The Great War: Chapter 59
Stand your ground
That red girl has been stalking the tent for a while now. Every time Jae steps outside to catch her breath or run an errand, she always catches a glimpse of that weird woman lingering nearby, watching the healers come and go as they please. Every time her gaze lands on Jae, the cold weight of dread begins to press down on her shoulders even more.
It’s been a cycle and a half since that woman showed up, and another cycle longer that Jae first saw her in Eros. Sometimes, Jae gets the urge to walk right up to her and tell her to go away, but she always stops herself. That woman gave off some strange vibes before. Stars only know what she’d do if Jae started pressing her.
“Just deal with her for now,” Jae tells one of her fellow healers, who came to her voicing their concerns about the woman. “Don’t talk to her. Don’t look at her. If she starts to approach you, leave as calmly and quickly as you can.”
Of course, the healer frowns back at her in frustration. “So you’re just going to let her keep watching us like that?”
Jae bites her lip. As much as she wants to shoo the woman away as well, there’s just too many things that make her uncomfortable to approach her directly just yet. She doesn’t want the healers to feel uneasy with her around, but she’s not going to put them in harm’s way over a being simply standing and staring at them either. If the woman starts to do anything, however, Jae will certainly step up without hesitation.
“So long as she isn’t causing any physical harm, she’s free to do as she pleases,” Jae answers slowly. “For your own sake, though, just… stay away from her for now.”
Still looking displeased by her reply, the healer only nods back at her and promptly walks away to either find something to do or return to a previous task they had briefly taken a break from.
She shakes her head sadly. She hates to see the others so frustrated. She’s just trying to look out for them, too.
At least they’ve mostly gone back to a workload that they’re used to handling for the time being. The sickbeds of Eros no longer are as populated by injured sailors but by the sickly and the bruised. The dead have long since been taken by the priests to perform their Fading ceremony, though their stench still clings to the fabric of the tent all these cycles later. Jae has a sinking feeling that this brief period of peace will be shattered soon enough. The new king is still willing to put up a fight against the Guardians, after all.
She turns to the storage racks at the back of the tent. They’re full to the brim with all the supplies they could ever need, able to last a good number of cycles before they even need to start thinking about restocking anything. She even brought in extra shelves and crates for most of the items.
It always helps to be prepared for the worst. Yumi would be proud of her.
Just then, the hanging fabric that is the strange infirmary’s entrance are pulled open, and in strides that strange red woman. Her chin is held high, looking around the place as if she owns it. And then she spots Jae and promptly strides over to her, a suspicious smile growing across her rosy lips.
So much for leaving her alone…
“Jae?” the woman asks.
“Yes,” Jae replies stiffly. “Yumi isn’t here.”
“Oh, I know where that feisty little Feni is!” the woman laughs back. “No, I’m looking for you, darling.” Pursing her lips, she takes another glance around the tent’s interior, her hands straying to her hips. “You poor things, working in these horrible conditions.”
“What do you want?”
The question only makes the woman smile, as if she’s reveling in Jae’s discomfort. “You healers are so skeptical! Please, let me introduce myself first. My name is Cassie, the new General of Fire magic.”
Jae bites down hard on her tongue, trying not to let her shock show. Yumi has mentioned her name in some of her letters. How did she become a General so quickly?! She’s a criminal, isn’t she? Why would the king ever want to associate with such a being? Is the Great Spirit above in His right mind? What is going on?
“Oh, relax, darling,” Cassie hums, waving her hand dismissively. Jae blinks once, feeling the tense muscles in her face unwind. She must have appeared more disgusted than she wanted to. “I have a very simple mission. You know these healers, yes?”
“We’re all like a second family,” Jae nods. Of course she knows many of the healers that come and go. Not personally, but enough to pick out faces from a busy crowd.
“I’m looking for the most devoted healer among you. Who would you say fits that description?”
“Why?” Jae blurts.
The sudden question hardly seems to phase Cassie. She folds her arms and answers, “That’s not for you to know.”
“Then good bye.”
Jae turns on her heel and starts to walk away. Even if the king promised that the Generals he’s searching for are going to elevate their power, if this is one of the beings that he’s working with then she wants no part in any of it.
“You wouldn’t want to be thrown in the dungeon for disrespecting a confidant of the king, now, would you?” Cassie hums, making Jae stop dead in her tracks. Her back turned to the General, she grits her teeth and collects herself. She… does have a point. If the king comes after her for all this, yes, she’ll be in trouble, and that she doesn’t want. But this is still a criminal she’s talking to. Confidant, General, whatever. If the king still has some common sense, he’d not believe her whining in the first place.
The scene between the two women has started draw eyes from the other healers. They give the two as much space as they possibly can, trying to make themselves look busy. In reality, they’re simply waiting to see how the scene unfolds.
Jae turns back to Cassie with a slight frown. “Then I need to know why.”
Cassie rolls her eyes. “You just don’t seem to understand-”
“No, you don’t understand,” Jae interrupts. “Nearly every healer anywhere would consider them devout, but we all have our roles to play, too. Not one of us is above the rest, so long as we do our duty as best we can.
“Yumi only made that contract with you because she saw no other option. At the end of the cycle, there were beings she had to care for. But you came to my town and my infirmary. Here, the only being above me is the king himself. Send for him if you wish, but you will either answer my question or you will leave. Take your pick.”
Cassie is silent for a good long moment. Was she not expecting the outburst? Is she crafting her response? Her flat face betrays nothing in the way of what could possibly be running through her head.
Eventually, the criminal’s lips part once more, the corners of her mouth twisting into a soulless grin. “You can’t come to that conclusion yourself?”
Jae just narrows her eyes. Inside her chest, her magic shifts to the beating of her frustrated heart. Is she trying to insult her?
“My dear,” Cassie chuckles, her voice rising to project to all who can hear, “it should be obvious! I’m here to find the next General. The General of Life.”
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