The Rabbit Great And Terrible

by Chereta, Nelson

  Melissa grabbed her hair with both hands. “I am trying to save you Waldo, but you are making it very, very difficult for me. I have lost count of how many death sentences you have earned. Just wearing that robe is enough. If it weren’t for that love potion and what it’s done to me I would have killed you on sight. And if I somehow failed, EVERY White Mage in this part of the world would be hunting you. I lied to the Order to help you. I betrayed my vows and broke faith with all my brothers and sisters. I have become your accomplice and committed crimes that would earn me death. And I did it all for your sake! To get you a pardon and a chance to redeem yourself. Everything I’ve done, I’ve done to try and save you!”

  “I keep telling you I don’t want to be saved.”

  Melissa let go of her hair and balled her hands up into fists. “That’s why you are going to spend the day with me performing acts of charity and helping the poor. You’ve lived a selfish existence up until now, but I must believe it’s not too late for you. Maybe if you do some good works and see just how rewarding it is to help others, you’ll begin to understand your greater purpose.”

  Going out and performing acts of insanity with her did not sound appealing at all. “I’ll have to decline, and since I have the wand you can’t make me.”

  “You think not? If you refuse to come with me Waldo, I will use a communication spell to report to the Council. I will tell them exactly what you have done here. I have no doubt that not only will your pardon be immediately revoked, but that I will be ordered to execute you by any means. And, love potion or not, I will obey that order!” Melissa stopped and took a deep breath. She took a moment to try and straighten her hair. When she continued it was with a calm that was as thin as spider’s silk. “Will you come with me?”

  Saying no was clearly not an option. His choices were to either go with her and join in her mad activities or try and kill her. “You realize this is an act of pure charity?”

  “Of course! That’s the whole point!”

  Waldo finally put his wand away. “All right, let’s go and help the poor. I’m sure it won’t be as horrible and boring as I think.”

  Chapter 17

  The God Of The White Mages

  Melissa took him out of the Gold City through one of the western gates. They had a cart pulled by a donkey filled with loaves of bread she had purchased herself. They went into the Rats Nest along the Silver Road. They went about six blocks past the Wall. That let them put the inns and storefronts and most of the businesses behind them. Melissa brought the donkey to a stop in front of the bleary and run-down hovels that passed for homes in the Rats Nest.

  “Free bread!” Melissa called out, sounding excited. “Free bread.”

  The locals rushed towards them like a stampeding herd. They were dirty, thin, and ravenous, like the namesakes of this part of Torikai. Waldo handed out the bread from his side of the cart, his only wish to be done with this nonsense as quickly as possible. The fact the people were grateful and thanking and blessing him over and over meant nothing to Waldo. He couldn’t imagine why anyone in their right mind would want to waste their time doing this, never mind their silver.

  “Many of the poor can’t afford to feed themselves since the price of bread has galloped away,” Melissa told him as she handed loaves down to eager hands. As soon as anyone got bread they wrapped both arms around it and ran away as fast as they could. “The queen doesn’t do anything to help them. When the winter comes many of them will starve.”

  And when they do their bodies won’t even be reanimated. They’ll just rot away to nothing. How wasteful! “That is just awful,” Waldo said, doing his best to sound sincere. He seemed successful as Melissa nodded her head.

  “My Order and I do what we can to help, but it’s no more than a drop in the bucket. The queen could easily afford to feed them all, but she doesn’t care.”

  I don’t blame her. Waldo handed a loaf down to a woman with gray and brown hair. She took it with one hand. The other she placed behind her head, palm up.

  “The love of the Rabbit unto you,” she said and then hurried away.

  Waldo blinked. She had not been part of the caravan. The woman was gone before he could think of a reply and more people crowded in close with their hands out, begging for food. He wondered who had told her about the Great Rabbit as he passed down more loaves.

  “The ruler doesn’t have an obligation to her subjects,” Waldo said. “The only obligation is for the ruled to obey their ruler. Anything they receive should be seen as a gift, not as any sort of requirement. After all, it’s not like the subjects get to pick and choose who wears the crown. Whoever sits on the throne is there because they have the power to be there, not because the commoners want them.”

  Melissa looked over at him and frowned. “Were you raised in a nobleman’s house? That’s exactly the sort of argument I would expect to hear from a petty lord abusing his serfs.”

  Waldo grinned. “I can say with absolute honestly say that my family has no titles and is in no way noble.” Which was true. He’d been born and raised in Castle Corpselover and was heir to one of the Seven Great Houses of Alteroth. His mother held the power of life and death over more people than the queen here did. But the great houses of Alteroth did not use noble titles. There were no kings or lords in his country. The houses didn’t hold authority because of blood rights and ancient lineages, the families who ruled did so because they had the raw power to do so. The whole point of the First Quest was to make sure every single member of a ruling house was strong enough for that responsibility. Except for the Poisondaggers of course.

  “Then coming from one of the lower classes you should have more sympathy for the plight of these people,” Melissa said.

  “I don’t,” Waldo told her. “If they don’t have enough money then they need to find work or sell themselves into slavery.”

  “There is not enough work, and there is no slavery here. A strong healthy man can always get hired by one of the fighting pits and a pretty young girl can find work in a pleasure house. If you are the head of a family, you may be able to get a loan from a merchant house. The amount is usually five silver marks, but you must pay back seven within half a year. If you fail to do so, your entire family will be put into bondage and forced to work off the debt. The owner of the debt contract can force them to do whatever they like and pay as little as they want. In effect, anyone imprisoned for debt will spend the rest of their life working it off.”

  “I thought you said this country doesn’t have slavery.”

  “They refer to it as being a debt servant, but it’s slavery in all but name.”

  That reminded Waldo of his original meeting with Alice. She’d been called an indentured servant, but he’d been forced to buy her exactly as if she were property. He also thought about the family he saw being led away bound in ropes.

  “Well, that is still better than starving, isn’t it?”

  “It isn’t even an option for most. The merchants will only lend to families with two healthy parents and at least two healthy children. Most are unmarried or too old or frail or without strong children.”

  “Then why don’t they leave and go somewhere they can find work?”

  “Many of these people came here from some place even worse,” Melissa said. “They, or their parents or grandparents, aren’t from Torikai. They came here as refugees from goblin raids or wars or from places suffering drought or famine. They came here thinking it was their best chance at a better life for themselves and their children. And instead, they have this!” She waved an arm at the crowd and at the half-built sheds where they resided. “These people have nowhere else to go!”

  Then let them die and make room for those who are stronger. He was sure Melissa would not appreciate his common sense. “Then what is the point to giving people bread if they’re doomed no matter what?”

  “Even if you can’t solve a problem completely you should still do as much as you can. It’s better to light a single to
rch than curse the darkness.”

  “Are you sure?” Waldo asked. “It also makes you a target for things that can see in the dark.” Waldo saw a man make the sign of the rabbit before taking a loaf from her. Melissa didn’t react to it and Waldo didn’t say anything to him. Like the woman with the one-handed sign, Waldo knew the man hadn’t traveled with him.

  XXX

  When the last loaf was handed out they were still besieged by the locals.

  “I am sorry,” Melisa called out to them. “But that is all I have, there is no more bread today.”

  The crowd seemed to find it hard to believe. Many among them kept asking if there wasn’t just one more loaf hidden at the bottom of the cart. Some asked if she would have more bread tomorrow. A few of them cried and asked her if there was anything she could do for them.

  “I will do all that I can,” Melissa said. “Alas, I am not the queen.” Though disappointed and hungry, the people dispersed.

  “Well, this was immensely enjoyable,” Waldo lied. “I suppose we can go back now.”

  Melissa shook her head. “No. We should walk among the people and talk to them.”

  “Why?” Waldo asked in bewilderment. He could not imagine a greater waste of his time.

  “To listen to their complaints, to show them sympathy, to tell them we care, to-”

  “To tell them how much better their lives would be if only Avalon were in control of this country,” Waldo said for her.

  “I merely make it clear that I and the Order care about their situation. I leave it to the people to draw their own conclusions.”

  “You are deliberately undercutting the queen and trying to stir up dissension among her people.” Waldo had no real interest in Queen Madis and this kingdom beyond the gold and knowledge he hoped to acquire. But he had a general distrust of the White Mages.

  “I am simply trying to provide comfort to people who need it. If they are in a wretched situation that is a reflection on their ruler, not on me or my Order.” She climbed down from the driver’s seat on the cart. She took hold of the donkey’s bridle and began to lead them down the street.

  Waldo climbed down as well. “Hard to believe so many people in power distrust you since your motivations are so pure.”

  “I am only telling people the truth.”

  “The truth that suits you.”

  “Do you approve of Madis and how she rules here? She never leaves the inner city, she won’t even look at her own subjects. She cares nothing about them! When I told Madis her people needed bread she answered me they could eat candy instead. What sort of queen is that?”

  Waldo shrugged. “One who knows how to prioritize. Why is it your concern anyway? Avalon is three thousand miles from here.”

  “All human life is precious and should be defended!”

  “Yes, when we first met, and you told me you were going to execute me, my immediate reaction was to think how much you value life.”

  “You were a thief and thieves should be killed. Even though we treasure life, the laws must be upheld. Had I known of half your crimes I’d have killed you the instant I saw you.”

  “And if the effects of the love potion wore off you’d execute me this instant, wouldn’t you?”

  “Yes,” Melissa said without hesitation.

  “Can you understand why I am not going to Avalon with you?”

  Melissa gave him a flat look. “You are, Waldo. Avalon or the grave, those are your choices.”

  Like there’s that much difference, Waldo thought. He spotted a young boy of ten or so with a single wooden crutch. He was hobbling up the street with his mother. His right leg looked withered. Waldo walked up to them and spoke to his mother.

  “You son’s leg, has it been that way since birth, or did he suffer an accident?”

  The mother was startled. “He… he was run over by a wagon three years ago, my lord. I was afraid the leg would have to be cut off.”

  Waldo nodded. “Good. If it’s the result of an injury that will make it easier.” She and her son were in ragged and faded homespun. There didn’t seem much point in asking if she could pay for healing. “I will heal your son’s leg. Hold his hand, this will be painful.” He looked down at the boy. “Try to be brave.”

  The boy gave an excited nod and his mother took firm hold of him. Waldo pulled up the trouser leg. The flesh beneath was pale and dirty. Just below the knee, it bent at a sharp angle, and he could clearly make out the bone underneath the skin. Waldo put both hands on the boy’s leg.

  “Istes carnes crus ad restituere.” Waldo’s hands glowed and he felt the mana flow into the broken appendage.

  The boy gave an immediate cry of pain. Forcing bones to straighten and mend and knitting muscle together was not pleasant. His mother told him to be brave and that he was blessed. Waldo focused on his work and did his best to ignore the child’s screeching. Repairing injuries, even ones that were years old and scarred over, was relatively simple. Curing an illness was always much more challenging. It only took a couple minutes and the leg was straight and all the muscles in perfect working order.

  “There you are, good as new.” Waldo wiped his hands to try and get the dirt and grime off them.

  The boy stood there, gingerly standing on his legs without the now discarded crutch. He took a couple a couple cautious steps as his mother stood there crying.

  “I can walk!” The boy shouted.

  “Obviously,” Waldo said.

  “Thank you!” The mother cried and tried to hug him.

  Waldo back pedaled in a nick of time and just barely escaped her grasp. He held up both hands. “That’s all right. I am happy to help. Unity, Justice, and Peace and all that.”

  The woman nodded and embraced her son, thanking him again and again. When Waldo noted all the mundanes on the street staring wide-eyed he was not surprised. They were only mundanes after all. Even if they lived in a city with a huge fake gold wall, you would still expect them to be amazed at the sight of genuine magic. Commoners were easy to impress. What took Waldo by surprise was when he turned around and saw Melissa standing there, her mouth hanging open, both hands pressed to her heart.

  “What?” Waldo asked. The way she was staring at him he felt almost as uncomfortable as when she’d barged into his room this morning.

  “You’re a healer,” she whispered barely loud enough for him to hear.

  “Yes, I am,” he muttered. It was not something to be proud of.

  “You’re a healer,” she said again. Her lips turned up and there was a look of ecstasy in her eyes.

  He’d heard those words before in his life, and they’d always been an accusation. “Yes, I have a Talent in Healing, a strong one. It’s what I was born with, it’s not as if I asked for it.”

  And then she said the cruelest and most hurtful thing any person could ever say to him.

  “You would make a great White Mage.”

  His back went stiff and he glared at her. His immediate thought was to yell at her to go and fuck herself. But the look on her face and the way she’d said those words didn’t match their cruel and hateful nature. “That’s a compliment, isn’t it? You think you’re complimenting me, don’t you?”

  “I understand it now,” Melissa spoke as if not hearing him. “This is the god’s will. All of it has been the god’s will. The One We Follow wants me to bring you home so that you may serve him.”

  No, Waldo thought. This is definitely more frightening than when she threatened me this morning.

  XXX

  “Thank you so much for doing this, my lord!”

  “I am no lord,” Waldo muttered. “My proper title is master.”

  “Thank you very much, master!”

  Waldo’s only response was a grunt. Now, he was on his knees in front of some dirty, garbage choked, rat infested alleyway. His hands on the scabbed feet of some filthy commoner. He was using his magic to heal the blisters on them. Mother would be so proud, Waldo thought. Giving away free bread had been ba
d enough. But when Melissa had realized he had a Talent in Healing she’d started to shout for anyone who was sick or injured to come forward. Just as with the shouts of free bread, a horde of dirty peasants had materialized. It had been like his mother summoning undead!

  Waldo had then spent his time healing bones, treating fevers and coughs, dealing with rashes, blisters, and infections. Every person he healed walked away praising and thanking him. Waldo would have traded all their kind words and thoughts for a single piece of silver. The only people he’d been unable to help were a man with a club foot and two people who’d had the wasting sickness. Healing magic could not remove any illness or injury with which a person was born. Wounds could be healed, but not deformities. The wasting sickness was one of those dread illnesses that could appear without warning, but which others could not catch. Waldo had no idea why healing magic had those restrictions, but it did.