Blue Fire

The Takers behind Tali paled and backed away. None had been grabbed by the Healers’ League’s new “recruiters”, but we all knew people who had been: pulled from their homes, dragged to the League, forced to heal – even if it killed us.

It was nine shades of wrong. The League used to invite only Takers with strong healing talents to become apprentices, those who had real futures as Healers. But now? You didn’t have a choice. The Duke demanded that any Taker with even a trace of healing ability had to serve at the League. The lucky ones were trained. The unlucky – they wound up in a small, windowless room somewhere, being experimented on.

The Duke of Baseer had his war to win, whatever the cost to us.

“I’m sure they’re fine. There’s nothing to worry about.”

I glanced at the Takers behind Tali, slipping away one by one to go cower in their rooms. It shouldn’t be this way. The Healers’ League was supposed to train Takers to heal and help. Becoming a Healer used to be something every Taker dreamed of, like Tali had. Like I had.

Now it was just a nightmare.

Tali hadn’t moved, and she had that little-sister-stubbornness look about her again. “Should we go look for her?”

If only I could. They had been gone an awfully long time. “You know we can’t leave the town house.”

“You can’t, but I can.”

“You can’t either. It was hard enough rescuing you from the League once. I’m not letting them get you again.”

She pouted, her brow wrinkling the way it always did when she was trying to decide if it was worth an argument or not.

“You can help Soek with lunch,” I offered. “You know how much he needs it.”

“He’s making that fish stew again,” she said. “Took me three days to get the smell out of my hair last time.”

“Maybe you can—”

“Nya, I can help with the Takers, you know I can.” She stared at me, defiance in her brown eyes, and tucked a curl behind an ear. She’d dyed her blonde hair red, like Aylin’s used to be, and it had put some fire into her as well.

“It’s just too dangerous right now,” I said more gently this time. “Can you please check on the others and make sure they’re OK? You know how scared they are. I’m fine here, really.”

Tali didn’t say anything, but the defiance was gone, replaced by concern. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Really? Because you don’t seem fine.”

“That’s ’cause someone keeps pestering me while I’m planning how to smuggle people off Geveg.” I meant it as a tease, but Tali folded her arms and frowned.

“You’re not planning, you’re watering lake violets and looking miserable.”

“I can do both.” I grinned, but she clearly wasn’t buying it.

“Nya, you don’t have to be miserable.”

My grin vanished. I’d earned my misery, but I’d paid the price for Tali’s life willingly, a life for a life. It shouldn’t be easy to toss that guilt overboard. Besides, everything here in Zertanik’s town house, was a constant reminder of what I’d done, who I’d killed. It didn’t matter that he didn’t need it any more, or that it made the perfect hiding place. There was some justice in selling off his stolen loot to help the very Takers he’d tried to hurt, but not enough to make it right.

I set down the watering can and sighed.

Tali came over and rested her head on my shoulder. She used to do the same thing when we were little and Mama had scolded me. “Well, you’re worrying over nothing,” Tali said, filling the silence when I didn’t say anything. “Barnikoff will hide them in his boat, same as always.”

“Someone saw me with him the last time. The Governor-General might be watching now.” Which meant there was one more person who might get into trouble because of me. I shoved my hands into my pockets.

Not nearly deep enough.

“They saw you?” she asked, worried now. “Who did? The League?”

“I’m not sure—”

The front door of the town house rattled. I jumped up and hurried into the foyer, my heart pounding. Please, please, please let them be OK. Tali followed, for once staying away from the door without me telling her to.

Aylin stepped inside and my chest loosened. A boy about twelve trailed behind her. He was pretty grimy, so he’d probably been hiding for a while. Skinny, too, and his face lit up at the smell of fish stew. My heart clenched again, but then Danello walked in, watching the street a little too cautiously as he shut the door.

“What happened?” I said, not as relieved as I should be now that they were back. “I was getting worried.”

“We were just extra careful on the way back,” Aylin said. She glanced at Tali, then looked at me in a way that clearly said she didn’t want to tell me what was wrong in front of Tali. So many things could be wrong, I didn’t even want to guess what it was this time. “But we found him.” She nudged the boy forward.

“Winvik,” Tali gasped, running over. He looked equally glad to see her. “I thought you’d left Geveg.”

“I tried, but I couldn’t get a boat to the marsh farms.”

“You know each other?” Aylin said.

Tali nodded. “Winvik was in my apprentice classes at the Healers’ League.”

“And the spire room?” I asked softly.

“Yes.” A flicker of fear crossed her face. So Winvik had also been forced by the League to heal until he carried so much pain he couldn’t move. No wonder he’d risked starvation to stay free.

“Welcome, then,” I said, smiling. Neither Aylin nor Danello smiled with me. Saints, it must really be bad then.

Footsteps thumped down the stairs and Takers peeked over the railings at us. We had four other Takers in the town house right now, people we’d saved who wouldn’t be experimented on by the Duke to see if they developed special “abilities” he could use for his own purpose. I hadn’t yet figured out what that purpose was, but that was part of our plan.

Step One: Rescue as many Takers as we could and keep them away from the Duke.

Step Two: Find out what the Duke wanted with them.

Step Three: Stop it.

Of course, steps two and three were turning out to be a lot harder than anticipated, but we were doing OK so far with step one. And truth be told, that was the one that mattered the most.

Danello cleared his throat.

“Tali,” I said, “why don’t you take Winvik to the kitchen for some of that stew and then show him to a room?”

She frowned for a heartbeat, like she knew I was trying to get rid of her. “Come on, it’s this way.”

Aylin watched them leave, then stepped closer. Danello did the same.