“Lanaea. These two got their heads smashed together. Leola keeps forgetting where we are, and Céírde threw up, says everything is spinning and she’s having trouble speaking.” Lanaea rushed over to us, nodding.
“Sounds like concussions. Thanks Croí. Must’ve been some knock you girls took huh?” Leola nodded.
“Lost consciousness. Croí needs some touch ups, Keokin’s arm was twisted and broken, did what I could. Klintock’s right middle and uh… the uh… ring finger were severed. I did… did the thing and put them back. Rest are pretty ok.” Leola leaned her head into her hand, groaning. Lanaea nodded.
“Ok. You two, don’t let either of these girls go to sleep for a while. They’re having trouble holding conversations. That’s not a good sign.” We nodded. She went into the room and checked through all the group members. Once satisfied, she sent them to go sit in the galley.
Lánn, Sable, Jael, Flint, and William were all sitting at one table, then she pulled the rest of us back into the infirmary. She examined Keokin first, moving his arm, hearing how the injury happened. “Right. Well good news is it’s not shattered or anything, likely just fractured and dislocated. Leola did good wrapping and splinting it, so that’s fine. Just need to heal it. I’ll make you a potion to drink that’ll accelerate the healing.” Keokin nodded.
“Thank you. May I go to Edorin now?” He asked. She nodded.
“Sure, just don’t do anything with that arm. Don’t even squeeze your fist ok?” He nodded and left the room. Next, she looked at Klintock’s hand. He had several scars on it, one large one in a line across his hand from the strike that had severed his fingers, and small scars from the incisions Leola had made to align them. Lanaea looked them over thoroughly, checking alignment.
When she was satisfied, she pulled out a small pin and poked lightly at certain points on Klintock’s fingers, finding that the right side of the tip of his middle finger was still numb, and the top two sections of the ring finger were also numb. “That should improve over the next couple days, maybe a week or two, but some small portions may remain numb for much longer. You should be fine using those fingers, just don’t stress them too much. If you get any pain from them, stop what you’re doing and let them rest, alright?” Klintock nodded.
“Yes ma’am. Am I clear to go help under those conditions?”
“Yes, under those conditions.” He made a slight bow and left the room. “Now you.” She pointed at me. I moved closer, and she examined the wound. “Looks like the muscle wasn’t set dead on, but not bad, though most of the bleeding has stopped or coagulated, so we’ll have to clean the wound, then I’ll need the Coleus and Crow’s Tears Oil, and a numbing agent.” She went over to the cabinet and pulled out a small vial filled with a grey and black liquid, and another bottle filled with a blue powder. She set them aside and had me lean back onto a grate she put over the bathtub.
She rinsed the wound off and used a rag to brush off any debris left behind, which was painful. She then poured an alcohol solution onto the wound which burned a lot, and I could see some small white bubbles come up from the wound. She lightly rubbed on a solution that burned at first, then felt cool, and eventually went numb. Bringing me back over to the table, she laid me down. Taking a second, she leaned over and lightly tapped the girls’ cheeks to keep them awake.
“Come watch this you two.” She told Leola and Céírde. They came over and watched, Leola with as much eagerness and excitement as she could muster. “This is going to hurt a bit Croí. Bear with me, ok?” I nodded. She put a roll of leather in my mouth. With a small blade, she sliced into the wound, quick and straight, separating some of the flesh that had already healed. Mostly I felt pressure, but deeper down there was very definitive pain that caused me to flex my stomach, making it worse. She used a tool to apply small amounts of the blue powder to my wound, pushing and packing it in as I winced and groaned.
She was working amazingly fast but was still very gentle, aside from the shock of the initial slice she’d made. She pulled a dropper out of the other container and slowly put small drops onto the blue powder. The oil like liquid mixed into the powder, and it started moving, turning slowly from the beautiful blue into a slight violet, then to a flesh like red color. Like the concentrate, there was a slight burning sensation.
Over the course of ten or fifteen minutes, the burning stopped, leaving a very slight red line. Lanaea used the rag to wipe it, and the previously three-inch-long wound was completely gone, not even a scar.
“How?...” I stared at it, along with Leola and Céírde, amazed. Lanaea went to rinse off in the sink.
“Concentrate dramatically accelerates your own body’s healing. It’s fantastic, but if you use it on a misaligned bone or muscle grouping it can heal improperly. When it heals right, it still leaves scars like your body naturally would. The only partial exception being some of the internal organs.” She shook off the gloves and hung them on the foot of the bed. “With Croí’s injury, most of it was healed, but there was a portion of the muscle that was misaligned, so I separated it and used the second, slower, but more reliable method.”
She reached over and tapped on the bottle with the grey and black liquid, the small label reading, Crow’s Tears oil, before continuing. “Concentrate heals a wound like that in a minute, maybe less depending on the depth, but this took roughly thirteen minutes. Coleus comes in many colors, and has many herbal uses, but for this, Blue Coleus is the best. What it does is use the dried flesh of the Coleus, and several other herbs that aid in regeneration, to make more of… well more of you, that’s what the red was.”
She said, pointing to the rag. “The Crow’s Tears Oil is the catalyst that changes the mixture of herbs and ingredients into raw skin, muscle, or bone tissue and then align and attach them with your injured parts. It''s a much more complete way of healing, but also blisteringly expensive. We have to get this from really far away, and they don’t have buckets of the stuff to begin with because some of the ingredients are pretty rare.” Leola’s mouth was open, even as she winced with a bout of pain from her head.
“That’s amazing! What’s the rare ingredient?” Leola asked. Lanaea sighed.
“Unfortunately, I don’t really know everything that’s in either of these, I just know it works wonders. Some say its gifts from Dían, our beloved God of Healing, others say it’s dragon’s piss, and others say it’s unicorn hair. Love to find out someday, but as for now, I’m simply happy it works. Now Croí, go see if there’s anything you can help with. I’ve got these two hard heads to take care of. And please, for the love of Dían, be careful.”
“Right. Thank you Lanaea.” I said. She gave me a smile and a nod on my way out the door, then inspected Leola’s eyes. I went to our room and changed clothes, using the dirty ones to wipe all the blood I could off myself. I kept feeling like I needed to be careful with my wound, only to look down and find it not there. I also noticed myself shivering, like I was cold, even though I wasn’t. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking, and I found myself breathing hard sometimes. It worried me, but I tried to push it aside and keep moving. The door pulled open as I reached for it and Jael jumped as she saw me, gasping with fear and balling her fists. I held up my hands.
“It’s just me Jael.” I said. Her wide eyes blinked as she let out a breath, patting her chest.
“By the Gods Croí, you startled me. Are you ok?” She asked. I nodded.
“I am. Lanaea didn’t even leave a scar. I didn’t think that was possible. Where is everyone else?” She blinked, looking at the spot where the stab wound used to be as I lifted my shirt.
“That’s unbelievable, how?... Oh, I’m sure I wouldn’t understand anyways I’m just happy you’re alright. Lánn, Flint, Céírde, and me were going to stay here in the galley and play some games, try to keep our minds off… what happened. Williams in the kitchen making food for us.”This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
“That’s a relief.”
“Croí. How’s everyone doing?” Flint asked as I walked into the galley.
“They’re good. Klintock and Keokin are above deck with Sable. I was just about to join them. Céírde and Leola are still with Lanaea.”
“What do you need to do above deck?” Lánn asked. I shrugged.
“I’m not sure, just figured I might try helping with whatever I can.”
“So. Croí?” Lánn said in a small voice. “What happened up there?”
“Didn’t Danith tell you?” I asked.
“He told us we were attacked but that it was over now. What attacked us? Why didn’t we see it coming?” She asked. I told them all that I saw. The blood and piles of bodies, my conversation with Edorin about the Lobhadh, and Cairen injured but healing. They were intrigued, but not enough that they wanted to see any of it up close.
I wished them good luck and headed above deck, passing by a crewman heading below with a mop and bucket, I assumed to clean up the mess caused by… the mess in our room. I got a small flash of those last moments, Klintock jamming his knife into Sacae’s neck, then forcing it out the side, blood spraying out before Sacae clamped a hand on it. I shook my head and saw the stairs again.
The deck was buzzing with activity. Crew members were still cleaning the decks, two were pulling the bodies into piles, others tossing limbs into the water below. Curious, I cautiously looked over the railing into the water. Dozens of shapes writhed below the water’s increasingly red surface, splashing everywhere. There were several bodies that creatures, sharks most likely, were feeding on, tearing off chunks and releasing more blood into the water. I noticed a pair of crewmen that looked to be fishing while Cairen supervised, but they didn’t keep anything they caught. They pulled up sharks, or large, strange fish with long teeth, all looking predatory, but would dump them back in after removing the hook.
I backed away from the railing as they pulled up another large fish, it had somewhat large bites taken out of it. I found Keokin and Klintock with some crewmen and Edorin, but no Sable. They were standing over the trapdoors that usually sat closed in the middle of the deck. They were wide open now, as one of the crewmen dropped a barrel down below.
Maybe Sable’s on the other ships? I looked at The Wonder, there were people bringing over large boxes, barrels and crates to drop below deck. I then looked at The Glory, which was somewhat behind us. There was a rudimentary walkway between the two ships made from a rope ladder, with a guide rope lashed slightly above it to hang from. Sable was there with Gathaen. She was throwing up over the side of the ship.
“What’s she doing over there? Is she ok?” I asked. Klintock looked up, then shrugged slightly.
“Doesn’t look like it. I didn’t even know she was over there.” Maybe Edorin would know.
He was making hand gestures to another group of crewmen on The Wonder. The crewman gave a thumbs up and went back below deck. Keokin turned and noticed me.
“Croí. You’re looking well. Come up to help?” He asked. Edorin glanced my way, then continued his signaling. I nodded to Keokin as I answered.
“Sure. I’m also curious about what they’re doing on the other ships.”
“Gathering intel, surveying them to see if there’s anything we can loot, maybe things that can tell us where the ships are from, if there are slaves on board, things like that.” Edorin answered.
“I’m worried about Sable, she… well she looks sick.” Edorin glanced at The Glory, his eyes flashing purple. Gathaen, who was next to Sable, glanced at Edorin, rose both hands and waved them while shaking his head, then returned to comforting Sable. Edorin sighed.
“She’s fine, physically. Just learned something about life she wasn’t ready for. How terrible, poor girl. Now with Klintock Croí. The crew is bringing supplies over from the other ships. I want you with Klintock, Orae, and Knuckles to help get them below deck.”
“Yes Captain.” I said.
“Captain!” Cairen called to Edorin.
“What is it?” Edorin asked. Cairen pointed at the bite marks on a shark they pulled up. Another crewman pulled over something that didn’t look like a shark, it was longer and more aggressive, like the snake creatures in the books, but with fins. It had bite marks on it as well.
“Got us a few exotics here Captain.” Cairen informed. Edorin acknowledged Cairen’s warning and turned towards The Glory. His eyes flashed purple again. He ordered a few more crewmen to stop what they were doing and start helping transfer supplies. Then he went up onto the quarterdeck.
“Hey. What’re your names?” I called to the two crewmen next to me, passing a heavy barrel down into the cargo hold. The man closest to me had short black hair, sharp features with a scraggly beard. He looked thin, but strong, and designs covered the entirety of both of his arms. On the left, intricate detailed images of sharks, waves, anchors, and a scantily clad woman. The right seemed to be just random but appealing designs, maybe with some lettering. Both were very bright and colorful.
“Name’s Orae (Oh-ree).” He said. “That’s Knuckles.” He glanced at the man next to him. ‘Knuckles’ had longer, shoulder length hair, pulled back in a poof behind his head. He was a stockier build than Orae, but also looked shorter. He also had some designs on his arms, though his were sparser and not nearly as colorful. They looked like a tree, moving up both his arms. His left shoulder had a stylized heart on one of the branches with two ribbons flowing over it, with the words MOM and DAD in Common. His fingers just below his knuckles had the same kind of lettering on them. They spelled two words, ‘hold’ on the right, and ‘fast’ on the left. Knuckles waved at me then focused on his work, hefting a large crate over the opening. Two crewmen below held up their arms and he dropped it down.
“I’m Croí. This is Klintock.” I said.
“Seen the two of you in tournaments, made some money off of you Klintock, lost it on Croí’s last fight with William to Knuckles though.” Knuckles smiled a big toothy grin at us. “What’s up Croí?” Orae asked.
“Why are we rushing so much? Are we in trouble?” They both chuckled a bit.
“Might be.” Orae said.
“What from? More marauders? Pirates?” I asked, dropping two smaller barrels down below.
“No. From the great wide ocean. Some of the creatures in the ocean can sense blood from miles away, which is why we have a frenzy going on, but that amount of movement and blood also attracts more predators, and eventually, we might work our way up the food chain to something a lot bigger than a shark. It’s usually not such a worry, but these waters are well known for housing a few big predators. We’d rather have all of this secured below before we leave.”
My mouth fell open and I gulped as I realized what he was saying. We could be ringing the dinner bell for something big enough to take on those whales, or us. To distract myself, I asked Knuckles a question as I worked, with a bit more speed.
“So Knuckles. That’s Mom and Dad written on your shoulder right?” He glanced at the heart and nodded.
“That they are. You boys read common?”
“We know the alphabet and how to hold a basic conversation, but that’s about it.” I replied.
“Lately we’ve been struggling with vowels.” Klintock added.
“Yeah, they pronounce their vowels weird with common.” Knuckles rubbed his chin with the back of his hand.
“Why get Mom and Dad tattooed on yourself?” Klintock asked.
“Because I love my parents.”
“Momma’s boy more like.” Orae jested.
“Damn right.” Knuckles said, proudly.
“What does ‘hold fast’ mean?” I asked.
“Words of wisdom. Saved my life more times than I can count.”
“Oh don’t tell me you’re gonna regale us with that tired old tale again.” Orae groaned.
“I was thinking about it but now they’ll have to suffer because of your bitching.” Knuckles retorted, eyebrows raised with a wry smile.
“They’re not missing out on anything.” Orae chuckled.
“Not missing out? It saved my life! It’s a good story.” Knuckles claimed.
“I’ll tell you a good story, we all get back to working hard and live happily ever after. How’s that?” Orae said with a smile. They chuckled at each other.
“You two bicker like an old married couple.” Klintock jested. They turned to him, offended, then laughed and we went back to focusing on the sail.
A few minutes later, I heard the clicking of Sable’s boots on the deck. I looked up to see that they were pulling the smaller ship she had been on closer to ours; some crewmen had brought several crates and boxes above deck and were waiting by the railing. Edorin was talking with one of the crew from The Wonder. I couldn’t see the deck, but it looked busy. Edorin ordered more men across to help as Sable sat down on the stairs to the quarterdeck. She looked rattled. Primarily out of concern for her, but partially out of curiosity, I called to her.
“Sable.” She didn’t respond. “Sable!” She startled and looked at me. Her usually sparkling, fun eyes were dull and filled with shock and horror. I motioned for her to come over to us. She took a breath then stood up, looking shaky, and walked over.
“What Croí?” She asked, sounding off.
“Are you alright? You look unsettled.” I asked.
“What’d you find over there? Anything useful?” Orae chimed in.
“Uh…” Sable droned for a moment, eyes wide, mouth dropping slightly open. “We found some crates. A few with cotton, and a small barrel of tobacco. Uh… I don’t know what else.”
“Tobacco? Man, I hope we get some.” Orae said, nudging Knuckles.
“Are you alright?” I repeated. She shook her head slightly. “What happened?” Her mouth opened like she was going to talk, then pulled closed, then opened again after she swallowed.
“They were, uh… there were some slaves over there.”
“Are you bringing them back?” Orae asked, I glared at Orae for a second, irritated by his interruption and he quieted down. “Sorry, go on.”
“What happened Sable?” Klintock urged. She took a breath.
“The marauders… they had slaves, but… they ate them.”