The Baby and the Battlefield

Chapter Fifteen: Salix and Tsuga Step In

Marcus and Mulberry stared at the two strange young women.

“I am Flora Salix,” the short girl explained, “and this is my junior.”

 The other girl was tall and thin. Her hair was limp, straight and a peculiar shade of dark brown. She dipped her head for a moment, as if half bowing.

 “I am Flora Tsuga,” the tall girl said humbly.

Marcus blinked.

At just that moment, Petro rode up, and let out a low whistle.

“Florae!” he exclaimed, “Marcus, didn’t I tell you there were Florae? That the Order of the Blossom was real? And hey, is that a dead guy?”

“He isn’t dead! At least, not yet. No thanks to you, though. Get down here and help me,” Mulberry glared at Petro. And it was true, the man wasn’t dead yet, though he didn't look so good. He had grown pale, and was lying back as if unconscious. He was still bleeding.

Flora Salix watched for a moment. Then she pushed Mulberry away from the stricken bandit before falling to her knees.

“Tsuga!” she barked, “Get me those herbs. Now”

Mulberry stood awkwardly for a moment, then crossed behind the man's head and sat beside Marcus . Flora Tsuga pulled something out of her sleeve. It was a little glass jar with a glass lid, held on by a hinge and a metal fitting. Inside the jar there was a paste, some sickly green mess of macerated plant material. Tsuga knelt on one side of the bandit, and Salix knelt on the other, where Mulberry had been standing. Flora Tsuga's limp dark hair blew into her eyes, and she pushed it aside, then held the jar out to Flora Salix. Salix shook her head. Instead, she reached into her sleeve and drew out a large silver dagger.

Flora Salix pushed her curls away from her forehead, and then held the blade to the bandit’s throat. She lifted her eyes to meet Marcus’ gaze.

“You attacked him with intent to kill. Tsuga and I saw it. That herb paste has remarkable qualities. I can see to it that he lives, if you so desire. But perhaps you would rather he was dead?”

Marcus did not reply. Salix narrowed her eyes at him and quietly said, “So, Marcus Marius, son of Tiberius, do you want him to die,” she nodded towards the blade in her hand, then towards the jar held by her junior, “or to live?”

Nobody was surprised that the Flora knew Marcus' full name.

“Marcus, why didn’t you finish him off properly anyhow?” Petro asked, bewildered. The man was a bandit. He had attacked Marcus and Mulberry; so far as Petro was concerned, that meant the man was practically asking to be killed.

Marcus did not even turn to look at Petro, dismissing his friend’s statement with a wave of his hand. His attention was fixed on Flora Salix, who waited upon his response. Marcus looked down for a long while, and finally up again.

“Save him,” he said, “Let him live.”

Petro blinked in surprise as Salix tucked the dagger back into her sleeve.

“Very well,” Flora Salix said, “We will save him. The herbs, Tsuga?”

Flora Salix popped open the lid of the glass jar, dipping her fingers in the greasy grey-green mess inside. A sharp smell, pine needles and mint, filled the air as she and Salix fell to work on the bandit. Salix chanted in low tones and Tsuga spread the green paste over the man’s wound. Petro swung off his horse, in the hopes of getting a better look.

“Doc never used anything like that,” he said suspiciously, “It doesn't really look like medicine at all. Smells like it, but doesn't look like it.”

Marcus passed Aurelia to Mulberry. The little girl smiled at the woman and babbled, but Mulberry did not smile. She was too busy watching the two bird-women treat the dying man. Tsuga spread the paste, and Salix frowned, concentrating on her chanting.

“Tell me he’s going to be okay,” Marcus whispered, standing over them.

Salix threw him a dirty look, but did not lose so much as single beat in her chant.

In a low voice, Tsuga said, “He might be, but if you are fool enough to bother my senior again, she will make sure he will die.”

Marcus continued to watch. Flora Tsuga finished spreading the paste, and Flora Salix stretched out two small, fat, very clean hands, and placed them on the wound. Her chanting grew steadily louder, until Marcus could feel his very body vibrating with Salix’s song. Somewhere on the edge of his consciousness, Aurelia started to cry.

At the apex of her song, Salix drew her hands through the green paste, as if rubbing it in. To Marcus’ amazement, the red, angry gash on the man’s chest began to draw itself closed. Mulberry gasped – this was powerful healing magic – but Marcus watched in silence. Petro seemed to be nearly falling over himself in his eagerness to see the process. It wasn't like anything he had seen before. The doctor had never used anything like this, and Petro's curiosity was more than merely professional. Finally, the wound seemed to disappear as the man’s skin knitted itself together. Flora Salix sat back on her heels, as Tsuga pulled a cloth from apparently nowhere and cleaned the green paste off Salix’s hands and bandit’s now perfect chest.

Petro let out another of his low whistles.

“That’s some work you girls did,” he said, “Do you think you can teach me how to do it? And where can I get some of that salve?”

Flora Salix threw Petro an annoyed look. Then she stood up, saying, “He should recover. And we should all leave before his friends show up. Come, Tsuga”

“Yes, senior,” Flora Tsuga replied.

“Hey, wait!” called Marcus, “Why are you watching us? Who are you?”

“We told you our names, Marcus Marius. And why we watch is our business, not yours.”

“Why did you save that guy?” Petro wanted to know.

Salix looked at Tsuga, and shrugged.

“We wanted to see what sort of man you were,” Salix said, addressing Marcus rather than Petro, “We will find you again, but for now, our orders carry us elsewhere. For now.”

With that, both young women turned. They each took two steps, then leapt into the air like dancers, only to somersault again into birds. The crows, black as night save for the red spots that the travellers now knew were roses, climbed into the sky until they could be seen no more.