The Last Empath of Doctsland

by Leah Putz

  We didn’t spend too much time at the market, thankfully. Flutters of excitement grew louder and more persistent the longer we were there, and I could only imagine what the townspeople thought. What is the Manyeo empath doing with those strange men? As quickly as possible, we stocked up on as much food as we could carry in our packs, and were given a mule to help us carry a few more packfulls, at least as far as the boat, at which point we would send it back.

  “This should be enough, right?” I asked as we started heading towards the docks.

  Prince Viktor nodded, the hood covering his long silver hair bouncing with the movement, and cracked a crooked smile. “It should be. Jion can seem to have a bottomless appetite sometimes. But I imagine he’ll be on his best behavior. We’ll make certain none of us go hungry.” Jion snickered behind me, and I wondered briefly if he was always so informal with his guards. It didn’t line up with my image of ‘royal behavior.’

  “I suppose this won’t be as exciting to eat as the grand meals you’re used to at the palace,” I said.

  “No,” he said quietly. “You’re right. It won’t be. I grew up with a fairly lavish lifestyle. Wandering through the wilderness of another country will be quite an adjustment. But, it’s one I’m willing to make.”

  As we approached the docks, Jion went ahead to find Siofra. The prince and I stood in awkward silence until he returned. “Any luck on finding that boat?” the prince asked, and Jion jogged back.

  Jion scoffed. “Of course. And it’s quite a nice one, at that. Siofra seems to be getting everything situated onboard. Come on, I’ll lead you to it.”

  As soon as we arrived, my gaze wandered over the massive boat. Lady of the Loch was painted on the side of the bow and to the left of a row of nine oars. The deck wasn’t visible from my vantage point on the road, but I could see two large masts, each of which held a massive off-white sail. Siofra leaned over the railing from the deck and immediately launched into an explanation of the plans for the trip. “We should be able to set sail as soon as this evening, provided we can get organized and ensure we have everything we need. First we will head back out of the Loch and into Inver River, heading upstream for a bit. Then we can connect to Doctsland River from there and start to head towards the sea.”

  “How long will we be on this boat?” I asked.

  “It’s tough to say. But I imagine it will be close to two weeks or more.”

  “And will we be stopping at all?” I could sense apprehension growing in the prince and had to admit I was feeling it myself.

  “Not unless we have to,” Siofra said. “Come up along the dock. There’s a bridge here to allow you onboard,” Siofra called.

  Following her instructions, we crossed the front of the ship to reach the dock on the other side. Sure enough, a plank of dark wood connected the deck of the Lady of the Loch to the dock.

  “Shall we start bringing the supplies onboard?” The prince called, shielding his eyes from the sun with a long slender hand.

  “Please do. Once you’re here I’ll show you around and Jion can introduce you to the crew since they’re all already best friends.”

  “Great,” I said, grabbing one of the packs off the donkey and heading up the plank and onto the deck of the boat.

  “Welcome aboard,” Siofra said with a friendly smile. While I appreciated that she wanted me to feel welcome, black spots were beginning to circle my vision, a surefire signal that a migraine was on its way, likely due to all the people surrounding me. Coupled with my sour feelings towards the journey as a whole, I was feeling quite glacial towards her and everything else.

  “Thanks,” I murmured, trying to focus my vision in an attempt to stave off the growing pain in the base of my skull.

  “Go ahead and throw that on the deck for now. I’ll show you where the supplies are stored once we’ve relieved that donkey of its burden.” Following her instruction, I tossed the pack I was carrying and the pack I wore on my back on the deck and waited for the prince to join us with the rest of the supplies.

  “How was your excursion?” Siofra asked him once he’d met us onboard.

  “Well we got the supplies, so I suppose it was successful.” he shot me a glance that I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at.

  Siofra looked confused but seemed to brush it off in favor of being productive. “Follow me. I’ll show you the supply room.” She grabbed one of the packs I had discarded and led us towards a small set of stairs going down towards a plain looking door. She opened it to reveal a dark room full of crates of food and wine. “Here is where you can come if you need any food or drink. Please use discretion. We do have a rather long journey ahead of us, and a small, but full, crew to feed at least until we reach the shores of Bushand.”

  “Yes, save some of the wine for the rest of us, please,” I quipped, glancing pointedly at prince Viktor.

  Siofra intervened before the prince could snark back. “Despite what rumors there may be floating around, Prince Viktor has left his days of revelry behind him. He has greater responsibilities that he has taken on dutifully.”

  “I can speak for myself, Siofra,” he said, staring at me with venom in his light blue eyes. “I’ll leave enough wine for everyone else. I’ll just drink your share.” He turned away out of the supply area and back onto the deck, where I heard him greet Jion.

  “Come,” Siofra said, a bit awkwardly. “I’ll show you to your quarters.”

  “Are they separated at all, from other people? It’s rather painful for me to be in close quarters with others for long,” I said, pushing on my eyebrows, trying to relieve some of the building pressure.

  “You and I are set to bunk together. The prince will be given the cabin, of course. However, I can simply bunk with Jion rather, if it’s a problem. Are you able to control them at all, your empathic abilities?”

  I began to shake my head, then winced and stopped, the movement triggering mounting nausea. “Not much. My grandmother was trying to help me learn to close my mind, but I haven’t mastered it yet. It only works in short bursts, and not at all if there are more than a few people in close quarters with me.”

  “And it’s painful for you?” she asked, curiosity and concern in her gaze.

  “It tends to lead to migraines.”

  Wincing, Siofra shook her head, “That sounds awful. I will bunk with Jion for the meantime, until you’re able to gain more control. I’m not certain what the situation will be once we arrive in Bushand, but being on the ship will make it difficult to avoid being in close quarters with anyone. I suggest you keep practicing what you were working on with your grandmother. It may very well come in handy, especially onboard.”

  I nodded, taking her words to heart as we walked through the narrow passageways of the ship. “Here we are,” Siofra said, opening a slim door into a, frankly, tiny room.

  “Was this initially for us to share?” I asked, incredulous as I looked around the room. It contained one set of bunk beds, a small closet, and a desk that had to be even smaller than the one I had used as a child in school.

  “And will be again, once you have a bit more control of your powers. I won’t be able to stomach bunking with Jion for long. He’s dreadfully annoying. Believe it or not, this is one of the larger rooms on the ship. The majority of the crew all sleep below deck. We’re lucky to have our own space.” I frowned, glancing around the room and trying to think of where I was even going to fit my belongings. “I’ll give you some time to get settled. We’re pushing off in about an hour, and we’ll have dinner in the cabin to celebrate the trip and pray to the Kelps for success at dusk. Do you remember how to get back to the deck? The cabin is just off it.”

  “Yes, I remember. Thank you Siofra.” She gave me another friendly smile and a nod before leaving and, thankfully, closing the door behind her.

  Once she left, I tried to relax my mind a bit, and closed my eyes, reveling in the silence. The crew aboard were present, but they existed merely as a distant buzz. I threw my pack on
the bed and quickly tried to dig through it, organizing what I could into the closet while leaving some room for Siofra. I bit my lip as I worked, holding back tears, both at the pain in my head and the feeling my heart tugging towards a home I had barely even left yet. This is going to be a long road, I thought. Once finished, I laid down on the bed to rest my eyes before quickly sinking into a deep, much needed sleep.

  ***

  I awoke to knocking at my door. Disoriented, I hadn’t realized I had fallen asleep, or even meant to. “Lisalya,” I heard Siofra’s voice calling. “Dinner is prepared. Are you ready to join us?”

  Scrambling out of bed, I began to tear through my belongings in the closet to try to find something decent to wear to dinner, silently thanking the Kelps that sleep had dulled the threat of a migraine to a small headache. “Give me a moment please.” I called back.

  “Don’t worry. It won’t be a formal ball by any means. Just Prince Viktor, Jion, the captain, and the two of us,” she spoke reassurance.

  “In that case, will my riding gear do?” I joked, knowing such garb would be entirely inappropriate for a scheduled dinner with the prince, no matter how ‘informal.’

  “Uhhh,” Siofra hesitated, and I burst out laughing as I pulled a light blue dress over my head, thankful that I had thought to throw it in my pack that morning.

  “I’m only kidding, Siofra. Will you come in and fasten this for me, please?”

  “Absolutely,” she replied, slipping into the room quickly and with a welcoming smile on her face. Again, she wasn’t in her usual armor, but this time she donned a lilac dress in a similar style to mine, corseted at the waist, and flowing in gilded layers until it kissed the floorboards of the ship. Her cropped hair was pulled half up, and the red tones were complimented by the purple of her dress. “Wow,” I said. “You look so pretty!”

  Her grin widened. “Thank you. I have to get out of the armor every once in a while. Now let’s get you ready.” She tightened the corset for me until it felt as though I couldn’t breathe, and helped me brush my hair, which had become wild during my nap, into submission. “How did you get this blonde streak?” she asked as she began to style my hair.

  I shrugged. “I’m not sure. It came when I was too young to remember, around the time my parents began to suspect I had powers other than the typical healing of my family. My grandmother thinks that maybe it was the stress of feeling what everyone else was feeling and having no way to control it due to my age.”

  “It must have been difficult growing up with such a strong ability. Especially without anyone to understand what it’s like,” Siofra said, gently pulling my hair back.

  I hummed. “It was. For a while, my parents managed to keep my powers secret. For my own protection, they didn’t want anyone knowing or seeking me out with their troubles, especially when I was a child. It was hard, though. Grandmother is a well-known healer- the most well-known in this region of the country, in fact- so people of all sorts, with all sorts of injuries, were coming and going from our house daily. Folks started to notice that when someone came in with a torn knee, the little girl who lived there would begin cradling her knee to her chest, tears streaming down her face. In a last ditch effort to keep my powers concealed, my parents built a house apart from my grandmother’s.” Siofra gasped. It was fairly taboo for a family to live in separate houses, no matter how large or how many generations the family contained. “What my parents did for me, in their attempt to protect me, made us stand out all the more. Once I was old enough to handle my abilities more and conceal them on my own, I asked that we move back in. I knew I could help grandmother with her patients, and I wanted to put my power to use, rather than just letting it smother me all the time.”

  “That was very brave of you,” she said, putting some final touches on my hair which consisted of pulling a few waved strands out to frame my long face. She gestured for me to stand. “Let’s go.” She held her hand out towards the door and, following her gesture, I exited the room and followed her towards the prince’s cabin. While I was a bit nervous, I wouldn’t be able to find my way around the ship, it was surprisingly easy to navigate, and soon we found ourselves back on the upper deck. Bustling and voices could be heard clearly from within the cabin, and in the dim light of the glowing sunset I could make out the flickering flames of candles through the window.

  I felt a sudden shyness come over me and halted, looking back at Siofra who had been following close behind. “Can you go in first?” I asked, preparing my mental blockades from the certain rush of emotions I would feel upon stepping into what was sure to be a crowded room.

  “Of course,” she replied As soon as she opened the door I felt a pressure in my head. The room was full, containing not only the prince, Jion, Siofra, and me, but several crew members that were setting the table and arranging the meal as well.

  “There you are! Siofra, did it take you awhile to remember how to put on a dress?” Jion snickered as soon as we stepped through the threshold. Siofra punched his muscled bicep in response.

  The prince, who had been giggling at their exchange, regained control of his features as he stood to bow. “Siofra and Lisalya, it’s lovely to have you.” After introducing us to the captain and the few members of the crew present, he continued addressing the room. “Thank you all for joining us, not only for dinner this evening, but for this endeavor as a whole. We are a small team, on a covert mission, but hope and determination is in our hearts, and I cannot do enough to express my gratitude.”

  A small cheer rose as we moved to take our seat. Jion had kindly pulled mine out for me and I thanked him. After sitting, I gripped the table tightly and focused, which helped to relax my mind. The prince seemed to notice, looking slightly concerned as he eyed my hands, though I released the table quickly. He leaned closer, lowering his voice to avoid attracting attention. “Are you okay, Lisalya?”

  I blushed at his concern, and at the small part of my mind that was marvelling at how good he smelled, a combination of mint and pine that was creating a tantalizing musk, and brushed him off, not willing yet to show any sign of weakness. “Yes, I’m alright. Thank you for asking.” Thankfully, all of the recent practice I had been doing with grandmother was starting to pay off. The blockages were getting a bit easier to maintain, and were becoming more effective at keeping the minds of others out of my own.

  Once the crew members were finished with their tasks and had left the four of us alone, Prince Viktor raised a tall glass of wine. “I know I already said thank you, but I want to reiterate it, especially to this small group. I wouldn’t be able to attempt this road without the three of you by my side. May this journey be Kelps-blessed,” he said with a nervous smile and a pink hue in his cheeks. We raised our glasses to match his in a toast.

  “Now that that’s settled, let’s feast.” Jion spoke after draining his glass in one gulp. “This will probably be our last big meal for a long while, so enjoy it.”

  I took a sip of the dark red wine, trying desperately not to make a face at the bitter taste, though my blanching did not go unnoticed. “Are you not a wine drinker?” Jion asked, chuckling slightly at the scrunch in my face.

  “We have wine occasionally, but it’s usually light, and sweet. This is good, but…” I trailed off, not wanting to accidentally cause offense.

  “This is sailor’s wine. It’s stronger, harsher. Good isn’t a word I would use to describe it, but it’s drinkable.” Prince Viktor smiled as Siofra and Jion both laughed, nodding at his words in agreement. “The food, however,” he continued after taking a bite of the roasted chicken before him, “is delectable.”

  Once the head of the table had broken bread, we were free to dig in. Prince Viktor was right, the meal was delicious, consisting of roast chicken, apples, potatoes and onions. “I didn’t realize there was such a good chef to be found in Loch.”

  “The employees at the inn in town generously prepared it for us,” Siofra explained.

  Jion jumped in. “Vik
dramatically overpaid for my ale last night, so they made it as a thank you.”

  “Vik?” I asked, puzzled, having not heard that name before.

  “Jion and I have been friends since we were children. His father was my father’s closest guard, so we grew up side by side, though Jion has some years on me. Vik is a childhood nickname of mine,” the prince explained, mirth dancing in his eyes.

  Ignoring him, Jion continued gushing about the food. “They said this meal is an ancient local delicacy.”

  “That’s true. I’ve never had it, though the recipe is known to my family. Chicken is hard to come by this far from the city, so it is only prepared for very special occasions. My mother probably would have prepared it for you if we had known in advance you’d be arriving. It is a treat to finally try it.”

  “The meal your mother prepared was very good, and it was very kind and generous of your family to provide a meal for us even though we arrived without notice,” the prince replied.

  I smiled at his praise, bowing my head slightly. “So, Siofra, are you also an old friend of the prince?” I asked, hoping to get to know my companions a little better.

  “Kelps, no. If I had known the two of them all my life I wouldn’t have this job.” Despite her harsh words, I could hear the jest in her voice and see the hint of a fond smile on her full lips. “I started as a simple soldier as soon as I was old enough to join the Doctsland navy.”

  “She worked her way up to personal guard of the prince in just five years, through sheer determination and intimidation tactics,” Jion interjected.

  Siofra’s hazel eyes rolled in an exaggerated fashion. “Shut up for once, Jion! She doesn’t know us yet. You’re making me sound scary.”

  “Contrary to popular belief, Sifora isn’t scary,” the prince said, shooting a pointed glance at Jion though he was biting back a smile with his slightly crooked front teeth. “She worked her way up to personal guard through hard work.”