Page 18

Chapter 18

Safe Refuge

P haris

So Raewyn had a glamour gift.

At least, I suspected she did. The way she’d described her “sense” of people and their fears certainly sounded like one.

One more reason to keep her far from the King. My father would be all too happy to add her skill to his arsenal and use it for the worst possible reasons.

Part of me felt like I should warn her, tell her about her heritage and what that could mean. But then another part of me felt like she’d be better off not knowing.

There was a reason her parents had chosen not to tell her. I decided to ask Wyll about it when we got a moment alone—and before it was too late.

Unfortunately, he took a turn for the worse almost immediately after I got better, and there was no antidote growing in this meadow for what he had.

We’d be staying here until the end came. There was no way he could sit a horse and ride any farther—the poor man was in agony.

Each day I hunted and worked with Raewyn a bit on her knife and bow skills, but she spent most of her time at her father’s side, trying futilely to ease his pain.

There wasn’t much she could do. Eventually it became so great, he wasn’t able to keep quiet.

The piteous groans were heart-wrenching and sometimes quite loud. It killed me to hear it and see the faces of the two little girls hearing it. It upset them so much they actually avoided going into the tent, which was sad.

These were their father’s last moments on Earth. I wished they could be peaceful instead of… this.

Whenever Raewyn had no choice but to leave him for a few minutes, I sat with Wyll in the tent. Following one particularly wretched cry, he reached out and grabbed my leg.

“You have to kill me,” he pleaded.

My breath caught in my throat, my chest feeling like it was caving in.

“Wyll, I… I can’t do that,” I said.

Merciful or not, Raewyn would never be able to look at me the same if I ended her father’s life.

“It’s not the pain,” he said in a rush and then let out another groan. “I can… take it. It’s the noise.”

He took a few struggling breaths. “I’m going to give away our location. I’m… putting my daughters in danger. You have to end it.”

I stared down at the now-emaciated man. He’d refused all food for days now, barely taking sips of water. How much longer could this go on?

“Please,” he gasped before emitting the most gut-wrenching sound I’d ever heard.

My legs felt so weak I had to sit back down. Looking at his wasted body curved in the fetal position, I tried to imagine fulfilling his request. My mind and body instantly revolted. I couldn’t do it.

But I had to do something.

“I’ll get Raewyn,” I said and left the tent, struggling to blink back tears.

Spotting Raewyn near the stream with the girls, I strode quickly to meet her. She looked up at me, alarm visible on her face at seeing my purposeful stride.

“What is it?” she asked.

Realizing she probably thought she’d missed her father’s final moments, I reached out and placed reassuring hands on her shoulders.

“Not that,” I said and shook my head.

She closed her eyes and let out a breath. They flew open again when I told her what I’d come to say.

“I’m leaving—for just a little while. The last time I hunted, I ranged out a bit farther. I spotted a small village up the mountain.”

Raewyn looked up to where I was pointing. From down here in the valley, the village was hidden by the slope and folds of the mountains. It was the remotest of remote locations, a place that wasn’t likely to be found unless you knew where to look.

Her eyes widened. “You’re going into the village?”

“They might have a healer,” I said.

Raewyn shook her chin slowly, her big eyes swimming with tears as she glanced behind me to the tent.

“I don’t think anyone will be able to… you know.”

“I know,” I agreed. “You’re right. But I’m hoping I can find something for the pain—oil of valerian root maybe. Something to let him… be in peace instead of agony here at the end.”

Glancing at the little girls wading in the water nearby, I said, “It’s hurting them, too.”

In a softer voice, I added, “It’s hurting you. I can see it, Rae. I can’t stand it—I have to try.”

She looked over at her sisters then back at me, and she nodded. “Okay. But what if the healer is an Earthwife?”

“I have money to pay her,” I said. “And if that doesn’t work, I’ll sway her.”

She nodded again, and I turned to go saddle Cimmerian, but Raewyn stayed me, placing a hand on my arm.

Then she stepped close and wrapped her arms around my waist, pressing her ear to my rapidly beating heart.

“Be careful, Pharis. And come back quickly.”

My heart swelled almost painfully. I had to clear my throat before responding. It ached and seemed to be blocked by a boulder.

“I will, Wildcat. It’ll be a quick trip on horseback. I’m leaving the daggers and my bow. If you see or hear anyone coming, though, run for the trees. Your father will be camouflaged in the tent.”

Neither of us mentioned the obvious fact that Wyll’s loud sounds would give him away instantly.

There had been no sign of anyone in the remote area the entire time we’d camped here, which was the only reason I even considered leaving them.

Raewyn stepped back, looking up into my eyes. And then she said something I’d never expected to hear from her.

“I’ll miss you.”

She turned away and walked toward the tent as I fairly staggered to my horse. Now my hurry to return would be even greater.

As I’d assured her it would be, the trip up the mountain was much faster with Cimmerian than it had been on foot. When we rounded the last bend, the mountain village came into full view, and my mouth literally dropped open.

Not only was it larger than I’d realized, it was stunning.

Like a jewel tucked into a hidden safe, the remote community was a secret paradise. It had been built next to a beautiful waterfall, the source of the stream we’d been depending on for water down in the valley.

Up here, it crashed down into a river, clear and sparkling in the morning sun. The spray from the waterfall was like a million tiny crystals suspended mid-air, and tucked in one corner was the hint of a rainbow.

Suddenly I wished Raewyn was here to see it. She would love this place.

The build of the homes and shops was clearly human, but unlike most other human villages I’d seen, these structures looked perfectly maintained.

Their gardens were lush. The single road through the center of the small town was paved with colorful cobblestones.

As Cimmerian and I rode down the middle of it, villagers on the street stopped and stared. Doors opened, and people stepped out, wearing curious expressions and in some cases, smiles.

Not the usual reaction of human villagers to the arrival of an Elf.

One of the men approached me.

“Welcome to Havendor, friend,” he said. “I’m Bryon. Where do you hail from? We don’t get many visitors—almost none, in fact. And you’re our first Elven guest ever.”

He displayed no fear, no animosity. Perhaps that went along with the not getting many visitors thing.

This place seemed like a world apart, untouched by the ugliness of the Kingdom at large. Were these people even aware there had been a Rebellion?

“Just passing through,” I said noncommittally. “I’m in need of a healer, Bryon. Does your village have an Earthwife?”

Several of the townspeople looked at each other, clearly confused. Had they never heard of Earthwives either?

I had the impression that most, if not all, of the people I saw had been born up here in the mountains and had possibly never left. They were in their own, self-sufficient little bubble.

“I’ve heard of them,” the man who was acting like the community leader told me. “But we have no one here who answers to that title.”

My hopes sank instantly, but then I thought about the way he’d said it. It had been almost evasive.

Not wanting to waste any time, I utilized my Sway for the next question. “Do you have a healer of any sort? Some kind of medicine woman or man?”

Without any choice, he answered me honestly. “We do.”

Pointing toward a location farther up the mountain past the village, he said, “Solfrid lives in a cottage just up there. She helps us with all our bumps and bruises and the occasional sniffle.”

Not encouraging. We were dealing with more than a sniffle. But I still held out a bit of hope. Solfrid was a traditional Elven name.

And then Bryon confirmed it. “Solfrid is Elven, like you. Come, I’ll take you to her. You can leave your horse here to be watered if you like. The children will be thrilled to take care of him.”

Already a group of children crowded around Cimmerian, reaching out to pet him, which surprisingly he didn't seem to mind.

Horses did have a good sense of people.

My own senses told me these people had nothing but good intentions. As far as their Elven healer, it remained to be seen.

It was highly unusual for an Elf to be living in a human village, using her glamour to heal them instead of healing other Elves.

And the town leader was secretive about her presence here—when he wasn’t being swayed.

Dismounting, I followed him up the winding road which ended in front of a neat little cottage surrounded by hydrangeas and copious daisies and rose bushes. Its door, which was painted bright blue, opened as we approached it.

An Elven woman emerged. When she saw me, she did not smile.

She looked a little frightened actually.

“Have you come for me?” she asked in a fatalistic tone I couldn’t quite figure out.

“Yes,” I said, “I need your help, your healing glamour.”

The woman visibly relaxed, her shoulders dropping from their tensed position.

“How can I help? Are you injured?”

She craned her neck from one side to the other, inspecting me.

“Not for me. I'm traveling with a human… friend,” I explained, electing to keep the details vague, “who is in tremendous pain. I'm fairly sure he has only days remaining, and I was hoping your glamour might be able to help ease his journey into Alfheim.”

“Where is your friend?” she asked, leaning out of her doorway to cast a glance down the road.

“Down in the valley. I was wondering if—”

Looking at Bryon and still applying my Sway, I asked, “Do you mind if I speak to Solfrid alone?”

“Of course not.” He smiled and turned to walk back toward the village center.

Solfrid’s posture and expression tensed again. “You're traveling with a human, you say? Who’s a friend?”

“Yes, and he’s important to me. I know it’s unusual, though I suppose you’d understand better than most.”

“I certainly would,” she said. “Come in.”

When I stepped inside, she offered me some saol water, which I gratefully accepted.

“I understand your reluctance to bring your friend here, but this is a safe space. Obviously my own situation is unusual,” Solfrid said.

“Have you lived here long? Among humans?”

“Since the Rebellion. I’m not welcome among our people anymore,” she explained. “I was branded a traitor after choosing to heal humans wounded in battle. For a long while I just wandered from place to place, alone. The people of Havendor welcomed me in. They’ve offered me a sense of community I never expected to find again. And I’m safe here.”

Pouring me another glass of saol water, she handed it to me and took a sip from her own.

“As you saw, there are no roads in or out of the village. It almost never has a visitor, and you’re the first Elf, other than me. The King’s tax collectors don’t even pay a visit—which means he doesn’t know about it. Too far off the beaten path. It’s a safe refuge. That’s why I’ve stayed.”

No wonder the town and its people had seemed so healthy and happy. They were living here unbothered, invisible to my father.

“On the rare occasion some human does happen upon the village, the people don’t mention me,” Solfrid said. “They love me and treat me as one of their own.”

She took another sip from her glass. “You must have swayed Bryon.”

“I did. I’m sorry. I was desperate,” I told her.

Rising from her chair, she walked to the door. “I’ll be happy to help your friend. Bring him here, and I’ll do what I can.”

“Actually, I’m not sure he can travel.”

And I was reluctant to bring Raewyn and the girls here where they’d be seen. I’d purposely not mentioned them.

Solfrid looked at me in confusion. “Then how can I help him?”

“Actually, I was hoping I could… that is, I want to borrow your healing glamour.”

She blinked in surprise. “You’re a Gleaner?”

I nodded, hating even the sound of the word, but as I’d told her, I was desperate.

“That is a rare gift,” she said. “It occurs only once per generation usually. The only other Gleaner I’ve ever heard of is…”

Her sentence died as her curious expression shifted to one of horror. She didn’t have to finish the thought because it was written across her face.

The son of the King.

“Please,” I said then shifted to mind-to-mind communication so she’d be assured of my honesty.

I’m not a threat. I’ll tell no one of this place. I’m just as much an outcast to our people as you are—for the same reason—helping humans.

“So it’s humans now, is it? More than one friend?”

I nodded. “And one of them is near death and suffering greatly. Just let me take it and relieve his pain.”

I’ll come right back.

Solfrid looked at me for a long while, apparently debating it. Finally, she gave me her answer.

“No. The people of Havendor need my gift too much for me to risk you not coming back.”

My shoulders slumped as the hope drained out of me.

“But I will gladly help him if you bring him here,” the healer said.

Renewed energy filled me as I had a new idea. “Will you come with me to the valley and do it there?”

Again she refused me. “I don’t leave the village. Though the valley is obscure and little-traveled, I dare not take the chance of being seen by outsiders and dragged back to the royal city for punishment. I’m sure you understand.”

I did, though I was sorely disappointed.

“The villagers protect me,” she said. “I’m sure they’d also protect anyone else who might happen to be trying to avoid the King’s notice. Bring him here, Prince Pharis.”

“I might be able to do more than relieve his pain, depending on his condition,” she said.

I assure you… your friends will be safe.

That was it then. Either I allowed Wyll to continue suffering and die in pain—and his daughters to witness it—or I went and got them and brought them here in the hopes that Solfrid could ease him. Possibly even heal him.

It was worth the risk.

“I’ll return soon,” I told her and walked back to Cimmerian, taking him away from his new fans and back down into the valley.