Chapter 606: Interlude - Quartus Nix - The Witch of the Woods
Quartus Nix’s five-year old sister was sick, and it was his job as her big seven-year old brother to look after her. A solemn duty he took on with pride!
“Can you drink?” He whispered to his sister, trying to wipe back her sweaty bangs. “Can you say ‘healer?’”
That would fix everything, if she could just break out of her delirious state long enough to say the literal magic word. That was the way the world worked. The gods hadn’t been so cruel as to create disease and injury without an easy way to fix them. Nix put one arm under her head and tilted her up in her bed, wrinkling his nose at the smell of sweat-soaked sheets. He put the wooden mug of water up to her lips.
“Please drink please drink.” He whispered in prayer as he tilted the mug up. A few swallows went down her throat, and most dribbled down her neck, soaking her tunic. Nix carefully laid her back down, got a rag, and started to wipe her down, debating if he needed to change her. Again. The sheets needed to be changed for sure, but Nix didn’t think he could roll his sister out of bed without dropping her. He put the mug away, which was when she spoke.
“Brother…?” She gasped out. Nix was back by her bedside in a flash, gripping her hand with his.
“Hey sis, it’s me. Just say ‘healer’ and you’ll be alright. Can you say it for me? ‘Healer’?”
“Alright…?” She said, her eyes unfocused. Her hand went limp and her eyes drooped close. Nix squeezed her hand and stood up, then started to pace. He cursed, one of the foul words his ma would beat him black and blue if she heard.
“Fu…dge.” Nix chickened out at the last moment, eyes darting around wildly. His ma wasn’t here, right? She hadn’t heard? She hadn’t read his mind to know what he was thinking? He wouldn’t need to eat soap?
Healing was supposed to be easy. Nobody got really sick, no injuries stuck around. All somebody had to do was say ‘healer’, and that was it! They were cured! Fixed! All better! The sickness had struck his sister down so quickly that she hadn’t had a chance to utter the fateful word, and she kept drifting in and out.