“Alec? Are you awake?” her voice began with sleepy tones, then conveyed her quick recovery of the facts of the situation. She stood and walked over to him, then knelt down beside him and placed her hand on his stomach. Alec felt a trickle of healing energy enter his body, relieving some of the pain. “I’m sorry,” she said soothingly. She looked over at a candle, evaluating how far it had burnt down. “I should have dosed you two hours ago.” She started to reach for something on a table behind her, but Alec raised his hand to grab her and place it back on his stomach.
“Give me your power,” he whispered as he sent a weak thread of his healing energy into his troubled bowels. Stracha complied, and Alec felt the enhancement of his efforts to destroy the infection that was sapping his strength. He looked into her eyes as he felt her energy help his, then he closed his eyes and focused on pushing as much healing power as possible through his fingertips, so that he could finish the disinfection.
“What do you have, willowbark?” he asked a moment after he felt the completion of his task, and released his powers.
“I have willowbark and heston balm,” Stracha replied.
“Good,” Alec answered. “Give me both of them.” He lay silently as she prepared the doses and administered them. He puckered at the bitter astringency of the palliative. “How are you?” he asked as he smacked his lips.
“Better than you,” she smiled enigmatically.
“How long have you been healing me?” he followed up.
“Four weeks now. They took a few days to find a healer and bring me here. Constanc wanted to come, but I told them you and I had healed together. The others are angry at me for being the one to come, and the army remembers that you ran away the last time I healed you, so everyone in the Dominion is thinking about us,” she said. “If I don’t heal you they’ll never let me forget it.
“I don’t know how you stayed alive until I got here. The army medics did better than I ever would have thought possible, considering your intestines were practically falling out of you after the demon sliced you open,” she said.
Alec closed his eyes and remembered the battle with the demon. He remembered feeling the claws cut across his body as he was flung away, and he remembered the healing energy he had managed to administer to himself on the battle ground. He must have been in truly perilous shape if he was no better than his current condition after so much time and effort.
“Where are we?” he asked.
“You’re hidden in a crypt under the cathedral in Frame. The Goldenfields officer wanted to keep you hidden away so you could heal without distractions or visitors,” she explained, “or so that if you died, people wouldn’t know.”
“Go back to sleep now,” she suggested, pulling the sheet back up over Alec’s chest, and he immediately did so, as the pain relievers and his healing powers eased the ache he felt.
He woke again sometime later, feeling better, but still far from well. Stracha was absent, but a Goldenfields guard was sitting alertly nearby. The face was familiar. “I know you, don’t I?” he asked.
“Guardsman Givens, sir,” the soldier responded, standing and striding over to Alec’s side. “What can I do for you, sir?” he asked Alec.
“Tell me what happened in the battle,” Alec said. “Where’s the army now?”
“I was behind the lines, you know, like you told me, so I didn’t see anything until it was a rout, and we were chasing them through the city here. But from what folks told me, you went out and walloped a demon, and that made the whole south end of the Michian line collapse. The Goldenfields battalion started rolling behind the Michian line and the Michian forces had to retreat in a hurry. Lewis had you brought in here and they put out a net to find a healer ingenaire, which turned up a fair good catch, I’d judge,” he said with a brief grin.
“Lewis has been back twice to check on you, and she left a few of us here to keep an eye on you until you’re back up and ready. A couple of the lads have kept more of an eye on your pretty healer than on you, but I’ve knocked their heads and kept them in line. Now that you’re coming around I imagine they’ll take orders from you,” Givens finished his comments.
Alec was half-listening as he conducted a self-diagnosis. He remained in some pain, and his internal organs were not functioning fully, while his weight and muscle strength, had fallen even below the previous level this weak body maintained before his battle with the demon.
“…now that you’re an officer,” Givens continued.
“What did you say? What kind of officer?” Alec asked, catching the last comment.
“Captain Lewis recommended you for a field promotion, and the colonel approved it. You’re a captain in the Goldenfields Guard,” Givens explained.
Alec grinned at the echo of his past. And then it hit him again, and with greater impact – the people who would understand the irony of a second promotion to captain in the Goldenfields Guard, the people who had been his friends and supporters and allies, they were virtually all bound to be dead and gone. He had no one to share the rich joke with. They’d gone on with their lives as he had remained trapped in the energy realm for five decades. The experiences they no longer even thought about were still the most recent events he could remember. He thought about the time he had sat on a beach with Bethany, and the times he had sat by Aristotle on the front seat of the carnival wagon. Then he remembered the explosion of power he had created after healing Lewis’s father, the first Captain Lewis, near a bluff above the Giffey River, and as he did, the germ of an idea for a cure struck him.
“When Stracha returns, tell her I want to talk to her,” he instructed Givens. “And thank you for being here to watch over me.” He closed his eyes and fell peacefully asleep, hopeful that a cure was available.
“Alec, wake up. Alec, is everything okay?” Stracha asked as she gently stroked his forehead.
He opened his eyes and focused. “Stracha, thank you for coming. Could you get a barrel of water from the spring on the River Giffey, the spring on the far side of the city?”
“You mean the healing water? Of course! That is, of course it’s a good idea; I don’t know what luck we’ll have getting it shipped here, with the war,” she responded.
“Is Givens here?” Alec asked. She nodded. “Givens!” he called in his loudest voice, which carried a little way. “Tell Givens that you must have a barrel,” he spoke to Stracha again. “Tell him to tell Lewis that we need the water for me. That will get it here as fast as can be arranged.”
“That water – it comes from the spring Alec created. You created it, didn’t you? It will surely help you, won’t it?” Stracha asked.
Givens arrived. “Did I hear you call?” he asked.
“Givens, thank you for coming. The healer here needs some of the water from the healing spring in Goldenfields. Will you ask Captain Lewis to expedite a shipment?” Alec asked.
“We need a barrel of the water from Alec’s spring,” Stracha clarified. “How quickly can you get one here?”
“Captain Lewis will be here this afternoon to check on the Demonslayer,” he grinned as he motioned towards Alec, who groaned at the name he had been given. “I’ll mention it to her, and you should do the same. Anything else?”
“Has the Michian army used any more demons since the battle here?” Alec asked.
“They haven’t done anything except retreat since the last battle,” Givens answered. “At first it was a rout, but once they got back to Oyster Bay, they stiffened up and have held their ground there. But, no, there haven’t been any further battles against demons. Thank God for that. They must be afraid that you’ll come out and kill another one.”
Alec gave a twitch as a spasm of pain raced through the muscles of one thigh. “Let’s let him rest now,” Stracha said, and she ushered Givens out. “Here,” she placed her hand on his leg, as she sensed the source of his pain, and Alec felt a surge of relief.
“You’re better at that. You’re growing stronger in your power and ap
plying it with true spiritual energy,” he commented.
“You showed me how. I’ve been trying to do things the way you showed me outside Three Forks, and it feels more natural every time I do,” Stracha told him. “We don’t have many teachers now, you know. Things have changed since you left, Alec. Parnell does the best he can, but he was barely on Ingenairii Hill before the invasion chased us away from Oyster Bay, and the rest of us only know what he can teach us. The Queen is the only one of the old healers left, and she’s obviously got her hands full with other things up in Stronghold.”
Alec sighed. He thought of how much he had learned from the old healer records on Ingenairii Hill, and the complete education he had gotten from Rubicon, Nathaniel and Moriah. “There is no one else to teach young healers?” he asked.
“Gordon would know the answer to that, but Alec would perhaps not,” Stracha replied without evident triumph. “There is no one else. Many were killed during the war, and the evacuation from Oyster Bay was hurried and catastrophic. We’ve never found out how many total ingenairii there are, or where they all are, or what abilities they hold.
“You are the greatest thing to appear for the Dominion in years, Alec; the best thing since the last time you were here. Before you came, many people were saying we should surrender to end the war and allow the Michian Empire to rule us, but if you bring more successes, those voices will be silent,” Stracha told him. “Now you rest and wait for your Goldenfields officer to arrive. We’ll talk to her about getting the healing water for you. She’ll do everything she can to help us, I’m sure, because she needs you for the good of the whole Dominion.”
Stracha stood and looked down at Alec, who nodded and closed his eyes, then immediately began to breathe the steady, gentle rhythm of a sleeper. She returned to her seat and sat, wondering if the sun was shining outside. For the past several weeks she’d hardly gone out of the rooms below the cathedral. Her skin was pale she knew, paler than normal from the lack of light. She only knew the Goldenfields Guards who took turns with her, while above ground people were returning to Frame, or passing through the city on their way to other newly recaptured lands further west. Stracha sat and quietly thought about the boy she was tending, and the possible ways to attempt to change his treatments, until she heard a clacking sound from a pair of boots approaching.
“Any news to report healer? Givens tells me the demon-slayer has spoken today,” the Goldenfields officer addressed Stracha briskly, motioning for her to follow to the bedside.
“He needs a supply of the water from Alec’s spring. A barrel at least would help us treat his wounds,” Stracha told Captain Lewis as they stood over him.
“You think he’ll drink an entire barrel? Lewis asked.
“It’s not to drink; it’s for bathing,” Alec spoke up, opening his eyes. “I need to be immersed in it to help me heal. Have you seen the wounds I’ve got?” he asked.
“Seen them? I helped push your guts back inside you, silly boy,” Lewis said with affection, then saw Alec’s eye’s dilate dramatically and grow teary. “Is something wrong?” she asked.
“No,” Alec said after a pause. “You just remind me of someone I used to care about.
“Would you have a seat, and talk to me?” Alec asked the officer.
Surprised, Lewis looked around awkwardly. Stracha dragged a chair over next to the bier where Alec lay, and Lewis sat down. “We’re deploying the Stronghold forces along the riverfront near Oyster Bay, and the Oyster Bay forces in exile are on the other side of the river,” Lewis began. “Goldenfields is in the center of the line, and we’ve stretched the extended line nearly nine miles inland.”
Alec stretched out his hand to stop the battlefield analysis. “Tell me about your parents,” Alec said as Lewis fell quiet.
“My parents?” Lewis paused. “I don’t understand.”
“Was Inga your mother, a member of the Duke’s personal bodyguard?” Alec prompted.
“She was,” Lewis agreed.
“Your father: what was he like?”Alec asked.
“He was a colonel, the leader of the Guard,” the captain said, her eyes softening slightly, as Stracha silently observed. “He was someone everyone looked up to.”
So Captain Lewis had become Colonel Lewis, and succeeded Colonel Ryder as commander of the Guard. “Who was the better swordsman?” Alec asked with a grin that Stracha saw but Lewis missed.
“Oh lord, that depended on who you asked!” she laughed. “Mom always said she was best, and dad always said he was better. They could fence with each other for hours, and it seemed like neither could get an advantage. There weren’t many others who could match them; mom said there was one who matched her – Alec. And she trained him when he started with the Guard; she thought he needed to know how to protect himself!” the woman laughed fondly with her memory of her mother.
Alec grinned as he listened.
“She said if he wasn’t left-handed he never would have been able to match her,” Lewis added, caught up in her memories.
“She would say that, but she’d be wrong,” Alec said with a quiet chuckle, unheard by Lewis.
“They took pride in their service to the old Duke, and then to his son when he succeeded to the throne. I miss them, but in a way I’m glad they passed before the troubles got so bad,” she said. “But I wish they could have seen you fight that demon! That was something to behold! When you flew up over that demon it was a trick I’ve never seen!”
“Your mother had a cousin, Imelda,” Alec probed. “What do you know about her?”
“She died early in the war, early fighting to stop Michian when the invasion started to come in through the mountains,” the captain answered. “I met her a few times when she and Rashrew came to visit from Bondell when I was growing up. I remember she was very beautiful, in her own way. Ma always said she was smart and pretty and a great warrior.”
“Was she happy with Rashrew, living in Bondell?” Alec asked, looking closely at Lewis.
“I suppose so,” the woman said, surprised further by the question, and the sense of intensity Alec expressed. “Like I said, I was just a kid when I saw her. I never would have known. She wrote letters to mother, and I never overheard anything discussed by my folks that made me think there was anything wrong.
“They were both deeply hurt when they heard she was dead, and they urged the Duke to send as many men as possible to Bondell to help defeat the invaders. That helped; we lost a lot of men, but we kept them bottled up in the mountains for years, even with their demons,” Lewis’s thoughts wandered.
“She was smart and pretty and a great warrior,” Alec agreed, closing his eyes. “And she had great personal integrity,” he sighed.
“Tell me about the queen.” He changed subjects.
“The queen?” Lewis repeated the question
“Bethany. Tell me about Bethany.”
“She is the queen. She always has been. She has held us together during this war. She was a great beauty once. She is an ingenaire,” Lewis listed the widely known facts about Bethany.
“Is she married?” Alec asked, with a curious quaver in his voice.
“Married? No, she hasn’t been married since she took the throne. She’s waited all her life for,” Lewis faltered momentarily, “she’s waited for Alec to return.”
“Thank you captain. I appreciate your time. When you get that barrel of water here, I’ll be able to be healed, and return to the battlefield for you.” His breathing grew steady and calm. Lewis looked at Stracha, who nodded slightly, and the two of them walked to the doorway.
“That was strange,” Lewis said after standing quietly. “What do you make of it?”
Stracha looked hesitantly at Alec, then at Lewis. “It was just the illness talking.”
“He knew the right questions to ask. Is he from Goldenfields? How would he know about my family?” the puzzled captain asked.
“He’s an ingenaire, and a special one at that. He has multiple powers. Maybe
something let him see your thoughts?” Stracha lamely tried to excuse Alec.
“Maybe, but that is creepy. Not that it matters what I think about someone who has personally beaten two demons,” Lewis said.
“He appreciated listening to you. It gave him contentment. I know he’d enjoy talking with you again; will you be able to come back, after you get that barrel of spring water for him?” the healer reminded the officer of her need.
“Yes, I’ll be back. Checking on your patient is the most important assignment I have, I’ve been told. It appears to me that the field marshal and leadership may not want to start another all out assault without having the golden boy here available. The troops will be a lot less reluctant to attack if they think there’s a demonslayer waiting to step in,” Lewis responded. “Thank you for caring for him. I can see he’s in good hands. Givens tells me you never leave his side.”
“He’s a very special patient,” Stracha replied modestly.
“Yes, he is. I’ll send that barrel to you as fast as I can find one,” Lewis said and then she was gone.
The next morning, Alec awoke to the sounds of men straining and grunting. “Stracha, what’s happening?” he asked, unable to see the events behind him and aggravated by waking up once again to circumstances beyond his control.
“Your ship’s come in,” she said excitedly, “or at least your barrel has arrived.”
As soon as the barrel was placed next to Alec’s cot and the lid removed, Stracha prepared to give Alec a sponge bath with the refreshing water. “Wait,” he objected. “I want to be immersed in the water. Find a tub big enough for me to lie in, and I’ll soak in the water there. I don’t need a cloth swabbing all over me.”
“This will work just as well, and it will be easier than finding a tub and having to keep an eye on you to make sure you don’t fall asleep and drown,” Stracha answered reasonably, drawing the wet cloth across his forehead.
Preserving the Ingenairii Page 17