The Shifter Part 19

Soek chuckled and ran a hair through his disheveled curls. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."

"I'm not so terrible," I mumbled, my cheeks hot.

"Terrible? You're amazing. You just saved my life." He smiled at me, and I felt another blush coming.

"We need to get off the street until the guards go back inside."

We stayed in crowds best we could for a few blocks until I found a clump of bushes large enough for us to hide in. The soldiers couldn't have been told yet to watch for us, but who knew how fast that would change.

"Do you think your sister got out?" Soek whispered. Now that the excitement was wearing off, he looked as tired as I felt.

"I hope so." If we'd made it out with half the League guards on our b.u.t.ts, Tali must have made it as well. But surely there'd be more League guards searching for her if she had had gotten away. gotten away.

I swallowed, my throat parched. There was never a bucket of water around when you needed one. Not that we'd get served anywhere. The rude shopkeep had reason to glare-not a good good reason, but still legitimate. My borrowed apprentice uniform was speckled in grime, gravel, blood, and bird c.r.a.p. All the ugliness you didn't notice about the League until you got real close. reason, but still legitimate. My borrowed apprentice uniform was speckled in grime, gravel, blood, and bird c.r.a.p. All the ugliness you didn't notice about the League until you got real close.

"What should we-"

"Hang on," I shushed him as a familiar face appeared for a moment in the crowd. Danello? It looked looked like him, but he was wearing a long fisherman's overcoat. b.u.t.toned too, even in this heat. I slipped out of the bushes for a better look, and Aylin and Tali popped into view. like him, but he was wearing a long fisherman's overcoat. b.u.t.toned too, even in this heat. I slipped out of the bushes for a better look, and Aylin and Tali popped into view.

"Tali!" I headed for her. She was startled for a moment, then ran to me, almost tackling me in a huge hug.

"You're alive!" I said, just as she cried, "You made it out!"

"I was so worried, I didn't think you'd ever leave, and then the Luminary came-and Saints, Tali, don't ever do that to me again."

"I won't, I promise."

Aylin threw her arms around both of us. "Don't you do it either, Nya. I almost died when Tali told me what you did."

We hugged and bounced and acted like fools while pa.s.sersby stared at us like, well, fools.

"Better get off the street," said Danello. It really was was him in that silly coat. He glanced at the soldiers and checked his b.u.t.tons, then pulled us gently toward a cluttered alley. him in that silly coat. He glanced at the soldiers and checked his b.u.t.tons, then pulled us gently toward a cluttered alley.

"You're alive too!" I hugged him, accidentally shoving him against a pile of crates. "Are the twins okay?"

"They're fine. Tali fixed us all up." We stayed there together, not talking. Then his hug loosened and he stepped away, both cheeks red as berries. "Nya, we owe you our-" He frowned and looked at something behind me. "There's someone watching us."

I turned around and Soek stepped into the alley.

"Hi," he said.

"Who are you?" Danello asked, pulling open his coat. His hand darted at a rapier on his belt.

"What are you doing with a rapier?" I gaped at the gleaming steel. It looked well made and deadly, probably his mother's.

He didn't answer, just kept staring at Soek with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"That's Soek," I explained. "One of the apprentices. We helped each other escape."

Soek chuckled and shook his head. "I didn't do much. Nya's the hero here. I owe her my life."

I blushed again, and the glint in Danello's eyes turned to worry. I put my hand on his arm. "Danello, it's okay."

He let me pull his hand away, and the coat slid back to cover the rapier. Wearing either was a big risk. Folks didn't usually wear those coats around the city, so it might draw just as much attention as the actual rapier.

"What are you doing out here with a weapon?"

"We were coming to rescue you."

"Danello planned it all out," Tali said. "We were going to go back in and save you you this time." this time."

"You were?" I wasn't sure whether to be touched or angry. After everything I'd done to get her out, she'd risk coming back and getting caught again?

"We couldn't just leave you there," she said.

"We were all so scared," said Aylin. "Tali told us you took her pain and her place. I can't believe you were that-"

"Stupid," Danello finished.

"Danello!" Aylin gasped.

With a quick glance at Soek, Danello reached out and took my hand, his jaw clenched and lots of worry in his eyes. "You shouldn't have gone back alone, Nya. You had the pynvium-you could have brought another Healer to us."

"Going back was the only way to get Tali out."

"No, it wasn't. It was the only way you thought of." He ran his hand over his lip and looked torn between hitting me and hugging me. "You helped us us," he said. "What made you think I wouldn't help you? you?"

My mouth dropped open, but it was empty of answers. Why hadn't hadn't I thought he'd help me? Did I no longer expect folks to help each other out unless they were family? I thought he'd help me? Did I no longer expect folks to help each other out unless they were family?

No one but Tali and Aylin had cared about me in a long time, and no boy ever had. "Why would you? You have your own family to look after."

"You take care of family first, friends second, and neighbors when you can." He smiled sheepishly and rubbed a thumb over my knuckles. I noticed how sc.r.a.ped and dirty they were, but didn't want to pull away. "It's something my da says."

Aylin nodded. "My mother said that too. Gevegians stick together. Those greedy Baseeri would steal the clothes off our backs without friends watching them for us."

"Um, hey, Nya," Soek said, tugging on my sleeve. "I hate to interrupt, but something's going on."

I looked up. The street was crowded, but that wasn't unusual these days. "I don't see anything."

"Don't look-listen." He walked to the front of the alley and c.o.c.ked his head. After a second, Aylin followed.

"Nya, he's right," called Aylin, motioning us forward. "Everyone's talking about the League."

We left the safety of the cluttered alley and walked a few steps into the street.

"...some kind of announcement..."

"...about the ferry accident?"

"...what will we do without..."

Dread settled into my stomach. People were running toward the League, worried looks on every face. Over the fearful voices, the faint toll of the gathering bell rang.

"We need to find out what's going on," I said.

"I'd rather not go back there," Soek said nervously.

"Do you have any family here?" I asked him. "Friends?"

"No one. It was just me in Verlatta, and I got out right before the siege started. I knew it was about to get bad. I left, came here, joined the League. It hasn't been a good week."

"We'll be safe if we all stick together. Danello has his rapier. No one will spot us with so many people. We'll just go over there, hear what they have to say, and then we'll leave."

Soek still looked uncertain but nodded. "Okay, I trust you."

I trusted him too, though I couldn't say why. Maybe because we were both different, and we both risked a lot by going anywhere near the League.

Danello took my hand. "Come on, stay close in case there's trouble."

We merged with the crowd and flowed down to League Circle. The gathering bell rang loudly here, but after another minute it stopped, the sharp clang drifting away on the late-morning breeze. A small speaker's platform had been carried out, and the crowd hushed as Heal Master Ginkev stepped up onto it.

I swallowed and fought the urge to duck, but he couldn't possibly spot me in the crowd. I moved closer behind the safety of Danello's broad shoulders anyway.

"Good morning," Ginkev began, sounding saddened and uncertain at the same time. "I have tragic news to announce, and I beg all of you to remain calm."

A nervous murmur ran through the crowd.

"Five days ago, several Healers fell ill with an unknown disease. They were quarantined immediately, but it's clear now that the rest of the apprentice and junior Healer population were exposed. Since many of those recently afflicted are Healers who were present at the tragic ferry accident two days ago, we surmise that their weakened conditions made them more susceptible to succ.u.mbing to this illness."

More nervous muttering. Folks around us looked scared. There'd been diseases during the war too, near the end when we didn't have enough people to clear the streets of all the bodies.

"Despite our best efforts, we have been unable to discern the nature of this disease, and therefore have been unable to heal it."

The crowd grew panicky, and Ginkev held up his hands.

"This is not cause for alarm. This disease is limited to Takers only, and you need direct contact with those infected for it to spread. The general population is perfectly safe." Ginkev paused. "I am sad to report that within the last hour, all of the afflicted have died."

Gasps and shocked cries raced through the crowd.

No! It couldn't be true! I'd just seen the apprentices. Surely it hadn't taken us over an hour to escape. I couldn't be certain though. It was all such a blur. I glanced at the sun directly overhead. Hadn't it been much lower before?

"Are there Healers left?"

"Who's going to take care of our injured?"

"How could you let this happen?"

"Rest a.s.sured the Luminary is saddened by this terrible loss, and is working with the Duke to rectify the situation. To ensure that no more Healers fall ill, the Luminary has inst.i.tuted a full quarantine of the League. He asks that those needing healing contact the pain merchants, as the League will be working closely with them to maintain the care Geveg needs."

"You can't trust the pain merchants!"

The crowd started yelling and shoving forward. I'd have bruises on my bruises by morning. Danello moved closer, putting his arms protectively around me. Ginkev shouted over the crowd, words of rea.s.surance, but no one was listening anymore. Angry mutters were growing louder.

"Liar!"

"They're not really dead! The Duke stole them for his war, didn't he?"

A rock flew up and cracked Ginkev on the temple. He yelped and toppled off the speaker's platform. People surged forward, smashing between us and shoving us apart.

"Nya!" Danello called, reaching for me.

I lunged for his hand, but the surging crowd swept me away, hurtling me toward the League.

SIXTEEN.

"Nya!"

"Over here!" I waved my arms but couldn't tell where the voice had come from or even who had yelled it. The mob kept shoving forward, banging me between them as they surged forward.

It felt like the first food riots at the end of the war, during the siege when all we had left was what we'd stored on the main island. When the Duke had control of our farming isles and the marsh farms, and trapped us so we'd turn on each other and stop fighting him. More riots had come in the early days of the occupation, when he'd kept us hungry, giving us food from our own farms and making us beg for it.

Memories flashed through my mind as anonymous feet squashed my toes and kicked my shins. Dozens of folks were trampled to death every riot, and those those mobs had been desperate and weak from hunger. This one was angry and strong. mobs had been desperate and weak from hunger. This one was angry and strong.

Danello's head popped above the crowd to my right.

"Danello!"

He found me and our eyes met. He called something I couldn't hear and struggled to get past the men trying to tear down the speaker's platform. Another surge, and I stumbled farther away. Danello vanished back into the mob. For a crazy moment, I felt as if I'd never see him again, but he had to still be there behind the crowd.

A man fell into me, and his elbow smacked my stomach. I gasped and doubled over, sucking in breath. Another person hit me from behind, and I staggered sideways. I bounced off the crowd and flailed for anything to grab and stop my fall. Images of trampled bodies flashed behind my eyes. I fell to one knee, and pain raced up my leg. My other foot slipped, and I was falling.

A hand shot out between broad backs and grabbed my arm. "Got you!"

"Aylin!" I sobbed as Aylin yanked me back to my feet. Someone tripped on me and I fell forward again, but she caught and steadied me.

"I'm so glad to see you," I cried, fighting the crowd.

"Me too. I thought we lost you. Hold on, and follow me."

She held tight to my hand and headed against the surging mob, twisting and ducking, using her dancer's grace to get through. She kept one hand in front of her, pushing aside a shoulder or elbow and directing the surge of people around us. When one didn't turn, she found a soft spot and pinched.

I wanted to lift my head higher and search for Tali, but I was too afraid to break the smooth ribbon Aylin had somehow made of us.