The Healing Wars: Book II: Blue Fire Read online

  I squared my shoulders. Tali was counting on me. There had to be a way.

  “Vyand is a tracker, and she’s good. She’d have her men watching the boats she thinks I’m most likely to approach. Gevegian traders, Verlattian cargo ships, small personal skiffs. The more desperate looking the better.”

  “What if they see us and follow us back to the villa?”

  I hadn’t thought of that. “You talk to the captains then, and I’ll watch to see if you’re followed. I doubt there are many folks trying to get to Geveg. That should be enough to get her attention.”

  “If she’s listening.”

  I scanned the docks and the ships as we walked. Most flew Baseeri flags, but I spotted three flags I didn’t recognize. On big ships too. Maybe they were from cities farther up the river.

  “There.” I pointed at a small trader, its wide, flat hull good for pulling into the shallows. “That’s the same kind of boat Barnikoff used to smuggle our Takers off Geveg.”

  “I’ll go talk to him. You stay out of sight.”

  “I’ll wait right over there.”

  He headed for the smuggler’s boat and I sat on a row of discarded crates between dock vendors. Children laughed ahead and a boy raced out of the crowd, a whole steamed fish in his hands. A lanky man appeared next, and from the way he was yelling, he was not happy about losing a fish. Boy and fish came toward me. It was the same boy who’d helped me my first day in Baseer.

  He cut close to me and dived behind the crates. The man elbowed his way through the crowd a heartbeat later, looking around.

  “He went that way,” I said, pointing in the opposite direction. “Down that dock there.”

  The man paused, but Neeme’s clothes must have made me look respectable, because he nodded and ran off where I’d pointed.

  I waited a few heartbeats. “He’s gone.”

  The boy poked his head out, bits of fish smeared across his mouth. “Thanks.” He squinted; then his eyes grew wide. “Stolen girl!”

  So much for my disguise. “That’s me.”

  “How’d you grow your hair?”

  I wiggled the braid. “It’s fake.”

  He grinned. “Fake on you, but real on somebody.”

  “My friend.”

  He nodded and tore off another chunk of fish. “Hungry?”

  “No, thank you.” I pulled one of the pears I’d saved from breakfast out of my pocket. “I have an extra if you want.”

  He nodded fast and reached for it, still gnawing on the fish. “The hunt don’t find you yet?”

  “Not yet. I’m hunting them now.”

  He giggled and tossed the bones over his shoulder. “They got Iesta.”

  I winced. The pack leader who’d broken Neeme’s leg. If he told them I’d shifted into him, I might have more than Vyand after me.

  “Broke his leg and left him hurting. He died.”

  Died? My chest tightened. It shouldn’t have bothered me—Iesta would have killed Neeme—but I had too many deaths on my conscience already.

  “Don’t be sad,” the boy said, patting me on the shoulder. “Iesta was mean as fire. Nobody liked him none.”

  “What about your pack?”

  He shrugged. “We eat okay. Quenji knows where the open windows are.”

  “What’s your name?”

  “Ceun.”

  “I’m Nya.”

  His gaze darted sideways and he dropped behind the crates again. I leaned back, covering him, and scanned the docks for whatever had spooked him. The fish seller returned, a frown on his face. He ignored me and vanished into the crowd.

  “Ceun, have you seen any trackers around here lately?”

  He hugged himself and shuddered hard. “Leave them alone.”

  “I’m trying to. I just need to know if any have been asking around about me.”

  Ceun hopped up on a low stone wall overlooking the harbor. A strong breeze blew through, rustling the trees behind us. “Who looking for you?”

  “A woman name Vyand. A little taller than me, always neatly dressed, hair perfect. She works with Stewwig, a huge man who never says anything.”

  His eyes lit up. “Stew-Pot!”

  “You know him?”

  “He eats what he hunts. That’s how he grew so big. You not want to be caught by him.”

  I laughed. “Have you seen them here lately?”

  “No, but the pack might. Can I join your hunt?” His blue eyes sparkled.

  If anyone else had asked, I’d have said no, but Ceun could probably take care of himself better than I could. Besides, street packs had eyes everywhere. If anyone could find out who Vyand was talking to in this chaos, they could. And if Vyand heard someone else was asking about me or her down here, it might help lure her out. “You can.”

  He smiled big as the moon.

  “She should have sent men by now,” I said four days later. We’d spoken to a dozen boats, played the role of scared travelers trying to get out of the city but not being able to afford it. Ceun’s pack hadn’t seen any of Vyand’s men, and no one was asking about me.

  We hadn’t found any other way into the foundry, so if Vyand did leave, we’d have to try the aqueduct and hope we could improvise when we got there. After so long, I wasn’t sure Tali was even there anymore. Getting pynvium for Onderaan’s device might be the only chance I had left to save her.

  I tried to ignore the nagging voice in my head that said I should have gone after her first. Every time I heard it, I couldn’t look Aylin or Danello in the eye for a while.

  “Maybe my plan wasn’t so good,” Aylin said.

  Danello sat up, but it was a struggle. I helped him, and his skin felt feverish. “Maybe you should book passage and see what happens,” he said.

  “Worth a shot.”

  We had to do something soon. Danello didn’t look well. He’d carried the pain only a few hours, but already his face was pale and sweaty, and he trembled even under heavy blankets. Halima sat with him, trying to get him to eat. Aylin looked glad to be rid of the pain but guilty that it was Danello’s turn. I knew exactly how she felt.

  Jeatar had left yesterday saying he’d be back in a few days. Siekte still wanted me gone and argued with Onderaan constantly. Onderaan didn’t seem as enthusiastic about our plan as he once had been, and I feared Siekte was starting to convince him to get rid of us.

  “We’ll let you rest,” I told Danello, wanting to hug him. He couldn’t take it, though.

  “See…ya soon.”

  “We don’t have much longer, do we?” Aylin asked the moment our door was shut.

  “I’d guess one more shift for each of us.”

  She paled but nodded. “What are we going to do?”

  I had no idea. “Maybe Onderaan can get his healing device to work.”

  “Okay.” She looked as hopeful as I felt.

  I left our room and went to Onderaan’s door. Neeme and Ellis were sitting in the main room again, playing cards this time. Onderaan had stopped all missions after Mondri and Fenda. Except for whatever Jeatar was doing. That was part of the reason Siekte was so mad.

  I knocked.

  “Come.”

  Onderaan was behind his desk, maps and papers spread out in front of him. He looked up. “Nya. What can I do for you?”

  “We can’t keep shifting the pain. I was hoping you could try your healing device on Danello.”

  He sighed and rubbed his eyes. “It’s not ready yet.”

  “He’s dying. We’re out of time.”

  “I know. I’ve been studying maps and reports of the foundry. There’s no way inside without a full attack.”

  “The aqueduct will work.”

  “It’s too risky. If you’re discovered, escape is unlikely.”

  I’d find a way. “Will you try the device? Or let me try it? Maybe having a Taker use it would help.” My skin twitched at the thought of it on my hands. Better than Danello dying, though.

  “I’ll try.” He pulled the device from
his drawer. “No guarantees.”

  “There never are.”

  We went to Danello’s room. Neeme watched us pass with enough curiosity to fill six cats. I knocked and entered.

  “We have an idea,” I said. Aylin slipped in behind me, a forced smile on her face.

  Danello looked up. “Almost…as scary as…‘I have a plan.’”

  I grinned and blinked back tears. “I’m going to try the healing device on you.”

  He nodded.

  Onderaan handed me the device. My skin started itching the moment it touched me, but I slipped it over my wrist and fingers.

  “Just squeeze and flick,” Onderaan said.

  I took Danello’s hand and squeezed, then flicked my wrist.

  Nothing.

  I flicked and then squeezed.

  Still nothing.

  I concentrated on the pynvium, pleading with it to draw the pain away. My hand tingled, but it was probably just me, not the device. I pulled it off and rubbed my wrist.

  “I’m sorry, it didn’t work.”

  “It’s okay. I can hold it.”

  I took his hand again and felt my way in. Thick blood, but no spots on his organs yet. He wouldn’t be comfortable, but he could indeed hold it until tonight. I just needed to have a plan to get rid of it by then.

  “I’m sorry,” Onderaan said.

  “We need to break into the foundry tonight.”

  He shook his head. “It’s too dangerous. You’ll wait until Jeatar returns, like we planned.”

  “Danello can’t wait that long.”

  He sighed, compassion in his eyes, but no sign of giving in. “Wait for Jeatar.” He left the room, closing the door softly behind him.

  Aylin looked at me, tears in her eyes. Danello was pain sick now, but it would be me in that bed tomorrow. And I wouldn’t be getting out of it.

  “We’ll fix this,” she said, her voice catching. “You’ll think of something.”

  The only thing that came to me was taking the pain, knocking on the foundry door, and giving it all to Vyand.

  “You rest,” I said, brushing the hair from Danello’s eyes. “I’ll be back later.”

  We left Danello’s room. Neeme and Ellis were standing in the hall, arms folded, faces stern.

  “What’s going on?” Neeme asked.

  “What do you mean?” I said.

  “Something is going on. Onderaan has been preoccupied and more secretive than usual. Jeatar is doing Saints-know-what. Siekte is furious and grumbling. You’ve stopped borrowing the uniforms, but you borrowed other things instead. You changed your looks. You go out all the time, but you three are never actually three anymore. Only two of you are seen each day, and it’s always a different two.”

  I looked at Aylin. She shrugged.

  “We’ve been sharing pain,” I said.

  “You’ve been what?”

  “I wasn’t able to shift all of Ellis’s pain into the soldier before he died. We need pynvium and a Healer to get rid of what’s left, but there’s none available. We’ve been trying to figure out a way to get some. Until then, one of us holds it every day.”

  They both looked confused. “Why do you share it?”

  “Because shifted pain kills whoever carries it after a few days. By moving it around, we extend the amount of time we can carry it before it kills someone, but it gets worse every time I shift it. It’s really bad now.”

  Now they both looked horrified. “That’s awful.”

  “I know. And we need to go out again and find some pynvium somehow by tonight, so if you…”

  They were ignoring me, whispering with their heads close together. Neeme frowned, but Ellis nodded. Finally she sighed, and they turned back to us.

  “I’ll take it,” Ellis said. “That’ll give you another day, yes?”

  I just gaped.

  “It will,” said Aylin. “Thanks.”

  “Are you sure?” I said.

  “You saved me. Let me help you.”

  “Me too,” Neeme added. “That’ll give you even more time.”

  “Could you split it,” Ellis asked. “Give each of us half so it isn’t as bad? Would that spread it out even longer?”

  “It might. It would certainly make it easier on you.”

  “What do we do?”

  I took them into Danello’s room. He seemed surprised to see them, but he didn’t have the energy to do more than glance up. Neeme and Ellis looked less sure once they got a look at him. I picked up Danello’s hand and held my other out.

  “Just give me your hand. Who wants to go first?” I should have given them one last chance to say no, but we needed them too badly.

  Ellis put her hand in mine. “This is going to hurt, isn’t it?”

  “It’ll feel a lot like when you got stabbed. Some of it’s the same pain.”

  She grimaced, but nodded. “Do it.”

  I drew from Danello and pushed into Ellis. She cried out and pulled away, but I kept hold of her. Neeme caught her shoulders and held her steady.

  “Saints, that’s bad,” Ellis said, wrapping her arms around her middle.

  Neeme licked her lips. “Um—”

  “Oh no,” Ellis said, pushing her forward. “You’re not getting out of this.”

  I held out my hand. Neeme grabbed it and closed her eyes. I drew, I pushed, she shrieked, then laughed uneasily.

  “That pack leader really got what was coming to him if this is what he felt,” she said.

  More deaths, more guilt, but I held my tongue. “Do you have rooms you can rest in?”

  “Yes, in the other wing.” Ellis turned and headed slowly for the door. “We’ll be fine. You two—no, make that you three—go find pynvium and Healers so we don’t have to do this again.”

  I looked at Danello, sitting up now, even if he did look tired.

  “That’s sounds good to me,” he said.

  “Except Aylin and I will go out. You stay here and rest. We’ll be back in a few hours with some kind of plan.” We were going into the foundry tonight, no matter what. If Vyand was still there, we’d figure out how to get past her when we had to.

  Danello looked dubious.

  “Don’t worry.”

  “Can I worry?” Aylin asked.

  “No.”

  We left Danello and headed out to the street. I caught Aylin’s arm as we left the villa.

  “We’re breaking in tonight,” I said.

  “I had a feeling you were going to say that.”

  “We’ll need help, though.”

  “Ceun’s pack?”

  “That’s what I was thinking.” There was enough in the foundry to tempt even the most cautious thieves, and if I could show them a way in and a workable plan, they might be willing to help for whatever they could carry out.

  We hurried to the docks, no longer needing the map. With its gridlike streets, Baseer wasn’t that hard to get around in, really. Hardest part was getting through the crowds.

  Several large ships were being unloaded as we got there. I wove between unloaders and the stuff they were unloading, holding my breath more than once from the smell. We reached the stone wall with the good view we’d been meeting Ceun at every day and jumped up on it. It was almost noon.

  “What about Vyand?” Aylin asked.

  “We’ll try Danello’s idea. Book passage tonight and hope she hears about it.”

  “Pretty risky.”

  “What choice do we have?”

  “Stolen girl!”

  We both jumped. Ceun was on the wall beside me. The boy was quiet as sunshine.

  “You scared me.”

  He grinned. “Saw Stew-Pot.”

  My heart flipped. “Where? At the docks?”

  “He and his pretty lady got on a boat yesterday afternoon.”

  “They left yesterday?” Saints! We missed an entire night.

  He nodded. “Tried to see you too, but you weren’t here.”

  I was such a fool. It had never occurred
to me to watch the foundry and see if Vyand left. Not that that would have helped much, since our seals didn’t work anymore. But it didn’t matter—she was gone! I hugged Ceun and he laughed.

  “Ceun, I need your help tonight. Can you get your pack leader to meet me right away? I have an idea that will make you all rich.”

  His eyes widened. “For that I bring you the whole pack.”

  “I’ll need your help with something else.” I pulled out the small bag of coins Jeatar had given me. “Can you find me four or five iron boxes like the fishermen use to keep their flares dry?”

  He grinned at the coins. “I can even get those without buying.”

  “I’ll need them by tonight.”

  “For the rich plan?”

  “Exactly.”

  “I’ll fetch Quenji and go shop. Wait here.”

  I sat back as he raced off into the crowd.

  “What are the boxes for?” Aylin asked, settling onto the wall next to me.

  “Justice.”

  I couldn’t wait to tell Danello. We had a foundry to break into.

  EIGHTEEN

  The neighborhood with the boardinghouses was quiet and dark, with only about half the streetlamps lit. A few more would have been nice, since it would have made it that much harder to spot us in the dark above. A half-moon cast enough light to help us see, but it didn’t make it easy.

  We’d sneaked out of the villa one at a time, and though the guards in the main house saw us, they must have been used to us leaving by now, because no one tried to stop us. Whether or not they told Onderaan we’d left was something I’d deal with when we got back.

  If we got back.

  Ceun arrived with Quenji, the new pack leader, and another boy, Zee. Others in the pack had wanted to help, but we figured the more we had, the more likely we’d be caught. All of us carried empty sacks on our belts and backpacks with supplies.

  We stood on the top landing in one of the boardinghouses closest to the aqueduct. The window was already open and just big enough for us to crawl through and climb up the outside of the building to the roof.

  “Last chance to change your mind,” I said.

  Ceun smiled. “We all go.”

  Quenji ruffled his hair. “There’s lots of good stuff to steal in there. We’ll eat for a year.” He laughed. “We could eat for months just from the stories. People talk about you, Shifter, but we’ll have truth to tell, not gossip.”