Tormina: The Book of Maladies Read online

  “Then place an augmentation,” she said.

  “If nothing is wrong? If she’s fine, and I place an augmentation, then I run the risk of not only wasting easar paper, but once her strength fades, I weaken her.”

  “Only her?” When he frowned, she shrugged. “Are you weakened by the augmentation?”

  “Well, most of the augmentations actually grant her some additional strength in some way. I’m weakened with it also, but the ratio of blood used in it determines how much—”

  “I understand how the augmentations work,” Beckah said, grinning at him in a mocking way. “It’s more about what does the augmentations do to you?”

  Alec had thought about it, and he had studied the possibility of what might happen to him, but so far, he hadn’t detected anything that indicated he was lessened during an augmentation. The only thing that happened was a cold tingling that worked through him when he placed the augmentation.

  He pulled out a small scrap of easar paper and grabbed a vial of blood ink made with Sam’s and his blood, and dipped a pen into it, quickly scratching down an augmentation. As he often did, he focused on her size and speed, thinking that if nothing else, adding to her strength would benefit her most.

  “You should hurry,” Beckah said.

  Alec glanced up and saw that they weren’t alone in the library anymore. Master Carl had entered. He was a massive man, incredibly fat, and his large jowls drooped on either side of his face jiggled as he walked. He had a strange posture, keeping his back almost arched, forcing his enormous belly outward, almost as if he intended to use his enormous girth to intimidate people. And it worked. Alec knew he had a brilliant mind, but that wasn’t what intimidated him. It was his sheer size—and his position of power within the university. The only people who weren’t intimidated by him were the other masters.

  Worse was the fact that Master Carl did not care for Alec. He had made that clear over and over.

  Alec continued to scrawl his augmentation, hurrying now. He put less thought into it than he usually did, and felt cold wash over him.

  For a brief moment, he feared he had made a mistake. If Sam was safe, all he would have done was add strength to her until it faded, leaving her weakened. Considering how he had placed the augmentation, he might have given her more strength than he had intended.

  “Mr. Stross. I’m not surprised to see you sitting here with Miss Reynolds, though what do we have here?” He eyed the scrap of paper, and thankfully, Beckah had had the foresight to grab the vial of ink off the table and pocket it.

  “Nothing but a few notes, Master Carl.” Alec folded the paper and squeezed it in his palm. He hoped he didn’t smear the writing. Ink on easar paper usually needed a few moments to settle. He hadn’t bothered to check whether it set enough, or whether it had faded. That was the other risk. If their ink was stale—if the blood was too old—then it wouldn’t even hold on the easar paper.

  “Notes?”

  Alec pulled out one of his journals, figuring that it would be better to offer that to Master Carl than to show him the easar paper. “I take notes on everything I see. This one was from this morning.”

  Master Carl glanced at Alec’s hand before looking down to the journal. He scanned the writing quickly, and then he grunted. “A referral of pain is unlikely, with those presenting symptoms. You should rethink your treatment plan.”

  “My father saw—”

  Master Carl glared at him. “You mean your apothecary father?”

  Alec nodded. “My father saw symptoms like this before. Anytime the attempt was made to treat an abdominal source it was ineffective. There was always something else. Maybe heart, maybe—”

  “Again. I think that you should take the word of a master physicker over that of a common apothecary, Mr. Stross. But if you feel that your father”—he spat out the word— “knows more than university masters, perhaps you’d be better served returning to his apothecary to resume your studies.”

  “I’ll continue looking for alternative diagnoses,” Alec said, lowering his head. It was better not to argue with Master Carl, especially about something like that. Alec thought that he was right, but knew all too well that Master Carl had a sharp mind, and he had learned not to overlook that, knowing that if he did, he did so at not only his peril, but that of the person he was treating.

  Master Carl glared at Alec before turning and moving past, heading toward the section of the library reserved for the masters. Alec watched him go, feeling helpless.

  “You shouldn’t allow him that power over you,” Beckah said.

  “What choice do I have? He’s one of the masters and…”

  “And you’ve shown that you know as much as most of them,” Beckah said. “They know it. You have a quick mind. Master Eckerd said it himself.”

  Alec smiled. He had heard Master Eckerd use that compliment on him. He hoped that he was deserving of it.

  “Did you finish?” Beckah asked.

  Alec glanced down to his hand and unfolded the scrap of paper. The ink had dried in time, though it had smeared a little. Would it matter if the ink smeared? He hadn’t tested whether the nature of his handwriting made a difference. There were times when he’d used his finger to write with, and he didn’t know whether that made a difference or not. Maybe it didn’t. Maybe all that mattered was the words on the page, and the combination of his and Sam’s blood.

  “I think so. I… I hope so.”

  He turned his attention back to the book, unable to take his mind off of Sam, though he knew that he should maintain his focus. She needed him to continue learning, because what he learned helped both of them. If he managed to learn enough to help them, then they wouldn’t have to fear another attack. They wouldn’t have to fear the Thelns. They might finally find a way to help Tray.

  As he studied the page, he couldn’t help but notice that Master Carl glanced over at him from time to time. He wanted nothing more than to avoid Master Carl’s attention. Out of all of the masters, he was the one Alec wanted to notice him the least.

  5

  Waiting for Samara

  Water from the canal sloshed gently against the edge of the canal, though Alec didn’t know whether that came from the movement of barges through the canals or the gentle breeze that occasionally gusted around him. Maybe it was both. He stared out at the water, imagining what it must feel like for Sam to soar across the canal, using her staff as she jumped, leaping the distance. How freeing must that be for her?

  “You still haven’t heard anything from her?” Beckah said.

  Alec glanced over. Beckah sat with her legs crossed alongside the canal, leaning over a journal that lay open before her. Since observing the way Alec studied, she had taken to copying him. She wasn’t the only one who had. There were quite a few people at the university who now kept notes in a journal the same way as Alec. He didn’t know whether to be flattered or worried. There was some advantage to him being the only one to study in that way. It allowed him to set himself apart, and to gain the notice of the masters. With what he wanted to do, he needed to gain their attention and their favor.

  “I haven’t heard anything other than a note that said she was fine.” He fingered the scrap of paper in his pocket. It had been far too brief for Sam, which told him that something had happened, though she either hadn’t felt comfortable detailing it in the note or she wasn’t going to tell him. He wasn’t certain which.

  “At least you know that she’s unharmed.”

  Alec nodded. “At least there’s that.”

  “Did she say anything about her brother?”

  Alec shook his head. “She wouldn’t, not in a note like that.”

  “Who are you talking about?”

  Alec spun to see Stefan approaching. He was tall and gangly, and he wore thick glasses. Alec wasn’t sure whether Stefan’s grandmother would share with her grandson the nature of what they did, but it would seem Master Helen had kept it to herself. Alec supposed he shouldn’t have been
surprised. If she was a Scribe—and the role she played during the attack on the canals had proven that she was—then she would be like all of the other masters who protected the secrets of the canals as well as the secrets of the university.

  “A girl,” Beckah said.

  “You let him talk about another girl?” Stefan asked.

  “Not by choice,” Beckah said.

  Alec frowned at her. “Would that be an issue for you?”

  “Would it?” she asked with a hint of a smile.

  Alec’s frown deepened. “Beckah?”

  She closed her journal and set it on her lap, grinning at him. “You’re so easy to harass. I suppose you know that, though. That makes it even more entertaining.”

  “I don’t want to be more entertaining,” Alec said.

  “No? Even for that friend of yours?”

  He appreciated that Beckah didn’t use Sam’s name, especially not until he knew exactly what to make of Stefan. He doubted that Stefan would do or say anything that would cause them trouble, but he didn’t know him, not well enough.

  “Is it somebody from the university?” Stefan asked.

  Beckah stood and walked over to Stefan, elbowing him as she approached. “I thought we weren’t going to talk about her around me,” she said, glancing over at Alec.

  “I thought you said you didn’t care.”

  “Just because a girl doesn’t care doesn’t mean that you should go around flaunting other women in front of her. Especially that woman.”

  “What does that mean?” Stefan asked.

  “Ask our friend here.”

  Stefan turned to Alec, looking at him with a curious expression.

  Alec only shook his head. “I’m not going to justify that with a response.”

  “Does she have anything to do with that business on the grounds recently?”

  Alec and Beckah shared a look before they both shook their heads at the same time. Alec hadn’t realized anyone had witnessed or heard the encounter in the courtyard with Marin. He knew they’d been less than discreet in their escape from the building and their efforts to help Sam, but they’d obviously earned the attention of onlookers. They needed to be more cautious.

  “What business is that?”

  “Whatever it was that got the masters all up in arms,” Stefan said. “Grandma Helen doesn’t really talk about it, but then again, she doesn’t really talk about much when it comes to what the masters are doing.”

  “She must say something,” Beckah prodded.

  “Only that she’s annoyed with Master Carl and Master Eckerd and Master Charles and Master…”

  Alec waved his hands in front of him. “You made your point. It seems as if Grandma Helen is annoyed with everyone.”

  “Pretty much. That’s what I got to enjoy growing up. She is very particular about the people she associates with.”

  “Well then, perhaps we should see what she thinks of our friend Alec here. Most of the masters seem to have taken a shine to him.”

  “Not Master Carl,” Alec said.

  Stefan chuckled. “I don’t think Master Carl likes anyone. So, don’t think that makes you special.”

  “That’s not what makes Alec think he’s special,” she said with a smile.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Alec asked.

  Beckah only shrugged. She glanced at the canal, staring out at the water. “I think I’m going to take a stroll. I need to clear my head before our next talk.”

  When she disappeared, Alec stared after her. Beckah had been off since the attack, and he thought that it mostly had to do with what she’d discovered about herself—and about him—but maybe there was more to it. Could she be angry? Maybe not angry with him, but he wondered if she was angry that they hadn’t discovered anything about Tray’s whereabouts. For her not to have the chance to work with her Kaver, to never learn and understand exactly what she could do with these abilities. She had to be frustrated. Beckah was as motivated as he was, if not more so. Plus, she was smart. So for this potential ability to go untapped, unused, would be a significant loss.

  “She’s been bothered by something,” Stefan said.

  “I can see that,” Alec said.

  “I don’t know that you do. I think… I think that she has feelings for you.”

  Alec turned to Stefan. His friend was staring after Beckah, watching her as she disappeared around the curve and followed the course of the canal. The university was situated on a massive section of land, close enough to the palace that he could see it from here, but far enough away that it created a separation from the rest of the city.

  The university grounds were meticulously maintained. A thick carpet of grass created a lush blanket beneath their feet. Gardeners kept wondrous-smelling flowers lining the paths, and bushes had been sculpted into various forms, creating an artistic walkway for them to follow out to the canals. The buildings themselves were not nearly as ornate as the palace, but there was still a majesty to them, from the white stone that gleamed in the sunlight to the spires that rose toward the heavens, as if the knowledge within the university could challenge that of the gods.

  “I don’t think her feelings for me are what’s bothering her now,” Alec said. He hadn’t thought about the extent of Beckah’s feelings for him, though he knew she felt something.

  “Do you have any sisters?”

  Alec grinned when he looked over to Stefan. “You know I don’t. My mother died before they had a chance to have another.”

  Stefan nodded sadly. “And I’m sorry to bring that up. It’s only that… if you had sisters, you would understand that there’s more to her actions than what she is saying. There always has been.”

  “Are you trying to tell me that Beckah has romantic feelings for me?”

  “You can’t tell?”

  “Other than the fact that she harasses me every chance she gets and taunts me whenever she can, and the fact that I know she has feelings for someone else.” He looked up at Stefan innocently.

  Stefan blushed. “I don’t have an interest in Beckah.”

  “Why not? She’s lovely enough.”

  “She is. She has wonderful hair. The way it falls to her shoulders in waves…” Stefan blushed again. “But I don’t have an interest in her.”

  “Why tell me this, Stefan?”

  “I just want to make sure that you don’t hurt her feelings. We still have years ahead of us at the university, and it’s important to have good friends with whom you can study. Friends who understand what we’re going through, because we are doing it together. I know I don’t want to go through those years alone, and neither should you. My grandmother made it clear that was how she got through her time at the university. She had her own group of friends that ensured that she was supported.”

  Alec tried to think of what friends Master Helen would have chosen back then, but fell short. “Do you know who they were?”

  “Other than Master Eckerd, Master Carl, Master Charles…”

  Alec grinned. “I can’t imagine Master Helen being in the same group with them.”

  “Oh, she was. They were quite something, from what I hear. To hear her tell the story, they once were inseparable.”

  “Even Master Carl?”

  “Master Carl wasn’t always the way he is now.”

  “No. I suppose Master Carl once wanted more power,” Alec said, thinking back to what Master Eckerd had told him. Carl had political aspirations, which wasn’t unusual. Many who went through the university did. What was unusual was for someone who failed in their political ambitions to return to the university and rise to the level of master. That spoke of Carl’s natural ability—at least when it came to medical knowledge. When it came to his political ability… That was a different matter. Likely as not, Alec conjectured, Master Carl had angered as many people in the political realm as he often did in the university.

  Stefan smiled. “You know, I didn’t come here to chat about Master Carl. He is fascinating, b
ut…”

  Alec looked over at his friend. “What is it?”

  “I thought that we could study.”

  “Study?"

  They shared many of the same classes, but when it came to their clinical exposure, Alec had been advanced to a level beyond Stefan. He had advanced beyond Beckah, as well, though neither of his friends seemed to mind. They both enjoyed the fact that Alec excelled, basking in his exposure, likely thinking they could borrow some of that shine.

  “Yes, well, we were on rounds this morning, and we came across someone suffering with a strange ailment.”

  “I’m sure the masters knew what the ailment was. Just use what they gave you.” Most of the time, they offered hints at the diagnosis. Sometimes, those hints involved treatment, and when they made their rounds, the students were expected to come up with their diagnosis and then a treatment plan. Few students at their level were ever correct. That was why Alec had the advantage. He had spent many years serving as his father’s apprentice, years during which he had been given an opportunity to study and learn and test his own diagnoses, something that none within the university could claim.

  “It’s a difficult diagnosis,” Stefan said. “At least, Master Jessup tells us that it is.”

  Alec didn’t have much experience with Master Jessup; only that he was well-regarded. He hadn’t discovered whether Jessup was one of the Scribes or not, though doubted that he was. If he had been, he suspected Master Eckerd would have shared that with him. Wouldn’t he have?

  “What do you know?”

  “Well…”

  “Do you want me to come with you?” Alec asked.

  Stefan let out a relieved sigh. “Would you?”

  Alec glanced along the canal where Beckah had disappeared. He had done most of his studying for the day, and he hadn’t followed any complicated patients on the ward, so didn’t expect to be needed. As he often did when looking out at the palace, he held out hope that he might encounter Sam or get word about where she had been and what she’d been up to. If he went with Stefan, any chance of discovering that would be gone.