by Candy Rae
“You think there might be something about your home farm that makes you impervious?”
“Yes but more than that,” said Hannah. She told Malin about what Nadil had said about the pestilence that had struck the Larg and those Lind with Larg blood in their veins after the Battle of Trumpet Keep. “Oh, I’m not saying that the disease is the same, but there’s something about it, how they cured the infected Lind. It’s the blood that is important.”
Though in obvious pain, Malin’s face brightened then fell again, “but it was a Lind disease. What we have now is a human disease.”
“They made a serum,” explained Hannah with patience, “Nadil said they made it out of the blood of those who’d had it and survived. If I am right about this, my blood could be used. If I am immune, my blood can make the sick better.”
“The palliatives aren’t working,” croaked Malin, “get the entries out for AL10. They’re over there on the bottom shelf. I can’t help you Hannah, I’m not seeing right.” Malin stumbled to a pallet situated in the corner and lay down, coughing and spluttering.
It took the rest of the night but Hannah persevered, she forced herself to keep her eyes open and kept herself awake with an immense quantity of hot unsweetened kala, a drink she despised under normal circumstances. But these were not normal circumstances, Hannah had realised, after one of her periodic tending sessions with Malin, that he might die too if she couldn’t find the answer. Hannah didn’t want to think about that. She kept going.
It was past dawn when Hannah found the entries at last, written in a firm and neat hand by one who had signed himself Winston Randall. Hannah turned to Malin. “The writing is faded but I can make most of it out, Look, it says here that he inoculated (she stumbled over the unfamiliar word) the Lind with serum made from a man’s blood. It was a human virus that cross-infected the Larg and the Lind.”
“Whereas this time we have no way of knowing. We have lost so much in the last century, because we lack the technology to make specific cures and have had to fall back on home-grown remedies,” Malin managed to force out the words through lips parched and crusty.
“We have to try it,” said Hannah as Malin coughed again, great racking coughs that sounded as if they were coming up from his boots.
Even a tyro like Hannah realised that the medic was getting worse and that if nothing was done he was like to die.
“We’ve got to try it,” she insisted.
“Inoculation,” mused Malin in between his coughs, “that’s an old technique.”
“I’ve never heard of it,” admitted Hannah.
“How do we make the serum?” asked Malin, “you can try it out on me. If this works my girl, your name will be written up in the stars for all to see.”
“Don’t be silly,” said an embarrassed Hannah, “now, I’ll go get the needle and you can take the blood.”
“You’ll see,” answered Malin with a weak grin but he managed to rouse himself enough to extract some of Hannah’s blood.
By the time Hannah had found out how to make the serum it was evening and Malin was unconscious. It took her a further three bells to prepare the mixture.
When she injected Malin with what she had calculated as the correct dose, the man was in a coma, the prelude to death as Hannah knew after nursing so many of the dying.
She sat up with Malin watching for a change in his life signs. Towards dawn she dropped into an exhausted sleep and didn’t see his eyes flutter open and his voice croak, “Hannah. You are a genius.”
To her stunned surprise Hannah was summoned to Susa Lynsey’s office after her return from Argyll. There she was informed that she too was to be presented with the Honour Star in recognition of the sterling work she had done to cure the disease.
“The Star is not given only for physical feats of courage,” explained Lynsey. “You showed courage of a different kind. Your perseverance and imagination found the cure and so saved many lives. All the Holad agree that you should be awarded the decoration and I agree with them.”
When Jess and Tana had heard they looked at each other in amazement.
“Two of us with Stars!” marvelled Jess. “Why, it’s unheard of. Stars for cadets!”
“They mustn’t be allowed to get away with this,” grinned Tana, “apart from being thrown into the water trough, this means that we both must do a wonderfully honourable or brave feat too and who would have expected Beth to have the guts to do what she did?”
Jess ginned back, “don’t be daft. As Beth said, they were in the right place at the wrong time or whatever she said, I can’t remember and it doesn’t matter. I always get that saying mixed up. Both are special. We should be proud to call them our friends.”
“You had an exciting time on your attachment Jess, you maybe haven’t earned an Honour Star but I for one know that you’ve contributed much to gain a person’s happiness, two even. Perhaps that’s an even greater honour.”
“Perhaps you are right.”
“I know I am. Aren’t I always?”
Jess threw the nearest cushion at her. “Ass,” she said.
“Ouch,” exclaimed Tana and laughed.
* * * * *
Quartet (7)
Jess and Mlei’s attachment had been with the Fifteenth Ryzck in north-eastern Argyll.
Tiffney was drowning.
She had plunged into the cold river in a last ditch attempt to escape the slavers who had attacked her home village. The water was cold and she gasped at its icy touch.
Tiffney could not swim.
Her body dropped like a stone.
Is this what its like to drown?
The rushes grabbed her legs in a vicelike grip, the strands getting tighter as she struggled to get free, to rise to the surface and reach the life-giving air. Her lungs were bursting.
It was no use, she opened her mouth and the water surged in, down her throat, into her lungs.
Tiffney was dying.
Suddenly the rushes let go and her body rose to the surface. Tiffney gasped a breath before her body sank to the bottom and the rushes took hold again.
Her last conscious thought was of fear of the great unknown realm of death.
She was not aware of strong arms reaching for her body, of the belt knife hacking at the rushes, of being lifted out and dragged to the riverbank, of her rescuer’s frantic efforts to expunge the water from her lungs or of his mouth coming down on hers as he forced air inside her.
: She is alive! :
The ‘voice’ was faint and inaudible.
Tiffney was drifting in and out of consciousness; she was coughing up water. The man lifted her into a sitting position.
She began to struggle; her only thought to get away.
Death would be preferable to being caught. In her disorientated state she thought the pirate slavers had caught her. Untouched virgin girls commanded high prices in the slave markets of the South. Rumour had it that girls as young as ten were being sold to the brothel keepers.
She struggled more and kept her eyes screwed tightly closed.
The man let her go for a moment and Tiffney threw herself down on to the ground in despair.
: She is filled with fear of you :
: Frightened of me? :
: She thinks you are a slaver :
Jon hunkered down beside her and laid a hand on Tiffney’s shoulder.
“There is nothing to be afraid of.”
Tiffney stiffened.
“There is nothing to be afraid of,” Jon repeated, “the slavers have gone.”
Tiffney gasped, only half-believing him but started to cough again.
“Get on to your knees and cough it all up. Better out than in as they say. You were lucky we were passing. Jess and Mlei have gone to try and find our medic but I think you’ll be ok once your lungs are clear. Still, it’ll be best to have you checked out.”
“The slavers?” Tiffney was disorientated; her words seemed to be coming from a long way off.
“They
fled as soon as they saw us running over the hill.”
“Us?”
“Our Ryzck,” he answered.
“Ryzck? You are Vada?”
“Enough to scare them away. Mislya and I saw you run, came after you.”
Tiffney opened her eyes.
Two booted feet. She realised that the man must have jumped into the river after her.
Jon stood waiting.
He’s not acting like he is a slaver. He has saved my life. His words are kind and gentle.
Two large furry paws. Wet paws. A large wet nose.
That decided her. The man was telling the truth. He was of the Vada. This was his Lind.
She relaxed and raised her head looking into, for the first time in her life, the large expressive eyes of a Lind. She had seen them in the distance often enough but never this close. The eyes were bright blue and filled with compassion and intelligence.
: Pretty little thing is she not? :
: Mmm, A compliment my Delya. Her hair is reddish, I bet you when it dries it will be a bright titian red and you know of my preference for red-headed women! :
The Lind liked bright colours. Delya’s colour stripe was red, much like Tiffney’s hair would be when it was dry.
: She hears us : warned Delya.
: Really? : Jon knelt down beside her.
“What happened?” he asked of her.
: Jess and Mlei return. Sandy cannot come. He is tending the wounded :
Jon acknowledged this, “take your time. Jess and Mlei return, not with our medic, but you seem to be recovering quite well on your own.”
“Yes thank you,” she replied.
“So?” he queried as his cadet pair returned, Jess dismounting and hunkering down beside Jon. Jess smiled at Tiffney in an encouraging fashion and Tiffney relaxed completely.
“The pirates came up the creek,” she began, “I was outside doing my chores when I heard father yelling at me to run and not to stop. They’ve never been this far up the creek before. Are my family all right?”
“Everyone is alive if a little battered,” Jess answered. “The pirates saw us coming and ran. I’ve told your parents that you are safe.” She turned to Jon. “Vadryzka Frieda says that you and I are to stay at the village for now. We are to go there as soon as Tiffney is able.”
“Very good,” Jon answered.
“Will they come back?”
“The rest of our Vadryz will make sure that they do not,” Jess informed her. “How they managed to reach your village without detection is anybody’s guess. We’re far enough inland.”
“Lucky that Ryzcka Leon ordered patrols in depth,” said Jon, “we’ve not had duty in this ward for a long time and he wanted detailed surveys inland. We had no idea that slavers could get here. I suppose we might have guessed but we of the Vada have never claimed to be omnipotent. Looks like the slavers have changed their tactics. The coastal villages and towns are too well defended and everyone there is on their guard so they’re using the rivers to get further inland to reach the less well defended areas.”
Jess managed to keep her composure. She didn’t like hearing about families disappearing. It rang too close to home.
“So what now Jon?” she asked.
“We take this young lady back to her family, Tiffney, isn’t it?”
She nodded, suppressing with difficulty a shiver. How does he know my name? I never told him.
“She can ride Mlei. I’ll be glad to stretch my legs,” offered Jess.
Tiffney was glad to accept, she had grave doubts about her ability to place one foot in front of the other. She stood up. Jess saw a tall, slight young woman of perhaps her own age or a little older, just the age to be a prime target for slavers. They never took the old or the very young.
Jess helped her to mount and walked her back to the village while Jon and Delya ran ahead.
Tiffney regarded Jess, “why has your uniform got white piping on it while the man’s is silver?”
“I’m a cadet on training attachment. Jon is a full vadeln and serves in the Fifteenth Ryzck,” she explained as she gave Tiffney a thoughtful look. Mlei had told her that Tiffney had been able to ‘hear’ Jon and Delya ‘speaking’ to one another and Jon was wondering if she might be able to find out more about the ability. She decided that the direct approach was best.
“Have you heard Lind talking inside your head before?” she asked as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
Tiffney shook her head. “I’ve never been this close to a Lind before. Father told me that this was a safe area and that we lived too far from the coast to be in any danger. The Vada seldom come this way.”
“I think you’ll find that has changed,” Jess answered. “You’ll be seeing a lot more of us from now on. Can you ‘hear’ me and Mlei ‘talking’ together?”
“A bit. It’s not as clear as before between Jon and his Lind and I can’t make out your words clearly.”
: She will be at Vada by season’s end : prophesised Mlei.
Tiffney did not ‘hear’ this; she was wondering what her mother would say if she learned that she could hear peoples’ thoughts. She’ll think I’m as mad as a hatter!
The village was a hive of industry. Tiffney’s mother was helping a man in Vada maroon bandage old Gavin’s head and her father was organising the roundup of the dispersed livestock.
“Kettle’s on the boil,” said her mother, looking up, “get out of those wet things then make the kala.”
Jess was shocked and Mlei was equally surprised : Well! Does she not realise that her daughter almost died back there? She didn’t even ask how she was! :
As Tiffney slid off Mlei’s back Jess could see through the open door some girls, smaller than Tiffney, putting the mess left by the pirates to rights.
“Tiffney has had a shock,” said Jess to the woman, “perhaps she should lie down for a while. She nearly drowned up there.”
“She’ll be all right,” was the less than soothing reply, “good for her to be kept busy. You wet? If you are, change your clothes too. The wind has a biting chill to it. Go sit over there on the bench by the barn. That’s where you’ll be spending the night anyway. We’re not to be left alone here until there’s proof positive that the pirates are gone. Tiffney will bring some hot kala to you. Go.”
Jess and Mlei went. Jon and Delya were inside the barn, the former changing out of his wet clothes.
“Quite a determined woman,” he commented, “care to guess who wears the trousers in that cabin?”
Jess laughed and settled down to wait.
: Delya says that the woman cannot understand how the slavers got so far inland. She is worried that they will come back and is wondering if she should move the family further from the coast : Mlei told her.
: She told Delya this? :
: No, Delya says she picked it out of her mind :
: Like mother like daughter. I wonder how they were missed when the unattached Lind went seeking. I don’t think Tiffney knows that her mother also has latent telepathic abilities :
: They come from the islands not long ago :
: That’s why they were missed, they weren’t here :
: They moved here to the mainland to get away from the pirate threat :
: Mlei, ask Delya to bespeak Jon to ask him what he thinks we should do about it? :
“Nothing,” said Jon himself as he emerged from the barn, warm and dry once more. “We are not here to interfere in the lives of other people Cadet Jess. Leave well be. Tiffney’s mother might have her own reasons for wanting to keep separate from the Lind and the Vada.”
“But it seems such a waste,” complained Jess, “I’m sure she would be great if she got the chance.”
“Some people don’t want it.”
“Has she said that she doesn’t?” countered Jess. “Is her mother deciding for her? That’s not right if she is.” : Mlei, has the flag ever been raised in this village? :
: Not to my knowledge :
“Don’t interfere Jess,” Jon warned.
Jess and Mlei had a very close bonding so it was not surprising that Mlei put two and two together and made four of it.
Jess was sitting in the straw in the barn, gazing at the night skies and wondering if her parents, brother and sisters were looking at the same stars where they were.
It was evening before he turned his head towards her (Jon was asleep, tired out after the exertions of the day and Tiffney’s family were in their cabin with double bars on the door and windows) and asked the question : Do you want me to try to speak with the girl? :
: Yes :
Jess was most decided on this. Jon had forbidden her to interfere but she couldn’t help it. There was so much unhappiness in the world and she felt sure that Tiffney, given the chance would want to vadeln-pair with a Lind and reach out for the same loving bond that she and Mlei shared.
: Tiffney says that she will talk with us in the morning :
: Good : replied Jess as she closed her eyes.
It was Tiffney’s mother who brought their break of fast meal over to the barn the next morning. Jess was disappointed it wasn’t Tiffney herself.
“How is Tiffney after her ordeal yesterday?” she asked, accepting the tray.
“My daughter will be spending the day inside,” she answered. “I think it best that she is kept quiet and she agrees with me.”
I’ll bet my last shilling that she doesn’t, thought the uncharitable Jess and Mlei agreed.
: The woman wants us to go. She thinks that we are more of a threat to her and hers than are the pirates :
: Does she know that Tiffney can hear you? :
There was a pause.
: Not Tiffney, a boy, her eldest son. She loves him and does not wish to lose him. She wishes us gone although she is grateful for what we have done :
It was Tiffney who brought them their lunch, she explaining that her mother had much to do and that she would not be able to bring over any other meals. “Mother has said that I am to stay away from you,” she whispered to Jess. “She says you’re leaving in the morning?”