."

  I had her undress and climb up on the table. Hasteen and I both did our own examinations. We turned to each other.

  "She's perfectly fit," Hasteen said.

  "That is my assessment as well. The baby is also doing well." We told Gwenda to get dressed, then she invited the future grandparents in as well.

  "She needs a proper diet," Hasteen said. "Gwenda, you will eat your vegetables!"

  "Yes, Grandma," she replied with a grin.

  Hasteen turned to her daughter-in-law. "You are a good cook, Nysteria. See to it she gets a variety of healthy foods. And do not baby her too much for now. Exercise is good for her. But no heavy lifting."

  I thought Nysteria was surprised to receive a compliment from her mother-in-law. She inclined her head, and that was that.

  Then Hasteen turned to me. "I have someone else for you to visit, but I need my nap. When you are done with your other patients, but no sooner than an hour from now, come find me. Anyone in town can point out my house."

  "Is there anyone waiting outside I should know anything about?" I asked her.

  She poked her nose out and turned back. "That crab Yulla has no end of complaints, all of
them in her head. She'll eat your entire afternoon if you let her."

  I smiled. "I've encountered that a time or two."

  * * * *

  I talked to Eva and the swordswomen that night. "They should have been able to resolve that. The mayor's offer was generous." I sighed. "I can't imagine how my life would have been different if Daddy and Grandmama hadn't gotten along." Grandmama was Mama's mother, Daddy's mother-in-law. "Daddy has always treated her with a great deal of respect, and she's very fond of him."

  "I was told to expect this a certain amount. Most of the cases that come to us aren't going to be so easy, but some of them just require an outside individual to knock some reasonableness back into people."

  After Glenwood, we continued to work our way east, traveling along a zigzag fashion, remaining within about a hundred miles of the southern border.

  I hadn't been happier in some time. By day, I was helping people who needed my help. I was surrounded by my three closest friends. And at night, I slept in Eva's arms.

  There was a little remaining tension between all of us. It came out in unusual ways such the three of them sharing a memory from the two years I had been gone. For some reason, even though it had been my fault, it bothered me every time it happened. They didn't always notice my reaction, but when they did, it tended to lead to uncomfortable silences afterwards. That only made me feel worse.

  I was also jealous of Eva. She and Lunia had always gotten along well, but there had never been any doubt that Lunia was my swordswoman. But they had clearly grown closer while I'd been gone, and they shared a level of comfort together that hadn't existed before. It came out in little ways, almost subtle ways, but Eva treated Lunia almost exactly the same way she treated Loralai.

  I didn't like it.

  And the fact that it bothered me made me angry with myself. I'd left; they hadn't left me. I should have been happy the three had grown closer.

  But it did bother me, and I felt like an outsider.

  To add to it, Eva was more than willing to continue to team up against me in various "Tease Kia" games. That wasn't any different than when it was Eva with Lenda and Astari, but back then, at least Lunia had stood by me. Now it was the three of them against me.

  Oh, it wasn't mean. Eva could never be mean. It was all in fun, and most of the time, that's how I took it. After all, I loved all of them, and I knew they loved me.

  But when the teasing cut a little too close, or when the tickling went on just a little too long, or when I never, ever was able to tickle Eva for more than a second or two, it bothered me.

  And it shouldn't have. I actually enjoyed the teasing, and I gave as well as I got. And I enjoyed the tickle fights, even when I lost.

  I knew that all of them would instantly be on my side if I needed them. I even knew if I needed Lunia on my side against Eva, she would be.

  And so I didn't mind the teasing, and I didn't mind the tickling. But I hated feeling like it was always me against everyone else.

  I turned a little crabby. They let me get away with it for two days before Eva called me on it. At least she did it privately, pulling me away for a little walk through a meadow beside the road.

  "I'm sorry."

  "What's going on, Kia?"

  "I'm a stupid girl. I'll try to stop."

  "You're not stupid," she said. "Please tell me."

  "No, in this case, I'm being stupid, and I don't even know how to explain without sounding even more immature."

  She frowned. "Kia, whatever is wrong is going to start affecting our duties. And it's going to affect our relationship. We have to talk about it."

  I looked away then bent down. The ground was dry, so I sat down, pulling Eva down next to me.

  "You understand, I think I'm being stupid."

  "I understand."

  "You understand, I ask you to tickle me."

  She smiled. "Yes, sometimes."

  "You understand I like being teased, at least when it's you."

  "I like when you tease me, too." She eyed me up and down.

  "I didn't mean that way," I said.

  "I'm sorry," she said. "This is a serious conversation."

  "And I know I'm the one who left."

  "Kia?"

  "And I'm glad all of you became better friends while I was gone."

  "Oh Kia," she said. She tried to pull me into her arms, but I held her off. I turned away, looking out over the meadow.

  "Back at school, for the longest time, it was always you, Lenda and Astari teaming up against me. And I never had anyone on my side."

  "Kia-"

  I looked at her. "Do you want to hear all of it or not?"

  She put her hand over her mouth and nodded.

  "I know you're all on my side for everything important. But first it was the three of you. And then you also beat me all the time on Sevenday. The magi always put us on opposite teams. We're always on opposite teams. Before, at least Lunia was on my side, but now she's on your side, too, and there's no one on my side again."

  "Kia-"

  "Shut up, Eva!" I said. "Let me finish." I sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm being a bitch."

  "No," she said. "I shouldn't interrupt."

  "I don't want you to stop. I don't want you to change anything. You aren't doing a single thing wrong. I just don't want to feel like we're always on opposite teams. And I really, really don't like feeling like Lunia's not on my side. But it's stupid, because I know we're all on the same team."

  I looked away. "I don't know what to do. I don't want you to stop. So what do I do, Eva?"

  That was when I let her pull me into her arms.

  "I told you I was being stupid. It's not even that there's too much teasing, or I want it to be two on two, or that I want you and me to team up against the swordswomen. I don't know what I want."

  "This is left over from years of never being on the same team on Sevenday," she said. "And yes, Loralai and Lunia and I became very tight friends while you were gone. But we're not excluding you. It's the four of us together."

  "I know that," I said.

  "I haven't taken Lunia from you, honey."

  "I know. I told you, I'm being stupid."

  "You're not being stupid," she said. She paused. "You and I like the intellectual exercise from teasing, and I think part of the reason we like Loralai and Lunia is because they're smart enough to keep up with us."

  I hadn't thought about that. "Yeah," I agreed. "Eva, winning is more important to you than it is to me."

  "You know, I think I was in love with you years before I realized it. I think I started to fall in love with you that first Sevenday."

  "You did?"

  "I think so. I remember really, really, really enjoying it when we took you prisoner. You were good about it, but you hated it, didn't you?"

  "No. I didn't hate that part. I hated that the three of you were friends, and I was just the spare roommate."

  "Oh Kia, you were never the spare roommate. Is that how you feel now?"

  I nodded my head. "It's stupid. I know all of you love me, and I love all of you."

  "Did you want Lunia and Loralai to help you for a while?"

  "No. It's not about beating you, Eva. It's about feeling like we're in everything together. But it wouldn't matter how many people were here, we'd tease each other. We wouldn't gang up on anyone else. I don't want to gang up against anyone."

  "Is that what it is to you? Ganging up?"

  I leaned my head against the front of her shoulder. "Not in the way that means you should stop." I sighed. "You had Lenda and Astari and I didn't have anyone. And now you have Loralai and Lunia, and I still don't have anyone."

  "But that's not true."

  "I know. That's why I'm being stupid."

  "I don't think you're being stupid. Well, maybe a little stupid, but I know I would never put up with getting teamed up against the way you do." She sighed. "I should stop."

  "No!" I said. "I don't want you to stop, Eva. I don't know what I wan
t, but I don't want you to stop. I think I just need to be reminded all four of us are on the same team more often."

  "So when we get back to Northmere, we should tickle Quartain?"

  I laughed. "Yes. Oh, she'd be mad."

  "Maybe we've had better ideas," Eva agreed. She lifted my chin and kissed me gently. It felt really nice, and I felt even more stupid to doubt her.

  "Don't stop," I told her. "Just, I don't know. Help me."

  She smiled. "I will. It's going to be subtle. You don't need much."

  I felt better. They didn't stop. If anything, it stepped up. But somehow it stopped bothering me, as long as it was only the three of them.

  It took me a long time before I realized a few things. If anyone else even tried to tease me, all three of them were instantly on my side. In that way, they were like my brothers had been. But I also realized something else. All three of them began giving me just a tiny bit more physical affection. Loralai might put her arm around my shoulder or Lunia might help me to my feet. Eva stepped up the little touches, especially the pats on my bottom, which I loved from her.

  And even Lunia and Loralai did it sometimes, which amused me to no end. They made a point of doing it in front of Eva, and she growled every time they did it.

  But I think she privately told them to do it. I have never asked.

  Like she always did, Eva solved the problem, and we all grew closer for it.

  I loved her so much. I loved all of them so much.

  * * * *

  Two weeks east of Glenwood, we had something startling happen. We encountered bandits.

  We were following a narrow road through a small forest, and we encountered a fallen tree across the road. Hey it happens. Trees fall down, and a certain percentage of them fall across roads. We didn't encounter it often during our travels, but when we did, it was our responsibility to do something about it. That meant Loralai and Lunia had to do something about it. The tree was far too big for Eva to move with her magic.

  But before we could even climb from our horses, there was a rustling from the underbrush around us, and a voice called out, "Hands in the air! This is a robbery!"

  The four of us exchanged looks and began laughing.

  "What are you laughing about? This is a robbery! Hands in the air."