Cursed Ch. 01

Josta's hand slipped around her shoulder and tightened a fraction in warning. "You're not a child, Lena. Don't be obtuse. This isn't just another wounded bird you've found."

During the arduous trek back to camp Lena had prepared what she hoped was a good defence. Righteous indignation had fired her imagination but now she grew uncertain. "Every creature has a place in the heart of Junen. Isn't that what you taught me?" Before Josta could answer she rushed on. "And wounded ones even more so. Even men."

"Who is he? Where does he hail from?"

"I-I'm not sure. He's been unconscious for the most part."

"For the most part? So he was awake at some point?"

"Barely. Only enough to take a little water. He was in too much pain to tell me anything of himself."

"And where did you find him?"

Lena bit her lip, and decided to err on the side of caution. "Near the Great Oak." It wasn't a lie; it just wasn't the whole truth. She scrunched her toes up in her boots and her gaze flickered to the man on the ground. "I-I should really see to him."

"In a minute. He has survived this long." Josta took a deep breath and exhaled. "And what do you propose to do with him?"

"Make him well, of course."

"Of course." The ironical remark didn't escape Lena. "And then what?"

Lena hesitated. She hadn't thought that far ahead.

Josta read her expression accurately, as she always did. "You're so naïve, girl."

"I couldn't just leave him there!" Lena's voice rose a little higher but as Josta's grip tightened she checked herself.

"What would you wish his fate to be?" Josta pressed. "Once you've mended him."

"H-he can go back to where he came from."

"And in the meantime are you prepared to take responsibility for his welfare?"

"Of course."

"You do realise humans are far more complicated than animals, even wounded ones. He might seem harmless now, but--"

"I don't think he would do any harm," Lena rushed.

"You don't know anything about him."

"He has a good spirit." She wasn't sure how she knew; it was just an intense feeling.

"What if you're wrong? I have to consider the wellbeing of the Priory."

"You have my word."

"But I don't have his, and that's something you cannot give me."

Anger simmered in Lena's chest. "What would you have me do, carry him back to where I found him?"

Josta fixed her steely eyes on Lena. "Your dedication is commendable. I just want you to think for a change instead of charging off on another well-meant crusade. Your actions have consequences for all of us. Remember the abandoned wolf cub?"

Lena's heart sank. She might have guessed Josta would bring that up. "Yes."

"Remember what I told you about inherently wild animals?"

Lena dropped her gaze to Josta's boots. "Yes."

"And still you begged me to let you take care of it. You promised me you'd take full responsibility for the beast."

Lena's head flew up. "I did!"

Josta dropped her hand on Lena's shoulder. "Right up until it chewed through its leash and killed all the chickens."

"You can't compare a man to a wolf."

"Can't I? How can you be sure? You have a very narrow view of what creatures populate this realm. You'd do well to exercise caution rather than rushing headlong into a situation you know little about. That's what being a member of the Priory means. Sisterhood. We work together for a singular cause, not for ourselves. It concerns me that after all this time, and all my efforts, on the inside you still feel like an abandoned child who needs to gather a family about her. We are your family, if you but knew it."

Humility stole in to replace the defensive anger in Lena's heart. "I'm sorry, I just didn't know what else to do. He might die."

"He might. And if he does it will be Junen's will."

"Then why did She let me find him? Me, of all people? She must have known how I'd react."

"Lena, part of growing up means learning not to give in to every whim of our own nature. Did you ever consider She might have been testing you? I say again, you're not a child. How many times will I have to point these things out to you?"

Lena stared at the leafy ground as a lump of emotion formed in her throat. Her cheeks grew hot but the rest of her body felt suddenly chilled. "You think it's really a test?" Her voice came out as a hoarse whisper.

"I don't know. All I'm saying is you need to examine the facts, and question yourself, not everyone around you, and certainly not Junen. But for now you've started something and you must see it through." Josta steered her back towards the group.

Without further prompting Lena sank down beside the unconscious man.

Eula brought her a bowl of warmed water and a wry smile. "I thought you might want this to steep your herbs in."

Lena thanked her and began digging through her pouch but nothing in it would be sufficient to deal with the arrow wound. She did have a few other things in the kit she kept in camp, adequate for the lesser gashes on his torso. And she had a vial of valerian to keep him sleeping at least. Hurrying to her bedroll, she fetched the items she needed and rushed back.

Over her shoulder she heard one of the Elders arguing heatedly with Josta. Ignoring them, her gaze skated over her patient's bloodied body, but soon grew engrossed by the tone of his muscles and the hair on his face and lower abdomen in the shifting light of the fire. The term man had been used from the outset but she hadn't really considered what that meant until now. There were men in the nearby village, but they were age-worn. All the younger ones drifted off to more exciting lives in the bigger towns, and few returned. The women of the Priory were hard-muscled from physical work, but slender with it, and still with a faint softness about them. Lena wasn't used to such abundant, vital masculinity. Butterflies fluttered in her belly and she snapped her attention back to her work as the argument behind her grew louder.

"We cannot have a man in our midst," Nerris growled. "It is Moontime!"

"I'm aware of that, but he's unconscious," Josta replied in a tight voice, her patience clearly wearing thin. "What would you have us do----leave him in the forest for the wolves to dine on? Or throw him in the river for the harritch?"

"You're being simplistic. Where is your commonsense?"

"Where is your humanity?" Josta fired back. "He needs help."

Nerris thudded the butt of her spear into the ground. "We have a duty to the Goddess----vows that ought not be forgotten, for good reason!"

"One of our duties is to protect the weak. Have you forgotten that?"

Relieved to hear her mentor defending her, Lena shut out their voices and picked up the man's wrist to check his pulse. It nudged weakly against the pads of her fingers. She was so caught up in her examination when a hand touched her shoulder she jumped almost guiltily.

"What is his condition?" Josta asked.

Lena's eyes flickered to Nerris, whose cheeks were a livid shade of red, then back to Josta. "He's alive, but he's lost a great deal of blood and I'm sure his leg must be suppurating under that bandage."

"What can you do for him?"

"Here? Not much. I only have a few basic medicines ready to use with me. His leg needs proper attention. The arrow is buried deep and must come out."

"If you leave him as he is what will happen?"

Lena looked down at him dubiously. "Blood poisoning, most likely, followed by a painful death." A chill shivered through her even speaking the words.

"All the better if he does die," Nerris snapped. "The little fool should never have brought him here."

Josta rubbed the bridge of her nose. "We are human, above all else, and so is he. It's our duty to--"

"Our duty is to Junen, and to the women of the Priory, not to random men this fool trips over in the woods."

Lena felt scalded by Nerris's criticism.

"And what of charity?" Josta pressed. "What of our work in Caldey? Should that finish?"

"No, of course not."

"But surely that would also make us vulnerable to temptation? Yet still we make the journey to town and do what we can to help men and women alike."

"That's different and you know it."

"How?"

"We go to them...we don't invite temptation to dine with us at our own hearth, where we are most vulnerable." Nerris lowered her voice. "Bring him back to the Priory and you jeopardize what we've spent so long protecting."

"The man is at death's door. He might not even make the journey back to the village, in which case your fears will be unfounded. But should he survive I have faith in all our women to remain vigilant."

"So do I, but I have no faith in any man----dying or otherwise. They are born predators and want only one thing. He must be left here to face his fate. It is an ill wind that has blown him to us." This was directed pointedly at Lena.

Josta stared at Nerris for a long time. Part of her face was in shadows, the other half glowing in the firelight. Lena could see by the flicker of a muscle in her jaw she was struggling to hold tightly to her temper. Finally she spoke. "If Junen had intended him to be left, She would not have put him in Lena's path."

"It's a test!" Nerris stormed. "Can't you see?"

Lena felt obliged to interrupt and stood. "If we don't do something soon he'll die."

Nerris's head whipped around and her eyes flashed with anger. Stepping towards Lena she stopped inches away. Her body radiated angry heat. "Who are you to speak out of turn, novice?"

"Leave the girl be," Josta cautioned. "She's only doing her

job."

"I will not be lectured by a pup."

Lena restrained her own temper with difficulty. The man had clearly been in this state for days. If they didn't act immediately he would perish and something in her baulked at the thought of such a waste. She ached to push Nerris away, to shout back at her, but one glance at Josta made her stifle the urge. The warning in the other woman's steely eyes was clear. This was all a result of her own actions and she must bear it with fortitude. Lena hung her head though her toes curled in her boots with the unfairness of it. "I apologise."

"As well you should," came the tart reply. "You tread on thin ice as it is."

Lena flushed and her hands clenched into fists at the reference to the reprimand Nerris had given her the day before for being late to Even Prayers. The older woman had been incensed by Lena's late arrival and hadn't given her a chance to explain that she'd been harvesting a rare and valuable herb that would be to the benefit of all the women of the Priory during their bleeding times. She'd been lost in her task and overlooked the time.

"Enough," Josta said, stepping between them. "I will not have this descend into a slanging match. We're going back to the Priory, tonight, and we're taking him with us."

Nerris blinked in surprise. "What of Even Prayers?"

"I'm not going to stand here arguing the point with you all day. We're breaking camp and he's coming with us. I won't leave him here to die."

"Nothing you've said convinces me this is anything other than madness," Nerris replied frostily. "But I can see you've made up your mind to support the little fool at the Priory's expense. It will just have to be brought up at the next Council of Elders." Nerris spun on her heel and stalked away, followed by a number of other women----her loyal supporters.

Josta turned back to Lena, tight-lipped. "Will he survive the journey?"

Lena ran a hand through her short, curling brown hair. "He's very weak. Maybe if we build a proper stretcher and he didn't get jostled too much."

Snapping her fingers Josta gathered a small group of the women who had not retreated with Nerris, and directed them to do as Lena required.