Chapter 8: An Athelward's Reputation is Worth Little

  Frustration continued to build in Roshana as she listened to Ninah’s incessant talking. She had visited several places throughout the city but had found no one willing to accept her help. “Those people were quite rude,” said Ninah, glancing back at a small group of women around a well.

  The women were clearly talking about them, throwing glares their way. Ninah shook her head. “It's like they don’t trust total strangers with their children. How do you ever make new friends unless you trust strangers? Like the two of us?”

  Roshana turned to Ninah, her face a mask of astonishment. “Us? We are friends?”

  “Well…not yet, but we will get there, eventually. I understand it takes time, or so I have been told, but sometimes it can happen in a single day! I always liked those stories.”

  Roshana shook her head but said nothing. They continued to walk down the dusty street of Hatisep as Ninah prattled on. “It is alright though, they weren’t very pretty anyway. Do you know, there are so many people who have split ends. I thought I was cursed to be the only one since my mother never really had many. But some of these women look downright hideous. I was also afraid I wasn’t very pretty, but as I have been comparing myself to others over these past few weeks, I have found that I am fairly average. Not a great beauty like you, but not ugly either.”

  Roshana blushed at this and couldn’t help but interrupt. “You said you have been…how did you say, ‘out and about’ for a few weeks. How long has it been since you entered society?”

  “You mean since I started traveling? Let’s see…I’m not very good with time. Three seasons.”

  “And before that? Had you been in a city before?”

  “Before? Not so much-”

  Roshana stopped, looking at her aghast. “Never? What about a town or village?”

  Ninah shrugged, her face growing red. “I…well…no. I had never left our farm in the mountains since…well as far back as I can recall. Mother said it was safer. That the outside world was a bad place. But I don’t think it is that scary at all! It's strange…but not too scary. There have been some fantastic sites I have seen! And the people…ah! They are so fascinating.”

  “So…” Roshana said, steering her talkative companion down a side street. “You have no experience with society and interacting with people?”

  Ninah shrugged. “No. But I’m learning. I’m learning really fast! I found out you can’t just take food from stalls out in the open. They don’t like that. You have to pay with coins. So, I am trying to figure out how to get some. Do you know how to get coins? They don’t like when you just take those either.”

  Roshana had a small smile touch her face. “Believe me…I’m almost as bad at knowing how to do that as you are. I never had to worry about that.”

  “Didn’t you grow up with coins?”

  “Ah, here it is.”

  Roshana stopped outside of the last place on her list. The sign had no words, only the symbol of a bandage wrapped around an Aloe plant. She knocked on the door as Ninah asked, “What place is this?”

  “It’s a healer's house. See that sign. It's the common sign of healers…at least in the empire and the surrounding regions.”

  “Ah…and we are here to heal people?”

  “If they will let me.”

  She was greeted at the door by a surly looking man. “What do you want?”

  “Greetings,” said Roshana, curtsying. Ninah tried to copy her awkwardly though she had no skirt, only her simple tunic. “I am Roshana, member of the Order of Ministers, and I am here to lend my services to anyone who may desire it, or require it.”

  “Oh, that rhymed,” said Ninah with a giggle from behind.

  The man looked at both of them, his bushy eyebrows beetling above his forehead. “I don’t need the likes of you here messing with my work. We don’t trust Athelward anyway.”

  “Please,” said Roshana, moving forward before he could shut the door in her face, “Can I not ask those within and let them decide?”

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  Though unhappy, the man grunted and moved aside to let them in. The building was dank and smelled stale as several coughs greeted them as they entered. Roshana moved to the center of the room and gazed about at the six or seven patients within. She spotted a mother with her young child and she raised her hand. “Greetings all, I am a member of the Order of Ministers and I am here to help anyone who wishes or needs my help. I can heal wounds, ease pain, and cleanse infections.”

  The room was silent as all eyes turned to her. She squirmed under their gaze but kept hers fixed on the mother, smiling still. “A member of who?” whispered someone.

  “She’s an Athelward,” said the healer, moving up behind her. “Her order simply has a fancy name and says they focus on healing.”

  At the word “Athelward'' many of the patients cringed away and their gazes turned downward. The mother hissed. “We have no need of your order here. Begone and leave us in peace.”

  “Please…” Roshana moved toward her. “Your child is ill and I could help! You must trust me! My order…”

  “We don’t trust Athelward!” said the woman, leaning protectively over her child. “They abandoned us long ago. They care only for those in the United Houses.”

  “That is not true. I care. Let me help.”

  “She said leave her alone,” came a voice from across the room.

  Roshana turned to face the room at large. “I swear to all of you, by the Creator, I can help and I only wish to help.”

  “That is all the Athelward have ever claimed!” said the mother, “But their help has never come.”

  “Leave us in peace!” called another voice.

  “We don’t trust you!” said a third.

  “She’s a nice person,” said Ninah, stepping forward. “You should trust her!”

  “That is enough,” said the healer, moving to face the pair. “You have asked, they have refused. Now leave.”

  Roshana gazed about sadly, then bowed slightly. “Creator be with you.”

  She left the building without another word, Ninah close on her heels, glaring at the occupants.

  *

  Avner ran into Haran and Suti at the gates of the city. He had been forced to walk around the outer wall to the front gate in order to get back in and the sun was now over the tops of the trees. “So, how did the investigation go?” asked Suti, a gleam in her eye.

  Avner glared at her. “Fine, no thanks to you. Why did you let them open the gate, Haran?”

  “I tried to stop them but I thought it a bad idea to attack the servants, especially with two guards outside the door.”

  “You are ready to pounce on anyone in a heartbeat and pummel them except when I need you too.”

  Haran shrugged. “It seemed like the best idea.”

  “Too bad those don’t come to you very often.”

  Suti shook her head. “Never mind that. Did you find anything?”

  “Yes and no,” said Avner, clutching his side and grimacing.

  “This had better not be a joke,” said Suti dangerously, pulling him down the street.

  He winced, “Careful! I’m bruised by those stupid animals.”

  “What did you find?”

  “Well…I found that there was no passage in the tunnel. They aren’t sneaking them out there. However, I’m fairly certain that the solution is much simpler than that.”

  “How so?”

  “Well, those herdsmen looked really nervous when I told them my business. There is a very good chance they know something.”

  “So, we should go talk to them!” said Haran, cracking his knuckles.

  “And we will…tonight,” said Avner. “I need to rest and they are out in the fields on horseback. We will catch them when they return.”

  “We waste valuable time waiting,” said Suti.

  “You want to chase them, be my guest,” said Avner. “As for me…I’m going back to the palace to recuperate.”

  *

  Roshana sat forlornly on a street curb with Ninah beside her, a comforting hand around her shoulder. “You know…it isn’t all so bad. These people probably don’t even deserve your help.”

  “It isn’t about deserving, Ninah. It's about giving without asking for anything in return.”

  “Oh…I haven’t learned about that yet. I’ve only ever seen transactions.”

  “It isn’t practiced much anymore.”

  “Ah…is that because people are so mean and ungrateful?”

  Roshana sighed and smiled slightly. “You will understand in time. I hope.”

  A man approached them, dressed in poor garb and holding out a hand. “Are you the Athelward healer I have heard of?”

  “How have you heard of me?”

  He hesitated for the briefest moment. “News travels fast in a small city like Hatisep. Please, come with me! I need your help!”

  “Come where?” asked Roshana, rising and facing him hesitantly.

  “To my home. My daughter is ill and cannot rise from her bed. Please, help my daughter!”

  “I will come. Show me the way.”

  The man led them down the streets of Hatisep and they dodged and shoved between groups of people to keep up with him. They were approaching the palace when he turned on to a side street and down an alleyway. Roshana hesitated at the entrance before Ninah ran into her from behind. “Oof! He’s getting away! There he goes! I didn’t know we were allowed to relieve ourselves in alleys.”

  Roshana hesitated for a second longer before pushing herself down the alley and holding a hand to her nose to blot out the smell. They emerged into an open area between several houses. In this stretch, four guards stood, their weapons at their sides and flaming crests of Rim-Sum on their gauntlets. Roshana gazed in horror at one very familiar guard, his brazier emblem clear on his gauntlet as he moved forward with a smile. “Remember me?”

  It was the guard from the oasis.

  She turned to look back the way they had come to see the alley blocked by two more guards, clasping spears. The guard moved closer to her, “I still require your services and you haven’t paid me in full yet.”