Others had failed. But Markus had seen miracles before first hand. Seen Yahal turn death into victory. Seen an arrow fly an impossible distance and take down a target. Seen strikes that should have killed someone fumble at the last moment and saved a knight from certain death. Markus had seen much and he had seen S'Essy work the miracles of her goddess before. Felt the warmth upon his own flesh as skin was pulled together and wounds closed up. The comfortable warmth. Soon Caroline would feel it as well and all the nonsense of her lying in bed being sick would be over. S'Essy moved to her. Markus gave her space to work her miracles. There was doubt in her, Markus could see it. Knew her well enough that her doubt was detrimental to her ability to heal Caroline. She had once told him that she had to believe that she could do it. The way she spoke as she promised she would try. Words. Barely sentences. Words uttered and repeated. Did not invoke confidence in the sergeant. She doubted herself. Markus felt a tingle of doubt himself before he firmly rejected the notion. As the healer prayed in a tongue Markus didn't not know, Markus prayed in a mind she could not read. They went to the same goddess, he assumed.
Caroline seemed to shift a little when, to her, the stranger put her hands on her chest. But Markus could see there came no relief over her. Nothing that would indicate that the divine powers that S'Essy was channelling into her did anything to alleviate the suffering. Markus didn't realize he had been holding his breath. Only found out when his lungs started burning ever so slightly that he exhaled. Nothing changed. It didn't get better. Markus felt like a child watching someone eat his candy right before him. Back in those days he'd thrown a tantrum in hopes of attention to the injustice. Markus nodded firmly in response to the apology. The apology to Caroline, however, was met with a wet raspy chuckle.
"It is okay dear. You're not the first to fail." The voice was weak, but sympathetic. Her eyes turned to Markus with the same old kindness and familiar affection of the youth.
The other two stood in the doorway, Michelle undoubtedly went to silence the wailing child with little success, he judged from the near constant high pitched sound coming from the floor below. The older woman, the one Markus had not yet gotten a name on did as S'Essy demanded. Simon on the other hand looked like he'd rather jump from the small balcony by the window than run an errand for a filthy Konti. Balcony was a stretch of the meaning of the word but it had served faithfully for many years. Simon looked closer to exploding than Markus had seen before. He was more torn by this than he had anticipated. But the two were much closer in age than Markus had been to Caroline. He marched into the room directly for S'Essy and Markus was quick to step in to stop him from doing anything that would make the drop from the balcony involuntary. Reason and fear defeated the fury in his eyes and he wisely refrained from being physical. With a raised hand though and scrawny and bony finger raised at Markus' lover. A physical act Markus did not enjoy seeing. Especially not in front of his sick sister.
"You bastard! Remove those petching hands from my sister. She doesn't need any of you quacks!"
"Simon. Relax. Calm down." Markus' relaxed voice surprised him. The ice in his stomach kept him cool. Also made the following threat all the more effective. "And if you raise your finger at S'Essy again like that, she will have to use her powers to reset it when I am done with you. Are we clear?" Markus turned to his sister who looked decidedly uncomfortable with her two brothers at each others throats.
"You boys done pissing your territory?" The mocking tone in her voice was enough to make Markus and Simon lose their bluster. Both turned to her and her focus returned to S'Essy. "Thank you for trying, dear." Markus had never known her strength of character. She seemed so calm about it all as Markus stood there almost a wreck and barely scrapping by and keeping up appearances before Simon. Didn't want that shyke see him breaking down. "Mmm, they don't give any answers. Only apologies. I would also like a glass of water. Simon, would you go get some?" He went out and in came the older woman Markus had assumed was William's wife with the cloth that S'Essy had asked for. To Markus' surprise she closed the door and looked severely at Markus. Who in turn looked confused. So many things he had to react to. Simon being a colossal racist douche bag, Caroline being so oddly calm about the illness that wrecked her body, illness out of S'Essy's ability to heal, which meant it was severe. Finally, this woman, who looked at him like he might be able to save her day.
"Wha-?"
"I don't suppose you have met your sister in law, Markus. Anne, William's wife. Or widow, depending on what happened to William. It is good you came, though sooner than expected." Markus looked even more confused. "What is it?"
"I don't understand. You were expecting me? Why?"
There was a shared look of confusion between the human ladies.
"You didn't get the letter? Then why are you here?"
"I got a letter from William. About father dying and that's it." Another shared look of confusion but this time there was an implication and a hint of something more sinister.
"Wouldn't be the first time a letter has gone missing on route. We should have sent a follow up earlier. A tenday later perhaps. William has gone missing. As has their daughter Johanne who was pregnant at the time and my own daughter, Helen is also missing. We have tried everything to find them. But nothing has come up. We fear they're either dead or enslaved somewhere. Kenash or Sunberth, we don't know." Markus felt as if someone had hit him in the sternum with a sledgehammer. He stumbled back and found the room spinning as he placed a hand upon the table pushed against the wall. William either dead or in chains, his two nieces likewise taken. Caroline sick beyond the aid of healers. There was a rasping cough from Caroline. It was too much for Markus who smacked open the door to the very small balcony and he gasped in fresh air as he looked at the quickly darkening sky as Syna descended behind the mountains that sheltered the city. There was a cry for him inside, a raspy one and a stronger one from Anne. He ignored them and sucked in fresh air trying to comprehend everything. He had known it would be tough to meet with his family again. But he had not expected everything to have become one giant clusterpetch in his father's absence. What with the rest of his family. One unaccounted for, himself, Simon, Caroline. That still left a little over a wing of siblings. He heard one had moved to Ravok, that traitorous shyke. Still left five Andres' who were not here.
Markus took another deep breath as his large hands grasped the railing. Fingers growing bone white as he clenched it tightly. The cool metal felt good. Nice and soothing. Soon he would have to turn back to his family and face the truth. The truth that made his guts tear itself apart in anger. Someone had either killed or enslaved his family. Petching swine.
Caroline seemed to shift a little when, to her, the stranger put her hands on her chest. But Markus could see there came no relief over her. Nothing that would indicate that the divine powers that S'Essy was channelling into her did anything to alleviate the suffering. Markus didn't realize he had been holding his breath. Only found out when his lungs started burning ever so slightly that he exhaled. Nothing changed. It didn't get better. Markus felt like a child watching someone eat his candy right before him. Back in those days he'd thrown a tantrum in hopes of attention to the injustice. Markus nodded firmly in response to the apology. The apology to Caroline, however, was met with a wet raspy chuckle.
"It is okay dear. You're not the first to fail." The voice was weak, but sympathetic. Her eyes turned to Markus with the same old kindness and familiar affection of the youth.
The other two stood in the doorway, Michelle undoubtedly went to silence the wailing child with little success, he judged from the near constant high pitched sound coming from the floor below. The older woman, the one Markus had not yet gotten a name on did as S'Essy demanded. Simon on the other hand looked like he'd rather jump from the small balcony by the window than run an errand for a filthy Konti. Balcony was a stretch of the meaning of the word but it had served faithfully for many years. Simon looked closer to exploding than Markus had seen before. He was more torn by this than he had anticipated. But the two were much closer in age than Markus had been to Caroline. He marched into the room directly for S'Essy and Markus was quick to step in to stop him from doing anything that would make the drop from the balcony involuntary. Reason and fear defeated the fury in his eyes and he wisely refrained from being physical. With a raised hand though and scrawny and bony finger raised at Markus' lover. A physical act Markus did not enjoy seeing. Especially not in front of his sick sister.
"You bastard! Remove those petching hands from my sister. She doesn't need any of you quacks!"
"Simon. Relax. Calm down." Markus' relaxed voice surprised him. The ice in his stomach kept him cool. Also made the following threat all the more effective. "And if you raise your finger at S'Essy again like that, she will have to use her powers to reset it when I am done with you. Are we clear?" Markus turned to his sister who looked decidedly uncomfortable with her two brothers at each others throats.
"You boys done pissing your territory?" The mocking tone in her voice was enough to make Markus and Simon lose their bluster. Both turned to her and her focus returned to S'Essy. "Thank you for trying, dear." Markus had never known her strength of character. She seemed so calm about it all as Markus stood there almost a wreck and barely scrapping by and keeping up appearances before Simon. Didn't want that shyke see him breaking down. "Mmm, they don't give any answers. Only apologies. I would also like a glass of water. Simon, would you go get some?" He went out and in came the older woman Markus had assumed was William's wife with the cloth that S'Essy had asked for. To Markus' surprise she closed the door and looked severely at Markus. Who in turn looked confused. So many things he had to react to. Simon being a colossal racist douche bag, Caroline being so oddly calm about the illness that wrecked her body, illness out of S'Essy's ability to heal, which meant it was severe. Finally, this woman, who looked at him like he might be able to save her day.
"Wha-?"
"I don't suppose you have met your sister in law, Markus. Anne, William's wife. Or widow, depending on what happened to William. It is good you came, though sooner than expected." Markus looked even more confused. "What is it?"
"I don't understand. You were expecting me? Why?"
There was a shared look of confusion between the human ladies.
"You didn't get the letter? Then why are you here?"
"I got a letter from William. About father dying and that's it." Another shared look of confusion but this time there was an implication and a hint of something more sinister.
"Wouldn't be the first time a letter has gone missing on route. We should have sent a follow up earlier. A tenday later perhaps. William has gone missing. As has their daughter Johanne who was pregnant at the time and my own daughter, Helen is also missing. We have tried everything to find them. But nothing has come up. We fear they're either dead or enslaved somewhere. Kenash or Sunberth, we don't know." Markus felt as if someone had hit him in the sternum with a sledgehammer. He stumbled back and found the room spinning as he placed a hand upon the table pushed against the wall. William either dead or in chains, his two nieces likewise taken. Caroline sick beyond the aid of healers. There was a rasping cough from Caroline. It was too much for Markus who smacked open the door to the very small balcony and he gasped in fresh air as he looked at the quickly darkening sky as Syna descended behind the mountains that sheltered the city. There was a cry for him inside, a raspy one and a stronger one from Anne. He ignored them and sucked in fresh air trying to comprehend everything. He had known it would be tough to meet with his family again. But he had not expected everything to have become one giant clusterpetch in his father's absence. What with the rest of his family. One unaccounted for, himself, Simon, Caroline. That still left a little over a wing of siblings. He heard one had moved to Ravok, that traitorous shyke. Still left five Andres' who were not here.
Markus took another deep breath as his large hands grasped the railing. Fingers growing bone white as he clenched it tightly. The cool metal felt good. Nice and soothing. Soon he would have to turn back to his family and face the truth. The truth that made his guts tear itself apart in anger. Someone had either killed or enslaved his family. Petching swine.