Doctor Abbott

by Michelle Laverdure

  “Never, but perhaps I would be more useful untied?”

  Mâvis stood up and rolled Ben onto his stomach to cut the ties on his hands and feet. “You may pack what you need from my supplies we will not be returning here.” He then tossed Ben a sack followed by something that looked like bundled rope. “That is a tree sling, to keep you off the ground as you sleep. We are too few in number to sleep on the ground. The animals would feast on you.”

  Ben made a run through of the kitchen supplies, looking for any herbs that had medicinal use and he made quick work of filling his flask. He tossed a few hand tools in the sack and a small bag of dried apple slices he found in a cabinet. “I’m ready.”

  Mâvis slung the item he had been braiding over his shoulder and tied it off with a strap in the front. There was a large pocket and he opened it and tucked Jocelyn inside. Finally he grabbed his axe and opened the door then turned to Ben, “We must go, human.” His order trailed into a growl as he watched Ben leave in front of him.

  Chapter 20

  The first day of the trip was rather quiet. A few times Ben thought he was completely alone stopping to see no one around. At times the beast seemed to appear from nowhere, either shoving him onward or letting off a warning rumble for motivation. By evening Mâvis had disappeared for so long, Ben was sure that he’d been abandoned. He made his way into one of the giant trees and secured the rope-like object Mâvis had given him, which turned out to be a hammock. He prayed the night air would not leave him frozen to death. Finally, feeling like it was as secure as he could get it he crawled in, hoping for dear life that he could manage the apparatus without falling to his death in his sleep.

  Come morning he climbed out of his cocoon and made his way down the tree to pack his things. A few moments later Mâvis dropped down from a neighboring tree startling Ben.

  Mâvis eyed him for a moment half irritated yet half amused over how jumpy the pitiful creature was. “You never flinch before.”

  “Just thought I was alone, you caught me off guard.”

  The beast turned to go into the brush, “You are never alone here, you must remain on guard.” A few minutes later, he reappeared with his daughter wandering in front of him. He sat by the tree and she climbed into his lap. He opened a small sack and gave it to her. The little girl reached in and pulled out a fist full of dried berries, trying to shovel them into her mouth as a few escaped. Mâvis opened a second pouch and worked on some dried meat from it as he watched her eat.

  Ben continued packing his hammock as he spoke to Mâvis, “You disappeared most of the day yesterday, I thought maybe you had decided to continue on your own.”

  Mavis barely let Ben finish when he snapped back, “Why would I do that, human?” His edgy temperament drew pause from Ben, and an instinctual urge to avoid eye contact.

  The behavior was instantly corrected with a warning growl, which also sparked a prompt answer. “I’m sorry, I only thought that perhaps I was slowing you down.”

  It took Ben a moment to understand what was happening with the awkward interaction. It became clear after a brief moment that Mavis was actually studying his mannerism's. It occurred to him that Mavis may in fact rely on the eye contact to communicate effectively.

  When the beast appeared to have all the information he needed he dropped his attention right back to the tiny girl in his lap. She shook her head, refusing the jerky he offered. “Jocelyn.” He scolded her and she obediently tugged a little bite off of the tough meat, chewing it while he took the opportunity to answer Ben. “I am sure you will keep better pace today.” With the remark being so dismissive Ben took it as a cue to continue packing.

  Jocelyn took another bite off of the meat her father had waiting for her, and this time she took a sudden interest in something she had only recently noticed. “Papa, claws.” She followed the comment by stuffing the rest of her berries into her mouth to free up her own hands. Now she could better assess what was different with his. “Claws?”

  He chuckled, “You miss my claws? I miss them too, love.”

  For reference she examined her own hands, “Claws?” Then she glanced over towards Ben and back cautiously to her father a few times. Finally, she got brave climbing out of his lap and wandering over to inspect Ben’s hands, “Claws?” She looked cautiously at his hands, which he now noticed where shaking. He wasn’t sure how to react to her, fearing the wrong move would send Mâvis into a frenzy.

  Mâvis sat silently chewing his jerky as he watched for Ben to respond to her. Finally getting fed up with his lack of action he growled, “You will humor her.”

  Slowly Ben presented his hands for inspection and the little girl grabbed one and flipped it over a few times while comparing her own to his. She hadn’t even made eye contact with him as she kept her attention half focused on Mâvis. Then staring down at the hands a few more seconds in complete fascination, “Claws.”

  Ben chuckled nervously, “Yes, my hands are like yours.” His voice startled her and she peeled off to hide behind her father. She peered out from behind him to see if the monstrous human would do anything else.

  Mâvis reached around her and tucked her back into his lap to offer her some water. She drank from the water-skin and eyed Ben intently as Mâvis chided her, “You are safe, Jocelyn.” He then addressed Ben, “We have a few more days travel ahead. I expect to make the stream by evening.” This came off as more of an order than a request.

  “Well then, I better get a head start.” Ben stood and threw the satchel over his shoulder to start the journey. Mâvis offered up a strip of jerky as he passed by. Ben stopped for a second puzzled by kind gesture he accepted it, “Thank you.” Then he quietly went on his way.

  Ben made good time most of the day but for this leg of the journey he found himself keeping close to the edge of the forest to prevent getting caught by hunters. He slowed a bit as he passed some vast ravines and beautiful meadows. The island had a wonderful character to it in the spring. The winter had dragged on for so long Ben was starting to wonder if there ever was a springtime here.

  He finally made it to the stream and set up camp in hopes Mâvis would show up. After a few hours passed, it was clear that he wasn’t coming. Ben unpacked his hammock to get ready for some rest.

  Hearing a sound behind him, he turned half expecting to see Mâvis, but what he saw was three warriors approaching him quickly. The first one spoke, “A human out by himself in these woods? Do you even know what dangers await you here?”

  Ben chuckled to himself briefly, thinking that so far danger had lurked at every corner of this strange place, woods or not. He tucked his hammock back into his satchel and stood to leave.

  The first warrior stomped and snatching the bag from Ben’s hands, “Have you got anything of value human?”

  He turned to walk away from his satchel rather than confront the creatures, “You are welcome to whatever you want. I’ll be on my way.” A spear sailed past Ben’s head and landed in a tree just above him. Out of sheer frustration over being a target yet again, he yanked the spear out and turned to face the monsters with it in hand.

  The second beast stepped forward laughing, “Very good, human, you mean to make this fun for us.” The creature took hold of the spear end and twisted it in and towards Ben’s body to confuse his stance. Then he yanked it out and landed it under Ben’s feet to send him to the ground.

  Ben scurried to prop himself up as the warrior flipped the spear around and took aim for the kill. The moment the spear looked ready for release an axe landed dead center in the beast’s chest. Before the body could even drop Mâvis ripped it back out and swung it full force into the next creature. The third looked on in horror before turning to run. Mâvis sent the axe sailing into his back and stomped over to retrieve it as the beast collapsed.

  He flipped the last body over to be sure the man was dead then went back to the one warrior that had a weapon. He plucked the crossbow off the carcass and examined it for tension. Finally, he pulled an arrow
from the quiver on the ground and took aim at a tree then he tossed the bow at Ben’s feet, “There, now you can defend yourself. Get up.”

  Ben was still lying on the ground, completely dumbstruck by what just happened. He could see why Mâvis was so hard to defeat, unlike his counter parts, he had an unnatural animal like speed to his combat. The other warriors used mostly bulk and brawn to stomp around and do their bidding. Even with a freshly wounded shoulder Mâvis took down all three of his opponents with nearly no effort. It also occurred to Ben who had done the damage to all those warriors back at Ormr’s Island.

  All that brutality and merciless carnage was the work of this killing machine. How did they catch him? Mâvis is not the kind of monster one takes alive and they wanted him alive. Ormr meant for Mâvis to suffer on those racks. Ormr never had any interest in Genevieve, or he wouldn’t have sold her. No, his hatred for Mâvis ran far deeper than mere jealousy.

  Mâvis quickly washed his axe in the stream and glared at Ben, “Get up, human! Do you truly plan to wait until the wolves arrive to clean this mess?” He stormed over grabbing the satchel off the warrior that had stolen it and threw it at Ben as he scrambled to his feet.

  Ben silently threw the bag over his shoulder and picked up the crossbow to leave. Mâvis passed him with a disgusted glare and continued off for a few yards before stopping to reach up into a tree. Jocelyn scurried along the branch and made for her father’s open palm. This was something she must have been trained to do since infancy because she moved as if it was second nature. He plucked her off the branch and sat her on his shoulder as he continued walking.

  A few hours later he stopped and turned to Ben, “We can rest.” Mâvis had tucked Jocelyn into her little carrier at some point along the way. He pulled it off and sat down laying it on his lap and opening it and to see if she was awake. She turned on her side pulling the cover back over herself. He brushed it back again and ran his finger up her cheek. His deep, husky voice in a purr as her tried to draw her awake. “Are you hungry? Wake up for your father, you can sleep later.”

  Her eyes fluttered open at the sound of his voice and she slowly sat up and looked around before climbing off his lap. She accepted some water from him and eyed Ben as she drank. “Is human, Papa.” She pointed in the direction Ben was sitting as she looked back at her father. “Is human.”

  He pulled out his bag of dried meat and offered her a piece. She wandered over and bit into it chewing it thoroughly before taking another bite off it. Ben watched the two of them casually as he pulled out the dried apples and made a go of them. Within a few seconds of him opening the sack Jocelyn noticed them and wandered over to see what he was eating. He smiled at her, “Do you like apples? They are very good for you.” He offered her the bag to take some but it was no use. The moment he spoke she took off back towards her father and hid behind him.

  Mâvis reached up over his shoulder until he found her and lifted her back to his lap, letting her dangle off his fingers for a second before she released her grip and dropped. She immediately popped up and reached for his hand again wanting to dangle some more. He chuckled and picked her up, slowly opening his hand to let her drop.

  Ben ate a few more of the apples slices and then cinched up the bag dropping it at Mâvis’s feet before addressing him, “She is human, she needs more fruit to stay healthy. Meat is a poor diet for her kind.” Ben turned to climb the tree.

  “Sit down, human.” Mâvis ordered as he opened the satchel and offered the little girl a few of the dried apple slices. Ben slouched in front of the tree he was ready to climb and pulled out the flask to take a swig. He sat silently waiting for his next order and watching Jocelyn eat and play. Mâvis finally broke the silence, “Tell me why is it in all the time you have been here you have yet to learn how to defend yourself?”

  Ben chewed his inner lip for a second before responding, “I guess you could say I’m more of a lover than a fighter.”

  The comment drew a hearty laugh from Mâvis. It did not take him long to straighten up. However, he eyed Ben looking for a better answer as he offered up a piece of jerky.

  “Not really sure how to answer that.” Ben accepted the meat and tore a bite off, “You know, Mâvis, I have been walking on the edge of death since I arrived in this God forsaken place. I guess one would think that I would have picked up some sort of combat skills during this time.”

  Mâvis chewed on his own jerky as he listened, thinking quietly before he spoke, “Your wife was sold. She is most likely remarried already. How do you plan to get her back? You have nothing to negotiate with and that is even if her husband wishes to negotiate.”

  “I guess I’ll have to cross that bridge when I get to it.” Ben stretched out his legs to cross them and lean back on the tree propping his arm up behind his head.

  Still the question plagued Mavis. The human had to have some sort of survival skills. “I want to know how you survived after Bjorn shot you.” Mâvis said as he picked his teeth with his hunting knife.

  “I was rescued by another human, an Asian man with wolves.”

  The reply drew immediate pause from Mâvis, “The spirit trader? He lives in the trees does he not?”

  “Yes, I recovered there for several weeks. I learned a lot from him, we spent most of the time drinking and feeding those blasted devil wolves.”

  Mâvis laid Jocelyn on his lap and started caressing her hair, “So how did you escape him?”

  Ben scoffed, “Escape? The son of a bitch sold me to Ormr.”

  That comment drew a smirk from Mâvis, “You are lucky for that.”

  “Lucky? Did you see that wretched place Ormr runs? I mean you were there. The stuff I witnessed, the stuff I was forced to do there will haunt me the rest of my days.”

  Mâvis chuckled heartily, “The meat you were feeding the wolves was the flesh of his enemies. The spirit trader is both hunted and feared, he is also greedy. If he saved you it was only to sell you.” Then he paused again to dwell on a life he no longer knew, “Of course I saw Ormr’s village. I grew up there, we were close friends as cubs.”

  This time it was Ben that chuckled, “Well that explains a lot.”

  Mâvis’s eyes twinkled at the insinuation, “Why do you say that? You think me to be cruel?” Ben answered by lowering his gaze and tearing another bite out of the jerky. The response drew a wide grin from Mâvis, “That is good, perhaps it will keep you obedient.”

  “I have a question if you don’t mind.” Ben watched as Mâvis offered his attention with a narrow eye. Ben continued, “Why did you kill Bjorn?”

  He lowered his gaze back to his daughter as he tried soothing her back to sleep. Seeing her curl into a ball and draw her thumb into her mouth, he covered her and continued the caressing. After a few moments of reflection, he looked up at Ben again. “When I returned to the village he was dragging Lúta back to his cottage. I suppose he had every right to do so, you were thought to be dead. Still, I beat him until he could not even crawl from me and then I shot him in the head. I have no tolerance for a warrior that would take on a woman.” Mâvis paused as if he was enjoying his reflection on Bjorn’s final moments, then he looked back at Ben, “I used the arrow I pulled from your back.”

  Ben’s jaw dropped open, “I’m not sure which I am more shocked by, that you saved my wife or avenged my death. I have to admit though I find the use of the arrow quite touching.”

  Mâvis grinned and snarled, “Very good, human, I knew you would like that.” He stood and hoisted Jocelyn’s carrier over his shoulder to climb the tree.

  Morning approached too quickly, despite the discomfort of sleeping in the trees. Ben was exhausted and would have welcomed a few more hours before the sun made its appearance. He crawled out of the hammock and descended the tree to relieve himself in the woods. When he got back, he had intended to climb up and grab the hammock but a low rumbling growl greeted his ears and he whirled around to see what it was.

  A wolf stood just yards away sizing up Be
n’s movements. Ben looked down at the crossbow that lay just a few feet away. Damn! The blasted thing was not loaded. His heart was now racing as the creature tested a foot forward to assess what Ben would do.

  Mâvis’s voice bellowed out of the trees, “Perhaps you should see if it wants love.”

  “Very funny.” Ben replied too scared to even move. He could feel Mâvis’s weight hit the ground, as the warrior passed in front of him with his longbow already drawn. The wolf, seeing a far superior threat, was now locked in a stare with Mâvis. The animal lunged as the arrow found a home in the wolf’s chest.

  The wolf dropped with a yelp and Mâvis had his second arrow drawn before the animal hit the ground. Mâvis paced around it for a moment as it lay injured. He ushered Ben over. “Come, human, make the kill. This is yours.” He looked almost as if he was gloating.

  “What?” Ben answered in shock, not even sure how he would kill the wretched thing as it whined in agony before them.

  Mâvis’s expression washed into a scowl immediately, “That is an order.” His growl lingered.

  Ben picked up the crossbow, fumbling repeatedly as he tried to load it. Finally he had it aimed down at the wolf only to watch as the arrow slid off the nose of the weapon and fell to the ground. He glanced up at Mâvis as he bent down to pick it back up, laughing nervously, “Sorry.”

  Mâvis sneered and sent his second arrow into the animal silencing it, “Honestly, human, how are you alive?” He threw his hunting knife at Ben’s feet, “Clean it!”

  An hour later, the animal was properly cleaned and drained. There were a couple slabs of meat cooking over a fire. The beast stood admiring the work Ben had done on the wolf, “I do not understand, human, you cannot kill the animal but you carve it up like a skilled hunter. How is this possible?”

  “I told you I’m a doctor, I can dissect anything. I just don’t do well with weaponry.” Ben cleaned the knife in the stream and walked over to check on the meat over the fire. “It looks done, should I put out this fire?”