Following a long pause to collect his thoughts, Alec used the last inches of the paper to write what was in his heart. “You have been on my mind many, many times as I have traveled, in good times and difficult. I know that you have been loving and caring for me, and I have never been able to really tell you that I love you, because it is so scary to say it. You have been braver than I am, because you have told me, because your heart is better than mine. So now I want to say to you, Bethany, I love you. I will come looking for you when my duty in Stronghold is finished, and I hope we will be together always after that. Please take care of yourself, whether you remain in Goldenfields or go to Oyster Bay, so that I may find you and tell you with my voice.”
With that he signed the letter and sealed it, hopeful that he had at last given Bethany an honest admission of his affection. Alec rode his horse back into town as night was falling, and climbed down from his animal in the stable yard of the inn. He heard a loud ruckus inside the inn, then a hoarse scream that chilled his marrow.
Tying his horse’s reins to a post, Alec walked into the inn, where a man was writhing in pain in the center of an open circle of spectators near the hearth, his hands over his face. Alec had not practiced any healing of significance in many weeks because he did not want to call attention to himself. But he had a strong desire to feel the satisfaction that healing gave him, so he cast caution aside and walked directly over to the moaning, injured man.
“Leave him be, youngster,” a deep voice growled as Alec stood next to the victim. “He’ll suffer and then he’ll die, and there’s naught you can do for him now,” a large dark-haired man said from the edge of the spectators. “He only got what he deserved.”
Turning to briefly face the dark speaker, Alec knelt down looking closely at the man, then, twisted back and almost fearfully, gently pulled one hand away from the injured face. He sharply sucked air in through his pursed lips as he confirmed that the man was badly burned in his eyes and cheeks, traces of embers embedded and still glowing as they seared the flesh. Clearly, losing a nasty fight had cost this man dearly.
Seeing a puddle of spilled ale on the floor, Alec scooped some up and dribbled it on the bright points in the flesh to extinguish their heat, then opened the backpack he still carried and pulled out a moss specimen he had collected earlier that day. He began shredding the green material above the ruined face, letting pieces fall onto the raw flesh. Then he pulled out some small pink flowers he had picked, and likewise spread them over the injury.
“Do you have any vinegar?” he asked the serving girl he saw watching from a corner. He knew she’d prefer not to get involved in the ugly proceedings before the hostile crowd, but he couldn’t leave the injured man unattended while he went to the kitchen to look for the vinegar himself.
The girl shot a frightened look at him, then at a spot on the floor directly in front of her feet.
“Go on Frali, give the boy what he wants. You won’t get in trouble,” the dark-haired man told the girl. “You go in the kitchen and stay there a little while before you come back so that you don’t have any troubles.”
Alec stood up as the girl darted out of the room, and he pulled his sword from its scabbard. Trouble was about to start, and he knew there was nothing he could do to prevent it.
“Now the tall boy’s a big man with a sword,” his opponent mocked him to the crowd. The dark man, very large in bulk, took a step towards Alec, pulling his own sword out clumsily.
Alec positioned himself between the moaning man lying on the floor and the approaching attacker. His only hope was to defeat the big man quickly in order to subdue any passion that might build in the crowd if a longer fight ensued. He rushed at the man, using his sword to parry the other’s blade away, then knocked it from his hands. He ducked back as the angry antagonist threw a punch at his head, and then Alec used the hilt of his sword to sharply strike his opponent’s face, after which Alec quickly punched him in the stomach, and stood back three steps as the big man doubled over in pain.
The man remained bent over for several seconds, then straightened up, blood dripping from his split lip. “You’re better than I expected from a kid. Where’d you learn that?” he said in a more conversational tone than he’d used up to that point.
“I fought in Bondell,” Alec said cautiously, refusing to reveal anything about himself or to abandon his pugilistic stance.
“You must have done well for yourself to come through and be in Redwater now. Which side did you fight for?” the man asked, stepping back and sitting down now to tend to himself, not evincing any further hostility.
“I fought against the usurpers,” Alec admitted, stepping back to tend to the burned man still lying on the floor.
“That man there, he was an aide to Elgin,” the battling man said, pointing to Alec’s patient. “He got into a fight because he said the new crown protector who took over Oyster Bay was a fraud, and that the usurpers were right to do what they did, killing the old king and all.
“Are you still going to treat him?” Alec’s antagonist asked as he finished his self-treatment and watched Alec.
“Not if I don’t get that vinegar,” Alec replied.
“Frali, bring the boy his vinegar. Let him care for his enemy,” the man shouted loudly, watching Alec’s face for a reaction.
Alec looked down at the injured man, and wondered what twist of fate had brought him to heal a man such as this. Would it be right to walk away, and let the man suffer before dying from these injuries, he wondered. He knew the room was watching him, waiting to see if he would stand up and walk away from the wounded villain.
The girl with the vinegar approached Alec with a stone jar. He stood up, and pulled his sword high, then rammed it back into his scabbard. He pulled out his knife, knelt next to the moaning man, then applied the knife against his stomach, and began cutting his shirt into strips. Alec laid the cloths aside and sprinkled the vinegar over the man’s face on top of the other items he had applied earlier, then bound the cloth strips around his head, leaving his mouth uncovered to breathe.
Alec laid his hands lightly on the covered face and began to softly pray, first causing the man to pass out, then released his healing powers to restore sight to the damaged eyes and to promote healing in the burnt flesh, and also tried to subtly calm the man’s spirit with his spirit ingenaire powers, looking for a way to ease the anger he found permeating the wounded man.
Minutes later he stopped his efforts and raised his head, seeing that the room was fuller now than before, but that most people were no longer watching him. The man he had fought was still watching him however, and raised his mug in a toast to Alec as the healing activities ended. “Is there anyone here with this man to care for him?” Alec asked loudly, hoping someone would claim and remove the unconscious patient.
“Now what’ll happen to your good works?” the black-haired man asked.
Alec sighed, as no one rose to take the injured man. “I’ll watch him tonight myself,” he said. He stood and left the inn to go put his horse back in the stable, then persuaded the stable boy to come into the inn with him to carry the man out of the common room and into the hayloft.
“Healer, let me give you a hand,” the black-haired man said as he watched Alec and the smaller stablehand struggle to carry the injured man. “This fellow doesn’t deserve your care, but I admire your kindness, so I’ll help you,” he said as he easily raised the body in his arms, and followed Alec to the stables. “You’re staying in here?” he asked in surprise.
Alec shrugged sheepishly, slightly embarrassed now to let this man see how tight his finances were, that he had to sleep with the animals. “It’s got a roof, and the straw’s better than the ground.”
“A fighter like you can earn the coins for better than this, young as you are,” the burly man said. He followed Alec’s direction and lifted the injured man up to the hay loft.
“I’m hoping to get a job tomorrow,” Alec explained.
“You’
re a fighter, and a trained medic; there’s only one place that combines those skills. Were you from Goldenfields before Bondell?”
“Yes,” Alec replied simply.
“Shouldn’t you be going back to help the Duke? He’d welcome more fighters with what he’s facing,” the former antagonist persisted in questioning Alec.
The question stung. “I hope to get back the soon, but just not yet. Are you a recruiter for Goldenfields?” Alec asked.
“My name’s Parlton,” the man replied. “I’m no recruiter, just from the Duchy and a supporter of the Duke.”
“I’ll take it from here,” Alec said, wanting the encounter to be over. “He reached over and touched Parlton’s lip, letting a small trickle of healing power affect the swollen flesh. “Sorry about that,” he added as Parlton pulled his head back in surprise from the unexpected motion.
“You’ve handled yourself well tonight, youngster,” Parlton said. “Good luck, and I hope we don’t meet so badly next time,” he added before he was on his way.
Alec sat in the straw and looked at the prone form next to him. He didn’t know what he’d do with the injured man once he was on the ship headed down river tomorrow, but he could at least provide sound care for the man tonight. He sent a new stream of healing power into the man, then rose and climbed down the ladder to tend to his horse, brushing the animal and reflecting on the patience Walnut had shown throughout their long journey together since leaving Bondell weeks before.
That night he dripped water down the throat of the injured man, prayed for healing and used his healing powers more to make the man sleep and recover, and then fell asleep himself.
Alec awoke in the morning as sunrise brightened the loft. He gathered his thoughts and then decided to make another effort to use his spiritual ingenaire powers to soften the heart of the injured man. In his brief contact before, Alec had sensed hatred for everything around him; as he let himself make contact with the man he tried to infuse a sense of God’s love for the world and for all men. Without training Alec couldn’t be sure if he had any impact, but he felt better for trying. Alec next aimed more healing power at the man’s face.
As the morning passed, Alec grew impatient. Consum had told him to be early to the docks, and already Alec felt late, not to mention he now realized he wasn’t likely to have time to get to the bank to pick up the money he needed. He woke the man and explained to him that his eyes had been injured, then asked if he had any family in Redwater who could look after him for a day or two. The voice that came from the bandaged head was groggy, and Alec knew the man didn’t fully understand what was happening, and apparently didn’t remember what had happened the night before. The man’s uncle Pytor lived nearby though, so Alec slowly guided the man down the ladder from the loft, and put him in Walnut’s saddle, then led him to the home of Uncle Pytor, left him with a servant along with directions on how to treat the wounds, and swiftly headed back towards the river, hopeful that he was about to resume his journey towards Stronghold.
At the gate to the dockyard he was allowed to enter without question after he explained he was there for security on a ship. Alec led Walnut down to the riverside, inquiring at each slip whether the boat was bound for Stronghold. As luck would have it, the slip furthest upriver was occupied by the ship he sought, the Current Rider.
Holding Walnut’s reins he hailed the ship from the dock. “Is the capain available? I spoke to Consum about providing a sword for the ship in its journey to Stronghold, and I’d like to see the captain.”
A stevedore on the deck of the ship replied. “The captain’s not on board; he’s with Consum now. You can talk to the mate first, but you’ll still have to wait for the captain, and the mate’s just come on board so you might as well wait and give him time to settle in.”
Alec stood, unable to decide whether to be patient, or to go back to Consum’s office and call attention to himself. As he stood there, a man came out of the cabin door on the upper deck of the ship. The man was Parlton, the man he’d previously fought in a tavern.
“Alec, what are you doing on the docks?” the tall man asked in a friendly tone.
“I told you I hoped to have a job lined up. The proctor here told me I could be a swordsman on the ship going to Stronghold. What are you doing here?” Alec replied.
“I’m the mate on the Current Rider. I’ve worked for Natha for fifteen years and they asked me to work on this ship for the first trip back into Stronghold,” Parlton explained. “If it’s up to me, I’m awfully glad to have your sword onboard for the trip. The captain’ll be here before noon, and we’ll get you squared away then.”
Alec thought about the amount of time that gave him to visit the bank. “I’ll go into town and be back in a little bit then. Is it sure that I’ll get a bunk on-board?” he called from the quay. He saw Parlton’s nod, and grinned. “See you in a little while.”
He led Walnut to the gate out of the yard, then mounted and rode across town to his bank, feeling pleased to know that Parlton would be onboard the ship with him. Despite having fought the man, Alec liked him and felt he would be a friend among the crew. At the bank Alec spoke to the manager, a woman, the first woman Alec could recollect serving as an officer in the banks he had visited.
“I have an account that I haven’t used for some time. I need to withdraw a large amount of money,” Alec explained.
“How much is a large amount?” the woman asked cautiously.
“Probably fifty golds, if that’s acceptable,” Alec replied. “I’m going on a long trip, and I’ll need money for rooms, food, fodder, supplies, and everything else.”
The blond woman’s round face grew amused. “I think we can handle 50 golds, if you’ll just provide the code entry and sign here. Your account is so large I was afraid you might take out a really large amount and use up all our available cash!”
Alec blinked, and thought about the woman’s words as he completed the papers. He had never imagined a bank running out of money! He wondered how large the account had grown, with all the healing water profits that were regularly deposited in the account for him.
“Don’t you know?” the banker asked hencredulous tone when Alec asked how much was in the account. “You’re one of the largest depositors the bank has in the whole Dominion.”
“I just haven’t had much need for money lately,” Alec said lamely. He was shocked by the amount she had told him. “Can I take out fifty more golds?”
With a quiet chuckle the woman deftly altered the paperwork, then left Alec to gather up his funds. When she and an assistant returned with the heavy leather sacks, Alec tried to pick them up, and realized that he wouldn’t be able to carry them far.
“On second thought, can I redeposit fifty of these? I can’t carry all of this,” he admitted sheepishly. “And could you deliver these for me?” he asked, proffering the bundle of letters he wanted to send on their way across the Dominion to their respective recipients.
Minutes later, when everything was finished and Walnut’s saddlebags were full of heavy coins, Alec led the horse through the streets of the city back to the dockyards.
Consum was standing by the plank to the ship speaking to a short, wiry man and Parlton. “Ah, here’s our security guard now,” the proctor said. “We’d about given up on you.”
“Things took longer at the bank that I expected,” Alec explained and apologized. “But I’m ready now. Shall I take Walnut on deck?” he asked.
The captain looked at him. “Your horse? We don’t plan on taking your horse.”
Alec felt shock. He loved the horse that had carried him so far. Plus he was going to need Walnut for his long trip home. “How much would it cost to buy passage for Walnut?” he asked directly.
Parlton spoke up. “A half gold, or you perform services on board beyond standard swordsmanship,” he suggested.
Consum scoffed. “This boy had to borrow paper to write letters. He can’t pay a half gold.”
Alec felt goaded
by Consum’s dismissive tone. He reached into a saddlebag and pulled out a gold, which he tossed towards the group, for Parlton to catch. The mate grinned, while the captain looked at the proctor.
“I’ll pay in advance for my horse’s return trip as well,” Alec announced. In an unexpected bout of pride, he felt aware of the fact that he was crown protector of the Dominion, and suddenly he took umbrage at having to barter for his horse to ride on a river freighter!
Parlton motioned to the crew, and extra planks were pushed to the dock. “Have you ever boarded a horse before?” he asked Alec. “You’re best off blindfolding him before he crosses the planks. What provisions have you made for fodder?”
The captain and Consum, who was shaking his head, walked to the cabin while the horse was brought on deck and tied in a location that Parlton said would avoid blocking the crew. Alec remained on shore as he scrambled to acquire oats and fodder and returned to the ship where he brushed and curried Walnut and stayed unobtrusively out of the way as the final preparations were made for departure. Alec idly wondered about his letters that were about to depart from the bank, and how they would be received; he had greater confidence in the bank’s ability than in any of the other options for delivery of messages between cities, but knew that even the banks sometimes sent items astray.
He heard the shouts to indicate preparations were underway for leaving the dock. “Where’s our newest swordsman?” he heard the captain shout. Alec hurriedly rushed around the corner of the superstructure and saw the captain glaring at him balefully as he came into view.
“I’m not sure what game you’re playing at,” the captain said sternly. “Consum described you as a charity case, but Parlton says you’re worth more than your weight in fighting ability and as a healer on board; and I trust Parlton, so I’ll take you, but only as a favor to him. And then you toss aboard enough gold to pay your way; this doesn’t add up, and this crew doesn’t need uncertainty, especially on this cruise. So let’s make everything clear before we leave the dock. I’m the captain -- I give orders, and you obey them. You’re here as crew, you’ll pull your weight and your share of duty, and remember I’m captain of this ship; when we’re on the river, I don’t care if you’re the king of the Dominion, you’re under my command.”
The Lifesaving Power: Goldenfields and Stronghold Page 3
