Mother Narr smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she set aside her knitting and motioned for me to take a seat by the fire. Her eyes softened, and she reached out to pat my hand. “You helped deliver my grandson into this world, Seranni. It’s only right that I should repay the favor, especially when what you have done is sospecial.”
My heart seized with fear. Had she seen me do my magic? Did she know?
Mother Narr leaned forward and dropped her voice. “I know my grandson would not be alive if it weren’t for your…talents.” She looked me in the eye, leaving no doubt that she knew what I had done.
“I—”
“Of course, if anyone were to ask me what you did; how you saved my grandson, I can only say that these old eyes aren’t what they used to be,” she said, winking. “All I know is that you brought my grandson safely into this world, like the stellar healer that you are.”
I stammered my thanks, but my thoughts were elsewhere. If Mother Narr knew about my magic, who else might have guessed?
Sighing, I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what was to come, and met Mother Narr’s gaze with a determined stare. Thishad just become ten times more uncomfortable, because I wasn’t sure how she would take what I had to say now.
“While we’re on the subject, Mother Narr, I appreciate your generosity, but I can look after myself. I don't need your charity.”
Mother Narr’s expression softened; her eyes filled with understanding as she reached out to pat my hand reassuringly. “Oh, child,” she said, her voice tinged with sadness. “You misunderstand. We Narrs are a proud people, and we believe in paying our debts. You helped bring my grandson into this world, and for that, I am eternally grateful. The food I send is simply my way of repaying you for your kindness.” She patted my hand again. “Besides, It's the least I can do for a young woman with no family of her own, like yourself.”
“But I’m not alone,” I snapped, trying to stop my voice from trembling with emotion. “I have my father. He'll be back soon, I'm sure of it.”
Mother Narr’s smile faltered, just for a moment, before she quickly turned pitying. “Oh, poor dear,” she said, her voice tinged with compassion. “I know it’s hard, but you must face the truth, Seranni. Your father has abandoned you, run away to seek better fortunes elsewhere. It would be wise of you to wake up and see the truth, child.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I snarled. “My fatherlovesme; he would never abandon me. You don’t know anything about him, about us.”
The babe in the other room fussed and started to cry, no doubt awakened by my temper. His mother sang him back to sleep and I fell silent, feeling ashamed. I had promised myself I wouldn’t lose my temper; I knew the meddlesome old lady was only trying to help.
A moment passed, and Mother Narr reached out to touch my cheek gently, her eyes filled with sympathy as she did. “I'm sorry, child,” she said, her voice tinged with regret. “I didn't mean to upset you. But sometimes, the truth is hard to hear. And it’s better to face it head-on than to live in denial.”
I jerked away from her touch, my heart pounding in my chest as I rose to my feet, my fists clenched at my sides. “I think I should go,” I said, my voice trembling with emotion. “Thank you for everything, Mother Narr. But please, don’t send me anything else. I can’t accept it, not anymore.” I paused. “If you need me to have a look at the babe, please send Riana to call for me, otherwise, I shall not be visiting again.”
I walked back to my house, my heart still pounding. My skin felt hot, and I couldn’t stop my pulse from thrumming. I had said all I wanted to, yet I still felt like going back to the Narrs and shouting some more.
As I walked past the mayor’s house, I saw the curtains twitch in the window, drawing my eye. Voren stood at the window, watching me go. He raised a hand in greeting, and I nodded, glad that I didn’t have to stop and talk. I had been sure he’d seen me yesterday when I had healed the Narr babe with my magic, but if he had, wouldn’t he have approached me by now?
Another thought had ice forming in my veins. What if the only reason Voren hadn’t come to speak to me was because he was waiting to report me to his father, the mayor? The head of each town and village in Telluria was legally bound to report magic users in their communities. What if Voren’s father had already written to the authorities? The army could be on their way to Vilusia right now.
I hastened my step. For now, it would be better to pretend that I was ill. I could hide out at home, and continue to sneak away tothe tower. I would take a few days to learn all that I could from the mage’s tower, and then I would run away. Even though I had dreamed of it, now that the time had come, it broke my heart to consider leaving the house where I had grown up. But this was the only way. I had to leave Vilusia and find a safe place to hide until I could join Father.
I hurried home and locked the door behind me, feeling marginally safer. I had a desultory lunch, followed by a stew and the rest of the bread and cheese for my supper. I organized the rest of my healing supplies—magical and mundane—mended my clothes, and dozed lightly, passing the time until dusk fell.
That evening, I couldn’t shake the sense of foreboding. After supper, I prepared my herbs and packed a small satchel with essentials. If the worst happened, I needed to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.
Slowly, Vilusia ground to a halt all around me, the sounds of the town dying down as my neighbors and friends blew out their lamps, called out their goodnights to each other, and shut their doors. I waited until an hour had passed after the last sound, when I could be sure that everyone was asleep.
The moon hung low in the sky as I slipped out of my door, drawing it shut behind me. A silvery glow hung over the snowy streets, and I drew my cloak tighter around me as I hurried to the tower.
My breath fogged in the cold air, and I kept my head low as I hurried toward the woods.
The forest loomed ahead, its shadows deep and still. The mage’s tower was a sanctuary, a place where I could lose myself in study and escape the growing tension in the village.
I could almost feel the warmth of the fire that would be waiting for me, and I was sure Kael would have a mug of hot tea waiting.
Smiling to myself, I kept my head down and hurried on, my steps light and silent.
“Seranni.”
I jumped and clapped a hand over my mouth to muffle my scream. Spinning around, I saw Voren materialize out of the shadows, stepping forward to meet me in the street. He had evidently been waiting by the window for me to pass and had stepped out of his home as soon as he saw me. He had on a warm woolen jacket against the cold wind and the snow.
“What are you doing here, Voren?”
