The Dark Blooded Duchess. Ep1

On my way to the healer’s hut, the mindher (the keepers and teachers of children in villages like this) of the orphanage requested that I take over Talo’s storytime slot since she’s still out.

I’ll stop there on my way back.

The healer’s hut is one of three large buildings in the village. It’s wide enough for a cot and a walkway lined with tables and some chairs. The floors are stamped earth, (just like all the other huts, but not the community hall or washrooms) and the walls and roof are made of thermal, reactive smart glass.

They usually keep it light enough to be conducive to work, cool enough to help heal and fight inflammation down, and quiet enough so the patients can sleep.

Except no one could sleep.

Heston wasn’t lying though, Morgen is definitely not making it easy on the healers.

The arguing greets me before I set one foot in the door.

‘Miss, please,’ healer Hannah, an older female with shoulder-length grey hair pleads, ‘if I could just administer your medication, you will feel much-’

‘Dear Lilith in carnate are you deaf?’ Morgen growls, from an upright position in the 2nd cot ’Unless you want your eye skewered on that needle, you will not administer anything’

Morgen’s breathing is rapid, her lips curled back into a sneer, and she shakes ever so slightly.

Are her teeth weirdly sharp? Ridiculous. It must be the light.

Regardless, I step in.

‘Is everything alright here?’ I ask.

Morgen’s head snaps toward me, her face contorted in rage and frustration. It seems to lift, however briefly, when she sees me ‘you’ she frowns, pointing at me.

That makes me feel odd somehow ‘I’m Donny’ I say, again ‘are you alright, Morgen?’

‘I-’

‘She’s refusing her medication, Captain’ says healer Hannah, with a blood-red face.

Morgen must really be working her up, Hannah is usually a patient healer.

‘Healer Hannah, could I have a talk with your patient here, please?’

Hannah huffs plants the syringe on the tray in her hand and stalks off with it.

I pull a chair next to her bed and sit down.

Morgen rubs her forehead, sighing.

‘Are you alright?’ I ask.

‘Not entirely,’ she says ‘but I am grateful for your help with the medicine thing’

I nod before I start, ‘Morgen. Perhaps this isn’t my place.’

She blinks, looking at me curiously ‘go on’

‘You have three broken ribs, a messed up ankle, and a sizeable concussion, you must be in pain. So you’re not in the best shape. Not to mention you must be exhausted’ I very carefully don’t mention that I know she’s been running from something ‘why is it that you don’t want the healers to help you?’

She sighs, shaking her head ‘She said the medicine in the syringe thing would block my pain receptors,’ she sets her jaw, turning up her chin briefly as if she’s been massively offended ‘and that the other things. The treatment I believe is what she called it, would work with my DNA to help correct my injuries.’

‘And that’s a problem because?’

Morgen blinks, and sets her face to a determined expression ‘You saw what I did in the woods, correct? You realize that I’m not what I seem? And that I certainly am not from anywhere near here?’

‘I do’

‘Well thi- ’ she catches herself ‘my body is going through some intense changes. I’m going through changes. Physical, metaphysical, and otherwise,’ she inhales deeply ‘I had to change. To get here. And there are already things that aren’t as they should be. Things that are weaker’ she holds up her hand, inspecting it from back to front and back again ‘There are things that are missing from me entirely. From my soul I mean.’

Oh good, just as I was beginning to wonder. But wait, what?

‘And I can’t let anything else interfere with what I’m going through. Not until this change is complete’ she pulls her knee to her chest, wincing as she hugs it and sets down her head on top of her knee ‘I can’t lose any more,’ she adds in a near-whisper, ‘I can’t’

A few minutes of solemn silence pass, what is there really to say about her loss? That it didn’t matter? That she needs to let it go?

Hell no. But then, something occurs to me.

‘Give me a minute' I say to Morgen who nods absently.

Healer Hannah is outside, smoking an intricately carved pipe.

‘I didn’t know you smoke,’ I comment.

‘This is a blend of powerful relaxation herbs, Captain,’ says Hannah, blowing smoke at the ground, ‘still, I don’t make it a habit'

‘I wanted to ask you’ I say, crossing my arms over my chest ‘Is there an alternative way to treat this specific patient?’

‘How do you mean?’ she narrows her eyes at me.

‘She doesn’t want to use medication,’ I say ‘are there any alternatives? Like older healing techniques?’

She chews on the inside of her cheek ‘There are. But it would be quite painful.’

‘But you’re proficient in these?’ I ask

‘I practiced them for nearly a century if you would call that proficient?’ she raises a grey eyebrow at me.

‘I certainly would. Should we discuss them with the patient?’

‘Oh yes’ she drolls ’I would just love to do that’