Risens followed Tawny as she moved along the narrow hallway. A few meters in, the area opened to a surprisingly spacious round opening. Nearly ten meters in diameter, the ceiling was lofty, almost a body length above his head. The entire space was illuminated by a pale green glow emanating from the plants growing in four orderly rows cut into the floor. Several tables covered in wide vials were set against the wall.

  “Sanitatem,” she whispered. “You likely know the sting better than most. It’s an all but forgotten-about plant. Forbidden for centuries. It will only grow underground in complete darkness. Once it’s rooted, the natural glow aids in its growth. A fascinating plant.”

  She carefully placed the bag of his gear on the ground before leaning down to gently inspect a leaf of the closest plant.

  “It seems that some geniuses of a bygone era felt that the pain wasn’t worth the results, so it fell out of favor.” She cursed. “Those who do still use it don’t bother to apply enough of it to make a difference. Sure, it hurts—a lot—but it acceleratesthe healing and will stave off most infections. Surprisingly, it also works to polish rust from metal.”

  His curiosity was piqued. He could adamantly vouch for her skills and her approach, but it was her knowledge that continued to impress him.

  “Where did you learn this?” he asked.

  Her face darkened. “I’m capable beyond my appearance, you know,” she growled. “It’s not the lingering lure of the Brand of my past life that led me to succeed.”

  He was taken aback by the caustic vehemence of her response. His question had been one of genuine curiosity. In the light of current events, he had enough malice to go around, though he had added none to his words.

  “I ask out of curiosity, nothing more. Your salve has bound my wounds on far more occasions than I care to recall. I, for one, am disturbingly thankful for your studies.”

  The spark that had ignited into an inferno, setting her emotion ablaze, flickered and died as quickly as it had come. She seemed to wither a bit as the anger faded.

  “I’m sorry. Mine was a past that caught up with me.” Her voice was a whisper now. “When it was uncovered, I had to fight just to stay in the academy. I focused on my studies as I had nothing else. My options were… limited when I graduated. It was a history that continued to haunt me. Some sought to aid me only as an avenue to my past. Ironic that it was one of these who led me to discover and read the tomes tucked away in the dustiest section of the library. They are fools for the information they neglected due to false assumptions or appearance, forbidden or not.”

  Risens reached out a hand, gently helping Tawny back to her feet. It was a secret that she hadn’t needed to let him in on. Her trust in the assassin she knew nothing of, save for the wounds she’d mended, infections treated, and bones she’d set,was bizarre.

  “We both have secrets better kept to ourselves,” he said. “No learning is without value. If it’s any consolation, any judgment on past decisions from someone like me would be insincere. Those with the loftiest opinions seem to always have the most to hide.”

  Tawny placed her hand flat on the center of his chest. It moved slightly as it tracked the raised lines of the Brands.

  She pulled away, and Risens couldn’t help but be disappointed.

  “You can store your bags here,” she said, picking one up herself. Several shelves and a table bordered one of the plant rows. He followed suit as she deposited it on an empty shelf.

  His gaze stopped as it reached the work surface of the table. Dozens of small glass vials peeked out from the open top of a small crate against the wall. For a moment, a look of fear flashed in her eyes, though she merely sighed as it passed.

  “I am well compensated by the Kingdom for my work,” she said, “though I have no illusions that it will remain permanent. I occasionally bottle the raw essence for mageVials. As I do not have the means to produce the same dramatic, destructive effects, most magi lack the skills to work with the plants.”

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  She grabbed one of the bottles, holding it up, gently swirling the viscous liquid inside. The familiar green top seemed to glow in the low light of the underground chamber. His eyes hardened as his vision tracked from the vial to her.

  “I was surprised to see my work, well, at least part of it, returned to me,” she continued. “I have no doubt that the mageVial you left with me was started here.”

  The information struck him like a dagger to the gut. He felt the sharp pain of a twist. It radiated a hollow chill through his core while his anger burned.

  “Who do you make them for?” he growled. “It was but one of three used in an effort to kill me.”

  “I swear to you, I never know the buyer.” She carefully placed the vial down, holding out her hands in a placating manner. “There is a board at the Commoner’s Bazaar. Jobs of all types are tacked up there. There is a drop-off point and payment, and neither has been the same from one time to another. Most healers moonlight in whatever ways we can to supplement our income. I had no hands in any that would be lethal. Sedative and disorienting, yes, but never deadly.

  Risens relaxed a touch at her denial and subsequent explanation. The response sparked several threads of curiosity that demanded attention.

  “I have no reason not to trust you,” he grumbled, though he softened the deadly edge that had hardened his voice. “I would strongly advise you to avoid producing anything beyond what you currently have. Your toxins have now been used against me twice in the last week. Cimmerian Calcify is not a widely used poison; the Kingdom is aware of its use in one of the two attacks. Windwake has grown increasingly more dangerous for you and even for one such as me.”

  Especially for one such as me.

  Rightmaker. The title he’d worn proudly for years was now turning into the curse that haunted him daily.

  Her face bleached of its natural glow as the information took root. “The King’s men that I healed. Those weren’t thosewho attacked you? How did you…?”

  “No. If those were the King’s blades, none would have made it back to either of your tables. I’ve been well-trained in the skills that have kept me alive throughout the years. You’ve been trained to heal, and I to kill.”

  Shimmering reflections of the iridescent plants glowed in the moisture that crept across her eyes.

  “You have no fault to bear in this,” he continued, working to settle his own discomfort as much as to ease hers. “It was not you who cast the poisons or the explosives in my direction. I’m in need of information, and I fear my usual sources are no longer to be trusted. The other healer, the one whose loose lips started you on your current quest. Do you know where I can find him?”

  She squinted as she cocked her head to the side. The apprehension was visible in the tension that overtook her features.“He isn’t to face your blades, is he?”

  “Not at the moment.”

  She placed her hands on her hips, staring at him with an impressive measure of defiance. He needed no words to understand the question that was on her mind.

  “It seems that everywhere I go, someone has been waiting for me,” he answered, providing only as much information as needed to appease her concerns. He could bully her into revealing what he desired, yet there was no long-term benefit to that. “He has betrayed information before. I need to know if he has done it again. It puts both of us at risk.”

  He faced down her piercing stare for a few extended moments before it faltered.

  “Yes, I can draw you a map,” she whispered with a resigned sigh. Turning her back to him, she fished through one of the drawers on the shelves. She pulled out a pencil and a small sheet of parchment, talking as she quickly sketched on the paper. “He was always a man of habit and woefully low endurance. He haunted the Pearl Grove Tavern in the Central Ward. His clinic is only a few blocks away. Unless he’s changed, which I doubt, he has certain…tastes that can only be filled there.”

  She folded the note before handing it to him.

  “He’s not a bad man, you know,” she whispered.

  Sadness shaped her eyes.

  “If he divulges too much, he puts the Kingdom at risk,” Risens said, taking the paper. “He puts you at risk. He puts me at risk. I have things to attend to first, and as always, I will take your advice into consideration. Who knows, he may have reformed and no longer runs his mouth when he should keep it closed.”

  By her frown, he expected that it was doubtful, though the extent of this man’s treason would still need to be seen.

  “Thank you,” she replied. “I ask more than I should, and I appreciate that you at least listen. I know you do not have to.”

  “The position we’ve inadvertently placed ourselves in is untenable. I work to prevent it, yet there are far more factors beyond my control. The time will come when decisions will need to be made.”

  She nodded. “Go safely.”

  As Risens turned to leave, another thought struck him. It would seem out of place, but he couldn’t leave here without at least asking. “Does the name Corvus mean anything to you?”

  Tawny stepped back, wiping her hand discreetly across her eyes before running them through the curling locks of her fiery hair. Her eyes darted across the room as she searched the vault of her mind.

  “There was an instructor at the academy,” she said, “though I only had him for a few classes before his abrupt departure. A terrifying man—a magus brought in to assist with the process of mending broken bones. They referred to him as Corvus, though never to his face.”

  “Interesting.” The information fit with what he had anticipated. If this were the same man, a magus who’d worked within the white stones of the Healers’ Gate, he would likely know the potions and their effects well. The academy likely maintained records of its staff; surely, he could pursue the information there.