a big, strong horse like you to pull it."
Bud kept backing away and snorting loudly. It
was futile to try to convince him. The warhorse refused to lower himself to a common draft horse.
She sighed and turned to the pack mule. "I'm
sorry,Daisy. I know I promised to lighten your load and I hate doing this to you, but I need your help now more than ever. This is so important to our mission. I hope you understand," she said, putting her arm around his neck, placing her cheek against his head.
Daisy lowered his ears, letting out a heavy sigh.
He was resigned to do whatever she asked of him, but U’ka still felt bad.
"Let me see if I can make the caravan lighter for
you. Physics spells are difficult to get right, but I'll give it my best shot."
At the front of the caravan, she pulled out her
dagger to cut the spell into the wood, only to see that a Featherweight symbol already carved into it. She touched the symbol and felt the magic was still active. Spells defying the natural laws of physics were challenging to do, especially with the weakened state of her magic. Whoever did this was a talented spell crafter. U'ka wondered if they were still alive out there somewhere, hoping she wasn't the last magic user left. After she got rid of the last of the Daemon Lords, she wanted to rebuild the Citadel and train magic users again.
She grabbed the front of the caravan, easily
pushing and pulling it back and forth with a light grip. "Look at how light it is, Daisy."
His ears perked up a bit while he went to the
front of the caravan to allow himself to be hooked up. With everything in order, she climbed into the driver's seat. Teek laid Bud's saddle and tack in the back of the caravan since he wouldn't be ridden that day. Giving the reins a small shake, they were on their way.
6
The Forlorn Village by the Sea
They traveled for most of the day, the gentle swaying of the caravan threatening to lull U'ka to sleep. A faint shift in the breeze, cooler with a saltiness to it, indicated they were nearing the coast. The forest gave way to flat grasslands then carefully tilled fields.
U’ka stopped the caravan to raise the Healers Guild banner. Field workers and Green Folk tended to wheat, corn and other vegetable crops. Shouts of excitement carried over the wind as people recognized the banner.
Some dropped their tools and ran across several fields towards a makeshift wood and stone fortification surrounding the village. A large gate swung open to reveal a group of older adults and young children. This seemed to be the norm now. Only the very old and the very young survived the war — a grey-haired man hobbled forward on crutches, putting his hand up in greeting. U'ka pulled the caravan to a stop before them.
"It's a miracle the God of Storms brought you to us. We did not expect to see a Healer's caravan come our way again."
"We may be the only one left, but we're here to help where we can. May we enter? I have much to discuss with you."
"You are a Healer?"
"Yes."
The older man nodded to the others. "Then come. We must celebrate this occasion."
"My companion and I are tired from a long day's journey. If your village still has a Healer's hut, we'd like to be taken there. We want to get the animals settled in for the day. I need to speak to you in private if you don't mind."
"Yes, of course. Please forgive my lack of hospitality. I got too excited at the sight of the caravan."
"Lead the way," she said, gesturing to him.
As they made their way through the village, people emerged from their homes in excitement, pointing as they passed by. Some houses were covered with patches and repairs from the damage inflicted on them when the Daemons ransacked the village. But all in all, everything looked surprisingly intact.
"The Healers hut is near the center of the village. As you can see, our village sustained a lot of damage. We've spent many months rebuilding what we could. Some areas are too burnt out to rebuild, though," said the village elder, leading them through the winding streets.
In the distance were pens filled with all sorts of farm animals. Clucking hens sat on their nests in wire coups, pigs lay contentedly in the mud, while cows and goats ate from their food troughs. She thought she’d never see a goat or a cow ever again. They finally came to the mud-brick hut with a thick thatched roof. The village elder instructed them to stop next to a set of heavy wooden doors at the side of the hut. He pointed at a young boy, telling him to take care of the animals.
U'ka could just make out the vast expanse of the ocean in the distance. Having lived so far inland her whole life, she looked forward to exploring the coastline later. She followed the man inside the hut while Teek quietly closed the door behind them.
"You wished to speak, Healer?" he said before sitting at the table.
"I am U'ka and you are?"
"Lahm. We are grateful you have come to our humble village. If there is anything you need, do not hesitate to ask."
"We're thankful for your hospitality. Before I begin my work here, there is one requirement I must make."
Now that she’d seen the state of the village and how good things were here, she forced herself to remain calm and not immediately lash out at Lahm.
"Name it."
"We stopped at the Lonely Hilltop Outpost before coming here. I learned many of the injured there are from your village. You must bring them here and take care of them. They deserve to be home with their families."
"As you can see, we have very few resources here. All our men of fighting age and the shield maidens never made it back from the war. We are the very old and the very young. We don't have the ability to care for them."
Brow furrowed and fists clenched tight, she fought to contain her anger. "You have cut yourself off from the rest of the world so much that you have no idea what it's like out there and how good you have it here. You at least had a village to return to. I've been to large cities which were reduced to rubble. The Magus had nothing, but he took you in and saved your lives. Then you repaid him by abandoning your wounded with him when you knew he had no way to care for them. You are lucky the Green Folk showed them pity; otherwise, they may not have survived. You should be ashamed of abandoning your people like that."
Teek growled in agreement.
Lahm sighed and looked down at the floor, unable to meet her eyes. "We did what we did out of desperation. With no strong young men to help rebuild, it's been a struggle to get our village back to the condition you see it now."
"Then now is a good time for a homecoming for those men and women."
He slowly raised his eyes to look at her. She saw the great weariness in them.
"Alright, if that's what it takes. We are in desperate need of a Healers care."
U'ka signaled to Teek with a tilt of her head. He headed out the door to take care of his errand.
"Now that that's out of the way. I'll start seeing patients in the morning. I'll need an assistant, someone who can read, and a Green Jyll to gather some plants I still need."
Lahm bowed his head. "It will be done. I'll send someone over shortly with a hot meal. I'm sure you're hungry after your long day's ride." He pushed himself to a standing position and made his way outside, giving U'ka one last glance before closing the door.
She went to the adjacent stable to check on Bud and Daisy, who were eagerly munching away on oats and fresh alfalfa. Running her hand over their coats, she felt them cleaned and brushed out well. She retrieved Daisy's saddlebags and took them back to the hut, setting them down on a large wooden table before going to the hearth to start a fire.
Shouts came from outside. U’ka stepped into the doorway to see Teek and several Green Jacks carrying the injured from the Outpost, brought here through the Green Ways. Men and women ran forward to claim their family members to take them back to their homes.
She still couldn't understand why Lahm hadn't allowed the wounded to return but wa
s happy they were finally reunited with their loved ones and the Magus now relieved of some of his burdens. A young girl with olive-toned skin and long dark hair walked up carrying a tray of food. U'ka backed through the doorway so the girl could place the tray on the table.
"I am Shayne. I have been assigned to assist you. Is there anything else you require?"
"Food is great for now," said U'ka. "You can read, right?"
"Yes."
"Good. After breakfast tomorrow, I'll show you how to prepare some medicines I still need, then we'll start seeing patients."
"I’ll let the others know. You are very gracious to do this. People suffer daily with ailments we don't know how to treat," said Shayne.
"Well, you'll have a good basic knowledge of Healing by the time I leave."
"I have some other things I need to attend to," said Shayne. "One of the men brought back is my uncle. My cousin and I are eager to get him settled in. Thank you for bringing him home."
U'ka went to the table, taking in the wonderful aroma of the food. She pulled back the cotton napkin to reveal fish chowder and freshly baked bread, still warm and steaming. She'd been dreaming about bread for so long she had to touch it to make sure it was real. Digging into her meal, she groaned in pleasure as she bit into the bread, having almost forgotten what it tasted like. With the cup of frothy amber ale in hand, she took a tentative sip. It had a pleasantly smooth, malty taste that she downed quickly with her meal. When she finished, she closed her eyes and sighed with pleasure. It was the best food she'd eaten in a long, long time.
U'ka got up to inspect the mud-brick hut some more. Everything was clean and tidy. She didn't know if they kept up the Healer hut out of hope or habit, but was grateful to finally have a real room with a real bed to sleep in. She opened a large wood cabinet to see that it contained the usual apothecary supplies and various jars and vials. She picked a small tin to find it filled with sea salt. Sniffing a bottle of alcohol, she found it spoiled and made a mental note to ask Shayne to fetch a fresh bottle. U'ka slid the heavy wooden doors to gain access to the caravan and went through the drawers to figure out what she still needed.
A delicate-looking Green Jyll covered in beautiful star-shaped white flowers came into the hut while she was in the caravan, inventorying all the medicines.
"I am Lilli. Teek sent me here to assist you."
Sliding the last drawer into place, U'ka sat on the Infinity Chest.
"Great, here's what I need. Orange Dandelion, Chamus Root, Feverfew, Sallas Wort and Red Clover. I'm going to prepare some medicines in the morning. So if you can bring them by then, that would be great."
"It will be done," Lilli said, turning to leave.
Finally alone with nothing else to do for the rest of the evening, she traced out the infinity symbol carved into the smooth wood chest, deciding it was time to see what might be inside. Knowing the chest should contain the usual assortment of Healer's supplies, she thought of an apothecary book when she reached in and pulled out a thick leather-bound book embossed with intricate floral designs. It had a wonderful spicy smell to it. She flipped quickly through the pages of hand-drawn pictures and recipes, pleased at the completeness of the book.
U'ka set it aside to continue her exploration. She needed clothing suitable for seeing patients and reached into the chest again, pulling out a long, woolen shift dress and a smock smelling faintly of lavender. Again, she wondered who these belonged to? The size indicated a petite woman, just like her. The dress would be a perfect fit. She reached in one last time to pull out a pair of soft deerskin slippers. Not wanting to be too greedy since this wasn't her caravan, she closed the lid. A small wisp of cool air rushed out.
U’ka shed her battle leathers and weapons, stripping down to her underclothes before sliding her feet into the slippers, pleased with how soft and comfortable they felt. Apothecary book in hand, she sat by the hearth to examine it better.
After studying it for several hours, making her notes and corrections. She lay her head back on the chair, running recent events through her mind. Happy with the small accomplishments she'd made so far, she looked forward to tomorrow's healing session. The big task of eliminating the last of the Daemon Lords still loomed over her. She naively thought they'd be easy to track down and hoped they got some good leads on where they might be found soon. She was eager to fulfill her task of banishing them back to the dark realm and sealing The Gateway Between Worlds once and for all.
Retrieving her Watchful Eye amulet from the saddlebag, she climbed up the ladder to the loft and threw back the covers. She slipped inside with a groan of pleasure on the soft mattress. The rushes were recently changed; the bed felt like lying on a fluffy cloud. U'ka never thought she'd feel this kind of comfort again. Hanging the amulet from a post on the headboard, she rubbed it for luck. Soon she was fast asleep, snoring blissfully.
7
The Healing Arts
Loud crowing broke her dreamless sleep. It was a jarring way to be woken, but also comfortingly normal at the same time. It felt good to be in a real village with the comforts of civilization, such as they were. U'ka slowly opened her eyes to sunlight streaming through the small window in the loft. Tiny dust motes floated around in the soft light. Stretching, she lay there, reluctant to get out of the warm, comfy bed. The door swung open and Shayne came in carrying another tray of food which she set on the table.
"Good morning. It's time to begin our day. People are already lining up outside."
U’ka let out a grunt while she got out of bed and started down the ladder. Eggs, fish filets and another slice of steaming hot bread greeted her at the table. She ate a mouthful of eggs, letting out a blissful sigh.
"It's been so long. I almost forgot what chicken eggs taste like."
"Our hens are one of the few animals that are doing well," said Shayne.
"I saw other farm animals on the way in, are they not for eating?"
"No. We only have a few cows. No bulls, so no baby cows. Same with the pigs. Just males and one old female who no longer makes babies."
She glanced at the glass of milk. "What about that?"
"Goats milk. Our small herd is doing fairly well. We have enough males to keep the nannies making babies."
She nodded before gulping down a rich, dark cup of Balla Bark tea before taking a big bite out of the delicious, warm bread.
"Go grab the book by the hearth and start looking through it while I finish eating."
U'ka quickly ate the fish and downed the cup of goat's milk. "I hoped we'd have more time to go over basic medicine mixing, but we’ll have to wait till later. It sounds like the crowd outside is getting restless."
Shayne looked up from the book and nodded. "I'll clean off the table while you dress."
She pulled on the shift dress, tied the smock around her waist and slid her feet into the slippers. Lilli entered carrying the plants she asked to be gathered.
"Put those near the sink," said U'ka. "Where's Teek? I haven't seen him for a while."
"He has been with us. We have not seen him for so long. He stay with us, telling us how things have gone since the war ended. We are sorry to take him from you for so long."
"Don't worry about it. He spends his time where he pleases. I'll see him later."
"Is there anything else you require?"
"No. This will do. Thank you again."
U’ka watched Lilli leave and noticed a light dusting of red pollen covering Green Jyll. It made her wonder if she and Teek had a special relationship. He has many Gaia wives, could she be one of them?
"Alright, let's get the exam bed set up next to the table," said U'ka. They both grabbed the raised bed and slid it into place beside the table. "I need a bottle of high proof alcohol. Can you go fetch one for me, please?"
At the caravan, she pulled out medicines she thought her geriatric patients might need and laid them on the table. After examining all the fresh plants, she decided to put them in the caravan drawers so the pres
ervation spells would keep them from wilting. A few of the plants lost their potency if they weren't processed quickly.
U'ka pulled out her leather tool roll and spread out her medical instruments. Shayne entered carrying a large jug of alcohol and set it on the table.
"Get a bowl and fill it with alcohol and soak these instruments in it."
"Why do we need to do that?" she asked, getting a bowl from the cabinet.
"There are tiny creatures you can't see which can make you sick. The alcohol kills these creatures on the instruments so I don't pass the sickness from patient to patient."
"I see," said Shayne, filling the bowl and setting the instruments in the alcohol one by one.
"There is so much to learn," Shayne said, shaking her head.
"You'll do fine," said U'ka. "Now, just fill another bowl with salt water and we should be good to start seeing patients."
She went to the cabinet to pull out several rolls of clean linen strips and set them on the table. Shayne led in the first patient, an elderly woman with red, swollen hands and with that, their day began. Shayne assisted with a multitude of patient ailments: painful joints, fatigue, rapid heart rates, breathing issues, stomach pain. On and on, patient after patient, each with their own unique set of health issues. Everything went by in a blur, Shayne didn't know how she'd keep it all straight.
Late in the afternoon, she brought in the last patient, Drom, a middle-aged former merchant, and helped him onto the exam bed. A portly man, his once fine clothing was faded and showing many signs of wear and tear. U'ka helped him lift his legs onto the bed. He grunted with the effort while he laid back on the angled backrest.
"So, what is the issue you wanted to look at today?"
"I have extreme lower back pain," said Drom. "I have a pain relief amulet for it, but it hardly works anymore."
"May I see it?"
"Of course," he said, pulling the amulet out from under his embroidered tunic. She carefully examined it, feeling there was very little magic left.
The Blood Witch Chronicles Page 6