Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 8
Chapter 12: The Longest Banquet
(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Supernatural because it belongs to Eric Kripke and Warner Bros. So, enjoy the show! Rated M for graphic violence, adult content, and adult language.)
I woke up in the morning as I slowly got up and went towards the bathroom. Taking off my nightclothes, I was in the nude as I turned on the hot water in the bathtub and stepped in there. I was feeling the warmth of the hot water as I saw it fill up to the brim until I turned it off. I simply soaked in there as I was also cleaning myself off in which I would soon try again to catch the ferry to Skald Island. By the time I rinsed off, I stood in the tub for a little longer as I was more than likely to be starting the day with a breakfast before catching the ferry early. After being in the bathtub, I drained the water out of it as I was up on my feet while drying myself off with a towel. With everything put into the hamper, I dressed in different nightclothes as I slowly went into my bed in which I was starting to get a fever due to what I went through yesterday.
Thought of me losing the ability to walk scared me as I sat up and looked at my legs. Even though Castiel alleviated part of me, I wasn't out of the woods yet as I looked into the basket that Reiko gave me. The container of cookies were still there as I ate another one just to tide me over until heard the door open. It wasn't long until I noticed Kotori entering as she brought a cup of tea the moment I received it. When I sipped it, I realized that the tea itself tasted like beef broth in which I also tasted a hint of rosemary and olive oil added into it, for it had a strong smell indeed.
"Gorthog was the one who insisted on giving you some beef tea," said Kotori.
"It's good," I said as I finished what was in my cup. "Something like this is good for a remedy."
"Beef tea has been around for centuries, Sam. It has its place into helping you heal and gain further use to your legs."
"After this, I'll be off to Skald Island. I can't wait to see Reiko and the others again…"
"I hate to break it to you, but the ferries have been on lockdown today."
"When it rains, it pours…"
"The ferry service will resume tomorrow because today marks the first day of the autumnal feast courtesy of some of the Norsemen who live here on Cordell Island."
"I've never heard of the autumnal feast before."
"It's a celebration of the arrival of autumn in which there will be feasting and festivities. Even Yavanna is working hard while out in the waters catching fish and seafood just for sale. As for you, you need to stay in bed today. The breakfast will consist of rolled pancakes filled with blueberries blended with skyr. I know that you want to go back to Skald Island, but you can't go anywhere in your condition right now." I wanted to get up as Kotori gently pushed me back. "You need to get some rest, Sam. Besides, you're also sitting out for the rest of the day."
I didn't argue further as I finished up my beef tea and laid down in my bed. I was a wreck as I also had to get some rest after all that I went through. By the time Kotori left the room, I curled up in the blankets as fell asleep. Still, I needed to rest as I was happy to be doing so, for I also had to focus on my health, both physical and mental, so I wouldn't fall under the cracks…
Reuben was busy in the kitchen helping out as he was doing his part besides doing medical charts and assessments. After finishing up washing dishes, he placed them into the dish drainer to dry as he was ready to start on the countertops until Gorthog intervened. With the countertops cleaned up, the kitchen was in shape as it was finally orderly and ready until the lunch shift. By the time Yavanna returned to the inn, she was bringing in the catch that she had as she went towards the kitchen an rushed to the sink. The sight of a Valinorian ridgeback salmon that was caught earlier was the size of beef brisket as Yavanna began to carefully clean it. Removing the head, guts, and scales with some specialty knives and a cleaver, she filleted the fish as she placed some of it into a container that is meant for keeping it to be making a future fish stew. With the rest of the salmon earmarked to be cooked for future meals, she placed them into special containers as she pumped the air out of them in which she was no stranger into dealing with mold or bacteria, for she was ready to cook them later for tonight's festival.
"This bad boy was the worst, but I caught that whopper," she said.
"You know how to go fishing, don't you?" said Reuben.
"I'm a fisherwoman, but I often catch what I give to my customers."
"You also happen to be a proprietess of this place."
"The Singer House has been around since Sanjay and I came here to Cordell Island. We married, had kids, and set this place up for members of the Order and freelance hunters to hang out in. As for the extra perks, they're in good use because all businesses here must have access for the handicapped or else they lose their licenses by the Intergalactic Business Commission. Sadly, the people who live in the richer Grand Hill district shun those with disabilities so badly that Astrid keeps complaining about how people like her father end up getting shunned because of a disability. Me? I give those morons who live in that glorified country club the finger and maintain the standards with the traditional handicapped symbol while they keep forcing businesses to remove the necessary parts for those who have been physically disabled."
"You have great sympathy for the disabled, don't you?"
"I'd rather have sympathy for them than the snobs."
Yavanna made her point clearly as she refused to bend the knee to the snobs that lived up in the Grand Hill district. Still, she refused to do so as she had her reasons to show disdain to those who mock the disabled. When she brought the containers of fish outside in the back of the inn, she placed them on a table as she went to a large metal drum and opened it up. The inside of it was a smoker for meats and fish as Yavanna went and grabbed some wood chips and placed them on the bottom of the metal drum in which she put some lighter fluid onto them and lit a match into it. With a fresh fire going, she went towards a sink to wash her hands as she was ready to season the salmon and put it into the large metal drum. When she opened up the containers, she took out the fish as she seasoned them with the necessary spices that were needed to smoke it. By the time she got finished, she placed the fish into the large drum and closed it up in which it would take a long time to cook it.
"Smoked salmon is great for an autumnal feast," she said to herself as she washed her hands in the sink. "The Norsemen who live here are sure to have a blast when it comes to one of the longest feasts all over the Skalvarg Archipelago."
It wasn't long until Yavanna went out of the backyard as she rushed outside to the front as she heard the clamoring of bystanders seeing a Sindar Elf in a wheelchair cooking a leg of mutton in an oven near one of the picnic areas. What she also heard was that some of the snobs from Cordell Island's Grand Hill district were mocking him as he and several others in wheelchairs were hard at work preparing for the autumnal feast as well.
"Oh, look; the lepers are hard at work cooking their meal," said the woman with the young boy next to her. "Don't you have to go home to your leper colony or are you stupid to listen to reason?"
"You shouldn't mocked the disabled," said Reuben as he was outside.
"I see those insects every day just blocking our way at every turn. If they were born normal, they would be fine without the bulky wheelchairs."
"You're one to talk, Emma," said the Sindar Elf in the wheelchair as he was not having it. "You may think that we're fine without our wheelchairs, but most of us were injured during the war between the Oranges and the Blues. Now, if you'll excuse us 'lepers,' we've got a feast to make."
Reuben was glad that the Sindar Elf stood up to the snob and her boy as they stormed off back to the Grand Hill district. The Sindar Elf himself had brown skin and black hair done up in dreadlocks as he was even dressed in warm clothing for the autumn. Still, he was no stranger to the cruelty coming from those who lived in the Grand Hill district as he didn't want it to bother him, for he was a brave man who stood firm despite his disability.
"You showed Emma Branavar, didn't you, Elwood?" said Yavanna as she was overseeing the cooking effort for the festival. "It's about time that you showed everyone what you're made of instead of seeing you as trash."
"It ain't easy," he said as he wheeled himself to one of the tables. "The snobs who live up in the Grand Hill district will have instant karma from the gods if they continue to mock people like me or Sigurd, gods and the Matriarch rest his soul."
"Those people are scum," said Reuben as he was disgusted at what he saw.
"I ignore those clowns because sooner or later, they will find out that the gods will give them a bad case of rotten luck if they continue to mock people who have physical disabilities. Yesterday, Emma and her country club cronies mocked a guy who was ailing to the point of using a wheelchair so badly that he pushed it from the dock in the harbor. When the dock workers lifted it out of the water, they found some lobsters, a langoustine, and some red snappers stuck all over it until Yavanna got them out of that trap just in time for dinner."
Reuben was aware of how I tried to do away with my wheelchair once as there was also the meal that was made out of what was trapped in it. Even though I was meant to have rotten luck as a cripple, it changed for the greater as he went back inside of the inn and rushed upstairs to my room. When he found me sound asleep, he went towards the wheelchair next to my bed as it was good as new due to what I did to mend it. Just as he was about to leave, he noticed me shaking in my sleep as I was also weeping from what I was suffering from. I wasn't doing too well as I was also suffering from a fever after all that stress from yesterday, for I was also tossing and turning from the mental strain that I had.
"I'm not useless…," I said in my sleep. "I'm not….!" I wake up panting as I felt scared to death from my sleep. "NO! I'm not dead weight!"
Reuben grabbed at my wrist as he was looking at his watch the moment that my pulse was racing from the nightmare that I had. He knew that I was in bad shape as I was also shaking due to the fever that was gripping me. I wasn't in fine fettle since I was roped back into doing missions against my wishes, for I also wanted to return back to Skald Island afterwards.
"You must've had a bad dream," said Reuben as he got out a thermometer out of his medical bag.
"I keep having nightmares about my frailty getting the better of me," I said.
"There are other ways to keep your frailty at bay, Sam." Reuben shoves the thermometer into my mouth. "And no, you are not useless or dead weight and if Dean saw you talking about yourself like that, he'll burst in here and kick your ass in real time."
I heard the thermometer beep as Reuben took it out of my mouth. He was worried as I had a temperature of 102.7. Therefore, he couldn't leave my side as he also had to get me out of my room for a bit to get some fresh air and some good food cooking outside. Unfortunately, I wasn't into it as I didn't want anything to eat right now. Even though I had a cup of beef tea earlier, I didn't feel like eating as I just wanted to go back to sleep, but I would soon be in for a rude awakening in the form of a feast that was cooking outdoors.
"The Norsefolk who live here on Cordell Island have been preparing for the autumnal feast to celebrate the season with plenty of food and drink," said Reuben.
"I'm not hungry, Reuben," I said as I still felt tired.
"You can't just stay in bed forever. You could at least go out there and greet everyone on this island while they're preparing everything. The smells of meat, fish, and other food is just waiting for you to go out there and gobble it up instead of being in bed."
"I'm still dead weight to everyone, especially with the snobs who reside on this island's Grand Hill district. I had a tussle with them yesterday in which I had insult after insult being hurled at me all because of my frailty. There could hardly be people in my predicament who can't 'measure up' to snuff because of that glorified country club. I had my fill with them to the point that I couldn't take it anymore when I tried to get rid of my wheelchair, only to have it found with the dinner that I had. As for this autumnal feast, I won't take part of it because you can't put an injured racehorse into play. And no, I won't be out there with all the food out in front. As soon as I return to Skald Island, the better."
"I've seen a guy in a wheelchair cook up some meat and he didn't let the insults get to him. He just flat out ignored the snobs by continuing his cooking. And yes, you're going out there whether you like it or not. With the people seeing you out here is a badge of honor and a boost in your social reputation."
"I'm not hungry nor in the mood of going out there and you can't make me do it."
"Not making you enjoy more pleasures would end up being equated to negligence and there's no way in hell that I'm letting you neglect your health. Now, you either come with me outside or I'll have no other choice but to disqualify you from your position in the Order."
I reluctantly agreed as I slowly got up and went to my wheelchair. With Reuben wheeling me out of my room, I took the lifter downstairs as I was rushed outside against my wishes. The sights and smells of the meat and fish cooking on display were a feast for the eyes, but I wasn't hungry as I wanted to go back inside due to the chill of the northern wind. I was starting to feel uncomfortable as I noticed some of the people from the ferries yesterday shunning certain people who rub them the wrong way, including me.
"Oh, look who it is," said one person as he recognized me in my wheelchair. "It's the lame cripple who threw away his wheelchair yesterday."
"Cripples never prosper," said another.
"Sorry, buddy, no crippled people allowed!" yelled a third.
The insults were fierce towards me as I was trying hard to ignore them. It was yesterday's tussle all over again as I was backed in a corner by the harsh reality of those who have been disabled that have been ignored after suffering from injuries and ailments. I wheeled myself towards a seating area as I just wanted to go back to Skald Island as soon as possible. It wasn't long until I noticed the boy from yesterday staring at me as he bore no grudge against me, for he was eager to greet me after all this time being out of the limelight for far too long already.
"You're Sam Winchester, aren't you, Mister?" he said to me.
"Sorry, but I don't have a great reputation like I did two years ago," I said.
"That's not true. Your reputation is legendary when you help stop the bad guys with your raw power."
"That's not what your mother thinks…"
"That's not my mom, but my aunt on my dad's side."
"And your name is…"
"My name is Rorik Halvarsson. My big sis is Astrid Halvarsdottir, but she gets mad when Aunt Emma shuns those who lost their abilities to walk."
"Rorik! Get away from that disgusting vermin!"
I heard Emma's voice blaring as she rushed towards us and took Rorik by the arm while leaving the seating area. The glare from that woman was something that I endured on my trip here to Cordell Island as I saw them walking further away from me. I felt more defeated as all this ongoing rejection made me lose my appetite. The worst of it was when the boy was being lectured by his aunt as she wasn't having it when it came to seeing those with disabilities as lepers and vermin.
"There's nothing wrong with him," I heard the boy say.
"There is something wrong with him because he is a cripple," said the woman. "That man in the wheelchair is a cripple like your father and those who lose their ability to walk aren't worthy to go to the gates of Valhalla. All cripples are meant to be shunned and don't you forget it!"
I saw both the woman and boy leave as I was being ignored like any other cripple who took the full brunt of those harsh insults. I was alone in the seating area as I continued to smell the scent of meat and fish being cooked and smoked for hours. It was nothing but hell for me as I later noticed a mural painted of the wall of a building. The mural itself signified a banquet that was made for a god surrounded by a glowing light as I noticed the people in it giving praise to whoever was in the picture, for I would hope that the people who live on this island show respect to the one in the picture. When I wheeled myself out of the seating area, I went to the harbor as I did nothing else but sit at the dock where I saw the ocean waves crashing near the beach. There was nothing for me here but insults as I wanted to go back to Skald Island. I wanted to see Reiko again. I longed to see the children again. Those thoughts made my heart ache as I was feeling the limit of my patience, for I was ready to contemplate rolling off the dock completely until I had a second thought.
"Your frailty is a lot of things, but you can't let it define you. You may think that being dead weight and weak can define you, but you're a lot stronger than you think. Nothing is worth losing you, Sam, and it never is."
Castiel's words reached me as I was saved from the low point of despair. When I left the dock, I wheeled myself back to the sitting area as I saw Reuben coming to the table with a plate of food in his hands. Still, I wasn't hungry as I was still reeling from the insults, for I didn't want to interrupt anything.
"You should try the food, Sam. It's amazing," I heard him say to me.
"I'll pass," I said.
"If Dean saw you rejecting food, he would force you to eat what's on your plate."
"The people crafting it have better use for the autumnal feast. There's even a mural painted on the wall that depicts a god being praised by people."
"The people here in the Skalvarg Archipelago adhere to tithing to the gods in which they have waited for one to arrive. The mural on the wall once showed that the people put their hard-earned praise to a future god in which it is told in stories and song. The people waited for centuries to see it, only to have the future god's memory marred and mocked. The Skalvarg Archipelago was once a great region, but one day, the gods struck it down in which most of it was washed away into the sea as punishment for mocking the future in front of them. This mighty region was reduced to the set of islands that we all know today and once again, those who are preparing for the autumnal feast are waiting for the future god to arrive again…"
"But to no avail, I take it?"
"And on a sad note, the sea level surrounding the Skalvarg Archipelago is slowly rising to the point of sinking the nest of islands entirely and if the future god isn't here, then this we can all kiss this place goodbye."
I decided to face my fear and anxiety as I went to one of the food booths in which the sight of a boar roast with vegetables was a feast for the eyes. The Norsefolk who were preparing it were carefully putting it on a large table as some of the meat was starting to fall apart. Even though I wasn't hungry, I praised those people who lived on Cordell Island as they were working hard to maintain tradition for this year's autumnal feast. Just as I was about to return to the inn to go back to sleep, I felt a pair of hands grab at the wheelchair as I turned around and saw Abishek wheeling me towards a table in the sitting area, for he didn't want me to feel left out on this festive day.
"My mom's making some smoked salmon for the feast," he said. "It's got a long way to go, but some of the Terran people have already cooked their wares for everyone."
"I don't want anything to eat," I said.
"Don't be like that. I'm making some butter chicken just to add to the feast just like Mom caught that Valinorian salmon for both smoked fish and a stew for everyone. Besides, you can't go without food or else you'll be wasting away. You see Mr. Gilversson prepping that boar roast? He cooked that thing early. If you try one bite of the meat, it'll be so good that it'll melt in your mouth."
I noticed a group of Norsemen gathering in front of an effigy as they were offering prayers to it in which I knew of it to be a future god. I was wanting to offer a prayer of my own as I wheeled myself to the effigy in which I prayed directly to it. The prayer that I wished for? My ability to do more once again as I was growing weary of being weak and useless. When I left the effigy, I heard my stomach growling as I couldn't suppress my hunger any longer, for I had to eat something. When I wheeled myself to a table in the sitting area, I was waiting patiently for my food, but to no avail. I sighed heavily as I felt tears streaming down my cheeks the moment I noticed a plate full of a piece of roast boar with carrots and potatoes all over it. Grabbing a fork, I tasted a piece of it as I found it to be good in which I loved to taste some more. Bite after bite, I ate the roast with vegetables as I was finishing it to the point of wanting seconds, but I had to decline due to the fact that there are those before me that needed to eat first. When I took my plate towards the washing area, I noticed Emma protesting in front of the booth where the Sindar Elf was cooking in which she demanded for him to be removed, for she wanted all crippled people gone from this autumnal feast.
"You're wrecking everything with your presence, vermin!" she yelled.
"Speak of the devil, here comes Cookout Constance," said Abishek as he rushed to my side.
"'Cookout Constance?'" I said.
"That's Emma Branavar, who is the worst of all the snobs who live in the Grand Hill district where all the members of that glorified country club live at. Even Astrid hates her for taking charge of her younger siblings after her father was wounded in the war between the Oranges and the Blues. These days, she works with me, Mom, and Gorthog at the Singer House in which she refuses to give up on the disabled."
"I don't blame her for being angry with everyone, including me, after seeing her father being confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his days. If I get the chance, I'll visit him to offer comfort after what he—"
"Astrid's father died a year ago…" I gasped in shock as I heard the somber news. "The war between the Oranges and the Blues took a toll on both his physical and mental health in which he was confined to a wheelchair after being injured. He wanted to be there for his four children, but his sister, Emma, took them to live in the Grand Hill district instead of the farmstead they grew up in. Sigurd was a good man who put the needs of his family and friends first over his own and it cost him dearly. He wanted to see his children, but Emma said that they needed someone who was in perfect condition to walk instead of being in a wheelchair. He fought for his children, but he lost custody of them in which the verdict devastated him. Mom tried to stop him, but he went to his farmstead and wheeled himself off the cliff near the ocean. We found his body by the shore in which we salted and burned it. His ashes were put in an urn and buried by the apple tree at his farmstead. Astrid hated Emma for taking her and her siblings away from their home in which I was fated to marry her, but blocked by Uber-Karen in which she wants her to marry one of the snobs who live in that glorified country club."
"You and Astrid are very close, aren't you?"
"Astrid and I knew each other since we were kids. One day, some guys in black robes came by and paired me with her, but I couldn't marry her because of Emma's constant meddling. For the record, Astrid is slated to marry Edgetho Kithnoson, who is a lot older than she is and he's been widowed after the death of his wife ten years ago and in the market of another one."
"Perhaps I'll officiate your wedding between the two of you someday."
Without warning, I saw some of the Norsefolk coming towards me as they took me away in my wheelchair. Abishek followed after me as he noticed a longhouse that was near the harbor. When he found me, I was led inside as I was being led to a rectangular table that was filled to the brim of food and drink that consisted of many foods with crates of apple cider to wash it down with. I never saw anything like this before as one of the Norsefolk was hell-bent on "fattening" me up after I deprived myself of food for too long, for I was about to experience the longest feast that was there to celebrate the beginning of autumn.
"It's time that you started to eat more of your fill, silver-hair," said one of the Norsefolk in Norse as he brought me a plate of food. "I have heard stories about you pulling an ancient car with your hair, enhancing prosthetic limbs with your raw power, ate a large slab of meat with the help of your older brother, and even ate a cheeseburger that is fit to put anyone into a massive coronary. Your abilities are legendary, despite what Emma and those snobs say about your frailty."
"I'm floored to participate, but this is all too much for me," I said.
"Eat your fill, My Lord," said a woman in Norse. "You can't just wither away like that without trying what's put in front of you."
Without further hesitation, I began to eat a piece of smoked fish as I found it to be very good. The taste of it was more like melting in one's mouth instead of being too dry as I chewed slowly. As for what was put on my plate, I saw the slices of cheeses that were paired with pieces of chicken, mutton, and smoked herring as I was trying them all in front of me. My hunger and metabolism went into overdrive as I ate what was there. I ate what was on my plate, but I didn't gain any weight or fat in which my raw power was processing what I was eating. The Norsefolk who prepared this feast were astonished to see me having a robust appetite as I was doing something that I never did before. I was wanting seconds as I saw some more meat and fish on my plate with a side order of brussels sprouts that were fried with bacon. I had a thing for vegetables when I ate them in which Dean once equated them to rabbit food, but I didn't mind. I ate a lot of food as Abishek was astonished to see me not gaining a pound due to the raw power that was doing the metabolic processing. After I finished up my food, I had a dessert plate as it consisted of some cream cheese pastries and some aeblekage, which was an apple cake with whipped cream that was in a cup.
"This is all too much," I said as I saw the dessert plate up close.
Unfortunately, I spoke too soon as I saw the queen mother of desserts in front of me and that was none other than chocolate cake with cherries on top of it. With a slice of it put onto my plate, I saw a cherry cream filling inside of it as it oozed out of the layers that was topped with. I couldn't refuse as I started off with eating the pastries, then the aeblekage with whipped cream, and then, the chocolate cake slice as I ate my fill while drinking a glass of apple cider. By the time I was finally full, I was carted out of the longhouse as I was wheeled towards the effigy where I prayed at. When I slowly got up, I felt my raw power charged up as I walked towards the effigy in which a bright light shined all over me. I remembered such an omen before as I had a bright light all over me when I won with Barca in the Dynamite Warg Race three years ago. Everyone who was enjoying the festivities of the autumnal feast saw me as a greater omen as I became more radiant than what I was used to. Even though I had to remain in a wheelchair for a temporary purpose, I stood up only for tonight as the light around me shined all over Cordell Island, for it was the greatest omen that was now fulfilled.
"It's like in that mural on the wall," said Abishek as he came to my aid.
It wasn't long until Reuben rushed towards me as he saw me praying next to the effigy in he saw me shining with the raw power that I had. By the time the light was gone, I became exhausted as I fell back in the wheelchair I had. I became tired as I was wheeled back to the inn, for I had enough festivities for one day…
I woke up in the middle of the night as I was still bogged down with the exhaustion that I had. I was in my room as I heard the door open up in which I noticed Abishek entering with a glass of water with a fizzing medicine in it. Sitting up, I took the glass of water as I drank it down in which it settled my portal of a stomach, for I became full from all the food I ate.
"You ate all that food and didn't gain a pound," said Abishek. "Your friend told me about how you and the captain of one of the Hunter Corps squads entered into a roadhouse and ate a hundred-and-twenty ounce steak and won a trophy from doing it. From what I also heard was that all that food you ate became fuel to charge up the raw power that you have."
"That 'friend' happens to be my half-brother and the current Medic General of the Medical Corps," I said. "He wasn't lying about how my metabolism processed so much to fuel the raw power that I have. I even had an imagination of how I thought about giant food coming to life in which I left some jelly beans in the Marshlands on Alecrast year ago when I was younger. Years later, the jelly beans brought back some of the dragonflies that are now abundant for the frogs and lizards to eat."
"Those people in the longhouse said that they have waited centuries to offer their food for the future god and you happen to be it. I heard stories about how you saved those in need and you even got rid of Sawney Masbath of all people two years ago."
"This wasn't my first big omen. The last time I had a light shining over me, I was participating in the Dynamite Warg Race in which I rode on Barca after the death of his tamer. I was even racing against the contender, Femto, in which I won the race, but my opponent's owner and handlers played dirty by poisoning some of the other wargs in which Minara and the other members of the Medical Corps came along and administered the antidote to the contestants."
"I heard it on the news in which Femto was disqualified from competing after that scandal. Every Orc clan on Maugrim talked about the substitute Terran tamer who rode Barca and won the race."
"Hey! You can't be up there!"
I heard Yavanna's voice as I also heard footsteps approaching. What I didn't expect was that Akio was there as he was basically checking up on me in which I still had a long way to go. Still, I was stuck in this predicament as I had to report to the Order while being held up in bed, for I wasn't about to be let off the hook anytime soon.
"I heard about the omen, Sam," he said to me.
"I prayed hard enough to use my legs more," I said.
"That's not the case. I have dignitaries from all over the galaxy breathing down my neck about the omen that occurred in which some eyewitnesses like Elwood Murtaugh crowing about the Northern Lights returning for the first time in centuries in which they were shining all over Cordell Island. I even have the Emperor of this planet telling about how you would take the keys to the kingdom and become more in tune with this galaxy and the dominant one before this one."
"Looks like I'm about to go back to work on the field…"
"Sorry, but the field work's off limits, Sam. Just because you fulfill omens, doesn't mean that you're in the clear. As for the last assessment you underwent, you were anemic and starting to lose the use of your legs in which the overexertion of raw power is taking a toll on your body. Tomorrow, you'll be spending another day here on Cordell Island not just to have your trip home delayed, but to be going to one of the hospitals in the Grand Hill district that is helmed by one of Yavanna's children, Aishwarya Chatterjee, who happens to be Abishek's older sister and a member of the Medical Corps. You'll be going there for observation in which your raw power is something that can't be ignored right now."
I saw Akio leave as I laid back down in which I began to feel more tired than normal. The feasting in the autumnal festival wore me out after that light shined down on me earlier in which I wanted to fall asleep. Even Abishek noticed me yawning as I wanted to go to sleep the moment he left the room and closed the door. I was alone again as I began to fall asleep in which I was brought out of my depression the moment I got to a low point. I was finally asleep as I was not having any difficulty at all, for I would soon be on my way back to Skald Island after this…
The next morning, I was up as I more than ready to go, but I had to be ready to be going to the hospital for observation today. Getting up from my bed, I was looking out the window as I saw the rain pouring down in which the storm all over Cordell Island made everything difficult due to the fact that all the seaships, trawlers, and ferries were grounded for the day. When I got up out of bed, I was on my feet without any difficulty as my prayer worked. I was happy to be walking once again as I would soon get ready to leave, but I was about to be going to the hospital instead of going back to Skald Island. Just as I was about to walk to the door, I saw Reuben entering as he had a case in his hands in which it was made to be collecting bloodwork. I wasn't in the mood of doing bloodwork as I had no choice but to obey Reuben's commands, for I didn't want to do this right now.
"The hospital in the Grand Hill district is mostly operated by members of the Medical Corps," said Reuben as he set me down in my wheelchair. "Some of the staff members even served during the time of the First Galvanic Uprising back in the day."
"Another day, another observation," I said as I felt a rubber band being encircled around my arm.
"It's only for today, Sam." Reuben gets out a needle with a tube as he inserts it into my arm. "Yesterday's omen is something that can't be ignored in which the Order's higher-ups saw the signs, but there's also a chance that the Executive Division would end up attacking the Skalvarg Archipelago in broad daylight."
"The Executive Division has a way to conduct their operations on the mainlands, but there are times that they use islands for their factories."
"Geralt Island on Targaryen was the worst in which the victims who were put there were liquefied just for their souls to be mined to the highest demon bidder."
"I know… Still, we have to be vigilant into putting a dent into the Executive Division and those who serve them in their unholy alliance."
"Like the Blight…" Reuben clenches his fist as he finishes up doing my bloodwork by putting it in two vials and setting them into the case. "Those bastards have been known to target medical workers in which most of us have no choice but to have a bodyguard protecting us round the clock. Their leader believes himself to be cleansing the galaxy of medical workers in which he believes that the eradication of them is a glorious one."
"The Blight is nothing more than a group of terrorists." I feel the spent needle being taken out of my arm as I saw Reuben place a bandage on the spot where it was inserted. "As I recall, you nearly bit a bullet the moment Flanna Fournier arrived to stop the attackers from killing you and your team. I just hope that the Blight doesn't come here. The galaxy needs medical workers for a lot of reasons or else we would be dying on a daily basis from diseases, untreated injuries, or psychological trauma. As for my own predicament, I'd rather be stuck with an annoying group of doctors instead of terrorists."
I truly meant it as I didn't want anything bad to happen to Reuben. He may be my half-brother, but he has his reasons to be there for me due to his position as Medic General of the Medical Corps. What I also didn't tell him was that I had a good feast as I wanted to tell him more of it in which I had my feelings of being weak and dead weight melting away for now. When I got up, I was ready to go out the door as I felt my knees buckling under pressure again. I spoke too soon when I jumped the gun as I saw Reuben setting me back into my wheelchair again. I didn't mind it as I had no other choice but to use it until I got stronger again. When I left my room, I went downstairs as I noticed a familiar face standing there as he was more than likely to be escorting me to the hospital, for he was most likely to be taking me there for observation soon enough.
"This place has a lot of things, but no meat loaf?" he said.
"I thought that you were stationed on Gehenna, Drusus," I said.
"After what I heard about the Sol-3 getting busted up two years ago, I ended up getting transferred here at the behest of Akio. From what I know is that this place has memories for those who served in the Order for years."
"After two years, you still cling to the usual meat loaf…"
"You can do anything with meat loaf in which it's a comfort food for the Depression Age back in the Middle Days. As for me, I've come to get you to the hospital, but you better watch out for the snobs who live up in the Grand Hill district."
"I've seen them before and they don't take too kindly to the disabled. As for yesterday's feast, I ate plenty of things in which it puts my meal in the train on Trost to shame."
I was feeling more pleasant as I didn't want all the doom and gloom to get the better of me. Still, I was more than ready to be in the hospital for observation as I was also ready to say goodbye to the Singer House. Even though I stayed here during the storms, I felt more elated after seeing everyone here with me as I also didn't want the snobs from the Grand Hill district to bog me down with their crass and insensitive insults. I even had a change of heart when it came to eating the good food that came my way as I never forgot how the meat, fish, and cheese were made with love and care. I also didn't forget about the desserts in which they filled me up the rest of the way in which I couldn't wait to tell Reiko about my adventure with food. Just as I was about to go out the door, I heard the northern wind blowing as the rain was making the whole island wet. I didn't mind it at all as I had my reasons to avoid such depressing days, for I had a long way to go in my longer recovery…
To be continued...