Chapter 17 Non
Non
All I could do was sob.
What a pathetic reaction when countless women and girls had been killed in his search for me. I didn’t understand why this man, who I had never met, wanted me dead so badly. Sure, I wasn’t the type of daughter a parent would be proud of. But why go to such lengths to try to kill me?
Granny’s voice was a little softer when she next spoke. “Enough of that.” She gestured towards my tear. “I understand your training this morning was conveniently interrupted by a sudden downpour.”
It was foolish of me to expect any kind of comfort from her; the woman was all business.
My mouth opened in protest, but she waved me off. “Oh, I know you had nothing to do with it. There’s only one person who has that kind of power, and he’ll be dealt with for interfering. However, you”—she pointed her finger at my chest— “still need to train.”
“He wasn’t even at training this morning. Don’t—” Before I even realised what I was admitting to by defending him, the words had already slipped out. Granny’s eyes widened, likely at my admission to knowing who exactly held that level of water-wielding power.
I quickly snapped my mouth shut and fiddled with the ends of my hair.
“Have you dyed it?” Granny asked, nodding at the stands. “It looks terrible.”
The things I wanted to say in response to the bitch would only have left me with a quadruple broken nose, so I just shook my head as I glowered at her.
The tension in the room became thick, and I could feel my grandmother’s furious stare boring into the top of my skull as I eyed the carpet.
In the next breath, she shot to her feet and snapped her fingers. “Up, now, we’ll find an adequate space and complete your first lesson.”
“One of your Wielders broke my nose! Again! I need a doctor, not another battering.”
She studied me for a moment, her eyes narrowing as she ran her gaze over the bridge of my nose, then to the gash on my cheek. Without warning, she swung the library door open and strode up the corridor.
To be honest, I was getting pretty sick of the no-communication, up-and-leave nonsense Granny kept pulling. Then again, maybe she wouldn’t do it if I stopped following her like a lost puppy every time.
After only a short walk down another corridor, she stopped before a pair of wooden doors and knocked twice.
My sense of smell was overwhelmed by the scent of iron from the dried blood under my nose, but I could pick up the faint smell of burning herbs from the other side of the door.
The doors swung open of their own accord, and Granny, once again, disappeared through them with no instruction for me to follow.
I did anyway. There was probably something unpleasant on the other side, but the slim chance of finding some food or a warm bath was worth the risk.
Before us was a narrow room with high ceilings and sterile white beds lined the perimeter.
A handful of Wielders in long purple habits that fell to their ankles all stood frozen as Granny marched into the room.
Rows of benches ran down the centre of the room, each topped with the same four items in identical positions.
A pestle and mortar, a small cast iron pot, long tweezers, and a white pillar candle that sat on an ornate golden candlestick.
Shelves hung on the walls, bursting with jars.
Although the various sizes and colours of each one made them seem haphazard, each was meticulously labelled with the contents.
I assumed this was some kind of apothecary come healing ward; it certainly seemed to be run with the same military precision that the rest of Llwyn Onn was.
Movement pulled my attention from our surroundings as the eldest of the Wielders, a tall, lithe woman with silver hair, stepped forward and bowed her head.
“Ledr Bronwen, how can we be of service?”
Granny’s eyes scanned the room like a hawk looking for its prey—the prey likely being a single item out of place.
Seeming satisfied everything was in order, she met the stare of the silver-haired woman.
“We will require a private room. I only want you, Sioned, to treat her. The door stays locked at all times.”
Sioned nodded, gesturing with her hand towards an alcove where two doors lined the back wall. “The treatment room on the left is vacant.”
As Granny turned towards the examination room, I could almost sense the other Wielders behind us heave a sigh of relief.
The low murmur of voices gradually increased the closer we got to the door.
It was no surprise at all that Granny was feared even by her own Coven members; she was hardly the soft and welcoming kind.
The examination room was dimly lit with fat purple candles, and a similar sterile bed to the ones we had just passed was pushed against the rear wall. The only other piece of furniture in the room was a large wooden dresser, which was made up of dozens of pigeonholes stuffed with dried herbs.
Sioned pulled out a large metal key from an internal pocket in her habit and locked the door. “Take a seat on the bed. Setting a broken nose is easy enough and shouldn’t take long. Your cheek is just a superficial cut, nothing broken. That should heal on its own over the next couple of hours.”
Nodding, I did as instructed, hopping onto the bed to face Sioned.
As she brought her face closer to my own, I could see Sioned’s eyes had a softness to them, and her hands were gentle as she placed her warm palms on either side of my face.
Her eyes fluttered closed, and she took in a deep breath, preparing herself for whatever she was about to do next.
As she opened her mouth to speak, her nostrils flared as if scenting something, and her eyes snapped open.
From the corner of the room, Granny cleared her throat, and Sioned looked over.
Granny’s face was unreadable as usual, but Sioned dipped her head, clearly understanding her silent command.
She turned her attention back to me, closing her eyes once more.
“Trwsio,” she muttered. A gruesome crack sounded, and it took my body a few beats to register what had just happened.
My nose exploded with excruciating pain, so much worse than the pain I had felt breaking the blasted thing three times already.
I could hardly hear what Granny and Sioned had started talking about over the roaring in my ears.
Through watery eyes, I just about made out Granny handing Sioned something small before she tucked it into the pocket in her habit.
Sioned moved to grab something from one of the pigeonholes and came to crouch in front of me. “Chew this for the next twenty minutes. It will ease the pain,” she said, handing me a dried bundle of leaves.
I quirked a brow before gingerly nibbling at the end of a leaf, which tasted like bitter tobacco. “Uch, disgusting. What is it?”
Sioned stood brushing her hands against the front of her habit. “Devil’s Claw. It’s been spelled.”
“Spelled?” I parroted.
She let out a sigh. “Yes, spelled to speed up the healing process. Your nose was broken using magic, so it will respond to healing magic.”
“Pretty sure it was just a regular stick of wood that smacked me in the face,” I said with no mirth.
Granny tutted. “The stick was ordinary, but I was informed someone summoned the stick and accidentally hit you in the face?”
I laughed, but it was lacking any humour. “Accident, my arse.”
Sioned dropped the herbs she had been returning to the dresser as she tried to hide her audible gasp.
“So, hypothetically, you could chop my head off with a regular axe, but if you used your power to do the”—I gestured a chopping motion with my arms— “then the lovely Sioned here could put my head back on using a healing spell?”
I could practically hear Granny’s teeth grinding from where I sat. Sioned had gone the colour of a sheet, likely due to the familiarity I spoke to the Ledr with.
“Injuries where vital organs are severed are fatal, regardless of whether someone can wield or not. But less fatal ones could be—like a broken nose, for example.”
“So why bother wielding weapons at all if your opponent can be healed magically?”
Sioned cleared her throat, but her voice still came out as a whisper: “Speed.”
A shard of wood broke free from the edge of the dresser with a crack and whipped through the air towards my face. I reared back, but it abruptly stopped hovering less than an inch from my forehead. Granny motioned her index finger downwards, and the shard clattered to the floor.
Point proven.
She gave Sioned a tight smile. “I’ll need an answer on the contents of the vial imminently. Deliver the results to me in person. Not a soul is to know about this. Do you understand, Sioned?”
“Of course, Ledr Bronwen.”
Was she talking about my blood? It had seemed unusual, even for Seren, to be scooping my blood up from the floor. Now that Granny had passed it on to the healers, I was positive she was having me drug tested or something.
In her usual leave a room without saying goodbye fashion, Granny snapped her fingers, and the door swung open.
This time, I was prepared for a speedy exit and was on my feet in an instant.
As I turned to thank Sioned for her help, I failed to notice Granny had stopped in the middle of the corridor.
Ungracefully, I collided with her bony back, nearly losing an eye in the process.
I half expected Granny to lance me with an icicle, but she remained frozen and totally fixated on something ahead.
Poking my head around her shoulder, I could see a tall man stood face to face with her. It looked like he had exited the examination room opposite at the same time as us.
He had a familiar face that held a kind smile framed with a short auburn beard and similar coloured coils on his head. Guessing by the crow’s feet that lined his eyes, I assumed he was around the same age as Granny, however old she fucking was.
He opened his mouth, his eyes locking onto me the moment I stepped to Granny’s side. They widened in shock, and I self-consciously reached for my nose, assuming Sioned hadn’t done the best job fixing it.
The stranger cleared his throat. “Bron, good to see you. Don’t think I’ve been introduced to the newest member of the Northern Coven?” He reached out his hand to shake mine, but the gleam of thick metal bands that fit snugly around his wrists distracted me.
Once he realised what I was staring at, he snatched his hand back, tucking it into the pockets of his loose black trousers. The elbow to my ribs that Granny delivered reminded me I had yet to introduce myself.
“Sorry, I’m Non Mer—” I snapped my mouth once I realised the near slip. The corner of the man’s lips twitched in amusement. “Just Non.”
“An honour to meet you, just Non.” His gaze bounced between Granny and me, and then he placed a hand on his chest and bowed. “Caerwyn Meredith, Ledr of the Western Coven.”
I didn’t think it was possible for Granny to become more rigid than she naturally was, but as Caerwyn mentioned his last name, she became as stiff as a board.
Our family name was relatively common in Wales, but I didn’t for one second think his surname being the same as my own was a coincidence.
I felt rather stupid that the possibility of there being more members in my family had never crossed my mind.
Granny had never mentioned anyone else besides my father and Seren, and the latter wasn’t even a Meredith.
But for all I knew, half of the Northern Coven could be my relatives, and I would be none the wiser.
Finally, Granny broke the awkward silence. “I hope you are well, Ledr Caerwyn.” She nodded to the healer who came scuttling out of the examination room, head bowed.
Caerwyn waved his hand dismissively. “Yes, yes, right as rain. Just needed to get these buggers tightened.” He held up his wrists; the candlelight caught on the metal bands wrapped around them.
As I examined the unusual bracelets closer, I noticed the skin around their edges was angry and blistered.
Gods, why would he have those things tightened if they were causing his skin so much aggravation?
Granny only gave a curt nod in response. From the corner of my eye, I swore something like discomfort passed over Granny’s face. Did this man make my grandmother nervous? That would certainly be a first.
Caerwyn pushed his hands back in his pockets before stepping to the side and gesturing for us to pass. “I look forward to seeing you both at tonight’s celebration. Will you be attending, Non?”
Instinctively, I turned to look at Granny for confirmation that I would be allowed to go to the party, although Jazz had already mentioned as much when they’d asked Rhun to make me something adequate to wear.
By the time I’d turned around, Granny was already rounding the corner back towards the main hall of the Healers’ Ward.
Looking back at Ledr Caerwyn, my mouth hung open like a gaping fish, lost for words.
I croaked out an unconvincing yes before speed walking to catch up with Granny, who stood near the door talking to Sioned.
As I passed the rows of shelves that seemed to hold every herb known to man, my eyes fixed on a singular glass terrarium that stood on a plinth alone. Growing inside the glass in a black pot was a fuchsia foxglove, identical to the one that was inked to my shoulder.
Granny still seemed to be preoccupied, whispering with Sioned, so I moved closer to inspect its unusual housing.
A familiar glimmer surrounded the terrarium, one that looked just like the wards that had fucked my face up on my first day.
I snatched back my hand, which had automatically moved to touch the glass.
No way was I getting my world rocked again by being bounced off one of those fuckers.
“Non!” Granny’s voice echoed like shattered glass in the expansive room.
I was back at her side in an instant, keeping my eyes to the ground in submission. Without so much as a goodbye to Sioned and the other healers, we left and made our way through the winding corridors once more.
“Was that foxglove back there in the glass container?” I eventually asked.
Granny only gave a nod in response.
“Why did they have such powerful wards in place for a common flower?”
Granny came to a stop in front of an open alcove that was set up like a smaller version of the training ring from this morning.
“Some would argue those wards aren’t powerful enough to keep such a thing contained,” she said as she studied me closely.
“Are you saying it can eat people or something?”
Granny moved to the centre of the training ring. She cracked her neck from side to side before turning towards me. “No, what I am saying is that foxglove is the only known substance to nullify a Wielder’s powers.”