Gifted Apprentice

  Sensing his young master's confusion, the piebald dog Penlow joined him and pushed a wet nose into his hand.

  Sallis patted the dog absently and tugged gently at the long ears.

  "At least you're still my friend," he muttered.

  He hoped that the Father was, also.

  ***

  Chapter 11 - Sickness

  Sallis's holiday, full of hard work, ended all too soon.

  "Thought I might get three weeks out of it," he grumbled, when Elvallon brought Polless and the cart to the farm.

  "You'd better get packed," said the healer, for some reason looking harassed.

  While Sallis packed his clothes and other effects, Elvallon chatted with the family and met Barten for the first time. Sallis returned to see his teacher congratulate the older boy and shake his hand.

  No reaction, which meant Barten was no sorcerer.

  Even if pleased to have his suspicions allayed, part of Sallis almost wanted Barten to be something evil. When had he become so jealous?

  Once his apprentice was on the cart, Elvallon clicked the reins and they moved off, Sallis turning to wave at his family until they were out of sight. Behind, he saw a grinning Barten, one hand on his eldest sister's shoulder.

  "Hope you're not too upset returning to your studies," said the healer.

  "You met Barten," said Sallis, ignoring the question. "What do you think of him?"

  Elvallon smiled. "The lad's going to steal your oldest sister away," he replied. "And I suspect neither can wait."

  "That's not what I meant."

  "What's bothering you, lad?"

  "Jealousy, I think. He showed a lot of interest in the Gift."

  "Some people do."

  Sallis looked up at his teacher. "And how many of them do something about it?" he asked. "Either become sorcerers, or decide to hate us for the power they believe we have over them?"

  Elvallon sniffed and clicked the reins. "Come along, Polly."

  Polless ignored the prompt and continued at his steady, sure speed.

  "Good point," said Elvallon, after a long pause. "I'm no Seer and neither are you, so we have no way of telling. Whatever the future holds for Barten is probably entirely up to him. If he's that way inclined, then something other than meeting you could trigger a reaction."

  "So if I hadn't gone home..."

  Elvallon gave Sallis a firm look. "Nonsense. Whatever Barten does or does not do is his decision. Whichever route he chooses is his choice only."

  "You did cut my holiday short though." Sallis tried to keep accusation out of his voice.

  "Yes."

  "Why?"

  "Sickness in Leynx and an excellent opportunity for you to witness healing in action."

  "Oh. Why are you here, instead of healing?"

  Elvallon chuckled. "I nearly sent Lyssan, but even gentle Polly would intimidate her, so I decided to come for you myself. Besides, they haven't called for me yet."

  "Must they do that?" Sallis stared at his tutor. "Why not offer your services?"

  Elvallon grunted. "Because there is a thin line between helping and interfering. Remember that, young Sallis. Never offer, always let them ask. Never give people an excuse to think that you are trying to gain influence or power for yourself. Let them believe they grant you that privilege."

  "I never realized we had to fear them," remarked Sallis.

  Elvallon gave his student a sharp look. "Perhaps not fear them, but certainly respect them. To some minds, we are as bad as sorcerers. The masses cannot or will not distinguish between the Gift and sorcery. People do not fully trust us, simply because we are different. And when mistrust turns to fear, not even the Father can save us." Bitterness tinged the healer's smile. "You will see it in Leynx."

  ***

  Pleased to see him again, Lyssan gave Sallis a warm, welcoming smile. He said nothing, but hoped there had been no thunderstorms during Elvallon's absence. He doubted it: the weather was wrong for storms, at least of the sort the sylph feared.

  "Anything for me?" asked Elvallon.

  The Papan's Guard will return tomorrow," replied the sylph. "Your presence is demanded in the city."

  Elvallon smiled. "I suspected it might be. Did they bring any news?"

  "The sickness is now contained within one quarter. The poorest quarter, but the Papan and Council have said they will meet your charges."

  Elvallon turned to Sallis. "See, you only need wait and they come to you rather quickly." He turned back to Lyssan. "Any deaths reported?"

  "They didn't tell me," replied the sylph, earpoints twitching, "but people are seriously ill."

  "Poor people always live in the crowded corners where accommodation is cheapest," said Elvallon, for Sallis's benefit, "so disease always spreads quickest there. Either way, the authorities have done well to contain it."

  "Father says there are no poor people on Re Annan," said Sallis.

  Elvallon laughed. "Relatively poor then. Unable to afford the best in Leynx. I agree nobody starves here and that your streets are not infested with unwanted people and sylphs, but you do have some who are poorer than the rest."

  Sallis subsided; that part was certainly true. "Are you going to wait until tomorrow?" he asked.

  "No." Elvallon shook his head. "We will wash, eat the meal that Lyssan is about to start preparing for us any moment now..."

  Pausing, he looked at his sylph. Lyssan's earpoints wilted and her lips thinned, but she eventually nodded and dashed inside.

  Elvallon continued. "Then I will put some things together, and we'll go to the city."

  Sallis smiled.

  Elvallon's expression did not change. "When we are there, say as little as possible and pay careful attention to everything I do. You might pick it up, or you might not, but leave all Healing to me."

  Sallis nodded.

  "Do not touch anybody and do not try the Healing yourself."

  "Why not? If I can see how you-"

  "No." Elvallon's expression firmed. "Newly-Gifted usually practice on lesser creatures before they heal people or sylphs. Lower beings rarely form lynch-mobs if you get it wrong. Get healing wrong with people and life gets very uncomfortable, very quickly."

  "Oh."

  "Yes, oh. And I'm not having my reputation destroyed because my apprentice doesn't quite know what he's doing yet."

  "All right, I'll just watch."

  And as things turned out, that proved a very wise decision.

  ***

  No matter how Elvallon shook the reins, shouted and cajoled, Polless continued at his steady plod. If he must pull the cart, then he was quite happy to do so at his own pace and not a fraction quicker.

  Or perhaps the hairy-fetlocked carthorse sulked because he hadn't yet been fed and had already spent most of the past few days tugging the cart with its cargo of idle humans.

  Or perhaps, Sallis realized, his imagination had run wild since his holiday.

  More importantly, they neared Leynx. Despite feeling sad for the sick people within, Sallis's excitement built as they entered the city. It certainly boasted a lot more streets than Hendrek. Elvallon went directly to the city center.

  The cobbled square held two fountains and a few people stared curiously at the cart.

  Elvallon gestured towards a squat, colonnaded building on one side of the square. "The Papan's palace." He gestured to a rather plainer, if larger, building opposite. "Government House. That's where the Council meet and where all the bureaucrats work. It's the place that bogs ideas down for five years before spitting something unrecognizable out again."

  "Sounds good," muttered Sallis.

  "That's government in action," said Elvallon. "They're all the same in some respects."

  Guards stepped forward as Elvallon took the cart right up to the palace steps. He leaned down.

  "Some of your colleagues called on me today," he said. "I decided to come now, instead of waiting until tomorrow. I'm sure the Papan does not want to be kept waiting."
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  One of the men nodded. "Elvallon. You know where the stables are, I'll ensure you're met there."

  "Does everybody know you?" asked Sallis.

  "Not quite everybody." Elvallon sounded defensive. "But I spend a lot of time here."

  "The Papan's wife always thinks there's something wrong?" asked Sallis, with a grin.

  "She never thinks that," replied Elvallon, guiding Polless around the side of the palace and towards the stables. "The Papan does, though. Always believes he's caught something or other. He usually gets the herbs."

  Sallis stared as they turned the last corner. The stables were almost as impressive as the palace.

  "Better than our stable," he said. "Polly will like it here."

  "Rebuilt by a Papan who believed horses gave better counsel than people," said Elvallon.

  "Was he one who got deposed?"

  Elvallon shook his head. "No. He enjoyed a forty-year rule and lived for more than a century before old age finished him off."

  "Maybe he had a point about the horses," remarked Sallis.

  Elvallon grunted.

  Boys came forward to take Polless and release him from the cart. While Elvallon gave his instructions, Sallis looked at the back of the palace. No columns here, but fresh whitewash covered the walls and the flower borders were well tended.

  Two ornamental pools, too large to step across, dominated the courtyard. Peering into the water, he saw orange and yellow fish moving sedately around the water plants.

  "Coming, Sallis?" asked Elvallon, a hint of laughter in his voice.

  Sallis looked around. "Of course."

  "Just wondered. Took three attempts to wake you."

  Sallis exchanged a look with the stable-boys before he followed Elvallon inside. A servant met them at the door.

  "His Excellency will see you now, Sir." Her glance at Sallis hinted that he was not included, but Elvallon's hand on his shoulder propelled him forward.

  "My apprentice," explained Elvallon. "He stays with me."

  "Of course, Sir." The servant's tone hinted that she could not care less either way, her expression carefully neutral.

  Elvallon smiled and turned to Sallis. "Ready to meet the Papan?" he asked.

  ***

  Chapter 12 - The Papan

  For some strange reason, Sallis felt nervous as he followed Elvallon and the servant up a wide, sweeping staircase, made from stone he did not recognize.

  "Marble," Elvallon whispered to him, noting the puzzled expression on the boy's face as he frowned at the stair. "Imported from the continent, for favors received."

  "What favors?" Sallis whispered back.

  "Best not to ask," replied Elvallon. "Corruption touches high and low."

  "The Papan is corrupt?"

  "If not him, then probably one of his predecessors. Or more than one, likely."

  Sallis tried not to laugh, but his nerves had eased.

  "Wait here," said the servant, voice expressionless. She tapped on the huge door before them and slipped inside. Moments later, she held the door open for them. "Elvallon, as summoned," she announced. "And his... apprentice."

  Elvallon pushed Sallis ahead of him and the boy stared the moment he stepped inside.

  Smaller than expected, given the size of the door, the chamber nonetheless dripped wealth from every side. The carpet pile must be several incas thick, dyed a deep red and made - Sallis trusted - from local wool. Tapestries depicting farmers and foresters, woodworkers and fishermen hung on every wall, the spaces between painted green, white and blue.

  The white ceiling had a huge gold sunburst in the center. Two chairs were under it and, behind them, a flag hung from a cross, green and blue, separated by a single diagonal white stripe.

  Sallis knew that was Re Annan's flag: green for the fertile land, blue for the abundant sea and white for the purity of the island's people. A man wearing rich blue robes sat in one of those chairs and a woman in red robes relaxed in the other. The Papan and his wife.

  "Excellencies." Elvallon dropped briefly to one knee, Sallis hastily emulating him. As he looked up, he saw the woman smiling at him, not mocking, but a warm smile of welcome.

  "Please rise." The Papan motioned.

  Given what Elvallon had said, Sallis had expected a pale and plump man, but the Papan was thin yet solid, his dark hair and eyes complementing skin the color of dark honey. Either an outlander, or descended from one; many came to Re Annan and eventually mingled with the natives.

  Such things were unimportant on Re Annan. If capable and wealthy enough, a man could go far. Sallis already knew wealth was the more important factor.

  Elvallon and Sallis stood.

  "Thank you for coming so quickly," continued the Papan.

  "The moment I heard." Elvallon inclined his head, but the Papan's attention had moved on.

  "I'm so pleased you brought your apprentice. Ah, Sallis ti Ath, isn't it?"

  "Yes," replied Sallis, hoping he hid his surprise. The Papan had heard of him? "Excellency."

  "The boy who chased a dangerous criminal to ground and who was instrumental in his capture."

  "Your guards caught him," replied Sallis, who barely recognized the action. He remembered again. "Excellency."

  The Papan threw back his head and laughed. "Such modesty!" He turned to his wife. "You see, Fleran? Such modesty in the Gifted puts us all to shame."

  Fleran smiled again. "The boy is merely being honest," she replied. "Really Ebasten, you should see honesty more often to know when it stands before you."

  The Papan gestured again. "True, but this boy's Gift is what led him to the thief in the first place. Is that not so?"

  "It is," said Sallis, then scowled. "Excellency."

  Fleran laughed. "You only need call him that the once," she said. "Don't go giving him airs and graces."

  Sallis stared.

  "You called us here for a reason," interrupted Elvallon, who feared the conversation might concentrate on Sallis alone. "Sickness?"

  "Yes." The Papan grew serious. "In the poor quarter. We do not want it spreading, so the Council has agreed to pay your expenses."

  "What kind of sickness is it?" asked Elvallon.

  Sallis looked at his tutor. There was no "Excellency this" and "Excellency that" out of him.

  "Tightness of chest, inflamed eyes, over-tired muscles. Whoever catches it cannot work, cannot hold down food... It reminds me of something I had last year, that-"

  "Ebasten," prompted Fleran. "Shall we keep to the subject in hand?"

  "Nobody has died from this?" asked Elvallon.

  "No," replied Fleran. "But neither have they recovered from it."

  "I must go and take a look," said Elvallon.

  "Of course," said the Papan. He stared hard at Sallis. "Is it wise to take your apprentice?"

  "He'll be fine," said Elvallon, absently. "The experience will be good for him."

  "Just that it would be a shame if he caught it," continued the Papan. Another thought struck him. "Ah, there's no chance of your bringing it back here, I hope?"

  "I doubt it," Elvallon smiled. "These things tend not to affect practitioners. The Gift affords us some small protection from disease."

  The Papan visibly brightened. "Oh good. Just that I don't want to catch it."

  Elvallon smiled. "You're safe," he promised.

  ***

  Chapter 13 - The Poor Quarter

  It is one thing to look at a city from afar and quite another to visit. Despite his time with Elvallon, Sallis knew nothing of Leynx. Leaving Polless to enjoy a large meal of oats, one of the Papan's more discreet carriages was prepared to carry them to the Poor Quarter. More discreet meant a lacquered coach, rather than one covered in gilt. Sallis hoped riding in it would give him no lofty ideas.

  "The driver will drop you at the edge of the Poor Quarter," the Papan had told them, "so he doesn't bring anything nasty back with him. Unlike you, he is not Gifted, so he has no protection."

  Sallis was
n't sure quite what to expect so, when he stepped down from the carriage, he looked around with some trepidation.

  The Poor Quarter looked no different from the rest of the city.

  Clean and orderly, lime-wash covered every building and all looked well cared for. Streets here were as clean as streets everywhere else in Leynx. Only a few horse droppings - so few that they were obviously cleared away regularly - marred the otherwise pristine stonework and cobbles.

  A guard stepped from a doorway, eyed Sallis in surprise and turned his attention to Elvallon.

  "You're the healer?"

  "Yes."

  "The sick have been quarantined and a good job too. Nobody else has fallen ill in the last day."

  "Excellent." Elvallon nodded approval. "You have done what I would recommend. Who's in charge of looking after the sick?"

  "Someone from Hendrek. Romand?"

  "Yes, we know him. The patients are in good hands. Where can I find him?"

  The guard gestured. "The Big House. Yes, it's really called that. Six levels high. Fourth road on your right, along to the left. You can't miss it."

  "I probably can," smiled Elvallon. "Thank you, we'll find it I'm sure."

  "Look at the people." Surprise laced Sallis's voice. "With sickness about, I thought everybody would stay indoors."

  "Oh, they won't stop for a little thing like a disease," Elvallon assured him. "They've isolated the sick, which is a good thing, but they'll carry on working, which might not be."

  "How do you mean?"

  "If it's a catching sickness, then people being out will only help spread it further."

  "Sickness is sickness."

  Elvallon shook his head. "There are different sorts. One type is when parts of the body wear out as we get older. Pain in joints, a greater tendency to strains and sprains, dimming eyesight, getting deaf. Natural and nothing anybody can do about it. Or not much anyway. Even Healing can only do so much there, such as repairing damaged muscles and tendons, but the underlying cause cannot be healed."

  "That's just age," pointed out Sallis.

  "No 'just' about it," retorted Elvallon. "Then there are injuries caused by something else. Like a broken bone after a fall, or bruising from hitting something. That we can cure as if nothing had happened. Even wounds that might bring someone close to death."

  Sallis blinked. "That isn't really sickness," he protested. "Those are hurts."

  Elvallon waved a dismissive hand. "Semantics," he said. "There are illnesses of the mind. And what you incorrectly claim is the only sort of sickness: those caused by tiny creatures. Catching sicknesses, like the one I cured you of."