The Shifter Part 14

He slunk away without another word, not even a look back. As Grannyma used to say, sometimes you had to kill a cow to save the herd, but did I have the right to do it? I ordered coffee to keep me awake a few more hours, and enough supper for Aylin and me. There was still time before I had to leave for Zertanik's and make a choice for those who couldn't.

I prayed I was making the right one.

ELEVEN.

"Punctual as well as smart," Zertanik said as the clock tower chimed midnight. He held the door open for me and I walked past him, leaving my conscience on the porch. It curled up next to my principles.

The front room was empty, save for the same blond woman, who counted oppas in neat stacks on the counter. An awful lot of stacks.

"This way, dear." We slipped in the same door as before. The same softly lit room and out through the servants' door. The same hall I'd walked earlier. The same room where I'd sacrificed a fisherman to save a rich man's daughter.

They were the only things that felt the same.

"You know this will kill them," I said. "The ones who take the pain."

"Speculation."

"People I shifted to are dying. The fisherman might already be dead. These folks need to know that before they agree to this."

"If any leave, there won't be enough healing for all that lovely pynvium you want."

I swallowed my objections. "How many are there to heal?"

"Nine."

Acceptable losses. The war had taught me all about those.

"Let's get started then. I haven't got all night."

Zertanik grinned, and for a horrible second I thought he might ruffle my hair. "As you wish, dear."

He brought them in like guests at one of the Duke's b.a.l.l.s.

"The Jonalis. The husband broke both legs, and they'll be dividing it among the four uncles.

"Kestra Novaik. She'll be taking her son's crushed shoulder this evening.

"The brothers Fontuno, paying an undisclosed amount to this young lady who prefers to remain anonymous."

Most were Baseeri, which made it easier. Two looked Verlattan, who had probably traded everything they'd escaped with for this. Those were harder. One family was Gevegian, and I really wanted to tell them to run.

I didn't. Instead, I drew drew. I pushed pushed. I tried not to look at their faces, but every heal started with my hand on their foreheads and their hearts. Pain in the eyes of one, fear in the eyes of the other. Each stared at me, then looked away. I didn't want to think about what they saw.

A snapped back. A shattered hand. Hurt after hurt slid through me. Chunk after chunk of pynvium plinked into a bag near my feet.

"The Mustovos, with their son and, well, someone whose name isn't important."

Two men in night-guard's uniforms carried in a man dressed not as fine. His wrists and ankles were bound, and a rag flopped from his mouth. They'd kidnapped someone off the street?

Shiverfeet raced down my back and out the door, leaving me numb. "What's going on?"

"Number seven, dear. Wensil Mustovo suffers from multiple knife wounds and a severe head injury."

"No." I pointed at the bound man. "He didn't agree to this. I didn't agree to this."

"You agreed to the heals. You never specified the terms."

"I'm not not shifting into anyone who didn't agree to it." That was no better than cracking a stranger over the head and stealing his money to shifting into anyone who didn't agree to it." That was no better than cracking a stranger over the head and stealing his money to buy buy pynvium. No, worse, it'd be murdering him for it. pynvium. No, worse, it'd be murdering him for it.

I folded my arms across my chest. "I'm not doing it."

The Mustovos watched me without the tears and the wails expected of worried parents. No one had gotten knifed knifed on the ferry. Whatever this man had done came after, and he'd grabbed his own thorns. on the ferry. Whatever this man had done came after, and he'd grabbed his own thorns.

The father leaned closer to Zertanik. "Corraut promised us you'd cover this until our pynvium arrived. That was the deal. I'm not giving you the boat if-"

"We'll work it out-no need to get hasty." Zertanik patted him on the arm, then turned back to me. "Dear, you agreed."

"Not to this. Not to those without a choice." I had maybe twenty-one pynvium pieces in my bag. Was it enough to save Tali, Danello, and the twins? Save them all?

It had to be. "I'm done." I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder.

"Dear, this is unprofessional." Zertanik placed his hand on my arm, a lighter touch than hands that big ought to have. "The Mustovos are doing a lot lot for this heal." for this heal."

"Then pay them back." I shoved past him. The light touch turned to steel on my arm.

"We had an agreement. Other people have agreements with me based on your cooperation. You simply cannot change your mind."

I'd be a fool to miss the threat in his tone, but I was a fast learner and he'd taught me well. "We agreed to the pynvium equivalent of what I healed. I haven't taken anything I didn't earn."

"We agreed on thirty-three pieces."

"Consider me on sale." I yanked my arm away and slammed the door behind me.

I'd managed to grab a few hours' sleep, but my fingers were shaky as I wrote Danello's address on a sc.r.a.p of paper in Aylin's room. The sun was just starting to rise, so if Kione kept his promise, he'd be showing up to take Lanelle to breakfast soon.

I handed Aylin the address. "If I'm not back by midmorning, fetch a Taker from one of the pain merchants for him and the twins. I have the pynvium for it now, so they can't turn you away this time. Pick one of the ones on the docks, not the fancy ones the aristocrats use, and definitely definitely not the new one near the market." not the new one near the market."

Aylin shook her head, her face suddenly pale. "Not the pain merchants, Nya. You can't trust them."

"Right now we can't trust the League. The merchants are Danello's only hope."

"They'll probably kill him, and his brothers."

The anger and fear in her voice made me pause. Aylin rarely ever got annoyed, let alone angry. "It'll be okay, I promise."

"No, it won't!" Aylin bit her lip and looked down at the handful of pynvium chunks I'd given her. The smallest was walnut sized, the largest big as a tangerine. "What if they don't heal don't heal them?" them?"

"All they have to do is take the pain. Any Taker can do that."

She looked at me in horror. "You don't care if the injury isn't healed?"

"Aylin." I groaned, frustrated. I didn't have time for this. "They're not really injured. The pain they're carrying is from their father."

"That's not possible."

"Yes, it is," I said.

"What do you mean?" Aylin stared at me, and though I'd spent my whole life hiding what I could do, lying to her now would end our friendship. "I...uh...shifted it into them."

"You did what? what?"

I explained the whole thing: the chicken rancher, the ferry, the desperate plea in a moonlit alley. Aylin's eyes got bigger and bigger, and her anger grew with them.

"How could you not tell me?" She paced in her small room, fists balled at her sides. "I knew knew you were hiding something about that tracker. That's why he was following you, wasn't it? It had nothing to do with Tali or the Healers." you were hiding something about that tracker. That's why he was following you, wasn't it? It had nothing to do with Tali or the Healers."

"Um...well..."

"You'd better tell me you healed healed their father." From her expression, if I hadn't, she'd have probably smacked me with a chair. their father." From her expression, if I hadn't, she'd have probably smacked me with a chair.

"Of course I did. Aylin, what's wrong?"

"They killed my mother," she said softly, squeezing the pynvium tight. "She was at the market, waiting for those stupid rations they made us beg for. Some men beat her up because she wouldn't give up her s.p.a.ce in line. We didn't have enough money to go to the League, so I took her to a pain merchant. He said he healed her, that she was all better, but he lied." She closed her eyes, and tears slid down her cheeks. "He took her pain pain away but left the parts that were hurt. She didn't even know. Just kept getting weaker and weaker, and then she was gone." away but left the parts that were hurt. She didn't even know. Just kept getting weaker and weaker, and then she was gone."

"I'm sorry, Aylin." I sat beside her and gave her a hug. I felt guilty, but I couldn't stay there comforting her. "I really need to go. Will you find a pain merchant if Tali doesn't show up?"

She nodded and sniffled. "Won't you need these for Tali?"

"I have enough for her to fill." Please, let me have enough Please, let me have enough. I got up and wrapped the now-lighter sack to look like a bundle of clean clothes from the laundry. It was still bulky, but at least it made it easier to sneak into the League.

"Where did you get so much?"

"I bought it."

"Not for a few oppas you didn't." She rolled the chunks around in her hands. "This has to be worth a fortune."

"It's worth three lives, Aylin. Two of them children's."

"How did you-"

"Later. It's almost sunrise. Do my braids look right?"

She checked and nodded, looking a lot more like her old self. "A little frayed, but fine."

"Tali will need food when we get here." I handed her three oppas. "Buy enough to last a few days."

"This is too much for a few days' food."

"I need you to stay here and wait for Tali. You'll miss work. The extra should cover it."

She chewed her bottom lip as if she hadn't thought about that. "Thanks."

"Thank you you." I hugged her. She smelled like coffee. "Remember what I said about Danello. Don't forget about them." And don't run off and sell the pynvium yourself And don't run off and sell the pynvium yourself. I didn't mean to think it, but it popped in there anyway. Aylin wasn't a bad person, or a desperate one. She'd do as I asked, despite her distrust of the pain merchants, even with a year's rent, food, and maybe even a new dress in her hands.

I hoped.

"I won't."

"I'll be back in a few hours. I'm getting Tali out this time if I have to carry her past the Luminary on my back."

Sunrise cast Geveg in pale gold. I hurried along with tavern cooks and kitchen mistresses on their way to market 'til the street forked, then crossed the bridge and found myself alone except for the always-present soldiers. League Circle was unusually empty of the hurt and hopeful. Maybe they'd all been turned away yesterday and had accepted there'd be no healing for a while. Except for those willing to pay a Duke's ransom through the back door.

Of course, no one else knew that part; otherwise there'd be lots of people here, shouting and waving rakes and fishing poles, or whatever weapons they could find. I'd seen such anger before. And And seen how little it mattered. seen how little it mattered.

I pulled the white scarf off my head and shifted the "laundry" to my hip. Just a simple apprentice returning with her clean clothes. I'd put Tali's uniform back on, so the gate guard nodded with little more than a glance and yawned. I nodded back and walked through the gate.

Without people in it, the antechamber seemed twice as big, my footsteps twice as loud. I struggled against tiptoeing. Apprentices didn't need to sneak into their own house, but I stepped as lightly as I could anyway. Past the guard outside the dorms. Through the treatment ward, down the hall of closed doors, and finally to the stairs that led to Tali. I grabbed the rail and started to climb.

"Where are you going?"

Oh, for the love of Saint Saea, did they have people watching these steps? I turned. A stern-faced woman stood at the base of the stairs, four gold cords coiled on her shoulder.

"What?" I asked.

"That way's restricted."

"I'm relieving Lanelle for breakfast." I tried to look bored, look normal, look like this was the most natural thing in the world for me to do.

"What's your name?"

"Tatsa." I winced. Did they keep records about who they sent upstairs? "I'm running a little late. Lanelle must think I forgot about her." I chuckled and waved a hand toward the upper levels. "Can I go now?"

The reasonable request battled with whatever lie the Elders had told everyone about letting folks up the stairs. Her brows wrinkled and she glanced around.

"No one told me Lanelle had a replacement." The clock tower rang seven, its bell sharp in the quiet morning. "Come with me while I verify this with an Elder." She glanced down the hall, then grabbed my wrist.