The Great War: Chapter 61
The list of nominees
Yumi,
Have you heard? Your benefactor is a General now.
Yumi releases an annoyed grumble. No, she hadn’t heard. Not until now. That demon seems to be able to get anything she wants…
She’s scouting for the next General. She requested a list of potential healers from me. Some being that’s devoted. That’s the only requirement.
I didn’t give her any names. You’re not under consideration, so I was hoping you could write one for me, or at least provide a few beings that you think would make for a good General. You’re the Head, after all.
I’m not under consideration to be the General? She scowls at the line in confusion. How? Why? Wouldn’t Yumi be the first being she would have considered to become the General of Life magic?
Hopefully, once some being is in power, we’ll be able to start investigating those attacks. The sooner, the better.
-Jae
She nods. Yes, having one of the healers as a General would give them much more room to operate. The assault reports would hopefully be able to be investigated. Perhaps they could even arrange for escorts to protect the roaming healers as well.
She presses her fingers together, raising them to her bottom lip. Jae needs help coming up with a list of potential names, then? Stars above, where would she even start? There are so many names she can think of just off the top of her head; why is Jae struggling so much to come up with even one?
All of the healers are devoted in one way or another. To their magic, to their patients, to their fellow healers. It’s a list so long, Yumi doubts she’d be able to write it out to completion.
She rises from her desk, tucking the letter into a small side drawer. She takes a moment to step outside her little office space and simply stand on the stairs beyond the door, overlooking the warehouse space below.
It’s entrancing, being able to watch the healers from above, rushing about as she’s seen them do cycle in and cycle out all her life. Oh, how she wishes things were better for them. To have a proper place to call their own, where they don’t have to concern themselves with the elements swamping the ground or blowing the tent off its supports or even needing to work in some other being’s owned space. They are the least prepared for a conflict such as this. So they simply have to make do for now.
A devoted healer… She turns those three words over in her head, trying to make sense of them. It’s not easy to pair down her list, but she knows she has to.
Are there really no other requirements besides that? Surely Jae wasn’t given the whole story. To place a being above the Head Healer would require more than just devotion alone. They must demonstrate exceptional leadership, the likes that the others decide to follow willingly. They must be extremely flexible with their knowledge and skill, not just with healing and Life magic but with their diplomacy and strategies, too. They should be able to stand up for themselves and the wizards under their care. They should also be able to hold their own in the midst of battle, no doubt.
And, above all, the other healers should love and support the General in kind. It’s no use putting a being in power if the others are not willing to follow them. The time it would take to build up that kind of rapport is better spent on other issues.
She shakes her head in an attempt to wipe her thoughts clean. Too many variables are bouncing around for her to make sense of. She should start over. Start smaller.
If I were to appoint the next Head Healer… That’s something she, at least, understands much better.
Really, if she thinks about it, the position of the Head Healer is not much different from that she figures the General would be. Only that the Head Healer has fewer responsibilities.
But if she were to appoint the next Head Healer, hypothetically, who would she pick? A decisive decision-maker. A kind and caring parental figure. A knowledgeable individual who remains open to new points of view. A uniting leader. And the beings that fit all of her criteria are…
In an instant, her endless list shortens down to just a handful of names. A good start, for sure. But are any of them fit to become a General?
The General would need to have so many more skills beyond those of the Head Healer. Seeing as none of the healers have any battle experience at all, the General would need to be a quick leaner and able to plan and adapt accordingly. She doesn’t expect them to be strong in a fight, but they must be able to help as much as they can from the sidelines. And, of course, the other healers should actually like the appointed General. The last thing she’d want to happen is cause a rift among the healers.
A devoted healer… What sort of devotion, exactly? Why draw attention to that quality, specifically? Surely all of the Generals have devotion in some sense of the word. What would make the General of Life any different?
Yumi retreats back to her desk, withdrawing a blank paper and readying her ink and quill. There’s no time to mull over something so cryptic and confusing. She has her short list already; she should write it out before she forgets.
Six names are written down in black ink. Six individuals she believes would make for a good General. But she makes sure that one specific name is at the top, shining above the rest. For who else should be her first nomination other than the being who nearly became the Head Healer over Yumi?
As written by Yumi, the Head Healer of Korodon
Nominations for the General of Life magic
1. Jae
2. Paul Summer
3. Reis Windsmith
4. Kasper
5. Arleen Briar
6. GalenMy first novel, Shadowbound, is available for purchase in eBook, paperback, and hardcover formats. Buy Shadowbound from Amazon by clicking the button below. Thank you!