recover between the fears and horrors and losses she’d experienced, but they just kept coming. The dead girls looked so fragile, so brittle, lying there with their hair spread around.
“How did this happen?” she asked Jaromir.
He, too, just looked down at the bodies, and Céline thought that even for him, a hardened soldier, this sight was difficult. “There was a fourth…I mean a first,” he said. “She just vanished one night, and her father found her in the stable, hidden beneath some hay. He sent word to me because he did fear plague and thought I should know. We burned the body. Days passed and no one else got sick…but I still wondered what could do this to a girl her age. She was only sixteen.”
He sounded so frustrated and so bereft that inspite of everything, Céline wondered what it would be like to live in a community where the people could report a death to the soldiers and someone like Jaromir would take charge, would actually care.
“But then it happened again, about a week later,” he went on, “only this time, the girl was found in her own bed.” He pointed to the girl in the homespun. “She kissed her parents good night and went to bed, and they found her like this the next morning. At that point, I reported both deaths to my lord, and he ordered me to store the body. We have a royal physician at the castle, Master Feodor, and Prince Anton had him examine the body, but he could tell no more than me. The poor girl was just a dried husk.”
Céline stared down at the body and shook her head. “But it happened twice more?”
“Again, about a week apart,” he said, “and only at night. They’d just go to bed, and someone would find them like this the next morning. Only these two were from…wealthier families, merchants’ daughters, but all of them were sixteen or seventeen years old and said to be uncommonly pretty. I managed to keep this hushed up for a while, but rumors are starting to spread.”
Then his tone changed, and once again, he sounded like a soldier. “Sub-Prince Damek is known for his penchant toward brutal strength. As cruel as it sounds, his father, Prince Lieven, respects that. Anton is known as a good leader whotakes care of his people. His father respects that, too, but I don’t know which quality holds the most sway. I only know that if Anton loses his standing as a leader able to protect his people, it could destroy his chances of being named heir.”
Céline shook her head. “What is it exactly that you wish me to do?”
“Use your powers,” he said. “I can put together a list of young women this age who are thought to be pretty, and you can read their futures. If you can touch upon the next girl to die and see who or what is killing her, you can tell me. I can’t fight what I can’t see, but you can see for me.”
“Read their futures?” Céline asked. “Won’t that just set a blaze to more rumors?”
He hesitated. “I have a few ideas where we can make it look like a game…entertainment being provided by the prince.”
“A game?” Amelie said, glancing at Céline. “That might work.”
“You can do this, can’t you?” Jaromir asked Céline, unashamed to be voicing doubt. “I mean, I know Prince Anton believes you are a true seer, but he has a trusting heart.”
She looked down again at the three dead bodies, but Jaromir wasn’t finished.
“Here’s the bargain,” he said. “If you solve this for us, help me put a stop to it, the shop is yours unconditionally. You can live here and conduct business under Anton’s protection for as long as you like.”
“And if I fail?”
“Then you’re no seer and no use to us here. You can leave and go your own way.”
Céline closed her eyes and saw the pretty shop with its yellow shutters and the herb garden out back. She imagined living in a world where the soldiers actually protected people and the prince cared for their welfare. She remembered the flash of ugly reality that had hit
“How did this happen?” she asked Jaromir.
He, too, just looked down at the bodies, and Céline thought that even for him, a hardened soldier, this sight was difficult. “There was a fourth…I mean a first,” he said. “She just vanished one night, and her father found her in the stable, hidden beneath some hay. He sent word to me because he did fear plague and thought I should know. We burned the body. Days passed and no one else got sick…but I still wondered what could do this to a girl her age. She was only sixteen.”
He sounded so frustrated and so bereft that inspite of everything, Céline wondered what it would be like to live in a community where the people could report a death to the soldiers and someone like Jaromir would take charge, would actually care.
“But then it happened again, about a week later,” he went on, “only this time, the girl was found in her own bed.” He pointed to the girl in the homespun. “She kissed her parents good night and went to bed, and they found her like this the next morning. At that point, I reported both deaths to my lord, and he ordered me to store the body. We have a royal physician at the castle, Master Feodor, and Prince Anton had him examine the body, but he could tell no more than me. The poor girl was just a dried husk.”
Céline stared down at the body and shook her head. “But it happened twice more?”
“Again, about a week apart,” he said, “and only at night. They’d just go to bed, and someone would find them like this the next morning. Only these two were from…wealthier families, merchants’ daughters, but all of them were sixteen or seventeen years old and said to be uncommonly pretty. I managed to keep this hushed up for a while, but rumors are starting to spread.”
Then his tone changed, and once again, he sounded like a soldier. “Sub-Prince Damek is known for his penchant toward brutal strength. As cruel as it sounds, his father, Prince Lieven, respects that. Anton is known as a good leader whotakes care of his people. His father respects that, too, but I don’t know which quality holds the most sway. I only know that if Anton loses his standing as a leader able to protect his people, it could destroy his chances of being named heir.”
Céline shook her head. “What is it exactly that you wish me to do?”
“Use your powers,” he said. “I can put together a list of young women this age who are thought to be pretty, and you can read their futures. If you can touch upon the next girl to die and see who or what is killing her, you can tell me. I can’t fight what I can’t see, but you can see for me.”
“Read their futures?” Céline asked. “Won’t that just set a blaze to more rumors?”
He hesitated. “I have a few ideas where we can make it look like a game…entertainment being provided by the prince.”
“A game?” Amelie said, glancing at Céline. “That might work.”
“You can do this, can’t you?” Jaromir asked Céline, unashamed to be voicing doubt. “I mean, I know Prince Anton believes you are a true seer, but he has a trusting heart.”
She looked down again at the three dead bodies, but Jaromir wasn’t finished.
“Here’s the bargain,” he said. “If you solve this for us, help me put a stop to it, the shop is yours unconditionally. You can live here and conduct business under Anton’s protection for as long as you like.”
“And if I fail?”
“Then you’re no seer and no use to us here. You can leave and go your own way.”
Céline closed her eyes and saw the pretty shop with its yellow shutters and the herb garden out back. She imagined living in a world where the soldiers actually protected people and the prince cared for their welfare. She remembered the flash of ugly reality that had hit
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