Emerald's Fracture

by Kate Kennelly

  A few minutes later, plied with a chunk of hearty bread and a glass of ale, Natalie told her friends what had transpired at the Abbey.

  Anli was the first to speak. “We need to leave Ismereld.”

  Onlo nodded. “Let us go to Obfuselt for a bit. We need our intelligence network. And,” he said, nodding at Natalie, “we need to keep you as far from Aldworth as possible.”

  She pounded her fist on the table. “We need to get Jules away from him now.”

  “Shh,” everyone chided her.

  “You would have the two of us ride in with no knowledge and try to get him?” Anli hissed. “That would be suicide. Think, woman. We need intelligence, numbers and time to plan.”

  “I would go with you,” Natalie protested.

  Anli scoffed and Onlo put a hand on his partner’s arm. “Admirable as your sentiments are, you know nothing of defending yourself or others in a fight. And we will need to fight to get Jules back.”

  “So I have to stay behind while you all go find him?”

  “Yes.”

  Natalie glared at a droplet of ale on the scarred, wooden table.

  “But first we must plan and strike out from a place of strength. We leave for Obfuselt in the morning,” Onlo said. “Come, let’s get some sleep. You should know that a mutual female friend is with us.”

  The princess.

  “And your stinking dog,” Anli added.

  Natalie stood so fast she spilled her ale. “Jake?”

  “Hey,” Anli grouched, grabbing a napkin to clean up what ale had landed on her.

  “I thought he was dead.” She hugged the prickly Obfuseltan woman, who protested and pushed Natalie away. “Where is he?”

  Onlo chuckled. “Follow me.”

  Natalie nearly tripped Onlo five times following him up the taproom stairs. She rocked from foot to foot while he unlocked the door. When it swung open, she was greeted by a flying ball of fur to the face, and she fell to the ground laughing and crying all at once as Jake covered her with kisses.

  “Aw, Jake buddy, are you all right? Are you hurt?” She did a quick Naming on him, and other than his normal arthritis and a few scratches, he was fine.

  “That is a good dog,” Onlo observed in his warm, dark voice. “He tracked us to the safe house and we knew something must have happened. Then he helped us find you along the road to the Abbey.”

  Natalie scratched behind his ears. “What a good boy,” Jake’s tail thumped on the inn floor until he flopped over on his belly so Natalie could scratch it.

  “Hello again.” A young woman with silver-white hair and striking silver eyes stood and approached Natalie.

  “Hello, Princess.”

  The Princess smiled. “It is good to see you again. I am glad you are well.”

  Em and Anli entered the room. Onlo said, “Let us get what sleep we can. We make for the coast in the morning.”

  Two days later, Natalie heaved the contents of her stomach over the side of the boat. Again. She collapsed on the deck and tried to take a sip of water. Jake pressed his nose against her and she patted him weakly. Her herb satchel lost and Em’s stocked with herbs to help women’s maladies, Natalie was left to wait the sickness out. Why was it that no one else seemed bothered by the motion of the sea?

  The boat crew moved around her, hard at work. Onlo worried over her in between his duties helping the boat crew, which made her feel a tad guilty.

  Em and Anli stood at the deck rail, heads together, chatting animatedly. Natalie could hardly believe it when she saw Anli smiling and laughing at something Em said. Wonders never cease.

  Princess Charlotte stood tall near the bow of the ship, the sun reflecting off her billowing silver hair such that it made Natalie’s eyes water. She envied the equanimity emanating from the princess.

  Natalie rested her head on a small coil of rope and watched as the shoreline of Ismereld—her home—retreated in the distance. The ache of all her losses seemed to grow deeper as the shoreline faded.

  She felt a warm, strong hand on her shoulder. She turned her head, squinting in the sunlight.

  “We will make things all right, Healer,” Onlo said. His deep voice sounded so confident she nearly believed him.

  “I’m not a Healer anymore, remember?” Bitterness crept into her voice.

  “You would let Aldworth define who you are?”

  “I can’t Heal on any other Isle.”

  “On Obfuselt, people get hurt and sick all the time. Although we are not Ismereld, we have people who tend the sick and injured. Are they Healers any less than you?”

  Natalie didn’t have an answer, so she returned her gaze out to sea. She felt Onlo’s hand squeeze her shoulder, and then he left her to her thoughts. Jake curled into a ball against her back and sighed. She sighed, too, her thoughts swirling along with the winds carrying her away from the Isle of her birth. Her stomach settled for the moment and her eyes drifted closed.

  A memory bubbled to the surface of her mind of a patient she’d treated in the ballroom in Roseharbor. It had been the moment she’d first realized that, ultimately, she’d fought to stop the spread of the sweating fever because, deep down, she’d believed she could. The desperate desire to please Gayla, Aldworth or Jules, people whose admiration she so desperately used to crave, had fallen by the wayside somewhere on the road between Whitestrand and Mistfell.

  Natalie’s eyes snapped open. Onlo was right; she would not let Aldworth—or anyone—determine her future. She would come for Jules with every bit of skill and knowledge she had.

  She levered herself slowly to a sitting position. I believe I can Heal people no matter where I am. She took a sip of water and grabbed ahold of the deck railing. I believe I can find a way to help get Jules back. She pulled herself to a standing position, wobbling slightly, hair whipping about her face in the sea winds. I don’t know what I will need to do or what I will need to learn, but I will do it. She swallowed twice, ordering her rebellious stomach to settle.

  Digging her nails into the deck rail, she mulled over the one thing that still bothered her. In the review with Aldworth, Jules had done everything he could to make it appear as if he were the brains behind all their decisions and actions. Why would he do that unless … unless he’d wanted to downplay her intelligence in front of Aldworth on purpose so she would receive a lighter sentence; to focus even more of Aldworth’s wrath upon himself. The side benefit of this subterfuge was that Aldworth now also underestimated her.

  “Oh, Jules, you idiot,” a small grin tugged at her mouth. “I won’t waste the freedom you gave me. I will Heal, I will fight, and I will come for you, my love,” she swore.

  Gripping the rail with both hands, with Jake leaning against her leg, Natalie looked at the horizon. The slate blue ocean stretched out to meet a cerulean sky, whitecaps dancing in the distance. She had no idea what lay over the horizon, but for now, there were clear skies and following winds. Natalie tilted her face toward the sun and let the salt-sea air cleanse her face and begin mending the pieces of her tattered soul.

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  Sea winds tossed her hair wildly as Natalie stood on the docks watching a team of spies load sup
plies into a small, sleek boat. The sun’s rays hinted at the horizon and seabirds called overhead in search of a morning meal. Natalie folded her arms over her knotted stomach and forced herself to stay ashore. There was no hiding aboard a boat that size, especially when her seasickness would force her right back up on deck.

  It had been four days since she’d been banished from her home Isle of Ismereld. The only place in the world where she could access the magic available to her as a Healer. Although I can’t call myself a Healer anymore; Healer Aldworth took care of that during that farce of a trial.

  Natalie and her partner, Healer Juliers had disobeyed Aldworth’s direct orders in a successful attempt to save Ismereld from an epidemic. Aldworth, who wanted Jules for other, more nefarious purposes, was only too inclined to find them guilty. He’d exiled Natalie and stripped her of her Healer status. She’d left Ismereld via boat in the dead of night with Jules’s friends Anli and Onlo for their home Isle of Obfuselt.

  No one knew what happened to Jules.

  Unused to sea travel, Natalie spent the journey emptying the contents of her stomach around the clock. Today was her first day outside Ebenos Point Keep since they made landfall in Ebenos Point, Obfuselt four days ago. Even before she’d regained her strength, she’d started pestering anyone and everyone about rescuing Jules.

  It’s about damn time something’s being done. She pressed her hands to her lips, summoning the memory of Jules’s kisses. Goddess, please let him be alive.

  Anli’s crew loaded the boat quickly, each man and woman moving with the efficiency and grace of a dancer. Most had their arms bared in the summer heat, their sun-darkened skin glinting in the dawn light and Natalie could see contours and planes of their muscles. Without a doubt, each one of them was skilled in what they did, be it sailing ships, hunting, tracking, or other, more nefarious occupations.

  The dock finally empty of equipment, Anli strode over, her chin-length black hair swaying in the breeze and her cat-like eyes squinting against the bright sunlight. Natalie gripped her fingers behind her back. Anli did not like her one bit.

  “We will find him. I promise,” Anli said.

  Natalie nodded and tried to thank her, but the words lodged in her throat. She coughed. “Thank you.”

  Anli turned on her heel and boarded the boat, calling out orders. The small vessel left the dock, it’s lean sails unfurling and catching the morning breeze. Nat watched the boat until it was a dot on the horizon, and then turned to head back to Ebenos Point Keep, arms crossed and eyes on her feet. A familiar pair of boots met her at the end of the dock.

  “Do you feel better now they are on their way to find Jules?”

  Natalie blinked and glared at the dark eyes regarding her. “Onlo, you bloody well know I think they’ve left three days later than they should have.” Natalie brushed past him and headed up the hill to the Keep pretending to know the way.

  “Natalie, it took the Special Operations Guild two days just to -”

  “Oh yes, the Special Operation Guild. Please don’t start. People whispering behind closed doors who didn’t even want my knowledge of Aldworth or Ismereld and didn’t want me even knowing what they were planning. I sure hope they know what they’re doing.” Natalie’s voice rose half out of anger and half out of necessity; she and Onlo now strode along a busy section of the dock markets. Colorful awnings covered displays of all sorts of wares. Sellers called to wandering buyers hoping to relieve them of a bit of coin. Behind them, harbor commerce proceeded as cargo traveled to and from ships of every size and shape.

  “Natalie, that’s my guild you’re speaking of.”

  Biting her lip, Natalie tried to recall if she’d heard Onlo ever speak that sharply to anyone. She swallowed. “Yes, well, I— I don’t appreciate being left out. Especially for something as important as this.”

  “Natalie, you should have seen yourself when we arrived. No one in their right mind would let you out of bed. Besides, the Guild’s has a right to keep its own council.”

  “I’ve had enough of councils, thanks.”

  Warm fingers seized her elbow and Natalie found herself looking into Onlo’s warm, brown eyes. “What happened to you was a terrible thing, it’s true. All I am asking is that you trust my Isle for a bit. Just as I would trust you if I—” Onlo’s eyes shifted over her shoulder and panic unfurled in her stomach when she saw the whites around his irises. A loud whoosh made Natalie turn. A wave of heat rolled over her body and she held up her hand to protect her eyes. Flames engulfed one of the marketplace stalls; Natalie ran toward the passersby, screaming as the flames caught their clothes on fire. Heart pounding in her throat, Natalie ran to a nearby weavers’ shop and grabbed several blankets. Ignoring the shopkeeper's protests, she raced back to the bodies sprawling on the ground. Dropping all the blankets but one, she tackled the person with the worst flames to the ground and wrapped them in the thick blanket.

  “Roll,” she shouted giving the person a hearty shove. “Roll and put the flames out.”

  Grabbing the next blanket, she repeated the process with another person, and then another. As she grabbed her last blanket, she saw with relief that many people were following the example of the victims on the ground and rolling to put their clothes out and the other people had stepped in to help her.

  “We need to move these patients back away from the fire to make room for the fire wagon!”

  Natalie looked up from the person she was helping to see five people carrying leather cases, black cloaks billowing behind them in the waves of heat rolling off the fire. They all listened to the woman in front, a tall dark skinned woman with long, spiraling hair secured at the nape of her neck with a silver clip. Natalie admired the efficient way they moved the burn patients away from the fire. That used to be her; she used to be part of a team like that. You can still help these patients. Solenloe still works, even if you’re not on Ismereld to activate it. And you can bandage with the best of them.

  Natalie stood and put her arms under her patient’s shoulders. “I need help here,” she called to the nearest medic.

  “It’s alright miss, we’ll get him. Are you alright?”

  “I’m fine. I’m a Healer, I can help,” Natalie stated, but her words fell on deaf ears. “I can help,” she yelled at another medic, but they all proceeded about their business, triaging patients.

  Eyes rolling toward the sky, she turned and dragged the patient inch by inch toward the triage area. “Hell…in…a…kettle…” I couldn’t have picked a petite woman to help, no, I picked a tall, man with all the muscles one could possibly have on the planet.

  She’d nearly made it when the woman with the curly hair snatched up the man’s ankles. “What are you doing? Leave this to my medics.”

  Glaring across the man suspended between them, Natalie squatted and set him down next to the neat row of patients. “I am a Healer,” she said through clenched teeth.

  “Why should I believe you?”

  Spotting an open leather case nearby, Natalie saw some mashed solenloe leaves in a neatly labeled jar and carefully rolled bandages. Before the other woman could protest, Natalie snatched the glass jar and expertly applied the leaf poultice to the burns marring the skin of the man she’d carried, starting with the worst. This finished, she efficiently wrapped all her work with the bandages, the other woman’s gaze tingling over her skin like lightning during a storm. She put her hands on the man and instinctively reached into the island with her mind, but found nothing but silence. Right. I’m no longer on Ismereld. His body and the herbs will have to do their best.

  “Who are you?” the woman finally demanded.

  Peering up at the medic, Natalie shook her hair out of her face. “My name is Natalie. Like I said I’m a Healer from Ismereld. I cannot Activate these poultices as I normally would. But if someone changes them every other day for two weeks, his burns should be fine by then.”

  The medic nodded. “Take the woman with the red
hair and the child in the blue dress. Help yourself to our supplies.” Turning on her heel, the woman proceeded to direct her own medics as well as treating her fair share of the patients.

  Natalie grabbed as many supplies as she could carry from a nearby bag and knelt down next to her assigned patients. Her hands danced over their skin and she hummed comforting words to them. Her missing Healing magic felt like a ragged hole torn in her chest—and it’s just one Isle away— but she put her own aches aside as best she could. The wounded people on the ground needed her skills, and she had more skills to offer than just magic.

  The last bandage wrapped, Natalie sat down on the ground and wiped the sweat off her face with her sleeve. Her shirt had black streaks all over it; no doubt soot from the fire. She pressed a hand to her lower back and bent backward trying to ease the ache there and, for the first time, became aware of how thirsty she was. Not good. I just spent four days recovering from dehydration. She spotted leather canteens amongst the medic’s supplies and helped herself. She felt the cool water inside flow all the way down into her stomach; it made her shiver and gulp more to the point where she had to make herself stop.

  Drawing a dirty sleeve across her mouth, she looked at the fire for the first time since she’d started treating the injured. A large horse-drawn wagon carrying six large vats of water had shown up. Onlo and several others pumped a pump on top of the wagon that led to a hose that several other people held dousing the flames. Indeed, the flames were much lower than when Natalie dragged her first patient from the fire and had only spread to the two shops on either side of the one that originally caught fire. Natalie breathed a sigh of relief, coughing a bit as she did so. She and the medics didn’t lose a patient and Ebenos Point didn’t burn down. And to think only yesterday she’d pacing about the Keep, nagging her best friend, Healer Emmeline Arnold to let her go down to the docks and badgering Onlo to let her into the council meetings about Jules’s rescue.