Undestined: Fight your Fate

Chapter Six: Concerning Magic, Pt. 2

The next morning, no one joined Silay for her training, so she got up and ran through the exercises Riya had taught her first, then the few sword drills she had learned from Jarlen. When she finished, she built up a small fire and started heating what remained of their bread for breakfast. She had just started boiling water when Riya came out of the tent. Her eyes were red with dark circles under them.

Riya looked at the pot of water. "Oh, good. Tea." She nodded at Silay. "Thanks. And good morning."

"Good morning." Silay took the pot off the fire and added the tea leaves to it to seep while Riya walked off in the direction of the privy they had dug the night before.

When Riya came back, Silay poured tea into cups for each them. They sat in silence for a moment. Finally, Riya spoke. "I'm sorry about last night."

Silay shrugged. "It's all right."

"No, it's not. What we're doing... what you're doing... it's important. Too important to let past problems get in the way. The future has enough problems of it's own."

"If there is a future." The two women jumped at the sound of Jarlen's voice. He walked over to the fire and accepted a cup of tea from Silay before sitting down. He looked at Riya. "I truly don't know if I can find it in myself to forgive you. But I can set the past aside for the sake of the future. It will be helpful to have someone who can use magic with us." He paused, shifting his gaze between Silay and Riya. "Is that acceptable to you?"

Silay desperately wanted to ask about what had happened after Riya stole the Wardstone, but felt this wasn't the time to ask. Instead, she nodded her assent to Jarlen's proposal, as did Riya.

"Good." Jarlen stood and stretched out his back and arms. He pulled a small bag of coins from his pocket and tossed it to Riya. "Your plan for getting supplies is the best. Silay and I will stay on this path, and you can take the main road through Fela. The roads join up again just outside the city."

Riya pocketed the coins, then also stood. "Let's get going then."

***

As Silay helped break down the camp, she noticed that while Riya and Jarlen still didn't speak to one another, they also weren't actively avoiding each other. She was surprised by the amount of relief she felt at this. Apparently the tension between the two had been bothering her more than she had realized. But now that concern was gone, Silay felt her worry about the plague growing stronger. Both Jarlen and Riya felt that she was doing something important. The problem was, Silay still had no idea what she was going to do.

***

It took Riya much longer to meet back up with Jarlen and Silay than they had expected. Silay looked at her with concern when she finally showed up.

"Is everything all right?"

Riya held up the bag of supplies she had gotten. "Mostly. People were glad for the business. It seems all the towns and cities are blocking visitors. I had to prove I had magic before they would let me in, though."

Silay thought about this while they re-packed the supplies and started off down the road. "But you aren't a Healer."

Riya glanced back at her. "Where did that come from?"

"I was just thinking. You said you were safe because you had magic. But I thought only Healers could...well, heal."

Jarlen snorted. "That's what they want people to think. Truth is, anyone with magic can heal themselves. What sets Healers apart is that they can heal others."

Riya nodded in agreement. "My magic burns up any diseases that get inside of me. When a Healer helps someone else, they don't actually burn up the sickness inside the other person. They draw the sickness into themselves, then burn it up inside of them. It takes a lot of training."

"The problem is," Jarlen interjected, "They don't always get all of the disease out of a person. And people get so reliant on them that they don't take basic precautions to prevent themselves from getting sick in the first place."

Silay followed this exchange with interest. Magic had always fascinated her, especially since it didn't seem to affect her. "So, if I got sick..."

Jarlen gave her a smile. "You'd have to come see me. Or another alchemist. A Healer wouldn't be able to help you."

"All right. But here's what I don't understand. One Healer has already died from the plague. And the Seers have seen others dying."

Silence answered her. Finally, Jarlen spoke up. "That's what makes this plague so dangerous."

***

Silay continued to think about Healers, magic and the plague until they stopped to rest the horses and eat.

Riya reached behind Silay's ear and held up her hand, now containing a small coin. "Copper for your thoughts."

Silay smiled and took the coin, vanishing it like she had when she had first met Riya at the inn. "Just thinking about the plague."

"What about it?"

"Well... I was wondering... if it could be magical somehow."

Jarlen looked up at this. "You mean because it can kill the Healers?"

Silay nodded. "I don't know much about magic, but from what you said earlier, it sounds like it just naturally burns up any disease. So if it doesn't..."

"Then something is stopping it. Like another magic." Riya looked at Jarlen. "Is that possible? I haven't exactly studied magic either. It's just something I do."

Jarlen rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I've never heard of such a thing, but I suppose, technically, it would be possible. There is one way we could find out for certain."

"What's that?"

Jarlen looked at Silay. "If, when we get to Dilest, you don't become sick."

Riya raised her eyebrows. "Any other way to find out? Without exposing ourselves to disease?"

Jarlen shrugged. "I'll think about it."

"There's one thing that bothers me about your theory, Silay."

Silay looked at Riya. "Just one?"

"All right, several things. But one more than any other." She paused. "If the plague is magical in nature, then that suggests someone created it." Riya looked at the two startled faces staring at her. "That's what worries me," she said grimly.

*****

"How do they function?"

"Sire?" The scribe looked up from his work to see the king pacing in front of the map again. The map was huge, taking up nearly an entire wall in the scriptorium, and showed the different cities of Ohicink.

"Them!" The king thrust an angry finger against the wall. "How do they function? No king, no ruler, just cities all with their own little laws running amok. It should not work!"

The scribe pushed aside the documents he was working on and joined the king by the map. He was, of course, right. By all accounts, Ohicink should not exist as it is. Other un-unified lands either fought amongst themselves until they were conquered by another country, or one of the cities rose to power over the others. Yet Ohicink had remained unconquered and peaceful for as long as any records showed. Which was, of course, why something had to be done. It just wasn't right, a country like that.

The scribe reminded the king of this. "Give it time. The Magicians say it won't be long now."

_____________________

A/N What did you think? Did you supect the plague might have a human cause? Let me know in the comments!

Dedicated to @Emkidd, for starting the Adeventure Critique, which has introduced me to some other awesom writes here on WP (you can see their books in my 'Critque Group' readling list).

Emily is the author of The Cartographer's Daughter, a tale of a young woman trying to complete the quest her father's death left unfinished: find the lost library of Alexadria. It's a brillantly woven story that acts as a reminder the history can repeat itself...and  that's rarely a good thing.