Fire's Song

by J E Mueller

  We were playing roughly when Isaac disarmed me. Who can say what occurs in the mind of a child, but suffice to say I was overwhelmed by this act and I started to sob. He retrieved the sword and tried showing me how to hold it more effectively so that I wouldn’t easily lose my grip. This was something he had done countless times. And yet...

  The screaming began unexpectedly. He clutched his hand that had only a moment before touched mine. Isaac’s face scrunched up in pain and Mother, her maids, and my two sisters came running.

  Before they could reach him, he fell over to the ground, silent as a mouse.

  Shock was plastered to my face. I was unsure what could have possibly happened. Someone said Isaac wasn’t breathing and the maids ran for the healer. Mother asked what had happened. I explained all I knew, which was nothing, but it dawned on her what was going on. Carefully, she put her hands on my shoulders and had me sit down out of sight. She urged me to stay there.

  Minutes crept by and it felt like it was taking hours for her to come back. Was Isaac going to be all right? I dared not move or make a sound.

  In the end it wasn’t Mother who returned, but instead a healer. She looked grave, but not unkind. For a moment I stared at her before I recognized her as Mother’s personal healer.

  “My darling Key,” she said softly as she sat down next to me. “I need you to listen to some very important words. Can you do that for me?”

  I nodded. “Yes, miss.”

  “You are going to be four very soon,” she began slowly. It was less than two weeks to my birthday. “You see, when you were born you had a hidden gift. A magic gift. We know it’s there inside of you, but we don’t know exactly what it is.” She paused, considering her next words carefully. “Today, it looks like some of that… that gift decided to shine through.”

  “I didn’t see anything though,” I replied, confused.

  The healer nodded and continued. “It’s not a visible gift, like a storm with lightning. It’s one that lies deep inside.” She placed her hand over her heart for emphasis.

  “Like you?” I said, pointing at her.

  “Yes!” She breathed in relief that I linked it to something positive in that moment. “Healers can use their hidden magic to make small colds vanish and make you less sick during the big colds.”

  “And keep your cuts from getting infected!”

  “Very good. You remember well!” she cheered me on. “Now, your gift is different, but hidden just like that. It will keep growing and getting stronger all the time. As you get older we’ll learn more about it, but for right now we just need to be extremely careful.”

  “I’ll be careful,” I assured her with all my heart.

  “I know you will, dear.” The healer took a deep breath. “Today there was an accident no one could do anything about. I want you to know no one is at fault. We are all learning a new lesson today. Please understand, my dear Key, it is not your fault.”

  I nodded as confusion set back in. I hadn’t done anything wrong, so of course it wasn’t my fault.

  “Your brother, Isaac, is dead.” She paused as I processed the words. I knew then that being dead meant never seeing the person again. It was all the understanding such a young child could have.

  “So, I won’t see him anymore?” I asked.

  “That’s right. He has gone to the Lady in the Sky.” We both looked up as if an image would suddenly appear.

  I got straight to the point. “How did he die? What happened?”

  “Unlike the healers, you have a fire inside of you. Most people can’t live through a fire but you can. Fire will not harm you,” the healer explained as simply as she could before getting up for a moment to pace. “You see, it's hidden inside of you, but it can get out if your skin touches another’s.”

  “That’s never happened before.” I looked at my hands in disbelief. They looked the same as they always had.

  “I know, and it likely won't happen again for a while, but it will happen again. As you get bigger, so will your gift. We just need to learn more about it, so to keep safe, wear long clothes and never touch anyone without gloves,” the healer declared. She offered a simple solution, but it implied much more than I understood then.

  I nodded, “Okay, but how will I take a bath then?”

  The healer gave a small, sad laugh. She was glad I was taking this well, but also knew I didn’t fully understand what was going on yet. “We’ll figure something out, Kikara. We’ll figure it all out in the end.”

  Carefully the healer handed me a pair of thick gloves to put on. They were slightly too big, and likely my sister Elena’s old riding gloves. Without question I put them on and followed the healer.

  Once inside, she said to wait in my room and that Mother would be around shortly, but I didn’t listen and instead skipped off to find Mother myself.

  I must have checked all the wrong places before finding her. By the time I had reached her the healer was already speaking with her. Curious, I stood just outside the open door and listened.

  “With new light to your daughter's problem, I think we figured out what is wrong with your health, my lady,” the healer told her.

  “What could my health have to do with Key?” she asked tiredly, grief thick in her voice.

  “Her curse. It’s related to touch. As you already know, we healers can only fix things that have been done to the body. We cannot undo things that the body does to itself, and it seems that is why we can only dull the pain that slowly keeps coming back to you.”

  There was silence before Mother spoke again. “I don’t see how Key has anything to do with this.”

  The healer patiently explained, “While you were carrying her, still unborn to this world, the curse was placed. She grew inside you for many months while the curse slowly wrapped around and took hold of her. While her magic is delivered through touch, it appears to destroy from the inside out. Her magic was – and is still – weak enough that it is unlikely to kill right away. But it was enough, and slowly her magic will be your end. Your body will keep attacking itself from the inside out until there is no longer anything we can do but let you pass.”

  “Be gone. I need time to think on this. Make sure there isn’t any information that could be missing. I won’t believe this is her fault,” Mother spat angrily.

  “Of course, my lady, we will meet again once we are certain.”

  I fled to my room before the healer or Mother could see me. I had no idea who I passed along the way but didn’t slow my breakneck pace until I was safely locked behind my own door. I wasn’t sure then what everything meant, but two things were certain. It was my fault, and it would be my fault again.

  As the town came in sight I felt a little better. No one here knew anything of what had happened last night, and I needed that. When entering a village where you aren’t well known you needed a good back-story as to why you are there. People became suspicious of strangers, even more so when it was not the normal time of year for trading. Since I had been in this town a few times before, I knew the right places to go where I would find familiar faces. As I walked, ignoring the looks of strangers, I could feel the exhaustion start to spread through my body. I had walked for about eight hours, with only two pauses: listening to that nonsense of a prophet and sleeping briefly. I was certain that I had traveled about twenty-five to thirty miles. With the adrenaline that had fueled me, I was betting closer to thirty.

  The normal inns where travelers stayed were never far from the main gate. I wasn’t looking for one for everyday travelers, so I pressed forward. I only had to move down the main thoroughfare and down a couple of side streets. My pace wasn’t very quick, but even it took me little time to spot my destination. Reaching the inn I sought, I pushed the door open without pausing. Kegan, the innkeeper, was yelling at one of her cooks. I smiled and inhaled the wonderful smell of baking bread and fresh meats simmering in a pan hidden just out of sight.

  Seeing me enter, she stopped yelling at the cook for a
moment and turned to yell at me. “Child, it’s not even the cold season yet! Why are you back so soon?” She didn’t wait for a response before turning back to yell into the kitchen. “And if you break another basket of eggs that’ll be your death!”

  Kegan would have had beautiful, dark red curls, if she put time into them. Instead they were tossed into a heap on top of her head. I still thought they were wonderful. She had a strong, curvy figure. Years of lifting heavy bags of flour and eating delicious food made her a gorgeous person who took no lip from anyone. When her husband passed of a terrible sickness several years back, no one had questioned her ownership of the inn. It had always been hers.

  “I’m glad to see the staff is still so friendly here,” I replied loudly enough for her to hear and took a seat at the bar.

  “After all I’ve done for ya, you’re mocking me in my own home?” Kegan tossed her rag at me good naturedly as she took a seat next to me. “What's the word outside of town?”

  “The crops were pretty terrible this year, and that makes for shabby traveling,” I said, summing up facts that didn’t apply to me but went with the story I had been building for years. I had heard complaints that there wasn’t enough rain for a good harvest this year and a lot of the extra help that is normally hired for field work wasn’t needed. I was glad I had kept that in mind.

  “Child, just settle down in this nice town and be done with it!” she exclaimed but didn’t press. “‘S'pose you’ll be wanting rumors of places for work with lodging, ‘eh?” Kegan got up and walked behind the counter.

  “You’re always my knight in shining armor,” I agreed, smiling. Work was exactly what I needed right now; the busier the job the better.

  “Yeah, yeah,” she muttered as she shifted through a few papers. Kegan was known for her good eye and keen judgment which let her find the right person for the right job. She had started making suggestions over a decade ago, and now people would go to her to find the help they desired. “Got a lot of requests actually, so you came at a good time. This one’s your best bet if they haven’t found anyone.” She handed me a scribbled down name, request, and address.

  “You make your town a better place,” I said, taking the paper from her. A few times I had witnessed Kegan giving someone the verbal kick in the rear they needed and then sending them off somewhere to get their lives back on track.

  “It’s a truth they all know. That’s why I get so many job rumors these days. Think they could post an ad themself? Now, what about lunch?”

  “Sorry Kegan, I’m pretty empty pocketed right now. I’ve got some rations left, though. Maybe next week,” I said, getting up.

  “Nonsense. Sit,” she said before heading back into the kitchen.

  While she disappeared from view I looked at the note:

  Needing a full time maid, and cook with a possibility of minding the store front. Room and board. Young family, owns shop. VanEllen residence.

  There wasn’t a lot of information about the family, but if this was Kegan’s recommendation she probably knew them. Without another thought about it, I set my bag down in front of myself and hopped back up on the stool. Kegan’s food was the best in town, and turning down a meal was unheard of.

  While she was gone I took in the sight of the nearly empty inn. There were a handful of people scattered around. A young couple sat next to the small and fire cuddled close, both ladies whispering into one another’s ear and giggling as they moved closer. A few tables from them sat a scruffy middle aged gentleman with a better groomed comrade. I had no idea what work they could be discussing and before I could fully ponder a scenario I heard a strange hoot come from the other side of the room. Turning, I saw a short old lady with a covered cage. She was ignoring the sounds of the inn and instead concentrating on reading a book in front of her with a magnifying glass.

  Kegan soon reemerged with warm soup and bread and began talking about all the drama in the town and how I had missed the royal investigation. I kept my tone neutral. I didn’t want to give myself away, but knowing this news was important to me. Staying away from my family was still necessary if the remainder of them wanted to live.

  “Investigation? What is there to investigate?” I asked, mildly curious, between mouthfuls. Kegan’s food was good – too good to put down – and she didn’t care much for manners.

  “That’s the thing, they had this poster with them, the guards did. Looking for the runaway princess from years ago. Lot of good that’ll do. Likely she’s far gone or dead. No one knows why she ran, lots of rumors though.”

  “What's the best rumor you’ve heard about that? Anything likely?”

  “Years ago, they say the dead king Ramulus sold her soul. Maybe the demons got her,” Kegan mused while she held her hands up like claws to emphasize her point. “Some say our current king, her brother, was a real brute when he was young and scared her off. Don’t know at what age she ran so it’s hard to say. They say now she’d be about nineteen? Twenty? Best rumor is that she hated her mother and poisoned the beloved queen. Everyone found out and chased her off!”

  She thought for a moment before shaking her head, “They’d issue a warrant if that were true, though. So many righteous and evil rumors. None worth their weight. They did give her name, Kikara or something, and left some good posters around. Every picture is different based on what the family remembers though, so I don’t expect much will come of it.”

  She went back to digging in her papers before pulling out a drawing that looked a little too much like me. Kegan eyed it and then me for a moment.

  “You look like you could be part of the family.”

  “Think that’d get me a nice pair of clothes if I played along?” I mused. The drawing itself didn’t look enough like me to convince a wide crowd that I was the runaway princess, but she saw the similarities quickly enough. I prayed the sarcasm I displayed was enough to convince her that I was no one important.

  Kegan laughed loudly. “If only!” She snorted at the thought. “Us hard working women don’t stand a chance. Now get yourself off to that new job.” I was glad she had dropped the topic, and hoped she didn’t suspect much. Then again, even if she did, Kegan wasn’t one to say anything.

  I smiled, just barely having finished my meal. “You run a tight ship, Kegan.”

  “Best believe it. Now get!” She shooed me out the door and went about her business.

  Chapter 3

  I navigated the streets slowly. My memory a bit rusty – I’d been away for at least a year. Luck was with me, and after only one wrong turn I found the street I needed and the shop with the house above it. It was a dainty metal shop; jewelers likely. Taking a deep breath, I went inside.

  The shop front was small with several pretty display cases containing necklaces, rings, brooches, and a few tiaras. The lady behind the counter eyed me suspiciously as I entered. Her hair was copper and cut short. Her tired green eyes would take no nonsense. I nodded and waved the paper at her as a way to begin conversation.

  “Mrs. Kegan said someone here may be looking for help?” I asked approaching the counter.

  The woman nodded and vanished into the back. After a moment she returned with a man who I assumed was her husband. His hair was a dark brown, covered in soot. His eyes were just as dark.

  “Kegan sent you, did she?” he asked, wiping his hands on a grimy apron.

  I nodded, handing over the paper. “Yes sir. She said you had the perfect job for me this cold season.”

  “Ah, another traveling worker,” he sighed, glancing at his wife before turning back to me. “Maybe you’ll like it enough to stay longer.” He turned to his wife. “I trust Kegan’s judgment, what do you say?”

  She nodded but looked at me. “How’s your sewing?”

  “Fantastic. Traveling would be a nightmare otherwise,” I said confidently, standing as straight as possible.

  “Cooking?” Her expression said this was the deal breaker, so I did my best to express confidence.

&nb
sp; “Well enough. My skill is fairly good and I can follow a recipe. I know more than the basics and am always willing to learn.”

  She looked me up and down before deciding. “Name’s Celia. My husband here goes by Alex. And you are?”

  “I go by Key,” I replied.

  Celia reached out to shake my hand, “Well, Key, what makes a young girl like you travel?”

  “Family fell on hard times. Didn’t make it,” the familiar lie rolled smoothly from my lips. “Even our wonderful kingdom doesn’t like kids who can’t pay taxes. So, it was either this or an orphanage. Rabbit stew is better when it’s not shared with twenty.”

  Celia didn’t press further, accepting the tale. “Well come around and I’ll show you the place.”

  It was wonderful how well Kegan was trusted. She wouldn’t give jobs out to just anyone, and anyone claiming so without her permission, well...her kicks to the rear weren’t always just verbal. A new routine would be good, especially since I could feel last night’s events threatening to break my mask.

  “I’ll mind the front,” Alex told her with a nod, trying to wipe his dirty face off on a rag as Celia led me into the back hall.

  She pointed at the door that was the closest to the shop front. “That’s the workshop. Best to avoid it; things are lying everywhere. Forge is out back, avoid that as well.” She turned right into the side hall that quickly opened up into a small kitchen. The main room could be seen from there. “There’s not much to it. Work and home mix pretty well together. Lots of patchwork and mending needs to be done, starting or finishing meals – the normal endless housework. Dust from the shop always seems to blow in. Neighbors have been helping out, but the busy season will be here soon so you’ve come at the right time.”

  She lead the way back into the hall and went up the stairs spiraling to the second floor. Cellia pointed to the room right at the top of the steps. “That one will be yours. Ours is the at the end, with the linen closet in the middle.” She nodded. “That’s about that. Get your stuff settled in and relax. You look a fair bit too tired for much today. You’ll be ready to start first thing in the morning?”