Chapter 33
The saddle bags rattled, the sound of glass clinking together reaching my ears. Askel grimaced as he handed me a second bag to hang on Nala’s opposite flank. “How many potions do you expect me to sell?”
“All of them,” I replied, a smile on my lips. “Come on, Askel, you’ve fought in wars, how hard can it be to sell a few potions? And some aren’t even potions; they’re just spices in jars.”
He groaned. “I’ll be at the market all day.”
“That’s the point,” I reminded him with a smirk.
Askel frowned but said nothing more as he guided the horse forward. I followed, ensuring the bags were balanced on both sides of the horse so Nala wouldn’t injure herself.
I’d read all the books I’d found in Malheim to Askel, except the book of whispers.
We’d deduced that the purple book, which I now knew I’d likely pulled from Friar’s new bedroom, held a healing power, though we hadn’t been able to test it much beyond the papercut I’d given myself while reading.
The other books contained empathy, the power to control water, the power to call fire and one that gave the power to boost growth.
It was the last one that we’d been able to use the most, and the reason why we had so much to take to market now.
I’d started keeping a list of the books we had, as well as the ones I’d burned.
The books I’d recently acquired, other than the healing book—which, we weren’t sure where it originated from—all matched with the ones Signa claimed to have once surrendered to Adis.
We hadn’t yet found the book for controlling metal, or the one that granted extra strength—both of which Signa stated she’d turned over to Adis—but I had a hunch they might still be in Ralheim, something I was planning to remedy today.
I just hoped the books I was looking for weren’t the ones that Otho had taken to Shianp, but there was no way to know for sure until we searched.
I was also hoping the book of wind was still where I left it—tucked in my former cell in Ralheim.
“What if Otho gave the books to the king?” Askel piped up, practically reading my thoughts, even though I knew he hadn’t read that book.
That was the part of my plan that I wasn’t sure how to solve. While it was easy for me to disperse information in Heimland, the continent was bigger than these three cities, and when I said everyone deserved the opportunity to learn magic, I meant everyone.
“We focus on teaching reading first and foremost, and then we will worry about finding more books.” I chewed on my lip, unsure why I was reassuring Askel when we both knew the answer was murky.
Askel sighed but didn’t speak. I knew he was worried about the confrontation we were marching into headfirst.
He hadn’t returned to Otho and had been living with me for the past fortnight, helping me complete the harvest during the day and learning to read the Seid magic at night.
I’d argued that Otho said only to return once Askel had verified that I was okay, which was open for interpretation, but he felt a loyalty to Otho that even stopping the belladonna hadn’t revealed to me.
Of course, merely thinking his name sent jolts into my heart, but I knew that he wouldn’t approve of my plan, and though I would eventually forgive him, rushing to do so was futile while my vision for the world would drive us apart again.
I’d heard surprisingly nothing from Collum or anyone in Malheim, despite my practical declaration of war. And I knew there was only one reason my cabin hadn’t been burned to the ground yet—well, two, actually.
One, Collum was like everyone else, underestimating me and what I could accomplish. And two, because she still loved me and cared for me in some capacity.
The question was how long that would last.
It doesn’t matter, I lied to myself as Ralheim rose on the horizon.
My steps slowed as we passed the city limits.
It was painful to walk the streets of my childhood, knowing that I would never feel at home here again.
But it was nice to see Roger, the butcher’s son, who greeted us with a smile and a wave as we set up in the square across from his father’s shop.
His hands were full of items wrapped in white paper as he ducked inside, but moments later, he was back, crossing the square to talk to us.
“Hello. I came to see what spices you had for sale.” His gaze was on Askel, not me.
I pointed to the jars Askel was currently placing on the blanket we’d brought just for this purpose. “You name it—we’ve got almost everything.”
He knelt down, picking up various jars and inspecting them. Askel’s eyes connected with mine over his head, and he dipped his chin in encouragement.
I cleared my throat. “Roger?”
“Yes?” he asked, without looking up from the jars. There wasn’t even a flicker of surprise at my knowing his name.
“I know you lost your mother in the Purge, but I was wondering if you would like to . . . uhh, help us with a project.” I stumbled over the last few words—nervous I would divulge too much to someone who wasn’t an ally.
“What project?” He was interested now, a jar clutched tightly in each fist.
“Well, we can teach you . . . to read, if you’re interested. We are looking to facilitate classes open to anyone and everyone who wants to learn more about Seid magic.”
His eyes widened, and for a moment, I was afraid I’d said too much.
“You . . . you would teach me to read?”
My shoulders relaxed at the realization that he understood. “Yes.” I looked at Askel again. “We want to try to right all the wrongs caused by the Purge and . . . take things further—toward equality, I mean.”
He nodded enthusiastically. “I’d love to, and I know several others who would be interested. I asked Signa last year, and she told me that without her vision, it wasn’t possible.”
I smiled sadly at the mention of my predecessor. “Signa died two fortnights ago; I’ve taken her place.”
“Wow.” I could feel Roger’s genuine surprise. “Well, it’s nice to meet you . . .”
“Runa Wormald.” My chest pinched at the fact that he didn’t remember or recognize me, but I knew it was high time I released that childhood fantasy anyway.
“And this is Askel.” I didn’t know his family name, but Roger didn’t seem to mind, offering his hand to both of us for the Ralheim greeting before realizing he still held two jars.
“How much for these?”
“Two coins for the tarragon, and one coin for the flower seed.”
He dug into his pocket, holding out the coins to Askel, who tucked them into the pouch he wore for that purpose.
“We don’t have a location for the classes yet, but I plan to solidify that today. I’ll have Askel drop by and inform you where they will be. Feel free to invite anyone else who is interested.”
“I will,” he promised with a smile before returning to his shop.
The day dragged on, and we sold jar after jar to the citizens of Ralheim.
It was difficult to recall all of the faces, some of them having aged drastically since the last time I’d seen them.
But anyone I recognized as having lost one or two parents, we invited to our magic lessons.
The majority said yes, though a few said they would need to consider it. No one said no.
Halfway through the afternoon, I decided it was time to stop avoiding what I’d come to Ralheim to do, and I promised Askel I would be back before beginning my trek to the Ralheim palace.
The walk there was uneventful, and though I briefly debated stopping to see Milo and Helena beforehand, I knew I was only making excuses not to do what we’d come here for.
I would see them after I finished my task.
The path was similar to the one Friar and I took the time I’d met Signa for the first time, but then I hadn’t gone all the way to the keep with her, so at some point, I had to tilt my chin up, using my best guess to guide me toward the large barracks peeking over the two-story houses in the nicer, more expensive part of town.
Although the very center of the city remained mostly unaffected by war—its general state having been declining before all the young men were called to fight—the residents in this part of town had suffered greatly.
I passed home after home that had fallen into disrepair, unable to discern which homes were empty and which had too few family members to keep up with basic maintenance.
I also suspected that some had left to search for jobs, as Milo had. I gulped as I passed one house where the door hung off the hinges, plants growing up the porch, and hoped that the residents were thriving somewhere else.
Unlike when Adis had ruled Ralheim, the gate to the keep was left unguarded, and I was able to breeze in as I had in Malheim. What I saw inside, however, immediately had my gaze narrowing.
Where Malheim had been filled with servants going about their duties, the Ralheim keep was nearly empty, though I did spot one woman hanging the washing on the line, her long black hair slung in a single braid over her broad shoulder.
“Astrid!” I called as I walked toward her, relieved that she’d survived the war.
I could feel her confusion, and I realized then that I’d never given her my real name. “Runa,” I supplied as soon as we were standing near each other.
“It’s good to see you.” She smiled, recognition flickering in her gaze as she gave me a once-over. “You look good—healthy.”
“Thanks.” The empty courtyard came back to the front of my mind. “Where is everyone?”
She sighed. “Not many survived the attack the day you were bonded to Leif.” Though her voice was steady, her hands shook as she hung the next piece of laundry. “Otho offered any that remained a choice—they could return home if they wished. Many did. He didn’t hire more.”
My heard warmed at his actions, even though I knew it had made things harder for Astrid. “Why didn’t you return home?”
She smiled sadly. “No home to return to.”