Kwin Read online

  Instead of asking Drake to escort Anter from the house, Luka did so herself. Kwin was waiting in her office for her to return.

  “That was interesting,” he said. “Anter didn’t seem worried that you wouldn’t believe him.”

  “Of course he wasn’t. I have known him all of my life. He worked for my father before he died. He is honest and trustworthy. I do not question what he tells me. Ever.”

  “Fair enough. It’s a bit of a coincidence, don’t you think? The girl who Gareth was supposed to attack being the daughter of one of your employees, I mean.”

  Luka smiled. “Not really. I own most of the businesses in the area.”

  Kwin whistled. “So how does it work? How do you run so many businesses if you are never there?”

  “I don’t. My managers run them themselves and just send me a percentage of the profits. My man of business visits them regularly to check over the books and make sure there are no issues I need to deal with. My entire financial empire is run on trust. If anyone proves to be untrustworthy, I soon find out and they are replaced.”

  Luka didn’t mention that she put a subtle compulsion spell on everyone new she dealt with. If they abused her trust, they felt an overwhelming desire to let her know. Only once had the spell let her down.

  “What’s the next step?” Kwin asked her.

  The smile she directed at him made him take an involuntary step backward.

  “Now I go and have a little talk with Raina. Care to join me?”

  Kwin glanced at the timepiece. “It’s already dark outside. Shouldn’t we wait until the morning? Or is it a short journey?”

  Luka’s light laugh filled the room. “We’re not going anywhere. Come with me.”

  She led him up the stairs to her suite then entered her bedroom. Kwin paused in the doorway. For a moment Luka wondered why, then she remembered that when they had first met she had told him that he was never allowed to enter unless invited.

  “You can come in,” she said.

  She went over to a strange contraption sitting on a table. It looked like it was made from metal, plastic and glass, which it was, with a little magic thrown in.

  She waved her hand over it to activate it and it lit up. “This,” she explained, “is the way my people communicate over long distances. We just have to say who we wish to speak to and their own device will notify them that someone is trying to contact them.”

  “That’s handy,” Kwin said. “I wonder why Tippet doesn’t have them.”

  Luka winked at him. “How it works is a closely guarded secret. The only problem with them is that they stop working if whichever magic user created them dies. Except for those my father enchanted,” she quickly added. It was a lie, of course. It was her magic powering her device, not her father’s.

  “Also, there is no way of knowing who is trying to contact you until you have responded,” she continued. “There have been a few times when I wished I had pretended not to be at home. Every time my mother contacts me, for example.”

  Kwin chuckled as Luka said Raina’s full name, as well as the name of the property he was staying at, then waited for his face to appear on the screen. She wished there was a way for the device to work on voice only, as she had no wish to see the pathetic excuse for a man, but she had no choice.

  “Luka, my darling,” Raina said as soon as he saw her face. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

  Luka didn’t even attempt to keep the revulsion she felt out of her voice. “Trust me, it’s no pleasure. I have just had a visit from one of my business owners. You had his daughter attacked because he refused to let you have any more of his merchandise until you paid your bill. I am not happy.”

  She got a small sense of satisfaction when Raina paled. “He’s lying.”

  “We both know better than that. I am going to say this only once, so make sure you listen very carefully. I don’t like people messing with my business. Now you are going to settle your bill, you are going to personally apologise to the girl’s family, then you are never going to set foot in that shop ever again.”

  “But they sell the best shoes,” Raina protested. Luka said nothing. Raina tried a different tactic. “What if I refuse?”

  “Then you will be denied entry to any of my businesses. Let me know if you want me to provide you with a list.” Raina’s jaw dropping told her she wouldn’t need to. She hadn’t finished with him yet though. “Then I will send a letter to the council explaining, in full detail, what you did to deserve such treatment.”

  Raina closed and opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

  “Are we in agreement?” she asked harshly.

  Raina nodded dumbly. “Good,” Luka said and switched off the communication device. She turned around to find Kwin staring at her.

  “What?” she snapped at him.

  “You’re scary when you’re mad.”

  The sincerity in his voice made her burst out laughing.

  Chapter 20

  The days flew by. Luka was enjoying her lessons with Kwin, who turned out to be a great teacher. They spent so much time together, speaking mainly in his language, that she was picking it up well.

  Once he was confident that she was understanding a fair amount of what he was saying, Kwin roped in the other servants to help and soon everyone was speaking to her every time they saw her, instead of only when Drake or Kwin were around to translate. Though she didn’t understand everything they said, they all seemed happy that she was trying.

  Their lessons were interrupted one day by one of the stable boys running into the house.

  “Come quick,” he cried out. “Zole has been stung by a praker.”

  He spoke so quickly that Luka didn’t understand what he was saying, but she could hear the panic in his voice and see it in his face and body. Something bad had happened.

  Kwin translated without her having to ask him to.

  “Where?” she asked.

  Kwin managed to calm the boy down enough to get directions, then Luka sent him to the kitchen. Koal would know what she would need.

  “Come with me,” she said to Kwin and he followed her out of the house. She strode purposefully, but didn’t run. The shoes she was wearing had heels that, though not too high, were not stable enough for her to risk turning her ankle in her haste.

  Even had Kwin not thought to ask where Zole was, they would have found him. The screams that were coming from the field behind the stables made her blood go cold. She had only seen someone who had been stung by a praker once before and it was enough to make her never want to witness it again.

  Thankfully her father had made her watch as he treated the unfortunate man, so she knew what needed to be done.

  Zole was lying on the ground, being held in place by two of the gardeners as he thrashed around. The dead body of the praker lay not far off, a knife protruding from its neck. At least that was one problem Luka wouldn’t have to deal with.

  “I need him to stop moving,” Luka said to Kwin as she knelt down next to the boy. He had only just turned ten; much too young to die.

  Kwin placed his hand on her shoulder. “I’ve seen this before. There is nothing you can do to save him.” His voice was filled with sorrow.

  “So have I,” she hissed at him. “And I know what needs to be done. Now can you find a way to keep him still or not?”

  “I can,” Kwin said and placed his hand on the boy’s head. Luka felt a strange sensation run up her arm and she glanced down at the controller she wore. It glowed as Kwin used his magic on the boy, then dimmed down to nothing as he stepped away.

  “He’s unconscious, though I don’t expect him to ever wake up. At least he can no longer feel any pain.”

  “Stop being such a pessimist,” Luka said in a much softer voice than she had used earlier. She indicated with her head that the two gardeners could let go of Zole and they stepped away, far enough to be out of Luka’s way as she did what needed to be done, but close enough to help her if she needed them
.

  One handed a knife to Kwin. “Do you need this to cut his trouser leg or can you use your magic?”

  Luka watched as Kwin looked up at the man, the look on his face suggesting that he was trying to decide if the gardener was being sarcastic or not. She smiled slightly as Kwin nodded his thanks and took the knife.

  Blood was pouring from the leg wound, soaking through the trousers and dripping onto the ground. Kwin used the knife to nick the bottom of the material, then took it in his hands and pulled hard. The trouser leg came apart under his strong grip, ripping all the way up to the top.

  The sting from the praker was clearly visible, sticking out of the boy’s leg, its barbs embedded in his skin.

  “How do you intend to get it out?” Kwin asked. “If you pull it, you will bring half of his leg with you.”

  “I’m going to have to cut it out.” Kwin winced, but nodded his head. He held out the knife to Luka, but she shook her head. It wouldn’t be sharp enough for what she was about to do.

  Koal arrived, carrying a small basket. Without saying a word, he took out a large knife that he used for filleting fish, holding it by the blade so Luka could safely take the handle. He had honed it before leaving the kitchen, making sure it was as sharp as it could be. It was the ideal implement for the task in hand; it wouldn’t cause the wound to be so wide that it couldn’t be sewn up.

  Luka looked up at Kwin. “The sting is dangerously close to his artery. Had it been any closer, he would already be dead. I may have to cut through it to get the sting out. Can you prevent it from bleeding too much?”

  She could use her own magic and if Kwin couldn’t help, she would do so, regardless of the consequences. No secret was worth letting a boy die.

  “I can,” Kwin said and her controller began to glow again. When it went dull, Luka raised the knife and stabbed downward.

  It didn’t take her long to cut the sting out of Zole’s leg, which didn’t bleed very much, thanks to Kwin’s magic. She looked closely at the artery she had cut and was surprised to find no trace of blood. She looked quizzically at Kwin, who shrugged.

  “I thought it would be easier just to make the blood flow through other vessels.”

  It wasn’t the way Luka would have done it, but all that mattered was the end result. Zole was not at risk of bleeding to death. He was, however, still in danger. Praker stings were poisonous and, though it had been removed from his body, the damage had already been done.

  “I know how to cleanse his blood of the poison,” Kwin said. All magic users in Tippet were taught how to do it in their first year of training, though every time it had been tried, the patient had still died.

  Luka told him to go ahead while she removed other items from the basket Koal had brought. She started off by tipping water from a bottle into a bowl and dipping a clean cloth into it. She washed around the wound then placed the cloth deep within it, making sure it was as clean as possible.

  “Do you want me to close the wound?” Kwin asked. He sounded tired. Cleansing someone’s blood was not an easy thing to do. Though it didn’t take long, it took a lot of energy.

  “No. We have to let it heal naturally, a little at a time, or Zole will never be able to walk without a limp again.” Luka recalled everything her father had told her when he had treated his patient all those years ago. Recovery was going to be long and painful for the young boy, but he would be as good as new, eventually.

  “I will have to sew up the bottom of the wound,” she continued, “then pad it to prevent it healing any further up. Every few days I will raise the padding a little, allowing the flesh underneath to fuse itself together.”

  Luka looked in the basket. “I may not have enough cloth,” she said to Kwin. “Can you go back to the house and get me some more. Clean rags are kept in the store room, top shelf.”

  Koal waited until Kwin was out of sight before speaking. “You’re still hiding your magic, I take it,” he said.

  Luka nodded, then magically fused some of Zole’s sliced leg muscle together before filling the wound with cloth. There was more in the basket than she needed, but it had been a good excuse to get rid of Kwin.

  Before bandaging the wound, she looked at the cut artery once more. She hadn’t cut it as badly as she had thought and was able to sew it back together with needle and cotton. Kwin would be able to make blood flow back through it as soon as he returned.

  By the time Kwin made it back to where Luka and her patient were, his arms filled with cloth, the two gardeners had left to continue their work. Koal was still there.

  “It looks like I had enough after all,” Luka said, pointing at the newly bandaged limb. She then let Kwin know that she had fixed the artery and he changed the blood flow once more. They both stared at the bandaged leg until they were satisfied that it wasn’t bleeding.

  “I’ll carry the boy back,” Koal said, looking at Kwin. “You look like you will hardly be able to get yourself back. Do you want me to send someone to help you?”

  “Thanks, but I’ll manage.”

  Luka understood most of the words that passed between the two men. She wasn’t convinced Kwin was telling the truth. She knew, from experience, how much removing poison from someone’s blood took out of a magic user and on top of that, Kwin had altered Zole’s blood flow in his leg, twice, and knocked him unconscious. She was surprised he hadn’t already collapsed.

  She didn’t, however, argue with him, partly because he might ask her how she knew how exhausted he really was, but mainly because she didn’t want to damage his pride. During their short time together, she had come to realise that he was a very proud man and would never want to show any sign of weakness. Proud, she thought, but not arrogant.

  They both watched as Koal took the boy into his arms and picked him up. He stirred, but didn’t wake.

  “He’ll be asleep for a few more hours,” Kwin said.

  “Good. Sleep is the best thing for him right now.”

  “What would you have done had I not been here?” Kwin asked. He sounded curious; he wasn’t bragging about his abilities or how much help he had been.

  A sudden urge to tell him the truth flowed through Luka, but she ignored it. She was not yet ready.

  “It would have been more difficult, but we would have managed. My father taught me how to remove the poison without using magic. I think everyone appreciated your help though.”

  “Anytime,” Kwin said.

  Luka and Kwin slowly made their way back to the house. They were not far from the front door when Kwin’s legs gave way. Luka managed to catch him before he hit the ground and helped him walk into the house and up the stairs, taking as much of his weight as she could.

  She didn’t call out for help. Kwin seemed embarrassed enough having her witness his fatigue, let alone anyone else.

  They made it to his room successfully and he collapsed onto the bed. He didn’t object when she took off his shoes, but he did when she tried to remove the rest of his clothes.

  “Fine. Sleep in them then,” she said and walked off, leaving him to either undress himself or not; she didn’t care which.

  She did, however, send Canis in to keep an eye on him.

  “He’s asleep,” the dog said directly into her mind a short while later. “I have managed to pull a blanket over him.”

  “Thank you. You don’t have to stay with him now if you don’t want to.”

  “I think I will remain here, just in case.”

  ‘Any excuse for a nap,’ Luka thought to herself and smiled.

  ————————————∞————————————-

  Light shone into Kwin’s eyes when he opened them. He had no idea how long he had been asleep, but his stomach told him that he had missed at least one meal.

  He tried to sit up and grew concerned when he couldn’t. He still felt tired, but was no longer exhausted. Then he noticed the dog sleeping next to him, pinning the blanket down on one side, and grinned. He pulled the blanket of
f him, covering Canis in the process, and swung his legs off the bed.

  He sat in that position for a while, debating whether or not his legs were going to able to support him, then took a deep breath and stood up. He did it too quickly and had to sit back down as dizziness claimed him. He waited for it to subside then tried again, this time more slowly.

  Once he was on his feet, he felt his strength returning. He stretched then headed to the bathroom. When he had taken care of his needs, he changed his clothes. While he thought he didn’t smell too bad, he had slept in them so they looked a mess.

  It was as he was putting on his shoes that he noticed a box on his bedside table. He picked it up and gently shook it. It wasn’t very heavy, but something was inside.

  Curiosity got the better of him and he opened it. When he saw the contents he frowned. He could guess who the present was from, but had no idea what it meant.

  He went looking for Luka and found her in her office, going through the estate’s accounts with Drake.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked in his language when he knocked on the open door.

  “Surprisingly good,” he said. “And you pronounced the last word a little wrong.”

  He corrected her, ignoring the way Drake was grinning at him.

  He then held up the box. “Would you care to explain why you are giving me a new set of shackles?”

  It was Luka’s turn to smile. “I’m not. Come here.”

  He obeyed and allowed her to remove his collar and bracelets and replace them with the ones in the box. He was still confused.

  “These are fake,” Luka said. “I no longer have any control over you.”

  Kwin wasn’t sure if he believed her or not. Without taking his eyes off her controller, he used magic to close the office door. The controller did not react.

  He was lost for words. The other servants were free men and women instead of slaves, but he thought it would be years before he earned his freedom, unless he escaped.