22. The Mender
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
THE MENDER
Upon stepping outside, Riel steered me back toward the main road. Oyanni followed behind us without prompting, as if she’d already been briefed on the situation.
“Miderrum is an old word that translates to ‘a place of gathering,’” Riel told me as we walked. “Not very creative, I know. There are several other settlements in the general area, but this is easily the oldest and the largest.” There was more than a hint of pride in his voice. “During the last census, we recorded a population of nearly 30,000.”
I kept my smile to myself, thinking about how cute it was to be excited about that. If 30,000 was a lot to these people, they’d lose their minds in D.C.
“Is there anything the city is known for?” I asked. “Besides the vicious birds and terrible music, I mean.”
Riel gave me a look somewhere between exasperated and amused. “The main thing to appreciate about Miderrum is the collection of backgrounds and cultures you’ll find among the people here—everyone has a different story to share. And it’s rare to find so much knowledge and skill in one place. The craftsmen and craftswomen that do business here are unequaled. There’s also a library with relics and records that span thousands of years.”
“Bet George would give up both his shriveled old nuts for a peek in there,” I mused. Riel chuckled to himself.
“He has expressed his desire to do so on several occasions,” he admitted, nodding. He winced when he realized what he’d said. “Visit our library, that is. Not surrender body parts.”
As we reached the larger road, I entwined an arm with Riel’s. The last thing I needed was to get separated from him surrounded by strangers in a foreign city. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d walked freely around so many people. Actually… I could, but the memory didn't bring me any comfort. I eased closer to Riel, pressing myself against his side.
We headed into the middle of the road and joined the stream of traffic. One or two people glanced our way as we passed, but no one showed much interest in either of us. Chances were they noticed the avida following us, and that apparently wasn’t a sight worth commenting on. Faced with the truth of the matter, my nerves began to settle.
No one knows me here , I reminded myself. Plus, healing magic was commonplace in this world. There was little chance of getting accosted by hopefuls here. Immensely proud of myself, I relaxed my grip on Riel as I let my guard down and allowed myself to enjoy the sights.
People of all kinds gathered in front of vendors on either side of us. I saw a man with blue skin and nearly transparent clothing that looked like he could have been related to the blue lady I recalled seeing at the ball. In front of one shop, a child with albinism and a pointed prehensile tail sticking out of their clothing stood in a short line. I had to turn away; if I kept trying to catalog all the oddities I saw, I’d go cross-eyed.
Was I missing things like this every day back home? The new experiences, the liveliness, the assortment of sights and smells? If things were different, maybe I could have left the White House long before now. Maybe I could have even traveled the world. There was a time when I wanted to, some years ago. Recently, I’d been content, even happy, to keep my head down and do what was asked of me. But could I call that happiness, given what I was feeling now?
My train of thought was interrupted when Riel tugged me to one side, stopping in front of one of the vendors. I peered around him to see that the shop sold jewelry. A sidelong glance told me that Riel’s attention had been claimed by a cuff bracelet with twin chain details and amber-colored stones. He asked the shopkeeper something. Appearing satisfied with the answer, he gave something to the man, and the bracelet exchanged hands.
When Riel swiveled around to show me, I examined the piece with polite interest. “What is that? Some kind of mana -storing tool?”
Riel reached for my hand. Puzzled, I gave it to him. He slid the cuff onto my wrist, giving it a firm pinch to make sure it fit snugly. “Just jewelry,” he said innocently.
“What? For me?”
“No, for the Epitgig musicians playing in the square. Of course, for you.”
My eyes widened as I took in the fine workmanship. “Wasn’t this expensive?”
Riel shrugged. “Gifts are another traditional aspect of courtship. Is it not also common among humans? How else do you court one another?”
“Well, I guess there is a fair amount of gift-giving,” I admitted reluctantly. “But nobody calls it courting. We call it dating. And fancy gifts like these are usually for special occasions.”
“If it makes you feel better, think of this as a special occasion. Your first visit to Miderrum.” Riel’s charming smile had my reservations turning over a new leaf.
“Thank you,” I mumbled, fingering the fine chain detail on the bracelet. “It’s beautiful.”
“When the sun hits them just right, your eyes turn that exact color,” Riel said, nodding at the amber stones. Touched by his words, I examined them more closely. If I were a more poetic person, I would probably agree—the color was similar to brown eyes in the sun.
“Aren’t you charming?” I flashed him a shy smile, which he returned. The thought occurred to me that maybe I should get him a gift too, but then I remembered that I had no currency in this world, and my shoulders sagged. Oh, well.
We started walking again. Eventually, we came to a long, sandy-colored building with a series of doors. A panel with labeled buttons was set in the wall about chest height on our end of the building. Riel examined the labels and then chose a button, pressing it with a flourish.
I couldn’t believe my eyes.
“That’s not an intercom system?” I exclaimed in disbelief, pointing.
“Hm?” Riel followed my gaze to the button he’d pressed. “This? It’s a… trigger of sorts. It notifies a specific resident that they have a visitor.”
“So, a doorbell.” I shook my head. “You’ve got indoor plumbing and doorbells, but use magic light and messenger birds instead of light bulbs and phones.”
“Is that a complaint?” Riel asked mildly. “My sincerest apologies. Please be assured that I will bring your concerns to my parents right away. Your opinion is very important to us.”
“Just an observation,” I retorted, rolling my eyes at his sass.
Just then, one of the doors opened to reveal a portly, dark-skinned woman with hair cropped close to her scalp. She looked around before spotting us and raising an arm to get our attention. As we approached, I made out several piercings in her nose and cheeks. Her ears were even longer and more sharply pointed than Riel’s, with feathery tufts at the ends.
When she folded her arms together and bowed her neck in greeting, her sleeves rode up enough to reveal black markings along both forearms that bled into her hands. Her nails were black and filed into long, sharp points. She said something before turning around with a gesture I recognized as inviting us inside. It was then that I noticed the bulky cape on her back was not a cape at all, but wings that were long enough to skim the ground as she walked.
“Oh my God,” I whispered, biting back the urge to ask if she could fly. Riel glanced my way, amused by my excitement. He had to duck to enter her home; the threshold was lower than any in the castle, and the ceiling wasn’t much higher.
“I am Seersthri,” the woman said in a voice much deeper than I had expected. I couldn’t tell if it was just the strong accent, but her name came out sounding more like a toothy whistle than a word. I was certain I had no hope of repeating it properly.
“Hello,” I offered. “I’m Avery.”
“I know.” The woman—Seersthri—gave me a wide grin that I supposed was meant to be friendly, revealing pointed teeth. And her eyes, I noticed then, were striking, round and pale yellow like an owl’s. I directed a nervous glance at Riel, but he didn’t seem bothered. Well, he’d probably met her before. And for all I knew, the fangs and nails and eyes were commonplace here. So what if she wasn’t what I’d pictured when I imagined a healer?
“You speak English too,” I remarked, relieved for that, at least.
“I speak seventeen languages,” Seersthri replied with pride. “It helps my…” She paused and frowned, trying to recall a certain word, before settling on “customers.”
“You are tired,” she said before I had a chance to respond, heading further inside. “Come. Sit.” The mender showed us to a kitchen table. Riel and I settled on the bench seat, and I took the chance to look around. Her home wasn’t what I would have expected either. It was homey and rustic, with woven furniture and furs covering the floor. I had sort of expected a cabin with a thatched roof, the interior filled with hanging herbs and jars of animal pieces. Something witchy.
“Thank you for seeing us,” Riel began, clasping his hands together and setting them on the table before him. “As I mentioned in my letter, Avery has shown a natural talent for mending, but unfortunately has yet to learn how to access mana . At this point, we’ve begun exploring options beyond the traditional route. I normally wouldn’t consider the manaviri ?—”
“Yes, yes, manaviri ,” Seersthri interrupted. She leveled a serious look at me, unblinking yellow eyes peering into my soul. “ Manaviri can be… dangerous. Not always, but often.”
“So I’ve been told,” I admitted, correcting my posture to mirror Riel’s position. “But you have to understand, See—uh, Doc—Madam Healer, I really need to figure this out. There are a lot of people relying on me, and the fact is that it’s just taking too long. We were hoping that you might be able to help make it not so dangerous for me. With your expertise…”
I trailed off as Seersthri came around the table and held out a clawed hand. Hesitating, I looked from her hand to Riel and back before reaching out. She wrapped her fingers around my hand and tugged my arm toward herself. “Pretty,” she commented, nodding down at my bracelet. I hid a shy smile. A second or two passed before I felt it: a distinct rush of warmth, foreign and familiar at the same time, traveling through my body from where we touched.
Expressionless but nodding now, Seersthri patted my hand twice before releasing it.
“Your body is good. Strong,” she declared. “Come. We try the manaviri .”
“What? Now?” Riel shot up from the table, alarmed. In any other situation, I would have laughed aloud at the look on his face. As it was, I probably had the same one on mine.
“Are you sure?” I asked like an idiot, not budging from my spot at the table .
Seersthri paused to regard the two of us. “Your letter said there is no time?”
“We are in a rush,” Riel agreed, shooting me an indiscernible look. “But not enough to risk… We came to you because we trust your expertise. What we want to know is, is it safe?”
He switched to his native language and continued speaking, presumably to be sure that the mender understood what he was attempting to convey. I could have sworn that I heard my name. When he finished speaking, Seersthri shook her head.
“I cannot promise,” she said. “But I have done manaviri before.” She stared Riel down. “Her body is strong. I am confident.”
A crease appeared between his platinum brows. I watched the minute changes in his expression as he tried and failed to come up with an adequate excuse to give this up and go home. Still, he hesitated to make the call, so I took the burden from him.
“Let’s do it,” I announced, getting to my feet. “If she’s confident, that’s good enough for me.”
Riel met my eyes, and I tried to ignore the helplessness and concern I saw there. I turned to face Seersthri.
“Let’s do it,” I repeated, infusing my voice with resolve.
Unfazed, the mender gestured for me to follow her. With Riel close behind, we headed for a back room that held three cots. Having been in my fair share of hospitals as of late, I got the sense that this was where she treated her patients. When she bid me toward one of the cots, I obediently approached and lay down. Seersthri sat on the cot next to me and took my hand, stroking up and down my forearm in a soothing manner.
As her touch imbued my body with the comforting warmth of her mending magic, she spoke, but not in English. Riel listened intently and responded with what sounded like a question. As they talked, I stared at the ceiling and tried to quell the rising nerves. Between the two of them, I’m in good hands, I told myself. This was my idea, for heaven’s sake. Chickening out now just wouldn’t do.
After a moment, Riel appeared in my field of vision. “She says she’s going to put you to sleep first,” he reported in a measured voice. “Once you are no longer aware, she’ll stop your heart, and then we wait. The timing is crucial. When the moment is right, I’ll deliver a shock to restart your heart. The whole process will be over in minutes.”
“Okay.” My voice came out a whisper.
Riel looked down at where the mender held me, and his right hand twitched as though he yearned to do the same. When I reached for him with my free arm, he crouched by my other side in an instant, wrapping his hand tightly around mine and raising it to his lips.
“It’ll be okay,” I assured him, gripping his hand in return and trying to ignore the tenderness of his lips brushing against my skin. When I found myself blinking back tears, I focused my attention back on the ceiling. “It’ll be fine,” I said aloud, not entirely for his sake. God, please let this be the right decision.
“Sleep,” Seersthri murmured, still stroking my arm gently. Drowsiness followed, the effect of her magic not unlike a dose of sedative injected into my veins. My thoughts grew sluggish, my limbs heavy. When my heart began to slow, my body responded with a desperate jolt of adrenaline, causing my hand to tighten around Riel’s.
“Don’t leave,” I cried out on instinct. The world around me blurred.
“Never, Avery.”
Riel’s choked response was the last thing I heard before everything fell away.