Healer|Raynham, Reave

[bartimaeus]

Sara wakes up with a yawn. Sliding around so her feet are out from under the blankets and poised to stand her up, she gives a long stretch. Sunlight filters in through the curtains of her small bedroom window. A few seconds of staring blankly at the window Sara finally manages to persuade herself to get up and open the curtains.

Blinding herself as she opens them it takes a few minutes for Sara to see clearly. Outside the weather shines happily. Birds chatter and the small waves lapping the shore of the great river creates a soothing atmosphere. Sara was highly tempted to climb back into bed. But she has a patient to attend to.

Sara walks out of her bedroom and enters the small lounge that makes for the largest portion of her small mud brick cottage. Three doors surround the lounge. One leading into a small kitchen filled with nothing but a bench and washing tub. The other led outside. Sara heads for the kitchen door. Upon entering a loud screeching greets her.

"Hello youngling" Sara smiles as she greets the small hawk. "How is our wing this morning hmm?" Sara opens the small cage door to bring out the hawk. Generally most people avoid sticking their hands near a sharp beak of an angry bird. But Sara seemed to have a natural calming aura about her. The hawk quieted down as soon as her hand came close.

Sara brings the small bird out and gently lifts out the wing. Sara wobbles her arm slightly to unbalance the hawk. The wing starts to flap to regain balance, showing Sara that the little bird was about to fly again. 'I'd give it tonight and then tomorrow morning it's time for you to leave your second nest this year.' she tells herself. Every sending off was sad, but the feeling she got when she saw them fly off was always a good one. Most of the time she would see them again anyway, some couldn’t help but come and share an acorn, or in the cases of hawks a bloodied mouse or two.

Placing the patient back into the cage to rest Sara locks the cage door, more for her house than the bird, and begins to go about making breakfast. Sara was beginning to think that all she would ever see are hurt animals that needed healing. But then that was the choice she made separating herself from the city. Still the occasional traveller would come knocking on her door. 'Best in your class and this is what you do to yourself.' she scolds herself. The sounds from outside waft in through the open window next to her. All thoughts of moving back to the city vanish and a sense of peace fills Sara.

After her breakfast Sara heads outside. Next to her small cottage is what looks like a vegetable garden. Some of the things growing in the garden were vegetables, but most were certain herbs and ferns that were needed for healing. They generally came in when her power stopped helping. Sara's power abilities were extremely strong in healing. If she was using them for combat though, she was better off running. Still Sara had never been in a fight her entire life.

Weeds greet her with what could almost be described as malicious grins. It didn't matter how many times she pulled them out, for every one she pulled three were there the next day. Or that's how it seemed. Sighing at the infuriating plants Sara kneels down in the garden and begins to pull.

[aivea]

Several days after departing from Reave, Madison arrives at the edge of Sara's land and ties the horse's reigns to a fence post after dismounting. The ex-arms merchant is careful to keep his aura switched off and not to step on the flowers.

"Are you Sara? A man named Bremen sent me in search of a healer by the name of Sara and there is no time to waste. My sl-ahem... I mean friend- Cecilia is severely ill and he thinks you are the only one who can cure her," he says, temporarily forgetting his manners in his rush.

[bartimaeus]

Sara is only slightly shocked at the voice issuing out of nowhere. 'that gets me every time, the whole appearing out of nowhere thing' She scolds herself. Sara listens to the stranger as he talks. From his accent he would be a clear, and at one stage a wealthy one. She had heard some time ago that the clears city had been destroyed. 'that's what happens when you play with fire' Sara thought.

One word sticks out more than any. Bremen. She hadn't seen him for years. He was just hitting his teens when he was brought to her.

"Did you say Bremen?" Sara interrupts the man. The details of what was wrong weren't important, at least not until she could see the patient for herself. "What do you know of the boy?" Sara's subconscious had little alarm bells ringing. Why would Bremen be with people? She knew all about Bremen and his past.

[aivea]

"Yes. Bremen came to Reave with the other Fires to help us and volunteered to keep my friend from dieing until you arrive. He can mend weapons but didn't seem to have much to say or really care that I'm a Clear," Madison says.

Upon realizing he'd let slip that he's a Clear, the arms dealer inwardly curses and puts one hand over his mouth to keep from saying more.

[bartimaeus]

Sara listens intently questions reeling around in her head. Still there was no way he could have known Bremen and to come here with his name unless he was telling the truth. Sara indicates to the man to stay where he is, while she walks into the cottage. Almost running into the kitchen Sara heads to a large cage not far from the one that held the hawk. In the cage are three pigeons.

Sara takes one out and lets it stretch its legs on the bench while she scribbles down a rushed note to her mother. She needed to make sure that while she was away her garden was tended, but more importantly the young hawk was released sometime tomorrow afternoon. She decides not to tell her mother about Bremen. Instead just opting for the old 'It's serious, no time to explain' explanation.

Tying the small bit of paper onto the pigeon Sara heads outside. Still walking towards the man standing dangerously close to her pansy garden, Sara releases the bird into the air. "If it's as serious as you say I believe we should leave now. But we can't take your horse. It's been pushed too far as it is. I have one we can switch it for in my stable." without waiting for the man to reply she heads off down a small track just wide enough to fit the strangers horse. Upon reaching the stable the horses are exchanged and within half an hour of the man’s arrival Sara has gone from gardening to hurtling towards Reave.

[aivea]

During the ride, Madison tries to ignore how awkward being that close to someone who he doesn't really know is. To break the silence more than anything else he asks, "Is there anything you want to know while before our arrival? It is a few days away and this would be a good time for you to learn anything you wish to know."

[bartimaeus]

Sara can barely hear the voice over the wind rushing past as her pure bred races on. By the pace she was going at they could cover half the distance today, meaning she could arrive at Reave by the day after tomorrow, around midday. Remembering that she had just been spoken to, Sara turns back slightly and points at her ears to try and show the man she can't hear. A look of confusion is her answer.

Sara slows the horse down to a fast trot while she turns as far around as she can to look at the man. "There are allot of questions that I want to ask, but for now it's not the time or place. We'll be going at this pace till sundown. Phillip here could take us all the way there at a slightly slower pace, but I don't want him breaking a leg in the dark. So we're going to stop tonight and let him rest. You can answer my questions then."

Sara looks forward again and gently nudges her horse into the fast canter they were originally hurtling at. The trees whiz past and occasionally a twig flies over her cheeks giving her scratches here and there. They'd be easy to fix once they made camp.


After hours of riding solidly at the same pace Sara begins to wind her horse down. Starting with a fast trot and finishing with a slow walk. When she's satisfied her horse won't be sore then next day she stops all together and begins to clear away the tree debree and collect rocks. Within an hour there's a fire roaring and from the saddlebag two bedrolls are produced.

"Sorry, the only thing I have is dried meat." Sara tears the dried meat in half and hands some to the man. "Ok, now is question time. I think you should start from the beginning. How do you know Bremen?"

[aivea]

"Apparently, Bremen came to Reave with the other Fire types to help my fellow Clears and I survive. I do not know what lead up to it, however he found his way into the tent were I had gathered and was distributing what weapons could be salvaged. Immediately, Bremen volunteered to repair them and I did nothing to stop him. He hasn't spoken much at all to me and I cannot say that I know more about him than his appearance and name. Upon hearing that Cecilia was unwell, he took a look at her condition and said that I should bring you. That is all he's seen fit to tell me... I didn't ask more because I know very well we all have done things in the past that we are not proud of," Madison answers. Taking a breath he continues, "Before you ask, the act I performed in the past that I am not proud of was selling weapons and armor to both sides during the war. Even though I thought little of it at the time, I am starting to feel ashamed of using the war between the Elementals and the Clears as a way to make a rapid profit."

He takes a few bites and awaits the next question.

[bartimaeus]

Sara stares down the man. Usually her temper was non-existent or in the worst cases kept in check. Sara was having a hard time keeping her temper from exploding. Taking a few quietly controlled breaths Sara thinks about what she's going to say next. Unfortunately Sara's thin wall crumbles.

"You should be ashamed. What sort of idiotic moron sells weapons to both sides of a war? What kind of a person holds people as slaves and doesn't blink twice when they get ill. If I weren’t a healer your head would be fertilizing my garden right now. The only reason I'm helping you is because Bremen has asked me to. If it were up to me you'd be given a short drop and a sudden stop." Sara breathes deeply while she calms herself. Her face burns from embarrassment but is red from anger. Some people had no idea about life.

"Right now that's out of my system I think the next question is how long the girls been like this. What's her age as well?" Sara decides that in future when she's as angry as that she'll go kick rocks for a while. It was completely against her nature to shout. This time though she was one step away from throttling the man. Sara finishes the dried meat while she listens.

[aivea]

Madison holds up on hand and shakes his head.

"I didn't say that her being sick didn't bother me, did I? I just knew there was nothing I could do and decided to try to keep her comfortable. Not to mention, if I was truly an 'idiotic moron' one side or the other would have found out I was selling arms to both. Like I said, I was a greedy arms merchant then and regretting it now. And I doubt my head would make very good fertilizer," he says before answering. "Cecilia has been sick for a little over a week and it was mild until a few days ago when the disease turned deadly seemingly over night. I believe she is 12 now, but I do not know when her birthday is, only that two years have passed since I first encountered her."

[bartimaeus]

Sara breathed in. She needed to know more. Sara knew that it had to be bad for Bremen to need her. She had taught him allot about healing fevers. It scares Sara a little to try and picture what could be so bad. A small alarm bell rings and Sara feels a small amount of panic take hold.

"Is she coughing? Does she breath smoothly? What about her skin what colour is it? And her eyes.... What colour are her whites in her eyes?' Sara slams out the questions rapidly. Sara already knows the answers but she has to be sure, if there was a small chance the girl had something different…. But this wasn't a good sign for the girl.

[aivea]

"Yes, she has a rather painful sounding dry cough. No, she didn't breath smoothly when I left to get you, but Bremen might have done something about that by now. Her skin is paler than before, in fact it almost reminds me of paper. Cecilia hasn't opened her eyes since taking a turn for the worse, but the whites in her eyes were on the border of white and yellow the day before," Madison answers. Tilting his head slightly in puzzlement he asks, "Have you already figured out what is ailing her?"

[bartimaeus]

Sara works around the details in her head. The good news was that she could treat it. The bad news was that Bremen is in for a hard few days until she can get there. Knowing Bremen he would have started burning eucalypt leaves to help with the breathing and a kind of fern leaf to help with the pain. That would give her some time but not much. Sara guesses that the young girl will be wide-awake sometime tomorrow and screaming in agony that Bremen can't do anything about.

"Yes I know what she's got. It's a fever called madman’s rush. It's a rare fever; supposedly you get it from a beetle that lays its eggs in open wounds. And I'm going to hazard a guess that when she fell ill she had a cut somewhere. More than likely it’s her leg. The beetle and hatchlings aren't the problem. The eggs hatch before the wound fully heals. No. It's the small tiny egg cases that cause the problems. The best thing for me to do is to re-open the wound and dig out the eggshells and then let the blood stream soak in the anti-fever potion. I've got the flower I need for it too. Ever heard of poppies?" Sara finishes her lecture and for a brief moment felt like she was teaching Bremen again.

Sara stares into the fire not really listening to the man’s answer about poppies. After a little bit she rolls onto her back and lying straight on top of her knap sack Sara falls asleep. Tomorrow they could cover enough to get close to Reave, but either way she wouldn’t be at Reave till the next day.

[aivea]

"Of course I've heard of poppies, there's enough growing wild were I come from that they're a weed," Madison says, slightly offended that Sara'd thought he didn't know what poppies are.

After finishing his meal, he lays on his side to sleep and inwardly curses fate for reducing him to having to get used to laying either on the ground or on a rather hard cot. Truth be told, Madison already missed the mansion that the wealth acquired from his business had let him live in.

[bartimaeus]

Sara wakes up about an hour before the sun is due to hit the horizon. She starts to pack everything before she wakes up her 'client' and heads off. Sara wishes that they had found a stream first. She hadn't had a wash yesterday; generally she aims to do that after getting sweaty in the garden. 'Well so much for that' She thinks. When everything is packed Sara nudges the man with her boot. When there's no response Sara can feel her temper coming, which surprises her because she's never been one to fly off the handle over something as trivial as waking up. Still she did tend to become high strung when there was something serious to be dealt with. Stress wasn't something she could cope with.

When everything was packed and ready they climbed onto Philip and which a slight nudge he raced on. Wind brings tears to Sara's eyes from the cold more than anything. The still morning air was the worst time to ride a horse helter skelter. Sara was thankful that the roaring wind was loud enough to stem conversation. She didn't particularly care for this man much. Racing on Sara prays that not every clear is so frustrating.