by J P Nelson
“There is much work to be---”
The door slammed open as a crewman of the Qua’Korr spoke with alarm, “A deersleigh pulled by four caribou is sighted coming across the big ice from the east!”
Miserable, Fhascully sat straight up, “What?”
Huffman slapped the table in exclamation, making Fhascully jump, “It is Klaus, from Johnstone.” He looked around toward the kitchen, “Ma-ma?!” He looked back around, “I forget, Ma-ma is to bed. It is four, maybe three years. Klaus come and say he come back to have toys for children. He wants make trade for much our good cheese.”
Fhascully put his glasses back on and said with sarcasm into the air, “Great …” then to Kravieu, “Please, get him here straightway.”
The big man was escorted into the Bon Ton where he saw Fhascully at table, and a cup of strange liquid in front of an empty chair. The seated man gave a tired smile, waved to the chair, and said, “Good morning, Klaus. You are in time for your medicine. Take seat as we speak.”
Fhascully began to explain, then paused to tap the table in front of Klaus’s cup to say, “Trust me, you must drink this warm, or you will not be able to stomach it … unless you are a dog … the dogs like it in any fashion.”
Klaus took the cup between fingers and examined it carefully.
Kravieu remarked, “You want to imbibe this brew, quickly. Give no time for taste.”
He threw it back and drank as quickly as he could, then leaned forward and his eyes became big as he tilted his head, then looked hard at Fhascully. Klaus then reached to his side and took out a flask, swished his mouth out with the liquid and took another drank of the liquor.
Kravieu looked to Fhascully who looked back at him. Both held their hands open to each other.
Klaus remarked, “Brandy make the medicine better.” He stared at Fhascully, “I see you in a dream. You are fighting a tree.”
Fhascully wrinkled his brow, “No, no trees fighting me here.”
“Where is Commodore Jha’Ley?”
Fhascully and Kravieu looked to each other again. The former replied, “I do not know.”
Between Fhascully and Kravieu, Klaus was brought up to speed on the events of the last year. The man in the buckskins listened carefully and declared, “When you go, I will go with you. I have skill with medicine. I will help. First, I must give toys to Adan.”
Kravieu was quiet, “Adan passed on yesterday afternoon. He did not like the taste of the remedy.”
Kravieu walked outside with Klaus and got some men to help unload his sleigh. As they walked out the door, Fhascully removed his glasses and dropped his weary head to the table with a thunk.
Kravieu insisted Fhascully lay down that evening, if for only one moment in his room of the quarters they shared. The man complied, saying, “But only one moment.” He woke up ten hours later to sounds of movement in the room.
Kravieu placed a pail of steaming water in the middle of the floor and said, “Bathe yourself, Franklin, you stink. You shan't depart these boarders afore your animals pass of the aroma. Hurry with you, the morning meal is in preparation.”
Fhascully looked to the steaming pail of water, then began removing his clothes in an absent-minded manner. He was in the midst of lifting his tunic when he stopped and gave Kravieu the eye, “Shall you tarry to watch?”
Giving a disgusted face, Kravieu responded, “You are ugly and male … I would sooner watch swine roll in the mud. Make haste, will you, we wish to break fast.”
Fhascully watched the door close, then commenced undressing.
In the front room a hearty meal of crispy edged buckwheat flapjacks, just they way he loved them, maple syrup mixed with butter, eggs as an omelet with cheese and onion, and a drink … tea … green tea … awaited him.
Kravieu was there, sitting at the table, one leg neatly crossed over the other, one arm slung over the back of his chair, sipping buttermilk as Kaeya was cooking. Fhascully rubbed his freshly shaved jowls, dabbing at a couple of nicks when he noticed a commotion outside.
As he looked to the still covered window Kravieu made the comment, “We cannot get you to bed, cannot get you up, you are like unto a slouch and vagabond.” He grinned and nodded to a chair, “Will you not take seat and give us a joining?”
Nodding to the window, Kravieu added, “They are preparing for your journey into the mountains.”
Still quiet, still half asleep, Fhascully reverently touched the freshly poured mug of tea and brought it to his lips. He had to fight in order to keep the people from burning all the tea in the community. He secured the packets from the Dohdy House. It needed to be researched … somehow. The rest, which could be found, had been burned on one of the pyres with the deceased.
In only the three, now four days, since the discovery of the plague, ten percent of the town’s population had died. There would be more throughout the region, but Fhascully believed the worst was over, at least here in Grindstaff.
It took a whole day to stabilize an infected person, but the remedy was working. Of any now lost, it was because they refused to be treated. There was nothing he could do about that. He had learned much, now to get out and backtrack. Fhascully’s gut feeling was the back-trail was going to be bad, really bad.
They needed to get going.
Fhascully lingered with his tea. He looked to Kaeya, who had been quiet but attentive. It was nice to have someone do a little thing for him. He wasn’t used to it. He glanced to Kravieu; weeks had become months, and months had now become years, since his sister had passed. Etmond did not speak of her, but he missed her dearly.
Fhascully wondered if there could ever be anyone like that for him. Nah! He did not know how to show tenderness, and besides … there was that from long ago.
It was time.
Fhascully would drive a deersleigh with a team of four caribou. Serge had proven to be an excellent shot, and would ride with him.
Klaus had his magnificent sleigh and his own four-deer team. The man was of deadly aim with his composite long bow, and would serve his own fire-power. He had his own companion, an apprentice named Christopher, who would handle the lines if need be.
Assis would go as a guide and was ready with his dogs and sled. Five more men were ready with dogs and sleds, as well. Three of these were well-armed crewmen of the Qua’Korr. In two winters they had become efficient at mushing. All were well supplied and laden with new skins made for wine, now filled with the precious remedy. What they had would not cure Woolburg, but it would make a start as harvesting of the spruce needles and other ingredients commenced.
Assis knew Maxell’s route, and the group travelled hard. Twice they came upon small communities, not even large enough to be called a village, only to find desolation. Even the scavengers had not ravaged the bodies. Fhascully found that to be interesting.
He said, “Come, we can return to deal the remains. With hope, there is living awaiting us.”
They were circling a ridge in a steady climb into the mountain forest, when a barrage of deadfall fell into Fhascully’s sleigh, smashing the body and sending the precious skins of medicine down the hill. He and Serge were sent sprawling and a small band of brigands suddenly emerged from among the trees. It was a perfectly well set ambush.
Fhascully came up with sword in hand and saw Klaus draw his sleigh to a sudden stop several rods back. A horn sounded and what must be dozens of human men attacked from the forest.
But before a blade could be swung … a swirling trail of sleet laden wind came from among the trees and smashed from brigand to brigand, hitting six with scathing and flesh rending force, knocking them off their feet. The effect became a tornado of snow, catching four of the bandits and hurling them in varied directions to hit trees with sickening thuds.
The tornado condensed to reveal a woman seemingly clad in crystal armor, kneeling on her right knee, head down, right palm to the ground, left hand flung back with a clenched fist.
She suddenly stood, whirled in a right
-wise spin and flung her right arm around, as what appeared to be a volley of ice daggers hurtled in an arc to find their marks in brigand bodies. Her left hand crossed her torso as a lance of ice formed in her right hand. Taking careful aim, she threw the lance forty rods into one taking aim with a crossbow.
Thrusting her left palm forward, a bolt of silvery ice lightning struck five more, who then exploded into frozen pieces of flesh and bone. All of this taking place in a matter of seconds.
One brigand was left, sitting on the snowy ground where he had fallen and staring as with a crackling sound, the crystal dissipated to reveal a beautiful woman dressed in buckskin clothing, long black hair flowing in the wind to reveal points of her ears.
The man gasped in recognition, “I … thought you left the region, not to return.”
Her reply was as cold as frost, “Not hardly.”
She extended her left hand toward him, fingertips forward and palm up, and raised her hand as a small cyclone of white lifted him sixty feet into the air … then she turned away as he screamed and fell upon the rocks of the ground.
Walking toward the men of the damaged sleigh, she spoke in a tone of authority, “I seek he who is called Fhascully, I am U’Lahna.”
Chapter 38
FROM THE MOMENT of the crash, unto U’Lahna’s mention of Fhascully’s name, less than one minute transpired. His own sword was drawn, ready to engage. Serge had just brought his crossbow around to fire and Klaus had readied his own bow. Assis and the other man in front could be seen running down the bend with weapons drawn.
The other mushers came up and Fhascully made dry comment to the Qua’Korr fellows, “You are late. Quickly, see to the skins,” he indicated down the ridge embankment while keeping eye on their sudden company, “with hopes they are not damaged.”
U’Lahna had already assessed the situation and was moving to the two caribou injured from the crash. “Give pause to sudden action, your team requires care.”
“Lady, I gave no consideration of making assault.”
Fhascully sheathed his sword and held a hand toward Serge as he hastened to the deer. Klaus was also hurrying forward. The former asked the woman, “How is it you know the Merceil, and yonder brigand spoke it well, also?”
She had put her hand to the first caribou, a gaping wound upon his flank. He became calm as she closed her eyes, breathed deeply, then the wound closed and sealed as if it never were.
Fhascully noticed she seemed to be tiring. As she stepped over the busted sleigh to get to the other injured creature, lying in his tracks with a broken leg, she made the comment, “Parishymarr, what you call the Merceil, is an ancient language and one of those first spoken by humans. It is unchanged and still given utterance in these mountains, even unto the Ch’Hahnju realm.”
His eyebrows raised, “Really? My associate and friend, Kravieu would find such to be amazing.”
“We have spoken … give to assistance.”
They unfastened the creature and laid him out. Fhascully would have thought it necessary to put them both down, but not what with he was seeing. He was fascinated.
U’Lahna put hands to the deer and it too became calm, then its leg contorted for a moment as popping sounds could be heard. Within moments the leg was well.
Fhascully was fascinated, but Klaus was in a state of reverence. With a deep bow he spoke to U’Lahna in a beautiful sing-song language Fhascully did not understand.
The two conversed for a time, and then she nodded. Both looked to his sleigh and they conversed some more.
Klaus then turned to Fhascully, “We will hitch your four to my rig. Then we shall proceed to Woolburg.”
Fhascully had his hands up, “Wait-to-hoy … what is going on?”
“Oh, yes. You do not understand the language of The People, the Elvish. The Lady of the Forest will explain as we make transfer.”
One of the men down the embankment called out, “Mister Fhascully, the skins are all intact sir.”
“Splendid. I would venture, we need divide the load, place what we can upon Mister Klaus’s sleigh.”
“Aye sir.”
Glancing back to U’Lahna he asked, “Now … you say you are looking for me … and you have spoken with Kravieu?”
“This is true.” U’Lahna reached a hand out toward the forest, then a waft of billowing snow carried first a cloak, behind it a backpack, and then a spear through the trees. She slid her arms into the cloak as the backpack laid to her feet. The spear thrust itself butt down beside her as the snow flurry drifted away.
She handed Fhascully a small scroll, “I am to present you this.”
He untied the cord and read the missive.
Franklin,
You will be pleased to bear knowledge, Grindstaff is understood to be safe from danger.
No new casualty has been rendered in the past two days.
Well Done,
Etmond
Fhascully was visibly pleased. Looking up, he asked U’Lahna, “But why are you seeking me?”
They glanced at the effort centered on the other sleigh, then looked at each other. Fhascully noticed she had the most beautiful green eyes he had ever seen. He became enamored with her raw appeal. She was the perfect composition of nature brought together in human … well, Elvin… form. She must be a half-foot over five and perhaps a bit more, perfectly structured … based on what he had seen in her buckskins … hair down to her waist and seemed to be alive, a face which radiated intelligence, and a voice rich in tones of an alto singer.
U’Lahna reeked with the power of nature. To Fhascully’s thoughts, she was perfect, and he had just met her. He thought, ‘I am in love. Should I declare myself, would she run to the ends of Aeshea with me this moment? I am ready.’
Wait, she was speaking, “In time past, the man Maxell lent me aid in war with a foe, a once Druid who embraced vampiric path. Of recent years he wished me make gift of a puppy for a girl-child whose father had made sleep. I gave of my father’s breed, such as elves once used for herding of cattle and goats.”
Fhascully remembered how Leanne came to give him a big hug before he boarded the sleigh. Harley was there also, not totally well, but happy with a wagging tail. The dog had barked in demand for Fhascully to reach down and give him petting. In exchange, he was rewarded with a good cheek and ear licking.
“Promise was made to at later time render female of such breed, so as to raise these in the region of Grindstaff. Three weeks past, I made way through Kresses to share words with Lord Loris, son of the regent; he wove tale the Battle of Stevens. Captain Ervis, Qua’Korr, and your name were made mention with grand favor.
“Such words gave me recount promise of female puppy. So it was I sojourned to Grindstaff, making arrival of but four days your departure.”
Fhascully was amazed, “But that was … how did you acquire our position so quickly?” Then he thought of the wind.
“I made speak with Harley, and girl, and many others. Kravieu disclosed intended traverse of your trail.”
“But …”
“The girl shall care for puppy and raise breed by instruction such as I have given.”
Serge yelled, “Mister Fhascully, we are ready.”
There was a twinkle in U’Lahna’s eye as she asked the man,
“Are you ready Fhascully, for proceed forward according to your design?”
The man began to open his mouth, then thought, ‘What … did she mean by that?!’
The order of travelling configuration was changed, with Klaus and his eight-caribou sleigh in front. Fhascully and U’Lahna would ride with him. The sled teams were lined up close behind. Assis discussed some things with U’Lahna and with all loaded and ready, they cast off.
Fhascully took note her steps left no mark upon the ground. The snow itself seemed to give gently under her weight, then returned as she stepped to new placement of foot.
Klaus snapped the reins according to her direction as they began moving at a strong clip. U’Lahn
a opened her right palm in front of her, half closed her eyes in concentration, then began to hum.
Suddenly, the front deer began to rise up in the air, as if running up the steady incline of a bridge. Higher they went as Klaus’s eyes grew wide and Fhascully grabbed the edge of his seat. Whipping his eyes behind, Fhascully saw the sleds were following the same path. The men were aghast, but the animals seemed to be elated.
In moments they were flying level above the tree tops. Cr’Sopher exclaimed with exhilaration, “Master Klaus, imagine taking the toys in this manner … you could travel all over the world!”
Fhascully and Klaus both looked to the apprentice as if insane.
With great sarcasm Fhascully added, “And I suppose you could find elves to make thousands of these toys?”
To this, U’Lahna was startled and glanced in admonition to Fhascully. Her concentration was momentarily lost as the flight took an unexpected dip, the runners of the sleigh brushing the tree-line as everyone yelled. Her own eyes grew large at impending disaster as she quickly refocused, and the airborne convoy rose back to a safe altitude.
The ground below whisked by as they looked for the third small settlement on Maxell’s route. They found it and landed, but the story was same as the prior two. U’Lahna had come across the previous and had burned all remains.
She explained, “Creatures of wild are to much immune, those of domestication are not. Tame living weakens much … the muscles, verve of life, soul, resilience of what humans call germ. Scavengers leave these bodies alone, but humans may come and take sickness. To burn brings body back unto natural way.”
Getting the bodies in order, she suddenly smelled something in the wind. She pointed up on an overlooking ledge, “There, upon rise is man. I smell sickness.”
As men rushed upward to find the victim, U’Lahna reached into a side pouch and pulled out some dust. Flinging it over the bodies, flame engulfed the pyre.