Wizard Ch. 11

The morning after reaching Highpass... and it appears they aren't the only newcomers to arrive. Nor are they the only ones struggling to understand what is happening in the mountains.

"Master, wake up. You're needed."

John's eyes flew open. He looked around, his heart in his throat, but he was alone. Well, alone save for Sadie, James, and James' wife and daughter. James seemed to be still asleep and neither Elizabeth or Katherine looked his way. Sadie was lost in prayer.

"Where's Zynga?" John asked as he sat up.

Katherine turned to him. "Who?"

"My... the halfling woman."

"Oh, they're all outside," she said.

"Thank you," John said as he stood up and adjusted his robe. He picked up his spear from where it leaned against the wall and left the small house.

Highpass looked a little less a ghost town in the morning light. The sun had just topped the mountains to the east and was slowly drying up the dew from the night before. People moved about the town proper, some coming to and from the well to gather water and others moving from one building to another.

A bustle of activity from the north drew John's attention. This time it was Helleen who was carrying someone while Jennaca made sure her path was clear. Others noticed and began to follow her, including Artesia and some of the gladiators.

John hurried across the common area and didn't notice Zynga until she'd caught up to him and walked beside him. "You woke me up?"

"You're asking me? Don't you remember?"

"I do... but you weren't there."

She smiled at him. "Remember our bond, Master."

John grunted. "In times of great need I can talk to Jennaca over great distances... can we do that too?"

"Yes," she said. "When I'm well fed especially."

John coughed into his hand.

Zynga giggled.

"So, you and Roxanne..."

"It's been a busy night, Master. No time for fun," she pouted.

"I thought you needed me to be, um, well fed?"

"I do, but fun is fun, and I believe she's going to be a lot of fun."

John shook his head and said no more. He'd reached the well and so did Helleen and Jennaca with their charge. Helleen set the person down and John saw, for the first time, that she was a woman. Barely a woman, he supposed. She looked younger than Jennaca.

"What's this?" John asked as he looked over the fallen woman. His eyes widened when he saw the blood on Helleen's arm. Blood that was now starting to form a growing puddle under the woman.

"She came crawling down a path in the mountains to us," Jennaca said while Helleen began to tug at the woman's dark clothes to find her wounds. "Helleen, check her legs and back, she had to be crawling for a reason."

John turned to Zynga. "Go get Sadie! She's praying in the house we stayed in."

Zynga scowled. "Praying?"

"I'll go," Jennaca said and shot off at a run.

"Saints!" Helleen cried out.

John spun back to the fallen woman. Helleen had taken her boot off and cut the leg of her pant and bared her leg. There was a chunk of flesh taken out of her leg. Not just skin, but the meat beneath it too. Blood ran from the wound until Helleen ripped off the rest of her pant leg and used it as a belt to tie around her leg just below her knee. Even then the blood only slowed to a trickle.

"What did that?" John wondered.

"That's not a wound made by claw or blade," Helleen said. "She's missing muscle. It was torn free... a bite, I'm thinking."

John winced. "I've seen bites before. Animals can sink their teeth in and maybe tear a limb away, but this isn't like that. This is like it was cut out and away."

"Her back," Artesia said.

Helleen looked up and saw the torn and blood soaked leathers on her lower back. She reached up and tried to tug the dark brown garment out of the way but it wouldn't budge. Artesia knelt next to her and used her dagger to cut the thick outer garment and help expose the woman's back and side.

Deep gouges in her lower back on the right side wept red tears. On her left, opposite the wound in her leg, her side had three more gouges. Two were deep but the third was over her hip and laid a gouge in the bone bare for them to see.

The sound of running feet announced the arrival of Sadie. She nudged John out of the way as she pushed past him and sank down on the woman's left, opposite of Artesia and beside Helleen. Sadie had the symbol of her faith in hand to help her focus and wasted no time gasping or staring at the woman's injuries. She laid her hand on the gashes in her back first, heedless of the steam that ran off the woman's blood in the cool morning air.

"Give her some room," Matthew barked to the growing crowd. "Let the air in and let her work!"

John shook his head and looked around. More and more villagers were arriving. Jennaca slipped in beside him and brushed against him. Her hand found its way into his while she watched.

Artesia rose and stepped back. She looked around, searching the crowd and then turned and pointed at Roxanne and Weston. "You two, with me!"

"You can't—" Roxanne started to argue.

"Go," Matthew growled at her.

"I need another," Artesia said. "The town's unguarded now!"

"I'll go," a man John hadn't met yet said. He had a studded club hanging from his belt and a sword at his left hip. "I'm Baylee, closest thing Highpass still has to a sheriff."

Artesia nodded. "You're with Weston," she said. "Patrol the south and east. Roxanne and I will guard the north and west."

"That's where she came from," Zynga pointed out.

Artesia nodded and asked, "Join us?"

Zynga glanced at Roxanne and then at John. "Master?"

John nodded and said, "Keep me informed if you see anything."

Zynga hurried to join the two women headed north.

The woman's back was bruised and scarred with four scrapes that still seeped blood. Sadie had moved on to her side and her priestly magic was closing the wounds and turning those ragged cuts into scratches similar to the ones in her back. Sadie slumped and took a shuddering breath before she shook her head and turned to Helleen.

"Sorry," Helleen said and rose so she could switch to the woman's other side without letting go of her upper leg where she continued to squeeze. "If I let go even the tourniquet doesn't do much to stop the bleeding."

"You should have tied it higher. Her upper thigh," Sadie said. "Keep the pressure until I'm done."

Helleen nodded and shifted her hands a little to make it easier to squeeze the woman's thigh.

Sadie bent her head and placed her hand over gaping wound. The healer didn't squirm or shy from the terrible hole in her calf as she chanted and called once more for Eile's blessing. She continued to chant, barely pausing to breath. Her voice grew hoarse and the her shoulders bowed as the minutes dragged by. The blood slowed from a trickle to drop and then nothing. The raw meat left behind twitched. Muscle fibers jerking as though they were trying to move the foot still. Before their eyes the wound began to fill and close. It was slow and, to hear the shift in Sadie's voice and to see her posture, exhausting.

Sadie slumped forward at last, falling across Helleen's arms and into her lap. Helleen grabbed her, forgetting to hold onto the wounded woman's leg, and then gasped as she realized what she'd done.

Jennaca slipped from John's side like an arrow loosed from the huntress' bow. She scooped up Sadie in her arms and lifted her away. She shifted the girl in her arms so she carried her like a sleeping babe and looked to John.

"Back to the house," John said. "Let her rest where it's warm."

Jennaca nodded and carried the exhausted priestess across the common ground and back into the house she'd spent the night in.

"Told you that woman could work miracles," Matthew said as they all stared at the fallen woman's leg. The flesh was raw and pink, almost as if it has been burned. The skin beneath was mottled purple and black, but it was whole again, if smaller than her other leg.

The crowd murmured and uttered prayers. John nodded, impressed. He offered his hand to Helleen and she took it and rose on shaking legs. She winced and stood on one leg and then the other, shaking them out and getting the blood flowing again.

"Now who is she and where'd she come from?" John wondered.

"I know her," Brandon said. "This is Aisley, she's been a runner from Hawk Hollow these past few weeks since trade became too dangerous."

"I heard the runners were traveling in groups?" John asked.

"They were," Brandon agreed. "Three at a time."

"Saints... if she crawled in chewed up like this, I'd hate to see the other two," Matthew said.

John winced. "Let's get her somewhere comfortable to rest. She'll need a friendly face or two to wake up to as well."

"I'll take her back to my place," another man said. "I'd appreciate it if you came along as well."

John looked the man up and down. His clothes weren't any finer than the rest of the villagers but he wore a vest over his shirt and held himself in a fashion that implied he thought highly of himself. "Of course, my name is John."

"Brandon told me first thing this morning," the man said and shook John's hand. "I'm Dean, mayor of Highpass."

"Mayor? Well then, it's good to meet you, my lord."

Dean waved. "Pfft, none of that. We've done away with lords and ladies and all that nonsense. We're all free folk here. All of us equals."

"Even if you're the mayor?" John asked while Helleen scooped the woman up in her arms a second time.

"Yes, well, I'm still trying to figure that out. I think it's how they get extra work out of me," he said.

John chuckled and followed the man back to his house. He owned the tallest finished building in town, though it wasn't the widest or longest by far. Dean opened the door and gestured for John to head in. John stepped to the side instead and let Helleen carry the wounded runner through before following.

"Hello, who— oh my, she's hurt! Are you hurt as well?" a woman greeted them after emerging from a doorway and staring at the bloody bundle of flesh and rags in Helleen's arms.

"This is Lena, my wife," Dean said. "Lena, this here is Aisley, from Hawk Hollow. Something hurt her on the road. She's been fixed up, but she needs rest."

"Of course!" Lena said and gestured for them to follow her.

"Go ahead," John told Helleen.

Helleen followed Lena deeper into the house and disappeared around a corner. John heard them heading up on some stairs and turned back to Dean.

"Come, please, milord," Dean said and gestured for John to follow him into the house.

John walked with him into a combination dining room and sitting room. "I thought there were no lords or ladies here?"

Dean motioned for John to have a seat in one of the wooden rocking chairs and then sat down on a bench facing away from the table towards John. "Among us there's not. But you're not one of us and as I heard Brandon tell me, you're a lord form the south."

"Southeast," John admitted. "But I think I've given all that up."

"They still call you Lord John," Dean said.

"Yes, they do."

"And they work for you?"

"Some of them," John admitted. "Jennaca, Artesia, and Zynga."

"Which one is the one upstairs?"

"Oh, that's Helleen," John said. "She's part of the company we rode north with. Matthew is their leader."

"She seems to take your bidding as well."

John raised an eyebrow. "Is there a point to this, Mayor?"

Dean leaned back and smiled. "A point? Well, as I said, Highpass is meant to be a town of free folk. Hawk Hollow and even Rock Haven are much the same. We share and work together to come to one another's aid and make certain the parts we left behind stay left behind."

John smiled. "I see. You're worried I'm here to take over? Don't be. I've no interest in it. We came to Rock Haven because I wanted to see the northlands and look into some areas of interest. Matthew and his troop sought to perform in Rock Haven— they are a skilled group of gladiators and performers. When we found Rock Haven all but abandoned I feared the worst. I insisted we come and investigate what happened. My hope is to find those people and free them. Finding Highpass not similarly empty is a wonderful thing."

He relaxed a little as John spoke. "You're a wizard, I hear?"

"I am."

"Is your magic so great that you and this small group of performers can face whatever curse plagues us?"

"You've seen what Sadie can do," John said.

"Indeed, that was truly a blessing from the saints," Dean agreed.

"Can we throw off these creatures? I don't know. I mean to try... or at least to recover those who have been captured."

"So you know they're still alive?"

John shook his head. "I don't. I'm hoping they are. If they were taken alive why wouldn't they keep them that way?"

"Ask poor Aisley."

The sound of boots on the stairs caused them both to turn. Helleen filled the doorway and her eyes fell on John. "John! She's awake!"

John rose from the chair. Dean mirrored his movement.

"Already?"

Helleen shrugged. "She's feisty, I like her."

John smirked and followed Dean and Helleen up the stairs. The second story held two rooms and a loft. One of the room had door closed. Helleen led them through the open doorway into a bedroom. The woman's bloody clothes were on the floor and she was resting under a blanket. Lena sat on the bed beside her and was holding a cup of water to her lips.

"Hello Aisley, you gave us quite a scare," Dean said as he came around and stood next to his wife.

John moved to the foot of the bed while Helleen stood on the opposite side of Dean and Lena. Lena lowered the cup and Aisley saw John for the first time. Her eyes widened and she coughed as she forgot to swallow the last of the water in her mouth. John smiled and let her wipe her mouth with her hand.

"Hello, Aisley, I'm John and this is Helleen. Are you all right?"

Aisley looked at Helleen and squinted before gasped. "You were on the pass," she said in a weak voice. "You... you saved me."

Helleen smiled and squeezed the runner's hand. "Lady Jennaca and I happened to be keeping watch and her friend heard you."

"Her friend?"

"Sasha," Helleen said. "she's a plains tiger."

Aisley's mouth fell open.

"She's a good friend," John tried to reassure the young woman.

"So we went and found you passed out. I scooped you up and we ran back. You were hurt very badly."

Aisley winced. "It didn't feel terrible," she said. "I ached and I knew I couldn't walk, but I was mostly numb."

"It was," Helleen reassured her.

"You'd not be here if it wasn't for the magic of a priestess of Eile," Dean confirmed.

Aisley's eyes lost focus for a moment and then she blinked. "I... I felt that, I think. Warmth and... well, it felt like I was back in my mama's arms after a bad dream."

Helleen blushed and nodded. "Yes, that's what Sadie's magic feels like."

"You've felt it before?" John asked.

"There's not a one of us that hasn't gotten poked or cut or broke something that needed Sadie's help fixing."

John raised an eyebrow. Before he could ask more he felt the constant pressure of Aisley's gaze on him. He turned to look back at her, only to have her avert her eyes. She glanced about, desperate to look at him but fearing that he might notice her interest.

"Aisley, what hurt you? What did that to you?" John asked.

She gulped and looked at Lena and then to Helleen. Both women nodded for her to go on. "It was getting dark and we knew better than to move at night, but we wanted to risk it. No runners had come for days and...well... we wanted to know. And to see if a call for help had been sent."

"Nobody goes out at night?" John asked.

She shook her head a little. "No. We can't see at night and they can."

"They? The demons?"

She nodded.

John sighed through his nose. "Is that what did this to you?"

She nodded again. "Nash was loud... they must have heard him. They came up on us and grabbed Merona before we knew what was happening. They're so fast... I'd seen them move before but...well... when they come at you, it's different."

She shuddered, which prompted Helleen to take her hand and squeeze it again.

Aisley smiled at her and took a ragged breath before trying again. "Nash went after her but he had to stop. We couldn't see and they'd disappeared into the rocks. We made it back to the path but they were all around us. They jumped on us. One hit me in the back and knocked me down. Knocked the wind out of me. Next thing I knew it wasn't on me anymore and Nash was there. His face was bloody and one eye was closed. He told me to run. Run and not look back."

"So you ran?"

"I tried," Aisley whispered. "He helped me up and I tried. My leg didn't work though. My foot kept twisting and flopping and...and... I don't know how long I hopped and limped. Then I was on the ground again. I thought they'd got me, but I was alone. I'd tripped, that was all... I think. I crawled though. I crawled and kept crawling because I didn't know what else to do."

"That's when we found you," Helleen said.

"I remember seeing you and... someone else. I thought... I thought she was an angel."

Helleen smiled. "I've thought that too, but she's not."

John smiled at Jennaca's description.

"I'm here to try and help," John said. "There's not many of us, but we won't give up until your people are safe."

Aisley sagged back into the bed. She smiled. "Thank you... our prayers have been answered."

"Not quite yet," Dean said. "Good intentions are one thing, but stopping these creatures... that' something else."

"Very true," John agreed. "We need to know more about them. How do they treat the people in Hawk Hollow?"

"Treat us?" she asked. "I don't know."

"Well, like Rock Haven, all those people are gone. They captured them."

Aisley gasped. "We have them! They're in Hawk Hollow. Well, some of them are, at least."

"What? Why?" Dean asked.

"I don't know... they help us though."

"What do they help you with?" John asked.

Aisley looked at him and met his gaze for the longest time yet. "They help us in the mines. I don't think we were working fast enough."

"The mines?" Helleen gasped. "What do they want in the mines?"

"Gold mine," John said.

"Yes, as long as we produce enough gold each day they don't kill anyone. If we don't..."

"Gold..." John mused. He shook his head and looked at Helleen.

"Why would animals want gold?" she asked.

"I'm not sure they do," John said.

"Then why?"

"These creatures— monsters, really— aren't like anything I've ever heard of before. I don't think they're natural."

"You said they wouldn't really be demons?" Helleen reminded him.

"No, not real demons, but something made them."

"Something?"

"Something... someone..." John trailed off and shrugged. He smiled and said, "Whatever the source, it seems that source has a need for gold."

"This is a good thing?" Helleen asked.

"Yes. We just have to find out where their Master is and stop him. Then these people can go back to being free folk again."

"Oh, that's all?" Helleen scoffed.

John turned back to Aisley but saw she'd fallen asleep again. He smiled and let her sleep and then looked to Dean. "Hear of any wizards in the area? Maybe even any powerful creatures or scary stories about the mountains or wilderness?"

Dean hesitated and then shook his head.

"All right, I didn't figure you had. Still, seems easy enough."

"This seems easy to you?" Dean asked.

"Sure, we need to get to Hawk Hollow and find out where that gold is going."

"Oh, is that all?" Helleen asked.

John grinned. "The mystery's over. Everything seems impossible until it's done. The trick now is doing it."

Helleen looked at Aisley again and then rose up. "I'd call you daft, but after spending a few days with you and to hear my sister go on and on about you, maybe."