Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The rain had stopped by the time Magna woke the next morning. The sun was bright and reflected off the wet rooftops into the room through the gap in the curtains. He checked Fin first. The boy was tucked into a small ball, asleep. He might have woken through the night, because his hand was on top of Magna as though confirming that he was still there.

Magna tried to move the hand, but Fin's eyes flicked open as soon as it was touched. He stared at Magna.

"Morning," Magna said unnecessarily. "Are you feeling better today?"

Fin stared at him.

It was strange how fast this had stopped feeling uncomfortable, Magna thought. He felt easy with Fin watching him in a way he had not expected. It felt safe.

He got up and splashed water on his face from the sink. When he put his hand on the door handle Fin scrambled out of bed to join him. He was steadier this morning and did not need Magna's assistance to stand. His first steps were painful and relied on the furniture, but Magna resisted the urge to help. Fin had been frustrated in the bathroom last night because he wanted to do things on his own.

Magna realised he was going to have to get used to peeing with a spectator for a bit when he opened the bathroom door after sorting himself to find Fin backed into a corner, wide eyed and tense as he watched every sight line. He was calmer when it was his turn, but he positioned Magna in front of the door before he closed it.

As they finished up Fin considered the closed doors with a cross between fear and curiosity. He was nervous again, but it was not the wide eyed terror from yesterday. Magna wondered if he might actually be a little interested. How long had he been trapped in that basement with nothing but four walls to look at?

Instead of exploring, Magna made Fin come back to the room. There were fresh clothes laid out, and Magna wanted to relight the fire for later because he had appreciated being warm. Fin managed the pants, but the sweater looked like it was going to defeat him. Probably the ribs, Magna realised. He went to set the fire. By the time that task was completed, Fin had worked out the puzzle. He winced as he pulled the top over his head, but his grin of triumph made it worthwhile.

Magna grabbed their dirty clothes and last night’s tea cup. Perhaps they could find the laundry, and if Fin stayed like this Magna could do a little bit to help before he crashed again.

Fin looked at the stairs with more trepidation than Magna had yet seen, but he gripped Magna’s hand and the bannister for support. Magna guessed he had never tried stairs with the injured leg before. There were scary moments and more wobbles than a flight of stairs had any right to cause, but by the time they reached the bottom, Fin had another grin on his face. Magna smiled back. They had done it. They had conquered stairs.

“Good job,” Judith said from a stool behind the bar. She was smoking a cigarette and drinking tea.

Magna had not seen her, and it seemed that Fin had not either. He panicked, but it was a low burst of anxiety this time rather than a full flight response. Magna only noticed because of the wide eyes and the sudden trembling pressure on his hand.

Judith shifted some papers across the bar. She was moving with slow, deliberate motions for Fin’s benefit. “You any good with accounts, little Badger.”

Magna glanced at the papers covered in words and numbers. “Sorry, boss. Reading and arithmetic wasn’t really a thing in the village.” This was not quite the truth. It had not been a thing for a tearaway delinquent with so many sympathetic aunties that he could always find somewhere else to be when he was meant to be at lessons.

She sighed. “Damn. One day I’ll employ someone who steals things out the trash that can do number work. How’s your shadow this morning?”

“I think he's good this morning. We learned stairs.”

“So I see. He looks better. Do you want breakfast?”

Fin’s grip on his hand had not loosened, but the trembling was easing. Judith leaned backwards into the kitchen and grabbed a tray. It was already set up, and Magna marvelled at her preparedness. There were two small bowls of yoghurt and small pieces of fruit, then a soft roll with cheese to spread on it. “Coffee’s not long brewed or I can make you tea.”

She left the food on the bar. Magna waved a hand to Fin to indicate he could choose where to sit, but the boy was too close to the edge for that level of understanding. So Magna led him to a seat with good sight lines of the room and nudged him to sit. Fin shuddered when he dropped Magna's hand, but did not resist.

"We're making progress," Judith said as Magna collected the food. "Tea or coffee? Or should I just make both?"

"I don't know what Fin likes. I'll have coffee."

"Good. Drink up. Sivert should be here in an hour to spoil our morning. It's Rebecca's day off."

The food that Judith had provided was soft and cool. Magna was half way through his portion when he realised that she had been thinking about Fin's jaw when she had made the choices. Even the roll was softer than any Magna had eaten before, and hardly needed to be chewed.

Fin was appreciating it too. He had waited for Magna to start and kept an eye on Judith, but once he dug his spoon into the yoghurt he was convinced. He finished before Magna.

"Tea and coffee," Judith said and placed them on the bar. Fin was eating the roll, and eyeing up Magna's half finished yoghurt. He was still watchful, but there was a flicker of interest underneath the fear. Magna collected the tea and coffee things and brought them to their table.

He poured himself a mug of black coffee. Fin was watching with only occasional glances towards Judith. "You can have some if you want," Magna said, and poured a little in the second mug.

Fin took the mug and took a sip. His face crumpled in disgust so quickly that Judith laughed.

"Put milk in it, barbarian," Judith said. "And sugar. I bet coffee wasn't something he got a lot of."

So Magna added the milk and sugar. Fin was fascinated by the process, but was warier when he drank this time. His nose crinkled but it was more acceptable. After experimenting, they decided he preferred tea, with milk and sugar. He sat with his hands clamped around the mug and watched as Magna finished his breakfast.

Afterwards, Magna would curse himself for being distracted. There was a noise from outside and he glanced around to look out of the window. Fin followed his gaze, so they both missed Sivert entering the bar. It was only a couple of steps to where Fin was sitting, and Fin was looking the wrong direction.

Sivert put both his hands heavily on Fin's shoulders and said. "Hey."

Fin almost hit the roof. He dropped his mug and nearly tipped the table in his panic to escape.

Magna was up and standing too. He rounded on the man. "What do you think you're doing?" he yelled. Sivert had a good half a head in height on him and the longer reach, but right now, Magna did not care. He was ready to take him on.

Sivert growled, but he stepped backwards from Magna's fury. "It was a joke, shit."

"No one is laughing," Magna said and took another step forward. He had learned at home that men settled their disputes with their fists and not their magic. He was ready to teach this bastard a lesson.

"Magna. Stand down," Judith said. "I'll not have brawling in this Inn, even if it is justified. Come over here and calm your brother down. Before he has a heart attack."

She sounded calm, but there was no doubt that this was a woman who had broken up more bar fights than Magna had eaten hot dinners.

Magna took a step backwards and let his fists drop. "You leave him alone," Magna hissed. "Understand."

Now that the threat of violence had receded, Sivert regained a little of his bravado. "You can't be with him all the time."

"You just watch me."

"Magna," Judith said. "Leave it. Come here now." Her voice now held concern as well as instruction.

It was hard for Magna to turn his back on the threat, but he trusted Judith to keep him covered. She was worried about Fin.

Fin was tucked against the wall deep in some kind of panic. His eyes were flickering around the room as if he could not decide where the next threat might come from. His breathing was short and rapid and his lips were tinged blue. Judith was nearby, but had not gone any closer.

"Calm him down before he passes out," Judith said. "Morven's going to be annoyed if she has to come here again."

Magna put himself in front of Fin so that he could see him. The flickering gaze kept trying to look around him, but Magna did not move. He stepped closer and then crouched down so they were on eye level. "Fin. It's okay. He's not going to hurt you."

This was the same panic as last night. Magna was going to have to work out how to calm him when he reached this state or he was going to hurt himself. Those ribs were not going to like all the movement and panicky breathing.

As if to reinforce that, Fin coughed and his hand came away from his mouth bloody. Well shit. Maybe they were going to have to get Morven to see him. Did Judith have enough bottles of rum?

Magna decided that slow and deliberate was the best way. He thought of the way that Judith had been moving her papers this morning. As smoothly as he could, he placed his hands on Fin's arms. He did not try to pull away. "Can you be calm? Slow breaths, yeah. Like this." He made an exaggerated inhalation. Fin did not copy, but at least his breathing was not going any faster.

Behind him, Judith was saying to Sivert, "You fucking idiot. You careless, stupid bastard. We'd just got him to calm down."

"What's wrong with him," Sivert grumbled.

"He can't hear. Someone beat him up. You can see that. You thought a jump scare would be all fun and giggles. You are stupid, aren't you."

Sivert's grumbles continued but Magna could not make out the words.

Fin's gaze had settled onto Magna at last. With it, his breathing seemed to settle, so Magna took the cue to move closer. He considered wrapping him in a hug again, but he was too tense.

"If we have to get the healer out to him again, it comes out of your wages," Judith said to Sivert.

He whined. "Hey, no, that's not fair. It was just a joke."

"Maybe it'll teach you to keep your jokes to yourself."

"You can't dock my pay, Judith. My brother. There was a burglary where he works a couple of nights ago. Something really valuable got stolen and the burglar burned him in the face with a fireball. The Recovery Mages say he's going to be blind in one eye. He thinks his mate died. So me ma's already paying for one set of Recovery Mages. I can't pay for more for a stupid kid."

Magna felt his own body tense. Shit. In the face with a fireball. Shit.

Fin sensed his anxiety and his eyes started scanning for the threat. His breathing became faster and there was that blue tinge to his lips again. At this distance, Magna thought he could hear a wheeze in his chest. "Shh. Fin it's fine. Please calm down. Then we can go upstairs back to the room."

Fin found Sivert and his gaze locked on the man. There was something different now. The tension in his muscles was not only fear. It was readiness. He had located the source of threat, but rather than shrink away, he was steeling himself for action. Fin had worked out that Sivert was worrying Magna and he was getting ready to protect him.

"Judith. Can you make him go away? Just for a bit. I'll get Fin upstairs, but I don't think I can get him to move if Sivert is still here."

"Hey," Sivert said. "This isn't my fault. I shouldn't be punished..."

Judith said, "Go, kitchen. Start the washing up. And it is your fault, stupid bastard. If you don't do what you're told your ma's going to have two unemployed feckless sons to look after. Your brother is worse than you. Go now."

There was more grumbling, but judging by the way Fin's eyes tracked across the room towards the kitchen door, Sivert was doing as instructed. Magna heard the door open, then close and the snip of the key turning.

Fin brought his gaze back to Magna and this time some of the tension leaked away so that Magna could wrap him in a hug. The hand on his chest was familiar after only a couple of days. "Shh. It's sorted. He isn't going to hurt you. I won't let him. Understand. Judith won't either. You think you're ready to give the stairs another try? See if you can do them in both directions?"

Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, Fin was heavy against Magna. He had to lift the boy to his feet, and he leaned into the support when he was upright.

"He gonna be okay?" Judith asked.

Magna looked towards her, and Fin followed his gaze. He frowned and pushed himself away from Magna.

Magna had no idea what he was doing as he stumbled to the table where they had been sitting. Most of the crockery was still there, but the cup and the one of the spoons were lying on the ground. Fin picked up his bowl. He was unsteady, but did not look like he was going to fall as he limped to the bar. Judith was on the customer side now, her paperwork long forgotten.

With great care, and a few glances towards the locked kitchen door, Fin reached her and passed her the bowl. Judith stared at him.

Fin was ready to come back for the rest, when Magna figured out what he was doing. He grabbed the rest of the breakfast dishes and brought them to the bar.

Fin gave a tired smile. He turned to Judith and, so gently that the movement could have been an accident, he brushed a finger against her hand.

"I think that means thank you," Magna said as he put down the other dishes.

Judith watched the boy. "I think so. We'll call that progress, despite the disaster. At least you've met Sivert now. He's stupid, malicious and feels like the world is due him something it doesn't. But he turns up to work on time. Best to stay out of his way."

Magna nodded. Fin was gripping his hand. The trembling was back.

"Now, take him back to bed before he falls over. God knows this place is already in a mess. I'll bring up some of the laundry and you can learn to fold sheets while he sleeps."

Going up the stairs was only a little less terrifying than coming down. This time Fin was as wobbly with fatigue as he was with the damaged leg, and Magna had to carry him the last two or they would never have made it. Once in the room, Magna sat him on the side of the bed and nudged him gently to lie down. Fin had no energy to protest, but kept his eyes open and fixed on the door.

"I'm never going to get any work done at this rate," Magna said to himself, but he climbed on the bed beside Fin and took his hand. He guided it to his chest and said, "I mean, we're going to have to work out some other way for you to go to sleep that isn't just me talking until I'm hoarse. Not that I mind talking. You're a pretty good listener for a deaf kid, I'll give you that." It only took ten minutes of Magna's aimless chat for Fin's eyes to close and for his body to relax into sleep.

Magna did not speak about what was on his mind though. Sivert had said a burglary and that something valuable had been stolen. He glanced at Fin. The valuable thing had been a spatial magic user, Magna was prepared to bet his life on it. And that meant that Sivert's brother had been one of the men that had been coming into the basement. He remembered their words. 'Want to play, little Fin.'

Sivert's brother thought his mate had died. If he had, that made Magna a murderer. His fireball had killed someone. Someone that had been about to attack Fin just for the fun of it, so someone that Magna thought deserved to die. He just was not quite sure he was ready to be the one who did the killing.

He felt sick. Being a murderer was bad enough, but what if Sivert's brother recognised him? He would recognise Fin if he'd been in the basement before. Should they try to get away? Magna thought he could get back to Rayaka with a broom and his own wits, but Fin was in no state to do that. He wasn't well enough.

Magna had to shake himself. He needed to be sensible. Sivert did not know what had been stolen. It did not sound like his brother was welcome in the Wild Broomsticks. Even if he was, Magna would bet that the only person who could have seen him well enough to make an identification was the first man through that basement door. That was the one who had taken the full power of the fireball to the face and probably never got up again. For the moment, Fin was safe. He was Magna's deaf, slightly simple brother from Rayaka. He had been beaten by the person he was staying with while Magna did the Magic Knight exam. They were saving up to pay off their debt, then to get back to Rayaka.

No one was going to put that together with a burglary of something valuable.

Judith brought up a large basket of clean laundry. She was explaining how to fold when she realised she was whispering. "Don't suppose I need to keep my voice down in case I wake him," she said and pointed at Fin.

"He talks in his sleep. It's the only time I've heard him make a sound. I don't think he was always like this."

"Maybe it was those head injuries after all. Now, enough chat. You fold the sheets this way. Towels go like this."

It was a lot to remember, and she was fussy about the results. "That's a sheet, not the clothes you shuck off for the bath, little Badger," she said. But Magna was a quick study and he had learned so many new things recently that folding sheets seemed like just another skill to acquire.

When Judith was satisfied that she could leave him to carry on, she patted him on the shoulder. "You're already better at that than Sivert. I can't trust him with the laundry. I knew first time I found you rummaging in the trash that you were too good to leave out there. I'll bring you the next batch."

"I'd like to come and get them myself," Magna said. "Fin's going to have to get used to me being away. This room is the place he knows best. If you're okay to wait, I can bring this down when I'm finished and bring the next load up."

Judith looked at the sleeping boy. "Okay. Bring that load down when it's ready, and I'll have the next lot on the bar for you. Do you think you can do the fires in rooms three, four and seven? Seems a shame to have a fire mage and not use him for something. It's not quite as stimulating as keeping the Gull's engine running, but it'd be a help. Coal buckets are full."

"No problem. Thanks."

Fin slept until lunchtime. He did not respond to Magna's absences to collect more laundry, or to light the fires in the rooms ready for their guests tonight.

Magna was working through a pile of pillowcases when he became aware of the familiar feeling of being watched. It was strangely reassuring, and he finished the first pile before he caught Fin's gaze.

There was more colour about the other boy's face. He smiled at Magna, and it was such a warm smile that Magna could not help his own. "You want to get up? It might be time for food soon."

Fin curled up under the blankets and closed his eyes. But he was still smiling. "Yeah, okay I get it," Magna said. "I'd want to stay in bed too."

Then Magna realised that it was the first time he had seen Fin close his eyes without being in physical contact. He was almost helpless without his sight and he was making himself vulnerable to make a joke. It was a level of trust that made Magna freeze.

When Fin opened his eyes again, he saw Magna's worry. He scrambled up to sit and scanned the room for the threat. Magna had to come close and tried to explain. "It's okay. It's just. You closed your eyes. You can't see if you do that. Damn. Obvious, Magna. You can't... you know never mind." He patted Fin's hand.

Fin was still as confused, but accepted the reassurance.

"Shall we go and see if there is something to eat? Seeing as we are champions at stairs."

Magna stood and put a hand on the door handle and waited for Fin to pull himself out of bed before he opened the door.

Fin's anxiety was back, but he was less clumsy on the stairs this time. He seemed to have found a kind of stumbling lurch that did not look safe, but only needed the bannister's support and not Magna's hand as well. He did not smile at the bottom this time, but scanned the room. Magna knew who he was looking for. He was doing the same.

The bar was empty. Judith heard their entrance and bustled in from the kitchen. She took in Fin's scanning of the room.

"Sivert's out back getting ready for the lunch rush. I don't think your brother's quite ready for that."

Fin's hand was twitching in Magna's. "No. I don't think so."

"Hang on for a second, I'll grab you something that you can take upstairs. Keep those sheets clean. No crumbs. Normally room service costs extra. Actually, scratch that. Room service doesn't exist," She was speaking as she bustled away into the kitchen, and returned, carrying a flask and two bowls. "Soup’s probably easiest with those bruises."

She placed the food on the bar and Magna was ready to drop Fin's hand to fetch it. But this time, Fin took the lead. He did the same small brush against Judith's hand again, and this time it was less fearful and more deliberate. Magna took the flask.

"Definitely a thank you," he said. "I think he likes you."

"You boys. It's always about whoever feeds you." But she looked at them fondly as they went back to their room.

Once they had eaten, Fin gathered the plates together and stood, ready to take them back. But Magna was hesitant. He could hear the sounds of customers downstairs. It did not sound rowdy. The lunch rush was usually regulars nipping in during their work, and no one had much time for alcohol. But it was more people that Fin had seen here yet.

Magna did not know how to explain it, so he decided that they would have to give it a try and see what happened. It could not be worse than Sivert this morning.

Fin let Magna lead down the stairs, and he was picking up on Magna's caution as he opened the door into the bar. At least he was prepared for a change to how it had looked earlier. Magna could have predicted the panicked freezing and the wide eyed fright at so many people.

There were only seven or eight customers, and they were sitting at tables eating and chatting. Magna tried to see it the way Fin must. That was seven or eight potential threats spread out where they could not all be watched at one time. Any one of them could attack without warning. Magna tapped his hand and pointed to the bar with the empty flask.

Fin dropped Magna's hand and pulled back to the wall. No one was going to do the same as Sivert had this morning.

"Oh, hi. Magna, isn't it," a cheery older man in overalls said as Magna manoeuvered his way through the room. It was the dockhand who worked the cargo cranes. "I was surprised to see you a couple of days ago. I thought you'd gone upriver with the Gull."

Magna hesitated. This man knew him. Knew he'd been with the Gull. He knew he was going to try out for the Magic Knights. Knew that he....

"You've met my newest help then," Judith said as she took the flask and bowl out of Magna's stunned hands. "Something came up, didn't it kid."

"Umm. Yeah. My brother..." He looked at Fin. Fin was as still as an animal in a trap. "He... he came with me from home."

"He was staying with a friend wasn't he," Judith prompted. "And there was an incident."

The man looked at Fin. "You were with him that morning weren’t you. No wonder you didn’t want work on the cranes. Let me guess, your friend isn’t a friend anymore if he did that to your brother?"

"No." Magna said simply. "Judith's letting us work and we'll save up to get home."

"Can he work? He looks terrified to me?"

"He's deaf."

"We had to get the healer to him,” Judith said. “Seems Morven has something of the old power even if it's pickled in rum nowadays. But we think the kid's traumatised after the beating. Magna. Go and take Fin upstairs before he panics any more. Now."

Magna retreated back through the bar room. The man continued talking to Judith, "There's that family near the Market, they're deaf. They do that hand-speaking. Think he knows that? There's good workers in that family."

This time it was Fin who pushed Magna upstairs, then limped up behind as fast as he could manage. He shoved Magna into the room and closed the door behind him before leaning up against it and breathing hard. He scowled at Magna, as if it was his fault that the bar was not as empty as it had been expecting.

Magna shrugged. "She needs to make money. She can't keep feeding us and giving us a place to stay if she doesn't have customers."

Fin looked like he was considering Magna's words, then he gestured at the pile of unfolded pillowcases. He was still frowning. Magna wondered if he had figured out that they were staying in a business and that Judith could not take care of them for nothing. He held out his hands the way that Magna had when he folded the pillowcases and mimed the actions that he had made. He was easy to teach and picked up Judith's preferred technique quicker than Magna had.

He recovered from the shock of the people downstairs faster than he had up to now. He looked like he was concentrating hard on the task, so that Magna had to tap his hand to indicate that someone was knocking at the door. Fin pulled back towards the wall as Magna opened the door.

Judith looked concerned, but lightened when she saw Fin with a pillowcase in his hand.

"He's okay. Good," she said.

Fin gave her a small smile and folded the pillowcase and placed it neatly with the others. He picked up the second last, then the last and folded them as expertly as if he had been doing it his whole life.

Judith laughed a great belly laugh of delight. Rather than retreat, Fin's own smile widened.

"To think I didn't know what to do with you," she said in delight. "You might even be quicker than Rebecca."

Fin stayed awake the rest of the afternoon. Judith brought them the rest of the laundry and chuckled at how easily Fin picked up the instructions from the 'ham-fisted barbarian.' Fin had no idea what she was saying, but her joy was infectious, and Fin felt safe enough in their little room to appreciate it.

Magna offered to take the last basket himself. The noises from downstairs indicated that the afternoon lull had finished and customers were beginning to pile in. Judith had nodded. "I'll get you some dinner. Think he'll be okay on his own?"

"He's got to get used to it, I suppose. It'll only be a couple of minutes."

She nodded, then reached into her apron and pulled out a pocket watch. It was large and clumsy. Although not valuable, it was worth more than six months labouring in Rayaka. She ripped a sheet from her notepad, and drew a crude watch face on it. She marked the time on the paper five minutes ahead of the time now.

Fin was watching her curiously. When she handed him the pocket watch, he looked at her in confusion. She brought the watch and the illustration together. Still Fin had no idea what she was doing. The uncertainty was making him nervous again.

Judith stood and took Magna's hand and indicated the door. Fin looked more worried, but clutched at the pocket watch as if that was the clue he was missing. "Come on Magna. Bring that load of laundry you've already done. You can take the rest later."

"But."

"He knows when you'll be back now. Come on," she said as she closed the door on Fin in the room.

Magna had never run up and down a flight of stairs so fast in his life. It probably took him half of the five minutes that Judith had drawn.

Fin had not understood the purpose of the watch and the drawing at all. He was agitated and upset when Magna opened the door again.

"Silly," Magna said when he had gathered the other boy into a hug. "Look. Judith's watch tells you when I'll be back. He drew another watch face on the paper, and marked the time as it was now. Then he drew the minute hand advanced five minutes.

Fin scowled angrily at the watch and the pictures, then took the pencil from Magna’s hand. He added the digits from the watch face onto the picture then sat back and watched the minute hand advance.

Had he never seen a clock before, Magna wondered. He stuck by his assertion to Judith that Fin was not stupid. He would get the purpose of the pocket watch, but it was as if he had never seen one keep time before. Then he thought about what Morven had said. If the skull fracture had left any long-term effects it would be to visual perception. Maybe he was struggling to understand the watch face and the numbers helped.

It was as good a theory as anything.

Fin kept checking the pocket watch as they worked, as if assessing its progression forward. He slowed his folding as he reached the bottom of the basket as though he knew what was coming next. He tried to hold the pocket watch away from Magna, but Magna was insistent. He drew a time five minutes ahead again, and did not look back as he left with the laundry.

He felt awful.

He manoeuvred through the tables full of drinkers to the bar and dropped the basket off. Judith was serving drinks, which meant that Sivert would be preparing the simple food that they offered in an evening. "I think he hates that watch," Magna said. "Do you have food?"

Judith pulled out two covered bowls with stew and mashed potato. Magna took them and ignored all attempts to engage him in conversation on his way back.

Fin was furious when he returned. He nearly threw the pocket watch in anger. But perhaps Magna's expression went some way to conveying how he felt about it, because Fin took a breath and stuffed the watch back into Magna's hand. "I don't know what else to do," Magna said. "We can't stay in here all the time. And there are too many people downstairs for you yet. I'm open to other suggestions."

Fin crossed his arms and scowled. But he ate the stew and mash. When they finished he handed over the bowl, and then put his hand back out. His expression was sulky and for a moment Magna had no idea what he meant. Fin had to push Magna's hand towards the pocket with the watch.

Fin's expression did not lift as Magna drew the clock face again with the numbers in place. He advanced the time ten minutes to give himself more time to negotiate the busy bar room floor.

The same man was there from lunchtime. He greeted Magna happily. "I spoke to a friend at the warehouse. He's going to speak to one of that family that knows hand-speaking. You've probably not got anything like that in the villages. It's like a whole language and they chatter away like birds with it. But my friend says that if you're going to be around for a bit, maybe you and your brother would like to learn some. He says just because someone can't hear, it doesn't mean that their brain doesn't work."

Magna nodded. Anything that could help Fin communicate would be great. The man invited him to join him for a drink, but Magna declined, aware of the time ticking down. "I should get back to him. He gets nervous on his own."

"You're a good big brother, kid. He's lucky to have you." The man hit him on the back hard, and Magna stumbled, but smiled in thanks.

Fin was shaking and staring at the door when Magna re-entered, but he was calmer than before. Perhaps there was something in the watch technique. This time he put the watch face down on the drawers.

It was not until Fin scratched his ankle that Magna remembered Morven's instruction that the dressing needed to be changed. There was a small box with clean bandages underneath the sink, so Magna pulled it out and opened it. It was enough to bring Fin out of his sulk. He saw what was there and made the connection. He pulled up his pant leg to expose the bandage.

The bandage was mucky and bloodstained, but Magna was still impressed by the absence of that redness. Fin poked the bandage with one finger and wrinkled his nose. "Don't knock it. It's way better than it was."

At this distance it was easy to see the ingrained dirt on Fin's skin. Magna doubted that washing facilities had been provided in that basement.

He took Fin's hand and tugged him up to stand. When Magna put his hand on the door handle, Fin glanced at the pocket watch. Magna squeezed his hand in the hope that Fin realised this was a team exercise.

The corridor prompted a brief flare of panic, but it settled as soon as Fin was satisfied that there was no one else there. Magna guided him to the same bathroom with the shower that he had used yesterday. Fin followed a little uneasily, but Magna thought he might be curious too. He had been interested in the doors earlier.

Magna let Fin see the shower first. He was cautious, but unafraid. The water coming from the sprinkler set up near the roof made him pause, but he copied Magna's action in putting his hand under the warm water. Magna mimed climbing in, and Fin was about to copy before Magna grabbed him and pointed out his pants and sweater.

Fin grinned at Magna's smile. He stripped off his pants and pulled his sweater off one arm at a time, then over his head one handed to protect the injured ribs. It was only now that Magna could appreciate just how skinny the boy was. Every rib was prominent, to the point that Magna thought he could see the ones with the old fractures. There was an nasty scar from a burn on his back, and a similar one on his arm.

Fin was suddenly self conscious and wrapped his arms around his body. Magna forced himself to smile and point towards the water already flowing. "Judith's going to be cross if we use all the hot water."

Fin climbed in and shivered with delight. He grinned at Magna. The water flowed black off his skin and hair. When had he been clean last? No wonder his leg had become infected.

He was not keen on the shower curtain, but Magna was equally not a fan of getting splashed by the water. They compromised by Magna removing a shoe and sock and sticking his foot round the curtain so that Fin could see him without soaking him. Fin worked out the soap and soon the washroom was full of steam and the smell of the floral bubbles. He handed out the used dressing once it fell off.

After twenty minutes Magna thought he had better finish up before they used all the hot water. He tapped Fin's hand through the curtain, then put his hand on the tap. Fin managed to drag out another five minutes before Magna turned the tap off.

Magna handed him a towel from the radiator and Fin wrapped himself in it before pulling back the curtain.

The boy who emerged looked completely different than the boy who had gone in. His hair was much lighter in colour and stuck up in spikes as it dried. His skin was pale but looked far healthier now that it had been scrubbed with soap. If anything, he looked younger. Magna might believe he was only fourteen even though he knew he must be older. He was grinning as though he had never done something quite so wonderful.

"You approve?"

Fin climbed over the sill of the shower and wrapped the arm not currently holding up the towel around Magna's shoulder in a quick hug.

Fin was yawning by the time they got back to the room. Magna had to help him into a clean shirt, and he lay on the bed without any prompting. His eyes were drifting closed as Magna applied the new dressing to the clean wound. Fin winced a little but did not protest. Once it was done, he held his hand out to Magna.

This time Magna sat on the floor at the side of the bed, and Fin draped his hand over his shoulder. Magna picked up his life story about the time he learned to fly a broom and crashed into the lintel of his front door. He did not object to telling Fin the real story, rather than the fanciful versions he usually invented to explain the scar on his head.