The Towers of Knoll by E.S. Barrison

Author:E.S. Barrison
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fantasy traveling adventure, Fantasy, Grim Reaper, gaslamp fantasy, Magic
Publisher: E.S. Barrison
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Rules of the Apothecary

Bria still struggled with her new arm. When she woke in the morning, the branches and vines lay withered at her side. She had to will the arm back into existence after letting the old branches wither away. It required her full attention to move, and if she forgot it existed, sometimes the branches would wilt throughout the day.

Lana didn’t come to visit her, leaving Bria to perform odd jobs throughout the Pit. Often, Bria worked alongside Marisol, cleaning waste on the side of the road or helping to serve meals to other vagrants. Twice, she visited the infirmary to see Madame Owiti, but Dr. Hue turned her away. The old woman wanted no visitors, only rest.

So, Bria left it alone.

At night, she huddled in the bed in the tenement hall, listening as moans and laughter seeped through the walls. From her window, she saw harlots stand on the edge of the Pit, pleasing guards, while junkies sold good-feeling substances through the cracks in the wall. A couple of times, she swore Lana walked among them, offering similar vices.

Or perhaps it was a trick of the light.

In the back of it all, the Necrowood sang to her, begging for her magic. Even from her window, Bria could feel it, with its subtle peony heart beating. The Pool poured out through all the Necrowood, but Bria knew her magic wasn’t strong enough to destroy it all.

Not yet, at least.

She still barely had the strength to keep her new arm alive.

After a couple of days without seeing Lana, the woman knocked on Bria’s door.

“Come in,” Bria called over her shoulder as she pulled on her sweater. Her branched arm caught on the sleeve, and after a few attempts, she pushed it through the armhole.

Lana walked in carrying a thick old book in her arms. She glanced around the room, scowling, then dropped the book on the bed. “Here, brought you a present.”

Bria glanced at the dust-riddled cover. “A book?”

“It’s a bit dated, but Hue brought it with her from the Rosadian Academy.” Lana shrugged. “Thought you might find it interesting.”

Bria glanced over at the cover. Rules of the Apothecary. She traced the words with trembling root-made fingers, then glanced at Lana. “Oh, um, thank you.”

“Read it when you have a moment.” Lana glanced towards the window. “Or don’t. It is up to you.”

“I’ll take a look.”

“Hm.” Lana didn’t say another word for a few minutes. Bria watched the woman. She held herself steady like a tree, her dark eyes narrow.

Lana broke the silence with another statement. “I look out of these windows, and I don’t see vagrants. I’ve been in here for so long that most of their crimes seem petty. Stealing? Pah. Murdering a guard? Deserved. Telling stories? Ridiculous. Imagine what Rosada would be like if the Order didn’t lock away those it deemed scum. We’d be like—”

“Mert?” Bria finished the woman’s sentence.

“Mert, Spinoza, Delilah, and so many more. At least, from what I’ve heard. I’ve been trapped in this pit since I was twenty.

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