Chapter 3
The Doctor and His Craft
Meridot, Egidienne County, Republic of Artagna
The elder's wife refilled the traveller's cup of tea. It was a cheap blend that did not taste particularly good, but you could not expect much from a little remote village like this. The traveller did not think of himself as much of a nice person, but he was not so crass as to scorn hospitality, however meager it was.
"Hard to believe that girl came out of that fireball," the elder's wife said.
"I never said she came out of the fireball," the traveller corrected her. "I just said I found her near where it landed."
"Either way, it's a miracle she was still alive."
Because the traveller was lacking in all good sense, when he discovered the strange woman from the fireball was not dead, he carried her all the way to the nearest village. One of the elders was a semi-retired doctor endowed with the Gift. To find someone with the Gift in a place like this was most unusual. The traveller did not consider himself to be especially lucky, so this turn of events had to be the woman's fortune at work.
"Never seen clothes like that neither," the elder's wife continued. "Like she was some kind of soldier, but whoever heard of a woman soldier?"
"They have 'em," the traveller said. "Secretaries and nurses and such."
"Army ain't no place for a proper lady," the elder's wife said disapprovingly.
"Maybe she ain't no proper lady," the traveller suggested.
The elder's wife put her hands on her hips and said, "Now, sir, you're a guest in this house and I'll not have you casting no aspersions on no lady's character."
Although the traveller may not have always shown the best judgment, he saw that there was no merit in bringing up the fact that it was the elder's wife who first cast those aspersions.
"Yes'm," he said to bring things to an end quicker.
He would have to practice better judgment more in the future, as his efforts were rewarded by the elder's wife overlooking his infraction and going back to what she was saying.
"Them clothes..." she said. "Weren't wool, weren't cotton. Ain't never seen the like."
The traveller sipped his tea.
"Say," the elder's wife said, "you don't reckon she's a Hessian, do you?"
"Hessians hunt in packs," the traveller replied. "If she was Hessian, I wouldn't have found her on her own."
"Maybe the others was caught in that 'splosion."
"Maybe."
"Oh, if them Hessians are at it again..."
The traveller went back to sipping his tea. He did not want to talk about the Hessians. He did not want to think about them either, but they were never far from his mind. They were never far from anyone's minds, not this close to the border.
A welcome distraction came when the door opened and the elder appeared. Looking rather exhausted, he leaned into the doorframe, prompting his wife to set down her teapot and hurry to his side.
"Oh, dear!"
The elder did not resist her efforts to help him to his seat. Once he was seated, his wife poured him a cup of tea and he took a long, slow draught of it before speaking.
"The worst is over, I should say. It took nearly all that I had to heal her internal injuries. Eunice, would you be kind enough to stitch her up for me? I hate to leave scars on a woman's face, but I am at my limit."
"Of course, Horace," his wife said. "Let me go wash up first. You'll be fine?"
"Yes, yes," the elder said. "The patient first."
The elder's wife rolled up her sleeves as she left for the kitchen. Meanwhile, the elder resumed drinking his tea.
After finishing another slow draught, the elder looked at the traveller and said, "Had you arrived much later, she may not have made it. You travelled quite a ways to get here."
"How much do I owe you?" the traveller asked.
The elder made a dismissive wave of his hand.
"You find a strange woman and carry her some twenty kilometers to save her life. Would I then reward you for your kindness by taking from you what little you have?"
"What you did, it cost you," the traveller said.
The elder sighed.
"If you must insist, there are some things to be done around the house that could use someone with a strong young back. Too many of our young men have left for the city. Do this for us and we can call it even."
The traveller nodded.
"Might I ask what you intend to do next?" the elder asked. "You are, of course, under no obligation to take any further responsibility the woman. You are strangers, after all, yes?"
"I'll stay until the debt is settled," the traveller said. "After that, I don't know."
"I only ask so that I can make arrangements for her if I have to," the elder said. "It will depend on what state she's in when she comes around."
"What do you expect?"
"At this point, I couldn't say. She may not even regain consciousness and if she does, there may be brain damage that is beyond my power to heal. We will have to wait and see."
The traveller had not thought too far ahead when all this began and he did not see much point in starting now.
"Well, me sitting around here isn't going to change anything," he said. "Maybe I could get started on some of that work you have for me."
"I couldn't possibly," the elder said. "You've come a long way and ought to rest."
"I'm the sort who's better off moving his bones."
"I see... In that case, if you're up for it, there are some loose shingles on the roof that need to be replaced. Best to get it done on a clear day like this. Give me a few more minutes and I'll show you where the tools and such are."
"No need to trouble yourself," the traveller said. "Just tell me where they are and I'll get them myself."
The elder held up his hand to stop him.
"Just... give me a few minutes, young man. Finish your tea and just relax a bit. I swear, I've seen rats on a sinking ship less anxious than you."
The elder did not realize how close he was to the truth. For the time being, though, he had to settle for sitting there with his tea a little longer.