8

Mieta took a deep breath and closed her eyes before speaking. A moment to gather her thoughts, and then it began. “Two weeks ago,” she said, “soldiers came to The Bard’s Path and took Caru. On their way down, they saw me looking on from the kitchens, where I’d stayed after the dining hall had closed so I could wash dishes and clean up. One of the soldiers pointed at me, and the others restrained me and told me to follow. They promised horrible things if I made a scene, so I stayed quiet. Caru was unconscious, so I believed them.

“They took us to the armory and had me wait downstairs for some time. I kept asking them questions, but they always told me to keep my mouth shut. About an hour passed before a bloodmage came in, asking for help with ‘cleanup,’ so they took me upstairs to a room where men moved around an unconscious erman.”

Caru tensed. The Seranians had kept him in the armory since that night. His only memory of the night was the unending pain, and everything else was blocked from him.

“They had you strapped onto a long table, hands and feet in restraints at the corners. You were face down with a wide leather belt strapped over your back. When I walked in, they gave me a bucket of water, a cup, and a sponge. The soldiers then left to wait outside, and I was alone with two surgeons and a bloodmage.”

It was hard to hear, but he wouldn’t make her stop. Her face reddened while she spoke, and she shifted more than seemed normal. Her breathing was uneven and quickening. Had they really felt a need to keep him under such tight restraints, unconscious as he was? Mieta wrung her hands, seeming determined not to look away from him. “The surgeon lowered his knife and made the first cut.”

Kimke leaned back in her seat. Her face was ashen, but she didn’t seem to notice. “Do we really need details like that?”

“It’s fine,” Caru said. “It’s useful.” Useful in fueling his hatred, but useful.

Kimke sniffed, but she let Mieta continue without further interruption. Mieta somehow reddened further, turning away from Kimke and forcing herself to meet Caru’s eyes once again. “Well,” she said, “skipping ahead to the more important parts. It was right after they removed the first wing. The bloodmage took it to a back corner, saying something about keeping it preserved.”

“They never said why?” Kimke asked. She looked askance at Caru, the look on her face letting him know she didn’t want to trust the human more than necessary.

Mieta shook her head. “They didn’t speak very much. I don’t think they wanted me to know more than I already did.”

“It’s strange they would let you witness what happened at all, then,” Kimke countered.

Mieta shrugged. “Perhaps. I think they wanted me there as a comfort. When Caru woke, I doubted they wanted to see his face themselves.”

“When I woke?”

She frowned and nodded. “Yes. You woke during the preservation process. Woke up screaming, actually. The skin on the left side of your back was still peeled back from where they had removed the bones.”

Kimke shifted, but Caru motioned for her to stay quiet. “I woke up screaming?”

“Yes. I would have, too. One of the surgeons held your right wing down to keep it from flapping against them. The other yelled for the bloodmage to help, but he only said that he couldn’t stop the preservation process until it was complete. That’s when the surgeon holding your wing down ordered me over. I knelt with the bucket and sponge and wiped the sweat from your forehead. I think it helped. I hope it helped. I took the cup and filled it with water. When I held it to your mouth, you drank it so quickly, and then I—“

“You said you were sorry,” Caru said.

Mieta nodded. “That’s right. It was wrong, what they did to you.”

“We noticed,” Kimke muttered.

Only a day before, Kimke had been more forgiving of the humans, but it looked like that might have passed. Leave her to stew for a bit, then. “And then?” Caru asked.

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“The bloodmage finished. He left the corner, and your wing was stiff, propped up against the wall. The way it sat, it didn’t look natural.”

“And he put me to sleep again?”

“Yes. You slept until they were finished. I… I watched. I couldn’t do anything, but I could make myself bear witness. I owed you that much. When they took you away after the surgery, they threatened me, saying that they would have my head–and my family’s heads–if I talked. I was almost a prisoner myself after that, barely let out of the kitchens so that they could keep eyes on me.”

Caru’s flight from the prison was still blurred in his memory, but he did remember her. “We met in the dining hall,” he said.

“You looked different, but I knew it was you, even through the rage and the look in your eyes. No human short of a bloodmage could have made it out alive with all the soldiers there at the armory.”

“You said you were almost a prisoner yourself,” Kimke said.

Mieta nodded. “Almost, but not entirely. I wasn’t allowed to leave the armory, although someone said they would allow it in due time. Not on the night of your escape, though. I was in my chambers with a guard keeping an eye on me. There was an explosion upstairs that alerted him, but it wasn’t until the bells sounded that he said he had to go. He told me not to leave, that he was going to see what was happening.”

“But you left?”

“I didn’t mean to, but I knew what you were before. I…didn’t know if there was any hope for you to escape, or even if you were alive. I went as far as the dining hall to wait and see if you came through, or if it would be someone else. For someone else, I probably would have just gone back to my chamber and locked myself in. Leaving wasn’t a risk I wanted to take without cause, but then I saw it was you.”

Seeing her in the dining hall had triggered those memories locked away, maybe even Calmed him to the point that he could remember himself and plan again. One softly spoken apology had kept him from incinerating the cowering woman where she’d stood. A memory of a sponge and a cup had abated his rage enough for him to make good on his escape.

“How are you with us now?” Kimke asked. Caru flinched; if she kept a rough tone with Mieta, then Mieta might stop communicating with them altogether. Even if Kimke was hesitant to bring Mieta along, Caru knew she would be useful, at least for a time, until they reached Lieve. Maybe longer. She did show him kindness, after all.

“I would like to know that myself.” He hoped his tone sounded softer than Kimke’s.

“They watched me so closely after the surgery,” Mieta said. “After you escaped, the guard never came back. I debated running for a moment, but then I knew I had to do something.”

The Calming spared both of us, Caru thought. It was supposed to take more focus than a simple memory, though. Normally it was a night spent in a circle with loved ones, convincing yourself and others not to lose control to the call of the Soulless Moon. Maybe the loss of the wings made it easier to be Calmed?

“I followed after you left, and I even slept on the same roof as you for the hour or two that I could manage.” She laughed weakly. “I guess I’m lucky I woke up first so I could explain myself. I hated what they did to you, and I hoped I could help. I hope I still can. I’ll admit that I took the opportunity to get away from the armory, and I hope you can help me with my own escape, as well.”

“You’re in danger following us, aren’t you?”

Mieta slowly nodded and hunched into an even tighter ball. “I doubt I’m safe in Serana now. I don’t know if I should even consider myself Seranian anymore.” When she looked up, Caru saw the wetness around her eyes.

“We’ll make sure you come out fine,” Caru said.

Kimke snorted. “We don’t even know if we’re going to be fine yet.”

“We’ll all be fine together. We’ll get new wings, help the third erman do the same, and help Mieta get to safety.” Caru flashed a grin, but neither of the women returned it. The grin was weak anyway. Hardly any charisma at all.

Kimke’s negativity was more realistic, Caru had to admit. Not only would they need to return to Edaria, but they would now need to help this human woman cross a border to a different country if he meant to keep a promise. Was the third erman even still alive? After nearly two and a half weeks, it was hard to imagine ever having wings again. It would be impossible to grow a new pair, even with Healing, and he doubted the Seranian government would be willing to return the wings if they were still being preserved.

At least Garenesh was a memory now, fading slowly to the east.

Caru watched mountains drifting through his window. Granite quarries were out there. Marble too, good marble. A marble purchase had brought him to Garenesh in the first place on that day, the day of the Void Moon, the night of his capture. He’d convinced himself that he didn’t really need to go back home on the night of the Void Moon, since it would mean having to make another trip from Garenesh to Detrina and back again. One mistake, simply because he’d felt safe in a Seranian city.

He nearly laughed, remembering that he’d paid for the slab of marble in advance.

He wondered if Mieta could see Cirellias from her seat.

He wondered if she would ever appreciate it the way he did.