A Touch of Mother - Chapter 6

When we returned to Balance for our horses, Little Bear insisted on accompanying me to my appointment at the Healers Guild with Warden Dezba, replacing Warden Daniel. My chief warden revealed why once we turned off the main thoroughfare.

“Our young squire is quite distraught over his discovery this afternoon.” Little Bear eyed me as we rode. Neither he nor any of my wardens allowed me to walk anywhere this days. Not without a heavy escort, and that was only to another Temple. Otherwise, we rode. “Now that Sivan and Hogarth have been identified as Temple personnel by the citizens, we can’t allow them to go back to the south side.”

“And Nathan’s friends will starve if they don’t receive some assistance,” I said.

“You can’t continue taking on every other Temple’s duties,” he grumbled.

I couldn’t help chuckling at the ludicrous nature of our situation. “I don’t disagree with you, Chief Warden. I’m open to suggestions on how to get a certain priestess to perform her own damn job.”

“If you hadn’t locked already High Father Jerrod in the Temple of Balance, I would have suggested trying that with the certain priestess.”

I turned to look at him. “Why, Chief Warden, between Nicholas of Light and you making jokes, I’d think the end times were here.”

“Who said I was joking?”

Little Bear’s quip made me wonder if I’d gone about my duties in the wrong way. I sighed. Of course, I had. Luc prodded me more than once that I should have taken a more diplomatic approach with the other seats. I’d let my resentment toward my birth mother and my fury at my own Reverend Mother over using my illegal execution of a member of the royal family to force me to take the chief justice position in Orrin affect my relationships with the clergy here.

As always, it always came back to Gerd. I’d given her the very tools she needed to remove me from my own Temple. If it weren’t for the magistrate…

Balance help me. It was a wonder DiCook hadn’t hung me out to dry after the way I treated him in the beginning of my tenure. So much had changed in the last year. I was used to the steady rhythm of riding circuit in the eastern foothills. The politics of the third largest city and second largest port of Issura would be my downfall.

When we arrived at the estate of the Healers Guild, the stablehands took our horses. An apprentice I didn’t recognize bowed to us. Her long hair was bound in a bun in the Diné style.

“Chief Justice, Brother. Masters Aaron and Devin and High Brother Xander await you.”

“And you are?” I prompted.

“Healer Apprentice Simi, m’lady.” She smiled shyly. “I began my studies the day after the summer solstice.”

I inclined my head. “A pleasure to meet you, Apprentice Simi.”

“Will your wardens be joining us?”

“If you don’t mind, we’ll enjoy your herb garden. We know the way,” Dezba said with a smile. The two Light wardens noticeable relaxed at her statement. I couldn’t blame them. Observing Master Devin or Master Aaron’s examination of a suspected victim of foul play wasn’t my idea of a good time either. However, I often learned useful things by consulting with them.

“This way, Chief Justice, Brother.” Simi pivoted and led us to the treatment building. Dezba and the two Light wardens headed for the Healers garden, though no doubt they’d finagle a snack and a drink from the guild’s cook.

The Healers Guild estate consisted of two huge manses. One was designated for living quarters for the guild members and their staff. The other was used for treating the sick and injured. All the lemon oil in the world couldn’t totally eliminate the odors of decay and death, so I didn’t blame guild personnel for the separation. Unfortunately, I’d spent too much time over the past year in the treatment building thanks to the Assassins Guild. Both my Reverend Mother and Ambassador Quan of Jing said I was too stubborn for Death to want to drag me to her realm.

We followed Simi to the treatment room Master Aaron had set aside for examining corpses. As the apprentice said, the guild leader was already there, which was an unusual occurrence. But it was the change on insignia on Master Devin’s assistant Bly that drew my attention.

“You passed your examinations!” Even though I wasn’t a physical demonstrative person, I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tight. “Congratulations, Master Healer Bly!”

“Thank you, Chief Justice.”

“You never hug me,” the High Brother of Death protested.

Bly and I parted, and I eyed Xander.

“That’s because we hear too much of each other these days.” Still, I crossed to the priest and hugged him as well. Even though he’d become the seat of Death after the demise of High Sister Bertrice during the Battle of Tandor, he often took his morning and evening meals at Balance even when he did not spend the night with my junior justice. It relieved my mind he took an active interest in Yanaba and their child-to-come.

I leaned back and examined Xander’s face. “Why isn’t Sister Raven Claw observing?”

“I sent her because I was dealing with a Temple matter.” He sighed. “However, she also admitted she didn’t think she could remain impartial given the circumstances.”

I released my grip on the tall young man and turned to Aaron. “You rarely attend these post-mortem examinations anymore, Guild Master. What has piqued your interest in this matter?”

“I would like to say this was a mere formality in regards to Master Bly attaining her rank since this will be the first time she is the lead physician in such an examination.” Aaron stroked his bare chin. Unlike so many other men in Issura, he remained clean-shaven instead of adapting the moustache and short chin-beard that had become popular among the civilians. “However, the apprentices noticed some problematic issues when they were removing the clothing from the body.” “Problematic issues?” I cocked my head. The guild master had a gift for understatement.

“Similar to the atrocities that were done to Sister Gretchen,” he murmured. “And Squire Ming Wei.”

Even though the time was approaching First Evening, well past our midday meal, my stomach rebelled at the memory of what had been done to the priestess before the renegades finally strangled her and stuffed her body in a barrel of Pana wine. And if I thought too much about the horrors visited on Yanaba’s squire before she came to Balance, I would definitely be sick.

“Twelve take them all,” I spat.

“That’s why I excused Sister Raven Claw,” Xander murmured. So, this wasn’t about any bias the priestess held toward the Healers Guild.

I almost wish the sister’s dismissal were about the rift between the Temple of Death and the Healers Guild. Politics annoyed me, but it was nothing compared to the rage I felt toward the brutality inflicted on an innocent.

Every person in the room glowed with the same fury. I sucked in a deep breath in an effort to calm myself. The best thing I could do for Yellow Fin was to discover who did this to him and bring the culprit to justice.

Jeremy and I joined Xander against the one bare wall and observed the proceedings. Bly had learned much from Devin over the last six months. The guild’s clerk took notes for Bly with additional comments from Aaron and Devin, but for the most part, the older healers remained silent as the newly minted master catalogued the injuries inflicted on the boy.

On the other hand, poor Simi turned a pale green right before she fled the room. I looked up at Xander.

“Is it all right if I check on her?”

He nodded. “Brother Jeremy is here if there are any questions. I haven’t met a healer apprentice or a Death novice who didn’t empty their stomach over a situation such as this.”

I stalked out of the examination room. It was close to the main entrance into the manse, and the wide double doors were ajar. I didn’t have to guess or reach out mentally for the young woman. Someone was definitely voiding their stomach in the garden. I followed the stone path to the mulch bed. The healer apprentice bent over the stone edging.

“Simi?” I placed my right hand on her shoulder. The girl straightened and burst into tears.

“I failed!” she wailed and flung her arms around my waist.

“You didn’t fail at anything.” I patted her back.

“Yes, I did.” A sob shuddered through her body. “I was supposed to learn from Master Bly. She said it’s an honor to assist the Temple of Balance. And I couldn’t hold my stomach.”

I guided her further along the winding garden path until we came to a wooden bench near the poppy beds. Once we sat, I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. She wiped her eyes and mouth on the edge of her apron.

“Do you really believe you’re the first person to be affected by a dead body?” I said softly.

“I-I—” She licked her lips. “W-we are supposed to look at patients objectively.”

“That’s when you’re trying to find the best way to treat someone’s illness or injury,” I said. “If you can look at the harm resulting in someone’s death without feeling empathy for that person’s suffering, then you shouldn’t be any kind of caregiver.”

Simi sniffed. “But the masters will send me home for running out on the examination.”

“I can guarantee they will not,” I said dryly.

“B-but—” More tears trickled down her face.

“Simi, the healing gift is exceedingly rare.” I squeezed her shoulders. “Guild Master Aaron won’t throw away such a talent. Besides, if vomiting got anyone out of their duties and responsibilities, I wouldn’t be a justice.”

“Y-you got sick?” She swiped her sleeves across her cheeks.

“My very first execution.”

“But if justices can’t see—”

“I can.”

Her body stiffened beneath my arm. “I-I’m sorry. I forgot for a moment.”

I chuckled. “Even for my blind sisters, it’s not the view. We feel the condemneds’ death, as we should since we are responsible for trying and convicting the person.”

“Wh-what did the first person you had to execute do?”

Not even Luc had ever asked me that question. I sighed.

“The man I executed murdered his brother because he coveted his brother’s wife.”

Simi gasped. “What an awful thing to do!”

“Yes, and he regretted what he had done the instant after it happened, but it was too late.” I shrugged. “My aim was quick and true, and he felt no pain, but the impression of Death taking a soul is not one you forget. I lost my breakfast all over the man’s corpse in front of everyone. You are fortunate that your gift allows you to help people.”

Simi stared at the poppies before she looked back up at me. “I do not envy your position, Chief Justice.”

“There are times I dislike my position as well, but hopefully, finding Yellow Fin’s killer will appease Balance Herself.” I squeezed the young apprentice’s shoulders once again. “Master Bly chose you as her apprentice because she obviously sees potential in you. Are we ready to go back inside now that your stomach is empty?”

She nodded.

We rose and walked back to the examination room. I didn’t envy Simi’s position either. The young woman’s innocence had been destroyed by witnessing the terrible acts inflicted on Yellow Fin, and like me, she’d probably have nightmares for quite a while after this.