Soul Healer

by J. A. Culican

  I was quiet for a minute, not wanting to think about Widow in addition to everything else. I knew it was time to tell her where we were going. “I’m going to take him to Mother Ofburg. I’m going to ask her to help us get him back.”

  She turned to look at me, her jaw dropping with shock. Time seemed to slow as she just stared at me without speaking, but I gave her time to process. After the way Mother Ofburg had thrown me out the last time we’d talked, it was a reasonable reaction. As we cleared the last island, a rainbow appeared off in the distance. I took it as a sign this was the right decision.

  Sade finally collected her thought and spoke. “You’re taking a big chance. Did you forget how the last couple of times went when you saw her? She’s not your fan anymore.” She seemed to have tried to choose her words wisely.

  I laughed humorlessly. Had Mother Ofburg ever been my fan? “I’ve not forgotten. But she’s a healer at her core. She won’t refuse to help. If anyone can make him whole again, it’s her. I’d stake my life on it.” I breathed in the salty air, feeling myself relax for the first time in a while.

  “I’m afraid you will be betting your life.”

  “Are you with me on this, even though you don’t agree? I need your support for it to work.”

  “I’m always with you. No matter what crazy shit you want to do.” She leaned her body closer, bumping against my shoulder.

  I smiled at her loyalty, even though I didn’t deserve it. She had become like a sister to me, and I didn’t want to let her down. I shivered, even though I was warm. It was a strong possibility Mother Ofburg would shut the door in my face again.

  And then what would we do?

  Chapter 4

  “There’s no way you’ll make it here,” Captain Rose observed as we reached the mainland’s shores. The beaches were lined with ur’gel. They raised their weapons and yelled up at the ship as we hovered closer to them.

  “Can you take us in further?” My eyes pleaded desperately with her. She couldn’t take us back now. She had to take us farther.

  Captain Rose didn’t respond. She kept her eyes trained on the ur’gel instead as she navigated around the beach. There appeared to be no place safe to land, and we couldn’t risk the ur’gel overtaking her ship. I left my question to sit with her, unanswered, but each moment that passed I became more certain she’d take us farther inland.

  Sade entered the wheelhouse with a frown. “There’s no way to land here. It’s a death wish.” She slammed the door behind her.

  “I’ll try for the nearest clearing. That’s the best I can do.” Captain Rose shook her head.

  “Thank you.” I wanted to hug her, but I figured she would deck me if I tried, so I hid my smile.

  “There are a few places I can think of.” Sade walked over to the maps.

  “You won’t find any there. Like I said, we don’t cross the mainland.” Captain Rose forged ahead, increasing the speed of the ship as we flew over the ur’gel. “Just let me clear these creatures first. Hang on.”

  I gripped a rail as the boat jetted ahead with a jolt. I cranked my head toward the window, afraid we had lost someone overboard.

  Captain Rose let out a large, bellowing laugh. “Your faces were priceless.”

  Sade raised one eyebrow at me, not amused at the captain’s reaction.

  As soon as we cleared the beach, we headed toward the forest and cleared the ur’gel, Captain Rose slowed the ship back to average speed. We were able to walk around the wheelhouse and deck again without risk of falling.

  “I’ll check on Beru,” I told them as they began to chat about where we could land, slipping out of the wheelhouse.

  I walked across the deck to see the crew putting things back into place after they had been thrown about. This time they were securing them with rope, which made me wonder if the last bump which had startled us so much, hadn’t been a standard Captain Rose maneuver.

  I opened the door on the opposite side of the wheelhouse where Iri, Astor, and Beru were staying. Captain Rose had lent us her bunkhouse to lay Beru during our escape andI walked inside to find Beru sitting up in bed, with Iri on a chair next to him and Astor on the bunk above him.

  “Everyone all right in here?”

  They all had serious looks on their faces, and I wondered what they had been talking about.

  “As fine as we could be. We saw the ur’gel on the beach. We assumed they were the reason for the ship’s crazy movements.” Iri took a drink from his cup.

  “Yes, she was afraid they’d attack the ship. Sade and Captain Rose are looking for a place we can land, farther away from them. Inland.” I took the seat farthest from Beru, where Iri blocked my view of him.

  The ship suddenly felt like it jumped, and our bags plummeted from one of the bunks onto the floor. Iri placed both hands on the walls to steady himself. He didn’t like flying ships and I was suspicious now he wasn’t drinking water in his cup.

  “It’s just some turbulence. We’re okay,” I reassured him, planting my feet firmly on the wall and floor to steady myself from any more sudden movements. “How is he?”

  “You should ask him yourself.” Iri smiled and moved back so I could see Beru. He looked handsome in the candlelight, his white shirt against his dark tanned skin. I was happy for the dimness in the room—it made me more at ease.

  “How are you feeling?” I hoped he would answer more clearly this time. I’d tried to make sense of what he’d said to me before he fell back to sleep, but it had been impossible. All that had done was to fill with worry.

  “Living.” One side of his mouth tilted up. He looked comfortable against the pillow.

  “Better than the alternative,” I joked, timidly. There was no way he wouldn’t be able to see my uncertainty and guilt. . I couldn’t seem to get it together in front of him. I hoped Iri or Astor would interject and kill the awkwardness I had brought into the room when I’d entered.

  Beru’s eyes were focused on me. I met them with difficulty and in that moment, I shared what we’d seen in the village. I glanced away quickly, unable to bear the pain in his eyes in a vain attempt to make it stop, and stood up just as we hit another current. The loud thud of my head knocking against the side of the wall seemed to come from somewhere far away..

  I shook my head, finding myself on the ground as the last of the sudden blackness faded away. I must have lost consciousness for a few moments, because Iri was by my side and Beru was sitting sideways on his bed. Astor jumped down from his bunk and helped Iri bring me over to a lounge-type chair where they were able to lay me down.

  “Lie here for a while.” Iri propped my head up on the arm of the chair with another pillow.

  I closed my eyes, seeing wavering doubles of everything.

  “How is she doing?” Beru asked from across the room.

  “I think it’s just a bump, but we shouldn’t let her fall asleep. I remember her saying that once,” Astor chimed in.

  I couldn’t help a smile from cracking my face, and opened my eyes again to see their concerned faces staring back at me. Relief at one of each in my field of vision filled me and my smile broadened. “I’ll be fine. I just need to rest for a few minutes.”

  “I’m going on deck to see what’s going on with Captain Rose’s suddenly erratic flying.” Iri stood and flexed his shoulders.

  “No.” I reached over and tried to grab his hand, but my head began to spin the moment I sat up, causing me to almost topple out of the bunk.

  “Lie down.” Astor gently placed me back on the pillow. “You have to give yourself some time.”

  “I’ll be back.” Iri opened the door and left.

  “I’m going with him. I have to keep him in line.” Astor winked at me.

  “Um . . . no, please stay.” I grabbed his arm for dear life as he got up. He couldn’t leave me alone with Beru.

  “Just rest.” Astor looked over at Beru and then back at me and winked. “He’s all yours,” he whispered, much to my horror.

 
; I prayed Beru hadn’t heard him.

  Astor made his getaway before there was anything I could do to stop him. There we were—Beru and I—alone again.

  “You sure you’re fine over there?” I heard him grunt slightly as he moved.

  “Yes, just a little dizzy.” I placed my hand over my eyes. At least he wasn’t right next to me. I almost breathed a loud sigh of relief, but stopped myself in the nick of time.

  “You’ll have a big bruise. You hit the wall pretty hard.” I heard the sheets rustling as he moved. Was he trying to come over?

  I lifted my hand a little until I had him in sight. He had flipped his legs over the side of his bunk and was trying to stand. My heart raced, and I started to panic. I looked back toward the door and wondered if I could make a run for it. Stop! You're being crazy. Just breathe.

  I heard footsteps. He was coming over, the bottom of his cane thumping against the floor as he shuffled closer. He heaved his body into the chair across from me. There was no candle nearby, so I couldn’t see if he was watching me without shifting my hand off my face, which I was suddenly reluctant to do.

  “You’ve crossed leaps and bounds. You were barely awake when they carried you onboard.” I shifted my hand and tried to get a better look at him without exposing myself to his gaze.

  “You sound disappointed.” He chuckled dryly, shifting to get comfortable in the chair.

  “No, I didn’t mean . . .”

  “I know.” He let out a faint groan as he settled in, falling still after that..

  “I’m sorry.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” he interrupted me again. “Maybe later, but not now.”

  The boat slammed against another current and almost turned sideways. We both held onto our chairs.

  “Captain Rose may need some flying lessons.” Beru looked around the room, his eyes falling on the luggage on the floor. .

  “It’s the current from the wind in the trees. She must be taking us farther inland.” I kept one hand on the chair and my foot on the wall.

  “She’s breaking her own rule, then.” Beru lit his candle, coming into full view for the first time.

  “Not because she wants to. The beach was full of ur’gel.” I turned on my side to face him, pulling the blanket Iri had placed over me up like armor. I felt insecure under his gaze.

  But his eyes moved away from me as he leaned back in the chair, hands behind his head.

  I rested my head on my hands as I waited for him to speak. Some of my nervousness had fallen away once he’d declared he didn’t want to talk about what happened in the village, but I was still worried he would blame me, and rightly so. It had been my fault he’d had to see it in the first place.

  The ship pulled to a full stop, and we both tumbled out of our chairs, falling onto the floor on top of each other. Pain filled my body and my head throbbed with pain as I fought gravity to pull myself up.

  Beru reached for my arm to steady me, causing me to fall into his lap instead.

  “We may be safer down here.” The corner of his lip quirked as he smiled up at me.

  I thought I would melt. It had been too long since I’d seen his smile. It almost felt like old times. As if there wasn’t any awkwardness between us anymore.

  The door opened, and Sade and Iri halted, there frozen in the entry as if they had just walked in on a private moment between us.

  “Should we leave?” She jerked her thumb toward the door.

  “No. We fell of the chair. Our own, individual chairs,,” I added, just in case there was any confusion . Iri helped me up first, and I sat on the lounger. Then they lifted Beru up into Captain Rose’s bed.

  “What’s going on out there?” Beru settled back in, pulling the blanket over himself.

  “The ship can’t get enough height to get over the trees. We have a clearing in mind, but we haven’t found a way to reach it yet.” Sade propped up his feet with a pillow.

  “The winds are too strong. They keep pulling us into back currents. If we can’t reach the clearing soon, Captain Rose is going to have to turn around.” She sat next to me, her expression grave.

  “Where do we want to be?” Beru looked at each of our faces. Iri and Sade looked back at me.

  “We were seeking help for you. To bring you back from wherever you were.” I watched as he half-smiled, then turned away from us. I felt his pain but didn’t understand his worry.

  He had loved so deeply before and lost it. I would never understand that.

  The door opened, and Captain Rose appeared. “It’s now or never. They’ve likely spotted the ship now that we’ve stopped. I’m sure they’re on their way. Best get a move on.”

  I stood and grabbed my bag, and the others followed. Beru stayed seated. “I’m afraid I’m the tagalong.”

  “We have recruits who signed on to help. They will help get you down the rope.” I placed my hand on his, hoping somehow the gentle pressure would lessen his worry.

  “I’ll manage. I’m sore, but I feel strong enough.” He put his other hand on top of mine and squeezed.

  I tried to move, but he held on. There were so many unspoken things between us, and it felt like this was somehow part of it.

  “Let’s go,” Sade called.

  I looked around the room, suddenly noticing the others had left already. I pulled him up and the force propelled his body toward mine.

  His breath was soft on my cheeks and warmed them as if I stood in front of a fire. “Ready?”

  I looked into his eyes and nodded.

  The way he was looking at me was different. More heated. Unresolved.

  “Can we do this romance shit later?” Sade’s head was slightly tilted, and her hands were balled into fists on her hips. “We’re kinda in a life and death situation right now.”

  I flushed and hurried to the door, not looking at either of them. We made our way on deck in time to see Iri and Astor already on their way down the rope. Two giants took Beru, even though he wanted to go alone. The smaller one was a female and the look she gave clearly brooked no arguments, and he immediately swallowed his argument and followed her directions. I swallowed a smile at his meek acceptance, and then waited as Sade went next. I went last.

  As soon as my feet hit the ground, Captain Rose pulled the ropes up, and the ship was on its way back to the Islands. We had only what we could carry on our backs and needed to stop to get supplies before we left for the village.

  “How much time do you think we have?” Sade threw two packs over her back.

  “Not much.” Beru pointed to the woods.

  We heard the cracking of branches that indicated someone walked amongst them. I waved my arm to get everyone’s attention and motioned for them to follow me before we were made.

  Chapter 5

  We escaped without incident and found our way to a nearby small town where we were surprised to find it completely unaffected by the recent raids. People were going about their regular business, as if the ur’gel weren’t attacking communities at random just a few towns away.

  “Why do I feel like I just stepped into another world?” Sade squinted. “It’s as if they have no idea about the battle happening around them.”

  The storefronts boasted fruits and vegetables and displayed them along the sidewalk. Women carried full baskets in preparation for that evening's supper. No one looked up fearfully at the strangers who entered their town. They didn’t appear to notice us at all.

  “Let’s get our supplies and move on,” Iri suggested. “Something’s not right here.”

  We agreed to split up and separate the tasks. Sade and I would get food while Iri and Astor would look for lodging and try to secure horses and a carriage. Beru would stay behind with the two giants Captain Rose had found to help us and rest until we met up .

  Sade and I took off in the direction of the large fruit stand. It wasn’t long before she was drilling me with questions about Beru. “So, what was that, anyway?” She looked back to make sure no on
e was behind us. The look on her face told me she expected me to dish out all the dirt.

  “Nothing happened. You walked in on an awkward moment, that’s all. We both fell on the ground when the ship stopped suddenly. There’s nothing more to tell.” I picked up a piece of fruit and began to fill a basket.

  “It didn’t look that innocent.” She followed, loading up her basket.

  “Well, it was. I was just embarrassed it happened and probably had a goofy look on my face.”

  I noticed a woman not far from us who appeared to be eavesdropping on our conversation. I tried to get Sade’s attention, but she was far too interested in the food. We hadn’t eaten much fruit since we’d left for the Islands and we were both craving it.

  “I think we have enough for the week.” I nudged her arm, trying to nod subtly toward the woman, who’d moved away from us a little. “She seemed quite interested in our conversation.”

  “About unrequited love? I’m sure there are more interesting things for her to eavesdrop on.” Sade’s eyebrow rose.

  “It’s the best time of the year for these apples. They make wonderful pies.” A local merchant woman filled one of the barrels with more apples.

  “We aren’t much for cooking.” Sade took a big bite out of one of the apples. “But you’re right, these are great.” She grabbed two more handfuls of apples and placed them in her basket, which was quite a feat since it was filled to the brim.

  The woman leaned in to whisper, “There are older ones out back that sell for a song.”

  “Thank you.” I nodded in appreciation, but money was not a concern for us.

  She walked away, and we picked through the produce. Something was odd about her.

  “What do you think she meant by out back?” I watched as she greeted customers in the store.

  “Behind the store? Are you part of The Council Three now?” Sade shook her head at my challenging behavior. “Maybe she was just nice.”

  It was a change from normal. I was the one who could see the good in people, while she was the skeptic. I kept my eyes on the woman as she walked around her store, uneasy about her but unable to put my finger on what it was that bothered me. . I tried to let it go but I just couldn't. Maybe it was the dreamwalker in me.