The Dream Traveler

Chapter Eleven (Part Three) --Taking our Welts

"Vega, the tenth years are attempting portal jumps tomorrow. You're assigned to retrieve students that stray into the swamp."

"Great, I get the swampy pukes." Vega groaned. "I'm going to smell like rotten eggs for a week."

The memory of my mother helping me escape the Fire Keep ran through my thoughts. When I traveled my first time, I retched all over the beach. I guess Vega's title for the newbies, Swampy Pukes, fit.

Josie whispered something to Astra. "You're right. Thanks for the reminder." Astra turned to address Sage. "Sage can spend the rest of the day and tomorrow providing medical attention to our members."

Josie pulled a page from her papers and passed it to Sage.

Sage shrugged like the punishment wasn't going to be a big deal, then glanced over the paper. "Someone has Drelobie pox?" She moaned in protest. "I'll be scratching red welts all over me for days." She itched her arm, then groaned. "Look! I'm scratching just thinking about it."

I laughed at Sage's comment, but when Astra cleared her throat she had my full attention.

"Wren, you and I will be taking a little trip to retrieve our healer, Krysta. So you'll need to pack a few things since we'll be gone a few days." She paused, put down her pen and assessed the damage to the room. "As for the book, it's probably better if it remains in your care."

"What do you mean a few days?" Scratching welts with Sage was beginning to look a little more appealing than my punishment. "Kellan will be here in two days!"

"I don't care who's coming to visit. Kellan has no authority at the guild."

"She's his promised," Sage said, forgetting not everyone knew about the knotted ring plastered across me.

"Sage..." I said in a quiet voice.

She mouthed back sorry—but it was too late. Josie stood there with her mouth hanging open, and Astra nodded like she had suspected we might be engaged.

"I think what Sage was trying to explain, is that he'll expect me to be here."

"I don't care what he expects. You fall under my jurisdiction until you complete your vows to either Jaxon or Kellan."

The way she said both Jaxon's and Kellan's names in her sentence made me feel like a horrible person. All she was missing from her statement was, and you'll be their problem after that.

Josie handed her a pile of parchment she plucked from the floor, then passed her the pen she retrieved from the seat of the chair earlier.

"You'll also need to pay for the books you destroyed earlier this morning," Astra said taking a page from Josie. From where I stood I could see the running list of titles with a figure at the bottom.

My heart sank with my finances plunging further into debt. "Do I want to know how much?"

Josie cringed, then looked at the floor. Astra passed the final tally to me.

"Four hundred stones?" The amount didn't mean much to me, given I had no idea the value of their currency.

Sage leaned over my shoulder and plucked the page from my hands. "What were they made out of? Gold?" She passed the bill back. "That's like ten thousand dollars back on Earth."

"What! I don't even have a job."

Sage tapped my shoulder, but Astra responded before she could say anything.

"Then maybe you can ask Kellan or Jaxon, for the money. But those books are being replaced."

"No way. I'm not asking them for the money," I said, meaning every word.

Sage tapped my shoulder again.

I glanced behind me at Sage and noticed the broken glass covering the floor. Great, watch the Guild try and bill me for that too.

"What?" I said sounding a tad irritated.

Sage pointed to the velvet sack swinging from my wrist. "You might want to check your purse."

"Oh—"

I had totally forgotten it was hanging from my wrist. Loosening the drawstrings, I dumped the contents on Astra's desk. Stones rattled and bounced against the wooden surface.

I leaned over to Sage and whispered, "Is it enough?"

"That's more money than I've ever seen." She stared at Astra and Josie counting. "But that's not saying much. It's not like I grew up with money. I think it will be close, though."

Josie scooped a small pile of stones into her hand and passed them back to me. I stuffed them into the bag and said a silent thank you to my father.

Kellan already had my dowry to worry about. He didn't need the burden of another one of my debts. Though, I'm sure Jaxon would have been happy to pay the bill if that meant he'd finally won my hand.

Astra pushed the stones aside. "Wren, we'll leave in one turn. Vega please see that Wren and Sage get some clothes that, uh—fit."

I looked down and realized the buttons on my jacket weren't done up. My awesome blue bra was blazing through my shirt like a store window display. I groaned and pulled my coat tight around me. Can this day get any worse? Can it?

Josie was trying to hold back a giggle by covering her mouth when we turned to leave.

"Oh, Wren. I'm still waiting to hear what happened last night. I'm interested to know why Rygar found you covered in blood."

It just got worse.

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