by Jacinta Jade
Siray pressed her lips together tightly. So she hadn’t fallen asleep. They had drugged her.
It was beginning to be a pattern with these Resistance members, she thought darkly.
As she looked around the little hut, she firmly decided that she needed to leave. Get outside. Do something, so she could then decide what to do next.
Just as she was considering whether to hop or crawl from the hut, Siray spotted a wooden staff in the corner of the room and, standing up, oriented herself in its direction. Taking a slow, deep breath, she gathered herself and began hopping across the room towards that corner.
Halfway across the room, while she was in mid-hop, a knock on the door to the hut came, followed by it being opened a moment later.
Siray landed and swayed, splaying her arms out for balance as she fought to keep from falling over. After she was finally sure she wasn’t going to tip over, she twisted to peer through the light falling through the open door, which silhouetted a figure standing there.
A figure with a grey beard, and bright, snowy-white hair.
The old male smiled at her. ‘Ah. Taking your exercise, I see,’ he said, his voice smooth and gentle.
Siray kept her face carefully neutral as she looked at him.
For his part, the old man moved in from the doorway to take a seat on a trunk that was beside the hut door. Once settled, he looked back at Siray and smiled in his easy manner again.
‘You’ll forgive me for not asking permission to come in, but my bones are old and won’t put up with me standing too long these days.’
Siray was still scrutinising the old man but was beginning to feel ridiculous standing in the middle of the hut on one leg. She looked back at the wooden staff still leaning against the corner of the hut and promptly hopped across to it, reaching out to grasp it and pull it close to her body.
Now able to better support her weight on that side, she shifted awkwardly on the spot to face the old man again.
‘You’re the one who drugged me,’ she said, accusingly.
The old male sighed. ‘I am sorry, my dear, but I was forced to do so based on the highest rules that govern me.’ He smiled apologetically.
Siray frowned at him. ‘And what rules are those?’
The male waved his hand around at the room in general. ‘The rules of patient care, of course.’
Siray blinked in surprise and, as his meaning sank in, relaxed a little. The ageing male was a healer.
He continued speaking to her, his body relaxed but his eyes bright and alert as he considered her from across the room. ‘Although your injury by itself did not warrant knocking you out, it, combined with the shock you were going into, did.’
Siray protested his words. ‘Shock? I wasn’t going into shock.’
The old man smiled even more gently. ‘No? You were in pain, you were exhausted, and you were becoming highly distraught at your friend’s wounds. In my assessment, the best way to keep you calm and to administer both to your wounds, and to your friend, was to dose you.’ He shrugged politely. ‘I did so with a strong, gaseous-based sedative that has no side effects apart from causing a deep, numbing sleep.’ He gestured at Siray’s feet. ‘It also made it easier for me to assess, clean, and dress your wounded foot, a feat that can be tricky with even minor foot wounds. Yours, being particularly nasty, required further cleaning and dipping in jamroot tar to sterilise and seal the wounds.’
Siray looked down at her foot. ‘So that’s the smell.’
The male stood. ‘I would ask you to rest a bit more, my dear, but I imagine that would be pointless until you know how your friend is.’ The old male raised an eyebrow in question.
Siray nodded, growing anxious again as she thought of Baindan. ‘Is he okay? The arrow …’ She trailed off as she remembered the stain that had spread across Baindan’s back.
When she felt a light touch on her shoulder, she jumped slightly and refocused again. In her distraction, she hadn’t even seen or heard the old male cross the room.
‘Do not worry yourself. Worrying will only hinder the healing process, and, as Baindan is recovering quite well, it would also be a needless endeavour.’ The male smiled again and began moving towards the door.
Siray’s mouth fell open slightly, and then she was moving awkwardly forwards. ‘He’s really okay?’
The healer had reached the door and was holding it open for her. He gestured to the world outside, smiling. ‘If you will accompany me, I will show you where he is.’
Siray smiled at the old man, both in relief at Baindan’s condition and in response to his kindness. She moved carefully, keeping her bad foot raised off the ground and hopping along with the support of the wooden staff.
As she moved through the hut’s door, the world outside came into view, and Siray’s eyes widened with wonder. The ground outside the hut was covered in grass so green and lush that Siray wanted to bend down to run her hands over it, just to be sure it was real. She even envied the old man’s bare feet—her feet being ensconced in bandages and a boot.
Looking up from the grass, Siray saw that her hut appeared to be one of many that lined a clearing at the foot of a large hill, beautiful trees swaying in the background. The huts were of various sizes and shapes, obviously built to suit the various needs of the people who lived there or the functions undertaken within. Siray’s hut appeared to be one of the smallest of the structures she could see in the clearing.
Noting her glances, the old healer gestured at Siray’s hut and to similar small ones nearby. ‘Where we tend to the sick or injured, such as yourself.’
He pointed again in a different direction at a large hut at the base of the hill.
‘That is where our commander resides and keeps council.’
Siray nodded. ‘Roalger,’ she stated matter-of-factly.
The old man chuckled. ‘Roalger is actually one of the commander’s lieutenants. You’ll learn the order of everything here soon enough.’
Siray nodded distractedly as she took in the rest of her surroundings. Past the huts, the trees grew thicker to form a forest that covered some smaller hills while leaving others bare. The sun was out and warm on her face, but the cloud-dotted sky, the vibrant green of the grass, and the colours of the forest made Siray think they were higher up than she had first thought.
The old healer strolled easily alongside her, staying ahead just far enough so that he was leading her but not so far ahead that Siray felt like she was following so much as being accompanied.
The male somehow even managed to match his pace to Siray’s slow, hobbling one.
‘I’m sorry—I never asked your name,’ she said ruefully.
The healer gave one of his low chuckles again. ‘No need for apologies, Siray. If anyone should do so, it would have to be me, with you being in a new place and our guest. And I heard Roalger address you by name last night.’ The healer’s beard swayed in the breeze, looking like wafting smoke.
With a smile, he added, ‘But even so, I won’t apologise after all, as having a patient ask your name is a sure sign that their mind is functioning well.’ He tapped his head to emphasise his point. ‘And seeing as you ask, my name is Mandolin. I am the master healer in this camp.’
Siray nodded. It was easy for her to see why Mandolin was a master healer. His gentle manner and eye for detail made him an excellent carer, and she had not missed the fact that Mandolin had continued to observe how she was managing her injury as she hobbled along. Although the master healer appeared relaxed and easy-going, Siray guessed that he had been assessing her injury, her resilience, and her state of mind ever since he had opened the door to her hut. She even thought that he might have foregone to offer to pass her the staff in the hut and offer any assistance on the walk across the clearing just so he could observe her further.
Siray smiled to herself. Mandolin definitely knew his business and knowing that the Resistance had such a talented healer reassured her. A male like Mandolin wouldn’t align himself with
an organisation that didn’t have society’s best interests at heart.
As she and the healer crossed the clearing, Siray began to spot other members of the Resistance going about tasks. Some were building or mending huts, some were carrying water and other supplies, and some were leading younglings about.
Siray paused.
Mandolin, of course, noticed and followed her gaze. ‘Ah, yes. Our young ones. Certainly, they cannot attend a normal cycle class as in the cities, so we provide for their education here. Which is a good thing.’ Mandolin’s brow furrowed into something almost resembling a frown. ‘No doubt with their parentage they will almost all have the special ability that has made so many of us targets for the Faction.’ His eyes then flicked to Siray’s before his brow smoothed out. ‘But I do our commander an injustice by telling you any of this. It will all be explained to you in due course so that you fully understand who we are and why we do what we do.’ Mandolin slowed his steps until he was walking alongside her. ‘And here we are.’
Siray looked up to see that they had made it across the clearing and now stood in front of a hut that was slightly larger than the one Siray was occupying.
Mandolin stepped forwards and ran his fingers lightly along the wooden chimes that hung from the post by the door. The chimes gave off a lovely, soft melody, and the healer stepped back from the doorway.
After a short wait, the door was opened by a young male. Upon seeing Mandolin, he bowed his head once.
‘Siray, meet Loen, one of my assistant healers.’
Siray nodded at Loen.
Mandolin addressed his assistant. ‘Siray would like to visit with Baindan.’
Loen looked to Siray and nodded. ‘Of course. I’m all done with my duties.’ Loen stepped out of the hut doorway and stayed to hold the door open for her.
Siray looked at Mandolin. ‘Thank you for showing me the way.’
He smiled. ‘My pleasure. You mind that foot.’ He turned away and began walking back across the clearing.
Siray twisted back to the hut and hopped through the doorway carefully, thanking Loen as she passed him. Once she was inside and had heard Loen close the door behind her, she took a moment to look around the interior of the hut.
The hut was simple in its setup, like hers, but there were some homely touches spread throughout. The mat on the floor was more colourful, and various types of feathers had been collected and hung from a line along one of the rafters. The chairs and table in the centre of the hut told her that this room was obviously meant for sharing meals and hosting visitors.
‘Siray?’
At the sound of her name, Siray’s head slowly turned, and she saw through another doorway a second room. She called softly in that direction. ‘Baindan?’
Leaning on her staff, Siray managed two hobbling steps in that direction before pulling up short as Baindan stepped from the darker second room into the main one.
Her jaw dropped as she beheld him.
Baindan was standing without any support and seemed physically at ease. His face was a healthy colour, and, apart from looking a little tired, he showed no other indication of the serious wound he had received during the night.
Siray spoke with some difficulty. ‘Wha-what happened? You’re injured! Why aren’t you resting?’ Siray couldn’t stop her eyes searching his face and body for signs of the effects of the wound.
Baindan laughed. ‘Let me help you sit down, and I’ll explain.’
Her mind numb, Siray watched as Baindan moved to a small table in the corner and pulled out a chair for her. Hopping over to the chair with the support of her staff, she kept her foot raised in front of her as she sunk awkwardly into it.
Taking her staff from her, Baindan placed it against the wall close by.
Siray found that she couldn’t take her eyes from his face as he moved around to the next chair and took a seat.
‘I never got the chance to tell you that, if we get injured, we can sometimes recover more rapidly by Changing,’ Baindan said. He shrugged. ‘We had a bit to deal with on the road here, though.’
Siray nodded, encouraging him to continue.
‘Once they learn how, our people can Change into their chosen form. Or, like some of us in the younger generations, a person may be able to Change into a number of forms. As you’ve seen, I can Change into multiple animals, all of which have a much faster rate of healing than this form.’
Baindan gestured to his own body, and Siray nodded to show she was following.
‘And then you have the type and extent of the injury itself. In my normal form, an arrow through the upper back would take a long time to recover from. Yet in my rilander form, the injury was a minor one and something that barely bothered the rilander any more than a nasty cut would bother me.’
Baindan pulled down the corner of his loose shirt to show Siray the top of a bandage that covered his shoulder where the arrow had hit. ‘After Changing into my rilander form again, the scale of the injury changed, and I was able to heal quickly. Literally overnight.’
When Baindan let go of his shirt, Siray had to force her eyes not to track the fall of the fabric downwards.
‘Not all forms heal that fast, of course,’ Baindan continued, ‘but luckily for me, the rilander’s nature makes it a fighter.’ Baindan smiled. ‘I had just transformed back this afternoon, and Loen was assigned to provide a final assessment to Mandolin.’ He rolled his shoulder. ‘It’s a little stiff and aches but otherwise seems to be working well enough.’
Siray listened to Baindan’s explanation in amazement. She had thought that, during her youth, her cycle guide had taught them everything about their second life that they would need to know.
Now she was beginning to think that those classes had barely scratched the surface.
She took a deep breath in and let it out slowly, keeping her tone forcefully casual.
‘I’m glad to see you’re alright. I was … concerned for you, as you looked pretty bad when we were last face-to-face.’
Siray bit the inside of her cheek just a little as she paused. It helped to distract her from the nervous contractions taking place in her stomach. Just enough so that she could keep her tone casual.
Then Baindan smiled at her, and her heart thumped in time with her bandaged foot.
‘I think the Great Mother must have been on my side,’ he said. ‘It’s easy to recover from such a serious injury once you’ve Changed, but to actually go through a Change when your normal form is that seriously injured is … difficult.’
Baindan grimaced in memory.
‘I awoke after Mandolin gave me a really strong emergent drink, and it still took a lot of concentration once I was awake to go through the Change successfully.’ He shrugged. ‘But that’s why they train us so hard, so that we can get through these instances.’
Siray nodded slowly. ‘Is that what they’ll train me to do?’
Baindan nodded in confirmation. ‘Eventually. You’ll have to go through the training stage by stage, but, yes, you’ll also learn that.’
Siray watched as Baindan shifted in his chair, leaning forwards enough so he could easily peer down at her bandaged foot.
‘As we’re discussing injuries, how’s your foot? I imagine that once you’re healed up there shouldn’t be any reason why we can’t get you into training.’
Siray also looked down at her foot automatically, even though the bandages made any scrutiny of the injury itself impossible. ‘Unfortunately, it’s going to take a lot longer to heal than your injury did, but Mandolin’s been looking after me. It hurts to put weight on it, but it doesn’t feel like it’s swollen as much anymore.’
Baindan nodded thoughtfully. ‘That’s probably the tar doing its work. Great stuff, but not a great smell.’
Siray looked at him. ‘So, what happens now?’
Baindan’s lips pressed together as he considered her question, half looking at her and half looking past her. ‘Well, I imagine I’ll be asked to bring you before t
he commander to provide a proper introduction. Roalger’s probably briefing the commander as we speak on your rescue and what we saw of the Faction soldiers’ movements firsthand.’
Siray gestured to the door of the hut. ‘Will the soldiers be able to track us here? Wherever here is?’
Baindan grinned. ‘Not likely. First they would have to travel through the pass or travel for long distances either way around the mountain. The pass they won’t attempt while we hold it and travelling around the mountain would still leave them without an exact location.’
Siray frowned. ‘But what about their scouts? Surely they could use flying forms to pinpoint the camp?’
Baindan nodded. ‘They could, but we have many camps surrounding this one, all of which have a single purpose—to misdirect or kill any scouts who come close to their perimeter.’
Siray nodded. ‘And so where exactly is this camp located, then?’
Baindan gestured to the surface of the table between them, drawing her eyes to the table. ‘If this is the mountain …’ He drew a circle in the middle of the table the size of his palm. ‘And this is where the pass is located …’
Siray watched as he made a mark to one side of the mountain.
‘Then we’re here,’ he said, pointing to the side of the mountain opposite the pass, about halfway up.
Siray frowned at where Baindan’s finger had touched the table. ‘But how can that be? When I was out in the clearing, I didn’t see any sign of a mountain above the hill.’ Siray gestured to the right side of the hut in the approximate direction of the hill with the commander’s hut at its base.
Baindan smiled knowingly. ‘I’m sure you didn’t. I’m sure what you saw when you looked in that direction was a green forest behind the huts, with a green hill beyond that meeting purple sky?’
Siray nodded. ‘That’s right.’
He shrugged. ‘It’s an illusion.’
‘What?’
Baindan chuckled at her confusion. ‘An optical illusion. Something to do with the coldness of the mountain air mixing with rising warm air from the valley below.’
Siray just stared at Baindan, not really knowing if he was joking or not.