by Linda Jordan
Damon barely tasted the roasted chicken. He felt the moistness of the meat. And noticed there was some herb cooked with the meat, but he couldn’t place it. Rosemary? Sage?
His mind was tied up with trying to figure out who would make a good sparring partner. The Cap was clearing out as the raiding party finished eating and headed off to sleep.
Gregor stopped by his table on the way out.
“Eamon and I are on guard duty during the feast tonight, right?”
“Yes. Morrigu requested that the people who’ve been with us the longest be out on guard duty. She hasn’t been around much and the new recruits need to spend some time with her.”
“Good idea. Save some food for us though.”
“No problem. The cooks are making enough for four armies. By the way, do you have any ideas who of the new recruits would make a good sparring partner for me? Someone who I can help, but will give me a challenge.”
“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. I do know someone. Not a new recruit, but in as desperate need of a sparring partner.”
“Who?” asked Damon.
“Evangeline.”
“Evangeline? She’d kill me.”
“It’ll be good for you. You could use it. Both of you have been getting soft. I know she says she’s given up fighting, but she needs to keep up her conditioning.”
“I’ll ask her,” said Damon. She would kill him though. There was no way he could keep up with her on a regular basis. She was twenty years or more younger and in better shape.
Gregor nodded and went to his quarters. Soon it was just the night cooks and Damon left in the Cap. They’d added three more cooks in as many weeks. Which was a good thing. There were more mouths to feed every day.
Damon finished his meal and walked around the perimeter of the village. None of the guards had seen any sign of Morrigu or Evangeline.
It was dawn before they arrived.
Damon had returned to the Cap and was working out the guard post schedule for the next two days. He heard horses’ hooves on the hard dirt in the center of the village.
He went outside and saw Morrigu getting off a black horse in one fluid movement. Mila was leading a whitish-brown speckled horse with a body draped over the saddle. Tied to the saddle.
It was Evangeline. Damon touched her face. Her skin felt cold, but she groaned when he touched her. Mila was untying Evangeline.
“She hit her head on a branch. Knocked out cold. We got back as soon as we could,” said Mila. “Neither of us could do much out in the woods for her, so we just secured her and returned as fast as possible.”
Morrigu came out of the MedCenter with Maci, who was hurriedly pulling her unbrushed hair into a knot so it was out of the way.
“Okay,” said Maci. “Bring her in gently and put her down on a bed. I’ll get the wood stove going. We’ve got to get her heated up some.”
“I’ll get the fire going,” said Damon.
Two of the night guards were coming in for breakfast and Damon motioned them over to gently carry Evangeline.
Damon went inside the MedCenter and began filling the wood stove with dried leaves and kindling from a nearby basket. There were enough warm coals in the bottom of the stove from last night to catch fire. When the flames were going strong, he added two larger logs and left the door cracked to let air in until the logs were burning well. Then he closed the door and it wasn’t long before heat began spreading throughout the MedCenter.
Maci had cleaned Evangeline’s wound and Morrigu removed her boots. They’d covered Evangeline with two wool blankets, but she was still shivering.
“Why is she so cold?” asked Maci. “I don’t understand.”
Morrigu said, “She drained herself too far. Magically. I should have ended the attack sooner. I didn’t realize she was so diminished. I was not paying close enough attention.”
“Is there anything you can do to help fill her up?” asked Maci.
“No. My magic is all wrong for her.”
“What about that other Goddess? The one she’s serving now.”
“Yemaya? I don’t know. I can go look for her. See if she’s willing to help.”
“Please,” said Maci. “She’s got a concussion. I can only try to get her warmed up and make her rest. That won’t help her magically, which is what she needs, I think.”
Morrigu nodded and swept out the door.
“What can I do?” asked Damon.
“Put that wire basket of rocks on top of the wood stove,” said Maci. “Once they’re heated, I’ll put them between her blankets. They’ll help warm her.”
Damon did as she asked. The strong basket was filled round smooth rocks, each about the size of two fists.
“And could you go to the Cap and bring me back some tea and breakfast? I don’t want to leave her,” said Maci.
“I’d be happy to,” he said.
Outside, the sun had risen and the day felt crisp. The cedar trees were spotted with patches of rust colored branches. Which were now beginning to drop. Someone had told him that all evergreens did this. It was called flagging. It wasn’t just the deciduous trees that lost their leaves in the fall.
Damon got a bowl of some sort of porridge with apples cooked into it and goat’s milk poured over the top, plus a cup of tea. He took them back to the MedCenter. Maci was thrilled at having some food. He’d never considered how often she was stuck over here with some patient and no one to relieve her.
“You need more help here, don’t you? Not right now, on a daily basis.”
“I do. But not just anyone will do. They need to be able to handle the sight of blood and broken bones and still carry on. And they have to be smart enough to learn everything and have a desire to. Evangeline was helping me. She has a thirst to know more. I’m going to need more people though, especially when we go to war. But before that though. There’s always sparring injuries. And it takes a long time to train people. Did you know doctors used to train for around fourteen years before they were allowed to be on their own?”
Damon shook head. “I’ll do what I can to send people your way. Anyone with a desire or interest.”
“Thank you, that would be helpful. I’ve been reading some of the books those villagers left behind. There was one on an ancient war. They had thirty doctors for four to five hundred soldiers. We’ve got what, nearly two hundred soldiers now?”
“Almost,” said Damon.
“And there’s only me. So we need fourteen more of me. Immediately.”
Damon stared at her. She was right. Before they could even think of going to war, they desperately needed more medical people.
“I’ll put recruiting medical people down as my top priority. Is there anything else I can do to help?”
“Not right now. It’s just waiting.”
Damon nodded and left the MedCenter. He thought about going back to the Cap. He should find out how Morrigu’s part of the mission went. Morrigu had probably gone off into the woods searching for Yemaya.
The weariness hit him then. Sleep, he needed to sleep. To be alert later when no one else was.
Damon headed for his cabin.
When he woke, it was hard to tell if it was day or night. Rain was pouring down and it was dark out. He got up and dressed, splashing cold water on his face. He opened the door and looked at the sky. It was light enough to still be day, but he couldn’t tell what time it was.
His growling stomach said it was time to eat. He drank a mug of water and went out the door towards the center of the village. By the time he walked to the MedCenter, his clothes were damp from the rain. He wiped the moisture from his face and went inside.
Evangeline was still unconscious. Maci was adding more logs to the wood stove.
“How’s she doing?” asked Damon.
“She hasn’t woken up, but she stopped shivering. That’s good.”
“Has Morrigu returned with the other goddess?”
“Not yet.”
“D
o you need anything from the Cap?”
“No, Mila brought me some lunch. Thanks though.”
“You’re welcome.”
Damon went out the door and crossed beneath the tall trees to the Cap. There were several people hanging around, having just eaten.
One of them was Eamon. Good, Damon wanted to talk to him.
He got a bowl of the soup the cooks were serving, chicken and noodles of some sort. Where had the cooks found wheat to make noodles?
Damon sat at his table, spooning up the rich soup. It was thick, filled with chunks of potatoes, carrots and who knew what else. And large pieces of chicken.
He didn’t like Mason, too slimy by half, but the man knew his birds. He’d managed to capture and tame every stray chicken, duck and any other domesticated fowl in the area. And the birds were thriving and reproducing like crazy. Mason had been clearly relieved to be put in charge of raising them and to not have to soldier. He would’ve made a terrible soldier. And separating him from Liam had been helpful for both of them.
Liam was the type of man who turned bully without having firm boundaries put on him. Gregor was still training him as to correct behavior in the camp. Slow but sure. It took a long time to retrain someone with a lifetime of bad behavior. Liam would probably turn out all right. Provided he lived.
Eamon was on his way out the building when Damon waved him over.
“Sit down for a minute Eamon.”
Eamon sat, his brows wrinkled in puzzlement.
“I’ve always respected your judgement. I did so when I appointed you to be in charge of transportation. You did the job well but unfortunately, for the near future at least we won’t be using vehicles for anything.”
“Well, they’re all charged and ready to go when we need them,” said Eamon.
“Great. What I do need is someone to assist me in organizing this entire camp and everything in it. I think you’re the person for that job. If you’d like it.”
“What would it entail?” asked Eamon, his eyes widening in surprise.
Damon talked about all the loose ends that needed taking care of and how things would need to be coordinated. Eamon listened silently.
“I’m honored you think I could do this, but honestly, it’s too complex for my brain. There’s too many pieces to keep track of. I couldn’t do it.”
“You’re sure?” asked Damon
“Yes. I’d be happy to work more closely with you, but I’d bungle this job. It needs someone who can see the big picture and that’s not me. You know who does see that, though?”
“Who?”
“Callie,” said Eamon
“Callie?
“The new recruit. When we were going on this raid, she wanted to know every piece of it. Gregor led the raid, but Callie made sure everyone was where they should be at all times. She’s really sharp. Said her family used to call her their herding dog, because she always knew where everyone was and what they were doing. Of course, you’d need to tone down her ambition a bit, but she might just be the person you’re looking for.”
“Interesting. I’ll do some thinking about that. So you’re happy being just a soldier?” asked Damon
“At the moment. Anytime I can get back to keeping track of a fleet of vehicles, I’ll leap at the chance. I love working with the machines, keeping them running.”
“Well, if we go all out in a full scale war, you’ll get your chance.”
“Thank you. Anything else?” asked Eamon
“No, go on and get some rest before you’re on guard duty.”
“Just where I was headed.”
Callie, now that was interesting. He didn’t know much about her. She’d seemed like a capable person. He’d ask Gregor and Jax what they thought of her. Then talk to her himself.
He needed to find a lot more people to fill key roles. Medical people, an assistant for himself and he needed to begin creating a power structure for this army. Gregor was being stretched too thin trying to control all those men. He needed help.
Mostly, Damon needed to find someone to lead the army. Someone who understood the types of weapons that Collins had. He knew there were things he should be doing to prepare for this war, but not what they were. He didn’t know enough to do this job right.
He could use a damn miracle.
11
Evangeline
Evangeline dreamt about darkness. A black smoke cloud trying to worm its way into her soul. She resisted. Chasing it out with fire. Hot flames illuminated where the smoke fingers tried to enter. The dream was so strong it woke her.
On her back, she looked up at a brown wood ceiling. The room was warm. She felt hot, sweaty.
Her head ached. She tried to touch it, but her arms were restrained. Tied down. She couldn’t move her feet either.
Tried to talk, but nothing came out. Her mouth felt dry, like it was full of sand. She croaked out something.
Then above her stood Maci. Maci’s hair was loose and wild, the light radiating around her like a halo. Why hadn’t she seen it before? Maci was an angel.
“You’re awake,” said Maci. “Just hold still. I’ve got you tied down so you wouldn’t flail around and fall out of bed and hurt yourself. Or try to get up and leave when I wasn’t looking. I can only be here when I can, everyone needs bathroom breaks. Do you understand me?”
Evangeline nodded and her head ached even more. She moaned at the pain.
“Don’t move, I said.”
Evangeline waited while Maci untied her.
Then Maci helped sit her up. Evangeline felt helpless. Her body wouldn’t do what she asked.
Maci held a glass of water to her lips. Dribbled a little bit into her open mouth. Evangeline rolled her tongue around, trying to distribute the water, then opened her mouth for more. They repeated this several times, before Maci gave her enough water to get a mouthful to swallow.
While she was giving water to Evangeline, Maci talked.
“Morrigu and Mila brought you in very early yesterday morning. You were unconscious. Mila said you got knocked out by a tree branch, but it’s more than that. Morrigu said you were magically drained. That you’d given away so much of yourself to the spell, you had no reserves. She couldn’t help you. Something about her magic being too different. She’s gone off to find Yemaya, to see if she can help.”
Evangeline tried to remember the tree branch or the spell, but came up with nothing.
“How did I get knocked out by a tree branch?”
“You were riding a horse. In the forest in the dark. Easy enough to happen I assume.”
“I don’t remember.”
She was vaguely panicked. Everything felt wrong, but her head was fuzzy. Evangeline touched her head and felt a bandage on it.
“Don’t touch that,” said Maci. “More water?”
“Yes.”
The water tasted delightful, cool and full of minerals.
“So what do I do now?” asked Evangeline.
“That’s easy. Do nothing but sleep and rest. Head injuries need sleep, deep sleep to heal.”
“But who’s going to teach my students? And who’s going to help you?”
“Certainly not you. You’ll be lying in this bed for at least a week. Maybe longer. The more you rest, the faster you’ll heal. This isn’t something you can push through. Don’t worry, Damon will get things sorted. He’s good at that.”
“But. …”
“No buts. To be a good healer, you first have to know how to be a good patient. This is your first real lesson. Learn to follow orders.”
Evangeline felt bone tired. Her head throbbed.
The door opened and in came the brilliance of Morrigu and Yemaya combined. Their glow was almost blinding in the darkened room.
“You’re awake,” said Morrigu. “My dear, I am so sorry. I was so focused on what I was doing, I paid no attention to you. I had no idea you were draining yourself with that spell.”
Evangeline tried to speak, but no words came.
She still couldn’t remember any spell. Although she recognized Morrigu. And Yemaya. She just couldn’t say from where.
“She doesn’t remember,” said Maci. “Probably because of the head injury.”
“Possibly from the magic,” said Morrigu.
Yemaya came closer and sat on the side of her bed. Evangeline could smell seaweed and salt on the Goddess. Yemaya reached out and touched her forehead and Evangeline felt the coolness of her, heard the gulls cry and saw silvery fish moving through the deep waters.
The coolness spread throughout her head and Evangeline felt the throbbing lessen somewhat. She also felt the exhaustion increase. Or maybe she was just more aware of it.
Maci and Yemaya helped her lie back down and as she drifted off, Evangeline heard Yemaya say, “She has drained her magic away completely. As she heals, that well may refill on its own. Or it may not. She may not know how to do that and that is something I don’t know how to teach her. She needs to be prepared to accept that her magic might be gone forever. I will return in a few days to visit her.”
When Evangeline woke next the sun was streaming in through the window. Maci was bandaging up some man’s arm. Evangeline didn’t recognize him. One of the new recruits. He was young with sandy colored hair and a face still freckled from the summer sun.
Her head didn’t hurt at least. And she could see better this time. She still didn’t want to sit up without help. She needed some water though. It was there on a table beside the bed.
She tried to sit up and immediately felt dizzy.
Maci heard the movement and turned around.
“Oh Evangeline, you’re awake. You want to sit up? Just a minute,” Maci said to the new kid, “Don’t move.”
Then she helped Evangeline sit up.
“Water?”
“Yes,” croaked Evangeline, her mouth dried out.
Maci got her the glass of water and helped Evangeline sip it.
“She gonna be okay?” asked the new recruit.
“Yes. Head injuries take a long time to heal.”
“What happened to her?”
“Whacked on the head by a tree branch. It’s what happens when you do silly things like riding too fast through the forest in the dark.”