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Luna pulled me out into the flow of foot traffic on the street. I fell into step beside her, guessing we were on our way to the nearby marketplace.
“Do you have any idea what that’s all about?” I asked, tipping my head back toward the law keepers’ hall. “I don’t suppose Hayes dropped any hints?”
“Sadly, no.” She tugged me out of the way of an approaching cart, continuing once we were safely past the large wheels. “I’m not sure when he would have told me any secrets. You and I spend so much time together, I barely managed to organize your birthday surprise.”
Her grin took any potential sting from her words. Luna had already told me many times that she liked having another girl her age to share her apprenticeship. It was fortunate we got along so well since she was right about how much time we spent together.
After Amara had agreed to Hayes and Anka’s combined request that we stay in Caltor for the time being, we had made some adjustments to our accommodation arrangements. Amara had moved out of our shared room into a smaller room of her own, Luna taking her place. I had been surprised at the change but not unhappy. Amara and I got on well, but she was significantly older than me and was a master besides. Swapping Amara for Luna felt like receiving a sister in exchange for a mother as a roommate. I had never had any actual siblings, but if I’d had an older sister, I would have liked one like Luna.
My early fears that I would have nothing in common with an apprentice from the Guild had soon faded in the face of her friendliness and my growing understanding of her background. Luna had grown up isolated like me, even if it was in a different way, and she had known nothing about the ways of mages or the Guild before Hayes activated her.
“It’s strange to have a complete day off,” I said, trying to remember the last time I went a whole day without using my healing ability.
Luna groaned. “Right? They’ve been working us without mercy! At least at the Guild we had regular days off. I don’t know how you cope with life on the road all the time!”
“We’ve hardly been on the road,” I pointed out with amusement.
“You know what I mean. It’s the same thing, just without the travel. And Amara is a hard taskmaster!”
I shook my head, a smile on my face. I was used to Luna’s lighthearted complaints by now. She had been apprenticed to Hayes for more than a year when the Triumvirate sent them to Caltor, so she found it an adjustment to leave behind the more structured Guild schedule for the chaos of our ever-changing life.
“But she’s kind,” I pointed out, as I always did. “And I prefer a master who includes me and views us as a team over one who treats me like a schoolchild.”
“Hayes is the kindest person I’ve ever met!” Luna exclaimed, following the predetermined script. She could never hear even the vaguest allusion to an insult to her influencer without leaping to his defense.
“I know, I know,” I said hurriedly. “He saved your whole settlement and negotiated you a place in Tartora. He’s a paragon of every possible virtue and an excellent healing teacher. Look! We’ve arrived.”
I steered her off the street and into the large square which hosted the daily market. Despite my cavalier attitude, I meant my words. During our stay in Caltor, Hayes had included me in all the lessons he gave his own apprentice, leaving Amara free to work with Anka on matters they both kept close to their chest. And he had never once made me feel like a burden.
Of course, Amara was still involved in my training—the law required her to be. She visited our sessions daily and took charge of our training on general matters such as mental discipline and control. She had also taken both of us for several sessions on the elements affinity. Although Luna wasn’t cross-influenced, all mage apprentices spent at least some time familiarizing themselves with the capabilities of the other affinities. And in my case, it was extra fascinating since I had healing cross elements, thanks to Amara’s elements ability.
Watching her use her power was like feeling an itch somewhere just out of reach. I couldn’t actually connect with the elements like she could, but they felt achingly familiar, as if touching them might be possible if I just stretched out a bit further.
“Look!” Luna tugged me over to a stall selling ribbons, buttons, and lengths of material. “Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?” She lovingly stroked a length of shimmering blue silk which looked remarkably like a living stream.
The stall keeper glared at her, and I shook my head, tugging her away.
“What would I do with something like that? Do you think I have time to sew myself gowns? The hospital is happy to provide basic clothing, and that’s more than sufficient for me.”
“Delphine!” Luna groaned despairingly. “It’s your birthday! You have to buysomethingthat’s beautiful, not just practical. Don’t pretend Amara didn’t give you a pouch because I know she did.”
My hand went to my pocket where the small pouch sat concealed. Amara had slipped it into my hand with a warm smile and murmured birthday wishes. I’d wanted to protest, but she’d been gone out the door before I could, and once on the street myself, I’d remembered that gifts of coin were common from masters to apprentices on their birthdays.
Relieved of my momentary discomfort, I agreed with Luna on the matter of a birthday purchase. But I wasn’t going to buy material that would just sit in our inn room untouched.
“There!” This time I was the one tugging Luna through the crowd.
She smiled, pleased by the stall full of beautifully worked leather. But when she saw what I picked up, the smile fell from her face.
“Really, Delphine?” She groaned again. “You’re hopeless! Won’t you even look at that bag? The leatherwork is gorgeous, and it would be perfect for carrying your healing supplies. You heard the conversation between Amara and Hayes yesterday. You might be strong enough to heal almost anything completely, but she still wants you to be fully versed in the ways of weaker healers, including carrying bandages and tinctures and other supplies.”
“I know.” I glanced absentmindedly at the bag she was holding out. “She and I have talked about it a lot. When we’re on the road, we travel through a lot of smaller villages and towns, and she wants me to be able to train the locals who have a healing affinity, like she does with those with an elements affinity. So I need to be able to demonstrate the techniques.” I ran a hand over the detailing along the strap of the bag. “Plus, if we ever encounter a large scale disaster, I might need to spread my ability out, saving it for the more serious cases.”
Luna shook her head. “You really are embracing life on the road.” She held the bag out toward me and shook it slightly. “So wouldn’t you like this beautiful bag?”
I laughed, returning my gaze to the thin, elegant collar in my hands. The polished green stones that dotted its length winked up at me. They weren’t expensive gemstones, but they would still serve my purpose.
“An excellent choice,” the stall keeper said hopefully. “It would look very fine on a large cat or small dog.”
