Cursed Times - Only Yesterday! Sequel to Wattys 2015 winner!

Chapter 8 - Trueth: What Friends Are For

Trueth was taking her patient's pulse when a commotion broke out in the corridor. Male voices yelling arguments were competing with the scuffling of many sandalled feet. This behaviour would not do at all; not only as this was the women's wing.

'Go, and tell these people to piss off.  I've got a job to do here,' Trueth said. 

Kiya scrutinized her, confusion written all over her homely face. 'How would using the room of relief help their heated tempers?'

Trueth dropped the wrist of the patient she had been holding. 'What I mean is, I want them to go away. Quickly. They should not be here, and they certainly need to be quieter.'

Kiya inclined her head and left the room, only to dash back inside a few instants later. 'The servants of Thoth are holding my brother! He is outside, he begs to talk to you.'

Once more, Trueth let go of the limp wrist and regarded her aide. Kiya was mid-sized and sturdy, quite unlike her oldest brother, who rivalled Metjen in the looks department. Like the brother in question, she was a good person, so Trueth decided to get involved. 'Allright. I'm glad to have him back, actually. I was getting worried. See to this woman, please, we need to get her fever down.'

Trueth left the patient in Kiya's care and stepped into the corridor. At least that had been the intention. Once outside, she was confronted with a priestly mob in healer blue whose members still appeared to be arguing among themselves, to judge from their agitated gesturing. At least the clamour had abated; the men were now conversing in their minds.

In their middle sagged Seisi, a sorry sight to behold. His shendyt was no temple issue. Not only was it made of a coarser linen than the customary priestly attire, but it should also have been white, not made of the brownish cloth only a peasant would use. He wore no insignia apart from a bare copper chain round his neck where dangling rings had once secured the amulets with a selection of prefab spells. The khol liner around his bloodshot eyes had run, making him appear more like a bedraggled racoon than an emissary of the divine.

'What have you been up to?' Trueth asked. 

Instead of responding, Seisi slumped on the floor and fainted. The boys in blue took the opportunity to voice once more their general displeasure with the status quo or whatever it was they were not happy with. Unfortunately, they had yet to achieve consensus, and the result was as discordant as it was loud.

'You call yourselves healers? You're a disgrace to Thoth.' Trueth cut across the cacophony, kneeled next to Seisi and pressed two fingers to his forehead. She still found it difficult to initiate mind-talk without touching people. The next person who told her only the Blessing could solve that little problem would end up in the holy lake, Trueth thought.

She shared some of her sun-flow, felt Seisi respond and mind-addressed him. Wakey, wakey. What's going on here?

He grunted and flailed his arms. With Trueth's help he was eventually able to stand and look at her or rather: beyond her from above, given that he was quite a bit taller and had no eyesight.

Pray, excuse me. I saw no other way. The brothers of Thoth would not let me meet with their high priest. They wanted to have me arrested instead, for appearing in their temple without proper garments. Metjen's whereabouts I know not, nor could I locate Ranofer or Rani-Ra, so I asked for you. I knew you would be in the house of healing.

Trueth turned towards the turquoise mass seething around them. 'This brother is totally exhausted, can't you idiots see that? How about one of you doing your job, and share some more energy?'

More grumbling, so Trueth grabbed a random elbow covered in gem-coloured cloth and shoved a rotund priest towards her friend. 'Give!'

'Uh, yes, oh noble one.'The man put his hands on Seisi's chest and started muttering a spell Trueth recognised from her personal healing experience.