EPIC: Fourteen Books of Fantasy (46 page)

The chatter in the room increased. ‘Dead bloodline,’ someone said. ‘Don’t like them healers,’ came another.

Mrs. Moferbury had told me the healers used to heal Senyans for free until the plague struck. She didn’t tell me much more than that, except that many of the bloodlines had died out and that most of the rest had gone to Meligna to live.

‘And where are you from, Adenine?’

I decided to lie, even though I knew it was bad. ‘Phrest.’ Phrest was the only other town I knew besides Juxon City and the trader town of Old Bow. Well, and Meligna, the northern city of the Queens, but if I’d said that, there would be trouble.

‘A little fishing community, excellent, and how are you enjoying Borrelia?’

‘It’s good.’

‘How old were you when your eyes were burned, Adenine?’ Healer Euka asked.

‘Ten.’

‘Oh, so you remember what colour your eyes are?’

I hesitated. I’d never seen my eyes before so I didn’t know. One day, I had asked Mama, and she’d told me that my eyes were the same colour as hers and Father’s: brown. Father’s eyes had been a lighter brown than Mother’s. I remembered how they smiled when he joked with me. I remembered how they lit up when I pleased him.

‘Yes,’ I said, suddenly feeling sad at his memory.

‘What colour was that?’

‘Brown,’ I said, and over the sounds of people in the shop, I heard Mother exhale with relief.

‘What a beautiful colour, definitely that of a citizen of Senya. Tell me what shade of brown were they?’

‘Mayor Vawdon, you must be so busy, and as you can see, I’m trying to run a shop here,’ Mother said.

‘Let the girl answer the question,’ Healer Euka said as if
she
were the mayor.

A man harrumphed to my left, obviously upset that a foreigner was taking charge.

‘Why don’t you go home, witch?’ someone said out the corner of the mouth, and others grunted in agreement.

‘Dark brown. Like mud,’ I answered quickly, trying to make Healer Euka leave. Mother would relax again and people would continue buying our wares. I forced a smile onto my face.

The mayor tapped me on the shoulder. ‘I’m happy to have met you, Adenine. I hope you will enjoy it here in Borrelia. Good luck with your sales, Capacia. Good day to you both.’

‘Good day,’ Mother said.

When the mayor and Healer Euka had gone, Mother wheeled her chair over and hugged me tightly. ‘Good girl.’

Jemely rushed around the store, gathering the requested objects, trinkets, and silks. Outside, men brought carts to take away some of the bigger objects. Mother’s coin purse sounded heavier and heavier until the only items left in the shop were a few sticks of incense and a strange frog statue. Or so Jemely said.

News of Mother’s generosity spread like wildfire. People travelled to our house to bring gifts of food and fermented drinks. Little did they know that Mother’s generosity had been a desperate move to save Mystoria. But their gifts were also a way to help alleviate Mother’s suffering, as some wise stranger pointed out that nobody in her right mind would sell their goods at half price, so her struggles must have been plenty.

The town changed that day, or at least my thoughts about the town had. Mother had forced me to learn that people were only afraid of what they didn’t know or understand, and with her clever plan, she’d turned their fear into curiosity.

Later, when the crickets chirped and the street torches had been lit, Jemely, Varago, Krejald the woodworker, and I had a celebratory feast. Mother gossiped with a lightness so sweet it was as if she would float out of her chair and hover against the ceiling. She wore her victory like a king wore his crown.

For supper, we ate the most expensive beef and honey-covered vegetables. We had spiced pudding with sugared cream for dessert, a dish so sweet it made my teeth ache. To finish, we drank a sweet sherry.

It was the first time I had been allowed such strong fermented drink, and it made me dizzy and dulled my thoughts. After dinner, Mother sang us a song. Her voice was as beautiful as ever, and the success of the day was reflected in the melody’s tune. I knew the song well, a tune for happy times, a time long before my father’s death.

‘What are you planning to sell now, Capacia?’ Krejald asked.

‘Housewares, cloth, spices, same as what we’ve always sold except more local products. We won’t make as much, but we’ll survive. Adenine and I have each other… oh, and Butter, of course.’ She laughed. ‘So we’ll get by.’

Butter was asleep on my lap, and I stroked his fur. His back legs were stretched out to the side, his head slumped over my knees, and I was sure that one more week would see him too big for my legs to support him.

‘Adenine,’ Mother said. ‘Varago and I have been talking. We want you to start school tomorrow. It’s only for a few days a week, and on those days, Jemely has offered to help me with the store as well as the chores I can’t do. Varago says he can spare her.’

‘I can certainly spare that sharp tongue of hers,’ Varago said.

‘I’m right here, thank you,’ Jemely said, and everyone laughed.

I jumped to my feet. My chair fell back against the ground with a loud thump and Butter dropped to the floor.

‘I don’t want to go to school.’ My words killed all other conversation. I wanted to help with the shop. I wanted to be a merchant. I was scared to go to school, and Father had made me promise to take care of Mother. I couldn’t do that at school.

‘Why not?’ Mother asked, grabbing my hand.

I was embarrassed to tell my thoughts in front of the other people in the room. ‘I-I just don’t want to.’ Butter pawed at my leg, and I picked him up. I held him against my face, half-trying to shield myself from the room. I’d always been curious about the outside world, but my fear only rose as I thought about it. I wouldn’t know what to say to the other children. And what if my blindfold came off and they saw my scars?

‘Adenine, you need your head on right. You need smarts. I went to school.’

‘No. I want to run Mystoria. That’s all I need.’ I was good with counting, and I liked discovering new treasures.

Mother laughed. ‘Merchants need a knowledge of the world, Adenine. You won’t get that sitting around here all day.’

‘I thought you would be pleased,’ Varago added. ‘You’ve got such a curious mind.’

‘And how will I get around? I’m blind.’

Krejald said, ‘I think I better go.’

‘I’ll walk you down,’ Jemely offered.

Mother and I waited for them to leave before resuming our argument.

‘The school is strict, and the education good. I wanted to send you to Juxon City for a proper education, but that can’t happen. So here it has to be,’ Mother said.

Juxon City. So far away. She’d spent so much time telling me that the world was dangerous, but at the moment, she talked as if it wasn’t dangerous at all.

‘The teachers will help you,’ Varago added.

I wasn’t convinced. Why hadn’t they asked me if I wanted to go? They didn’t care what I wanted. Their minds were already made up. I put Butter on the ground and stepped sideways to leave, but accidentally stepped on Butter’s paw. He yelped, making all the feelings inside me stronger. Disgusted with myself, I ran to my room clumsily tripping on every stair, but when I got to the top, I slammed the door. I sobbed into my bedclothes.

Sometime later, someone knocked on my door. I ignored it. My throat was sore, and my face felt liked puffed pastry. The door opened, and the floor creaked with footsteps. I cried harder, trying to make whoever was coming feel sorry for me.

‘Hush, Adenine. Life has been hard for you,’ Varago said.

‘You’re not my father. Don’t speak to me like you could be.’

I couldn’t believe what was coming out of my mouth. Varago had only ever tried to help me, and there I was, being ungrateful and nasty. The bad part of me pushed him away. It wanted to push everyone away. No one ever asked me what I wanted. They told me what I had to do, and I complied like a good little girl.

‘I may not be your father, but I have known your mother since she was young. She loves you above everything, and so she should. You’re a wonderful girl with a big and brave heart.’

‘Then why did she let my uncle…’

‘Why did she let your uncle die? You were close to him, weren’t you?’

I instantly regretted my words. I was responsible for Uncle Garrad’s death. I couldn’t speak about him in a bad way, in a nasty way, because I had deserved it. I had been too close to him. Far too close. ‘My father killed my uncle because of me.’

‘No. That’s not true. What your uncle did was wrong.’

My stomach knotted. Varago knew my secret. Mother had told him. How dare she? She had betrayed me. It was
my
secret, my shame, and no one else deserved to know. The rage in my head spread to my body. I wanted to hit Varago. It was a powerful desire. It made me feel good and strong as if I were made from stone or wore hardened armour. ‘That’s not for your knowing.’

‘Varago? Are you all right?’ Mother yelled up the stairway.

‘Stay downstairs, Capacia.’

Yes, stay downstairs,
I thought bitterly. And he could join her, too. They could all leave me alone.

‘You’re right. It’s not my business, Adenine. But it’s time someone told you. What your uncle did to you was wrong, and I will not let anyone do that to you again. That’s why your mother kept you in, to protect you from men like your Uncle Garrad who might hurt you.’

‘You’re wrong. She kept me in so I couldn’t hurt other people. I was sick for a long time.’ My anger melted to a puddle of despair.

Varago put his arm around me. He smelled like ointment and herbs, and I wanted to push him away, but there was no fight left in me.

After a while, I shuffled back against the bed. ‘Why did Uncle Garrad hurt me?’

‘I cannot talk of it. All I will say is that though your sickness is gone you could still be in danger. Trust that your mother has only ever protected you. The same was true of your father.’

‘I don’t want to go to school.’

‘You need to be normal and need a normal life. Don’t you want to learn about the world? You’ll be safe at school. I know for a fact your mother owns books from across the lands. You could ask Jemely to read them to you. The teachers can teach you about the weather, about how trees grow, and how animals have babies. Don’t you want to know those things?’

‘I already know them. Mrs. Moferbury taught me.’

‘But not everything. There’s still much for you to learn.’

I began to think about school in a different way. There were many things I wanted to learn.

‘What if the other children don’t like me?’

‘Why would you think that? Tell me one person who didn’t like you.’

I thought hard. Jemely had been mean to me at first, but I soon learned that her blunt opinions were more mischief than malice. ‘When I first found you, when Mother couldn’t get up, people whispered about me. Sometimes, I still hear them whisper nasty things.’

‘There’s always going to be someone who doesn’t like you, someone who’ll say things that aren’t true and maybe even be your enemy. But I know for sure that almost every child at school will think you’re nice, pretty, and brave.’

I couldn’t help but smile then. Varago had never given me so many compliments. ‘You mean that?’

‘Of course.’ He tapped the top of my head. ‘Strangers are always going to be shy. Don’t be afraid to show them who you are. That’s the only way to do it. Now, if you agree to go to school tomorrow, I’ll speak to your teachers about you taking Butter to school with you.’

‘Really? They’d let him go with me?’ I liked that idea, and I’d feel less nervous if I had Butter to lick my hands and sit against my leg.

‘Certainly, child. I think they’d make an exception for you since you’re famous now. See, when you think things through properly without letting yourself become over encumbered by feelings and weakness, you can see that every situation has a good side. Why don’t you sleep now?’

I was tired, but even my fatigue didn’t stop me from being cautious about Varago being in my room at sleep time. I hesitated before I snuggled down into bed.

‘All right, I’ll let your mother know you’ve agreed to school, and I’ll get Butter up here.’