As the crowd encroached again, the lumbering frame of Boah stepped forward. Whatever his initial reaction was, his face now betrayed nothing but stern calmness. He turned his back to the violent scene and held his hands up, urging restraint. “Calm yourselves, people of Ash! Do not be alarmed, for you have just witnessed the carnage bestowed upon those who cast aside Okkan! Those who place themselves in the leagues of false gods!”
The crowd hesitated. Most were watching the blood seep into the sand, but a few turned to Boah. He continued his speech. “It is time to stop the silence perpetuated by the empowered minority and to inform you all of the truth of what is going on in Ash. For years, we have thrived under the freedom Ash has given its citizens, a freedom that consists not only of coin but of truth. I have always believed in these things, remember that as I tell you this.”
Boah hesitated. As he did so, the crowd became silent. Harran, Nami, and Juddken all watched with fascination. Those coming down the street gathered into the growing semicircle, looking to see what all the commotion was. The only one who broke from the crowd was Mendalla, who moved past Boah and approached the corpse of the screaming woman.
“This city,” Boah said, “is cursed!” Cries and sobs erupted from the crowd, momentarily breaking the trance Boah had cast. “Not the soul of Ash, but of certain desertfolk. Desertfolk who have come in contact with the witch: a wicked and vile woman who has sought to ruin our most sacred of holidays with a curse that destroys the souls of men and women and children. What has transpired before us is her work, and as you can see it is all-encompassing.”
Behind the Big Man, Appo, Jere, and Mendalla stood alone examining the bodies. Mendalla looked with sorrow over the woman’s corpse as she muttered to herself. “Oh Mena, you poor soul. What happened to you?”
Appo approached from the side, keeping a safe distance between the two. “I highly advise you to keep your distance. We don’t know exactly how this disease spreads.”
Mendalla sneered. “That’s peculiar. I could have sworn you called this woman 'cursed' not a moment ago. Which is it then?”
“Does it matter?”
Close by, Boah continued his speech. He was clearly a master at his craft, dictating his words with controlled gestures and vocal inflections. The crowd was enthralled by Boah's words as if hypnotized. It was as if they had forgotten the bodies behind him. “I know many of you in the crowd worship the old gods. I am not here to pick fights with you. I know many are upset by the transgression the Day of Akkavan brings every year. But it brings happiness to Ash, for nothing is stronger than Okkan's godwill. May I remind you all that not too long ago, before we brought the Holiday to our city, we had forgotten the meaning of wealth. We had forgotten the meaning of sustenance. Okkan brought this land back from the throes of oblivion when the old gods stopped listening. Okkan has been good to us, and we must continue to be good to him. Under his guidance, he can protect us from the desert. He can protect us from the raiders. And of course, he can protect us from this wicked curse.”
Appo was astounded. Boah had a way with words; it was almost as if he planned the speech. It was terrifying – the fact that one of his guards had taken his life just moments ago appeared to have no impact on Boah. Still, it was playing with the crowd well, for they were hanging onto his every word.
Boah’s passion grew as he spoke. “Do not forsake the Day of Akkavan! Do not run from destiny! With the exile of the witch tomorrow at high noon, this curse will be obliterated. Okkan's godwill brought us back from the dead, and he can keep the dead away from us! As the faithful know, his will can bring back the harvest, and make this a thriving city once again! Do not forsake your duty! Do not forsake your god!”
Appo couldn’t believe it, but Boah was actually receiving cheers. He was practically standing atop warm corpses and gaining political clout. It was disgusting, but effective. Appo hoped that Boah was simply trying to calm the crowd. Still, he had a bad feeling. From that moment on, it would be impossible for him to trust Boah.
“Healer, may I have a word?” Appo turned, it was Mendalla. She looked stern, but her eyes could not hide her sadness. After meeting his gaze, Mendalla walked away from the corpses, beckoning her personal guards. As Appo followed, he took one last look at the crowd that gathered around Boah. It had doubled in size and was growing. If any of them contracted the disease from their bodies, Appo worried that the consequences would be devastating.
Jere continued to stand between the corpses, seemingly unable to move.
Mendalla led her group a few paces away from the crowd, to where her voice could be clearly heard. She pulled aside one of the guards. “Penzer, remove the bodies off the street and dispose of them properly… Clean up the blood in the sand… Find Mena’s family and inform them of what has happened… Track down Duncic’s brother as well.”
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“It’ll be done, madam,” Penzer responded. He was older than every other guard Appo had seen, but he spoke with authority. He turned away, barking a litany of commands to the other guards.
After most of the corps dispersed, Mendalla turned to Appo. She looked as if she were about to plead with him, but she regained her composure at the last second.
“Healer,” she began, “as you can see, my colleague has just made it impossible to do anything to affect the holiday. Unless we want a riot on our hands, there is nothing I can do.” She paused. “However, I reluctantly admit that I need your guidance. I command most of the guard in this city, and I can direct them to do whatever we can to stop this… "thing" from spreading, whatever it may be.”
Appo tried hide his excitement at the prospect of being taken seriously. “I’m glad you’ve come around to reason, madam.”
“Reason?!” Mendalla gawked. “My city is cursed, men and women are dying in my streets, and Boah has just made a mockery of myself and the other Heads to gain favor. I hardly know of reason, apparently.”
Appo let the silence linger. He understood her frustration. Finally, she spoke again.
“Tell me what to do, healer.”
“If we can’t stop this holiday, and we can’t stop the travelers from coming to the city, at the very least we should confine the diseased until it is better understood. We can use your guards to track down the source of the disease, and anyone who has come in contact with the woman should be rounded up and closed off. By contact, I mean even those who touched her. Unfortunately, I have a feeling the trader has become infected and we need to separate him from the rest.”
“You do realize that this includes your friend, right? He touched her during the struggle. Do you think Jere has the…?” Mendalla wasn’t sure how to finish the sentence.
“The disease?” Appo was reluctant to admit that he hadn’t even thought of Jere’s contact with the woman. But it was true, he grabbed her robe as he tore her off Duncic. “I pray that he doesn’t.”
Mendalla pondered for a moment. “I’ll arrange this with the Corps. I’ll inform Penzer to round up everyone that has encountered Mena within the last few moons. I pray that she didn’t go around shaking hands with everyone then. I’m afraid to know what this means for her family.”
“Did you know the woman?” Appo asked.
Mendalla shook her head. “I run this city, healer, regardless of what the others may tell you. I make bedfellows with the beggars, even. The trader’s name is Osijek, and he works for my nephew. He’s not a nice man, and drinks more than what he is paid for. Mena on the other hand…”
Mendalla looked away from Appo. It was hard to tell, but Appo thought he saw her sniff and wipe away a tear.
“Mena is my daughter-in-law. She was married to my son, Amaren, before she went away. The two sold spices together a long time ago, before they were run out by that devil, Urash. I haven’t seen them in a long time. And with the condition Mena was in, I pray I don’t find what’s become of him.”
Appo didn’t know what to say. He offered her his condolences, but only in the confines of his mind. He didn’t want to push his luck again.
“I’ll have my guards do as you recommend,” Mendalla said. “We will locate open houses in the western section of the city to house the suspected diseased. Is there anything else you’ll have us do?”
Appo had a list of things he had been building in his head but decided not to overwhelm the woman. “I need just three things. One, Boah was correct when he said I needed to see the shaman. I’m not sure what I can learn, but if I’m correct in my assumption that the curse didn’t start with her, there’s a possibility that there are more infected like this woman. Two, I need to examine the woman’s body and perform an autopsy. And three, I need to see the suspected infected and those who have come in contact with the diseased. I hope I can compile a list of symptoms and make it easier to discern who is and isn’t infected.”
Mendalla batted her eyelashes and raised her chin. “I cannot have you desecrate bodies in Ash. I’m not sure where you hail from, but it is highly unorthodox to do anything with the dead but bury them. Even if that weren’t the case, I wouldn’t dare let you bring harm to my daughter-in-law, though her soul be corrupted.”
Appo gulped. He figured he shouldn’t have tested that point. Even in the most progressive of cities he had come across, none had dared let him touch the dead.
Mendalla continued. “Nothing is stopping you from speaking to the guards, however. And you are welcome to speak to the witch if you wish. She remains in the pillory, though if you wish to talk to her I recommend you do so at dusk. The crowd wouldn’t take kindly to you speaking to her, especially after all this.”
“That is enough,” Appo replied. “Thank you, Madam.”
Mendalla snorted. “Get to work, Appo. Pray to Okkan that he will protect us from the disease.” As she turned away, Appo muttered a prayer into his pendant. He had nothing personal against Okkan, but Appo knew better than to rely on a god of harvest for protection against this disease. He prayed to Lowya instead.