CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Gantalla spent the rest of the day in shock. She walked on numb legs back to the hospital, then forced herself to go through the motions of treating patients. She was doing her best to concentrate, but it was almost impossible to keep her mind on the job. That she should leave town immediately had been her first reaction, but as the minutes and hours trickled by, an endless stream of problems kept assailing her, making the goal of a quiet getaway seem impossible. She didn’t have enough money to make the journey to Palashran. And if she got dressed in the sturdy trousers she’d bought and her long cloak, it would make people wonder where she was going. Which would lead to endless rounds of questions, and a far greater risk that she’d say something she shouldn’t and be found out.

But the need to leave was pressing. Every minute that she stayed was another minute in which Nalyx could be announcing her identity to the town. He’d said he wouldn’t kill her, but he’d been so angry. Maybe it was only a matter of time before he changed his mind? If the townsfolk found out about her, they’d form an angry mob and storm the hospital, dragging her away to be executed.

But to rush off in the middle of the day would call more attention to herself – attention she absolutely could not afford right now. Should she even go to Palashran anyway? She’d mentioned to a number of people that that had been her original plan. If she left, and if Nalyx let on that anything was wrong, would someone come after her? Perhaps she should go to one of the other cities instead. Azertel, maybe, up in the mountains?

But if someone saw her leaving town by another route, they’d ask her where she was going. Or perhaps, as Elria had done all those weeks ago, sternly steer her back in the right direction, thwarting her attempts to leave all over again. With every five minutes that passed, she made new plans, then immediately changed them again, unable to think clearly and terrified of the myriad of things that could go wrong.

But her sense of integrity was also working against her. The hospital staff had done so much for her, and to leave without warning would leave them short staffed and scrambling to cover her shifts. And to just walk away after they’d put so much effort into training her would show a galling lack of gratitude.

But she couldn’t stay here. That much was certain. If she could only figure out how to get all the pieces to fit together.

Finally, late in the afternoon, she decided to check the roster. If she could swap a shift with someone and get tomorrow off, she could slip away early in the morning, and that would at least give the staff a day to fill the gap. But Henrietta, the person most likely to agree to swap her shift, was unfortunately not scheduled for a break for another three days. And Gantalla knew she couldn’t risk waiting that long.

Nanta had the day off tomorrow, though, so she pulled the woman aside during a quiet patch late in the afternoon. “Do you mind if I ask a favour?” she said, trying her best to sound cheerful. “I noticed you’re scheduled for a day off tomorrow. I was just wondering if I could swap with you.”

Nanta’s eyebrows rose. “Oh? Something important happening?” It was an innocent question, and Gantalla tried not to panic at having to explain herself.

“Actually, yes. I’m not sure if you’ve heard yet, but Hallix asked me to marry him.”

Before she could get any further, Nanta let out a squeal. “Really? Oh, that’s wonderful news! Congratulations!” She grabbed Gantalla in a fierce hug. “I’m so happy for you.”

Gantalla smiled as Nanta let her go. “It’s really wonderful,” she said. “But I was hoping to go and see one of the seamstresses. I want to order a dress, to start getting ready for the wedding. I just thought the sooner I start, the better.”

“Oh, honey, that’s so wonderful,” Nanta said. “But I’m sorry, I can’t tomorrow. I just got news last night that my sister’s had her baby. A little boy. I promised I’d go and visit her. She lives out to the south of the city, so it’s an hour’s walk each way. I’d love to help, but…”

“No, that’s perfectly all right,” Gantalla brushed off the apology. “That’s wonderful news. You should go and see her. It’s not like a dress won’t wait another day or two.”

Feeling once more defeated, she returned to the reception desk, checking the roster again. But unfortunately, the only other person scheduled for a day off tomorrow was Gosta. And the chances of the stern woman agreeing to help her were slim.

Still, there was nothing to be lost by asking. Even Gosta’s intimidating frown paled into insignificance in the face of her own impending doom.

“Excuse me?” she said to the aging nurse, as she found her in the storage room. “I was wondering if I might ask a favour?”

“What is it?” Gosta snapped. “I’ve got a patient in room six who needs urgent attention and I don’t have much time.”

“I was wondering if I might be able to swap my day off with you. I have some important errands to run tomorrow. I know that means you won’t get a day off until Thursday, but it would really mean a lot to me.” If Gosta said no, she’d have no choice but to cut and run, and she hated the thought of leaving them all in the lurch.

But rather than snapping a short “No,” Gosta turned to look at her, appraising her frankly. For a moment, her gaze lingered on Gantalla’s neck, and she glanced down, relieved to see that her necklace was safely hidden behind her shirt. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with that sudden proposal of marriage from that strapping great warrior, would it?” Gosta asked, and Gantalla realised she shouldn’t be surprised that Gosta had already heard the news. There seemed to be very little that went on around the hospital that she didn’t know about.

“Actually, yes. I was hoping to order a dress for the wedding. Better to be prepared early, isn’t it?” She forced yet another smile, her face starting to ache from the number of times she’d had to do that lately.

Gosta raised an aging, silvery eyebrow. “A wedding dress, you say? Interesting.”

Gantalla waited, then, when Gosta said nothing more, she prompted her, “So are you able to help me? I’m sorry for the short notice, but it’s been such chaos with the gate set to open again.”

Gosta shrugged and made a non-committal noise. “So you’re set on going ahead with this wedding, then? No, don’t bother answering that,” she changed her mind a moment later. “Not like anyone around here gives you much of a choice, anyway.”

Gantalla frowned at that. “You… You don’t think I should marry him?” It was the first time anyone had so much as dare to question the idea.

“What I think is that you should follow your heart. Of course, that’s a lot easier for someone like me than it is for you.” Gosta smirked. “Don’t think I don’t know about my own reputation. People think I’m a cantankerous old coot. And I earned that reputation by following my instincts, not pandering to what everyone else thought. But I’d got the impression that young Nalyx was more to your tastes than Hallix.”

Gantalla’s face fell. “Honestly, I don’t think I’d be a good match for any of the warriors. I was taught to want different things than most people do in this town. But,” she added, knowing she was wandering into dangerous territory, “Hallix has plenty to offer, and I’ve been told he’s just bought a fine house. A woman could do far worse than him.”

“So you say.” Gosta fell silent, staring at her coolly for a long moment. “Very well, then. I’ll swap my shift. But think about what I’ve said. Marriage lasts for a long time. And however awkward it gets to say no, the embarrassment wouldn’t last nearly as long.”