Read Online On Fire’s Wings by Christie Golden - Free Book Online

Sahlik’s words were full of wisdom, Tahmu had a father’s heart. It had been difficult to refrain from stopping by to see Kevla. She was a pretty child, and her brave acceptance of her fate combined with her ability to continue to take delight in the world around her had already charmed him.
    â€œI will be outside, then. If Yeshi sees her and knows…I want to be able to take care of Kevla.”
    Sahlik stepped forward and briefly rested a hand on Tahmu’s broad shoulder. No other servant would dare attempt such familiarity, but Sahlik’s bond with this man went deep.
    â€œYour kind heart does you credit. You have given the girl a new life, a better life. Be content with that.”
    Tahmu’s strong brown hand closed over the old woman’s and squeezed it. He nodded, but she saw that his eyes were still haunted as he imagined what could have been.
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    Sahlik waited for the perfect opportunity. It came the day after she had spoken with Tahmu.
    She had gone to see Maluuk, the healer for the Clan, in his small stone home near the great House. Maluuk was almost as old as Sahlik, and like her, was plagued with stiffness and pain in the joints. The discomfort was incentive for Maluuk to constantly work on perfecting a salve to ease such pain, and he and Sahlik often commiserated on the perils of growing old.
    She sat now on a bench in his cool stone house, which was rich with the fragrance of herbs. They were everywhere—in jars on tables, hanging to dry from the ceiling, growing outside in the garden. Maluuk sorted and labeled jars while his apprentice Asha ground herbs and mixed the ointment.
    â€œI have started adding this,” he said to Sahlik, extending a jar.
    She took a cautious sniff, and then began coughing. Maluuk wheezed with laughter.
    â€œI find…nothing amusing,” she managed to say, tears streaming from her burning eyes. She gulped from the waterskin he held out to her.
    â€œI could not resist,” Maluuk said, chuckling. “I add the ground pepper to the salve, and it warms the joints. Trust me, it will feel good.”
    Sahlik gave him a skeptical look and was about to make a sharp comment when a shrill cry interrupted her.
    â€œMaluuk!” The voice belonged to Tiah, one of Yeshi’s attendants. “Maluuk, come quickly, Ranna has been bitten!”
    Faster than Sahlik would have given the old man credit for, Maluuk had leaped off his stool and raced out the door. Sahlik followed.
    Tiah, a curvaceous woman about Yeshi’s age, was gently leading Ranna up the steps toward the healer’s house. The younger girl stumbled from time to time, as her eyes were fixed on her right hand, which swelled almost before Sahlik’s eyes.
    Maluuk met them halfway. His touch was always gentle, but Ranna cried out and tried to pull her hand away.
    â€œWhat bit her?” he asked Tiah.
    â€œI’m not sure,” Tiah replied. “A fly, a wasp….”
    â€œAsha!” Maluuk called to his apprentice, “Insect bite. What do I use?”
    â€œGarlic and then a white clay mud poultice,” the boy replied.
    â€œGood. Come, Ranna, we will take care of you.”
    Sahlik said, “I will pick up my ointment later.” Maluuk nodded, barely hearing her as he led the two distraught women into the hut.
    Despite a particularly sore knee, Sahlik hastened down the steps toward the House with alacrity. The moment would pass soon, and she was determined to seize it.
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    Yeshi strolled in the garden alone, her long, well-manicured fingers reaching to touch a fragrant bloom now and then. Because of the House of Four Waters’ claim to that most precious of fluids, she was able to enjoy growing things that would normally never be seen in the desert. There was insufficient water to grow the exotic fruits and vegetables for trade, but enough so that Yeshi’s table always had something intriguing for her to nibble.
    Both her women were