“What?” Luka was surprised enough that he spoke the word aloud.
“I believe you,” Melo covered his hand with hers. “I do. But, baby—” Her eyes fell to the box of Firebreather. “—this is very bad.”
“I know. I can explain!” Sarwin used his shackled hand to wipe away the sweat from his face. “I thought it held dried buchuleaf. I… the first two boxes definitely held buchu. I checked them myself.”
“Buchu leaf?” Luka prompted. He vaguely recalled it being some kind of medication, but he didn’t know it well.
“It has so many uses.” Sarwin swallowed roughly. “Joint pain, stomach problems, and especially for infections of the waters and… ah… loin fever. But it’s dangerous for pregnant women, it could cause them to lose the baby, so I keep it locked away.”
“But we don’t take buchu to the front,” Melo said slowly. “It’s too rare. There’s only one place in the berg that it grows.”
Sarwin leaned forward, his scales receding slightly. “Exactly. King Soshan banned it for common use. He only wanted it for the nobles, and after he died, the ban was never lifted. There are people who need it, and I could get it to them.”
“But why didn’t you tell me?” Melo asked, eyebrows drawn together. “We could have taken your suggestion to the queen.”
“At first, I assumed she’d be just like the king. Then I lost Benja and the shop, and then Rayan’s death put everyone on edge. After that… it was working well. I carried one box to the front a couple of times a year. It wasn’t hurting anyone—it was helping them—and I didn’t want to bring attention to it and risk losing it.”
It made sense. If it were true, Luka even had some sympathy for it. But there was still something that wasn’t clear. “Why didn’t you open the boxes?”
“I opened the first couple, but after that, I didn’t want to risk moisture getting in and making the leaf moldy.”
“Sure,” Aiden drawled coldly. “It was the mold you were worried about, not the money you were making.”
“I wouldn’t…. I don’t….” Sarwin turned to Melo, tears on his cheeks. “If I had any money, I would have bought my uncle’s shop!”
Luka fought to contain his beast’s rising grumble. “What happens to the box when you get to the front?”
“I have a contact. A corporal takes it to distribute.”
“And he pays you?”
“No! No one pays me. I just wanted to help.” He hiccoughed and then whispered, “But they send notes sometimes….”
“Notes?”
“Sealed letters. I assumed they held thank-you notes for the midwife.”
Luka paused as his beast rose inside him. “What midwife?”
Sarwin’s shoulders slumped as he wiped his face. “I know this old midwife. She can’t practice anymore because her joints trouble her. Her son harvests the buchu and boxes it up for me to collect when I check in on her.”
A wave of icy premonition slithered through Luka’s veins as his beast lurched to full attention. “What’s wrong with her joints?”
“She had red-scale sickness years ago. Very nearly lost everything. Luckily, her son was prepared to go into the mountains to harvest the buchu so they could finally have some income. I used to have to take food with me, but now they’re far more comfortable. They have extra blankets, new clothes….” His eyes widened.
His beast growled steadily as Luka asked, “And where, exactly, does this midwife live?”
“In Naos, not far from the Nabaspath.”
My mother lives in Naos, near the path.The voice played in his memory.She had to leave her job as a midwife. Now she’s alone.
Luka held himself still while his beast thrashed and howled inside him. “And who is her son?”
Sarwin stared at him, looking confused. “I never met him, but his mother speaks of him often. His name is Dashiell.”
Gods of fire.
Where was Dashiell now? He’d inserted himself into their investigation and into the castle guard. He’d manipulated them all—especially Luka—from the beginning. How the fuck had he missed this?
