Sky Woman: Book One of The Empress Saga

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Enfri nearly dropped the bundle of linen bandages she held. She quickly shoved them onto the stack of poultices she had laid out for Jin. It was imperative that Enfri act natural, as if what Jin just said hadn't about stopped her heart.

Again? she though in astonishment. But that's impossible.

She turned and bobbed a shaky curtsey to Jin. "The... honor's all mine. I wouldn't have thought you'd remember me."

Jin sat unmoving at the table, giving no sign that she was aware that she had said anything out of the ordinary. Her blue, beast-like eyes were unblinking in their scrutiny of her host.

"Is there any reason I shouldn't?" she asked. "My uncle spoke highly of your skills, Sky Woman. His wound healed before the month was out. By the time we returned home, he hardly had a scar."

Enfri swallowed. Before the month was out, she should have been nothing more than a faint memory.

Why? Why can she remember me?

Deebee's ward should have removed her from their thoughts. Instead, she was remembered by the very people the spell was cast to protect her from. It wasn't fair.

Enfri felt as if the spirit of death was at her shoulder. Jin knew enough to condemn her. She had seen Enfri's blonde hair. She knew that Enfri lived in Sandharbor and was the daughter of a soldier named Yora. That name would have been known to the royal assassins eighteen years ago. Was that all Jin needed to suspect the truth of what Enfri really was?

"I'm happy your uncle recovered," Enfri said. She hoped she wouldn't start sweating. "I trust he's well?"

Jin nodded. "He is."

Winds take me. Why are you here?

Enfri turned her back to Jin and continued putting a pack of supplies together. The poultices were the kind meant for cleaning open wounds. She included several vials of her starling grass tonic, a spool of catgut thread, yards of linen bandages, rubbing alcohol, antiseptic, strips of willowbark, a bundle of vex sprouts, dried spark blossoms cured for burning, and a bottle of essenroot and nightshade painkiller.

Enfri recalled a detail of Jin's last visit. She held out the bottle for Jin to inspect. "What of this?" she asked. "Gain didn't want it last time."

Jin narrowed her eyes at it. "That's the anesthetic?"

Enfri nodded. She was rather impressed by Jin's vocabulary.

"No, thank you," Jin said. "Willowbark is sufficient as a painkiller."

That was interesting. Willowbark acted as a blood thinner, relieving certain kinds of pain. It was an excellent remedy for headaches and sore muscles. Enfri even chewed on strips of it to relieve menstrual cramps. Why would Jin want willowbark but not essenroot? Enfri placed the bottle into a pocket of her dress.

Enfri sat in Grandmother's rocking chair and pulled a sheet of parchment from her shelf. She found an inkpen and wrote down the proper way to use the medicines.

"You're thorough," Jin observed.

"Some of these herbs can be dangerous," Enfri replied. "Spark blossoms are addictive, and even willowbark can be harmful if you chew it too often. I've come to suspect that's how my grandmother died. The chemical that relieves pain can damage your kidneys with overuse."

Enfri heard Jin shift in her seat. "I'll remember that," she said. "Tell me, Enfri, are you an arcanist?"

"No," she answered a bit too quickly. Enfri cleared her throat. "No, I'm not. I've been told my great-grandmother was a witch, but there aren't any arcanists in Sandharbor anymore. Why do you ask?"