Chapter Three
I couldn’t manage it all.
I wanted to be strong for Fin. He’d suffered enough. I knew I left him sleeping, but what if he woke and I wasn’t there? Lifting feet that felt like lead weights, I attempted to scale the stairs. I attempted to close the wounds on my face. At least I could sniff back blood again.
Walking and magic at the same time was too much. I sank down on the steps. The lights were on, but they seemed to be dimming. I slumped against the wall.
One thing at a time. The nose, so I could breathe. I willed my cheek to heal, but every attempt was more difficult than the last.
Muffled voices because shouts, movement of shadows before my eyes. Gravity forsook me. I was shaken upside down, up into the tunnel, along a corridor of wind. I floated on a bed I couldn’t see.
“Segast?”
A voice called me, one I couldn’t name. A figure sat over me. Long black hair.
“Sasha?”
“Sasha?” Was that the flight captain?
“His late wife, sir.” That was Jimny.
He was the only one who had bothered to ask me about her. It was all too much. I closed my eyes, let them talk about me. Or whatever.
“Sir, when is the next rotation for the healer?”
“Another two weeks,” the flight captain said.
“Twenty days?” Jimny again. “Will he last that long?”
“He had better.”
Not sure what to make of that dark rumble.
Shi cleared his throat. “Flight Sergeant Segast is a healer, but not a particularly skilled one. If Fin’s back was as bad as he says, I suspect that took a great deal of energy.
Then to go fight Eustace, which would have been adrenaline-fuelled.
Doubtless it took the last reserves of energy he had to heal his own face. ”
“Almost,” Jimny pointed out. “That cheek is going to scar, sir.”
“Better a scar than a death, Rider Jimny.”
I heard movement.
“You will stay with the Segasts,” the flight captain ordered. “Take care of them. I will go and rearrange the rotas for the next few days at least, let me know when they recover enough to talk sense.”
“Yes, sir.”
* * *
When I had the strength to crack open the eyelids nature seemed to be intent on welding together, it was to find Quartermaster Ibrahim sitting at my side.
“Wharr?”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t try talking yet.” Ibrahim put aside whatever it was that he was sewing and picked up a glass of water from beside his chair. His hand helped me raise my head so I could sip and then take a full mouthful. But he would only let me have a mouthful at a time.
“Better?” he asked as he removed the glass and eased my head back down.
“Thank you.” My voice still cracked but I got the words out.
“No worries, lad. Hold on.” Ibrahim stood and went to the main door. I heard soft words exchanged but couldn’t pin down whose voice that had been. Heard the door open and shut, though. Then Ibrahim came back and helped me drink again.
“Why are you here?” I asked.
“We’ve all been here,” Ibrahim said. “Taking turns to watch you and Fin.”
I pushed myself up. The pain in my head throbbed. “Where is Fin?”
“Right now, he’s in school,” Ibrahim told me easily. “He woke up two days ago. “You, however, need more recovery time. Apparently all that healing is no good for you. Now lie back down.”
He didn’t have to give me much of a shove. He made me drink regularly, though, and my headache quickly abated. “We’ll get you all hydrated again, and then you can start eating. Not too much at first, you’ll need to build yourself up slowly.”
I nodded. I’d never had any interest in being a healer, despite my magic, but I knew the basics of care.
It wasn’t that long until I heard the door open and Flight Captain Shi appeared at my bedroom door. He paused a moment, took a breath and then stepped to the foot of the bed.
“Flight Sergeant Segast. You are awake at last.”
“Yes, sir.” I pushed myself up and slid back. Ibrahim moved the pillows behind me and then left the room, closing the door. I rested against the pillows, feeling as weak as a newly hatched dragon.
He stood there a while longer, just watching me. “That is good,” he said at last.
“Yes, sir.”
“Stable Master Eustace is gone.”
I don’t think I had heard Shi so stilted before.
“Fin is recovered. There’s little scarring on his back. You did a good job.”
I wasn’t sure what to make of this. “Thank you, sir.”
His eyeline rose to the wall above my bed. If he saw something in the unrelenting grey there, I didn’t know what it was. “I have received an official response to your transfer request,” he said. Only then did he look at me. “It has been denied.”
I was disappointed. Not surprised, but disappointed. I’d have to wait at least another year before making the request again. “I see. Did they give a reason for that?”
“They never give reasons,” Shi pointed out. And he was right, your copy of the request just got returned with a big read ‘DECLINED’ stamped on it.
“In your … repose,” he said carefully, “you spoke of punishment.”
I kept my silence, all too aware of what he, or rather, I would have been referring to.
“Is that how you see your posting here? As punishment?”
I let my eyes fall to my own lap. “I served in Pasaocea for six, nearly seven years. It was only when I said something that the Dragonlord didn’t like that that changed.”
“I see.” The Flight Captain nodded. “You do not wish to be here.”
“I was posted here, so here I am. My bigger concern is for Fin. This is not the environment he is used to.”
“Unkea is a military outpost on an island off the coast of the continent of Gultima where we face occasional seafarer attacks as they plunder the trade routes which pass us,” he spoke without inflection. “Tell me, how does that differ from Pasaocea?”
I huffed out a laugh. “When you put it like that, sir, it does not.” Though in every other way it really differed.
Childcare, schooling with decent class sizes, women, shopping facilities, a varied diet of fresh foods, leisure facilities, socialisation opportunities, an up-to-date library, warm in summer, only occasional storms in winter, it didn’t rain 86% of the time, little things but important.
“Good. Then I hope you will make an effort to see us in a better light. Assuming we get better light. Usually in Summer. Though if you blink, you’ll miss that.”
I blinked at him. Was he attempting humour?
“However, recent events have raised concerns about your magical abilities.”
I frowned. “I overtaxed myself, sir, I admit, but I am—”
“Flight Sergeant, you more than overtaxed yourself.” He took a step closer, his hand seemed to reach out, then that stiff control snapped back into place. “Three days unconscious is near self-annihilation.”
That statement did not land well with me. Because he was right.
“I therefore think that we need to consider how your talents are best utilised.” He dragged in a breath and swallowed.
“I cannot afford to lose you. We, the Fortress, cannot afford to lose our only healer.” That second was rather tacked on, and I didn’t know how to interpret it.
“Have you ever undertaken training of your gifts?”
“Only basic first aid stuff in college.”
He nodded. “I will speak to the next healer when he arrives. Perhaps we can rectify that.”
* * *
As Unkea Fortress was on an island, trips inland were required on a regular basis.
This was an opportunity to connect with Sky Commander Zemich, to pick up official supplies, make personal purchases if necessary, if possible, and generally see something other than the unremitting grey of Unkea.
We’d been in Unkea three months before I got my first chance to go.
I think Flight Captain Shi was concerned I might try not to come back.
But I requested the opportunity as it was coming up to both the Saturnine Mid-Winter Celebration, and Fin’s birthday, his first birthday without the group of friends he had had in Pasaocea.
Yes, I admit, I laid it on a little thick in hopes of being able to spoil my son in at least some small way.
Shi agreed, but I think he knew exactly what I was doing.
The mainland Riders camp was at Ashland Harbour, one of the few that was shared with Tidewardens as the summer trade routes were served from here.
The bigger port was in Murmaberg further up the coast, but this was where the Tidewardens brought their ships for maintenance.
The harbour was quieter and sheltered by the cliffs that provided cave nests for the dragons.
What improved the situation for riders, at least, was that the Tidewardens also brought in trade items. The guy known as the Fixer claimed he could get anything for anyone from anywhere.
I doubted that, but I didn’t doubt that most of it wouldn’t be Church-approved.
That day I did my duty and sorted all official requirements. I wasn’t party to Shi’s meeting with Sky Commander Zemich, so I told Salvadora to let me know if Lord Aurexian heard that Shi was ready to go and headed down to the Fixer’s office.
It wasn’t officially his office. It wasn’t even an office, but he had plenty of boxes and plenty to sell. A lot of it was just tat, but I found a couple of things for Fin and some sweet treats everyone in Unkea could enjoy.
I was about finished when I saw the colour red and pulled out what I discovered to be a scarf.
“Finest silk, that one. From Hushini City.”
I ran my fingers over it. “This is good silk, but not from Hushini. Probably Aramansk.”
He stood straighter and crossed his arms. “Oh, you know about these things, do you?”
“My wife does.” I put the silk down. “And I’m not foolish enough to disappoint her.”
I put the other items on the table.
He named a price for the scarf.
“I wouldn’t pay that even for Hushini silk. Now how much for this.”
He gave me a reasonable price, then named a lower price for the silk.
“That’s over twenty percent more than I’d pay the mercher in Perton.” Perton was a major stop on the winter trade route which largely put the Tidewardens here out of business when the seas to the north froze.
“Fine. No silk for you.”
I shrugged and paid what he asked for the rest of the purchases. After stuffing most of them in my pockets, though the jar of sweets was too big for that, I made for the door.
He made another offer on the scarf.
I paused turned, made a counteroffer. His chin went up.
“Oh come on, mate. I paid what you asked for this lot, and we both know you overcharged based on the fact that I don’t have anywhere else to go. You’ll still make a fair profit on the silk.”
He would, and he did.
As I reached the stables on the headland, I was surprised to see Shi approaching at the same time. I waited, offered him a salute, and then we walked together to the stable. Rider Jimny should have been waiting, but wasn’t.
“You’ve been shopping?” Shi observed.
“A jar of boiled sweets,” I told him even as I stored it in the pack I had left with Dora. “And a few treats for Fin’s birthday.”
“You are very good to that boy,” Shi observed, standing straight and watching the stable door for Jimny.
“I’m his father,” I said as I straightened, the pack going on my back.
Then I felt awkward. “Look, sir. I don’t mean anything by this, but…
I’ve seen you trying to adjust your collar in flight when it gets cold.
” I pulled the scarf from my pocket. “And I know you consider red to be a lucky colour.” Which was odd for a man who wore blue and rode a white dragon.
“So I thought you might find this useful.”
He just looked at the scarf.
“You know, for the way back. To keep your neck warm.” If he didn’t take it soon, I was just going to drop it on the floor and leave it there.
“That is very considerate,” he said carefully as he took the length of material and wrapped it around his neck. “I will reimburse you.”
“You don’t reimburse for gifts.”
He would have argued, I’m sure, but Jimny ran in, apologising for his tardiness.