Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ruined" data-source="post: 444149" data-attributes="member: 113">As promisedSurielle – 19th of Madrer, yr. 141 AVSurielle was amazed that she could find the Keltai village in the midst of the great downpour. Through all of the events in Fernmag, she had failed to note the darkening storm clouds. Now, as she slowly walked into the circle of tarps and small buildings, Surielle was soaked to the bone.It was early in the afternoon, yet the village bustled with life, many people gathering together to converse and find excuse to stay out of the heavy rains. Surielle advanced forward to stand under a tarp, feeling unsure of how to find her birth mother. Gazes lingered on her as she approached, her clothing and saturated bundle of bed sheets raising unspoken questions.“How can we help you, lass?” a man asked. He looked to be near her father’s age. Another larger gentleman walked with him, appraising Surielle with a glance.“ I’m looking for my mother.”“Your mother, here? You’re a city girl. Why would your mother travel with us Keltai?”“ Her name is Amara. She is Keltai. I need to find her.”The two men shared a glance. Was it concern in their eyes? The other villagers had stopped their conversations to pay attention to this misplaced girl. The larger man spoke to her.“Wait here and stay out of the rain, child. Let us speak among the elders.”Hope flooded through Surielle. These men knew her mother, and they would bring them together. The events of the day and the night before seemed to melt away with the promise of a new beginning.Conversations started up again around her. These people were different than the people of Fernmag she was accustomed to. The women wore low-cut bodices and skirts that revealed much of their legs when they turned. Some of the women had blonde hair similar to her adopted parents, but a good number had deep red hair similar in shade to her own. She caught herself wondering if Amara had red hair.The men returned with a resolute look in their eyes. The smaller of the men spoke first.“Young miss, we have no one named Amara here in our village.”“But…” she began.“You should return to those who raised you and stop chasing fantasies.”She felt the tears threaten to pour forth, but she held them in. There had to be someone here who knew her mother. This was her last place left to turn.“Please. There has to be someone here…”“You cannot stay here, child. You had best return to the city before nightfall.”She looked around at the villagers who had once again grown silent. Everything seemed to close in on her. And then she noticed a small woman push herself between the two men. This woman was not a red-haired beauty like she hoped, but instead a woman who had seen at least sixty years.“Out of my way, brutes. You’re upsetting the girl!”The men started to protest, but they would not speak out against this woman. She stepped forward, and gently lifted Surielle’s chin, examining her.“We may not have what she seeks, but she still might be of use.” The old woman smiled and took a step back from Surielle.  “I have some questions for you, so that I can see how much you know.”Surielle was nervous at this new predicament, but she nodded her head in acknowledgement.“What use would I have for the milk from an Amalthean ram?”She paused under the woman’s all-seeing gaze, thinking on the question. Quickly, she realized the sly trick that the woman played.“Rams do not produce milk; ewes do. I have heard that the milk of an Amalthean ewe has special healing properties.”  The woman seemed pleased.“That it does. If I sought to protect my house, would I plant sage or mandrake outside?”Surielle pondered once more. Mandrake was a poison to most; she guessed that it also was a bane when planted. She answered sage, but the woman shook her head.“No. Sage is bad luck for a house. Mandrake will keep the evil spirits at bay.” The woman thought for a moment, while murmurs drifted through the crowd of onlookers. “A man here has a sickness that makes it painful for him to breathe. How would you tend to him?”“I would put him in a small room and steam water for him to breathe. Once that clears his chest, then you check to see if he has a flu or something more serious. Goldenseal may help.”  She had seen the local doctor treat a man in similar fashion. He had sickened from smoking too much piperoot, but the treatment had healed him.  The woman seemed pleased with her answer.“One final test, girl.” The old woman removed a cord from her neck and handed it to Surielle. At the bottom was a pink bloom that was some type of orchid. She lifted it to her nose, but it held no scent she could discern.“What is that, and why do I wear it?”Her mind raced, but she had never seen this plant before. She cursed her lack of knowledge and this woman for testing her in such a manner. “I do not know,” she said finally, handing the plant back.“It is lady’s slipper,” the old woman said, and Surielle’s mind began to race. She had heard of lady’s slipper before, but it was usually white or yellow. She interrupted the woman while she had the chance.“…And you use it to protect yourself from hexes and the evil eye.”The woman smiled, and Surielle knew she had answered correctly. She leaned forward and took Surielle’s hand in her own. “My name is Agnes, child. Welcome to our village.”Agnes turned and faced the two men, who each wore a perplexed look on their face. “This child will stay with me and learn my ways. Do you oppose me?”  The men looked at each other for support and found none. They said little and parted as Agnes led Surielle further into the waterlogged village.</blockquote>

Verification