Chapter 11

Spirits, Curses, and Prophecies

After what felt like forever being pulled and dragged every which way around Plymoth, I wanted nothing but to sit down and relax. I knew that I normally had more energy, but I wondered if it was because I was probably going through a temporal version of jet lag or if it had anything to do with the throbbing pain I was trying to keep to myself. My stomach had remained in its generally unhappy mood since I had changed into the pilgrim outfit that I was currently wearing, making me feel particularly not even peckish.

It didn't take me very long to find a place to sit down and I took off what I wore for shoes and rubbed my feet. They were getting tender from being on them, the result of having feet that had grown awkwardly to the point that I had both high arches and flat feet, the same type of feet that my dad also had. I let out a sigh as the thought popped in my head as did the knowledge that my dad was dead and it had been all my fault.

The same knowledge that there was nothing I could ever do to change his fate. He was dead and I had learned to accept it. It was probably for the better, I realized, recalling that his cause of death was officially listed as kidney failure. I knew for a fact that he had already turned down the option of undergoing dialysis months before his death. His fate had already been sealed then. If he hadn't been done in by the genetic manipulation of the aliens, he would have died anyways of kidney failure. And there was nothing I could do about it. Instead of wishing to save his life, I understood that no matter what, I would have still blamed myself for his death, either through not getting the genetic alterations reversed in time or through not being able to convince my dad to start dialysis. I was already fated to fail.

"Are you okay?" I heard the Doctor ask, sounding concerned.

"I'm fine," I stated calmly, looking away, "just thinking."

"About?"

"That you have nothing to worry from me. Well, as far as changing my personal past myself," I stated, "I have no interest in trying to save my dad because...well...no matter what, I was going to lose him one way or another."

"What do you mean by that?"

"His kidneys were already failing and he denied dialysis which would be rough on him, but would've kept him alive at least until some other organ gave up. If the changes didn't get him, the kidney failure would've and no matter what, he'd still be dead within a year. And really, there's no reason to change my past. I may not enjoy my past, but it is still my past and is directly connected to who I am now."

"Not a lot of people see it like you do," he stated quietly as our guide reached us.

"You are the ones who wish to be led to my tribe?" the clearly native man asked, his rough voice holding respect.

"That would be us," the Doctor stated just as respectfully as I slid the material that was being used for shoes back over my feet and got back on my hurting and tired feet.

Regardless of how comfortable these shoes were, they didn't exactly have a solid supportive sole. Which also seemed to be an issue with most of the shoes I've ever had. Not enough arch support and the insoles I've found weren't rigid enough. I was doing what I can to hide my discomfort as I followed the men away from Plymoth, feeling like my guts and feet were in a competition to outdo each other in the realm of making me miserable.

I remained silent as the guys were making small talk as we made our way through the forest. The air was wonderful and fresh as I took a deep breath. I bit back any pained sound as it felt like my right side decided to hurt worse. This was new. I made a mental note to breathe not as deeply for the foreseeable future. This can't be good, but I wasn't expecting this adventure to last too long. Sides, it was most likely a gall bladder attack and I knew that those weren't exactly lethal. The worst I was probably going to deal with was pain and I could do that. I've had to hide my pain before, but this was the first time I'd decided to hide my pain out of just not wanting to worry the Doctor. Usually, I hid my pain as a survival mechanism.

But I knew that the Doctor wasn't someone I'd have to hide things from in order to survive. He was someone I'd have to hide things from in order to not worry him. Who knows what level of mother hen he could be and the last thing I really wanted to ever deal with is a very old alien time traveler's bedside manner. Either it would be atrocious and making me want to mount escape attempts as he would try with the best of intentions to help me or it could just be that he'd fret over the smallest thing and panic whenever some new symptom cropped up. Who knows how much he'd know about human biology and I knew that I didn't want to be the one to teach him such a topic. He just wasn't my type and I knew it and in a way relieved about it.

"I hear that the harvest is going wonderfully," I was aware of the Doctor saying.

"Those in Plymoth are very excited about it," our guide stated, "their spirits are very high considering that this is their first harvest here."

I felt my stomach lurch and I gulped the bile back down. I was not going to puke. Not if I could help it. I wondered why my stomach would hate me so much. I mean, the last thing I ate was a salad. Just a mix of my favorite vegetables and nothing else. There was no reason why my system would be so upset at me. It didn't make sense to me.

"I hear that they're considering having a festival to celebrate the harvest soon," I heard the Doctor say to our guide, clearly cheerful and excited and completely oblivious to me.

I stopped in my tracks. Everything seemed to spin. Normally, this was a feeling I only felt during the fair and only because I'd gone on the Gravitron five times in a row. But the nearest Gravitron was centuries away and I was definitely not at a fair. I didn't like what it meant. By instinct, I doubled over just as I felt the rush of liquids flow up through my throat, burning every inch they raised up. I knew I was going to be sick around the same time that my instincts took over and the liquid was forcibly evicted from my body. I knew I had gotten the Doctor's attention.

I knew that the Doctor was aware that I wasn't feeling well because he was suddenly next to me, feeling my forehead with his hand, which was actually quite cool to the touch. I was led to a fallen log to sit as I knew I was shaky and unsure on my feet. Quite normal for me following what had just happened.

"Are you going to be okay?" I could hear the Doctor ask me, his voice calm but quiet, almost uncertain and clearly concerned.

"Just an upset stomach," I responded as I tried to relax in an attempt at gathering my strength, which was always low following what had happened.

"I think it's more than just an upset stomach," he stated, his tone still calm, quiet, and concerned but with a bit more sternness, "are you trying to hide something from me, Olmstead?"

"If I was hiding anything from you, it's because I don't want you to worry about me," I stated, looking down at the forest floor.

"I always worry about the friends I take with me," he stated, sounding gentle as he was obviously telling me that he wasn't upset, "and I'm already worried about you. It's a bit too late about keeping me from worrying about you."

"Right," I stated with a frown, "it's clearly just a gall bladder attack. It happens. It's just a bit...anomalous."

"In what way?"

"It's worse than ever and I haven't eaten anything to cause it to happen," I stated quietly, "normally, it just feels like real bad gas. But this time... I can't take deep breaths without my right side hurting, which by the way, is the same side that the gull bladder is...obviously nausea...and I'm the kinda person that takes a lot for me to puke..."

"And you have a fever," he added with a frown, "I'm going to have to take you home so you can get proper treatment."

"I'll be fine," I stated, "it usually passes within about eight hours. There's nothing I can do other than keep taking my medication."

"Fine, but if it continues past that mark, I will take you home," he stated with a tone of finality.

"Deal," I agreed, pushing myself off of the fallen log as our guide approached me.

"This should settle your stomach," our guide said, giving me a handful of plant matter before handing me a waterskin, "and you need some water as well."

"Thanks," I stated, accepting the handful of plant matter and the waterskin, downing a gulp of water first before I chewed on the plants, tasting that the mix of plants had a pepper-y taste.

"We're almost there," the guide stated as he started to lead us again, "It isn't that far now."

We continued in silence with the Doctor giving me glances that were not just of worry and concern but also of annoyance. Like it bothered him that I kept soldering on, despite the fact that I wasn't at my best. But I was used to it. I was used to my body having issues, whether they happened every few weeks or whether they were unusual but not that unusual. I was the one who would keep on going even if I had a sprained ankle. I just wasn't used to showing weakness. Mostly because I had shown weakness as a child and I had been attacked for it. I was stronger now than I had been back then. And I honestly didn't care if it bothered those around me; it was a core part of who I was.

I found that the guide hadn't been kidding when he mentioned that we were almost there. I estimated that my little break had happened when we were about half a mile from the tribe. I still felt a little weak, but again, I had to put on a face and solder on. When we entered the tribe's settlement, I found myself surrounded by more history. I had seen pictures of various tribes before, but it was one thing to see it in a black and white photo and another to be able to be there. I looked around almost in awe, seeing a culture that felt timeless and ancient that had been wiped out by the time I was born alive and thriving.

"What is the meaning of this, bringing unfamiliar strangers into the tribe?" a man demanded of our guide.

Out guide was about to answer when a voice that belonged to someone almost ancient and very wise speak up from behind the man, "They are expected. The spirits said that help is coming. It is them. Please, follow me, travelers."

Our guide gave us a nod as we followed the elderly woman through the settlement. She wore robes that were clearly made of animal skins with wooden beads suspended from the robes by fringes cut in the robes. She walked with a gnarled walking stick that was clearly a piece of driftwood. As we progressed, I saw people stopping their busywork to watch us walk past. Obviously, they weren't exactly accustomed to visitors, especially strangers.

I found myself not too long later, sitting down next to the Doctor in a hut. The hut was dark, the only thing casting light into the darkness were the doorway that was mostly closed by a curtain made of animal skin, the fire in the center of the main room and the opening in the ceiling, directly above the fire. I could smell various kinds of herbs burning, almost tickling my nose, but soothed me. The smell almost reminded me of one of those New Age shops back in my time.

"You have traveled far, the distance not just measured in the physical path on the ground, but in time itself," the wizened woman stated, saying the latter part with a wry grin, almost like she knew a cosmic joke that no one else knew.

"How do you know?" the Doctor asked respectfully, obviously driven by curiosity.

"I know much. You are supposed to be dead, yet you are not. You are known by many names, keeping your real name hidden. Destroyer of Worlds. The Oncoming Storm. The Doctor. Do you hide your real name out of regret or-"

"I think that's enough," the Doctor stated, almost like she was hitting a very sore nerve with him, "I want to know how you know so much about me."

"The spirits tell me," she stated, "the spirits both fear and respect you, as does many. However, fear can lead to the creation of many enemies, as you are painfully aware."

"What are these spirits that seem to know so much about me?"

"That is not my place to tell you," she replied, again with that smirk that clearly said that she knew more than she was saying and that she was enjoying putting the Doctor off-balance.

"What else do these 'spirits' of yours tell you about me?" he asked, growing curious again.

"They say that your past will meet your present as the prophesy you believe has been fulfilled will finally be fulfilled as they return."

"Every prophesy that I've encountered has been fulfilled. I died and regenerated. I fought the Master once again. What else is there?" the Doctor asked, clearly wanting to know more.

"I cannot say. That is for you to figure out or endure," the wise woman stated as her eyes locked on me, "and you, unwanted one, you will die long before your time, but you will not be alone."

"Of all things you call me, it's 'unwanted'," I muttered sourly.

"It is what your mother called you the most, is it not?" she asked, getting me to look away.

"Is that true?" I could hear the Doctor ask me, his tone seething with anger and rage, but clearly not directed at me.

"Yeah," I stated quietly.

"Beware, Doctor. If you change too much of her past, she will cease to be the one you see as your friend. But for now, there is something that has brought the two of you here, and it isn't revelations of your futures or your pasts."

"It was about the disappearances in Plymoth."

"It's not just in Plymoth, but everywhere," the woman stated with a grave frown, "A curse is awakening. It's believed that blood will remove it. The blood of a goddess."

"I've seen a lot of things, but I've yet to encounter anything that convinces me that anything like gods and demons exist," the Doctor stated.

"Many would see you as a god, Lord of Time," the woman stated with a smirk.

"But they're wrong. I'm no god," he stated.

"You are immortal and eternal. You have seen more of the universe than anyone ever has or will have," the woman stated.

"But I can still die. I'm not immortal," he stated.

"You were supposed to, but you didn't."

"That was just cleverness on my part."

"We shall see who is wrong," she stated calmly, "there is nothing that I can tell you. Everything is in your hands, Timelord."

I watched as the Doctor looked solemn as he nodded to the elderly woman in respect as he stood and helped me up. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again, giving me a worried look. I had spent most of the conversation wondering what her words for me meant. That I will die before my time but not alone. That had so many connotations to it. Did it meant that I would die literally before my time, as in in the past? Or that I would die young? Or did it mean both? There was a lot I didn't know at the time. But boy, did I know now what it meant.

Our guide met up with us again at the village gate, ready to take us back to Plymoth. My mind was still processing everything as I walked, trying to ignore the sorry state I was in. I could feel my pain killers wear off, making me wish that I still had them on hand. Had it really been six hours already? It started to hurt to move, making walking become a chore as pain spread throughout my right side with every step I made with my right leg. I stumbled, grabbing onto the Doctor in time.

"Are you okay, Olmstead?" he asked with a concerned look as he helped me back up.

"Just tripped on a root," I stated, knowing that we were in a forest and I'd rather be known as the girl who tripped on a root than the girl who tripped on a small little twig.

Although, I had done that before. But it was more than a little twig and had left a gash on my shin. That never fully recovered, leaving a scar where even hair never grew. Every time I'd shave my legs, I'd always see that pale scar from that summer, years ago.

"I didn't feel a root back there," he stated, his expression turning dark.

"Point is, I'm just fine. I promise," I stated defensively.

I must have been far too defensive at that statement because he clamped his hand on my forehead as we walked and frowned before dropping his hand to his side.

"Your fever's increasing," he stated seriously.

"Are you sure it isn't because we're hiking, Doctor?" I asked lightly.

"I'll check it when we get back to Plymoth. If I find that you are keeping anything related to your current state of health a secret from me, I will take you back home and leave you there," he stated with a serious tone.

"So my right side's killing me. Not literally, of course. Just a sharp pain when my left leg moves. Again, completely normal for what I'm going through," I stated lightly, "It'll pass."

"At this point, I can't be sure," he stated with a frown.

"So," I stated, wanting to deflect the conversation away from me, "any clue about all the stuff she told you? About your past meeting your present and stuff?"

"Back when I was the same as I was when we met, I was given two different prophecies. The first is that I'm not alone and the second is that I was going to die. After I was given the first prophecy, I came across an old enemy of mine called the Master, who was one of my people. He was later killed by the wife he had abused. The second prophecy I was given already happened. I died, but I regenerated, giving me this face and personality. I'm still the same man you had met in the hospital."

"Then it's kinda obvious that she's talking about the first prophecy. That you're not alone and perhaps it's someone else from your past," I stated with a hopeful look.

"I hope not," he stated with a frown, "the last time my people nearly broke free, they tried to end time itself."

"Yikes," I stated, "but I thought they were all dead."

"They're sealed outside of the normal flow of time. In a sense, they are," he stated.

"Well, if they're the kinda people who would try to destroy time itself, maybe it is for the best that they're imprisoned the way they are," I offered quietly.

"I don't know," he stated, the pain in his eyes quite clear to me as he looked away.

We walked the rest of the way to Plymoth in silence. I had nothing to say and I think he had enough on his mind.

When we entered Plymoth, the sun was going down and I was glad for a reprieve. My feet, I was sure, was covered in blisters and I was exhausted. Whether it was from all the walking, the fact that I was most likely awake longer than I was used to, or from dealing with my pain for so long, I didn't know. All I knew was that I was eager to sleep. We walked all they way back to the Governor's house with me feeling quite like I was already a member of the living dead. We didn't wait too long to see the Governor.

"What have you found, Doctor?" the Governor asked.

"It seems that people are being taken from all the settlements in the area," the Doctor stated.

"If that's the case, then that is a problem," the Governor stated with a frown.

"I'll see what I can find out during the night," the Doctor stated, "I fully intend to follow whatever it is to its lair."

"If that is the only course of action you have, then I wish you luck. If you need lodgings, you are welcome to sleep in the Common House," the Governor stated, "and I will make sure that the two of you will get a meal."

"Thank you," I stated as gratefully as I could while being as tired and exhausted as I felt as we were quite obviously dismissed.

"So where's the Common House?" I asked the Doctor, wanting to just crash and burn already.

"Aren't you hungry?" he asked.

"I'm more tired than hungry," I stated with a yawn as I stretched.

"It's this way," he said, leading me to the Common House and from there, we were led to a room full of beds.

All I remember was being shown to the room full of beds and collapsing on top of the closest one I could see that was empty, which the majority were. I was faintly aware of the blankets being pulled out from under me before they were covering me and I was completely unconscious, far from the pain I had kept hidden. All I was aware of was a near-complete sense of not feeling anything but being clammy and a bit too warm before I felt something grab me.

Whether it was physical weakness or from just being too tired to begin with, what kicking and fighting I did was ineffectual and I was aware of being greeted by darkness once again, my last thought before darkness overwhelmed me was the hope that the Doctor was going to save me.