Chapter 17

Seventeen

The ale was deceptive.

Oh my god, was the ale deceptive.

Look, if anyone offered you Dwarven ale, the correct response was “half a pint,”and do not, for the love of everything holy and unholy, drink more than that. I had never been so drunk before that I had to hold on to the floor in fear of falling off. I had been almost blackout drunk for the first time in my life, if that told you anything.

What snippets I did remember were painful. Mostly of Theon carting my drunk ass back to my room. I owed that man so many favors. He’d even been sweet enough to make sure I got a hangover cure this morning. I’d marry him for that alone.

Anyway, I eventually crawled out of the land of the hungover, gathered up whatever brain cells hadn’t been destroyed yesterday, and set back to work. Anyone in my position would say the same thing: when you’re in a brand-new place, you secure three things as fast as you can. Namely a job, housing, and financial security. Now, I had the job. Thanks to Theon, I had the housing.

Next step, financial security.

Which meant I really had to start hardcore networking.

I gathered up Luk, since I was leaving the castle, and away we went into the town. Something of a minimarket happened once a week. I hadn’t managed to talk to Izzy yesterday, but I made my offer today, and she instantly accepted. I officially had an assistant. I wanted to make sure she didn’t fall back on prostitution being a good way to eat, and keeping her employed was my best bet. Like hell would I let a little girl get sucked into that life on my watch.

I walked next to her, smiling as she chattered away, the most excited I’d ever seen her.

“—and Papa said the fields are all healthy and we’ll get a full harvest, and everyone’s demanding a cake at the harvest festival to celebrate with, and I know that’s months away, but I’m really looking forward to it—do they have cake where you’re from, Master Jake?”

“All kinds,” I answered in amusement. “From what I can tell, all cultures have some kind of alcohol, some kind of pastry, and swords of some type. We’re all brewing, baking, and slaying.”

She giggled, blue eyes lighting up. “Then you should have cake with us!”

“I’d be delighted.”

“Good. Are you going to fix all the fields?”

“I am. I’m in the process, you can say. I’m not really used to singing, so after about an hour my voice gets tired.” I’d no doubt gain stamina as I practiced, but at the moment, an hour in the morning and in the afternoon was about the best I could do.

“Some balloon tea will be good for that.” Luk got a reminiscent expression. “My dad was a town crier, see. He always drank some of that tea to warm up his voice before he made any announcements.”

“Huh. Balloon tea, eh? We’ll look for some.”

We reached the market at that point. It was livelier than the last time I’d shopped, people actively bartering and buying essentials. I saw a few wagons and such with different emblems painted on the side—trading house emblems, from the look of it. Perfect. I needed to speak to these people. All of them.

Research mode: activated.

Izzy confidently led me straight up to one woman with a cane, who was directing a group of men unloading the wagon. She looked seasoned, at a guess midfifties, with a thick braid of silvering hair hanging over one shoulder and sharp features. I had a good vibe from her, although I couldn’t put a finger on why.

“Be careful with that one,” she cautioned one of her workers. “It’s full of glass bottles.”

“Got it, Boss.”

“Boss Melva!” Izzy greeted her with a wide smile.

Melva turned her head and greeted Izzy with a smile of her own. “Hello, child. I’ve no tasks for you today, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I’m working for Master Jake today.”

Did these two have something of a working relationship as well? Then again, Izzy no doubt searched for work no matter where she could find it.

I offered Melva a handshake. “Hello. I’m Jake Alexander.”

She returned the greeting, eyes taking me in curiously. “I’m Melva, Boss of the Northern Traders. You hired on Izzy?”

“She’s my guide,” I said easily, “as I’m very new to the area. She shows me around and introduces me to people. It’s been very handy.”

“I bet.” Melva gave me a look like she knew what I was really doing and approved of me for it. “What can I do for you, Jake?”

“I need information. Do you have a minute to chat?”

“I do. I’m just watching them off-load right now, but they know what they’re doing. I need to sit, though.”

With that bad leg, I bet she did. “Certainly.”

The stall next door was empty at the moment—it was rather early in the morning—so we snagged the chairs and settled there. I whipped out a notebook and pencil, poised to take notes.

“First, thanks for taking a minute. I want to know what kind of products you’re in need of, and what we can grow here that would be good cash crops.”

Melva eyed me like she was doing high-speed calculations in her head. She likely was. “Are you the reason the fields looked healthy while we came in?”

Talk about a woman quick on the uptake. “That’s me. I have divine power.”

She slapped her leg, a delighted grin taking over her face that made her look sixteen again. “Ha! You? Not a holy maiden?”

“There’s a very long, complicated story behind all of this, but the short version is—a Fae artifact gave me the ability.”

Melva cackled. Actually cackled, much like Ursula in The Little Mermaid. “Oh, this will turn the tides, it will. I can’t wait, either. Pretty man, are you set to help this place?”

“I am.” I meant it. I gave Izzy, who stood next to us, a quick wink. “They were kind to me when I had no one to help me. I’ll return the favor as I can. I started on the fields, but we both know that’s a short-term solution. The economy here is in the dumps. We need actual commerce coming in and out of this place.”

“That you do.” Melva scrutinized my expression for a long moment. “Jake. Before that divine power came to you, what were you?”

“Businessman.”

“Hoooo.” An evil light entered her eyes. “So you have the know-how. Lord Theon does his best up here, but he’s not a businessman. I still trade with the duchy because I have pity for their plight. Those damn aristocrats in the capital have done their best to thwart him, keep the people here under their thumb, and it’s about time the tide turned.”

Theon had briefly mentioned this but not given me much in the way of information. “Why? Why the hatred?”

“Oh, ’cause he’s not one of them. Not by birth.” Melva rolled her eyes expressively. “Those idiots are all about money and bloodlines. He has neither, so he’s not one of them. That’s how they see it. Hogwash, that’s all it is. Like they don’t bleed red as well. They brought a Fae in to govern this place, they needed his magic, but they didn’t like giving him any power.”

Ah, the elitists. I knew the attitude all too well. It was how my parents viewed the world. Considering the trouble their attitude had landed me in, I’d never be one of them.

Melva pointed to my notebook. “Quick and dirty list of what sells best in the market is: lettuce, wheat, cabbage, brussels sprouts, peas, and fava beans.”

I jotted those down, mind churning. Those were a lot of good cash crops. Grandpa Hawes had listed all of those, too, so it was viable for us to grow them.

Izzy piped up next to me, “Mama can grow mustard greens in her garden, too. That and beets.”

I added them to the list. “Those are all great. Izzy, when do you plant those?”

“Fall,” she answered promptly. “Because they grow better in lower temperatures and with a little frost on the ground.”

News to me, but I wasn’t a farmer. I just wrote the timeline down. “Got it. Melva, what other products can we offer you?”

The calculations were back in her brown eyes, no doubt her internal calculator going off like mad.

“Potions.” Melva pointed a finger right at me. “You, with divine power, can create healing potions and purifying tonics.”

I…could?

Ara had failed to mention this.

I tried to wrap my head around the idea that I could create magic potions. Kind of failed. Well, maybe I should think of it as like a healing ointment or something. “I’ll learn how to do that next.”

“New to this all, then?”

“Yeah. I’m still learning.”

Melva gestured toward the fields, expression dry as she deadpanned, “You can clear miasma off whole acres of land, but you think you’re still a novice?”

If only she had seen me in action, she wouldn’t be arguing. “Trust me, I’ve barely gotten my feet wet.”

Melva leaned in a little, one hand on her cane to balance her. “You see this damn leg of mine? I got hit with miasma as a little girl, and the stuff withered it right up.”

Oh! I’d thought it was a result of old age or something. Knees tended to give out on people sooner rather than later.

“Jake, you heal this leg, and I’ll give you four crates of bottles to put potions into, a trade agreement, and seed money to start a business with.”

I was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, but… “Throw in two complete outfits that will fit me, and I’ll heal that leg if it’s the last thing I do.”

Melva grinned. “Done and done. I’ve got some clothes in the wagon, we’ll see if anything fits. DAREL!”

I jumped as she abruptly yelled.

A broad-shouldered Orc-like fellow with hulking tusks lumbered in closer. “Yeah, Boss?”

“Fetch me some paper and a pen. I’ve got business with this man.”

Oh, so she wanted an actual contract? Bless her.

While she did that, I turned to Izzy. “Go fetch Ara for me, please. I want her on hand in case I do something stupid.”

Izzy nodded, turned on her heel, and sprinted away.

Luk gave me a supportive pat on the shoulder. “I think you’ll be fine, Jake.”

“I appreciate that, Luk.”

I knew, in theory, what to do. Really, healing plants and healing people was the same. You directed the power and let it do its thing. I even had a healing song made up, and I’d used it in theoretical practice. That said, I was nervous trying it on a person for the first time, and I wanted an expert nearby just in case.

Melva and I worked out a contract while we waited for Ara. The terms were concise and to the point, no legalese to worry about. She and I both signed it, dated it, and I liked the terms. They were very fair for both of us.

Ara and Izzy came back at a jog, Izzy a touch out of breath, Ara looking like she’d just awoken from a leisurely slumber. Then again, I understood a Fae’s stamina was something else.

I waved them in closer. “Hi, Ara. I’m just being overly cautious. Melva’s requested a healing from me.”

“Oh! Great, that’s good experience for you.” To Melva, Ara assured, “He’s actually very good at this. Just a cautious man. You’ll be fine in no time.”

Melva didn’t look at all worried. Why was I the only one worried among us? Dammit, this seemed unfair for some reason.

I cleared my throat, summoned up a little courage from somewhere, and focused on her bad leg. After singing with Theon, I had a better feel for my voice. I still felt shy—that quiver was in the base of my stomach—but not cripplingly so. I could do this. I’d already proven I could. I just had to trust myself.

Sometimes, that was the hardest thing to do.

I stilled my nerves with another deep breath, focused, and sang.

“I see the wound

Upon your poor body

A trauma that never heals

I know it hurts

I won’t leave it be

It’s time you felt better

Don’t you cry

I’m here to help you

Trust in me

Feel the power here

This hurt is silenced

Erased from your skin

Power restores you

You’re whole as you once were

Breathe deeply

Time has turned for you.

My power has healed you

You’re once more free of pain.”

Melva’s expression was like an illustration. She went from stiff to her eyes widening in wonder, joy lighting her up from within. She reached down and yanked up the baggy pants she wore, exposing her skin. Under our eyes, her skin went from an unhealthy blue-purple tone to a pale ivory. It fleshed out some, too, shriveled joints and muscles regaining their strength.

I stopped singing, as I felt like the job was done, only to anxiously ask her, “How do you feel?”

“I can feel my toes,” she whispered, tears glistening in her eyes. “I haven’t felt my toes since I was eight years old. And it doesn’t hurt.”

Sounded like I’d done my job right, then. I blew out a relieved breath and sat back in the wooden chair. My first healing had gone very well. Also, oh my god, I just healed someone. I. Healed. Someone. This was a thing I could do. If I ever needed true proof I was in another world, here it was. Excuse me, I needed to sit for a second and absorb this.

Melva grasped my hand, her hold on me so tight it was almost painful. Her eyes searched mine. “Jake. Will you heal anyone who comes to you?”

I rubbed the back of my neck. “I mean, I’m not a doctor?—”

“I mean, will you heal anyone?”

Oh. Ohhhh, I got it. She wanted to know if I would discriminate. “Absolutely. It doesn’t matter to me who they are. If they need help, and I can help, I’ll do so.”

“Then you wait right there.”

For a woman who’d just regained the use of her leg, she moved like lightning. She was out of her seat and at the wagon in a split second. I think some of her crew anticipated what she was going to do, as one of the men met her at the back and handed something to her. Something wrapped up in blankets. A child?

I got my answer quickly. Melva handed me the baby, carefully, and she kept a weather eye on me as she did so. I wasn’t exactly super comfortable with babies—I hadn’t held one since my youngest sister was born—but I managed to secure the bundle without too much fuss. Then I looked at the child in my arms and winced.

It looked like this poor kid had been thrown down three flights of stairs. That was how mottled their skin was with blues, purples, and sickening greens. Clear blue eyes blinked up at me, curious and trusting. This poor kid. No wonder Melva instantly brought them to me.

“Her name’s Grace,” Melva told me, voice husky with emotion. “Because by the grace of the gods, she survived somehow. Her mother threw her into a miasma-polluted river rather than take on the burden of feeding her. I couldn’t get her help at the temple. They turned me away at the doors, afraid of contamination.”

Yeah, that sounded about right. People were that shitty.

“How much will you charge—” Melva started.

I threw up a hand immediately. The idea of taking money for this revolted me on a deep level. “Melva. No. I’m not charging for an infant’s life. She’s not even your birth child and you’re doing all you can to help her. What would that make me, to charge you extra? No. Just give me a few minutes.”

Grace stirred a little in my arms, trying to wriggle an arm free. I helped her free the hand, and she latched on to my finger, which was the cutest thing ever. I smiled at her as I started to sing, my voice low and firm.

Under my watchful eyes, the discoloration eased. Her skin reverted to something else instead, a sort of silvery grey. Pretty, just not the color I’d expected to see. I pulled the blanket back some to track my progress, still singing, as I wanted to do a thorough job. From head to toe, the miasma’s stain and bruises disappeared, and only then did I let out a breath of relief.

Grace let out a delighted squeal, legs kicking, and it set us all to laughing. Mostly in relief. I bet she felt so much better with the miasma out of her system. Hopefully, she’d grow up healthy and well.

Melva took her from me, holding her up for a moment to catch the light before setting her on one hip.

Luk leaned in to whisper, “Grace is a rock child. It’s why Boss Melva wasn’t sure if you’d heal her.”

A whatzit? “Come again?”

Ara leaned in over my other shoulder to explain in a low tone, “A rock child is a product between a stone Dwarf and another species. Most of them are shunned from the Dwarf community because they can’t wield stone like a Dwarf can. It’s likely why she was thrown away.”

Let me get this straight. Some bitch got pregnant from a love affair, and instead of accepting the consequences, she decided to kill her child? Woooow. Some mother. Well, at least Grace had been adopted by a kind woman. She’d be fine with Melva, I felt sure of that.

Melva tickled the little girl’s stomach, getting more giggles, and I think she was on the verge of happy tears. Without looking away from her adopted daughter, she spoke to me. “You’re a good man, Jake. I see why divine power can live in you. If there’s ever a way I can return the favor, I’ll do so. Just ask.”

I didn’t have to think on that too hard. “We lost one of our storehouses of grain. The contaminated grain was destroyed before I realized I had the power to try and fix it. Help us gather up seeds to plant, to replace what was lost. I’ll pay you for it.”

“You’ll pay me at cost,” she corrected, finally turning her head to look at me. “I won’t accept profit from the deal. Come to me next week in Goldenleaf. I’ll have it gathered for you by then.”

“Done.” I inclined my head toward Grace. “I’ll check on her while I’m there. Just to be safe. In any case, looks like I’m done here.”

“Try on the clothes before you leave. You can use the wagon.” Melva had her scheming look back on. “And Ara, you teach him how to make potions next. He and I are about to become very, very wealthy.”

You know, I believed Melva and I were kindred spirits. I had a feeling we were about to embark on a beautifully profitable friendship.