The Wolf, the Butterfly, and the Kraken

Chapter 37

                       Joann
  “But I need you to translate the documents for the Veneran camp!”
  He shook his head. “I can’t move. I have, over the years, had similar strains. I am down for a week.”
  I glared at him. Maybe it took a week for a lycant healer to have him fixed up, but I was an elemental. “You are going to a tub. You are going right now.”
  For the first time ever he bared his teeth at me, “You will leave me be, and help the mortally wounded warriors who need your help!”
  “But I need you! I don’t know if I can do this alone.” Tears ran, unbidden from my eyes. I hated it. All I wanted was for the truce at Midwinter to happen. And to be with family. The day had started so well, and now it was falling apart. I was falling apart.
  He reached for my foot, all he could reach, apologetic. “I am sorry I snapped at you, but you know I am right. How did it go with Battlemaster Rajit? I can see he gave you another honor.”
  I told him all about the meeting with Rajit, ending with, “And he seems amiable to a two day truce for Midwinter, but when I go to Lord Eureces I can’t make Rajit seem weak in any way.” I shook my head, “Why must men be so proud?”
  He grumbled a chuckle, “We must make our women impressed somehow.”
  I laughed. “Is that what this is called now? Impressed. I feel so stressed and tired, and worried, I guess I just forgot the impressed part.”
  He patted my foot. “You are doing fine. If you need me to translate the message for Lord Eureces bring it here, and I will read it to you.”
  He was bandaged from a fight, hurt from a strained back, and exhausted from making several trips up and down the mesa carrying things. He would need to rest and heal. “No, I will do my best. You rest, and heal. I will make you a tea that might help some.” I could tell he was about to protest more, “And if you don’t drink every drop I will throw you in a tub because I have a duty to you as my husband, just as much as I have a duty to the warriors here.”
  He smiled.
  I made willow bark tea, and made certain he was drinking it when I left him. Next I had to decide how much time I would spend on the wounded warrior. An hour? Two hours? I still had to translate. Then I remembered the message for the warriors here from Rajit.
  “Has anyone seen any of the council members?” I asked.
  “They are at the meeting house,” old Damr answered.
  The meeting house was the only other standing structure on Finton, a storage shed. It was honestly miraculous that the enormous warriors all fit in there. They were talking about food distribution when I asked if I might interupt them for a moment to deliver a message from Battlemaster Rajit. All eyes were instantly on me. I handed the missive to Kroser, who was closest.
  “Thank you Joann. A new honor, very nice, and well deserved, I might add.”
  I smiled. “Thank you. I would stay a bit longer, but I have so much to do. With Vam hurt I must translate a treaty edit myself, and I am not too great with heiroglyphics yet. I also need to work on the warrior at the inn. Then visit with Lord Eureces about a possible 2 day truce for Midwinter.”
  Eyes widened at the last bit. “A short truce would be good.”
  I agreed. “But I gotta get a bunch of translation done first, and speak to Eureces, and all before tomorrow morning when I am supposed to speak to Rajit. I would rather be healing the injured warrior, but Vam is out of commission to help translate.”
  Kroser asked, “What edits are being made to the treaty?”
  I sighed, “As far as I know it has to do with supply requests and delivery, mostly.”
  Garbaj hummed, “Let us help you translate it. We need to know what is happening anyway.”
  I sucked in a breath. He was right. “You wouldn’t mind, would you? It would help me so much. You just read one sentence at a time, and I will translate it into Veneran.” Then I realized it might be an intrusion. They had been doing other things when I arrived. “You don’t mind, do you? Did I interupt anything important?”
  They smiled at that. “It can wait a bit longer. Let’s read the missive from Rajit first.”
  The scroll was long and detailed many thoughts and wishes from several people, and for several people. When it was done being read Mogan went outside to have it passed along to any who wished to read it.
  The treaty edit was slighty shorter, but was rolled out one line at a time, and carefully translated. It requested that messages and supplies be left at a halfway point by a certain time by the Venerans, and picked up and left by certain times by the Lyngarans.
  At the very bottom of the scroll sat a small piece of torn parchment. Garbaj took one look at it and groaned. “This is for you Joann.”
  I knew it was going to be bad. He was not pleased at it. “Just tell me what it says.”
  These are not good tidings.”
  I nodded. “Just read them.”
  “Rajit writes for you to beware. Olik, the high priest here, has ill intent for you and yours.”
  The shed went silent for a moment as worry, concern, and fear slipped through all of them.
  Then I laughed. This startled the warriors.  When I stopped laughing I explained to them. “This is nothing new to me, or my family. Since my meron, when thousands of priests were killed by the ocean spirit, my family has gotten threats. Let him try to come after me or mine. I will slaughter him with a puddle of water, or he will be sucked out to the sea, and never seen again. I am not afraid of this Olik.”
  Garbaj leaned forward, still concerned. “I know you are a brave, and powerful sorceress, but I think you should fear him. About 150 years ago I was a younger warrior. My neighbors had a small dispute with Olik. He believed they owed him 3 seasons more of crops, and my neighbors had kept careful count of what was owed to him. My neighbor said he would not pay more. Olik told him ‘Oh, you will pay.’ My neighbor told me this story around this time of year. It was the last time I saw him. His children, parents, mate, and half his neighbors, died of blight in the next two weeks, and he died last of them all. The blight ended after only two weeks, and left 18 dead. Among the 18 were my younger brother, and grandmother.”
  I had never heard of a blight lasting two weeks. It never lasted less than a season, and for it to kill people right there, and nowhere else, was uncanny. “But we don’t know for certain that Olik did it.”
  Kern shook his head. “He is known for starting blights on a whim. He seems to relish in it. I worked in a unit that had to go in and burn the bodies of blight victims. Children, women, elders, and respectable people were dead. Always there were signs that it had been his fault.”
  I was confused. “Why has he not been dealt with then?”
  “He is a high priest, and there are many priests under him that could, and would, do the same if he was touched. Plus, he will have a powerful death curse. This is no small threat.”
  All of the councilors were sincerely concerned. “I will give this great consideration. You know Olik better than I do. However, I have a warrior to treat for an hour or two before I run this translation over to the Veneran camp.”