Thomas was starting to both love and hate Rael. She kept him hopping with tasks that seemed menial at first, but after the first few times that he saw her using the cloths and thread that he had fetched. The cleaning of the blood and bile was purely for both of their benefits, and the burning of the incense was for the patients. If they couldn’t smell the blood and decay then they were so much calmer to work with.

In the days that he had started to work with Rael, he had seen the body-takers twice. Only once had they came to the house, to take away the body of an old man who's family had brought to try to save him. Thomas had turned from the weeping and mourning family and had seen the white masks with their long beaks as they walked though the crowd, the large robes that concealed their entire bodies become obvious as they got closer and closer. Thomas had hid behind the family and Rael. He didn’t trust them, something about how they looked and acted sent of bells in his mind. We're they even human? He had wondered.

Today Rael was starting to actually teach him about diseases, and not just the Black Curse, but others that afflicted people more commonly.

“It may be that you'll cure the Black Curse.” Rael had said dark eyes solemn. “But if you want to be a healer it means that you have to treat any and all diseases that come your way, not just the ones that you want to work on.”

So this was why he was holding down an old man, who had broken his leg. Rael had his leg in her grasp and had started to swear at him. After informing him that his mother had lain with a rabid goat, and when the old man had tried to respond she pulled and set the bone. Thomas released him and got the bandages to set up a splint.

They left the house and started their way back to the Healer's district from the home of the old man and his grateful if annoyed family. Rael wore the robes of a healer, the fabric and pattern giving it away that the wearer was a healer. Some people greeted Rael, by name or just as a general healer. Others looked away and pretended like they couldn’t see her and by extension him. One he recognized as a member of the grieving family who's patriarch had died. They were almost back to the place Thomas was almost starting to call home, when a man ran up to Rael.

“Healer, there's a problem with my wife. The child is coming too soon.” He gasped out.

“Take me to her.” Rael said, putting off that they were originally heading home. They raced through the streets to the man's home. Outside they could hear screaming, Rael went straight through the door and started to take command. Thomas went ahead and started to boil the water that she would likely soon need. Rael took the woman's hand and started to speak soothingly to her and asked her questions to try to find out what was going on within her body. The woman responded the best that she could, what she had eaten earlier that day. While this was going on a man, not the husband kept trying to talk over Rael and countermand her orders. He might have been an elder family member but as far as Rael was concerned he was an obstacle in her way. After the fourth time he tried to interrupt her, she turned and started shouting at him. Rael could be truly loud when whenever she shouted and made herself heard to those that have tried to ignore the healer’s advice.

“Shut up and get out of my way or I'll make you get out.” Rael said.

“You can't do anything to me.” He started to say before Rael grabbed him by the head and started to haul him out. The man started to shout about who did she think that she was! Rael tossed him out and shut the door, going back to the woman giving birth. Every so often Thomas could hear the man outside pounding at the door trying to get in. But no one let him in, not even the husband. Blood was on the floor and all over Rael's hands by the end of it. Blood even got on Thomas's hands as he handed tools over to Rael and took them back. By the end of it a baby girl was born and the mother rested with each other. Rael washed her hands and they were beginning to leave and opened the door and finally the older man entered into the room, enraged. Hate in his eyes he glared at Rael, “You had no right to do that.”

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“I had every right you were interfering with my god given work. In times regarding the health of the people only the king can gainsay me.” She said firmly. Then she swept out by him and Thomas followed.

“How did you like your taste of being a true healer?” Rael asked. Thomas looked confused as they walked. “Sometimes there are good things like saving that woman's life and that of the babies. Also there are the people who won't listen to what you are saying and need to be shown out so that they don't get in the way.”

“But don't they have concerns?”

“Yes, but it's all about them what they want and they rarely care about the patient that we have come to treat. Sometimes, things get even worse.” Rael straightened her shoulders. As they walked into the healer's district they passed by two of the body takers, white masked and black robes. One of them turned their head to look at Thomas, he quickly followed Rael and didn’t meet it's gaze.

They entered the house preparing to wind down for the night. But there was someone already there. It was a tall man who was inspecting the curtains and the other few items in the room.

“My Lord!” Rael said. She swept a bow and Thomas followed her example. This was the King? King Renard, was just a man. It was hard to put it any other way. There was nothing all that grand about him that Thomas could see. He was tired eyes baggy, and crowsfeet visible at the corners.

“There is no need for that Rael.” He frowned at Thomas. “Who is this?”

“My new apprentice, Vaska found him in the wake of the Black Curse.” that was not how Thomas would have described it, but he wouldn’t argue about it. Not in front of the king.

“Ah.” He said. “Speaking of Vaska, we need to talk.”

“Thomas go to your room.” Rael said.

Thomas first went, then snuck back. He couldn’t resist eavesdropping on the conversation that would be occurring between them.

“I'm reaching my end with this situation.” He said.

“I know things aren’t good.” Rael began.

“It's a bit more than, not good.” King Renard said. He was pacing around the room. “More and more villages are starting to get wiped out. As the leader I need to protect my people.”

“You can't be serious!” Rael said. “Do you know what that will do to your people? They won't trust you any more, your won't be Good King Renard anymore. You'll be Renard the Butcher.” Thomas thought that he must have missed something, they were talking like they were revisiting an old conversation.

“But what else am I to do. It's a risk even allowing Vaska to go out as late as it is. A every day comes closer to the moment that she could change.”

“Let me find a cure. Their lives are already in despair keeping them alive but with hope so the best that you can do for them, is to let me find a cure for the diseases.” Stunned Thomas made his way back to his room so not as to get caught. The next day Rael started to teach him about the basics of putting together the pain deadening potions that are commonly given to the victims of the Black Curse. These were the ones that Vaska took every other day or when the pain began to be too much. Most of the victims took it and it eased their pain, in some cases it was the only thing that did.