9. Six

Six

A Rat's Duty

L ily pursed her lips as she picked up the large basket tucked in the corner of the kitchen. It was the easiest way to get supplies up and down the many staircases between the wizard tower and the main level of the castle. Now she would use it to carry supplies to the dungeon. She walked into the experiment room and crouched to open the bottom cupboard on the shelves to the right where the bandages were stored. Wester had taught her repeatedly that they needed to be prepared for any sort of accident or wayward spell. She'd only had to get the bandages once, when she'd mixed the incorrect ingredients into the vial Wester held. It had exploded.

After the bandages were added to her basket, she stood and looked through the vials she had just resupplied.

Percy bounced off her leg, nipping at her hand as it moved, desperately trying to get her attention.

"Oh hush. I'm trying to get some things together. We can play later, okay?" She bent over to ruffle his ears and gaze into his large brown eyes. "I promise I'll be back."

Lily carried the basket to the kitchen with Percy at her heels. She set the basket on the floor in order to fill the water bucket. This left the rolled fabric exposed, and Percy wasted no time snatching one of them. He bounded away, leaving a ribbon dragging behind him.

"Excuse me, I need those. You silly thing." Lily couldn't help but laugh.

Percy dropped the bundle of fabric, but before he could snatch a second roll to destroy, Lily snatched up the basket and set it on the counter.

Percy gave a little yip, his tail wagging, and hopped over to the fabric he had been playing with.

Wester's instructions were to bandage up the boy and give him some bread. He had failed to clarify just how much of each. Lily smiled to herself as she grabbed an entire loaf, and even a small bundle of dried meat that was likely meant for a snack. She set both within the protective shield of the white bandages. She found a waterskin often used by the servants who worked out in the gardens, and filled that with water as well.

Once Lily had everything ready, she tucked the basket into the crook of her arm and carried the bucket of fresh water in her opposite hand.

There was a knock on the door, and Lily knew it was the soldier who'd said he would come back for her.

She turned to Percy. "Stay here."

She walked down the steps and opened the door.

The soldier had black hair, a dark tan from working outside, and his green eyes looked her up and down before he offered a hand and a smile. It was Takai. "Hello again."

Lily took his hand and curtseyed. "Sir."

He laughed warmly. "I was offering to carry your things."

"Oh." She blushed, not really knowing why, but she allowed him to take the basket and bucket of water—which had already begun to sting her fingers.

"I will be with you the whole time," he continued. "The guards were just served their dinner and will be distracted by eating anyway." He stepped aside so she could exit. "My lady."

"You don't need to be so formal with me." Lily crouched and snatched Percy as he darted toward the open door. "I'm only the wizard's apprentice. I'm not a lady." She set the puppy down away from the door and pointed at him. "You stay."

He stuck out his tongue and wagged his tail.

The instant she moved, he trotted forward.

She stopped and pointed again. "Stay."

He cocked his little head, and Lily scooted quickly through the door and closed it behind Takai before Percy could sneak out.

"You're still a woman," Takai finally answered.

Woman? Lily resisted a scoff. She was barely seventeen and had never been to a ball or celebration of any sort like other girls her age. Goodness, she had never even held a man's hand, let alone been kissed.

Woman?

Normally, Lily avoided the hallway to the dungeon at all costs. She didn't like the feeling she got when she was near. Now, however, she had no choice. Her master had given her an order, and she had to follow it.

Lily walked alongside Takai down the torch-lit stairwell. The lower they walked, the colder it became, and Lily suddenly thought how pleasant it would be to have the entire castle this cool in the summer. However, there was an odor worse than the stables when they entered the dungeons.

She pinched her nose and glanced up at Takai.

"I know," he chuckled. "Try breathing through your mouth, not your nose. Though it doesn't help much, it helps some."

She took a breath through her mouth and tried to hold it. Takai walked past her to a cell at the end of the hallway and unlocked the door.

Lily entered. "Is there a torch? I can't see a thing."

Takai grabbed one from the outside of the door and walked in, lighting two other torches sitting in sconces on the wall in the room. As soon as the light pierced the darkness, the form on the floor stirred.

The young man slowly sat up, grimacing when he put weight on his left arm.

"This is Lily," Takai announced. "She is the apprentice to the wizard and was sent to help wash out your wound. I will be here to make sure you do not cause her any harm." His words weren't stern, and Lily had the impression this soldier wasn't too worried about the prisoner harming her at all. That may have been because his wrists were chained.

Even sitting, Lily could tell he was tall. His long legs were folded together, and her gaze scanned up to his muscled arms. He was built differently from Prince Liam. More like the stable boys who worked hard all day. The stranger's scraggly brown hair hung into his dirty face and Lily's breath caught when their gazes finally met.

His eyes were full of anger and hatred.

And yet, they were the most beautiful eyes she'd ever seen. One eye was green, the other eye blue. His brown hair was dirty, but his pointed ears peeked out from under it. They weren't long like the elves', but more like human ears with a small pointed tip. Lily reached up and touched her own ears hidden under her hair. Their ears matched.

Wester had taught her that those born with magical abilities had pointed ears. It was one of the defining characteristics of a conduit. Could this stranger be a wizard too?

"Perhaps I should unchain you and make you more comfortable," Takai suddenly said, breaking the silence. "You don't look like you'll be running anywhere soon."

Lily's eyes widened in horror. "You can't let him go!" she blurted.

Takai shrugged. "I only thought it would help you with his wound. If you feel like I shouldn't, I won't."

"Then don't. King Barith clearly has him in the dungeons for a reason, and I don't want to be his next victim." Lily kept her eyes trained on the potentially dangerous wizard as she approached.

The stranger scoffed and lifted his lip in a sneer.

Her heart pounded in her ears like the thundering of horse's hooves, and she set the bucket and basket on the stone floor far away before kneeling. "I know magic, and if you make the wrong move, I know how to turn you into a ladybug."

His brow raised and his gaze studied her up and down. "That's quite the threat."

She felt heat climb up her neck and onto her cheeks. "I'm saying I'll defend myself before you can do anything."

He didn't reply, but kept his eyes locked on her, watching her every move.

She swallowed hard and scooted closer. "M-My name is Lily. What's yours?"

"I've heard never to give my name to a witch. They can use it to cast spells on you." His mismatched eyes narrowed.

Lily rolled her eyes. "I'm not a witch."

"I don't know that."

Her lips tightened.

The boy kept the same cold gaze on her.

Lily shook her head. "Your opinion isn't worth my time anyway," she muttered to herself. "I was only trying to make you at least a little more comfortable. You're in a dungeon, have been stuck in darkness, and I hoped perhaps I could show you a little bit of kindness, but if that isn't what you want, then I will no longer offer it." She ripped strips of bandages as she spoke.

"People in Vasha are wary of wizards and witches," Takai said.

She looked over her shoulder at the guard. "Of which I am neither. I am a conduit. And barely that." She poured the healing liquid into the water she'd brought. She should have thought about warming the water before coming down.

As Lily reached out for energy sources with her mind's eye, she found the slightest hint of green life resided in a pocket of moss in a nearby cell. But it wasn't enough to heat the bucket. Still, there were plenty of yellow rats scurrying about. She hadn't practiced drawing energy from creatures because Wester said she wasn't ready. But she needed the water warm, hot even, in order to properly clean the wound.

She placed both hands on the bucket and focused her inner gaze on the rat in the hallway. Drawing its energy was easy, almost instantaneous, and a warm yellow glow with red hues dancing on the edges swirled around her hands. Steam began floating into the air from the water, and Lily felt the warmth through her fingers.

"What are you doing?" the stranger asked.

"Warming the water." Lily finally looked back at the young man from Vasha. "I've got to clean your wounds."

"You used a spell?" His brows pinched.

"I told you I'm a conduit." She shrugged and lowered her hands.

"But I didn't know that meant you possess magic. I didn't think humans did."

Lily hesitated. "Well, I do. I don't know what else to tell you. I'm sorry if I surprised you." They sat in silence, with him staring at her and her trying to busy herself with the task at hand by setting a rag in the water. Not liking the tense silence, she tried to fill it. "I thought everyone in the land of Vasha possessed magic. Isn't that what your pointed ears mean?"

"Not like yours," he answered shortly.

"Don't be rude," Takai said, stepping up behind Lily. "She's trying to be nice."

"I don't have to be nice to her," Asher snapped. "Why should I be? I'm in pain, I'm chained up like an animal, starving, and here instead of with my people."

Lily held up her hand, not liking the heightened anger in the room. "He doesn't have to be nice to me. I don't mind. I understand why he's angry, even if he's taking it out on the wrong person." She looked directly at the young man on the ground.

His lips tightened.

She finally scooted up to him. "I'll, um, need you to remove your shirt." She pointed to his shoulder. In the flickering light of the torch, all she could see was that it looked dirty.

He looked down at himself. "Can't you just use your magic to remove it?"

"I..." She pondered. "I could try, but I certainly do not know how to make things disappear. If I tried, I could make you disappear, or worse. I'm still a student, remember." She tried to play off her ineptitude.

"I'll need help with the shirt," he said. "I can't really move my arm."

"I can help with that," Takai offered, stepping forward.

Lily moved aside so he could get closer.

Takai crouched in front of him, took the bottom of his shirt, and then lifted it up his back.

The stranger hissed in pain when Takai adjusted his arm.

"You're being too rough, Takai," Lily pointed out.

"The shirt is soaked with mud and water. It's a bit tight." Takai paused with the shirt under Asher's left arm, which was still down, and his right elbow through the hole. "I'm going to need to take off his chains."

"Are you sure it's okay?" she whispered, even though the young man could definitely hear.

"How else do you want me to get the shirt off?" Takai looked over his shoulder at her.

She tapped the dagger on his hip.

"Oh." The soldier rolled his eyes, took the dagger, and cut through the sleeve and then shirt until it was fully removed.

The young man's entire torso was now revealed, and Lily was grateful for the dim light. Because he was sculpted by the gods.

Takai cleared his throat.

"Thank you, Takai," she said quickly.

"Welcome." He smirked and stepped back.

"Asher."

"Pardon me?" She looked at the half-naked young man with sculpted arms, tight muscles, and strong jaw.

"My name is Asher," he repeated.

Lily smiled softly, feeling proud that he'd finally given her his name. "Hello, Asher."

She heard metallic rattling and looked back at Takai. He was using the torch to light a lantern and then set it down right next to Asher's side, which lit up the area much better than before and let Lily not only see the details of Asher's body, but the details of his wound. It was a large wound that had been packed with mud. She could see the skin around it was angry red, and she knew it was already infected.

"That looks like it hurts." She reached out as though to touch it, but stopped herself. "How did this happen?"

"Your soldiers shot me with an arrow."

She frowned. "They aren't mine ."

"Your people," he countered.

She shook her head with a scoff. "No wonder you're in the dungeon. Your attitude alone shows you aren't safe."

He let out a laugh and leaned away. "Look, you don't have to be here. Get out. Go help someone else who wants it."

"I can't. My assignment right now is to take care of your shoulder. And that's what I'm going to do."

"Yeah, and you don't get a say in what you do?" he mocked. When Lily didn't answer, his little smirk dropped and he studied her carefully. "Are...you a slave?"

Feeling uncomfortable, Lily kept her gaze averted. "No. I'm an apprentice to the wizard. But I have assignments and duties and responsibilities." She noticed him glance at Takai and then back, she but didn't acknowledge it as she leaned up on her knees to get a better angle, picked up a rag, and then carefully dripped it over his shoulder to begin rinsing off the wound.

Asher drew a slow breath, carefully watching her as though she might hurt him just for fun.

"This is going to hurt. I'll start by cleaning the edges, but there's debris in there. Pebbles and mud and...I think it's infected too."

"Yeah."

Lily dipped the rag and slowly worked on the wound in soft circles, working off the grime and blood until she was able to reveal the wound, rinsing the rag often. The closer she got to the middle, the more Lily recognized Asher's arm tightening.

"What sort of magic do you like to perform?" he asked.

"You don't have to make small talk," she mumbled.

Asher finally hissed through his teeth when the material connected with the most tender parts of the wound and instinctively pulled back. He turned his face away, eyes clamped shut, trying to hide his pain.

"I'm sorry," Lily quickly blurted. She yanked her hand away.

The muscle of his jaw was tense, and she gave him a moment to catch his breath. "It's fine."

Lily carefully pressed the rag against the wound.

Asher cried out and pulled away. "Are you trying to hurt me?"

"I'm trying to be gentle," she insisted.

"Is there no healer in the castle who can help?"

"None willing to come down here to a Karasha," Takai spoke up.

Asher acknowledged the soldier and sucked in another breath, this time holding it a moment before letting it out. "It's extremely painful. Could you try and be more gentle?"

"I am. But I have to get everything out, or the infection will get worse."

He looked down at his shoulder, his frown deepened by the shadows of the room. "You think it's already infected?"

She pointed out a discolored part of the wound. "That right there is infection. It can kill you."

He shifted his scowl to her. "You can't squeeze it out."

"No, but I can get the healing potion in, which is what I was trying to do." Lily sat and stared at the indignant prisoner. Finally, she rolled her eyes, reached into the basket to grab the other vial of healing potion, and set it into one of his chained hands. "I like alchemy."

He looked at it, then back at her.

"You asked what magic I prefer. I like to mix potions. I made this healing one myself. I tried a healing spell this morning with the horse, but there isn't enough green energy in the dungeon for me to be able to heal you with it. So I have to use this."

Asher lifted the vial of pink liquid and looked at it in the light. "Hm. Do you help the other prisoners?"

"Not usually, no." She rinsed the rag one final time, but instead of pressing it against his wound, she poured the liquid over his shoulder, hoping the water would at least seep into it and that would be enough for the healing potion to work.

Asher's hands tightening in fists.

"Why do you ask if I take care of them?" Lily sat back on her ankles.

"Your people attacked my home, and a group of soldiers took my father. I hoped you had at least seen him." Lily didn't miss the accusation in his tone or his narrowed gaze.

She tossed the filthy rag on the floor. "I had nothing to do with what happened, but if the king felt it needed to happen and you deserve to be prisoners, then there is clearly a reason why." She snatched the healing vial from his hands.

Takai cleared his throat.

"What do you want?" she snapped, looking at him.

"Nothing. I'm impressed you want to anger a potentially dangerous prisoner. Isn't that what you called him?" Takai grinned.

Her eyes narrowed.

"I'm only trying to lighten the situation. My apologies." He tilted his chin down.

"Wester says I need to be able to hold my own someday," she muttered.

Takai chuckled. "It will serve you well. But you should also know I was there. In Vasha, I mean. Our men are not so innocent as you would believe."

Lily gave him a skeptical look but didn't reply. She popped the cork off the vial. "Takai, can you bring the lamp nearer, please?"

He crouched, lifted the lamp, and let out a low whistle, voicing Lily's thoughts. "I've never seen a wound like that before. I mean, I've seen arrow wounds, but this one is nasty."

"This healing potion won't be enough," Lily muttered.

Now clean, the shredded skin was red all around, but the worst part was the oozing white-yellow puss and thick blood in the middle.

Asher's jaw flexed.

"I'm going to put the healing potion directly on your wound. Normally, it doesn't hurt, but an open wound this large..." Lily met the stranger's unique eyes. "Perhaps you shouldn't watch?"

Asher swallowed hard and nodded before he closed his eyes and turned away.

Hoping to distract him through the pain, Lily said, "I wonder if you could tell me what it's like out there?" She looked up at him with curiosity.

"Where?"

"Beyond the outer walls of the castle?"

His eyes opened and he looked sideways at her. "You've never been outside the castle?"

"Of course I've been outside, just . . . never past the outer walls."

Asher glanced at Takai, then back.

Lily felt foolish for asking and poured the pink liquid directly into the wound.

Asher flinched instinctively, then relaxed. "There are many animals in the forests," he answered. "Frogs, squirrels, deer, and even moose. Beautiful creatures. Perhaps you've seen these animals from a tower or...in a book?"

She nodded, concentrating on her work. "I have always loved reading books. I did see a real eagle once with golden feathers. Can you imagine being able to fly wherever you wish?"

The anger in Asher's eyes seemed to dissipate. "If you ever visit Vasha, you could even meet one or two."

Lily held the wet rag out to him. "Maybe. If I ever figure out how to control my magic properly. Oh, this is for if you want to wash your face."

Asher accepted it and reached up with both hands, only to grimace and lean. "Mm."

"Let me help." She quickly took the washcloth back.

Using one hand to hold his hair from his face, she used the rag to clean the dirt from his forehead, cheeks, and chin. She knew he was dangerous. He was some kind of animal from another kingdom, a dangerous prisoner locked away, and he had shown her plenty of hostility. At least with his shoulder in its current state, she could do this without facing any real danger. If he couldn't lift his arm to clean his face, he certainly wouldn't be able to lift his arms to harm her.

She watched the rag remove the dirt from the creases of his forehead, the bridge of his nose, and his sharp cheeks. Their gazes met. His eyes remained guarded, but he didn't try to stop her. She felt a strange flutter in her stomach, like she had when Prince Liam looked at her for a long time, and hurried to put the rag away.

Lily finished by carefully wrapping his oozing wound with the bandages. The healing potion wasn't strong enough to begin the healing process right away, and Lily could only hope it was strong enough to at least fight the infection until she could get a stronger potion made.

"There. I'm finished."

Asher leaned his back against the wall. "I suppose I should thank you."

Lily shrugged, dropping the empty vials in her basket. "I suppose you could ." She got to her feet.

"Wait. Is there . . . any way you could let me know about my father?"

Takai laughed, drawing the attention of the others. "You've been so kind, you certainly deserve that . No. She's going back to the wizard. If I have time, I will, but she has other tasks to attend to."

She nodded a silent thank you to Takai. She turned to leave, only to turn back around. "I forgot." She took out the loaf of bread and set it on the floor with the waterskin and small bundle of meat. "I know it's not much, but it's something."

"Thank you," Asher said softly, this time meaning it.

Lily smiled.

Takai opened the door for her, and Lily walked out of the prison. She was so distracted by Asher's strange eyes, his pointed ears, and that gentle smile that she nearly stepped on the dead rat in the hallway. She wrinkled her nose and stepped over it.