Page 122 of Untempered
“Help yourself to my things any time you feel like doing some polishing,” he said.
There was something off about the way he said it. “I’m not feeling very well,” I admitted, hoping honesty would carry me through. “I’m going to take that at face value, so if you’re mocking me, best to tell me now.”
He reached over, closing the distance between us with ease I didn’t expect, and nudged my bowl closer with a single fingertip. “I’ve never been so serious in my life, Embers. You ought to eat.”
I looked into the gray, stomach-turning mass. Had it been a spiced pear tart, I still would’ve struggled right then.
But he was right, even if it was all an elaborate ruse at my expense. So I ate.
We took extra food with us to the dungeons to visit the prisoner. “We don’t want the Butcher’shelp,” the man spat at me. “Hishelpis the reason we’re already in chains!”
He didn’t want my empathy, either, so I kept it to myself. On the way out of the dungeons, I turned the situation over in my mind. I didn’t want to keep him, but nor could I afford to feed him forever. If I released him, he’d just organize his group of hunters again, and we’d become quarry. I could put him to work loading the dead carts, mayhap, but ensuring he remained present would take manpower. Was it worth the investment, for one prisoner?
Kaelson was found in the barracks, within reach of the Captain’s desk he fit so well behind. He hailed us. “I was on my way to Bernadette,” he said. “We may as well all go. I’ve dispatched extra volunteers with wagons to start relocating Thomas to the market square, my lady. I suspect we’ll need to leave a small contingent out there, though, as local villages are stopping by there first.”
“Can we staff it?” I asked him.
“A few volunteers. Mayhap a guard or two.”
“And the market?”
“Yes. The hospital itself hasn’t been the target of anything much except a lot of unwell folks, and I do suspect that’ll continue. No one wants to get too close to plague carriers.”
I thought of my own resignation to it. If only Isolde wasn’t so worried, I could just enjoy her company now. “What about those already sick?”
“Possible that it wouldn’t keep someone already unwell away. But not something we’ve experienced yet. There are easier targets. I think that’s important to remember. We don’t need to make it properly secure, just secureenough.”
It was a strange thought and one I never would’ve come up with. “I’m very glad you’re here, Kaelson.”
He sent me a surprised look as we turned into a side corridor that would take us to the kitchens. “I’m not too unhappy with it, myself. Wish the situation was better, I must say, but given everything…”
My eyes caught on a shadow up ahead. Kaelson cleared his throat and stepped forward, blocking my view. To my left, Chay said, “Do you get whales in this bay, Audrey?”
I glanced over, distracted. “Absolutely not. Our beach is too shallow.” From here, I could see the ocean off in the distance, over the sea wall. “Do you? At Raider’s Ban?”
“Sometimes,” he said. “There are a few viewing points along the peninsula, further around from ’Ban. It’s nomad country, and there’s no access to the ocean there by foot.”
Kaelson was moving out of time with us, positioning himself between me and that shadow. I halted abruptly, and Chay cut off his story just as quickly.
A skinny child was huddled in a corner, more shadow than human. Their eyes were black pits, and their head had slumped on their knees. Beside them, a kerchief, like one used to carry baked goods, was open. A few crumbs remained close to the dead child’s open, bone-white fingers. There was a hole in their shirt that could only have been made by a rodent.
Isolde curled up like that, in a tight little ball. The thought of rats gnawing into her flesh to get her sweetmeats made my head spin.
Kaelson’s hand on my shoulder jolted me, and I was pulled along. “I’m sorry, my lady,” he said quietly. “We’ve people who sweep the keep. They must’ve missed this one in the morning go-round. They’ll be at rest tonight.”
I floated, and Kaelson towed me along.
From far away, I wished I’d listened to Chay’s stories about whales.
“Oh, here’s trouble,” Bernadette sighed when she saw us as if nothing was wrong. “You smelled the buns, Kael.”
“Half the city smelled the buns, Ettie.” I watched as they shared a look that was friendly. Perhaps even on theveryfriendly side of the scale. And I felt hollow. “I found the lady on the way to chat with you. We need to figure out logistics for a hospital in the market square.”
Someone had found that corpse, taken the food the child was carrying, and left the body.
Was there another child out there now, starving? Not dying of plague, but hunger?
Bernadette punched the dough in front of her absently. “So your runner said. I’ve ideas. You’re going to love ’em,” she told me. “Grab a bun, both of you, and sit down. This might take a little while, because there’s a few moving parts, but it might help us recover some of the harvest if we do it right, or at least get the corpses out of the city so the rats don’t get too much fatter.”
