Before the Sky Fell

[ 23 ] Transference

-23-

Transference

The next day Charlotte awoke with a throbbing headache. She brushed her russet strands from her lips and sat up in bed. Whik was nowhere to be seen.

The ceiling of her quarters, like most of the rooms in Eckrondale, featured abnormally high ceilings. She slept on a thick, wool blanket that made her sweat throughout the night.

She ran her comb through her hair. The talons of the bone tool rustled between her strands. The one thing he gave me worth keeping. Take the ring, but leave the comb. The utility of the object or the rareness of the bone wasn't what had attracted her. It was the carvings inlaid upon the base. The eastern white wolf. A symbol of rarity and fiery determination. The same things he said I had.

Charlotte stared at the engraved eyes. The wolf stared back. She stood and walked out the door. The morning sun forced her to wipe her eyes and defend them against an onslaught of light. The city had awoken without her. It was not unusual for Whik to wake up before her and wander off on some made-up quest, but they'd never visited Eckrondale before. She rarely woke without worrying about him.

She immediately headed for Millstone's temple, who was sitting at his desk, scribbling words in his journal.

"Frankford?" Charlotte started. It was more of an announcement of her presence than a question seeking an answer.

"Ah, Charlotte. What foul accusations do you have for me today?" Frankford gave her a fleeting glance before returning to his writing.

"I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I know you were trying to help."

"The boy may be beyond help."

"Why would you say that?"

Frankford set his feather down, grimacing as the ink tip dirtied his parchment. "His visions have gotten worse. This phantom, as you call it, seems to be interacting with him more and more. Can't you feel the shift in the wind, Charlotte? Can't you feel the darkness approaching?"

I shouldn't have wasted my breath. She rolled her eyes. "So you resort to experiments that make him relive these visions?"

Millstone breathed in deeply as if he was saving up the air in his lungs for a long, exasperated rant. Geoffrey walked into the temple. "Morning you two. Blackberries, anyone?" Geoffrey held out a wooden bowl filled to the brim with luscious berries. Black juice oozed over the rim.

"No," Frankford told him. "I've eaten."

"Probably nothing but blackberries, you spend so much time with the vines. Why'd you grow them there? So far outside the city?"

"So people wouldn't find them," Frankford grumbled.

Marg stiffened. "That reminds me. Look who I found sneaking around the armory, playing with swords much too big for him."

Whik walked into the temple and hid behind Geoffrey Marg. Ash was smeared across his face. "Look at your face," Charlotte said. "Where have you been?"

"Just around the city, exploring with the other Whik."

"You know what I said about..." Charlotte's words caught in her throat. "The other Whik?"

Millstone finally looked up from his writings, offering more than a cursory glance at the boy. "Is your friend here?" Whik looked to the floor. Millstone cleared his voice and stood from his seat. "The other Whik is here, with you, in this city?"

Whik nodded. "Yes."

Millstone moved his finger through the air, signaling for Whik to come closer. He put his hand on the boy's back. "Whik, I thought you only see this friend in Tannuchi? Isn't that what you told me?"