Chapter 5 Boots on the Ground
I wince when I bend to retrieve a dropped cloth.
The pain behind my eyes has eased, but bending still brings it back. I leave the cloth where it fell. I promised I'd rest, and I'm tired of discovering new ways to break that promise.
I'm in the workshop, reorganizing supplies I've already organized twice, when the Wall speaks.
A vine taps against the window. The Wall reaches me through our bond. VISITOR. WOMAN. WALKING SLOW. NEEDS HELP.
I put the supplies down and take the customer chair toward the open door. Whoever is coming can sit. So can I.
I sit near the doorway and wait for her to reach me.
Outside, a vine lifts itself away from the path.
A woman is making her way up the path toward Royal Health, her steps careful and deliberate.
She's younger than Luca, maybe early twenties, with dark skin and close-cropped hair.
Her clothes are travel-worn but mended in places with neat stitches, and she wears sturdy boots that have seen a lot of miles.
She looks up when she sees me, and something in her expression sharpens. Assessing. Deciding.
The woman stops beside the chair without taking it. "You're Gregori?"
"I am." I keep my distance, giving her space. "What brings you to Royal Health?"
She rests one hand on the doorframe, her chin lifting. "I heard you fix things that other people can't. That true?"
Why does everyone phrase it that way? I fix some things. I try to help. I'm not some miracle worker.
But I know that look in her eyes. I've seen it in Luca. I've seen it in my own mirror.
I grip the edge of my seat. "Sometimes. What do you need?"
She studies me for a long moment, like she's deciding whether I'm worth her time. Then she holds out her left arm, pushing up her sleeve to reveal the skin beneath.
There's a mark on her forearm. A pattern etched into the skin, faded but visible.
My stomach drops.
I've seen that pattern before. Not identical, but close enough. The same underlying structure. The same deliberate precision.
I stay where I am, giving her room to lower her sleeve. "May I look closer?"
She nods, her jaw tight.
I lean forward to see the mark. It has the same hooked lines as the one on Luca's shield. I keep my magic to myself.
I want to reach for it. After what happened, how can I even consider that? I pull my hands back into my lap.
I get up and hold the door open. "There's someone here with a mark like that. Would you like to meet him?"
She lowers her sleeve, then follows me. I knock at Luca's door and tell him someone has come with a similar mark. He calls for us to come in.
The back room is quiet when we enter. Luca is resting on the patient cot, his shield propped against the wall beside him. He sits up when he hears us, his eyes going immediately to the stranger.
"Luca, this is..." I pause, realizing I never got her name.
She stops beside the cot and holds out her arm. "Nella. I've got one too."
Luca looks from her arm to the shield beside him. "Can I see?"
She rolls her sleeve back, her attention catching on the metal. "If you show me yours."
Luca looks at me, uncertain.
I stay near the door. "You don't have to, Luca."
Something shifts in Luca's expression. He picks up the shield and holds it where Nella can see the carving.
Nella holds her arm beside the shield. There are differences, but the hooked lines repeat. Luca leans closer without letting the metal leave his hands.
She pulls her arm back and examines it again. "They look alike."
I keep my hands away from both marks. "They do. It could be the same person. Or someone who learned from them. We don't know yet."
[SOUL MENDING: Inactive.New magical examination: Not performed.Cause of matching marks: Unconfirmed.Two similar marks are something to investigate. They are not a diagnosis. Keep your hands to yourself until you can stand without leaning on the furniture.]
Nella pulls her sleeve down and crosses her arms. "So what now? You going to poke at my soul and see what happens?"
I lean against the doorframe rather than approaching her. "No magic today. I pushed too far with Luca. I'm still sore."
Something flickers in Nella's expression. Surprise, maybe. "You admit when you're wrong?"
I steady myself against the doorframe. "Hard to deny it when I need to lean on this."
Nella unfolds her arms. "At least you said so." Her shoulders loosen a little.
Luca shifts on the cot, making room. "You can sit if you want. There's space."
Nella eyes the offered spot like it might bite her. Then, slowly, she perches on the edge of the cot, leaving plenty of distance between herself and Luca.
I fetch the chair from the front door and set it beside the cot. "What did your ability do?"
She plants both boots squarely on the floor. "Earthtouch. Bare feet on the ground, and I could feel someone walking nearby. About ten meters, on a good day." Her fingers tighten in her skirt. "I miss it."
"Still on your skill list?" I keep my hands in my lap. Looking at a menu used to hurt worse than looking at the scars.
Nella focuses on the empty air in front of her. "Earthtouch. Unavailable." She blinks the display away. "Every time I check."
I remember too. The phantom weight of abilities I couldn't access. The maddening certainty that something was wrong.
I let her finish without reaching toward her arm. "I believe you."
Her head comes up sharply. "Just like that?"
I glance at Luca, who still has his shield between his knees. "Nobody here is going to ask you to prove it."
Nella stares at me for a long moment. Then she looks away, her throat working.
Lyra comes to the open door with food and tea. I introduce her to Nella before she sets the tray down. "Help yourself," she says, moving the cup handle within reach.
Nella eyes the food with visible suspicion. "I can work for it. I'm not looking for charity."
Lyra puts bread beside Nella's cup. "Eat first. If you want to help afterward, there's plenty to do."
Nella reaches for the bread. I let her eat without another question.
"I can garden." Nella picks up her cup, her movements careful. "What needs doing?"
Lyra gestures toward the window. "A bean plant has fallen over. The stick holding it snapped. There's string and another stick by the back door."
Nella takes a bite of bread before setting the plate in her lap. "I'll do that when I've eaten."
Lyra fetches the basket and leaves it by Nella's feet. I point to the spare string. "Use what you need."
She finishes her food, puts her cup on the tray, and takes the basket out to the garden.
Luca watches her carry it past the window. "She didn't ask you to fix her first."
I watch her find the fallen plant. "She asked me to help. I can start by letting her settle in."
Lyra touches the back of my neck. "I'll put another bed in the spare room."
I start to push my chair back. "I can help with that."
She presses a brief kiss to my hair. "Keep Nella company. Suki will help me."
I settle back into the chair. There are other hands here. I can let them help.
Luca sets his shield against the cot again. "She's like us."
I turn back from the window. "Yes." His voice makes me wish that felt less strange to him.
He runs a thumb over the carving. "How many people did they do this to?"
The question sits heavy in the air between us. I've been avoiding it, not wanting to look too closely at what it might mean.
I leave my chair beside his bed. "I don't know. I was wondering the same thing."
Luca turns the shield so the mark faces away from him. "I hope the others find this place."
I watch Nella gather the bean stems gently instead of pulling them upright. "Me too."
Luca follows my gaze to the garden. "Will she stay?"
I turn my chair toward the window. "We'll ask her."
Through the window, I watch Nella tie up a sagging bean plant with quick, sure hands. She tests the new stick, finds it solid, and loosens the string so it won't cut into the stem.
She came here looking for help. So did Luca. So did I, once, though I didn't know it at the time.
Someone out there is making broken people on purpose. I don't know who, or why, or how many victims there are.
But I know I'm not going to stop until I find out.
Nella finishes with the bean plant and stands back to check her work. She brushes the dirt from her hands and looks toward the house.
Cali hops onto the windowsill as Nella checks the plant. "Good," she says. "Someone fixed my shade."
I look up at her paws beside the latch. "Your shade?"
She lies down across the sill, blocking half my view. "Don't start, old man. I'm tired."
Luca lifts the spare blanket from the foot of his bed. "She can have this one. If she needs it."
I turn to look at him. The fear is still there in his eyes, but something else has joined it. Something that looks almost like hope.
I take it from him, remembering how tightly he held the shield when he arrived. "I'll bring it over."