Sumi
Jay was quiet and snappish for the rest of the afternoon.
He wouldn’t discuss where he’d been or what had happened, and when I turned to question the boys, they disappeared like mist in a wind. So I let him alone and wondered if he was as glad to leave for his shift as I was to see him go.
Disagreements were rare between us, perhaps all the more jarring when they did happen, but he would work out whatever he was gnawing on and tell me eventually. Or not.
I hoped he’d tell me.
Despite the sun sinking toward the western sky, the heat barely let up. All the windows were open in the house to catch the breeze, but I couldn’t go back inside yet. Maldita’s breasts, I hadn’t realized how much I would miss the ice-cold of the dark temple in summer.
Thunderclouds rolled across the fields, reaching for us before they bumped against the mountains, but they made the air muggy instead of providing a cooling rain, bless them. My magic reached out, ready to push a little more moisture into those clouds, to make them burst and soothe my parched skin, but I yanked it back.
I was in control and a little heat wouldn’t kill me. Returning to the Temple of the Damned might.
With the boys avoiding me in the backyard and Jay and his sisters gone to work, I was alone in a way I hadn’t been for far too long. I couldn’t bear the stickiness of the house so I walked the streets of the Rest Third, in any direction except toward the bright temple.
Unabashedly curious, I peeked into windows as I passed. Most had their shutters open and curtains back, as we did. Most were simple and plain, as ours were. One neighbor had plants inside, filling one room. She was known to have the best, freshest herbs, especially during the winter. Another neighbor had as many weapons on his walls as did Jay— he belonged to the guards too. Another had drawn fanciful images on their walls; the bright colors drew my eyes.
Every bit of land in every yard was in use. Now that the plants were taller, I could name most of them. Tomatoes, peppers, carrots, peas. Lettuce, watermelon, all kinds of squash. Ever-present raspberry bramble divided the yards. The occasional flower or decorative tree more often than not was a memory.
I glanced back, imagined Jay behind me, hands casually in his pockets. He wasn’t, of course, but it was nice to imagine him there while still having time to myself. I’d been used to so much of it before he entered my life. For now, I set my face to the sinking sun, squinted against its brightness, and continued my meander.
Two corners later, I found a whole patch with no house. Apple and cherry trees, apricot and nectarine trees, with corn and wheat and a small patch of oats.
“We have a community garden,” Mom had confided one afternoon, not long before her death. Her eyes had shone when she talked about it— she’d missed being part of it. “We all add in what we can, when we can. Take when we need.”
I’d stared at her. “Your jarred cherries? You get cherries from there.”
She’d nodded. “A Blue neighbor gathers the cotton and spins it. A Purple neighbor dyes it. The rest is open to whomever needs.”
“You take care of each other.”
Even now, looking over the neat rows and paths, my throat closed. I bent to tug out a weed. Swallowed hard. The temples— bright and dark— had so much to learn from the Rest Third, if only they would listen.
A smatter of rain touched the dirt— the warning before a storm. I chose a path under one of the trees where I wouldn’t get as wet, then stood, looking out. The skies opened up with giant drops and the noise of them pattering down was loud in my ears. Two people dashed across the street and crowded in with me, a Purple and an Orange together in the Rest Third—
Gui and Tasha.
Tasha flipped dripping purple hair out of her face. “Fancy place to meet you.”
Make a run for it? Or stay and hear what they had to say? They’d obviously sought me out.
“Stay,” Gui said, blocking the path.
I turned to go the other way, but Tasha had circled around behind me without disturbing the growing crops.
“We just want a word,” she said, holding out her hands. “Please.”
If I pushed her out of the way, she’d damage the corn. If I went off the path, I’d harm it. Unless they were going to hurt me, I chose not to take food out of the mouths of our neighbors. “Not long,” I said. “I’m expected back.”
Gui raised his voice over the rain. “Jay lived here before. He worked for the Rest Third Guard before. Then he went to the dark temple and now he’s back where he belongs. But he brought you with him. You…” Gui’s smile turned sly. “You don’t exist.”
My hand found the hilt of my knife. Their magic didn’t work on me, and this close to them both, I could draw the knife fast, maybe plunge it into Gui’s throat faster.
Do what I needed to stay free.
“Wasn’t so hard to figure out you,” Gui said, as if he wasn’t a hair from dying. Tasha looked a little more wild-eyed, unsure what I would do.
She was the smart one.
I swallowed hard, turned back to Gui. Wished for the thousandth time I could use my magic, but it wasn’t worth the price. Maybe. “Wasn’t it?”
Gui grinned wider now, and rain dripped off his nose. “You was a servant he stole away. Prolly the night of that big fight with the demon hunters and the guards and the priestessi and everyone.”
Yes. I relaxed. A servant.
“We want you to teach us.” Tasha’s words tumbled out. “You know magic. You said we’re loud. Teach us to be quiet.”
My hand convulsed on the hilt and Tasha flinched. “Teach you?” My voice was raspy.
“Teach us to be quiet.”
Thank the goddessi they don’t know anything about the temples or they’d know I wasn’t a servant. Not with my magic. So ignore their request and have them keep blundering about, keep bringing the damned guards to our door, or teach them and risk them knowing too much, about magic—
About me.
I wished Jay was here, then I was glad he wasn’t. This was between me and them— the magic users— just as his teaching weapons was between him and the guards. But I’d learned from my time in the Rest Third— they’d pay me back in kind. Somehow.
“All right. I’ll teach you. But you must teach me things too.”
“Yes!” Gui punched the sky. Then he faltered. “Teach you? What would we have to teach you?”
“Think of something. But not here. Not now.”
“You sure about that?” Tasha’s magic brushed up against the tree’s leaves, dumping rain on me.
Loud.
I grit my teeth. Forced myself to relax. “Fine. Here and now. First lesson. You’re using too much power to do what you’re doing. You must use the least amount possible.”
“The least—” Tasha frowned, concentrated, pulled at the water in my hair.
I reached—
Restrained myself from slapping at her with my magic.
No magic.
No goddess to contend with.
Freedom.
A drop of sweat rolled down my back, indistinguishable from the rain. “Better. Less than that. Imagine you are threading a sewing needle instead of… oh, swatting a rat. And magic your own blessed hair.”
Gui’s orange eyebrows drew together, then smoothed. “That’s a head picture, innit? Our Tash, swattin’ a rat.”
My eyes flicked back to the street. Still empty, but the priestessi would have felt that. The blessed would come, and maybe the damned, even in this downpour. “Gui? Try it. Think small. Tiny. Barely enough power from you to push the water away from us.”
He frowned. Lifted one hand above our heads. Pushed.
Still too loud.
“Better.” I risked a glance up and caught a raindrop in my eye. Bless it. “But still too much. Time to go. Before the guards get here. You work on using the least amount of power you can to do things. Think precision.”
“Instead of swatting.” Gui chuckled. Tasha eeled around me like I wasn’t there and Gui tousled her now-dry hair. “Rats. Our Tash.”
“You’ve raindrops on your eyelashes,” she murmured, facing him, one hand half-raised as if she might touch his cheek. Her lips parted, but then she jerked back and stuck her hands in her pockets.
Gui had looked just as entranced. Now he flushed.
All right. So they were interested in each other, but something was keeping them apart. Not my problem. I turned and tried to sneak away— as much as one can when sloshing and squelching through mud.
When I reached the cobblestone street, I fled the guards and priestessi who might be coming right now—
What was I going to tell Jay about teaching those two magic?
Was I going to tell Jay anything at all?
I skidded to a stop in front of our house. Splashed my way up to the front door, then used a ladle-full of fresh rainwater to rinse my feet before going in. Dried my feet, then dashed around closing windows, then checked on Jay’s weapons… then stopped to think again.
He wouldn’t kill me, of course, for leaving the windows open during a storm. Not for letting his weapons get wet nor for teaching Tasha and Gui how to control their magic. Not even for keeping secrets from him. He adored me, which still surprised me. Watching his sisters and how they all interacted as a family—
A pang of guilt hit me. I might have healed his mother if I’d only dared, but I hadn’t dared. I didn’t know for sure I could have healed her, and I did know for sure the dark goddess would have come for me.
I missed Mom.
He was keeping secrets too. I’d seen that on his face, more than once. But I trusted him to know what he needed to tell me and what he didn’t.
And that was it. I trusted him. And I trusted him to trust me. So I would tell him I was teaching Tasha and Gui.
For now, I looked out on the thundering rain filling our water barrel and splashing down on the yellowbush and bathing the small but steadily growing brownwood and enjoyed the sound of rain and the cool it brought.
* * *
Jay
Jay had handed the boys off to Sumi, then went to guard practice where he took all his fears and frustrations out on his fellow guards. It felt good to fight until he was exhausted, let everything go.
After his shift, he left the guard training grounds stinking of honest sweat. Walked the streets in the deepest hours of the night, muscles moving easily now, but if he sat long, he’d stiffen up. It had rained while he’d been training, and everything was cleaner now.
Robin had the early shift, so she’d left work when he’d arrived. Dee had watched him with knowing eyes— she’d want to know what was eating him. Maggie was supposed to be working, but he hadn’t seen her. Started early? His youngest sister was convinced she was all grown up and didn’t need to tell anyone where she went or with whom, so he shouldn’t ask, thank you.
Jay wanted to go home to Sumi, but he also didn’t want to answer her questions, see the doubt in her eyes, or worse, have her look at him with disappointment. He should have kept a better eye on the boys. Headed off that whole incident with the riverboat captain.
Especially when Dee would be waiting to have her go at him once Sumi was done.
His eyes moved, watching the shadows and one hand swinging near his sword hilt, but he wasn’t expecting any trouble. It was late enough most of the Rest Third had bedded down for the night, though if he’d been in the Damned Third, they’d have been up until dawn.
A skinny Yellow boy darted out of the shadows, bold as brass. As if he were invisible, he ran up to Jay, reached out for the money purse hanging off Jay’s belt, grabbed.
As if he were invisible— or using magic.
Jay latched on to the boy’s wrist, jerked him to a stop. He pulled the boy into the light, realized he was a she, with delicate hands and a stubborn chin. She twisted her wrist frantically, her eyes wide and desperate.
He should drag her to a cell, charge her with theft, but from the hollows in her cheeks and the dingy gray rags she wore, she was living rough.
They’d send her to a temple.
“Hey, stop. I’m not going to hurt you.”
“I didn’t— I didn’t do anything!”
He laughed. “No, but only because I caught you.”
She continued to saw her arm back and forth until he thought she’d hurt herself. “Stop,” he said a little more forcefully.
This time she did, but she panted, watching him like he was a snake about to bite.
“What’s your name?”
The girl ignored him, bit her lip.
“You can either come with me to find a guard or come home with me.”
The girl yelped. “I ain’t gonna do none of that—”
He flushed, stepped back so she had all the space she could while he still held one wrist. “I don’t want you for sex and no one else in the house will either.”
Her lip curled. She didn’t believe him.
What would she believe? Obviously not that he wanted to help her, get her somewhere safe. “I want you where I can watch you,” he said slowly. “While I figure out what to do with you. Decide to give you to the guard or to a temple or… not.”
She cocked her head, her yellow eyes cynical in the torchlight. “Or… not?”
“Maybe just let you go.” After he’d fed her, at least. Figured out why she was out stealing in the middle of the night instead of sleeping at home with her own family.
“Let me go now!”
“No. My house or the guardhouse.”
She bared her teeth at him, but then her shoulders slumped. “Yours,” she said sullenly.
The breeze changed directions and her stench overwhelmed him. “First a bath,” he said under his breath.
She heard him. Looked panicked again.
With a sigh, he towed her up the street as gently as he could manage, over a street, and up again to the nearest public bath house. He didn’t have the coin to pay for private rooms with tubs and hot water, but the owner would drop prices a little because of the recent rain, and that would be enough to get them both a shower.
The torch was burning, so he knocked, still surprised when the door opened immediately. The wide Brown woman planted herself wordlessly in the doorway until he showed his coin, then she moved aside with a gap-tooth grin.
“Single?” she asked with a leer.
Jay scowled. It was that kind of establishment then, at least this late at night. He corrected her, “Two waterspouts and the loan of soap.”
The Brown woman shrugged. Named the price and accepted his payment. “Watch yer step,” she said, nodding at the wet floor.
He followed her, tugging his reluctant prisoner over the rough tiles. Noted her wince when she stubbed a toe. Felt a pang of guilt, but couldn’t do anything more about it than he was doing.
The Brown woman guided them to the first room on the right. “Five minutes,” she said with a cackle, then shut the door behind them.
The room was tiny and plain, brownwood walls and ceiling with pipes and two waterspouts showing. Hooks near the door for belts and boots. The floor sloped gently toward the door so the water would drain out to the tiles. There was no other door, so Jay pushed his prisoner into the room, shucking his belt as he went. He crouched to rip off his boots and socks, then took the spout nearest the door. “Hurry,” he said.
“What—?”
He gestured up at the spouts. Grabbed the chain and pulled. The usually tepid water was resting cool, thanks to the rain. “You’ve never bathed under waterspouts before?”
“No. How does it work?”
Jay let the water run over his shirt and chest. Snatched up the soap and started with his hair. “We only have five minutes,” he said, turning his back to the girl. “We’re near the river. They pipe in the water from there. Catch rain in barrels on the roof when they can. Filter and clean it. Run piping into the rooms to bring the water to the spouts.”
He peeked. Water ran over the girl’s clothes and she soaped her short hair grimly.
“The temples have pumps and magic so their water is hot or cold. However they want it.”
“Truly?”
He soaped his neck, shirt, skin. Thought about his pants but decided he wouldn’t have time. Rinsed while he still could.
“Rinse,” he told the girl, though he could feel the heat of her glare. Rinsed the last of him and enjoyed the clean water on his head for ten breaths. “Time is almost—”
The water shut off.
“Up.” He scowled. The woman had shorted them, but not by much. He stood, dripping. The latch turned and the door cracked, but the Brown woman was courteous— or cautious— enough to let them be.
Jay ran his hands through his hair, squishing the water out. Stripped off his shirt and wrung it out, then put it back on. He side-eyed the girl who stood dripping, her chin up as if daring him to comment.
“Hungry?” he asked. Needed a way to bring her home without imprisoning her again. “I know a place that sells meat pockets.”
“This late?”
“This late they mostly sell to guards. That won’t be a problem… so long as you stick with me.”
Unlike Sumi, every thought the girl had crossed her face. Avarice, dismay, resolution—
“All right,” she said.
He hid a grin, picked up his boots in one hand and his belt in the other, nodded for her to precede him through the door.
She scowled, but set her hand on the door knob, closed her eyes, cocked her head as if listening. Listening with magic? She opened the door and sailed through it like a high priestess.
He chuckled and followed after her.
They dried as they walked and ate, and he noted her eyes wary on the other two guards who ate with them. She didn’t talk to him, but she stayed. Propped herself up in a corner when she had finished and he hadn’t. He exchanged pleasantries with the guards— Mal and Litka. Mal had listened to him and made friends with Litka, so they were fine. The Yellow girl was asleep on her feet.
He took a moment to put on his boots without lacing them and cinched on his belt, then lifted the girl in his arms. She murmured a protest, but settled and went back to sleep.
He took her home, fumbled at the front door, and brought her into his house. Toed off his boots and stopped to think what he’d done.
Taken a thief, cleaned her fed her, brought her to his home—
Sumi emerged from their bedroom, her feet bare and her red hair wild around her face. It was sleep-mussed, the way he liked it best, and he ached to touch her.
But first he had to deal with the girl.
He shifted her, tried to think of where to put her. Robin’s bed for the night? Dee’s? Resting betweens, they both had weapons in their rooms—
“What is that?” Sumi rubbed her eyes, a furrow growing between her brows.
He swallowed, reconsidering. “She’s just a kid.”
“A kid.” Shadows hid her expression, but her tone was flat.
He didn’t want to admit this could have been a mistake. “She’s been living on the streets. I, ah… came across her this evening. Bought us both five minutes under a waterspout and soap.” He turned. Took a step. “I think Dee’s bed.”
Sumi’s horror stopped him. “Five minutes is not long enough to put her in Dee’s bed.”
“We washed our clothes too.”
“I can see that.” Her gaze lingered on his wrinkled shirt, twisted belt. “Still not.” She shuddered and tugged her thin nightshirt down as if it would protect her. “The house is too small.” We can’t keep her.
He heard the words she didn’t say as clearly as the ones she did. “So we build another room. There’s space.”
“For a closet,” she scoffed.
“For a small room.” He rolled his shoulders, shifted the girl. Why was she being like this? She had fought the dark goddess to protect her people but wouldn’t allow another child in his family’s house? “If we build up to the edge of our land.”
“It would kill the brambles.”
“They’ll grow back. Or we go up.”
“Up. A second story?” Sumi rolled her eyes. “Look at her. She’s feral. Worse than our boys.”
He frowned. Admitted she was right, but only in his head. Strengthened his resolve. “I don’t have it in me,” he said.
“In you?”
“To let her keep living out there. On the streets. In her own filth. The things she thought I was going to do to her—”
Sumi flinched.
“And… I think she’s a magic user. She was too brazen. Expected something to happen that didn’t.”
Now Sumi was the one frowning. She knelt. Stirred the coals in the hearth. Rose. Her eyes unfocused and she looked at the Yellow girl. Touched her arm. Muttered, “Blessed heavens.”
“She has magic, doesn’t she?”
“How did I become the teacher of half the Rest Third?” Sumi glared at the girl. She wasn’t just talking about the boys, so there was a story there, but it would have to wait.
He needed to believe he could save this girl. He had failed the boys— again— and his sisters didn’t want to be protected. “Please, beloved.”
Her eyes squinched up like he had said something horribly embarrassing, but the quirk at the side of her mouth meant she liked being called beloved, even if she would never admit it.
“Fine.” She pushed her red hair out of her face, flipped her hand. “Put her on the couch. We can start building a room in the morning.”
“The couch?” His eyes cut to the door. “She’ll bolt.”
“She’ll stay.” Sumi rolled her eyes. Stood. “The girl’s awake. She knows a soft touch when she finds one.”
“Awake?” He looked down at the Yellow, saw her face relaxed, her breathing even.
Sumi snorted. Retreated to their bedroom.
She was right, he was sure she was right, but— He laid the girl down on the couch, covered her with a blanket. The same blanket he’d covered his mom with, time and time again. He swallowed hard. Mom would appreciate her blanket being put to good use.
He smiled, in the dark, looking down at this girl who had magic yet lived on the streets, now sleeping— or feigning sleep— on their couch.
Another puzzle. And he enjoyed puzzles.
And enjoyed helping.