Sing to the flow of the river, to the shadows of black and of blue

Chapter 25

Oppose the light and gather all of our storms

Steam rose slowly from Steph's refilled cup, as well as the one she handed to Kasia. Lighting two more candles before taking her seat back onto the counter and sipping at bitter tea, she listened to the old woman. It had been quite some time since they'd had a moment to catch up and simply have a chat, and Steph had taken the opportunity of a slow day to invite her in. They'd been talking since dusk, their conversation now veering into how oddly busy the season had been this far, when they both suddenly jumped. Steph looked up to find Sonny Anderson all but assaulting her door, his distressed call coming muffled through the window.

"Lady Magpie! Lady Magpie! There's an emergency at the Lantern, Gabriel's hurt!"

Fuck, what now?

Busy the season would remain, then, or at the very least this night. Steph immediately gathered everything she might need, shoving tools and medicine into her satchel, and tasked the miller with seeing Kasia safely to her home before taking off in a run. Out of breath, she needn't say a word when she entered the tavern, the crowd parting instantly at her arrival, Garry pointing her upstairs. She rushed into a room to find Gabriel unconscious, Alex and Charlotte at his side, Ethan and Ryan slumped against a wall.

"What in all the hells happened, here?"

Checking first for the bartender's pulse and breathing, Steph knelt by his bed, and once satisfied with both, started pulling out ointments and bandages while Ethan related the sequence of events, repeating it probably for the third time already – given everyone else seemed to have heard it. Another attack, then. This time, successfully thwarted, but for how long...

"Is anyone else hurt?"

"I just have a cut, the bastard's sword got me," Ethan grumbled, holding his arm to his chest, nestled into his mother's side.

"Very well, no one touch it, I'll take care of it once I'm done treating Gabriel."

Tending first to the cuts scattered across his head and face, Steph focused on her task, mindlessly listening to the conversations in the room.

"That was real brave of you, Ethan."

"And very dangerous! Gods, you could've gotten killed, I- I am so proud of you but you have to promise not to do this again. This isn't like your training with Ser Pike, you were unprepared!"

"But Ma, I couldn't just let it happen!"

"Your mother has a point, you know? You shouldn't charge in to defend someone if you've not first made sure you can defend yourself. Maybe grab some sort of shield as well, next time, alright?"

Uncorking a vial of clear yellowish liquid, filled with essences that should prevent any swelling and pain, Steph tipped Gabriel's head up and tried to make him swallow it. His comatose body resisted the first attempt, jaw remaining clenched.

"Come on, you chatterbox, the one time I do want you to open your mouth..." She groaned under her breath, trying again more forcefully.

This time, his throat bobbed, and when his lips parted, he'd drank all of it. Considering the next steps to take, Steph glanced towards Alex, sat nearby with her arms around her knees, eyes unfocused. She'd been awfully quiet, understandably shaken.

"Hey, little mouse. What about you? Are you hurt at all?" Steph whispered for only her to hear.

"No, no I'm well." At Steph's raised eyebrow, she huffed the smallest laugh, shaking her head. "I promise!"

"Good, then would you help me undress your brother, please? I need to get to the rest of him."

It wasn't entirely true, what Alex said. When she stood, Steph could see the palms of her hands were marred by little cuts. She'd probably not even noticed them, feeling her own worry and that of three other people was bound to be distracting, Steph assumed. Part of her then understood why Alex may call her gift a curse. It was easy to only see the benefits of it, but sharing others' pain and sadness unwillingly, stacked atop her own feelings, could surely not be a pleasant experience.