Sisters Page 3

  “So, this’d start if and when Eva gets back from Cooperstown?” Argun asked.

  This time the silence while Mr. Hyllis studied Argun stretched and stretched. Finally, he said, “Are you emphasizing that ‘if’ to make sure I’ve considered the possibility that she, and the rest of my family, might be killed on the trip?”

  “Well, no,” Argun said, finally looking as if he recognized he might have offended the man. “But, I’m sure you can see that it’d be an issue for us.”

  Mr. Hyllis turned away from Argun and back to the rest of them, “Her plan, as I understand it, is that Vyrda Soh and Kazy would begin teaching any students in her absence. You’d begin working in the tavern and the clinic, helping cover the deficit created by the absence of Eva, Tarc, and Daussie.”

  “Wait a minute,” Argun said. “Are you really proposing that we’re to be taught by a nobody and a child while she’s off seeing her sister?”

  Mr. Hyllis rolled his eyes as he turned back to Argun. When he did, he said, “Are you really acting like you’d be doing us a favor by eating our food, drinking our beer, and learning the profession of healing?”

  Before Argun could answer, a young woman came out of the kitchen bearing a tray. Everyone’s eyes went to her, at least in part, Seri thought, so that they wouldn’t have to look at Argun and Mr. Hyllis. She approached and lowered the tray onto the table. It proved to be covered with triangular pieces of flatbread covered with bubbling cheese, sliced tomatoes, and pieces of sausage. Although Seri would’ve said she wasn’t hungry, the savory smell rising from the plates made her stomach growl. The young woman said, “Hi, I’m Nylin, and this,” she waved at the plates, “is pizza.” She tilted her head curiously, “Have you had it before?”

  “No!” Hareh said, “But it smells amazing. How do you eat it?”

  Nylin smiled, “Let it cool a little bit, then just pick it up and bite off a piece the way you would a sandwich.”

  The young man from the end of the bar arrived then, handing out fresh mugs of beer. This prompted Rrica, “This beer’s amazing. Where do you get it?”

  Mr. Hyllis jerked a thumb back over his shoulder. “Back there. The room I came out of is our brewery.” He lifted an eyebrow, “Brewing’s another thing you’ll be learning something about if you stay on as students.”

  Suddenly, Ms. Hyllis called from the stairwell, “Hareh, can you come up to the clinic with me? I need to know more about Marissa’s illness. It’s getting hard to decide what to take with us.” She saw the table, “Oh, I didn’t know you’d just gotten your pizza. Go ahead and eat, then come up after.”

  Hareh stood, picking up a slice of the pizza, “I can bring the pizza with me.”

  She shook her head, “No, finish it there. We don’t eat in the clinic.” She smiled, “Don’t worry, there’s no rush.” She turned back to the stairs, “When you’re done, it’s up the stairs, first door on the left.”

  Hareh quickly sat back down, picked up his slice of pizza and put it in his mouth. He immediately opened his mouth and pulled it back out, sucking air in over his teeth.

  Looks like that bubbling cheese is too hot to wolf down, Seri thought. Then her attention shot back to Mr. Hyllis when he said, “Well, I guess I can’t interview Hareh.” His eyes were on Seri, “Would you mind coming with me?” He grinned, you can bring your pizza into the brew room.”

  Seri got up. Saying, “I’m not that hungry,” she stepped after him.

  He stopped, “No, seriously. Pizza’s best when it’s still hot.” He winked at Hareh, “Not bubbling hot, but at least warm.” He turned back to Seri, “Bring it. And your mug of beer too.”

  “Um, yes sir,” Seri said. Picking up the slice of pizza and her mug, she followed after him. She found herself having to shift her fingers around beneath the pizza because it was too hot to hold. She quickly balanced it on top of her mug as she walked.

  In the brew room, Mr. Hyllis walked over to a desk that looked like it was used for keeping records. Sitting down, he indicated another chair.

  Seri sat, putting her mug of beer with the slice of pizza on top of it on the corner of the desk.

  Mr. Hyllises eyes shot to the precarious position of the pizza on the mug, “Oh, sorry. It’s even too hot to hold in your fingers, isn’t it?”

  Seri gave a little shrug, “Probably not for most people. I think my fingers are too sensitive.”

  He grinned, “Still, I’m sorry. If you stay, we’ll have to reach an agreement that you’re not going to hurt yourself trying to do what I tell you to do.”

  “Okay,” she said, smiling back. She found herself liking him more and more. And not just because he doesn’t look like he’s going to cut Argun any slack, she thought.

  Mr. Hyllis pulled a piece of paper to himself, then with a pen poised over it, said, “Your name?”

  “Seri Hyllis.” Seeing his eyes widen, she shrugged, “Ever since I first heard of ‘Eva Hyllis’ I’ve had this little fantasy I might be related to her. It never occurred to me that she might’ve married into the Hyllis name.” She looked at him closely, “I don’t suppose there’s any chance your family came from Colesville, is there?”

  He gusted out a big breath, then nodded. “It did. Who’s your dad?”

  “Orn Hyllis. My granddad’s name—”

  “Was Stone Hyllis,” Mr. Hyllis broke in. He stood up and reached for her. When she stood, he gathered her into a warm embrace. His chin at the top of her head, he said, “Stone’s my uncle. Orn’s my cousin. Orn and I were inseparable when we were little.”

  “I’m your… second cousin?!”

  He pushed her back to look at her face, “I can see Orn in you.” He blinked, “I’m not so good at the different kinds of cousins. Orn’s my first cousin… but I think you’re a second cousin once removed or something like that. We’ll have to ask Eva, she knows all those rules.”

  Seri felt herself frowning, “I think you’re almost right. Since you and Orn are first cousins, I think I’m a first cousin, once removed because I’m in the next generation. Tarc and Daussie would be my second cousins.”

  He nodded, “And, Kazy’d be your first cousin. Her dad Richie was Orn’s younger brother.”

  Seri’s eyes widened, “Oh, I’d completely forgotten about her name being Hyllis too. She told us she was Eva’s cousin?”

  Mr. Hyllis nodded, “Cousin-in-law or whatever you’d call that. She’s Kazy’s cousin through me.”

  “Ah, that’d be why they don’t look alike.”

  He grinned and winked, “Ah, that’d be why you and Kazy do look alike.”

  “Really? Seri said, trying to reconcile the image she occasionally saw in a mirror with Kazy’s appearance. “Um, what should I call you? ‘Cousin’ doesn’t seem right. I could call you uncle, even though you’re not exactly an uncle.”

  He shook his head, “I’d rather you called me ‘Daum.’ Kazy does. Even Tarc and Daussie call me Daum most of the time.” He hesitated, then asked, “How’s Orn doing?”

  He was delighted to hear her dad was doing well. He shed some tears while telling her that her uncle Richie’d been killed.

  She asked him if he knew what’d scattered their family so widely.

  He just sat there looking at her for about ten seconds. She was just starting to feel uncomfortable when, in a complete non sequitur, he asked, “Can you point at the sun for me?”

  Her heart caught in her throat. She glanced around, there were no windows. “Um, are we going to step outside?” She asked nervously.

  He slowly shook his head, eyes steady on her.

  He’s asking me to do witchery! she thought. Suddenly she understood. “Is that what broke up our family? Arguments about whether…” she hesitated, not wanting to say the word, but feeling she had to, “whether witchery was okay or not?”

  Daum nodded slowly. “People’s blood ran strong over it. Sometimes even brothers couldn’t agree. Your father Orn and your uncle Richie, for instance.”

 
“And the ones who thought witchery was okay were the ones who left town?” Seri whispered.

  Daum nodded again. “There were threats they’d be turned in for using their abilities. The people who were against it didn’t have to leave, they didn’t have anything to fear.”

  Another terrible realization swept over her, “Is… witchery how Eva heals people?”

  He smiled, “Oh no. She does an entirely different terrible thing. But before I tell you how she does it, you’re going to have to tell me whether you’ll keep her secret. And, whether you know where the sun is.”

  Seri sat, frozen like a mouse staring at a cat. She could hear her father’s voice, lecturing her on the evils of witchery. But he says Eva isn’t using witchery. Something else terrible? What could that be? It felt like whole minutes passed before she sternly took herself in hand, saying to herself, When Rudy died, I said I’d do anything to be able to heal people. If that includes witchery or an ‘entirely different terrible thing,’ so be it. She lifted her arm and pointed up behind her, through the roof and directly at the sun, saying emphatically, “I’ll keep your secrets.”

  Daum said, “Eva reads the ancients’ books on medicine. She’s learned about people’s diseases from them and they’ve taught her what can be done, though the ancients used medications to cure a lot of things. Medications we don’t have.”

  Burying her face in her hands, Seri thought, Oh, great. Another thing my dad rails against. Why didn’t I consider the ancients’ books when he said it was another terrible thing?

  Daum chuckled, “That bad, huh?”

  Seri nodded without lifting her face, then gaining resolve, she looked up. She said, “When my little brother Rudy died, I made a promise to myself that I’d do whatever it took to learn to heal…” her voice broke and fell into a whisper again, “so I could keep other little kids from dying. If that means I have to read the ancients’ books, or even if it’d meant I’d have to do witchery… I’d do it.”

  Daum’s face had taken on a somber look. “I know that’s rough,” he said, “I lost a little sister and a baby brother when I was growing up. I admire someone with the resolve to do whatever it takes, but you should also remember you could leave the healing fight to others if following your dad’s thinking’s important to you.”

  “No,” she said with determination, “Nothing’s more important than saving kids.”

  Daum grinned, “What about us grown-ups?”

  She laughed, “Them too… whenever there aren’t any kids to be saved.”

  He sobered, “What if I told you that Eva’s healing also depended on what you call witchery. We call it a talent or ability. We say you’re using your ‘ghirit.’”

  She stared at him. “You just said she didn’t use witchery to heal.”

  He waggled his head, “She doesn’t. But she has people around her who do and she uses them hard. Also, she uses her own witchery to make diagnoses even though she really wasn’t able to treat people with it in the past.” He shrugged, “She’s recently learned she has an ability that she didn’t recognize in the past. She’s been using it to help her… I suppose you’d say her ‘witches’ do their healing. I’m pretty sure she’s planning to use her ghirit to heal some people in the near future, she just hasn’t had a patient with a problem susceptible to her own particular talent.” He shrugged and sighed. “So, if having to use two of the things proscribed by your dad is more of a problem than just one, you should know they’re using both… And you’d be using both if you want to be any good.”

  Seri choked out a little laugh, “Is this how the devil drags you down into hell? A little bit at a time?”

  Daum snorted, “I suppose so. If it’s too much and you want to change your mind, I’ll only remind you of your promise to keep our secrets.”

  She shook her head, “I’m going to keep my promise to Rudy. What else do you need to know about me?”

  “Are you ready to work to pay your keep?”

  She nodded.

  “Then that’s all I need to know. I’ve had this fantasy Orn would mellow as he got older and we could be friends again, but I can see that hasn’t happened. I’m so glad I’ve gotten to meet you.” He shook his head, “I’ve really missed having family around. Kazy’s been a blessing but it’ll be nice to have more than just her.”

  “I think it’ll be great to get to know you too.” Several moments passed. When he didn’t say anything more, she said, “Do you want me to go out and get someone else to come talk to you?”

  He shook his head as if startled out of a reverie. “Yes, that’d be nice. We have some empty rooms, so we’ll put you guys up. That way, even if you change your mind about staying, I’ll still get to see you for a while.”

  Seri grinned as she got up, “I’m hoping to see you a lot, and for a long time. Unless, of course, Eva decides I’m completely unteachable.”

  ~~~

  When Seri stepped out into the dining room, Kazy was leading Argun toward the stairs. Argun looked pissed. Seri called Rrica over, and when she got there, she opened the door to the brewery and said, “Daum, this is Rrica. Is it okay for her to call you Daum as well, or would you prefer Mr. Hyllis?” Responding to Rrica’s strange look, she said, “It turns out he and I are cousins. He’s asked me to call him Daum and I wanted to help you over that hump.”

  Daum said he’d like all of them to call him by his first name.

  Leaving Rrica with Daum, Seri went over to sit beside Jadyn asking, “Is Kazy interviewing us too?”

  Jadyn was still looking at the stairwell Argun and Kazy had disappeared into. She turned to Seri, looking unhappy. “Apparently so. I hope Argun…”

  Though Jadyn didn’t continue, Seri felt pretty sure what she was hoping was that Argun didn’t make such a terrible impression it muddied the water for the rest of them. She wondered for the hundredth time whether she should say something to Jadyn about Argun. About how any woman in her right mind would have dumped him already. That she shouldn’t just stay with him out of some misguided feeling of guilt over whatever commitment they’d made to one another. Instead, deciding Jadyn probably felt stressed enough without such admonishments, she said, “I’m going to find it pretty weird being interviewed by someone that much younger than me. What do you think she is? Fourteen?”

  Jadyn nodded absently. “Something like that.” She looked at Seri, “Not just interviewed, Mr. Hyllis said she’s going to teach us! How bizarre is that?” She sighed, “I wish Argun hadn’t been such a jerk about it, but I have to agree that being left here to learn from that Vyrda woman and someone four or five years younger than we are…”

  Seri said, “He wants us to call him Daum.” Then she started thinking about what Jadyn had just said. She’d been so busy adapting to all the other new things that’d been thrown at them she hadn’t given much thought to being taught by Kazy until just then. “Wow, you’re right.” After a moment, she shook her head and said, “How could a girl that young know enough to…” She trailed off as she was struck by the answer. Kazy’s a Hyllis! She probably inherited some witchy talent and she’s one of the ones Daum was saying does the actual healing.

  “What?” Jadyn said, evidently knowing Seri’d just had some kind of realization.

  Seri shook her head, not wanting to respond. Then, deciding she should anyway since it’d deflect Jadyn, she said, “How could she know enough to teach us?”

  Though Seri feared Jadyn would persist with the questions—following her uncanny knack for knowing when someone was hiding something—she was saved by Argun stomping back down the stairs. When he turned the corner, he looked furious. Jadyn forgot about questioning Seri and turned to him, “What’s got your goat now?”

  “That little…” Argun shook his head, presumably choking off whatever epithet he’d been about to utter. “You know what she asked me? My freaking name! Then she just sat there. So, I asked her what she thought she was going to be teaching us. She just shook her head and said, ‘You wouldn
’t let me teach you anything, would you?’” He turned to glance up in the direction he presumably thought Kazy was. “She doesn’t know me! She has no idea what I would or wouldn’t let her teach me!”

  “Well,” Seri said, “you did ask Daum whether we were supposed to learn from a nobody and a child while Eva was gone.”

  Argun looked at her with wide eyes, “She wasn’t here when I said that! Besides, it’s true. She’s far too young to be able teach us anything!”

  Jadyn touched his arm, “I’ve tried to tell you that the kind of rude comments you like to make often get back to the person you said them about.”

  “She and Daum haven’t talked to each other since I said that. Besides, I can’t help it. It’s true.”

  Rrica came back out and Jadyn was called in to talk to Daum. Rrica asked Seri, “Did he ask you to point at the sun?”

  When Seri nodded uncertainly, Rrica said, “There was no way to tell! I made the best guess I could but…”

  Before that went on, Seri was called in to talk to Kazy while Argun was called to talk to Vyrda. Jadyn was the first one called to talk to Eva.

  ~~~

  Seri found herself in a small room Kazy apparently shared with Daussie.

  Kazy’s first words were, “You look familiar. Do you have relatives here in Clancy Vail?”

  Seri nodded, “I do…” She grinned, “You. I’m your cousin. I probably look familiar because I look something like Daum, and something like what you see when you see a mirror.”

  Kazy squeaked with a very childlike joy, jumping up and giving Seri a hug. She leaned back, “You do look like me! What kind of cousins are we?”