'He's here,' I say, stepping to the side to let her pass.
She brings the child of no more than five winters into the room.
'It's a tummy ache,' she says to Jak, ignoring me entirely. 'Can you help?'
Jak smiles in that relaxed, playful way that put me at ease during our journey through the Dark Realms. It works on almost everyone here as well.
'Of course we can help,' he replies, putting an emphasis on the ‘we’.
‘Claudia, this is Bryn. Bryn, Claudia. And this,' he picks up the small child, who gives him a frown but doesn't cry or whimper. 'This is Orlan. A tummy ache, you say?'
He looks over at me. ‘Bryn?’
I step forward, letting out another calming breath.
'Is the ache high or low down?' I ask the little boy.
He surveys me curiously, but doesn’t answer, so I look to his mother.
She purses her lips and eyes Jak.
'Claudia, Bryn is training to be a healer. She has great skill, and there are, as you know, many times when I am not here, and someone from the Underhill comes now that Gwen no longer lives in Halsford.'
The woman lets out a dissatisfied snort. 'Aye, the one they sent the last time was a right uppity sod. And Gwen.’ She tuts. ‘Girl knows her trade well. It’s no good for Halsford that she moved away.’
Claudia goes silent, treating me to a thorough inspection, her eyes studying meintensely.
'Well,' she says finally, 'so long as she knows her trade…Even if she’s a Dark Realmer, I suppose she’s at least a human, not that we don’t love you, of course, Fae Jak.’
I glance at Fae Jak in question as she pats his hand. He doesn’t look at me.
‘Of course,’ Jak murmurs good-naturedly.
‘You know what I mean.’ She glances at me as if I, as a human like her, will understand completely. ‘It's just that them from the Underhill can be a bit…'
I do understand!
I nod sagely. 'I've met some of them.’
She snorts a laugh, and I smile back, excited about our common ground.
'Aye, I'll wager you have at that, Dark Realmer like you.’ Claudia rolls her eyes. ‘And that Tavish has been waxing lyrical about the Halsford going to the dogs as well. Still, he'll shut his trap as soon as he needs something from you. That's his way.’
She turns back to Jak. ‘Did you hear about Mayson?’
Jak shakes his head. ‘Who is Mayson?’
‘One of Tavish’s drivers. Nasty man.’ She wrinkles her nose, and my ears prick up.
Was Mayson the man who attacked me in the alley the other day?
‘Apparently, he’s gone missing.’
‘Missing, you say?’ Jak asks carefully, his eyes not straying anywhere near me.
‘Aye. He was meant to be leaving with the wagons yesterday, but no one could find him. There were tracks leading out toward the river, but no one’s allowed to search for him past the wards until the Council votes on it.’
She lets out a soft chuckle. ‘You should have seen the snit Tavish was in when he realized he couldn’t do exactly what he wanted, that he needed the other Council members to approve the request. Serves him right, all those rules and regulations he keeps forcing on the rest of us.’
