6. Cal #3
His impatience mounted with each passing minute as he watched the sage work. What he was doing lay somewhere between alchemy and more traditional magic, mixing together ingredients in a little jar while applying short bursts of dawnflame to supplement the effects.
The Sunkeeper muttered to himself as he worked, though Cal couldn’t make out what he was saying.
“Who are you anyway?” the Sunkeeper eventually said. He shook some kind of fine powder into the jar, conjuring a brief puff of smoke. “And how do you know Griffin?”
Cal squinted at the Sunkeeper’s back. Being around other magic users always made him antsy.
This one hadn’t reacted to his duskflame disguise, but you never knew what spellcasters were capable of, and sages tended to be an esoteric sort.
From what Cal had heard, many of them possessed other talents besides healing.
“My name is Cal,” he said, opting for that much of the truth. “And I’m…Griff’s new partner.”
That last part was kinda true as well, at least for now. The Sunkeeper grunted. He seemed to accept that explanation as he focused back on his preparations.
“I knew I should’ve turned Griffin away when he came to me this morning, asking for help,” the Sunkeeper said.
“His job always leads to more trouble. Now here is, with some mysterious wound. And don’t think I don’t know that you’re hiding something from me!
” The Sunkeeper waved a vial of bubbling liquid in Cal’s direction.
“Too afraid to come himself, so he sent his partner instead. ‘Accident’…ha! Whatever foolishness you two are wrapped up in, keep me out of it.”
“I promise we’re being careful,” Cal offered.
He regretted speaking almost at once as the Sunkeeper whirled on him, his eyes flashing.
“Careful? You call this careful? Bah! If you wanted to be careful, you wouldn’t go running through the streets hunting this Blackjack fellow!
” Shaking his head, the Sunkeeper added another surge of dawnflame to his brewing concoction.
“If Griffin’s mother were here, maybe she’d be able to get through to him.
But that boy has had a stubborn streak since he was a child.
” The sage cast a narrow-eyed glare toward Cal that made him shift uncomfortably in his seat.
“Not that you must be much better if you’re his partner. ”
Eternal Dark, please let him be done soon. Recalling what Griff had said about trusting this particular Sunkeeper, Cal ventured, “It sounds like you’ve known Griff a long time. It’s, uh, good he has someone looking out for him.”
The Sunkeeper slowly turned, raising an eyebrow at Cal.
“Of course I look out for him. I’m his Light-blinded father after all.
” He shook his head, angrily adding another vial’s contents to his brew.
Cal flinched as the concoction emitted a loud hiss.
“I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised he didn’t mention it. ”
Father? Now that the Sunkeeper said it, Cal thought he could see the family resemblance, though it was subtle. They had the same square faces and boxy frames. The same warm brown eyes.
Thinking of his own family—what little he remembered of them—conjured a distant pang in his chest. One he’d grown used to ignoring over the years. It was hard to miss something that felt more like a dream than a genuine memory.
Cal leaped eagerly to his feet when the Sunkeeper finally declared the poultice complete and brought it over. Cal peered down at the jar of gray, sludge-like paste.
“This is meant to heal his wound?”
The Sunkeeper looked at him like he was daft.
“No, I gave it to you as a practical joke. Of course it will heal it! So long as you use it right. You need to gently apply it to the entire affected area, then rub it in. Don’t press too hard or else it’ll hurt like the Void, but don’t be too soft either or it won’t be properly absorbed.
Use nice, circular motions to massage it into the skin.
And be quick—once you take it out of the jar and expose it to the air, you’ve only got a few minutes before it starts to harden.
Leave it on for at least an hour but no more than three, then scrape it off and wash away any residue. Got it?”
Cal nodded, reaching for the jar. “Got it.”
The Sunkeeper yanked the jar back, narrowing his eyes. “Good. Then repeat the instructions back to me, word for word.”
Cal resisted the urge to roll his eyes and did just that. He was positive he’d gotten every detail right, but the Sunkeeper still made him complete the exercise twice more before he was finally satisfied.
Securing the jar in a pouch at his waist, Cal started for the door to the hall. “Thanks for the help.”
He was almost to the hall when the Sunkeeper’s gruff voice stopped him, surprisingly hesitant. “We don’t usually ask for payment for our services, but do me a favor, will you? Look after Griffin for me. Whatever you’re wrapped up in, promise me you’ll do what you can to keep him safe.”
An emotion Cal couldn’t properly name coiled through him, warming his insides. Swallowing down a lump in his throat, he nodded. “I promise.”