GROUNDLING 4: TRANSITIONS
by ardavenport
- - - Part 11
Tilly sat impatiently in her office when Onie got there after telling Housekeeper where Saston was. It was a small room, just down the hall from the Dean's. It had a window, curtained off for the night. A desk, a couple wooden chairs and shelves. And more books and parchments than Onie would have thought possible to acquire for someone who could have been using the room for only a few days. The tiny fireplace was still warm with dying coals. Onie sat down and waited for Tilly to say what she wanted.
The Herald seemed to have calmed her temper during the silent ride back to the Collegium. She laid down a parchment of notes written with neat, precise lettering.
"I think I've found another case of a Ground Gift," she pointed to a large fat, leather-bound volume, open on her desk. Immediately forgetting their earlier argument, Onie sat forward in her chair, listening to Tilly's discovery.
It was in the Healer's records. Healing could be dangerous if a Healer used their Gift too deeply, or their patient died suddenly. So, the House of Healing kept detailed records of any deaths so the knowledge of what happened and how to avoid it could be passed on. They had eagerly given Tilly access to all their records and the assistance of three of their Trainees to find out what happened to Luba. They had been looking up all cases of Healing deaths and Tilly had been sorting through the accounts and eliminating the ones that were not likely 'Ground Gift deaths' until there was only one left.
Almost five-hundred years ago the house of a laborer named Sethrin had burned down. Everyone in the family escaped, but all were injured in various ways and it was very fortunate that a Healer, Sharos, had been staying with a cousin in their village at the time. But the parents, Sethrin and his wife Nonnie, refused to be Healed until all seven of their children were seen to first. It was not until the next day when Sharos could tend to Sethrin last. He had a fractured leg and burns, but the pain was not beyond the skills of the local wisewoman to alleviate. Sharos was healthy, middle-aged and as rested as was possible after Healing the various large and small injuries of seven children and Nonnie when he examined Sethrin. The witnesses said that the Healer laid his hand on Sethrin's leg, closed his eyes and almost immediately fell over backward, dead. No one could revive him.
Another Healer could not be sent to investigate until spring and even though the body had been stored in a cave with the rest of the village's dead for the season (the ground being too frozen for grave digging) the cause of death could not be found. Sharos had neither infirmities nor hidden diseases and had shown no symptoms of any according to the villagers, including his cousin and Sethrin who was questioned at length.
The rest of the village thought that Sethrin was some type of hedge wizard because he was extraordinary good at finding anything buried; his specialty was digging wells since he seemed uncommonly good at finding water. Most of the village homes had dirt floors and Sethrin always slept on straw on the ground, even in winter. His wife complained about that, though they still seemed able to have seven children. Sethrin was also notoriously afraid of heights, and no amount of money or reward could induce him to climb either a ladder or tree. Or ride a horse. Everyone in the village said that he seemed to heal unnaturally quickly from any injury, including his fractured leg. But the investigating Healer wrote that, regardless of Sethrin's peculiarities, she detected no Gift in him at all. But she did not pursue the matter; it was not her primary mission. The death of Healer Sharos was ruled due to some unknown health condition brought out by the strain of Healing so many in such a short period of time. Any records of whatever happened to Sethin, how long he lived and how many children he and his wife finally had were washed away when the village was flooded and never rebuilt three-hundred and forty years ago. If he was ever seen by another Healer no record of it had been found so far.
The story was very interesting, but Onie did not understand why it was so urgent that Tilly come after her over a man who lived five-hundred years ago. There wasn't anything about a Ground Gift at all, or how to deal with it.
Tilly looked incredulous at her reaction.
"Why does it matter? Sharos's death was exactly the same as Luba's. And Sethrin had the same quirks you do. So he probably had a Ground Gift.
"It means that whatever your . . . condition is, is incredibly rare. If it were any more common, there would be more Healers mysteriously dropping dead than this. And it probably does not run in families like other Gifts because Sharos Healed all of Sethrin's children before touching him."
"Aye, s'pose tha's true." She had wondered if any of her family might have some of her Ground Gift and should they be tested for it, however that might be done. But none of them slept on the ground either. This seemed to show that they probably didn't. "So, what's ye wan'ta ask me?"
Tilly looked down at her notes and rearranged them. Unlike Dean Teren's messy clutter, the books and parchments on Tilly's desk were lined up in their own particular places.
"Have you ever doused?"
Onie shrugged. "Tha wise woman back in Fair Fields always did'at when they needs a new well. But I could find tha water pipes ta tha Palace when they ask'd me."
"They did?" She riffled through a neat stack and pulled out a sheet of writing. "Oh, god's knees," she swore under her breath. "What else did they ask you to do?"
She told her about them hiding things and her finding only the ones on ground or buried. And about them being able to see her 'draw strength' from the ground but Tilly waved that off. Apparently anyone using Mage-Sight could see the life-flows of a non-Gifted person. Onie was just unusual because it also came up through her feet and it was only noticeable when Onie needed to 'draw strength' like when came down from some stairs. Tilly continued to write as Onie answered more questions, pausing only when the Herald reloaded her pen with more ink.
. . . Name any injuries she had in her life and how long they took to heal.
. . . Describe all the places she had ever slept in, even during any trips her family had made.
. . . List all physical activities she participated in before being Chosen and how good she was at them.
. . . Name all her best skills before being Chosen.
. . . Name any skill that she had tried and was especially bad at.
It went on for over two candlemarks with Onie answering and Tilly recording everything about her. When Onie's stomach growled she stopped and pointed out that neither one of them had eaten. Tilly sat back and her stomach growled. They both got up and stretched and Tilly went out to get a Palace page to bring them food from the kitchen. Sitting back at her desk, she gave Onie a long hard look.
"Is ye usin' ye Mage Sight on me?"
Tilly sighed. "Yes, for all the good it does. You are as ordinary as a farmer's wife."
A gentle knock told them that their food arrived and Tilly got up again. She put the tray that the page delivered on top of a bookshelf and they sat eating bread, cheese, cold meat and water for several minutes. Onie looked at the desk, and the neatly laid out documents on it. The only untidy thing was a wicker box on the left full of papers and books - - maybe they were the things that Tilly still had to read and sort and stack? One long scroll poked out with a note tucked on it that read, 'Herald Deena Tilmin', the name that she had heard Dean Teren use earlier.
"So, ye name's Deena Tilmin, aye?" she asked to break the tense silence. It was late evening and there were hardly any other noises from the rest of the Palace.
"My name's Tilly," she shot back with a fierce anger that surprised Onie. "'Tilmin' is my father, a scheming, vile manipulative reptile who cursed me with his name and Deena is his hag mother." She slammed her fist down on the desk. "My name's Tilly."
Onie sat back in her chair as if she could duck Tilly's obvious hatred for her family, but she did not think it should be aimed her way either.
"Well, if ye dosena like yer family name, why don' ye change it, then?" she demanded.
Tilly's face went blank and she blinked.
"I seen it done in'a Courts here in Haven." The process for changing Roston Jestren to Chellie Thatcher had taken less than a candlemark, though that was partly due to her being able to skip the line of petitioners since she was a Herald-Trainee as well as Chellie's guardian.
Blink. Blink.
"Unless ye really jus' likes complainin' 'bout it. Jus' don do'it ta me, 'cause I don' care ta hear it. But ye wants ta do more'in flappin' yer lips, I'm sure the Crown'll give ye tha Court fee ta pay fer it, ye bein' a Herald an' all. They dids it fer me, fer changin' Chellie's name," Onie finished.
Tilly was uncharacteristically speechless and they finished their food in silence. After Tilly put the tray outside in the hall, she sat down at her desk, ready to resume her questioning, filled pen at the ready over her parchment.
She put the pen down.
"Gunnar is always reminding me that there is book smart and then there is world smart. And that I should never underestimate world smart." Her eyes looked up at Onie. "He told me he spoke to you and that you were not lacking in world smart.
"And I'm always having to remind myself to listen to Gunnar," she lowered her eyes, "while I still can."
Tilly ended the session, told Onie she could go and would talk to her the next day about what they would do next. She agreed and left, but she had not gotten far when she heard Tilly closing the door to her office. Ducking in a side corridor, she saw Tilly quickly walking toward the door to the outside, not back to the Palace where her room was. Curious, Onie followed and spotted Tilly's white uniform, easily visible even in the dim outside lamplight, heading toward the House of Healing.
Going back to her own room, Onie found a letter for her in the box on the wall next to the door. Taking it, she went inside and lit the reading lamp. It was from Mec.
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Onie,
I am sorry to write so soon to you, asking for things, but I have not gotten anything from Lady Delias. Is she well? Is she angry at me? Sami has become more insistent about me telling him about his father and I snapped at him today and I should not have. It is not fair to him, but I need to know that he will be safe if I tell him. Please, tell me what you know, no matter what it is, because it cannot be worse than knowing nothing at all.
All is well here. Ma and Pa send their love.
Mec
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Onie angrily glared down at the page. Why had Delias not written? She had promised to half-a-moon ago. It was possible that Delias's letter had not reached Mec yet . . . but Onie was sure that she had not written at all. And now with the land dispute, she would have an excuse to delay again.
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Mec,
Tell Sami about his Pa. And tell Ma and Pa. He's not a little no more and I've seen boys his age with much worse things in their lives than a father who's a Lord.
The Queen's Law will defend you as Sami's mother and even Lord Drogon has to answer to the Queen.
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Onie paused, staring forward, realizing that she had learned that in one of Filamore's tedious lectures on guardianship and parentage. Only now was it clear how it applied to her own family. Since Mec and Kendron were not married and Mec could prove that she had raised Sami well, a Herald could rule her as sole guardian.
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And next time the Heralds come through Fair Fields, you can tell them about Sami and make it official, that you are Sami's mother and his father has no rights to take him. I know Lord Drogon does not have any right to him since he is not a parent.
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Onie paused again. Who were the Heralds who rode the circuit through Fair Fields? She had seen them when they came to town, but she never learned their names and they always stayed, ate and held hearings at the Wolf's Head, which was a tavern and an inn. She had not even thought, until that moment, to even find out who they were.
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I don't' know why Lady Delias has not written back to you. Maybe she is afraid of what you will think of her. I told her the day I got your last letter that you were asking after her and she promised she would write. But since she has not, I will tell you everything I know.
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Onie wrote down everything she knew about Lady Delias, what she looked like now, how she acted, Munthunt House, the servants, the land dispute with the Benryles. She even told her the rumors about how Delias was punished by Lord Drogon for trying to claim Sami for her own. After the first page, Onie started writing samller, but there were still three pages of her writing when she was done talking just about Delias, her house and everyone around her.
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I don't know if you will think good or bad about Lady Delias now. I'm only telling you what I've seen and heard here. But Sami is safe with you, so you can tell people about him. Or maybe you just want to tell Ma and Pa and Sami about his father being a Lord's heir. People might take it the wrong way.
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Onie paused again. She had no idea what Mec already knew about Kendron? Did she know that he was not high borne? That he was appointed Lord Drogon's heir through his marriage to Delias? It could be another page or two to write about what she had heard from Chellie and Korey, and it could easily be things that Mec already knew better since she had known Kendron personally. Shared a bed with him. And Delias.
Deciding to just end the letter there, Onie added love to their parents. She waved the ink dry, folded the pages and sealed them with wax. She would send it the next day, the first chance she got.
- - - End Part 11