Hae went stiff.“Surely someone else could—”
“I trust no one else,” Faucher cut him off.“Ensure she is secured.”
Hae’s jaw tightened.“My skills would be much more useful pursuing the Rosser twins.”
Sam and Ben were still free?Relief enveloped me.But where did that leave Charles?
“We have their ship and their witch,” Faucher broke in, heading for the door now.“Do not let her leave your sight.”
Hae swallowed his indignance until his superior left the room, then descended into muttering curses.He began to unfasten my restraints, and my heart—already worn to tatters—began to hammer again.Did I dare try to Otherwalk?Right out those windows and… where?I had no idea how high up we were.
We have their ship and their witch.
I looked back to Hae.By the sounds of things, he knew whereHartwas.Could I trick him into telling me?Or simply distract him?If he was here, watching me, he was not in the Other tracking Sam.
I could use this.
The Cleric considered Hae coldly.“You are aware that she is badly injured.She cannot walk.Or do you intend to carry her?”
“She’sghiseau,” he replied, tossing the last strap and grabbing my arm to haul me upright.“She will manage.”
I gasped in pain and punched him, but he easily deflected the blow and grabbed me by the hair.
The Cleric watched with clear disapproval.“Where will you take her?”
“The apartments.”
“I am aware of that.Which one?”
I lost track of their exchange as Hae dragged me upright, and, as soon as weight settled on my leg, my world cracked into blackness.I blinked back an instant later, still wavering on my feet, with Hae on one side of me and the Cleric on the other.
The Cleric eased away, searched my eyes for a moment, then nodded to Hae, who prodded me towards the door.
The realization that I might not see the Cleric again made me desperate.
“Can you heal a corrupted mage?”I asked, throwing aside all caution.“Please!Can you?”
Hae shoved my head forward with a brutal, open palm.
The Cleric’s expression twitched in disapproval, but they gave a subtle nod.
Hae shoved me through the door of the infirmary and slammed it behind us, then prodded me into motion.“No more talking.No more questions.”
“Questionsaretalking,” I pointed out, and received another shove for my trouble.I grabbed the wall and barely kept my feet.
Mary, Tane warned.
Where I had expected tight, dark corridors and locked doors, the passageways of the Ess Noti were blessedly broad and frequently interrupted by archways to brightly lit chambers.Clean air flowed from cracked upper windows, cool and fresh with spring.Somechambers were empty, halls lined with books and cabinets and cases of astonishingly clear glass, behind which various treasures or weapons loomed.One chamber held human skeletons, all wired together in semblance of life and interspersed with desks where figures labored over ink and ledgers.Another room, small and circular, held a singular statue of stone—a figure with his arms crossed over his chest as if he lay in a coffin, and a crown about his throat like a noose.A memorial, perhaps?Still another chamber held the skeleton of some Otherborn beast, like the spidery squid Sam had once summoned from the Other.
Rather than a den of secrecy, the halls of the Ess Noti were open and unreserved.This was a powerful display of control, knowledge, and confidence, here in the seat of their power.
Soon, however, the windows grew less frequent, and several doors were closed.One I saw through for a short time, held open by a page who froze and ducked her head at the sight of Hae.I saw a man with impossibly tired eyes, working in a leather apron.He straightened slowly from a stone table laden with a tiny forge, rows of vials and bowls full of pellets of various metals that shone in the light from the window.A wall of tiny drawers was to one side, and bowls of coins—talismans—lay on the table.
A talisman maker.The back of my neck prickled, then Hae prodded me on and the stranger was left behind.
CONCERNING SUMMONERS—One of the most fascinating types of Adjacent Mages, Summoners possess a Sooth’s insight into the Other and a natural allure to creatures of that realm, along with the ability to control and influence such beasts.Some speculate this is the effect of Magni magic in the bloodline of the Sooth, others that the skill remains separate from Magni magic and is a breed entirely its own, if similar in application.
Regardless, a Summoner’s ability to compel, tame, and even train Otherborn creatures has broad and exciting applications, and is of immense value to the Mereish people.
