Healers Read online

  Eva turned her penetrating gray eyes on Daum, looking at him consideringly. “Remember… when you were upset because none of these people would help Daussie? And you told me you felt guilty because you had told Daussie we couldn’t help everyone? Now, here’s a girl who may have absolutely no one to help her. Are you going to turn her away?”

  Daum closed his eyes, and after a moment he hung his head. “No,” he whispered, “we can’t turn her away.” He opened his eyes and looked at Kazy again. “Maybe she has family here and she’s just helping out because she’s a good kid,” he said hopefully.

  Eva turned and looked at the girl also. “Maybe… but I don’t think so,” she said slowly.

  Daum sighed, “Well, try to find out, would you?”

  Eva nodded slowly.

  Once the girls had gone through the serving line to get lunch, Kazy started keeping her eyes down. She found men frightening and didn’t want to know when she was serving one. However, as they held out their bowls, she saw their hands and could tell whether they were men or women by the size and shape of their fingers.

  She reminded herself that she was going to have to get back to dealing with men. The way she felt right now, she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to deal with them without some of her hate and fear surfacing… so she’d need to learn to hide her feelings.

  As she ladled some of the thick vegetable soup into the bowl before her she recognized the hand holding it belonged to a young man. She made herself glance up. A frightened shiver ran over her body. Dark blonde hair, brilliant blue eyes, he looked a lot like Kazy’s heroine, Daussie. Kazy’s memory shot back to the moment the door to the horse stall slowly swung open. Shaggy hair and slender build, this young man could have been the man who pushed it open. Could this young man have mystically transformed himself into Daussie when he saw the fear and hate in Kazy’s eyes?

  Kazy blinked and looked up to her right, No, Daussie’s still right here beside me! She looked back at the man who was smiling tentatively at her. He must be Daussie’s brother! Kazy realized she had stopped in the midst of pouring soup into the young man’s bowl. “Sorry,” she said, dumping the rest of the ladle into his bowl.

  The young man moved on, taking some bread from Daussie and heading off to sit on the ground a short distance away. With a start, Kazy realized someone was wiggling a bowl in front of her. “Oops,” she said filling her ladle with soup again. As that customer moved on, she nudged Daussie, “Is that your brother?” she whispered, pointing with her chin.

  Daussie’s eyes followed the direction of Kazy’s gaze. She nodded, “Uh-huh, his name’s Tarc.”

  Kazy filled another bowl with soup, then asked, “Why didn’t he come with you when you rescued us last night?”

  Daussie’s eyes went back to her brother. After a long pause she said, “Um, he did.” She paused uncertainly, then continued, “He… wasn’t close by… you just didn’t see him.”

  Kazy filled another bowl, thinking of the guy who’d been hanging around in the distance last night. She let her eyes drift back to Daussie’s handsome brother. If he was there, why was his sister doing all the dirty work?

  Then, After those raiders showed me what men are like, I hate them all. Why am I thinking about her brother’s looks? Just because he looks like Daussie?

  Everyone had gone through the Hyllises’ food line, so Eva got her own bowl of soup and hunk of bread. Uncomfortably eyeing the rescued girl, she said, “That’s it. You girls should serve yourselves.” She busied herself pouring some of the calming tea she had brewed for the traumatized girls. By the time Daussie and the girl had seated themselves, Eva was able to go over and sit beside them on the pretext of giving each of them a cup of tea. “I’m sorry, I’m afraid I don’t know your name,” she said to the young girl.

  “Kazy,” the girl said.

  “What’s your last name?”

  The girl’s face crumpled, and as tears ran down her cheeks she said in a tiny voice, “I don’t know, do you still have a last name when everyone in your family’s been killed?”

  Eva’s own heart broke. She leaned to put an arm around Kazy’s shaking shoulders. Daussie leaned in from the other side and she and Eva hugged Kazy between them. “Sure you do,” Eva said in a low tremulous voice, “no one can take your name away from you.”

  After a few wracking sobs, Kazy said, “Hyllis.”

  Eva stared into Daussie’s wide eyes. Some kind of feud had scattered Daum’s family a generation or so back. As far as Eva had known, Daum was the only one of the Hyllises that had moved into the area of Walterston, but people had moved away from their original home in Colesville at different times. When they left, they seldom knew where they were going. When they arrived in a new location they didn’t send messages home to say where they’d gone, after all, they were trying to leave those people behind. As the different family groups picked up and moved at different times, Kazy’s family could easily have relocated here without Daum knowing. After a little more hesitation, Eva said, “Where was your family from?”

  Without looking up, Kazy jerked a thumb further down the road away from Walterston. “Four farms down the road that way,” she whispered rubbing at her eyes with the back of her wrist.

  “Um,” Eva said, “have some more of your tea. It’s supposed to help calm your nerves. Did your family always live around here?”

  “No…” Kazy seemed about to say more, but then picked up her bread and took a bite instead.

  Eva sipped her own tea for a moment, “When did they move here?”

  “I don’t know…” Kazy looked off into the distance as if trying to remember. “My mom and dad moved here with my grandmother before I was born.”

  “And…” Eva paused, not wanting to venture onto painful ground, but feeling she had to know, “the raiders killed all three of them?”

  Kazy nodded jerkily, “And my brothers too.” She sniffed and picked up her cup for another sip.

  They sat in silence for a while; then Eva suggested they sing a song of mourning. They talked about different songs until they found one all three of them knew. They started on it, singing relatively quietly, but it wasn’t long before more and more of the rescued girls gathered around. Eva and Daussie’s singing had calmed the girls earlier that morning and they wanted more. Farmers and caravaners collected too. Some of them started to join the singing. They went through the words they knew for the song several times, tears streaming down many of their faces.

  Kazy began a “call and response” song, leading it with what turned out to be a beautiful soprano.

  Eva looked up as they sang, seeing Daum mouthing the words and crying like everyone else. Many of the people looked as if they were experiencing some kind of catharsis. After all, even those who hadn’t actually been injured by the raiders had at least been through emotional trauma from the fear of what the raiders might do.

  As the singing wound down, Mr. Prichard called for attention. “I know there’s been all kinds of questions about what happened last night down at Yates’ farm.” He paused as a murmur ran over the crowd, then he continued, “Well, I’m here to tell you I don’t rightly know myself. I suspect whatever really happened there will always be a mystery, but I’m going to tell you what we found this morning.”

  Prichard had to pause again as heads turned and people whispered to one another. After a bit he cleared his throat and resumed. “You’ve seen Nyssa and her daughter Iris. Nyssa was the oldest of the women the raiders… kept. She’s confirmed that the raiders arrived at Yates’ farm yesterday, killing everyone but Yate’s daughter-in-law and granddaughter without even demanding extra taxes or anything. They kept them and the girls they already had in Yates’ house and barn,” his voice broke a moment before he continued, “doing all the horrible things those kinds of men so often do.

  “This morning, when we were nearing the Yates’ farm we met Tarc on the road. He’d been our scout at the farm, watching it through the night. He told us the raiders
were gone, though he didn’t really know what had happened to them. He was leading the girls back this way, trying to protect them as best he could all by himself and surely glad to see us. I’ve spoken to some of the girls and to Nyssa who all confirm that someone actually killed the raiders last night, though no one seems to have any idea who did it. Though it’s hard to be sure, it appears someone dragged the raiders’ bodies down to the big creek behind Yates’ place and set them adrift to float away.

  “Now some of you are probably wondering whether the raiders just retreated. Whether they might show back up to continue demanding their damnable taxes.” Prichard shrugged, “I don’t think so because they left behind a lockbox full of money. They also left a big pile of swords, knives, bows, and other weapons. Raiders don’t leave that kind of stuff behind if they’re alive.

  “We only wish,” Prichard’s voice broke again at this, “we could know who our saviors were. What men were brave enough to show up at Yates’ farm and attack a hardened bunch of desperate ex-soldiers. I’ve checked around,” he chuckled a little, “and none of you men snuck off in the middle of the night to do it. My best guess is that some group of the raiders themselves became disenchanted with what their fellows had been doing and killed their fellows in their sleep.” He shrugged, “If that’s the case, it’s astonishing they left the money behind. Maybe their newfound conscience forbade them taking it?”

  Prichard stopped after a few more words, then answered a series of incredulous questions from his audience. When the questions slowed, he announced the formation of a small council of the farmers. The council would be charged with disbursing the raiders’ gold to those who had been hurt the worst. The weapons would be distributed amongst farmers willing to drill with them in hopes of forming a mutually protective group for the future.

  When Prichard had finished his presentation, Norton made rounds of the caravan, telling everyone they would be leaving in the morning. Shortly after this, Daum approached Eva, “What did you find out about the girl? Does she have any relatives?” he asked hopefully.

  Eva nodded slowly at her husband, an odd expression on her face.

  “Thank all the gods!” Daum breathed. “Are any of them here? You know, and can take her with them?”

  Eva nodded again.

  Daum’s eyes turned to look at Kazy, who sat with Daussie talking quietly. He glanced around then, obviously trying to figure out where the putative relatives were. As he looked, he said with some frustration, “Where are they?” He looked at Eva, wondering about the crinkling smile at the corner of her eyes. He frowned, “They should be spending time with her, trying to reassure the poor girl.”

  “Well…” Eva said, dragging out the pause, “her closest relative is right there.” She pointed at Daum’s chest, but he, misunderstanding, turned to look back over his shoulder.

  Not seeing an obvious candidate, Daum turned back to Eva with a frown, saying, “Who?”

  “You, Daum… She’s a Hyllis.” Eva turned to look meaningfully at Kazy and Daussie, “So, in a sense one of her relatives is spending time with her, trying to reassure her.” She turned back to Daum, “I’d suggest you need to get over there and do a little bit of that yourself.”

  Daum looked thunderstruck. “What!”

  “Her grandmother, mother, and father moved here from Colesville before she was born, probably a few years before or after we moved. Her dad was probably one of your cousins.”

  “Holy mother!” Daum breathed. “Have you told her yet?”

  Eva shook her head.

  While Kazy and Daussie had been talking, Kazy’s mind had been off of her troubles. That conversation had run down a few minutes ago however. Now Kazy’s thoughts returned to her situation. When she’d heard Prichard talking about what the council would do with the raiders’ gold and weapons she had realized she might not be as destitute as she had thought. Her family hadn’t owned their farm, they’d been renting it, but they did own their possessions there. She supposed she’d inherited those things at least, though she thought the raiders had likely taken almost everything of value. Admittedly, however, she hadn’t been watching very closely in the wake of having seen the other members of her family killed before her eyes.

  If she could get to the farm, she could dig up the strongbox where her parents’ had kept the money they were saving towards actually buying the farm. Of course, the raiders might have found the strongbox, and she had no idea how much money might have been in it even if it was undisturbed. If it was there though, she thought the money would be enough to buy her passage with the caravan. This caravan probably wouldn’t go all the way to Colesville and her distant relatives, but perhaps it would meet up with a caravan that did.

  Kazy looked around, wondering who might be willing to take her to her family’s farm. She didn’t think she had the courage to go alone. For that matter she didn’t know if she could bear to visit the farm by herself. As she was about to turn to Daussie and ask if she would go with Kazy in the morning, Kazy realized a man was walking toward her. The man’s eyes were focused on Kazy.

  She wanted to run away, but managed restrain herself.

  The man approached and squatted down in front of Kazy. He looked vaguely familiar, but Kazy couldn’t imagine why. She felt sure she’d never met him. Maybe he’d been with the group who’d rescued the girls, but she hadn’t seen him up close then. Kazy couldn’t help but shrink away a little. Trying to put up a brave front, she glanced at Daussie whose eyes were on the man as well. Kazy took some solace in the fact that Daussie didn’t seem at all worried. The man looked searchingly into Kazy’s eyes and said, “I hear you lost all your family?”

  Kazy nodded jerkily, though at first her throat was too closed up to say anything. After a moment she said in a quiet, pressured kind of speech, “I… I have some family in Colesville, though I’ve never met them. I’ve been wondering if maybe… maybe the caravan would let me go with them since Colesville’s the same direction the caravan’s going. I don’t suppose the caravan’s going all the way to Colesville, but maybe it’ll meet a caravan that does?”

  In a kindly voice, the man said, “What was your father’s name?”

  Thinking of her father, Kazy realized the man looked familiar because his eyes looked like her dad’s. “Richie Hyllis,” she croaked out.

  A terribly sad expression came over the man’s face. After a moment he rasped out, “You don’t have to go to Colesville to find your family girl, we’re right here.”

  Kazy’s eyes flashed wide, “You’re… you’re…?”

  “I’m your dad’s cousin… Richie and I used to play together when we were little. I am… so sorry to hear he’s gone. So sorry to learn he lived here and I didn’t even know it. I’d give you a hug, but Eva tells me you probably aren’t up to being touched by men yet.”

  Kazy got to her feet and, when the man rose too, though it was difficult, she tentatively put her arms around him. He reached his arms clumsily around her and gently patted her back. “What’s your name?” she asked, her head buried in his shoulder.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m Daum Hyllis. For some absurd reason I thought you already knew.”

  Kazy drew her head back, then glanced around curiously. “Do I have other family here besides you?”

  Daussie had risen to her feet. Now she put her arms around Kazy and Daum. “Me,” she said. “Daum’s my dad, so I’d be your second cousin.”

  “Oh!” Kazy squeaked, pulling an arm free from Daum and throwing it around Daussie. “Oh!” she said, unable to string together anything more coherent, but squeezing Daussie with all of her might. She blinked her blurry eyes so that the tears would squeeze out and run down her cheeks, “So, Eva’s my family too?”

  They nodded at her.

  “Anyone else?”

  “My brother,” Daussie said, “Tarc. I’m not sure where he’s gone off to.”

  “Oh yeah! The guy with the blue eyes!”

  Daussie grinned at her, seeing i
n Kazy’s eyes just how handsome Kazy thought Tarc was and hoping it meant she wouldn’t fear men forever. “That’d be the guy.” She winked, “Don’t forget he’s your cousin too.”

  Eva had approached. Now she put her arms around the other three so Kazy was squeezed into the middle. Sadly, Kazy said, “It’s probably just as well. No man’s going to want me after what’s happened.” She shrugged, “I probably couldn’t stand to be with a man anyway.”

  Eva said, “Don’t think that way! I know you don’t want to be around men right now, but I’m pretty sure you’ll get over that someday. And, any man that doesn’t want you because of what those raiders did to you…” Eva’s voice turned bitter, “a man like that isn’t worth having anyway.”

  Tarc arrived back at the caravan with a couple of straps of wood. As he laid them close to hand for the dinner fire, he saw Daum, Eva, and Daussie all clustered in what looked like a group hug. A group hug with someone in the center. He could only see the short girl’s dark hair, but that made him think it was probably that cute girl they’d rescued. The one who’d been following Daussie around like a child dogging its mother. Daussie had warned Tarc the girl was afraid of men after her experience, so he was glad to see she wasn’t shying away from Daum.

  Nonetheless, Tarc wondered what was going on. He supposed he’d find out when he needed to. It didn’t look like the kind of event he should try to horn in on.

  Tarc had turned to head out for a couple more straps of wood for the breakfast cook, but Eva called his name. He turned. Eva waved him over, saying, “Come, meet your cousin Kazy.”

  ***

  That evening, after the Hyllises had served dinner to much of the caravan and the few remaining farmers, someone built a large bonfire in the middle of the caravan circle. Some of the caravaners pulled out instruments and a kind of celebration ensued. Everyone seemed to be glad to be out from under the yoke of the raiders and the caravaners were certainly ready to get back on the road.