Chapter Two
At dawn, Aster woke and dressed quickly, pulling on her brown undershirt, dark green tunic, leather jerkin, brown leggings, and brown boots before wrapping her leather belt around her waist. From this belt hung her sword on her left hip, a curved knife at her back, and two throwing knives on her right hip. Picking up two more, she sheathed them inside her boots where they were easily accessible, but also hidden. Tossing her saddle bags over her shoulder, she walked downstairs and tacked up Luna. Then, she set out, winding through the trees along the Forest Stream. Petros, the Iatreian village she was heading for, was a bit farther away than Baytown so she would stay there overnight. Riding swiftly through the forest and then the plains, she followed the stream until she reached the village. The sun was at its peak, shining bright and hot, but she pulled her hood over her head in spite of the heat, making sure it covered her face so no one could see her. She rode through the streets, ignoring the stares she received from the townspeople as she passed. Turning down a few sidestreets, she eventually arrived at a small house where two children, a dark-haired boy and a blonde-haired girl, were playing in the yard.
“Hello, Hugo! Hello, Ellie!” she called cheerfully as she dismounted.
“Aster!” they cried happily. “You’re back!”
“I’m back,” she confirmed. “Where is your mother?”
“Inside!”
She tethered Luna to the gatepost and walked up the path to the door, knocking firmly. The door opened and a woman with light brown hair stepped out, smiling when she recognized Aster.
“Come in, Aster,” she said. “Thank you for coming. I’ve been so worried about little Hero. She was so ill last week and now she doesn’t eat very much, only sleeps. Will you please look at her?”
“Of course, Lillian,” Aster answered. “Where is she?”
“Sleeping. I will go get her.”
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to see her sleep. May I?”
“Of course. This way.”
Aster followed Lillian into a small, dark room and as soon as she entered, she could hear the raspy breathing of the baby in the crib in the corner. Lillian held a candle nearby so that Aster could see and what she saw made her gasp. The baby’s face was very pale, her breathing inconsistent and light. Aster picked up the baby and carried her out into the living room by the window.
“What’s wrong with her?” Lillian asked nervously.
“Her symptoms speak of a bad cold, but it has started to settle in her chest. However, she also has a high fever. Keep her warm. Very warm. And give her this, two leaves every day, morning and night. It will help her breathing.”
Aster handed Lillian a pouch of leaves and wrapped the baby warmly in a woolen blanket before handing her back to her mother.
“How are the other children?” Aster asked.
“They are well. How are you, Aster? I have missed you.”
“I am well, Lillian. I’ve been traveling the world, healing those in need, keeping myself anonymous for the most part. Orion, Venus, and Luna are well too.”
“Have you been back home to see your family recently, Aster?” Lillian pressed.
“No, Lillian. I dare not go back there. They will cast me out again and I cannot bear that. It is enough to write to Sara and Perseus.”
“Aster, we are not meant to live alone,” Lillian protested. “I wish you would come and live in one of the villages again at the very least. You are loved here. Petros respects you. You’ve healed so many of our sick ones.”
“You know I cannot do that, Lillian,” Aster said, turning away and looking out the window. “I am a half-breed. They will never accept me, not so long as this division remains between humans and Iatreians.”
Lillian looked like she wanted to say more, but she sighed and picked up a tunic, beginning to sew a patch on one of the shoulders.
“Come tell me about what you’ve been doing, Aster,” she said. “Where have you been these past few months?”
Aster sat down across from her friend, playing with one of her knives.
“Well, four weeks ago, I went to Baytown to see Phoebe and Elena and then spent a week at home, preparing to go to Twilight Village. I spent a night in Baytown on my way there and then spent two weeks in Twilight Village, curing the villagers of a serious cough that had killed many of the children. Then, I went back home and stayed there for a week before coming here.”
“You must have been exhausted,” Lillian said, looking up at her friend. “You haven’t fallen sick yourself, have you?”
“No,” Aster answered. “I have to stay healthy if I’m going to travel the country healing people.”
There was a pause as Lillian tied off her thread and set the tunic aside.
“Lillian, have you seen this illness before? The one Hero has? Does anyone else in the village have it?”
Lillian nodded sadly.
“It has only started within the last week or so, but there have been several cases among the elderly and the children.”
“Have there been any deaths due to it?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Can you tell me who has it currently?”
“Are you staying in the village tonight?” Lillian asked.
“Yes, at Lakeside Inn,” Aster answered.
“I can take you around the village in the morning, if you like,” Lillian offered. “Then you can see some of the people who are sick.”
“That would be very helpful,” Aster replied. “Thank you, Lillian. I will be here just after sunrise tomorrow morning.”
“Perfect,” Lillian answered. “I will be ready. Now, won’t you stay for dinner? We’re having stew tonight.”
“I would love to stay for dinner, Lillian,” Aster answered. “Thank you for inviting me. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“I could use some help in the kitchen or you can play with Hugo and Ellie in the living room.”
“It looks like Gideon has the children well under control,” Aster said, laughing as she watched Gideon tickle his children. “What can I do to help with dinner?”
“Will you please dice the potatoes? I need to cook the meat.”
“Of course!”
The two women got to work, chatting amiably with each other as they chopped vegetables and cooked. Under their capable fingers, the stew boiled and simmered, and the smell filled the house as they laughed and talked, listening to the shrieks of the children and the playful roars of their father as they roughhoused together.
“Dinner is ready!” Lillian called cheerfully when the stew was done. “Go wash up!”
Gideon scooped up his children and carried them into the washroom. They shrieked as they were carried off but came out clean and happy. Everyone took their seats at the table and joined hands.
“Aher, we thank you for this meal and the hands that prepared it. May it be a blessing unto us this night. Please help Aster and the other healers to find a cure for the illness that plagues our people and may they find it soon.”
Gideon finished praying and everyone began eating.
“Can either of you tell me anything else about this sickness?” Aster asked as they ate. “Any other symptoms that you’ve seen, time it takes for someone to catch it after being with someone who has it. Is it contagious at all?”
“It doesn’t appear at first to be contagious,” Lillian replied slowly, “but it has to be. Why else would more people be catching it daily? And the symptoms are like what you saw with Hero, difficulty breathing and a fever. In the older ones, it’s worse, sometimes vomiting as well as a fever.”
“Hmm,” Aster said thoughtfully, taking another bite of stew. “I will need to check my things tonight and make sure I have all the herbs and tinctures I need.”
“You are welcome to any herbs in my garden if you need them,” Lillian offered. “It’s out behind the house. I can show you after dinner if you like.”
“That would be lovely,” Aster replied. “I was unaware of what I was getting into when I left home to come here and did not pack as much as I should have.”
The family finished dinner and dispersed, going off to their normal, after dinner activities. Aster checked her supplies and noted which herbs she would need for tomorrow before asking Lillian for a few more and picking leaves from her garden.
“Aster?” Lillian asked quietly.
“Yes, Lillian?”
“Will Hero be alright?”
Aster looked at her friend and gave a small smile, laying her hand on her arm.
“Lillian, I will do everything in my power to heal your daughter. I can make no promises. I have never seen this sickness before and don’t have a cure for it right now, but I swear to do everything in my power to cure her. Have faith, Lillian.”
My friend nodded and I followed her back inside, watching quietly as she put her children to bed. Gideon offered me a glass of wine and we sat in the living room together.
“Is Hero alright?” he asked.
“Yes, she is alright, for now. Lillian knows how to care for her and I will come back as soon as I can to check her again. Your daughter will be fine, Gideon.”
Even as the words fell from her lips, a sudden chill clenched around her heart as the reality began to settle in her mind. She had never seen these symptoms before and Hero had been very ill when Aster arrived. What if she could not heal the little girl? What if she could not find a cure for this illness? Aster shook her head, clearing the doubts from her mind. She would find a cure. She had to.
“Thank you, Aster,” Gideon said. “Really, your devotion to my family is a blessing. I am happy to call you my friend and hope that you will find happiness some day.”
“Thank you, Gideon,” she replied kindly. “I should go. I don’t want to get back to the inn too late.”
She followed him into the house and hugged Lillian goodbye before gathering her things. As she stepped out the door, Gideon’s voice called out to her one last time, and sheI stopped.
“Don’t be afraid to make friends, Aster,” he said.
She looked back at him then and his arms were wrapped around his wife in a loving embrace. For once, longing swirled in her stomach and she wished she had someone to confide in about her struggles and worries. But she sighed and steeled herself for the paths ahead, smiling at them one more time as she shut the door and mounted Luna, riding through the dark streets to the Inn where she was staying. Securing Luna in her stall, she made her way up to her room, bolting the door behind herself and shutting the windows before sitting down on the bed and raking her fingers through her hair. Something about this sickness worried her and she could not determine what it was. With a sigh, she laid down in bed and went to sleep, determined to figure it out in the morning.