Celta: Heart Secret Part 17

Under her lashes, Artemisia considered him. Though his robes were the simple ones of a minor priest of the Lady and Lord, they were of expensive fabric and tailored for the man. He had gilt to use for his career.

aIt has been my experience,a she said in a low voice as she lifted her winegla.s.s, athat refurbishing an ancient place is extremely rewarding.a His gaze pinned on her. aYes?a She sipped her wine, and it was good and tart on her tongue. aYes, indeed. And, you know, some Temples are in a sorry state. Such as the one at Apollopa Park.a His gaze sharpened. aThat was the park where the body of a murdered man was discovered, right?a aYes.a She saw calculation come to his gaze and continued, aIt is a place that wonat be forgotten soon. And the Temple is small and beautiful . . . and in disrepair. A wonderful challenge for someone. It could be exciting to bring back as a sacred s.p.a.ce.a His lips curved, and misty blue eyes lit with the first excitement shead seen from him. aYes. It would be.a He rose, and she did, too.

He offered his arm courteously and she thought that touch might confirm that there could be nothing between them. She was right, but the muscle in his arm was stronger than shead thought.

He opened the door and let her lead, his fingers touching the small of her back. Leaning his head down toward her, he said, aI understand that the victim has been identified.a In silhouette his face hardened and nostrils flared. aAs the last Black Magic Cultist.a aThatas right.a Legeras forehead wrinkled. aThe park will have to be cleansed and rededicated. As you said, a challenge.a A sizzle zipped up her spine. Slowly she tilted her head until she could glance around the room from the corner of her eye. Garrett stared at her. Even across the chamber, she could feel his intensity, the tug on the bond between them.

Drawing in a breath with her diaphragm, she imagined the tiny tendril that linked her with the private investigator icing over. She would not allow it to interfere with her future.

He didnat want her. Fine.

Her spine stiffened. She was proving she was getting on with her life and that included a man other than him.

She smiled up at Leger. aYes, a challengea"on three levels, physical, mental, spiritual.a And he shared a slow smile she hadnat seen. aSold. Do you know when the guards will release the areaa"a HEALER ARTEMISIA! YOU ARE HERE! I AM HERE, TOO. The shrill mental comment from the kitten nearly pierced her head.

Rusby boundeda"using Flaira"across several tables to land on her shoulder. THIS IS FUN! AND THE FOOD IS GOOD, TOO!

Thanks to spells, not one hair or bit of pollen or dust flew from the kitten. Most people smiled; some looked confused, as if they werenat quite sure what had happened.

Leger grinned, scratched the kitten on his head with a forefinger. aGreetyou. Who may you be?a I am RUSBY PRIMROSS, the kitten shouted mentally.

Nodding, Leger said, aIam pleased to make your acquaintance. I am Priest Leger Cinchona.a Garrett was there, plucking Rusby off Artemisiaas shoulder. Leger inclined his torso to him. aAnd you must be GentleSir Primross himself. Iave heard that all of Celta owes you thanks for a great service.a aItas done,a Garrett answered.

aAnd Iam sure youare glad of it,a Leger said in a smooth priestas tone. Then he straightened and looked down at Artemisia. aAnd you were one who discovered the . . . unfortunateas . . . body yesterday.a Leger took her fingers and kissed them, eyeing Garrett. aI did not commiserate.a aIam fine,a Artemisia said; the odor of male hormones swirled around her.

A quick smile from Leger as he met her eyes, then switched his glance to Garrett. aI was going to ask you if you had any notion if the guards were done processing Apollopa Park for clues, and whether they would release it to Temple authorities.a aI donat know. Iam not involveda"a she began.

aI think theyave gathered all the evidence they can,a Garrett said.

aWonderful!a Leger enthused. aArtemisia told me of the Temple.a He squeezed her fingers, then apparently enthusiasm got the best of him and he dropped her hand to rub his own together. aSounds like rehabilitating the Temple is an ace project for me.a She noted that Garrett flinched at the same time she did when Leger said the word project.

With more roughness in his voice than Artemisia expected, Garrett said, aThereas an herb garden that needs to be tended that was planted around the Temple.a Leger nodded, took Artemisiaas hand again. aArtemisia can help me with that, too. You must excuse us, we have plans to make.a With a last half bow, Leger tugged Artemisia from the restaurant.

She heard Rusbyas mental comment, Back to our food, FamMan, before the heavy door closed behind her and Leger.

aGood meeting you.a Leger whisked her fingers to his lips. aIall contact you and Tiana about rehab ideas.a He bowed to her with a distracted air and teleported away, eager to talk to his superiors about claiming Apollopa Park and the Temple.

Artemisia shook off her own distractiona"the sharp pain of seeing, being with Garrett a little, smelling hima"and started moving her feet before he and Rusby finished their lunch.

Garrett watched Artemisia walk out with the priest. Good to see Healer outside TQ, Rusby said from his perch on Garrettas shoulder. Garrett could hear the small slurping sounds of the kitten grooming. She remembered ME!

aYes,a Garrett said.

And I liked her man.

Garrettas mind had screeched a loud warning. Shead meant it; she was cutting her losses with him and moving on.

So soon. He didnat change easily. That Artemisia could slide so soon into change, accept his words and not fight against the circ.u.mstances, not fight to change his mind . . . was inconceivable.

Zoom. Right to another guy.

Options in her life, shead said.

Head been discarded as a viable option. His own d.a.m.n fault. He wasnat going to have the time he needed to process this. He sat back down at his table, and when Rusby saw that Garrett wasnat eating, the kitten marched over to the grilled clucker strips.

Garrett had no appet.i.te.

Artemisia decided to walk home through a series of parksa"and burn some energy to offset the heavy meal.

For some reason her memory flashed on an image of a slender and active Dinni that shead gotten from Garrettas mind. The peek at the woman head loved and lost haunted Artemisia, making her less self-confident about her body than she usually was.

If he liked slender pixie women, Artemisia would never be a fit. She got her curves from her mother, and they werenat sleek.

Finding that she was grinding her teeth, she stopped. No help for it, the man was her HeartMate and they would have bonded well. But that didnat mean there wasnat another man out there she could love and have children with.

A short scream pulled her from her thoughts; hurt-panic swept over her. She turned to see a woman staring at her hand, which was turning red and swelling alarmingly. Her gaze fastened on Artemisia and she stumbled toward her. aHealer, help me!a Artemisia plunged toward her. aWhat is it?a aA stingsect. Iam allergic.a Artemisia could see that, could almost sense the poison pumping through the womanas body. No time to get her to the HealingHall. Grasping the womanas hand in both of hers, Artemisia drew in a deep breath, concentrated, and sent her Flair from herself into the womanas body, making it magnetic to the venom. The womanas system was already reacting and Artemisia braced her patient against her as she worked.

Not difficult. Tiring, but also satisfying as she used her talent to help. She held her patient as she vomited, sent much of the venom out that way, as well as pulling it from the wound.

Soon they were both sitting down on the gra.s.s, her patientas skin skimmed with perspiration as she panted.

Artemisia handed her a few softleaves.

aThank . . . thank you.a Satisfaction infused Artemisia. aYouare quite welcome.a aAnd thank the Lady and Lord you were here.a Artemisia nodded. aYes.a She leaned close and wrapped her arm around the otheras waist, feeling more than one set of eyes on them. aLetas get you to a HealingHall to be checked out. I work at Primary HealingHalla"a The woman clutched Artemisiaas arm. aNo! My council health care is through MidCla.s.s HealingHall.a Artemisia frowned, shaking her head. aIam sorry. I donat know the teleportation pads there, and you arenat in any shape to aport us both. I do know those at AllCla.s.s HealingHalla"and I know FirstLevel Healer Lark Holly, who works there.a Leaning against her, the woman said, aThatas fine.a A few minutes later, Artemisia left her unexpected patient in good hands with Healers at AllCla.s.s HealingHall and walked out with a spring in her step.

She was a good Healer. She did have skills to benefit to the community. All the time with Garrett when she could only sit by and alleviate pain, not fully cure him, was an anomaly in her life. Past and done.

She was a better Healer, a better woman than most gave her credit for. Because she was quiet and didnat like risk or confrontation. Because she wasnat ambitious and only wanted a good and stablea"and fulfillinga"job.

And previous to Garrett, shead helped the Turquoise House, who valued her for what she was.

She wouldnat settle for a man who didnat respect and value her as she deserved. She didnat have to. And she tripped over a gnarly root that extruded from under the wall encasing BalmHeal estate because she couldnat see it. Her vision was blurred from the tears in her eyes that dribbled down her cheeks.

Help! Help me, Healer!

This time the voice was telepathic, small and squeaky. Artemisia jolted to a stop. aWhat? Whoas there?a A whimpering cry had her moving again, searching. Her Family kept the brush heavy along the walls so they were obscured. But there had always been an animal path. She scanned the area to fix her position along the long concave wall that faced the city.

She was closest to the door that led to the Healing pools, fine. Backtracking a few steps, she pushed through a light illusion spell that led her behind the dense bushes.

I . . . am . . . here . . . There was a ragged gasp.

Artemisia trotted along the path, ducking, weaving. Keeping her senses open to find the injured . . . someone. If not a person, a child, it must be a Fam. Breathing in liquid gulps, tears falling more at the hurt that throbbed through her from someone else, she followed the weak mental pattern. Easier to sense the hurt and follow it. Biting her lip, she did.

And found a young and b.l.o.o.d.y animala"Fam animal.

Pain filled its dark eyes. She wasnat sure exactly what it wasa"its fur was thick and mostly matched the brown of the dead leaves it was in.

Help . . .

Twenty-two.

She wet her lips and stoopeda"seeing enough of its muzzle to know it had sharp teeth. aIam picking you up now.a Sliding her hands under the thing that was about the size of a cat, she lifted it. Again it cried out in pain. And she felt an object sticking from it, something she couldnat take care of now because her arms were full of animal.

It closed its eyes and went limp, though she believed it was still conscious. Saw you. Earlier. Saw you help. Saw you touch nice. Felt your Healing energy. Safe . . . now.

aIam not an animala"Fama"Healer. Let me take you to DaAsh.a It screameda"aloud and mentally, pain filled her head. No. No. No, no, no!

Drawing in a shaky breath and the animalas musky scent, Artemisia soothed, aVery well. Youall be all right with me, with my Family.a She felt, smelled blood and urine trickle onto her sleeves. Wouldnat be the first tunic shead ruined that way. As she brought the animal closer, angled to cradle it in the crook of her arm, she saw its muzzle was very pointed and its fur was black around its eyes, like it wore a mask. Then she knew she should be able to name the animala"an Earthan animala"but it escaped her.

I am a racc.o.o.n. A female racc.o.o.n, ita"shea"said.

Artemisia swallowed. aAll right, then. Weare close to the door and will be inside BalmHeal soon. Iall take you to a Healing pool.a Bad person threw knife. I aported AWAY fast, then rested and aported again. I was drawn here, whisper in mind. Came. Hurt for a long time.

aThis is a good place for the desperate. I know youare hurt.a Now she was able to feel the wound. Not to mention seeing the object still stuck in the racc.o.o.na"a hilt?a"sticking out. A knife?

The spit in her mouth dried as she studied the weapon, the handle wasnat long, equal to the cross-piece arms. She didnat think the blade was very long, either, but it was plunged completely into the animala"who had rallied a little.

But the internal wound was bad. Artemisia must get to a safe spot quickly, remove the knife, cleanse, and Heal the wound.

Fast. Fast. Fast! In a stumbling run, she hurried to the door. The Word opening the door to BalmHeal trembled off her lips, and the arched wood swung open. Artemisia picked up the pace on the well-kept patha"most of the desperate came this waya"straight to the Healing pool.

Then she was there and putting the unconscious racc.o.o.n on the soft moss near the edge of the poola"moss that would comfort and help Heal. She wiped her face, her tears and her own snot, with her ruined sleeve, sucked in a breath, and reached for the knife.

She pulled it out quickly; the hilt seemed to burn her hands with negative energy and she flung it away, heard it splash in the large Healing pool. She didnat think it would harm the pool, buta"Mom, Dad, come quick to the big pool!

Artemisia put her hand over the racc.o.o.nas wound and saw the injuries with an inner vision. She summoned her Healing Flair and concentrated on suctioning any internal bleeding or hurtful fluids from the knife wound, pulling them from the cavity of the racc.o.o.nas body through the wound to the creatureas skin and into the thick underfur. Then she began mendinga"drawing the sliced tissue together, sending Flair to weave, to meld the hurt.

She sighed, sucked in a breath. Not so bad, really. Didnat take too much Flair. The racc.o.o.nas organs werenat too different than a humanas.

There was a swoosh of air and the comforting scent of her mother was there. aWhatas . . . Oh. Whatas that?a aI believe itas a female racc.o.o.n.a Her fatheras calm voice settled Artemisia and her energy became less spiky, stronger, quicker. She was too used to working in a HealingHall, always knowing she might face an emergency there. Her mother usually handled the urgent problems here in the sanctuary.

aI threw the knife into the pool.a She spared a glance for her father and his raised brows. aIt was in the racc.o.o.n and it looks a little familiar, but I couldnat place it.a Curiosity lit his eyes.

Another deep breath. aIt had very bad energy.a She swallowed. aI think it might have been used to commit that murder yesterday.a aAnd itas in the pool!a her mother cried. She stared into the water with a scanning gaze.

aClothes off,a Artemisiaas father said and dove in.

Ignoring her parents, Artemisia finished her work on the racc.o.o.n. Itsa"hera"eyes opened and she snuffled at Artemisia. Thank you, big human person. There are not many of us and we have been afraid of humans, but I would like to be a Fam animal.

The affection and acceptance radiating from the Fam whoad rolled over and cuddled in Artemisiaas arms sheathed the cutting edge of the pain of Garrettas, her HeartMateas, rejection.

She cradled the animala"surely it wasnat full grown?a"and answered, aIad like that. But first we must wash.a Fur is sticky and we smell bad.

Artemisia figured that wasnat the royal we that cats used. Her new Fam was making a comment on her personas odor. The racc.o.o.nas urine was feral and gamey. aHealing is like that. So weall head into the pool.a Looking around she saw her parents sitting on the far side of the large multicurved Healing pool, staring at an object. Her father was dressed and dry, which meant head said a spell.

aFirst we bathe. Iall hold you.a I can swim.

aThatas wonderful. And then Iall make an appointment with Danith DaAsh to see us.a She is SCARY.

Artemisia blinked. She hadnat met the small GreatLady very often, but even as powerful as DaAsh was, since she was one of the highest n.o.bles of the land, Artemisia didnat consider her frightening. She did tend to trust the highest n.o.bles, especially of the younger generation, thought they were honorable people. There was nothing wrong with that.

aWho told you DaAsh is scary?a Artemisia asked the racc.o.o.n, and muttered a Word to take her boots and liners off.

Cats told us. Cats said DaAsh TORTURED.

aThe cats probably wanted to keep Danith DaAsh to themselves so they scared you.a A small gasp, then a growly mutter. Cats cannot always be trusted.

aYou have that right. Weare going in now.a Artemisia jumped over the rim of the pool and landed in warm, churning water up to her waist. Her new Fam squealed in delight and Artemisia let out a small sigh of relief.

Carefully she washed the racc.o.o.nas fur; the animal wriggled in her grip, surged up to swipe a rough tongue on her chin. Thank you.

aYouare welcome. You know you are in the cityas secret sanctuary?a All are safe here, even racc.o.o.ns.

aThatas true. And if you want to be my Famaa"another little spurt of love between them as Artemisia said the wordsa"ayou will have to keep the location secret.a All animals know about this place, but not all animals can remember how to get here until hurt.

aOnly hurt humans can find this, too,a Artemisia said.

The creature shivered and Artemisia slogged to the steps and out of the pool. The early-afternoon air was warm, edging into hot, so her wet and heavy clothes stuck against her skin didnat cool her much. Carefully, she set the animal on its paws. aNo telling any humans of the sanctuary or where it is.a Racc.o.o.ns donat talk to humans much.

aI saw a racc.o.o.n at the Turquoise House and know that many of the animals that Garrett Primross uses as informants were there.a Yes, it hurt to say his name. Shead have to practice it alouda"when alonea"until that reflexive stab no longer came.

We have never spoken to him. The racc.o.o.n sniffed in disdain. We keep ourselves to ourselves. Artemisiaas new Fam patted her foot. Not all humans are bad.

aNo. And not all animals are good.a Again the animal shuddered. Bad person hurt me! Kicked our den open and took knife. Big red anger and threw it at me and hit me and hurt me!

aYes, we need to talk about that.a Artemisiaas father crouched by the animal, his large hands soft and relaxed. Yet the racc.o.o.n skittered to the other side of Artemisia.

I am not YOURS; I am HERS.

Her father stood and inclined his torso in a half bow. aI understand, Lady Racc.o.o.n. But Artemisia is my daughter and we are close. I heard most of your story. If you live here, you may wish to stay with Artemisia in the Residence, especially in the winter. The Residence is an intelligent House.a A Fam House? Like TQ?

Artemisiaas fatheras smile was quick and crooked and charming. aYes. It is grumpy, though, and it loves Artemisia best, too. So she will have to soothe it and you will have to take care around doors and hanging objects.a The racc.o.o.n whimpered and rose to her back feet to set her claws in Artemisiaas trous. Despite the sodden fabric, it ripped nicely.

aThat outfit is definitely ruined,a Artemisiaas mother said as she joined them. A softleaf floated beside her on an anti-grav spell, and Artemisia realized that it covered the knife.

The racc.o.o.n stared at the shrouded knife and squealed.

aWhy donat you teleport to your room with your new Fam and change clothes?a Artemisiaas father said. aWeall join you shortly to discuss this matter.a Artemisiaas motheras lips tightened. aThis problem youave brought into our home.a aQuina, my love,a her father said. aBalmHeal estate is a magnet for problems.a Her nostrils pinching, Artemisiaas mother said, aI suppose so. And we wouldnat be here if I hadnat caused some of those with my religious preferences.a aQuina,a Artemisiaas father said even more gently. He put his arm around her motheras waist. aYou are guilty of nothing, and whatas past is past and should remain there. We have a very good life now.a She leaned against him. aI know.a But her eyes were haunted and Artemisia understood that the murder had brought all the circ.u.mstances of their ruin back to her mother. That hurt Artemisiaas heart, too, in a different way than Garrettas rejection. Scandal and disgrace, something she lived with every day outside the estate. aIs Tiana still at the Temple?a aYes, her afternoon sessions.a aAh.a Artemisia bent down to pick up her Fam and her combs gave way and her heavy hair flopped in a long sheet around her head, hiding her face. Just as well. Her parents didnat need to hear or see the new burden on her heart. aRacc.o.o.n, Iam going to pick you up now and we will teleport home.a I HAVE NEVER TELEPORTED WITH A PERSON BEFORE. IT WILL BE FUN!.