The Executioner's Apprentice (The Executioner's Song Book 2) Read online

  Finn thought about what Moira had come to them with, the nature of her symptoms, and he realized that he didn’t even know. Maybe it was about how to ask questions so that he could get to the bottom of what she needed. Or maybe it had more to do with trying to find the answers to what might work for her.

  “I don’t really know,” Finn said, shaking his head. “I want to get this one right.”

  He wanted to impress Meyer with something other than his pursuit for Bellut.

  Maybe with this he could even trade it for information about his father.

  “You are taking your training seriously.”

  “Shouldn’t I be?”

  Wella laughed softly. “There were quite a few in the city who questioned whether or not you’d be able to move on from your past.”

  “I didn’t realize there were rumors about me in the city.”

  “There are always rumors, Finn. The key is piecing together what is factual from the rumor. Most rumors have some basis in fact.”

  “This woman has suffered from fatigue for several weeks. She says that it got better when he provided her with gersil, though she is only awake now for six hours of the day and needs to sleep the rest of it.”

  Wella pressed her lips together frowning. She drummed her fingers together, blinking slowly. “An interesting choice. I wonder why he would have gone in that direction.”

  “There was rose to it as well.”

  “Interesting. I wonder what he mixed it with.”

  “I’m not sure what oil he used. I tried to taste it the way that you instructed me, but I couldn’t determine what it was.”

  “Tasting oil when you have something as pronounced as rose in the flavoring would be challenging, even for a skilled apothecary. Did you detect the gersil?”

  Finn nodded. “I have used that enough times I was able to pick that up pretty easily.”

  “Very good. That’s also difficult. It has a distinct taste, along with an odor, but I have not had much luck in teaching people to detect it. Most the time, you have to taste it repeatedly.”

  “If it’s a stimulant, why would that be a problem?”

  “Because it doesn’t fade very quickly. Those who taste it directly find they cannot sleep.”

  “I think Meyer has already tried that. I think he wants me to try something else.”

  “It can also be dangerous. What do you think stimulants do, Finn?”

  “I don’t know. Wake someone up?”

  “And what happens when you are awake?”

  Finn held his gaze on Wella. “What are you getting at?”

  “I’m getting at nothing. I only seek to have you engage in critical thinking.”

  “I suppose your heart beats faster.” Wella nodded. “Your breathing quickens.” She nodded again. Finn thought about what he had experienced when he had tasted the concoction, and remembered both of those experiences. He had started sweating, as well.

  “Which of those would pose a danger to someone?”

  Finn started. “I get what you’re saying. If I were to give somebody too much of the gersil, it’s possible their heart might go too fast.”

  “A racing heart can be incredibly dangerous. Not always while you’re young. The young have the ability to withstand many things that someone who is older would not. But I suspect this person is advanced in age?”

  “Is that your polite way of saying she’s older?”

  “I like to think that while I might be advanced in age, I am still young at heart.” Wella cackled, and she leaned forward. “I don’t think I could handle my heart racing quite as well as you could, Finn. Much like I doubt this patient of yours would be able to handle the same.”

  “You’re suggesting I need to find a stimulant that won’t lead to side effects.”

  “I think you need to be cautious with your stimulants. Which is why I suspect Henry used a tiny amount.”

  “Would a higher dose make a difference?”

  “It might, but there are alternatives.”

  “If you search well enough, you find that there are some that work more cleanly than others.”

  “Cleanly?”

  “I realize that is a strange way of referring to it, but there are some that don’t have nearly the same side effects as others. Search Gisles. I’m sure you can find what you need there.”

  “It would be easier if you just told me,” Finn said.

  She laughed again. “Easier, but what would you learn if I told you the answers you need? You would miss out on the journey.” She cackled again. “When you find what you need, you can return and I can help you with whatever supplies you might need.”

  “The answer is in Gisles?”

  “Of course. Who else but Gisles would know about some of these different techniques?”

  Finn shook his head. “Thank you for your time.”

  “You know you’re always welcome here, Finn.”

  “I might be welcome, but you won’t always provide me with what I need.”

  “I’ve given you exactly what you need. Now go, take the journey, and learn how to help this patient.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Evening had fallen in full by the time Finn gave up reading through Gisles’s texts, still not finding anything that would be useful to help Moira. Answers were there, but it was difficult working through the book to find them. There was something about the old style of writing that made it difficult for him, but it was more than that. Gisles referenced different medicines that Finn didn’t have the background to know. It meant looking up those while reading, turning it into tedious work.

  He rubbed a fist against his eyes and looked around his small room. Strange that he’d come to think of it as small, though it was that. Large enough for his bed, a dresser, and a narrow desk by the window. More than that, it was all his. Finn hadn’t learned what Meyer used the room for before Finn had been given it, but maybe it didn’t matter.

  The lantern flickered. It needed more oil, though he didn’t plan on staying in the room much longer, so there wasn’t the need to refill it just yet. The stack of books on the desk was mostly untouched. Other than the Gisles book, Finn hadn’t been studying as much as he had when he’d first come to work with Meyer. There wasn’t time. Now that Meyer trusted him to run errands on his own and to take care of aspects of the job that didn’t involve questioning, Finn didn’t have the same ability to sit and study. That might be a mistake. He could imagine Meyer getting irritated if he knew that Finn hadn’t devoted himself to his studies the way he wanted.

  The hegen card rested on the table in front of him. It had been in his pocket, and he’d pulled it out to study it but hadn’t uncovered anything more than what he’d seen about it at first. The gold crown. The king—or someone close to him. That was what the hegen wanted from him.

  Finn slipped the card back into his pocket and got to his feet. He headed down the hall, knocking briefly at Meyer’s office. When Meyer pulled the door open, he eyed Finn for a moment.

  “What is it?”

  “I don’t have an answer for Moira yet.”

  Meyer’s brow furrowed. “You had told her to return soon. Finding another stimulant wasn’t all she needed, Finn.”

  Finn nodded. Maybe this was part of Meyer’s lesson. It was possible he wanted Finn to realize that he shouldn’t make promises if he wasn’t going to be able to keep them. When Moira had been there, Finn had thought that it would be a simple matter of looking for a different stimulant, but it seemed that it was more than just that. The task meant looking for whatever had caused her fatigue in the first place. Finn didn’t have that answer, which was probably the point Meyer had tried to make.

  “I can wait for her to stop by and let her know I don’t have any answers for her just yet. I will keep looking, though.”

  Meyer watched him for a long moment.

  Finn took a deep breath. “You wanted me to uncover what was wrong with her.”

  Meyer watched him for a long mo
ment before shaking his head. “Even that isn’t entirely the key. Let me know when you have found what you need to know.”

  “I will.”

  Meyer closed the door, and Finn just stared at it for a moment.

  “What was that about?”

  Lena stood on the stairway, and Finn looked behind her, wondering how his mother had been doing. “Probably nothing.”

  “You two shouldn’t argue.”

  “It wasn’t arguing.” Finn stared at the door for a moment. “He’s always trying to teach me some lesson. The challenge I have is learning what he wants me to learn in the time frame that he wants me to learn it in.”

  “At least you have somebody wanting to teach you,” she said.

  She headed past him, moving into the kitchen, and Finn followed her. “What does that mean?”

  “It feels like…” Lena shook her head, turning away from him. She placed one of the pots into the washbasin and began scrubbing it. “It just feels like we have fallen back into the same patterns as before.”

  “Not quite the same patterns,” Finn said. He picked up a pot and offered to help, but Lena shook her head.

  “Maybe not the same,” she agreed. “I don’t have to worry about you being picked up by the Archers now; not the way I did before.”

  “You worried about me?”

  She looked over. “You’re my brother, Finn. After what happened to Father, how could I not worry about you?”

  “I had always thought myself safe with my crew,” Finn said.

  “You thought you were safe because Oscar convinced you that you were.”

  “Let me help,” he said.

  “No. I can do this. Besides, you have so much more you need to be doing.”

  “I’m having a hard time with what I need to do. I am trying to figure out how to help a woman with fatigue. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find the answers in the text of that I’ve been reading.”

  “Which one?” Lena scrubbed at the pot, not looking up at him.

  “It’s an old book that I have in my room. Meyer lent it to me.”

  “Is that the one by Gisles?”

  Finn smiled. “Have you been sneaking into my room?”

  Lena paused. “I don’t have a whole lot else to do. In between checking on Mother, and helping keep the kitchen neat, and baking and cooking for the two of you, I have plenty of free time.”

  “You could get a job.”

  She looked over. “I’ve been trying… but there’s nothing for me. No one is willing to meet with me.” She sighed and shook her head. “Besides, what kind of job do you think I could do? I don’t have any skills. What’s more, I’m not exactly sure that I want to take a job that would employ me these days.”

  “You can read. You can write. There are plenty of opportunities for somebody like you. I might even know somebody who could help.” Master Johan would need an apprentice, and perhaps it was something Lena could do. Though Finn didn’t know if Johan would even be willing to consider anybody Finn might propose.

  “I can read and I can write. Two traits that men in the city love to hear.” She shook her head, staring at her hands. “You can go, Finn. I know you have other responsibilities.”

  He frowned. “Maybe you could help me.”

  “I don’t have any interest in—”

  “Not that,” Finn said. His sister had helped their mother for years. Why not help him research a way to help Moira? “If you’re going to be reading the books, see if you come across any sort of stimulants.”

  “Is this for your questioning?”

  He shook his head. “There’s a woman Meyer asked me to try to help. She complains of fatigue. I thought that maybe since you were already looking through those books…”

  She smiled slightly. “It would give me something to focus on. Only if you’re sure Master Meyer won’t mind.”

  “I don’t think he’ll mind. And besides, with everything else going on, having your help would be great.”

  Her smile widened. “I’d be honored to help.”

  She left, a quickness to her step that hadn’t been there before. Finn understood Lena’s issue. He had a job. Responsibility. He had a place in Meyer’s home.

  What did she have?

  It was something he should talk to Meyer about. He might not be able to solve it, but at least he could offer some insight. Out in the street, Finn headed toward Declan Prison. The Treble Coat tavern would be nearby, and though he didn’t know exactly where to find it, he suspected he could come across it by searching around the area.

  He hadn’t gone far from Meyer’s home when he started to feel a strange sensation. Every time he turned a corner, a shadow behind him seemed to follow.

  He wasn’t alone.

  Finn started to glance in either direction, looking for signs of Archers.

  Finn thought he still remembered how to lose a tail, but it would involve moving quickly. He also was curious.

  If somebody followed him, he wanted to know who—and why.

  He ducked into an alley, moving along it until he got far enough that he didn’t have to worry about getting trapped. He paused there for a moment, waiting for his pursuer to get close.

  It didn’t take long.

  Finn darted out and lunged toward the pursuer. His time working with Meyer had strengthened him.

  He grabbed the figure, throwing them behind him.

  “Hey, Shuffles. Easy now.”

  Finn froze. He recognized the voice.

  “Wolf? You aren’t supposed to be in Verendal.”

  The figure pulled back the hood of their cloak. Wolf was an older man, with dark hair, hard eyes that flickered around him at all times, always aware, and a lean build in constant tension. Everything about him screamed danger.

  “I just want to have a word, Shuffles.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Look at you,” Wolf said, taking a step toward Finn. Finn backed out of the alley, getting onto the street. “You’ve taken to this lifestyle quite well. The King suspected you would.”

  “Is that why you’re here?”

  “For revenge?” Wolf shook his head. “I don’t need any revenge. The King knew what might happen to him. The same way all of us know.” He took another step toward Finn, forcing Finn to move back. “Much like I suspect you have considered what might happen to you.”

  “I serve the king now.”

  “You served the King before.”

  “Not Leon.”

  “He’d be hurt to know.”

  “I doubt that,” Finn said.

  Wolf grinned at him. “Maybe you’re right. Given that he swung from the end of your rope, he’s not going to tell us much of anything, is he?”

  “What do you want?”

  Finn hesitated to back up any farther. Doing so would only entice Wolf and would probably show weakness.

  “What do you know about the Client?”

  Finn frowned. “That’s what this is about?”

  “The bastard is the reason I’m running.”

  He looked as if he wanted to take another step toward Finn, but he didn’t.

  “You should leave Verendal. If the Archers catch you—”

  Wolf grunted. “Them bastards can’t find their pecker if it floated in front of their face. Nah. I’m not leaving this shithole of a place until I find what I want. Bad enough I had to hide out in Meldran again. Had enough of that heap when I was a kid.”

  Maybe Finn had seen Wolf when he’d been there.

  “What do you know?”

  Finn laughed bitterly. “If you think that you can go after the Client yourself, you’re mistaken.”

  Wolf glared at him. “Talk, Shuffles, or you’re going to learn what it’s like to lose your newfound coin.”

  Finn recognized a true threat. “You intend to go after one of the jurors?” Finn shrugged. “Be my guest.”

  Wolf glowered at him. “I knew about the bastard Bellut. There’s another.”


  “I don’t know the other.” Finn had suspected, though hadn’t managed to find anything.

  “What are you doing about this, Shuffles?”

  “There’s not much I can do about it. I serve as an executioner’s apprentice, but I’m not able to start any investigations.”

  “Start? I figured that given what you knew, there shouldn’t be any difficulty getting him to kick the investigation into gear.”

  Finn regarded Wolf for a moment. As much as he hated the idea, there might be something he and Wolf could do together. If he worked with Wolf, it was possible he might be able to get some answers from him. He might be able to help Finn figure out just what had happened. If Meyer weren’t going to go digging into it, or even if he intended to, Finn might be able to help.

  “What have you found out?” Finn glanced in either direction along the street, before turning his gaze back to him. “I want to bring them down the same as you.”

  Wolf frowned at him. “I doubt you want to bring them down the same as me, Shuffles.”

  Finn hated how he kept using his nickname, especially that one. It was as if he were doing it just to needle him, which was probably the case. Knowing Wolf the way that he did, he expected him to try to do anything and everything in his power to annoy Finn. Worse, it worked. He hated the way Wolf used the nickname, but more than that, he hated the way that Wolf had been the one to have started the nickname.

  “Given what they’ve done, I want justice.”

  Wolf watched him, and there was something in his eyes that gave Finn a moment of pause. Finn wasn’t sure if it was the way that he watched him or if there was more to it, but he knew better than to trust Wolf.

  If he did this, Finn was going to need to pull Oscar in as well. It was the kind of thing that only somebody like Oscar would really understand, and the only other person he trusted.

  “I don’t give two shits about justice,” Wolf said.

  “If you want my help, then you should.”

  “You don’t double-cross me and my team and get away with it. You don’t make me go back to there after all this time. Make me beg for a place to hide.” Wolf took a step toward Finn. “I don’t care how protected you think you are.”