Cobalt Crown - Book One

6 The Travelers

     Sunsday. Quinlan sat at the bedside with fresh linen. The markets of Kinsweyr were always busy at dusk, which was strange for such a small town. Nevertheless, Quinlan knew that Iain needed help fast.

     "Kyrael, go fetch some herbs from Dorun at his store in the square. Iain's rash won't go away, so I want to try a poultice of wrem leaves. There's money in the drawer, take three sovereigns and get as many as he'll give you. And make sure he gets his payment this time." At the request, Kyrael came in from the kitchen followed by the inviting smell of freshly cooked soup.

     "We're out again? These rashes have been out of control, we can't keep any herbs in stock anymore! Any idea what's causing it?" she inquired as she took off an apron and donned a messenger bag. "We've seen rashes before, right? But not this widespread. Iain makes the fifteenth case in four days, I'm worried."

     "If I knew, Sweetie, we'd probably have far fewer sick people in town. Now go, Dorun will be closing soon, go on."

     Their home was made up of five rooms, with two being outside areas. Each of the three inside rooms sat in a straight line. The middle room was flanked by the two bedrooms, one for Quinlan, and one for Kyrael and Iain. Items and various leaves lay scattered on the floor amongst wood and wax, desks and chairs, drying racks, barrels, boxes, and various mixing tools. Behind the house was an outdoor garden, about as wide as the home itself, but fenced in somewhat, a feeble attempt to keep smaller animals at bay. Along the far side, near the front exit was situated a large wooden board with nails plunged into it in numerous patterns. Hung upon these nails, collecting dust, was a full set of iron blacksmith's tools: tongs, hammers, vises, shovels, bellows, aprons, gloves, a wide broom. Every piece had its place, and every place was occupied, for outside the house lay the open air smithy that her father ran, its forge icy and lifeless.

     Kyrael walked into the large central room, the shop, where drying racks and all sorts of medicinal tools were displayed. Quinlan was one of only two apothecaries in the town, and at the moment was mostly out of stock, as evidenced by the empty racks and well-used mortar and pestle that sat on the counter. On the far end of the shop was a pair of doors. One door was old and worn and hadn't been opened in years. The other door led to Quinlan's room.

     Kyrael entered and went to the nightstand that stood next to a bed of straw and fur. Kyrael opened the nightstand, took three silver sovereigns, and went back into the shop and out the front door towards the square. She heard her mother yell from the window:

     "And be careful! Keep a hand on your-"

     "On my pouch, I know!"

     Shouted Kyrael, with a half turn, careful to turn back around completely before rolling her eyes ever so slightly at the predictable warning that her mother threw at her every time she went to the market.

     Kyrael's head was filled with thoughts of her brother. She had never seen him this sick before. They were "Always together, like peas and carrots" as their father used to say. She remembered how they were always finding new ways to get into trouble, like chasing chickens in mister Fauls' pen, or climbing onto the rooftops to get a glimpse of the Crest. The town's walls were high, but on top of the central clock tower, which used to be part of an old wall before the town grew too big for such a small barrier, they could see just about everything that surrounded Kinsweyr. The forests to the south and east, the plains to the west, and the mountain ranges far in the north. But the memories reminded her of her father, Bernard, who was always the one to find her and her brother up on the tower, daydreaming about a life bigger than the children of the town's blacksmith and apothecary. She remembered his work ethic; blacksmiths rarely had time for fun. She remembered his rough hands and strong arms, and how he gave the biggest hugs. She held back tears when she remembered the fire that took him from her.