Healers' Call

Two Barley Teas and a Tankard of Mead

Valda kept her head down, the same as Tevin, but nobody paid any attention to them. A few people called out to say hello to Etna, but it was like Valda and Tevin were invisible spectres at her side.

After all the snide comments she'd had to listen to, Valda found the invisibility refreshing. She only wished she could walk like this through the main hall's corridors.

"Through here." Etna darted down a narrow alleyway between two rickety wooden buildings.

Tevin and Valda followed, skating around empty barrels and crates packed higher than their heads in the confined space.

Etna rapped her knuckles against a door before standing back to wait. She anxiously looked up and down the alley, only relaxing when she saw it was empty.

The door swung open, revealing a plump woman with red hair curled in a plait around her head. Her expression was stern until she saw Etna standing there.

Before Valda and Tevin could move the woman's hands grabbed Etna and pulled her against her bosom, crushing the little girl in a hug.

"I've been so worried. I thought something had happened to you. Where have you been?" The woman's relief quickly turned to scrutiny, now she saw Etna was unharmed.

"Well, umm..." Etna fumbled unintelligently, glancing back at Valda and Tevin.

Her glance brought the woman's attention on them and they both took a step back at the fierce look on the her face.

"Who are you? What are you doing with my daughter?" She questioned angrily, though there was a flash of fear in her eyes.

"Please, we don't mean you or your daughter any harm." Tevin was quick to reassure her, but the woman only huffed.

"Then what are you doing here then?" She retorted hotly.

Before Tevin could reply, Etna spoke up, pulling at her mother's sleeve to get her attention. "Mam, leave them alone. They helped me get here. And look." Etna opened the bag on her shoulder, showing the food she'd smuggled out. "Lady Dylynn would have had me this time, but they hid me."

The woman's mouth hung open, staring between the three of them. She looked frozen, rooted to the spot at the thought of what could have happened to her daughter if Tevin and Valda hadn't stepped in.

"Go inside, Etna."

It looked like Etna wanted to argue, but the stern set of her mother's mouth had her scrambling through the doorway. She turned to look at Tevin and Valda pleadingly before her mother shut the door, blocking their view of her.

"Nobody does what you did. Nobody would even dare risk it. So what is it you want? Because we ain't got nothing here." The woman tried to make her voice strong, but it was obvious it was all a show. She was downright terrified of the two cloaked figures in front of her.

"We don't want anything. All we wanted was to get Etna here safely and see what's really happening."

The woman's shoulders relaxed somewhat after hearing another female voice. Up until that point, she had assumed they were both men.

"Well, I thank you for looking out for my daughter, but as for what is happening, I really don't see why that's any of your business." She peered hard at them, trying to see past the shadows that covered their face but it was in vain. She could make out nothing of their features.

Valda turned to look at Tevin. They'd accomplished one part of their plan, but they still hadn't found out what the food was for. Deciding to risk it, Valda went to lower her hood.