Page 88 of The Last One
“I worry that Elyn is hunting me, even now,” I say. “The burnu in the wood—do you think maybe she sent them?”
“She very well might have.” Veril’s tone is strangely light.
“And you aren’t worried—?”
“I’m a Renrian, dearest.” He spreads his arms out and smiles. “My cottage is protected and enchanted. No one will find you here unless I let them. And I won’t let them.”
“Even against someone who commands otherworldly?”
He points to his staff, Warruin. “She is fully capable of hiding you from roaming mercenaries, dearest—even one who knows a spell or two. You’ll have enough time to recover before you confront her, but we’re not at that point yet, are we? Until you are, I will shift the elements around my cottage to make it difficult to detect.”
I sag with relief, and the turmoil in my stomach eases. “You can do that?”
“I performed grander tricks in my younger days.” Before he sits on the stool beside me, he stretches, and his bonesclick-click-click.“Years ago, I performed one of my best illusions for King Exley: walking through the wall that surrounds the castle. That afternoon, he and his courtiers arrived, and musicians played, and it was all so very dramatic.”
“Let me guess,” I say. “You used shadow and light.”
He lifts his chin. “Well, dearest. Ididwalk through the wall. You see, Kai.Thatpart of the wall had crumbled away due to age and earthshake. The king’s head mason, a dear friend of mine, had asked weeks before that I enchant that part of the wall while he recovered from a sprained back. After I hid the gap, only he knew that part of the wall had crumbled away.
“So, for the performance, I simply chose the spot where there was no wall. I tricked the king and never told my mason friend how I did it—I would’ve opened myself to extortion, maybe even death, because people, even dear friends, can turn on you. And that is why you should—”
“Never tell someone your entire plan,” I say. “They may use it against you.”
“And that, Just Kai, is the point.” He bows his head.
“Thank you.” I smile gratefully at him. “Since you know all the things, as you say, there’s something I’m in need of.” I chew on my bottom lip, preparing for disappointment. “Do you have a spell to help me remember more about myself?”
“Of course I do. And I also have something to help you forget—but that’s just a bottle of wine as old as my father.”
I laugh. “Let me remember a little more first before we open that.”
Veril stands. “I must warn you, Just Kai, I have a memory elixir, but no one has ever tried it. It may work. It may not. If it doesn’t, then we’ll have to prepare another, which means foraging for the materials needed to brew it. But before I administer the existing elixir, you must eat. Never drink magic on an empty stomach.”
25
Veril stirs a large pot hanging over the hot coals of his hearth, and the smell of meat, vegetables, and spices fills the room. “I apologize. I haven’t prepared typical breakfast foods. I do have eggs and potatoes, a small slab of bacon, crabapples, but that may take a moment—”
“No, this is fine,” I say, my mouth watering. “I don’t stand on ceremony when it comes to food, especially if someone’s prepared a meal as wonderful as this.”This.Generous chunks of beef, radishes, potatoes, and carrots in a sauce flecked with herbs. Fresh-baked bread with split tops. “And is that butter?” I ask, agog, pointing to the miniature cast-iron pot.
Veril tosses me a self-satisfied smile. “It certainly is. Smells heavenly. Wouldn’t you agree?” Veril fills a bowl, then plucks a slice of thick bread from the table and hands both to me.
I eagerly accept the bowl, inhaling deeply to savor the rich steam rising from the stew’s surface. “Why are you here, in the middle of nowhere?”
He hands me a spoon. “City life is loud and dirty. How can anyone abide it?Ugh. I must find my herbs in the forest, so here I stay.”
The stew has body—the peas aren’t completely mashed. “I taste onions, and I taste sugar, and I taste oil.” My taste buds tingle because I also taste pepper and saffron. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed pepper! Andsaffron?”
“How do you know it’s saffron?” he asks.
“My village must have used it.”
“Hmm.” He taps his finger against his chin. “If you know that spice, then yes, they did. Most Vallendorians have never tasted saffron. It isveryexpensive—worth more than gold. Peria, in particular, on the southern side of Devour, the deadliest sea in Vallendor, grows the most saffron in Vallendor. Fields of saffron crocus as far as the eye can see, beautiful purple flowers with those beautiful crimson threads. If you can identify saffron, dearest, then I’d say that Peria is your home.”
Peria. “Hmm. I don’t remember it.”
“Mages settled there after being expelled from the Holy Kingdom of Dorwinthe,” Veril says. “They took their totems of Kaivara and seeds of saffron crocus with them and settled in Peria, thriving there for ages. Each mage dedicated the totality of their powers to create a barrier of protection. But that barrier is losing its fortitude—there are some younger mages who have deserted Peria for adventure or to serve Wake. Cracks in the barrier mean the barrier will not hold, which means…”
He sighs. “Well, we know what it means. Let us all hope, though, Peria pulls back from its destruction. Some of the best magic has come from that part of the realm—and definitely the best saffron.”
