Eryl.”
“Can he get out of
Kingsreach?” Dasid asked.
“He won’t leave,” Brenna
said. “Not Eryl.” She wiped a hand across her eyes and sat up. “He always says
that the Quarter will look after its own. I hope it does.”
“Is Thorold targeting
people Brenna knows?” Dasid asked.
“It seems so.” Kane
sighed. “Brenna, who else would be at risk?”
“Who else?” Brenna shook
her head. “Half the people in the Quarter have been customers. I never turned
away anyone who was ill. Other than that there’s Pater, his nephew Martyn and Mistress
Mundy over at the Wheat Sheaf.”
“Where the healer from
Aruntun was killed,” Kane said. “We’ll ask Eryl to keep an eye on her. Pater
and Martyn are Brotherhood - you can’t keep them safe.”
“But I’ll feel responsible
if anything happens to them,” Brenna said.
“ They’re helping you save Soule from Thorold. That’s their choice ,” Kane replied.
“I don’t want any more of
my friends to die,” Brenna said.
She got up to pace the
room. Kane was right - Mistress Dudding’s death wasn’t her fault, not really,
but it felt like it. And it didn’t change the fact that people were in danger - and dying - because of her. She had to put it out of her mind - she had
more to do tonight, more people to contact. She sighed heavily and sat back
down. Kane clasped her hand and she sighed again. Time to get back to work.
Brenna stretched, wincing
when her muscles protested. She always tried to relax when contacting others
through old steel but when she was done, she invariably found that she’d been
tensing her muscles and clenching her hands. Tonight was worse - finding out
about Mistress Dudding had put her even more on edge than usual. She leaned
against the hearth and rubbed her hands in front of the flames, trying to warm
them up.
“Here, drink this.”
Kane handed her a mug of
tea and she wrapped one stiff hand around it. She took a small sip and sighed.
“Just one more tonight,”
he said.
“Two,” Brenna replied. “I
want to talk to Jemma.”
“Do you need to?”
“Yes. I must have had a Seeing
when I was asleep. I keep hearing Jemma’s name in my head.” She sipped her tea
and shook her head. “She’s our best connection to Beldyn right now. She needs
to see him.”
Kane looped an arm around
her shoulder and simply waited, silent, as she finished her tea.
“Jemma first then,” Kane
said. He took her mug from her and steered her back to her seat.
The others all settled in
as she picked up her knife once more.
“ Jemma, are you there ?”
Despite her fatigue Brenna found Jemma easily.
“ Brenna ?” Jemma
replied.
“ It’s me ,” Brenna
said. “ You need to see Beldyn .”
After a quick conversation
Brenna broke the link to the younger girl.
“I asked her to try to see
Beldyn as soon as possible,” Brenna said. “She said that all the guilds are
putting forth their best goods for the coronation so I told her to talk to
Marcus Brunger. He can make sure she’s part of any delegation. We’ll need to let
Marcus know next time we contact him.” Brenna stood and stretched her arms
overhead before sitting down again.
“Jemma confirmed what
Marcus said,” she continued. “The church of the One-God is housing many, many
priests in the neighbourhood around the church. They’ve mostly been welcomed into
homes but Jemma has heard of a few families who were forced out. The families
haven’t been seen since and the rumour is they were sent to the High Bishop for
being uncharitable .” Brenna couldn’t stop her shudder. So many people
hurt - or worse - in the name of the One-God - Kane’s uncle Feiren, Neal
Ravershaw, Mistress Dudding and now innocent families. Thorold and the High
Bishop had to be stopped.
Brenna took a shaky breath
and handed her second empty mug to Kane. She’d protested the delay when he’d first
insisted that she take a break between each contact through old steel but