Aveline pushed herself away from the desk. “I am Lady Aveline, Knight-Captain of the Order of the Shield, Watch Captain of Curton, and Dawnwatch has no garrison, you pompous git. It was abandoned by Prince Gavril over twenty years ago.”
“Gavril is dead, a traitor to the land. Valene rules Etrunia—”
“I’m not stupid.” Glaring at the man, Aveline returned to her seat. “We do hear news out this far. Now, what do you want, Sir Maxim?”
“Princess Valene is taking stock of her lands. I’ve been charged with inspecting the garrison, woman.”
Slamming her fist on the desk, Aveline snapped to her feet. “I will have my rank from you. You may address me as ‘Lady Aveline’ or ‘Knight-Captain Aveline.’ Do you understand?” Normally, she did not stand on protocol, but pompous outsiders condescending to her caused a rare fury to rise in her belly.
“Of course.” Maxim crossed his fist over his chest, standing at attention. “My apologies, Lady Aveline. I was not informed a member of the peerage was stationed in this mudhole, though I must wonder why you have not taken charge of Dawnwatch as would be your duty according to the charter—”
“Look around you. How many knights do you see?” She gestured to the room. Valon moved behind the desk to stand at her side. “The citadel belongs to the city watch. I am the only knight of Etrunia remaining in Curton. Sir Agnar died many years ago after watching Etrunia neglect Dawnwatch’s garrison for decades. They never sent reinforcements, never responded to his requests for aid. One old man and his ward could not garrison Dawnwatch by themselves.”
Not that I have to explain myself to you. Aveline gritted her teeth, too tired to deal with people like Maxim.
The knight reached into his satchel, produced a document secured with wax bearing the royal seal, and thrust it at Aveline. “Our orders. Times have changed.”
Taking the document, Aveline sat. After breaking the seal, she skimmed its contents. “This doesn’t apply here. Dawnwatch fell into disrepair over twenty years ago. There hasn’t been a garrison in that long.”
“One could argue Sir Agnar abandoned his post.” Maxim maintained his stone-steady stance of attention.
“A fool could argue that.” Aveline rolled the document, then tossed it on her desk. “One should, instead, argue that Sir Agnar and his ward were abandoned by the crown to fend for themselves, and they did so by taking charge of the Curton constabulary. I have protected these people, and I’ve dispensed justice here most of my life.”
“Nevertheless, our mission is to rebuild the garrison.”
“That may be your mission. I will not abandon my charges here.”
“Indeed.” Valon put his hand on the back of Aveline’s chair. “Lady Aveline is our primary defense against the odious troll who calls himself Lord Mayor of Curton. He’d have us all toiling for his own enrichment were it not for her and the Crow Queen, Lady Tasha.”
“Lady Tasha? Crow Queen?” Maxim raised his eyebrows. “Another member of the peerage this far from Almeria? To which family does she belong?”
“‘Lady’ is a moniker of respect. Tasha is just an apothecary who is well-regarded by the townsfolk.”
“And she is the Crow Queen reborn.” Valon’s voice carried a hint of protest.
Aveline held up her hand. “Which probably means nothing to one such as Maxim who grew up pampered, raised in privilege at court.”
“I protest, m’lady.” Maxim glared at Valon. “I was not raised at court. I earned my knighthood.”
“As did I.” Aveline rose from her desk. “Valon, set up Sir Maxim with quarters here in the citadel. I’m going on my rounds”—she glared at Maxim—“as duty demands.”
* * *
Embarrassed by her misinterpretation of events at Danica’s Den, Tasha hightailed it to the hut and awaited the few people she expected the councilor to bring with him. She instructed Korbin and Revan to keep watch for anyone approaching while she acquainted herself with all the reagents in the apothecary cabinet.
In addition to the herbs and compounds she was already familiar with, the cabinet contained numerous powders she had not previously encountered. While she waited, she found a quill, ink, and parchment, then made a note of which drawers contained unknown substances. Tasha hoped she wouldn’t need to conduct alchemical experiments to determine what they were. When she finished, she reread as much of the diary’s instructions as she could.
“Caw, caw, caw!”
Tasha closed the diary, glancing toward the window. Korbin hopped back and forth on the sill, seemingly agitated.
“What’s out there…” Tasha’s jaw dropped as she watched a procession of townsfolk approach the hut. Each carried with them an offering. Some brought food, others small casks of what Tasha assumed were ale or mead, while others brought livestock. Revan hopped out of the window and flew away. Taken aback at the sight of the multitude below, Tasha realized she could not recall even one of the diary’s instructions on how to serve petitioners.
That sylvan glade looks really good right now, one-way trip or no. From the corner of her eye, she saw the back door transform into a portal.
“Oh, for the love of Selene, I didn’t mean I was actually going to run away.” Tasha waved at the door, hoping it would revert to its normal appearance. After a moment, it did. She circled the central stump, wracking her brain on how best to handle the crowd forming below.
“I wish I’d paid more attention when people talked about the old days and the Crow Queen in the tavern.” Taking in a deep breath, she pulled open the door. Once the stairs formed, she descended, carefully taking one step at a time while scanning for familiar faces. A few townsfolk stood out in the crowd that comprised mostly people she had not met.
The councilor to whom she’d spoken earlier in the day stood near the front of the crowd. A few steps from the bottom, she clapped her hands to gain everyone’s attention. “I wasn’t expecting so many. Those of you who were customers of mine at the apothecary in town and need more teas or balms, form a line to my right.”
She pointed to avoid confusion. “Those of you who came for the Crow Queen’s help with something you think I should be able to help with because of stories you’ve heard, form a line to my left.”
“Finally, those of you who just want to see the Crow Queen for yourself, stay where you are.” She spread her arms. “Now you’ve seen me. I am not Annika, but the Mantle of the Crow Queen has chosen me. I will tell you now that I am still learning what all this means.”
She whispered, “So, go easy on me.”
Tasha gestured toward the councilor. “If you will, sir. I believe we had an appointment. Step forward.”
“Ah, yes.” He approached her, rubbing his hands together. “You mentioned you had something to help with my joint pain.”
“I do.” She raised her voice to project over the crowd. “Is anyone else here for relief from joint pain or other aches?”
Several voices murmured their assent. Tasha bade them to come forward and join the councilor at the bottom of the steps. She took a head count, eyeing the piglet one of her customers held. “I’ll be back momentarily. I don’t have anywhere to keep livestock at the moment, so if you could just pay me a talon each, that will be sufficient.”
She returned to the hut. “Korbin, let me know if anyone tries to come up.”
“Caw!”
She prepared several small bundles of turmeric, white willow bark, cloves, cat’s claw vine, and rosemary, then carried them down and handed them to each person waiting. “Brew a tea with these sachets and drink it once a day. It should help. There’s enough for three or four brews, depending on how strong you make it. I should have more by the time you need it.”
Thanking her, they each departed. She worked through more than half the crowd in a similar fashion, taking care of everyone with a commonplace ailment such as she would have seen in her apothecary.
Tasha called over the first of the people specifically in need of the Crow Que
en’s aid. A blonde woman with rosy cheeks waddled forward, holding her swollen belly.
I hope she’s not expecting me to midwife. “What can I do for you?”
“Me ma told me you could help me with me baby.” The woman beckoned for Tasha to lean closer, lowering her voice. “I want to know if it’s a boy or girl… and who the father is.”
“Who the fa… you don’t know?”
The woman bit the tip of her finger. “Well, it could be Bela. But there was that dwarf about the same time. He looked so handsome, and I’d had a bit too much to drink, so he looked even more handsome. And he had a big nose—you know what they say. Nice fella, but he up and went home the next morning. Said he was just passing through.”
Tasha remembered reading something about using the basin to sex babies. She took the woman’s hand. “Come with me, and I’ll see what I can tell you. What’s your name?”
“Ioana.”
Once they were inside, Tasha shut the door. The woman gazed around the hut, whistling in appreciation. “This is nice.”
“The good news is the father is Bela, unless there are other men you’ve been with you haven’t mentioned.”
The woman’s eyes widened. “You know just from holding me hand?”
Tasha took her hands, shaking her head. “Dwarves and humans can’t have babies together.”
Ioana breathed an audible sigh of relief, and her shoulders sagged. “Oh, thank Cybele! I’d been envisioning this little runty thing coming out looking like a toothless boggin.”
Shaking her head and suppressing an exasperated sigh, Tasha pulled over a chair for Ioana and directed her to sit. She stepped to the opposite side of the basin. “I’ve never done this before, so I don’t know if it’s going to work.”
“Will it hurt?”
Tasha shook her head. “You won’t feel a thing.” Probably.
According to the diary, sexing an unborn child essentially involved divination, but Tasha wouldn’t actually need to utilize the basin or invoke any spells during the process as long as she remained in the hut. She lowered her head and closed her eyes, concentrating on the water much as she had the last time she’d attempted to scry.
She focused on the woman, then on the unborn child in her belly. In a flash, she saw the boy. His club foot drew her attention. She gasped, in spite of herself. The vision vanished.
“What? What did you see? Am I going to die in childbirth?”
“I did not see that.” Tasha avoided Ioana’s gaze. “I saw a boy. He will be born with a deformity. A club foot.”
“Oh, well, that’s all right. Me brother was born with two of ‘em. Me ma knows how to fix them well enough.” Ioana rapped her knuckles on the flat part of the stump. “‘Ere, me ma says you want a price for such information. She said you’d want me baby, but I thought that sounded steep. I knowed I should have asked before you did your magic, but I wanted to know.”
Tasha smiled. “I don’t want your baby. I’m not going to exact a blood price for anything. I can’t imagine ever doing that.”
“I can bring you a leg of mutton. Me da’s slaughtering one of our sheep in a few days.”
“That would be fine.” Tasha led Ioana to the door, then opened it, detaining her until the stairs fully formed. “I enjoy roast mutton.”
She glanced at her hearth to make sure she could indeed cook a roast over it, noting hardware for affixing a spit above the fire. Did I not notice that before? “Send the next one up, if you would, please, Ioana.”
“Thank you, Crow Queen. I told me ma you weren’t a bad sort. She only listens to the bad stories. I like the good ones instead.”
Chapter 40
Aveline’s started her rounds by heading straight for Tasha’s favorite bakery so she could inquire as to the whereabouts of her friend. While the staff confirmed Tasha stopped by for pastries, they couldn’t tell the knight-captain where she went afterward. A customer spoke up as he handed over several talons for his bread.
“I heard people saying she’s calling herself the Crow Queen now. She’s holding court in the clearing just outside Miners’ Gate.” He collected his loaves. “You know the one, close to the river? Bunch of bollocks if you ask me.”
“I know the clearing.” Aveline contemplated the egg-washed buns sitting on the counter. The bakers often filled them with a hash of eggs, sausage, and potatoes. She pointed, holding up two fingers.
“She is the Crow Queen, by the way.” Aveline chuckled. “I can hardly believe it myself. But I’ve seen… I never thought I’d see a walking hut.”
The customers in the bakery chattered, rehashing most of the rumors Aveline grew up hearing. She tossed a talon on the counter after selecting the buns. “Times are changing, I guess.”
Aveline carried the pastry with her through Miners’ Gate. Finding the clearing proved easy, as steady streams of people traveled toward and away from the site. Gathered nearby, the crowd seemed content to observe as each person, in turn, ascended the steps. Some folk brought livestock, baubles, or baked goods. She regarded the buns she held. She probably has her fill.
Making her way to the crowd, she spotted a crow overlooking the clearing on a nearby branch. “Hey, are you Revan or Korbin?”
“Caw!”
“Go tell Tasha I’m here.” Aveline did not expect the crow to follow her command, but the bird hopped into the air, then flew through the open window.
As she waited, Aveline became aware of people glaring at her. She displayed the pastries. “I’m not jumping the line. I’m just making a delivery.”
In truth, Aveline had intended to spend some time with Tasha. Having buried thirty of Curton’s townsfolk, she needed time with a friend, and the Crow Queen remained the closest one she had.
Tasha appeared with an old man at the top of the stairs. She smoothed his wispy white hair, then helped him descend to the forest floor. As he left, she eyed the contents of Aveline’s hands. “Are those what I think they are?”
“Fresh from the bakery.” Aveline brought one to her nose, inhaling the delicious aroma. “Sausage, egg, some herbs. I was hungry, and I thought you could use something to eat.”
“Come on up for a minute. I don’t have a lot of time.” She turned to the people in line. “I’ll be just a moment. Lady Aveline is a dear friend, and I need to speak with her about something very important.”
The knight-captain preceded Tasha up the steps. “Here.” Aveline placed the buns on the table. “I see plenty of people have brought offerings.” She pointed at the gifts scattered about—several pies, small casks of ale, and two bottles of wine.
Tasha laughed. “One woman was told I was going to take her unborn child.”
“So is this how this works?” Aveline examined the pies. “People bring you treats, and you cure all their ills?”
“I don’t know how it’s supposed to work. So far, I’ve been doing minor prognostications along with the type of herbalism work I used to do in town.” Using a knife she retrieved from the larder, Tasha cut into one of the buns. She handed half to Aveline.
The yeasty dough provided the vessel for the savory fillings within. It took much of Aveline’s self-control to keep from shoveling it in.
“I’m going to move.”
Aveline stopped mid-bite, peering at Tasha. “Hmm?”
“I can’t have crowds like this. I can’t learn what I’m supposed to be if I’m constantly guessing the sex of people’s babies or telling them if their son is ever going to marry. There are fortune-tellers at the market for that.”
Swallowing, Aveline reached for one of the bottles of wine and uncorked it. She poured a goblet for Tasha and one for herself. “What if you’re only supposed to be what you’re comfortable being?”
“Thinking about that makes my head hurt.” Tasha guzzled the wine. “I’ll stay close, but I’m not going to advertise my whereabouts. People will need to seek me out. I’ll send Revan or Korbin to you with a note or conjure one of my magical messengers, though
, so you’ll always know where to find me.”
“I appreciate that.” Aveline refilled Tasha’s glass. “I’m going to miss stopping by on my rounds.”
“You’re always welcome. I wanted to ask you something.”
“What?”
“The diary hints at a lot of things, but it doesn’t outright say much.” Tasha sipped her wine. “Annika didn’t finish it before her sister killed her, but she indicated she used the portal in the hut to travel.”
Aveline narrowed her eyes. “You aren’t considering…”
“I’m going to start small at first.” Tasha put her hand on Aveline’s. “From here to your house, with your permission. If it’s a one-way trip, at least I won’t have far to walk. I promise you I won’t try anywhere farther until I’m absolutely certain I can get back.”
Aveline waved her hand toward the door. “Where would you go? That sylvan glade for a bath? You can do that in town.”
“There, yes.” Tasha chuckled. “But, more importantly, I could go to the libraries of the Arcane University and try to learn as much as I can about the history of the Crow Queen. What this all means… there has to be some information somewhere.”
“The Crow Queen is supposed to be a servant of Cybele, right?” The solution seemed obvious to Aveline. “Ask Mother Anya.”
“Yes, I will speak to her. The Crow Queen, er, I am supposedly also a servant of Artume and Gaia. Selene must be involved somehow too. The number of enchantments in this hut alone indicates that. There’s a temple to Selene in Muncifer, the biggest I know of. They must know something or know someone who does.”
Aveline sighed. “That’s so far away.”
“But if the portal allows instantaneous travel, it won’t take any time at all.” Tasha squeezed the knight-captain’s hand. “Aveline, I have to figure this out. I need to know why… why me?”
“I’ve been wondering that myself.” Aveline loved her friend dearly, but the sorceress didn’t seem particularly special to her. Even with the feathered cloak, she was just Tasha. Besides which, Aveline did not believe people possessed special destinies.
Summer of Crows Page 28
