Orc and Bunny

Chapter 16 - Deal with a Necromancer

Ella lay back against the soft blanket they had spread in the field outside Farport and a sigh of relief escaped her mouth. She had been surprised when her wife Ruth had invited her on a picnic. The Belmarie, the ship that Ruth captained and she was medic on, had been at sea for nearly a month and it felt nice to have a change of scenery. It was also nice to not be getting thrown back and forth unpredictably.

It had been easier when they were younger and stronger but neither of them was getting any younger. She had found herself considering where things were going now that they were getting older. She somehow doubted that Ruth would ever agree to retire.

“The only retirement a real pirate gets, is a cutlass to the gut,” she could almost hear Ruth saying if she brought it up. She sighed again, this time it was a long-suffering one.

“Do you not like the spot?” Ruth asked innocently.

“What? No this is a great spot,” Ella sat up on her elbows and looked at her wife. Ruth’s face had a lot more wrinkles than it had when they had met in the dungeons of the Mage Hunters, but that didn’t matter.

“Then what is it?” Ruth asked, worry wrinkling her face, and causing Ella to giggle in spite of herself.

“I was just thinking about what the future holds,” Ella responded.

“Tell me this isn’t about retirement again,” Ruth complained, “I’m way too young to be thinking about that.”

“Ruth, you are nearly seventy years old,” Ella scolded.

“And?”

“And human, not one of those long-lived races where seventy is still a kid.”

“What would I even do? Take up knitting?” Ruth huffed, crossing her arms.

“What’s wrong with knitting?” Ella scowled.

“Nothing,” Ruth said, holding her hands up in front of her. Ella loved knitting for the girls on the ship, and anytime someone they knew had a baby, “It’s just not for me.”

“I know you want to keep active, but the ship can be so dangerous.”

“I know, but what would even happen to the Belmarie?”

“The girls would elect a new captain, the same as you were elected. It’s only natural for the next generation to take over when the previous one grows old.”

“And just where would we go?”

“Why not here? We know pretty much everyone already. I’m sure we could find something to do. We have enough set aside, we could do what we like. Maybe we could open up a shop.”

“Like what? Should I become a baker or somesuch?”

“If you like,” Ella said, knowing full well that Ruth didn’t have the patience to be a baker.

Their conversation was interrupted by a cry from the bottom of the hill.

“Ella! Ruth! Hurry!” a woman wearing a yellow dress, and white apron was running up the hill. It took Ella a moment to recognize the woman as Goody Tellman from the Farport clinic. Sometimes Ella helped her with difficult medical cases, exorcisms, and other matters she couldn’t handle herself.

“Goody, what’s going on?” Ruth demanded.

“Quickly, I’ve never seen anything like this. I have no idea how to-”

“Goody, please,” Ella gently touched her shoulder, “catch your breath, and then tell me what’s going on.”

“Oh Ella,” she huffed, “it’s the most monstrous thing I’ve ever seen. This poor girl is absolutely covered in wounds.”

“That seems like something you’d be able to handle,” Ella said, confused.

“The wounds,” Goody gasped, “they’re cursed!”

“Cursed? What kind of curse?” Ella asked, thinking back to her childhood lessons on the subject, and wincing at how faint the memories were.

“I honestly don’t know, I’ve never seen anything like it,” Goody said, finally catching her breath, “Every attempt to heal them, or treat them in any way, just makes them open up more.”

“Gods,” Ella exclaimed, “That’s awful.”

“Her poor companion dragged her from within the Dasaunt Forest,” Goody said, “with all of their gear.”

“Now that’s something,” Ruth interjected, “I want to meet this person.”

“Then come with me,” Goody said frantically, waving for Ella to follow her, “I don’t know how long the girl can last like this.”

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“You go ahead, Ella,” Ruth said, “I’ll pack up and meet you there.”

“Alright, I love you,” Ella gave Ruth a peck on the cheek, “we’ll continue this conversation another time.” She turned and followed Goody Tellman back to town.

Anne lay on her side on a wooden bench in the healer’s shop - exhausted. Her ears drooped over the edge, and tears rolled down her face. She hated this feeling of helplessness that was threatening to overwhelm her. Every muscle ached, and their equipment was haphazardly laying in a pile in front of her.

The healer finally came back with a strange woman. At first glance she seemed like any other old woman, but when she turned, Anne saw that her entire right arm was made of bone, like the old anatomical model that had sat in a dusty corner of their family’s library.

Anne jumped to her feet, despite her nearly overwhelming exhaustion, and followed them into the examination room. She gasped at the sight of Belmoral, twitching and moaning on the table, wounds bleeding and trying to open and close like horrible mouths. The spider webs she had packed into them in an attempt to stop the bleeding, red and oozing. She gagged at the putrid smell. She didn’t know how she had failed to notice when she was carrying the other woman.

“Is there anything you can do,” Anne asked the kind looking stranger, “please, she can’t die.”

“Oh, dear,” the kind looking stranger said, “this is quite the curse, but I’ll do my best. What’s your name?”

“Anne,” Anne replied, she gestured to the sick bed, “and that’s Belmoral.”

“Those are very lovely names. I’m Ella,” Ella said, giving Anne a comforting pat on the shoulder, “Now, I think it would be best for you to return to the waiting room. You may hear some worrying sounds, but please don’t worry. I’m confident that I can help your girlfriend.”

“Oh, I’m not- I mean, we’re not,” Anne blushed at the assumption, and wondered what had given Ella the impression they were together.

“Oh, my mistake,” Ella chuckled softly and gave Anne a kind smile, “go on, dear, and let me do my work.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Anne obediently returned to the waiting room. When she turned from closing the heavy cotton curtain behind her, there was a new older woman sitting on the wooden bench.

“Are you the one that carried that sick girl out of Dasaunt Forest?” the new woman asked Anne in a tone that would make a rock spill its secrets. It wasn’t cruel, just extremely authoritative.

“I think so, ma’am, if that’s what the woods east of here are called,” Anne said, hoping that had been the right answer.

“That’s fairly impressive, young lady. What happened?” the woman continued, gesturing for Anne to join her on the bench.

Anne reluctantly sat at the other end of the bench from the woman, and told her the entire story, starting with the unexpected upheaval into this world. By the end of her story the woman was looking at her with interest.

“That’s quite a tale, and I can tell you aren’t embellishing at all which makes it all the more interesting. I’m Ruth, you can call me captain. What’s your name?”

“Anne, captain. Anne Hil.”

“Tell me, Anne, where are you two headed next?”

“I’m not sure. We were planning on waiting for Belmoral’s friend, ah, Belmoral is the woman in the other room. Then we’re supposed to go out into the world.”

That was punctuated by a painful sounding thud, followed by a cry.

“Don’t focus on that, Anne,” Ruth said, gently pulling Anne’s chin so she was facing her, “You’ll only drive yourself crazy. My Ella can fix anyone up good as new. Trust me,” Ruth turned and pulled her shirt up to show a back covered in wicked scars.

“Oh my God, what happened?” Anne asked before she could think better of it.

“That’s a tale for another time,” Ruth paused, “A lot of other times, frankly. Listen, how are you going to pay for this treatment, do you have money?”

“Oh God,” Anne rubbed her forehead, and her ears drooped behind her, “I was so focused on getting Belmoral help I didn’t even think about how I’d pay for it.”

“Do you have work?”

“No,” Anne groaned.

“I think we can help each other out,” Ruth said smiling, “You’re clearly the tough sort, why don’t you and your friend join my crew.”

“Your crew?”

“I have a ship full of looted goodies, and we’re taking it to our fence in Aldclark,” Ruth said, “In exchange for your work aboard the Belmarie, that’s my ship, for say the 6 months, I will pay the medical fees. If Belmoral joins you, then I will pay the medical fee, and a fair wage for her work.”

“What’s the catch?” Anne said, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

“It’s good to be suspicious of deals that are to good but in this case, there’s no catch,” Ruth chuckled, “Room, by which I mean the hammocks the crew sleep in, board, and a lot of hard work. Once we unload in Aldclark, we drop you off and part ways. Unless you decide to join on more permanently. What do you say?”

Anne thought about it for a minute. She looked at the closed door, with bright yellow light streaming through the cracks. She winced at the horrible banging and pained grunting. She thought about how they might pay, she had no idea how much it would cost.

Then she turned to the nonchalant captain who had provided her and Belmoral an out. They were meant to be exploring the world and catching a ship anyway right? With a deep breath in, she held out her hand. Ruth grinned and shook it.

“You have yourself a deal, captain. Though, I obviously can’t speak for Belmoral.”

“Of course, once she’s better I will make my offer to her. Unfortunately, some of the items on board the ship are time sensitive, so we can’t afford to wait around for your friend.”

“What?” Anne’s eyes widened, and she stared at Captain Ruth in disbelief.

“You could always leave a message for her here to join you in Aldclark. I’m sure they would understand.”

The next day, Anne stood leaning against the portside deck railing of the Belmarie. Belmoral had woken up and agreed to the captain’s terms immediately. The two had sat and written a letter to Ansemoni and gave it to the healer to deliver.

Ella had ordered them both to take things easy for a week. They had protested at first but after Ruth threatened to tie them to a bunk unless they behaved, they had relented. They were now both aboard the ship as it set sail.

Girls of all sorts of strange species were all around her busily mopping, wrapping ropes up, and retying knots.

“It’s strange to think that we got so lucky,” Belmoral said from behind Anne.

“How’s that,” Anne said, turning to face her.

“The fact that Ella happened to be in Farport when we needed her. That they were willing to take us on as new crew in exchange for our debt to the healer.”

“Ansemoni is going to scream bloody murder when she catches up to us,” Anne chuckled.

“That she is, luckily that’s at least six months away in Aldclark,” Belmoral laughed softly in response.

Belmoral joined Anne leaning against the railing watching Farport shrink in the distance, and the wide, choppy water of the Piratic sea stretching out to the horizon in front of them. They contemplated what fate had in store for them.