Demonkin (32 page)

Morro nodded and rummaged through his pack for some trail rations. He ate, drank and then checked the hourglass. The sands were restored and he placed it back in the fairy’s pocket.

“Lie down,” commanded the fairy.

The elf stared at the fairy uncomprehendingly.

“Lie down,” repeated the fairy. “Rest on your right side. I am going to show you the encampment.”

“I was not aware that your images required any particular position to view?” frowned the elf.

“You are awfully stubborn for a teammate. Lie down.”

Morro sighed in confusion, but he followed the fairy’s instructions. As soon as he was down, the fairy darted into the pocket. Morro frowned at the fairy’s antics, but he suddenly realized that he was in a different position than he was just a second before. Instead of sparse grass under his body, he rested on solid rock. Sparky crawled out of the pocket with a finger to his lips.

“You are above the tunnel entrance,” the fairy whispered. “If you raise your head just a bit, you can gaze down on the encampment.”

“If I can see them,” frowned the elf, “they can see me. How did I get here?”

“Levitation,” grinned the fairy. “I was thinking of levitating you all the way across the encampment, but you are a big fellow as far as fairies go. I could not levitate you and fly fast enough to cover the entire distance. Luckily, I noticed this ledge on the way back. You can see the entire encampment from up here.”

Morro was tempted to peek over the edge, but he could not afford to be seen. He pulled the hourglass out of his pocket and stared at the sands. When the sands were restored, he triggered the device himself. First, he checked Sparky to make sure that he was frozen. Smiling as he saw the effect on the fairy, Morro raised his head and peered over the edge of the ledge. He inhaled sharply as he viewed the encampment below. From his vantage point, the only thing he could not see was the tunnel entrance directly below him. He hastily scribbled the details on his map, glancing every few seconds at the hourglass. Before the sands ran out, Morro lowered his head.

“Was it all that I said it was?” asked Sparky.

Morro frowned at the question. ”How did you know I used the device? When you used it, I was not even aware of it.”

Sparky chuckled softly and pointed to the hourglass. “You couldn’t see the sands when I used it. That is why you were confused.”

Morro smiled and nodded. “It is an impressive camp. I am glad that I got to see it with my own eyes. Are you sure that you can get me safely away from this ledge?”

“I am certain,” the fairy responded convincingly. “When the sands are restored, place the hourglass back in my pocket. You will wake up far to the south in the forest.”

* * * *

Natia moaned and rolled over in the large bed. She crawled to the edge of the bed and quickly seized the bucket on the floor. Tedi heard the sound of retching from the other room. He ran into the bedroom and watched helplessly as Natia wiped her face with a cloth and rolled into the center of the bed.

“You are not getting any better,” frowned Tedi. “I am going to get you to a healer.”

Instead of objecting as she had the day before, Natia merely nodded. That worried Tedi more than anything. The gypsy prince turned and raced out of the room. He exited the suite and ran down the stairs to the first floor. The innkeeper stood behind a long counter and Tedi ran towards him.

“I need a healer for my wife.”

“Is she contagious?” the innkeeper asked worriedly.

“No,” Tedi answered. “I think she has been poisoned.”

The innkeeper started writing directions on a piece of paper. One of the serving girls who had overheard the conversation shook her head when she saw what the innkeeper was writing.

“He is dead,” the girl said.

“What?” asked the innkeeper, a tone of annoyance in his voice.

“That healer,” the girl said pointing to the directions. “He died last week. Some say he caught the plague from one of his patients.”

The innkeeper sighed and tore the paper. “He is the only one I know of. I will run next door and find out who they use. I will be right back.”

The innkeeper turned and moved through a door behind the counter. The serving girl lingered as she stared at Tedi.

“There is a new healer in town,” she said quietly. “I heard that his potions will cure anything.”

“How do I send for him?” asked Tedi.

“He doesn’t come to people,” answered the girl. “You have to go to him.”

“My wife is not well enough to walk very far,” Tedi said with a shake of his head.

“You wouldn’t be walking anyways,” replied the girl. “His shop is in the center of the slums. You would have to ride to get there.”

“There must be someone closer,” objected Tedi.

“There probably is,” shrugged the girl, “but I wouldn’t give a copper for any of them that I’ve seen. Most of them will mumble strange words and then stick their palms out for gold. I’ve never seen any of them heal anyone.”

“And this healer in the slums is any different?” Tedi asked with disbelief.

“Oh, he is,” the girl nodded exaggeratedly. “He is the talk of the town, he is. He has a potion for every illness. He is awfully expensive from what I hear, but at least the people get better. That’s better than those other healers.”

The girl’s words about the poor quality of the local healers disturbed Tedi. He did not plan on losing Natia to some poison. “How would I find this healer?”

“You can’t miss his shop,” answered the girl. “It is right in the center of the slums, and it is the only building that looks decent, if ya know what I mean.”

“Perhaps I will ride out there if the healer that the innkeeper is getting doesn’t work out.”

“You riding to the slums will do no good,” replied the girl. “He demands to see the patient in person, and he don’t leave his shop for nobody.”

The noise of the back door opening sent the serving girl hurrying off. The innkeeper entered the room and moved towards the counter.

“They used the same healer we did,” stated the innkeeper. “I have no idea who to call for. Perhaps you can go to the merchant district and ask around. I think they have a few healers up there. It might be a day or two before you can convince one of them to come all the way here, though.”

Tedi thanked the man and returned to his suite. He didn’t want Natia to worry while he went for a healer. He explained the circumstances to her and promised to be back as soon as possible. As he turned to leave the bedroom, Natia grasped the edge of his tunic.

“Don’t leave me here,” Natia pleaded. “I really think that I am poisoned. Whoever did this might come back while you are gone. I am in no condition to defend myself.”

Tedi stiffened at the thought of someone harming his wife. He also worried that she might not live long enough to wait a couple of days for a healer.

“Do you think you could stay on the unicorn if I got you on one?”

“I am a gypsy,” Natia smiled weakly. “They say that gypsies are born to ride. You get me in the saddle, and I will stay there.”

Tedi strapped the staff to his back and then gently picked up his wife. He carried her to the door of the suite and struggled to open the door. When he got her through the doorway, he balanced her clumsily as he closed the door. He didn’t bother to lock it. Tedi carried her down the stairs and out to the stables. He ordered the mounts readied and waited impatiently as the stable hands saddled the unicorns and led them out of the stables. He gently lifted Natia and placed her in the saddle. He mounted his own unicorn and told it where they were going. The two unicorns walked out to the street and headed towards the slums.

“I think the air might be good for me,” Natia said weakly.

“Being sick in a closed room is never pleasant,” agreed Tedi. “I am sure that the fresh air is good for you. If you think you need to stop, just say so.”

The unicorns moved swiftly through the streets of Valdo, but they adjusted their gait to keep Natia as comfortable as possible. Tedi watched his wife warily, fearing that she might fall to the dirty pavement. As closely as he watched Natia, he could not help noticing the change in the city around him. The landscape grew bleak, and the people grew dirtier and frailer. Just as he was beginning to have second thoughts on bringing Natia to the slums, he saw a gaily-painted building with carriages parked in the street in front of it.

“That must be it,” Tedi announced hopefully.

Natia opened her eyes and looked around. She saw the shop, but she also saw two men across the street from it. She stared at them with the nagging thought that she had seen them before, but there was no time for her foggy mind to dwell upon it. The unicorns halted and Tedi leaped to the ground. He lifted Natia from the saddle and carried her towards the shop. One of the men from across the street hurried to the door and opened it for Tedi. He followed them into the shop. Several people were leaving, and Tedi hurried through them in haste. That earned him a few glares from the elite of Valdo, but Tedi did not care. A man behind the counter saw Tedi heading towards him. He moved quickly to push a couch towards the counter and waved Tedi towards it.

“Put her here,” ordered the man. “What ails her?”

“We think that she has been poisoned,” answered Tedi as he placed Natia on the couch and knelt next to her, “but we are not sure. Are you the healer?”

“I am Kalmar.” The man nodded as he kneeled to examine the gypsy princess. “I am one of the healers. How long has she been vomiting?” he asked as his nose crinkled with distaste.

“This is her second day,” answered Tedi. “It started late last night.”

Kalmar placed his hands on her body and frowned puzzlingly. Natia closed her eyes and fell asleep. “What did she eat that day?”

“We went down to the waterfront to eat,” answered Tedi. “She had some fish.”

“And you did not?”

“I did not,” answered Tedi. “I grew up fishing, and I didn’t care for the look of what they were serving. I had meat.”

Kalmar nodded knowingly. He rose and walked behind the counter and returned with a bottle filled with a thick, green liquid.

“You think the fish was bad?” asked Tedi.

“You thought it looked bad,” smiled Kalmar. “Yes, I think she was poisoned by the fish. It is good that you brought her here. This poison could kill her.”

Tedi exhaled slowly and nodded. “Will that potion cure her?”

“It will,” answered Kalmar. “She will be well within minutes. The cost of the potion is three thousand in gold.”

“Three thousand?” balked Tedi.

“Is she not worth that much?” asked Kalmar.

Tedi bit his lip and shook his head. “No. It is an outrageous sum for a potion, but I will gladly pay it.”

“Charge him the local rate,” stated another voice.

Kalmar and Tedi both turned to look at the newcomer.

“Why, Zynor?” asked Kalmar. “You have never intervened in my business before.”

“They rode here on unicorns,” Zynor said softly. “Whoever they are, they are not the type of clientele for that price. Charge them fairly.”

Kalmar nodded and handed the potion to Tedi. “Wake her gently and have her drink half of the bottle. Give the potion a few minutes to settle and then have her drink the rest. I will be back in a few minutes to check on her.”

“How much for the potion?” Tedi asked as Kalmar rose to leave.

“Three gold? Three thousand gold? Or somewhere in between. You choose. I trust in the judgment of my friend, Zynor. I will be back.”

Both mages walked away, and Tedi gently woke the gypsy princess. He fed her half the contents of the potion, and her eyes grew wide.

“What is that stuff?” she asked.

“The healer said that the fish was bad,” answered Tedi. “This will cure you. Rest for a few minutes and then I will give you the rest.”

“I have seen these men before,” Natia whispered.

“What men? Kalmar?”

“Him and the two men across the street,” answered Natia. “One of them held the door for you.”

“That would be Zynor,” frowned Tedi. “He knew that we rode unicorns. How could he possibly know that? Where have you seen them before?”

“In Waxhaw,” replied Natia. “They were traveling with Fakir Aziz. Do you remember when Kalina left the group to go talk to him?”

“I remember,” said Tedi, “but I did not pay much attention to the other men. Is that how they knew the unicorns?”

“They ride unicorns, Tedi. Is it much of a stretch to think they might recognize them?”

“Then Fakir Aziz might be in the city,” Tedi suggested. “I would like to see him again. I would like to apologize for the way I treated him outside Giza.”

“There is no need to apologize.”

Tedi and Natia both looked up and stared into the face of the Mage.

“I was a stranger in your camp,” Fakir continued. “You treated me well for a stranger in Zara. You may have harbored some wary thoughts, but Zara is not typically a friendly place to be. How is the gypsy princess?”

“Feeling better,” smiled Natia.

Tedi handed the potion to Natia and rose to his feet. “Drink the rest, Natia.” He turned to face Fakir Aziz. “I am pleased that you hold no grudge for my behavior, but I still feel bad about it. Why didn’t you tell us who you are?”

“You had no need to know,” stated the Mage. “At the time, I thought our paths would remain separate and distinct.”

“And now you think otherwise?” asked Tedi.

“For a short time,” replied the Mage. “There is someone in the back room that I want you to meet.” When Tedi glanced at Natia with concern, Fakir continued. “There is no rush. Let the potion work on Natia and then come through the curtain when you are ready.”

Fakir Aziz did not wait for a reply. He turned and walked through the curtain. Natia emptied the bottle and Tedi took it from her hands. He placed it on the floor. Natia smiled and sat up.

“Whatever was in that bottle, it works like a miracle,” she said. “I feel fine now. What do you suppose Fakir Aziz wants with you?”

“I am curious,” admitted Tedi. “If you are well enough, I am anxious to find out what he has in store for us.”

Natia rose off the couch. Together the two Knights of Alcea walked to the curtain. Tedi parted the curtain for his wife, and Natia preceded him into the back room. There were a dozen beds in the room and each of them was occupied. Two women moved from one bed to another caring for the indigent patients. Fakir Aziz smiled as he crossed the room to meet the Knights of Alcea.