As A Stranger Or A Friend?: The Swallow And The Drowned Sailor

Mariel - 10 Evening Star, 1245 A.D.

The other Sisters and I returned to the monastery after spending the day burying deceased elderly in the lower slums of Evios. It seemed they'd been taken by a fever that was rapidly beginning to spread in that area, and while it only took the old and dying now, it was just a matter of time before it claimed the young and healthy too. I had the desire to provide aid above all else, but was it worth the risk? And how much could I really do? Using my powers was out of the question, and we had such few supplies available to us that we could only pat the foreheads of the sick with a damp cloth and offer them words of comfort. So then, would I just sit here and wait for the fever to burn its way up the city until it reached me? I didn't know.

I looked out at the now-darkening treeline of the surrounding forest as we crossed over the bridge into the uptown borough. That forest was known to be a harsh environment; many who walked into it did not return. However, if I were to leave, that place would be my only option for escape. The map I had didn't mark what was on the other side of that darkened sprawl, so going beyond it might be a dangerous idea. Perhaps there was nothing but sea, or maybe that is where the world ended; perhaps even another powerful seat of The Pale Kings rested there, but I had no way of knowing. Even if I did, there was no guarantee that I would live to see it if surviving in that forest was indeed as impossible as it appeared. But where else would I go?

Going back the way I came was far too great a risk should I be recognized. Traveling north was worse; there was only the rocky coastline that bordered the very start of the arctic Lapis Sea, which contained no habitable lands, making it a veritable dead end. Traveling south would be my instinct, as there were two major ports from which I might be able to go somewhere safer, that of Marinta and Fleish, but I knew both cities to be under the heavy influence of The Pale Kings, making them foolish options too. I suppose reading all those books about The Pale Kingdom on the voyage to Rush was useful for something, as these names would otherwise be unfamiliar to me. However, that did little to alleviate my current sense of hopelessness.

I entered my room with a sigh and worked to start a small fire in the hearth. It was always so cold here, which meant it would only be colder in that forest... But I knew how to start a fire. Perhaps I could dress in layers to abate the everpresent chill. And even if I couldn't hunt, I could forage. I grew up on a farm; I knew what all manner of berries and other edible plants looked like. I even knew some basic remedies. Yes, perhaps I could survive without bouncing from town to town and city to city as I had been up to now. I sat on the ground and pulled a blanket over my shoulders. Those things were certainly a good start, but how would I build a shelter?

I knew nothing about construction, and I suppose I could set up a tent, but I didn't have the money to buy one nor the materials to make one. And what would happen if I was attacked? I had no weapons to defend myself with, and even though I was skilled at avoiding confrontation where it concerned people, such a boon would make no difference if a bear or a wolf came upon me. And what if there was someone else out there? Someone dangerous and unhinged... The bandits from The Deadlands came to mind, and my entire frame began to shake. No, leaving was too dangerous. I hugged my knees and rested my chin upon them, shivering uncomfortably.

"I know exactly what you would tell me to do...but how can I? I wish you showed me how..." I squeezed my eyes shut, then pressed my hands together, "Even so, I do not resent you for it. Instead, I pray for you to any god who will listen, Axtapor, that you may have found happiness and, if it has eluded you, that you find it soon."