Highland Healer

by Florence Love Karsner

  So, the healer began to tell her tale of woe. Even to herself, it seemed so impossible that she found herself in this position. Up to this point she had led such a simple, relatively easy life with Uncle Wabi and her friends.

  CHAPTER 9

  On the night Caitlin left Skye, she had packed the bare necessities, plus her medicine bag. Not knowing where she was going but confident in her decision to do so, she stopped just long enough to write a quick note to Uncle Wabi.

  As it was, her mind couldn't stop replaying the scene in the pub, The Wild Boar, in the north end of their village. She had gone there to purchase a bottle of the mulberry wine that Uncle Wabi enjoyed. The pub kept a ready supply of the wine as one of the local women made it and sold it to them. Caitlin sometimes made it for Wabi, but would buy it from the pub owner when she was too busy to make a batch herself. It was simply a concoction made from mulberries, which were allowed to ferment, and infused with a bit of honey in the process. It was quite tasty and Uncle Wabi did prefer it to others.

  Caitlin entered the pub, then called out as the bartender was nowhere to be seen. There were only a handful of customers sitting at small tables with a lighted candle on each one. Caitlin knew most of them and nodded at each one as she passed their tables.

  Her voice rang out.

  "Hello? Thomas, are you here?"

  There was no reply, so she walked behind the counter and made her way to the quarters located in the rear of the pub. She had been back here before when she tended Thomas. He had been gored by a wild boar a number of years ago, and she had come to his rescue. Actually, that was when he changed the name of the pub from The Scarlet Rooster to The Wild Boar. He thought it seemed more appropriate and his regulars found it an entertaining name.

  Thomas recovered well, but was left with a limp he constantly complained about and it prevented his getting in a hurry about going anywhere. Caitlin had admonished him to be thankful he still lived! A wound from a boar can be rather nasty, and she remembered working diligently to keep infection from setting in. Thomas was not one to be thankful for much of anything, however. He was a dour personality for sure.

  As she came to a door that was ajar, she was about to knock and enter when she heard voices coming from inside the room. She recognized Thomas' voice and actually the other one as well, Lord Warwick. The lord was a British landowner who owned much of the lands in this area and was a most despicable person in her opinion. Caitlin recalled Uncle Wabi losing his temper when he discovered the lord had swindled several of the local farmers out of their lands because they were behind on their taxes. The lord had political influence in all the right places, and now those farmers had no lands or homes and had left Skye trying to find someplace where they could make a living.

  Uncle Wabi still fumed about the incident even today and he disliked the lord with a passion. Actually he threatened to "turn him into the toad that he is!" Uncle Wabi was forever going on about those who had powers, unknown to them, until such time as they are needed. Caitlin smiled just remembering her uncle's words and his very red face!

  As Caitlin stood outside the door, the conversation continued.

  "Oh, aye, your Lordship, there be more than two dozen supporters of the Bonnie Prince, and they be organized too, if ye ken my meanin.' They meet regularly too, sir, right here in my pub. I see them puttin' their heads together and they stop their talkin' if I come by. Give me a minute. Let me check and see if any of 'em are here tonight."

  The barkeeper, not aware the door was ajar, pushed it open quickly and ran head long into Caitlin as she was standing immediately on the other side and had heard everything that was said.

  Caitlin was trying to decide whether to pretend she hadn't overheard their conversation. She had never been good at hiding her thoughts and feelings, however.

  Thomas, being a rather large, rotund, bear of a man, bearded and always in need of a haircut and a bath, stared down at Caitlin. It was obvious from the look on her face that she had heard everything he and Lord Warwick had said. So, now Caitlin knew Thomas was working with the British and was a traitor to his own people!

  Her expression revealed her thoughts, so she turned quickly about and dashed out the pub door, overturning a chair as she ran past the counter.

  She ran as fast as her legs would carry her, and was greatly relieved when she reached Uncle Wabi's property.

  "Holy Rusephus!" she exclaimed to herself as she quickly closed the door of her home that she shared with her uncle.

  "Thomas is a traitor to his own people! Oh, that unspeakable wretch!"

  She had always known Thomas wasn't a man of particularly high moral character. And he had a reputation for bashing women about from time to time. There was even a rumor that suggested he was responsible for the death of a traveler who came into the pub flashing a bit too much coin. The traveler's body was found some months later when the waters receded from the pond at the edge of town. Thomas had been seen plying the man with drink and making conversation with him at the pub. However, there was never any evidence to prove he had committed the crime.

  Caitlin, even though she had saved his life, had never liked the man and had never made that a secret. So, she knew without doubt she was in danger from this loathsome being. In fact, probably anyone associated with her was also in danger.

  As far as family, there was only Uncle Wabi, as all the others had passed on long ago. But she had a number of friends and Thomas would have no compunction about harming them. Of that she was certain. She would leave a note for Uncle Wabi and ask him to explain the situation to her friends so they would watch our for Thomas. Time was of the essence. She must leave at once.

  "Well, then, Miss Caitlin, this is a fine mess you've created for yourself!"

  She twirled her fingers in the strands of hair that had escaped from her morning pinning. In her bag, Caitlin included a small blanket and a change of clothing. Then, after finishing the note to Uncle Wabi and pushing it under his bedroom door, she reached into the closet in the foyer and took one of his long cloaks with a hood attached. She was about to leave, then had gone back to the closet and taken a small staff that was kept there also. Wabi had several and used them when walking in the woods with his dogs, so Caitlin thought maybe she might need one also, considering she was going to be walking in the woods for who knew how long. This particular staff was unique in that it had etchings that covered the entire surface of the piece.

  Caitlin didn't know if these etchings were a language that she didn't recognize. They weren't Gaelic, and certainly not English. Perhaps they were some sort of hieroglyphics. She would need to ask Uncle Wabi about this one day. Finally, she wrapped her plaid about herself, then put the cloak on, hoping it would hide her mass of bright red hair and help her stay hidden. Then she disappeared into the night. Only the owl in the birch tree was aware of her departure, and he kept that secret to himself.

  * * *

  Caitlin looked at Alex to see if he was still listening, as he had not uttered one word since she began her long saga. The look on his face told her he had gotten every word of her story and was ready to hear more!

  "Well, to make this long story a bit shorter, after I made my way through several nights of walking and hiding in the day time, I came upon a habitable, small cottage. The thatched roof was in good shape and, from the looks of it, the cottage had been uninhabited for quite some time. So, with nothing better on the horizon, I took up residence in the cottage and began to use my healing skills to help the soldiers coming from the areas nearby. Some were local men who needed tending only slightly, but most of them were coming from Culloden, as were you and your brothers. Well, as my wonderful luck would have it, some of these young men had spent time in the bogs and marshes at some point and apparently gotten infected with malaria. It's more common in warm climates, but we have our share of the disease here, also.

  "Oh, aye. My Mam took care of some with that illness, a long time ago it was. But she said malaria was a dread
ful disease and hoped to never see it again." Alex could remember that time well enough.

  "Most of the young men did not survive, and it broke my heart to see them die off, one by one. But, they were so far gone by the time they got to me that there wasn't much I could do except try to keep them from leaving until they were well enough to move on. We still don't know if it's contagious, but until we do, healers will try to keep them apart from others. One of the young men was a soldier whose father was a Regimental Commander, a Commander Campbell, his name was. He had asked me to help these men, and I did everything possible within my power.

  "This commander has convinced himself I'm some kind of witch and I put a spell on his son and the other young men. He refused to see that nothing could have saved them. In his mind I am totally responsible for the death of his son and he has sworn to see me burn for my witchcraft! So, as soon as I could get away, I left and was once again looking for a place of safety.

  "This cave actually has turned out to be such a place, at least so far. But I don't doubt that Commander Campbell will continue to search for me. He's not a man to easily be deterred and will certainly try to find me. And that, my Highland friend, is how I came to be here in this magnificent dwelling!"

  She spoke with a smile in her voice, but she knew this Highlander was perceptive enough to sense she was more than just a bit disturbed at the circumstances in which she found herself.

  "So lass, it would seem that ye are being pursued by an evil English lord, a ruthless barkeep, and a grief-stricken military man. Well, now. That's a bit of trouble I would think, meself."

  Alex found himself already trying to figure out how to assist this woman who had saved Ian's life and who was occupying much of his thoughts these days. She had told her story in such a manner that one would have thought she was speaking of another. It was almost as if it were a story about an acquaintance. But, Alex sensed her distress and now had to decide on his reaction to what he had learned. She had been instrumental in helping his family, so maybe he could come up with a plan for her as well. As was known about him, strategy was his greatest strength.

  CHAPTER 10

  Wabi rose early, stood up and stretched his long legs and arms, feeling just a bit of arthritis; but all in all he was able to do most everything he wanted. He pulled on his pants and shirt and laced up his old boots as he planned to go hiking through the woods with his latest trainee, one from Mrs. Love's latest litters. Old man Love had died a few years back, but Mrs. Love continued to raise the hunting dogs as had her husband. They were an excellent breed, Gordon Setters, and getting a pup from the Love line meant the dog would be one of the finest hunting dogs. Mr. Love had always engaged Wabi to train the dogs as he seemed to have a fine rapport with animals. Both Wabi and the dogs liked this arrangement, so he spent quite a bit of his time outdoors with these beautiful animals.

  Wabi reached for his glasses, which he truly needed these days, and sat down to read the note he had found on his bedroom floor, just inside the door. For the second time, he re-read Caitlin's note with a sinking heart, and sat back down on the edge of the bed.

  "Why didn't she tell me in person? I could have helped her!"

  The old man was so furious that his first thought was to get himself over The Wild Boar and take care of Thomas.

  "That black-hearted devil. He deserves to return to the evil that spawned him! Well, Thomas, my friend, it's been a long time, but I can still manage to create havoc when I need to, and creating something special for you will be a pleasure!"

  With that, Wabi walked outside and stood under the blackthorn tree. Immediately, a great horned owl swooped down and sat on his shoulder, just for a moment, then took to the sky and was lost in the darkness.

  Uncle Wabi had cared for Caitlin since she was about ten years old. Such a delight she was at that age! She had such curiosity about the natural world, the animals, the flora and fauna and anything to do with healing. Her quick mind was stimulating for an old man who had seen much in his day and still had much to contribute to others. But, she had never exhibited any interest in that other world, one in which he himself had spent several lifetimes. He knew that his lives were usually spent in conjunction with those who required some tutoring in the "special arts," but so far, Caitlin had not shown any behaviors to indicate she was led in that direction.

  Now, however, whether she wished it or not, Wabi may have to resort to his kind of intervention. Caitlin had left, it seemed, in order to avoid his becoming a target for Thomas and Lord Warwick. Well, that probably would not stop Thomas if he were intent on causing harm. But, dealing with Thomas was not much of a task for this old wizard, nor was dealing with the lord, as far as that went. He was just another wealthy idiot!

  Wabi had forgotten how satisfying it could be, assisting one he cared about. Perhaps he was still useful after all. But, he would proceed slowly to prevent Caitlin from experiencing any undue stress. She was a most independent woman and an intelligent one as well. She would not especially thank him for taking over when she already had things well in hand. But did she? Wabi would ask Owl for regular reports and proceed only when he was truly needed.

  Caitlin had been dealt a rather difficult hand from day one thought Wabi. But, if she had not, it probably would not have been necessary for him to be in her life. Her mother, a delightful woman by anyone's standards, had been so excited when she discovered she was going to have a babe. She had been one of only two children and had so hoped she would have many children and be part of a family that celebrated occasions, held ceilidhs, those wonderful gatherings with lots of dancing and celebrating, and which christened babies and carried on traditions that families did. Apparently, that was not to be as she died shortly after Caitlin's birth. Unable to cope with his grief, Caitlin's father had left the country headed to the West Indies. The grandparents, her father's parents, did very well with caring for Caitlin for a few years, but as they passed away, it was left to Wabi to take the reins; of course, he already knew that was his purpose this time around.

  This small child kept his mind active, and he reveled in teaching her how animals behave, teaching her about the heavenly bodies, instructing her in mathematics, at which she excelled, and even helped her dabble in the arts such as painting, and a bit of pottery. She moved rapidly through all her studies, but was more interested in taking care of a broken bird's wing, or removing a small animal from a trap and tending its wounds than anything else.

  Wabi understood his purpose was to help Caitlin develop her special talents, but she never seemed interested when he would suggest she learn some of the basics, such as lighting a candle with a nod of your head, or causing a rainstorm when you were angry, just a few examples of easily learned skills. He had actually performed these particular feats in her presence, but she never even questioned he could do them, and never asked him to teach her how. It was as if she just expected he could do some things others could not.

  One thing was evident to him. She was aware of her exceptional sense of smell. That particular trait ran in her family of healers as far back as anyone could remember. Of course, Wabi also knew that most "called ones" carried this trait. He always thought that maybe Caitlin would one day come to realize this was just one of her many talents, and perhaps she would. But, all his students over the many eons had come into their own when the time was right, and he knew Caitlin would also. Sometimes it took some distressing event or two to jolt them into action. So, he had continued to teach her as much as possible when she was young and she had blossomed under his tutelage.

  When she had requested she be allowed to spend time with Morag, the old village healer, Wabi had no qualms about agreeing to this arrangement. Old Morag had been around a long time, and Wabi recognized her as being of his kind also. It appeared that sometimes the Creator worked in mysterious ways. But, she would be safe with Morag and perhaps Caitlin needed some female influence in her life as well. So, between Wabi and Morag, Caitlin had been exposed to some very fine
instruction and had become a very knowledgeable healer.

  The only problem that occasionally brought the two to loggerheads was Caitlin's temper. As a young child, she was often catered to by grandparents and then Wabi, too, indulged her fairly often.

  "But, Uncle Wabi! I don't want to go to bed! It's early still and if I play outside just a while longer the bull bats will swoop down and chase me! It's so much fun!"

  "Caitlin, we've been through this already. You've got school tomorrow and that means you've got to be in bed — now!" The schooling being offered was rudimentary, but being with other children would be good for her in Wabi's opinion.

  If he sometimes had to refuse some request she made, she was given to a snit of temper, stomping her foot and turning red in the face. Wabi usually stood his ground, and she learned he couldn't be budged on some issues. Another learning experience was how Wabi liked to think of it.

  CHAPTER 11

  Alex stood up, placing his mug on the table. "I thank ye kindly, Caitlin. Tea and cake will take me quite a ways, I believe. Now, I'll be on my way to see that my brothers are completing their tasks. And they will. Ye can count on them."

  Caitlin wished he would stay longer, but couldn't think of a reason to keep him there. He walked to the front of the cave, and Willie accompanied him to the door. He reached down and stroked the creature, much like he did Lord and Lady, his own dogs.

  Caitlin called out to him, "Bring Ian some clothes when you come tomorrow. If you remember, we had to cut his pants off, and I don't think he'll like it much if we don't dress him properly before you leave for home!" Alex waved as he mounted and trotted off.

  Caitlin smiled as her new friend departed, and she truly felt he was just that. He was a thoughtful, intelligent man and she did so enjoy being with him.