Kismet's Kiss: A Fantasy Romance (Alaia Chronicles) by Cate Rowan Page B

one person to another. After all, you’ve not become sick, nor has the sultan, or Sohad.”
    That was true. But Sulya had never feared for herself. Only for Tahir.
    This was all ludicrous. Whether Tahir’s hand had raised or lowered—it was a magic trick, nothing real. The explanation of the body’s knowledge rang of superstition and lies designed to make the Healer sound superior.
    Sulya’s family’s plans were getting pushed farther and farther aside while this presumptuous, arrogant witch was working her way into the sultan’s graces and gratitude.
    That was something Sulya would never allow.

 
    CHAPTER NINE
     
    V arene planted her hands on the infirmary table and stared down at the palace’s complete supply of sugarwort: two faded old twigs. “Is this all, Sohad? Surely there’s more in a storeroom somewhere.”
    He shifted his weight and opened his palms in apology. “Yaman rarely purchased it. It’s just not something we normally use, and it doesn’t grow freely in Kad. But you brought your own stock, so surely—”
    “It won’t be enough.” Sugarwort buds made good infusions, but they tended to be fragile in travel, and a powder made from the roots lost its efficacy quickly. Varene had brought twigs because they were sturdier…but she’d only brought four of them.
    She cursed herself for not putting more into her canvas sack back in Teganne, but there had been no way to know which herb would work. If she had brought more sugarwort, she’d have been forced to leave another potential remedy behind. Still, she would need a good thirty twigs—recently harvested and properly dried—to treat ten patients. And Fate forbid anyone else became sick, or she’d need even more. Her storerooms at home held a plentiful supply, but she couldn’t access it. “Is there any way to get more? Now, today?”
    “Yaman would have asked the herbalist, who was often able to get the more exotic requests.” Sohad shook his head regretfully. “But he’s not due back in the city for two more days, and even then, it might be days or weeks before he could acquire some.”
    “We can’t wait, Sohad. We have only a matter of hours. You know it as well as I.” She drummed impatient fingers on the wood. “Is there a marketplace in the city? Any chance we could find some there?”
    He blinked. “Possibly… But this is the royal palace, and vendors bring their best wares here. I don’t know what would be available among the tents and stalls there, or how much, and even then it may be of inferior quality.”
    Varene pushed up from the table. “We don’t have options. Besides, I’d like to check the wares myself.” She shrugged. “Consider it a Healer’s prerogative, testing what she feels will best help her patients.”
    She glanced into the men’s wing and checked the angle of the shafts of sun. “Nearing late afternoon already. If your markets work anything like ours, we’ll need to hurry or the vendors will be packing up soon.” She headed for the door.
    “Wait!” he called out.
    She twisted toward him. “What is it? I’ll need your help, you know.”
    Sohad rubbed his lips worriedly. “We must do this for the patients’ sakes—on that we agree. The market is very close, just outside the palace’s South Gate, and I’m sure I can get money from the infirmary funds. But we cannot go alone, you and I.”
    “Why not? It’s only a market.” Surely Kuramos wouldn’t allow the marketplace in his own capital city to be unsafe.
    “It would not be…seemly, Healer. An unmarried woman and an unmarried man, together.”
    She gave an impatient stomp. “Oh, come now, we’re professionals. For Fate’s sake, I’m 128 years old and far beyond curfews.”
    His face reddened. “I am younger than you, but that’s not the point. It still wouldn’t be fitting—”
    “We work together in the palace as we need. We’re alone in this room right now.” She swept a hand toward the shelves and retrograde