Page 132 of Lake of Sorrow

Maybe it wasn’t luck so much as the plant’s magic keeping her alive. That would have been more reassuring if the niggling thought didn’t keep coming to mind that the thing wanted to use her.

“I need to go check on our leased castle and make honey drops.” Kaylina yawned, wondering if she might be able to curl up and finally get some sleep there. Though she’d dozed on the way back on Levitke, it was hard to relax fully when the threat of falling off one’s mount was a constant.

“I heard it was, uhm, active in the defense of the city.”

“It shot a beam from the tower window and slew Kar’ruk.” Kaylina hoped it hadn’t killed humans as well. Potential customers might cheer for a cursed castle that slew enemies of the city, but one that zapped kingdom subjects was another story. No matter how enticing the mead and Frayvar’s recipes, they wouldn’t get anyone through the courtyard gates.

“I believe that fits the definition of active.”

“As a dictionary reader, you would know.”

“Aggressively active. I’d better go with you.”

“To have my back in a battle against hostile vines?”

“To run for the doctor if the plant knocks you out again.” Frayvar waved toward Penderbrock, who, despite the patients needing care, was walking toward them.

Maybe he thought Kaylina had come because of injuries. He did look her up and down, his gaze lingering on her hand. But he’d already seen that injury. Nothing had changed about it, unless its ability to glow in visions counted.

“How’s that doing?” Penderbrock pointed at it.

“Weirdly.”

He grunted. “About what I expected. I researched a bit on your behalf. Before the Kar’ruk came and gave us something else to worry about.”

“Oh?”

“Are there books on the Daygarii that cover magic beyond altered plants? I didn’t think to check the library on that matter.” The aggrieved look that Frayvar sent Kaylina’s way suggested he considered this a deep failing on his part.

“You were busy trying to clear my name,” she said.

“Keeping you from being arrested is a demanding job, but I should have thought to gather all the history books covering the druids that I could find.”

“I happened to have one on the medicinal uses of local altered plants,” Penderbrock said. “A chapter at the end mentioned how people used to be marked. Back when the Daygarii walked the world at the same time as men. The text implied only those with Daygarii blood were so marked.” He arched his bushy white eyebrows.

“I’m… researching that possibility,” Kaylina said, more because people kept bringing it up than because she had plans to do so. So far from home, she didn’t even know how to research it.

“See what you find. It did say that the marks aren’t always a boon.” His eyebrows lowered, drawing together in a concerned expression.

“I’m not surprised.”

“The druids didn’t have a high opinion of humans.”

“How come they were copulating with them, then?” Frayvar asked. “I assume that must have occurred for humans with Daygarii blood to exist. Unless some sort of experiments were done? Artificial insemination? Delivered by altered plants?”

Kaylina drew back—and crossed her legs. “I don’t want to imagine how that could happen.”

The usually unflappable Penderbrock also curled a lip in distaste. “I figured some humans might be more appealing than others and have drawn randy druids.”

“May I read your book?” Frayvar asked.

“Yes. What I wanted to tell you, Korbian, is that it might be possible to remove that brand. There was an alchemical formula in that chapter for an acid created with ingredients from a number of altered plants.”

“Acid?” Kaylina drew her hand protectively to her chest.

“It might be worth a scar to make sure you can’t be controlled.”

Kaylina started to shake her head, the thought of acid bathing her hand horrifying, but she remembered the plant’s vision about her killing Vlerion. And his belief that it might have the power to force her to carry out its will. It might be worth enduring the pain to make sure that couldn’t happen.

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