Chapter 9
The girl lay in Embrea's old bed, asleep. Emi and Saffa had scrubbed her for hours to get her clean, and attacked her tangled brown hair with a comb. Finally, they had taken away her threadbare, filthy old garment and given her one of Ametha's old robes. Lying serenely asleep in bed, damp hair lying soft across the pillow, face and hands clean, and dressed in a pale purple robe, she looked rather pretty. She was still thin and feverish, but she no longer shivered with cold and her ribs were gradually disappearing under a layer of flesh. Her chest rose and fell gently and she smiled in her sleep. Saffa smiled too, watching her eyelids flicker and relax, flicker and relax. Emi passed by the room once and saw Saffa at the girl's head, gently stroking her hair.
At dinner that night, Ramisse held up a small leather-bound book. "This is Embrea's diary," she announced. "This is where she wrote her will."
"Let's see," said Emi, and Ramisse opened the book to the last two pages.
"To my students and recruits, I leave my best regards; my love; and all my coins," she read.
"Neat," said Topaz. "We got money."
"Topaz!" reprimanded Emi.
"Next…" continued Ramisse. "To Cyrrus Ironfist, head of the Warriors' Guild, I leave my Extractinator, in the hopes that the minerals he takes from it are useful and provide his recruits with what they need.
To Elver Skyvale, head of the Archers' Guild, I leave my 'Molten Fury' bow; quiver; and Hell's Fire arrows, since I do not use them and I know he and his recruits will appreciate them.
To my daughter I leave my rainbow rod, my magical harp, and my wisp in a bottle, Skullivan Jr.
Find all the items above in the guild vault.
That's it, the rest has been torn out," said Ramisse.
"Vault… harp… bow… she has kids?!" Emi spluttered in a strangled voice.
"I would think so, seeing as how I'm one of them," Calythe snarked back.