Wizard's Education (Book 2) (7 page)

The herbalist touched his forehead and bowed. "Of course, Mother." He packaged up the herbs the woman had requested and handed them to Chihon.

"Here, take these to your daughter." Chihon gave the herbs to the woman. "I hope she recovers." She turned back to the herbalist. "I believe you owe the woman some change?"

The herbalist scowled at the woman as he counted out six coppers for her.

"Thank you, Mother. Thank you so much." The old woman grasped her hand and touched it to her forehead. "I know it's a lot to ask, but could you please come to my house and bless my daughter? I know that would help her get well all the sooner."

Chihon looked over at Tass, who shook her head. Chihon wondered why she shouldn't help this woman. She was clearly a good woman who wanted her daughter and grandchildren to have a decent life. She felt sympathy towards the woman.

Her own mother had died while she was so young that she never truly knew her. Her Grandma'am had raised her. She wanted the woman's grandchildren to grow up knowing their mother.

"Take us to her," Chihon said.

Chihon and Tass followed the old woman to her cottage, outside of the city proper. It was in the district where the produce dealers and hunters congregated. The cottage was small and poorly maintained. Chihon would have been surprised if it were even watertight in the rain.

They entered, and found a young woman asleep on a straw mattress in the rear. She was sweaty and feverish, and it looked as if she'd been neglected, as she lay there ill. Her shoulder length brown hair was matted and wet from the accumulated sweat, and she had sores on her arms.

"This is my daughter, Neuld."

Chihon bent down and looked her over carefully. She reached out to examine the woman with her magic. She could feel the fever running through Neuld's veins, like a thick dark fluid that contaminated her blood.

Chihon summoned her strength and visualized the dark brown coursing through the woman, willing it to change to a light green. She imagined the color shifting to that of spring grass and forest leaves, instead of the dead, brown, rotting color of the infection. She could feel her power flowing into Neuld as she concentrated.

After a while, the color of the infection shifted towards a lighter spring green. Chihon relaxed, hoping it was enough. She was tired and slightly dizzy from the effort.

"How is she?" asked the old woman.

"I think it's working. I'm parched. Do you have anything to drink?" Chihon was hoarse and could barely get the words out.

"Peyet, go fetch the Mother some water."

A young girl about six summers in age crawled out of the dark corner of the cottage and skipped off. She returned quickly with a jug of water and a battered tin cup. She poured the cup full and handed it to Chihon.

"Thank you," Chihon said as she drank thirstily.

"Go fetch a rabbit for me," the old woman instructed Peyet. She handed her three of the coppers that the herbalist had returned as her change, and swatted the little girl gently on the rear. "Hurry back and don't get lost or stop to play along the way."

"Yes Ma'am," Peyet said and scurried out the door.

"Let me make you something to eat. She'll be back soon; I will prepare you a meal." She stacked a few dried twigs in the fireplace and lit it, placing a pot above the flames.

"I don't want to impose." Chihon was still dizzy, but the water helped. She was desperately hungry, but she didn't want to take any of the woman's scarce supplies.

"It's nothing. You healed my daughter. A meal is the least I can offer you in return."

Peyet returned cradling a forest hare. The animal was trussed with short cords so it could not escape. Peyet handed it over to the old woman. "Here it is."

The woman quickly slit its throat and skinned it. She sliced the meat from the bones and dropped it into the pot of water boiling over the fire. She added a few vegetables and stirred the mixture. "It won't take long. You just rest up and let me take care of the cooking."

Chihon sat back and relaxed. She looked at Neuld still lying there quietly. The woman's breathing was shallow and she gagged out a thick congested cough. Chihon reached out to see how she was recovering only to find the dark brown contamination had almost entirely returned. It was infecting her body again as a weed that returned a few days after being pulled in the garden.

Chihon knelt down once more to minster to Neuld. She felt around for a source of power to draw on and fuel her magic. There was nothing nearby, so she reached deeper into herself and summoned up the last of her reserves to drive the magic.

She focused on the infection, willing it to shift color and dissipate. She forced the dark contamination to leave the woman's body, replacing it with a bright spring color.

Slowly, the color of the infection shifted. At first Chihon could feel it resisting, but little by little, it gave way. It varied slightly at first, but changed faster as she labored. Finally, it settled on a bright spring green, and Chihon felt that she could relax.

Chihon stood up, but quickly sat down again. She was dizzy, disoriented, and famished. Tass rushed over to steady her. "You need something to eat. You've used up your reserves, haven't you?"

She led Chihon to the rickety table that served the family. The old woman ladled some stew into a battered wooden bowl. Chihon was surprised that the stew was ready so soon; the woman had only started cooking when Chihon had begun her second attempt at the healing.

When she remarked on this Tass said, "You've been locked in the healing spell all day. It's already mid afternoon." She pointed to the shadow on the floor.

Chihon felt as if it had only been moments, but she was even hungrier than before. As she ate, she recovered some of her strength. She was soon able to stand with confidence, but she still felt weak.

She reexamined Neuld. No trace of the infection remained. The sickness seemed to be gone completely this time. Chihon was relieved. She didn't think she had it in her to try again.

Little Peyet sat next to her mother, stroking the woman's hair and talking quietly to her. Chihon saw the little girl comforting her mother and felt a twinge of sadness that she had never really had a mother.

The little girl was so loving and gentle, but something was amiss. Chihon probed her and realized that the same sickness she had just driven from the mother was present in the daughter. It was the lightest brown, but it was unmistakable. The infection that had almost taken Neuld afflicted Peyet, too. Not as completely, but it was there and it was growing.

Chihon felt heartbroken for them. She couldn't stand the thought that the mother would recover only to lose her child. Chihon called to the girl. "Peyet, come over here."

Peyet came and stood before Chihon, such an innocent little girl. Chihon lifted Peyet onto her lap and put her arms around her, hugging her close. She felt the infection in the girl, and visualized it clearing, just as it had with the mother. Slowly the infection lightened. It was almost gone when Chihon felt light headed and dizzy. She released the girl as her arms dropped by her side in exhaustion.

"What are you doing?" Tass asked. "You don't have enough strength to heal both of them."

Chihon tried to lift her arms in protest, but she was too weak. "I had to try. I couldn't let her die after I saved her mother."

"Sometimes you have to choose." Tass put Chihon's arm around her shoulders and helped her stand. Outside of the cottage a throng of people crowded around the door. They had heard what Chihon had done for Neuld. "Let's get you home so you can recover properly."

"Please, Mother, heal my son," one woman begged.

"My father was burned in the fire, he needs your help," another cried.

"Please save my husband," came yet another voice mixing with the crowd until Chihon could not distinguish one from another. They grabbed at her robes as she pushed her way through them.

Chihon was overwhelmed by the plight of these families. Everyone had someone who needed help, and she had not even had the strength to heal the woman's daughter.

"Please help me out of here," she whispered to Tass as they pushed their way through the mass of people clamoring for her attention. "I can't help them all."

Chihon woke late the next afternoon. She was still exhausted from healing Neuld and little Peyet and was barely able to get out of bed. Tass brought her a tray laden with breads, cheese, meats, and fruit. Chihon eagerly downed almost all of it before she started to feel even slightly like her old self. She washed the meal down with several mugs of strong tea and a flagon of watered ale.

"Do you always get so hungry from a healing like that?" she asked, pushing back from the table. "I've never felt that way before when I did magic."

"You never healed anyone, I take it?"

"I never tried to heal anyone, no."

"That's one of the areas where we disagree with the Free Wizards. They allow suffering to go unabated around them when they could do so much to help, should they only chose to."

"I don't understand." Chihon felt a little stronger now and was eager to see more of the city. She looked in her closet to find several identical black robes trimmed in silver, but nothing else. She shrugged and grabbed one at random.

"The Free Wizards do not heal the people under their care," Tass continued. "They claim that these acts of healing are a trivial use of magic and beneath them. As the High Priestess, one of your duties will be to heal the sick and infirm that are brought before you."

"I don't think I could handle too many healings myself. Not if yesterday was any indication."

"That's why we're going to the Temple this afternoon. It's time for a lesson. I think you're ready." Tass opened the door and held it for Chihon.

"Now?" Chihon was planning to take in more of the market.

"Yes, now. You need this lesson at the Temple. It will restore your strength." Tass guided her out and closed the door behind her.

The Temple was only a few city blocks away from the inn where they were staying. Chihon wondered why they weren't staying in the temple if she was a High Priestess. She asked Tass about it as they walked.

"The High Priest and Priestess are special persons who have their own residences. They do not live in the Temple. It would not be proper."

"I've never had my own room, much less my own residence. My Grandma'am and I lived in the bakery in a small bedroom behind the ovens."

"When you get to Calrick, you will have your own residence. I'm sure you will like it."

Chihon hoped her residence was near Lorit's. She missed him and had tried several more times to contact him. Tass said he was on a dangerous mission and would contact her as soon as it was safe, but she still tried.

They strolled confidently up the avenue that led to the Temple. The guard bowed, opened the door and stepped aside, holding it open for Chihon and Tass. "Good afternoon, Mother," he said.

"Good afternoon," Chihon replied. She wasn't sure of the protocol, so she said nothing further.

Chihon and Tass crossed the main supplicants' area and entered the rear of the temple which was reserved for the Priests. They passed through several identical passageways until they arrived at a heavy door. Tass knocked, and waited. The door creaked open to reveal a priest.

"Ah, Chihon. I was told to expect you. How good of you to come." He stepped back into the room and motioned Chihon to enter.

Inside, there was a large stone altar. It was engraved with symbols along the sides and spattered with blood. The tiny window behind the altar allowed the afternoon sun to enter and illuminated the statue of a young woman. She was dressed in ceremonial robes and cradled a blade against her throat.

Chihon stepped into the room and looked back at Tass, who remained outside. She shook her head slowly, reached out, and gently closed the door.

"You're just in time," the priest said. "My name is Otana." He reached behind the altar and lifted a forest hare onto the blood encrusted surface. It was trussed with thin leather thongs and squirmed, but was not able to escape.

Chihon stepped back. She had a vague memory of the Temple taking magic, but it faded as she tried to remember what it meant. She shied away from the idea of sacrifice.

"What are you afraid of? It's just a rabbit."

"I'm not in favor of sacrifices, not even an animal." Chihon folded her arms across her chest.

"Did you have rabbit for dinner last night?" Otana stoked the rabbit gently as he talked.

"Yes, I did." Chihon wondered where this line of reasoning was going. She relaxed slightly.

"When you eat a rabbit for dinner, you have to kill it, don't you?" he asked, still stroking the hare.

"Yes, I do."

"Did you kill it yourself?"

"No."

"Have you ever killed an animal and eaten it?"

"Of course I have."

"Tass told me that you ate a rabbit to gain strength after you healed those people yesterday, didn't you? So how is this different?" He continued to stroke the rabbit's brown fur. "You are going to kill the rabbit and take its life energy into your body directly. It's more efficient than eating it and waiting for your system to absorb the energy."

"I still don't like it." Chihon looked at the hare. She had certainly eaten many an animal such as this before.

"Well, it's clearly not the taking of the animal's life you object to. You don't have a problem consuming it for your own needs, so just what is it that you have difficulty with?"

"I don't know." Chihon could see the logic of his argument, but she was still hesitant.

"This is the same, only more efficient. You kill the rabbit and take its life force. No different from butchering the animal and eating it, just faster and more efficient."

He lifted the knife from the statue and handed it to Chihon. "When the sun strikes the statue, take the knife and slit its throat. I'll talk you through the spell that you'll use to absorb its energy."

He guided Chihon to the altar and grasped her hand that held the knife. He guided it to the throat of the rabbit.