Chapter Four
“Here we are, Kae. The medic’s house.” Shari was a little in awe of the place. Medics didn’t charge money for their work, but people would often give it to them anyway. Those who couldn’t afford it would offer food or other goods, sometimes service. Either way, a medic would never want for anything. They were like kings in villages like this.
The house was two stories tall, with perfectly straight lines. The door was ornately carved with the creatures of the past, and in its center was a woman wielding magic. The door’s knocker was the head of a dragon, its mouth wide to expose the handle. Shari banged it against the door twice before snatching his hand away. He almost ran.
Instead, he cradled Kaelyn closer to him, murmuring words of encouragement into her ear. The girl’s fever had risen, and she complained of a headache in addition to her exhaustion and pains. Several lengthy moments passed, and Shari wondered if the medic was even home. Just as he was going to turn, plan out his route to the next distant town, the door opened.
“Hello, child,” the woman mumbled. Shari guarded Kaelyn’s head so she couldn’t move it. The woman’s eyes were a startling white, and her gray hair hung in grimy, disorganized wisps. Her face was withered and old, almost reminding Shari of stories his father told him long ago, of ocean hags. She crooked a bony finger under his chin and lifted it up. “Well, you don’t seem sick to me. What do you want?”
“It…it’s my sister. She’s the one who’s sick.” Stupid woman. She had no right to make his voice tremble like that. He forced authority into it, authority he didn’t have. “You have to save her.”
“Hm…? Oh, yes…Come inside.” She led them in, and Shari was once again stunned by the grandeur. There were vases and little golden boxes everywhere, kept in utter disorganization. He didn’t stop to gaze at anything, though. The woman was faster than she seemed and was already at the top of the staircase.
Shari shifted his sister’s weight once again and followed. The woman took them into a little room with three beds. The nearest was empty, so Shari lowered Kaelyn onto it. “The medic looks scary,” he whispered to her, “but she’s going to help. Don’t hurt her feelings.”
Kaelyn nodded and leaned back into the pillow. “Just let me sleep, okay? I just want to sleep.”
The healer smiled, and Shari nearly grimaced at her toothless grin. “Soon, child. But first, I need to ask you some questions. Can you help me?”
“I guess so,” Kaelyn replied. The girl forced herself to sit up, though the effort made her limbs shake. Her skin was so pale…Shari found himself cursing. Did he not feed her enough? Should they have rested more?
The healer ignored him as she sat next to his sister. She felt her forehead, checked her pulse, and a great number of other things. Finally, she started asking questions. “How is your energy, dear?”
“I’m really tired. Shari had to carry me here.”
“Are you in any pain?”
“Yes, ma’am. All over, but mostly in my back.”
“Any vomiting?”
“Well…” Here Kaelyn paused, her eyes cast to her hands. “Yes. I didn’t tell Shari because I didn’t want him to worry. He needs to worry about a lot now.”
The woman stroked Kaelyn’s hair for a few moments, a kind of tenderness in her eyes. “I’m sure, dear. Now, can you open your mouth wide for me?” As she did, the healer peered inside with intense curiosity. After what seemed to be an eternity, she allowed Kaelyn to close her mouth and simply left the room.
“Hey!” Shari called. He looked to Kaelyn and sighed. “Stay here, Kae.”
“But…”
“Kaelyn. Stay. Right. Here.” He went after the woman, the hag, as soon as Kaelyn nodded. He would have answers. Shari refused to settle with wondering, with helplessness. He would help, whatever it took.
After many wrong turns and many more curses, he finally found her. “You can’t just leave like that! What do you need to help Kae? Whatever it is, I’ll find it. I swear I will! Just tell me!”
She turned, a wooden mixing bowl in one hand and a strange stone object in the other. “Will you hush, boy? Your sister will be very sick soon, and I have to do my best to stop it.” Then she was at shelves, pulling down different herbs and minerals that Shari couldn’t recognize.
“But she already is sick! What do you mean?” Shari scrambled up the shelving when the woman couldn’t reach a particular flower and dropped it down to her. “You’re going to save her, aren’t you? You’re responsible for her health now, right?”
“It isn’t that simple, kid. Now get down from there, before I’m nursing your broken bones.” She plopped onto the floor, organizing the herbs on top of her moth-eaten skirts. Shari obeyed and sat in front of her. She picked up one, considered it, and threw the entire thing into her bowl. When she had the desired amounts of ingredients in her bowl, she began to mash it all together.
“What are you doing?”
She smiled again, but it didn’t scare Shari this time. “Mixing a medicine. Your sister has a rash in her mouth. If the spots break down…” She stopped, frowned, and added more of a certain mineral.
Though silent at first, Shari couldn‘t help but ask, “If they break down?”
“Her condition will only worsen. If I can stop it, I might be able to make her well again.” She began to rummaged through her skirts, and Shari looked away. Then she made a soft sound of triumph and pulled out a vial. She emptied its contents into the bowl. “Rosewater. Perfect…You see, the way this works is that if the sores break down, they infect her even more. She’ll start to get the sores on her skin. They’ll be filled with a thick liquid.”
“But you can stop it.”
“I think so…” Throwing her materials aside, she stood. The thick paste in the bowl was a deep purple, flecked with strange bits of brown. “I can at least try. No promises.”
“What do you mean, no promises?” The magic welled up inside him with his anger, but he forced it down with all his might. “She’s just a little girl!”
“I know. That’s why I’m trying.” Then she was gone again, determination in her shocking eyes.
“Wait! What if…?” Leaping to his feet, Shari struggled to keep the magic in check. It escaped his grasp and lashed out at the chair across the room. The chair fell away into powder. “Why does she do that?!”
Shari hurried after her, but the door to the room was already closed. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t pry it open. “Let me in! She’s my sister! What makes you think you can…?!”
A hand slapped over his mouth, and he felt himself pulled against another’s body. Despite how he fought, he couldn’t get away from his attacker’s grip. He didn’t even let go when Shari bit him. When he realized he was being dragged away, he tried to hook his foot on anything possible.
Despite all his exertion, Shari was quickly pulled down the stairs. Whoever held him tossed him onto the dusty ground. “Stay away from your sister.”
Shari glowered upward and saw a very slim man who didn’t look like he should have been able to carry him. His eyes flashed silver. His features caught the light, making him seem almost…Shari could find the word. His golden hair fell to his shoulders. “You can’t see your sister right now.”
“You can’t keep me from her! I promised to take care of her!” The magic was there, waiting to be called. All he had to do was reach for it… “I promised!”
“You can do that by taking care of yourself. Your sister is contagious right now. If you get sick, your sister will have less will to live. Stay away from that room.” And the man simply turned away, his small feet propelled him up the stairs.
“Come back! I’m not finished!” The fire exploded through his fingers, incinerating his bones in its fervor for freedom. It raced for the man’s back, and Shari felt the pure horror cool his body again. He tried to shout out but couldn’t. The flames reached out to engulf his skull…
“No.”
And the flames simply…vanished. The man turned, cold fury in his eyes. “You aren’t the only one with magic, boy. Watch your manners.”
The house was two stories tall, with perfectly straight lines. The door was ornately carved with the creatures of the past, and in its center was a woman wielding magic. The door’s knocker was the head of a dragon, its mouth wide to expose the handle. Shari banged it against the door twice before snatching his hand away. He almost ran.
Instead, he cradled Kaelyn closer to him, murmuring words of encouragement into her ear. The girl’s fever had risen, and she complained of a headache in addition to her exhaustion and pains. Several lengthy moments passed, and Shari wondered if the medic was even home. Just as he was going to turn, plan out his route to the next distant town, the door opened.
“Hello, child,” the woman mumbled. Shari guarded Kaelyn’s head so she couldn’t move it. The woman’s eyes were a startling white, and her gray hair hung in grimy, disorganized wisps. Her face was withered and old, almost reminding Shari of stories his father told him long ago, of ocean hags. She crooked a bony finger under his chin and lifted it up. “Well, you don’t seem sick to me. What do you want?”
“It…it’s my sister. She’s the one who’s sick.” Stupid woman. She had no right to make his voice tremble like that. He forced authority into it, authority he didn’t have. “You have to save her.”
“Hm…? Oh, yes…Come inside.” She led them in, and Shari was once again stunned by the grandeur. There were vases and little golden boxes everywhere, kept in utter disorganization. He didn’t stop to gaze at anything, though. The woman was faster than she seemed and was already at the top of the staircase.
Shari shifted his sister’s weight once again and followed. The woman took them into a little room with three beds. The nearest was empty, so Shari lowered Kaelyn onto it. “The medic looks scary,” he whispered to her, “but she’s going to help. Don’t hurt her feelings.”
Kaelyn nodded and leaned back into the pillow. “Just let me sleep, okay? I just want to sleep.”
The healer smiled, and Shari nearly grimaced at her toothless grin. “Soon, child. But first, I need to ask you some questions. Can you help me?”
“I guess so,” Kaelyn replied. The girl forced herself to sit up, though the effort made her limbs shake. Her skin was so pale…Shari found himself cursing. Did he not feed her enough? Should they have rested more?
The healer ignored him as she sat next to his sister. She felt her forehead, checked her pulse, and a great number of other things. Finally, she started asking questions. “How is your energy, dear?”
“I’m really tired. Shari had to carry me here.”
“Are you in any pain?”
“Yes, ma’am. All over, but mostly in my back.”
“Any vomiting?”
“Well…” Here Kaelyn paused, her eyes cast to her hands. “Yes. I didn’t tell Shari because I didn’t want him to worry. He needs to worry about a lot now.”
The woman stroked Kaelyn’s hair for a few moments, a kind of tenderness in her eyes. “I’m sure, dear. Now, can you open your mouth wide for me?” As she did, the healer peered inside with intense curiosity. After what seemed to be an eternity, she allowed Kaelyn to close her mouth and simply left the room.
“Hey!” Shari called. He looked to Kaelyn and sighed. “Stay here, Kae.”
“But…”
“Kaelyn. Stay. Right. Here.” He went after the woman, the hag, as soon as Kaelyn nodded. He would have answers. Shari refused to settle with wondering, with helplessness. He would help, whatever it took.
After many wrong turns and many more curses, he finally found her. “You can’t just leave like that! What do you need to help Kae? Whatever it is, I’ll find it. I swear I will! Just tell me!”
She turned, a wooden mixing bowl in one hand and a strange stone object in the other. “Will you hush, boy? Your sister will be very sick soon, and I have to do my best to stop it.” Then she was at shelves, pulling down different herbs and minerals that Shari couldn’t recognize.
“But she already is sick! What do you mean?” Shari scrambled up the shelving when the woman couldn’t reach a particular flower and dropped it down to her. “You’re going to save her, aren’t you? You’re responsible for her health now, right?”
“It isn’t that simple, kid. Now get down from there, before I’m nursing your broken bones.” She plopped onto the floor, organizing the herbs on top of her moth-eaten skirts. Shari obeyed and sat in front of her. She picked up one, considered it, and threw the entire thing into her bowl. When she had the desired amounts of ingredients in her bowl, she began to mash it all together.
“What are you doing?”
She smiled again, but it didn’t scare Shari this time. “Mixing a medicine. Your sister has a rash in her mouth. If the spots break down…” She stopped, frowned, and added more of a certain mineral.
Though silent at first, Shari couldn‘t help but ask, “If they break down?”
“Her condition will only worsen. If I can stop it, I might be able to make her well again.” She began to rummaged through her skirts, and Shari looked away. Then she made a soft sound of triumph and pulled out a vial. She emptied its contents into the bowl. “Rosewater. Perfect…You see, the way this works is that if the sores break down, they infect her even more. She’ll start to get the sores on her skin. They’ll be filled with a thick liquid.”
“But you can stop it.”
“I think so…” Throwing her materials aside, she stood. The thick paste in the bowl was a deep purple, flecked with strange bits of brown. “I can at least try. No promises.”
“What do you mean, no promises?” The magic welled up inside him with his anger, but he forced it down with all his might. “She’s just a little girl!”
“I know. That’s why I’m trying.” Then she was gone again, determination in her shocking eyes.
“Wait! What if…?” Leaping to his feet, Shari struggled to keep the magic in check. It escaped his grasp and lashed out at the chair across the room. The chair fell away into powder. “Why does she do that?!”
Shari hurried after her, but the door to the room was already closed. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t pry it open. “Let me in! She’s my sister! What makes you think you can…?!”
A hand slapped over his mouth, and he felt himself pulled against another’s body. Despite how he fought, he couldn’t get away from his attacker’s grip. He didn’t even let go when Shari bit him. When he realized he was being dragged away, he tried to hook his foot on anything possible.
Despite all his exertion, Shari was quickly pulled down the stairs. Whoever held him tossed him onto the dusty ground. “Stay away from your sister.”
Shari glowered upward and saw a very slim man who didn’t look like he should have been able to carry him. His eyes flashed silver. His features caught the light, making him seem almost…Shari could find the word. His golden hair fell to his shoulders. “You can’t see your sister right now.”
“You can’t keep me from her! I promised to take care of her!” The magic was there, waiting to be called. All he had to do was reach for it… “I promised!”
“You can do that by taking care of yourself. Your sister is contagious right now. If you get sick, your sister will have less will to live. Stay away from that room.” And the man simply turned away, his small feet propelled him up the stairs.
“Come back! I’m not finished!” The fire exploded through his fingers, incinerating his bones in its fervor for freedom. It raced for the man’s back, and Shari felt the pure horror cool his body again. He tried to shout out but couldn’t. The flames reached out to engulf his skull…
“No.”
And the flames simply…vanished. The man turned, cold fury in his eyes. “You aren’t the only one with magic, boy. Watch your manners.”