Tormina: The Book of Maladies Read online

  How many master physickers would be there for his testing?

  The clatter of wood against wood drew his attention. There was movement near an open courtyard, and it was a part of the palace grounds that Alec had never seen before. When he reached it, he paused, amazed at what he saw. Two people—a man and a woman—faced each other, staffs spinning so rapidly that they had to be augmented. They were smacking them off of each other, flipping into the air and spinning back down, the staffs a whiz of movement. Alec struggled simply to follow them.

  Kavers training.

  Was this what Sam was learning?

  He had seen her fight before and had been impressed by it, but these Kavers were moving with even more fluidity than what Sam had managed with his augmentations. He looked around the courtyard, looking for evidence of their Scribes, but saw no one. Maybe they were connected to a Scribe at the university, a master physicker, but these two were young. Typically, the Kaver-Scribe pairing was two people similar in age, and he didn’t know anyone at the university who would be age-matched with them.

  Maybe they hadn’t found their Scribes yet.

  Then again, Alec didn’t know all of the inside details about the connection to the Scribes. Many of the master physickers were Scribes, but he suspected other physickers were Scribes also. They had to be, especially considering the number of Kavers that Sam said trained here.

  He saw someone sitting near a wall, slumped forward, staff leaning against the wall, and Alec frowned. The dark hair was familiar to him.

  “Sam?” he asked, approaching.

  She looked up at him. “Alec? Why are you here?”

  “Didn’t you get my note?”

  She breathed out. “I’ve been a little preoccupied,” she said.

  “What happened?”

  “I went to Bastan, and he led me to Ralun, and…”

  “And what?”

  “And I nearly died.”

  Alec crouched down next to her and reached for a scrap of easar paper that he kept with him.

  Sam shook her head. “I’ve been healed. Elaine made certain to heal me, though I think she wanted me to suffer. When I was in too much pain to even move, she was forced to do something.”

  “You don’t look as if you’re completely healed.”

  “Because I’ve been training. Raylene is a brutal master, and she is trying to demonstrate what I can do without augmentations.” She looked past him, and Alec turned to the pair still fighting with their staffs.

  “That’s without augmentation?”

  “Apparently,” she said.

  “Can you do that?” Alec asked, turning back to her.

  “Not yet. Elaine is convinced that I can, and she wants me to learn so that I don’t end up nearly dead again.”

  “I would agree with that desire,” Alec said.

  He took a seat next to her and leaned toward her. There was something comforting about sitting next to Sam, and he breathed in her scent, wanting only to remain near her.

  “Why have you come?” she asked.

  “I found a way to get the master physickers together.”

  Her eyes widened. Alec told her of his plan and what he had done.

  “Let me get this straight. If this fails, you will be expelled from the university?”

  Alec nodded. “And Master Carl doesn’t care for me, so it’s possible that I will fail.”

  “Why doesn’t he care for you?”

  “It has something to do with my father. I learned that he was a master physicker but left the university after my mother died.”

  “He what?”

  Alec sighed. He still didn’t know what to make of that information. “All this time I thought he was nothing more than a very skilled apothecary.” He shook his head. “But that’s not why I’m telling you this. Apparently, my father prevented Master Carl from moving up in the political ranks. I think now he’s holding that against me because of what my father did to him.”

  “Do you think he could be Marin’s Scribe?”

  “I think anyone could be. Master Carl certainly is smart enough, but I don’t get the sense that he is a Scribe.”

  “If he’s treating you this way, maybe he knows about us. Maybe that’s why he’s doing this and not because of your father.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Describe him for me.” Alec did, and Sam frowned. “I don’t know. With those augmentations that you gave me, I had such strength that I tore doors off the wall. It’s possible I wouldn’t even have noticed how large the man was. And the deep voice fits.”

  “If it was Master Carl, I’d be happy for you to beat on him again.”

  “Are you sure that you want to do this? I thought there might be an easier way to get the master physickers together. I didn’t think you would be forced to risk yourself like this, or risk your future with the university. We might need you to continue training there.”

  “I’ve thought about it, but I think this might be the only way we can make this work,” Alec said.

  “I don’t like it,” she said.

  “I don’t like it, either, but that’s the plan, and now, we need to figure out a way to get you in.”

  “That might be harder than it once was,” Sam said. She glared at the other Kaver, the one she called Raylene. “Elaine has me training with Raylene constantly. She knows that Ralun is in the city, and”—Sam turned to Alec and lowered her voice—“Elaine is afraid of what might happen if anyone else learns that Tray has both Kaver and Theln in him.”

  “How would they not know that? They know that he’s Marin’s son.”

  “I think the belief is that he is mostly Theln. Apparently, such pairings have been attempted before, and none of them have been successful. The offspring have always been either Kaver or Theln, never both.”

  “And Tray?”

  Sam shrugged. “You’re the one who proved that he has Kaver potential.”

  It wasn’t Alec, but Beckah. “What does it mean?”

  “It means that Ralun came to the city searching for Tray. I had been afraid that Tray was already working with Ralun, but that’s not it. I think he’s trying to figure out where he fits and what he’s meant to do.”

  “You still want to help them.”

  “I have to. He’s my brother.”

  “So first, we find Marin’s Scribe, then we stop Ralun, and then…”

  “Then we find where Tray is keeping Marin,” Sam said. “Then both of us can get some answers.”

  “That’s not all you want.”

  “It’s not, but I don’t know if Ralun even has the Book with him. If he did, you’d think he’d have used it against me before now.”

  “Maybe he can’t use it against you.”

  “Why would you think that?”

  Alec stared out over the courtyard. From here, he could see the edge of the university rising above the palace wall. In another direction, the rest of the city spread out, though it was peaceful here. Quiet. He could understand why Sam enjoyed her time in the palace.

  “What if there is something in your Kaver blood that allows you to be protected?”

  “The Book was used on me, Alec. That’s why I lost my memoires. And why wouldn’t it protect Scribes?”

  “I don’t know. We know that it doesn’t, especially given that the princess nearly died from being poisoned. But maybe he can’t use it against you. It seems as if he fears you more than he lets on.”

  “I don’t think he fears me. Kyza knows he almost killed me. My augmentation wore off before I had a chance to even hurt him. If it weren’t for Elaine and Raylene appearing…”

  Alec didn’t like to hear that, and was thankful that Elaine had arrived in time to help Sam. “I’m glad they were there.”

  “There was something else,” Sam said.

  “What is it?”

  “Bastan had hired a couple of men, not locals. They have some strange ability that allows them to confront the Thelns.”

  “W
ho else could he have hired?”

  “They weren’t Kavers. Ralun called them djohn, and they were able to fight in ways that I’ve never seen. I don’t know if they had similar augmentations, or if it was some natural ability, but whatever it was…”

  “I’m glad Bastan thought to hire them.”

  “Yeah, but why did he think to hire them? And how did he know to hire them?”

  “Haven’t you always told me that Bastan is well-connected?”

  “There’s well-connected, and then there’s whatever this was. This is more than just being well-connected. This is understanding the limitations of the Thelns.”

  “Maybe Bastan is more involved in this than you realize.”

  Sam frowned. “Maybe.”

  “The testing is in a day, maybe a little more. If you could be there…”

  Sam looked over at him. “I’ll get there. I think I can sneak away. And now that I don’t need augmentations to cross the canal, I should be able to reach you more easily. I think I can sneak in unnoticed. Do you know where the testing will be?”

  Alec shook his head. “I don’t know. I can send word once they tell me when and where it will be.”

  “You think they’ll give you enough time to send word to me?”

  “Hopefully. I might have to send Beckah.”

  Sam’s mouth twisted in a sour expression.

  “She’s been helping me. She wants to find Tray almost as much as you do.”

  “I doubt that.”

  “She does. She wants to know what it’s like to be a Scribe and have an opportunity to work with her Kaver.”

  “I don’t like the way she acts around you.”

  “And how is that?”

  “She’s so clingy.”

  “You don’t have to worry about Beckah. Nothing’s going to happen between us.” Alec flushed as he said it, but he looked at Sam, meeting her eyes. His heart fluttered, and he worried that she would reject him.

  Instead, she took his hand. Her hand was so small around his, but she had quite a bit of strength as she squeezed. He enjoyed the way his hand felt in hers, and they sat for a long moment.

  “What now?” Sam asked in a whisper.

  “Now, we need to do what we’ve been talking about,” he said. “We need to stop Ralun so that you can be safe. We need to see if we can’t uncover the Book. And we need to find the Scribe.”

  “No. What now with us?”

  Alec turned toward her, and slipped his hand out from hers and pulled her into an embrace, hugging her tightly. Sam squeezed back. Holding her felt… right. He enjoyed the connection, and it felt as if they were meant to have found each other. “We’ll get through this together,” he said.

  “I know,” Sam said. “Make sure you pass your test.”

  “I’ll do my best,” Alec said.

  “I mean, you know more than most of the physickers there, don’t you?”

  “I know enough.”

  “Enough? That doesn’t give me a lot of reassurance,” she said, pushing back from him. Alec let her go, thankful that they’d had that moment. Would they ever get more moments like that? What would it take for them to have time together when they didn’t have to worry about attacks and their roles as Kaver and Scribe?

  “I’m not so sure that it’s all about what I know, but more about getting the master physickers to allow me to be promoted,” Alec said.

  “And this Master Carl?”

  “Master Carl might choose this as a way to deny me the opportunity.” Alec thought about how happy Master Carl had been when he had requested testing. He had been practically giddy. That didn’t give him a lot of hope that he would succeed. “And I’m not sure that it matters. As long as you’re there and you can pick out which Scribe held you captive, I think that’s all that matters.”

  “Then I’ll be there.”

  She looked over his shoulder and nodded.

  Alec turned and saw the other Kaver approaching. She held her staff casually, glancing from Alec to Sam.

  “It is time,” the woman said.

  Sam smiled at Alec. “It looks like it’s time for me to beat up on Raylene again.” The other woman frowned at Sam, and she only shrugged. “Fine, maybe it’s time for Raylene to beat up on me. Either way, it’s time for something.”

  Alec watched Sam as she moved to the center of the courtyard and began to battle with Raylene. As he watched, it was obvious that she had improved. She was even more skilled than when he had seen her fighting with Marin. Alec watched for a while before getting up and making his way back to the university. It was time for him to prepare for his testing.

  28

  Search for the Traitor

  A knock came at Sam’s door, and she looked up.

  When the door open, she recognized the pretty woman who entered. “Beckah?” she asked.

  Beckah nodded and pushed a strand of hair back behind her ear. Sam hated that she looked pretty even doing that. It had helped that Alec had reassured her that there was nothing between them, but she couldn’t help still feeling a little nervous about it. Regardless of what Alec said, she had seen the way Beckah looked at him.

  “It’s time,” Beckah said.

  “The testing?” Sam got to her feet and grabbed her canal staff. She looked around and grabbed her cloak from off her bed and threw it over her shoulders.

  “They summoned him early this morning.”

  “And you’re only coming to me now?”

  “I’m only coming to you now because I couldn’t get away before now.”

  Sam resisted the urge to smack Beckah. That wouldn’t do anything other than make her feel better.

  “How long is the testing expected to last?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t been able to figure it out. He was summoned, they took him to a room where they questioned him, and now they’ve moved on to the ward.”

  “The ward?”

  “It’s the hospital in the university. It’s where the sickest go for treatment.”

  “Are all the masters there?” Sam wasn’t sure how much Alec had told Beckah, but given her connection to Tray, she suspected he had shared everything with her. And why wouldn’t he? If Beckah was meant to be a Scribe, there would be no reason for him to conceal anything from her.

  “I watched them all go. That’s how I knew where he was.”

  “Kyza!” Sam hurried out of her room and raced along the hall. Beckah kept up, and Sam was glad she didn’t have to encourage her to move more quickly. “What’s the easiest way to get to the ward?”

  “I will lead you.”

  “What if I don’t want you to lead me?”

  Beckah grabbed for her sleeve, and Sam turned toward her, but neither stopped walking. “I want to help Alec the same as you,” Beckah said. “I don’t want him expelled from the university any more than you do. Probably less.”

  Sam glared at her. “I’m not sure that’s true.”

  She saw Raylene at the end of the hall and hurriedly turned a corner, ducking down a back staircase. She didn’t need any of the Kavers trying to grab her to train. If she was missing, at least there would be an excuse.

  Beckah kept pace, and they reached the outside of the palace neared the bridge.

  “Go ahead and cross the bridge. They won’t let me go across.”

  “Who won’t?”

  Sam nodded to the guards stationed there. “The guards. I imagine Alec gave you his ring to warn me?”

  Beckah glanced down at her hand where she still held the ring. “He did. He said I’d need it to come across here.”

  “No. It’s good that he did. Otherwise, you would have been prevented from crossing over to the section. But they won’t let me across.”

  “How will you get across then? Alec won’t be able to place an augmentation on you.”

  “I don’t need augmentation to cross the canal.”

  “But it’s so wide!”

  “Go. I’ll meet you on the other side.”
/>   Beckah hesitated, and Sam waved her away. She stepped up to the shore and looked around. Seeing no one there, she screwed the ends of her canal staff together and flipped out into the water. She landed on the staff, balancing as she had managed to master, and flipped her way across the water. When she landed on the far shore, she unscrewed the ends of her staff and quickly tucked them beneath her cloak. On this side of the water—near the university—there was no reason for her to have the canal staff so obvious.

  Beckah reached her a short while later. “How?”

  “I’m a Kaver.” She waved her hand. “Are you going to show me where the wards are?”

  Beckah looked across the canal for a moment before nodding and leading Sam into the university. She followed carefully, keeping her cloak wrapped around her shoulders, not wanting to draw attention, but if she did, she didn’t want to be recognized, either.

  It was dark inside the university, and Beckah started off at a confident pace, knowing where she was heading. Sam followed slowly, carefully. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, and when they heard voices along the hall, Beckah took a different path, leading them deeper and deeper into the university.

  The canal staff pressed against Sam’s leg, and she debated finding a place to hide it, but she didn’t like going without it. There was a certain reassurance in having the canal staff with her, even if there was nothing that she could use it for here. She crept along the halls of the university, following Beckah, hating that she was reliant on this woman of all people to help Alec.

  Then they reached a set of stairs, and she went down.

  “He’ll be in here,” she said as she paused in front of a set of double doors.

  Beckah pushed open one of the doors and slipped inside. Sam followed, keeping her cloak wrapped around her, her hood up to cover her face. They clung to one of the walls, and Sam hurriedly wrapped the cloak around Beckah so that she could conceal the other woman in it with her.