Chapter 59

Chapter 59: 59 Aunt Yeung was right about the white fog being bad for one’s health though I don’t think she meant it like this. A pair of burly women in robes rushed towards me and Gou Ngaam, carrying a moaning man between them on a makeshift stretcher. "Lay him here," said Gou Ngaam, indicating the small bit of open floor in front of her. "Misha." "Got it." I held out the pair of scissors to the snake woman and she snipped a neat line down the front of the unconscious man’s bloodied shirt. The two women looked between them but Gou Ngaam made a shooing motion. "Go do what needs doing," she said. "Leave Sam-gor to us." Beside me the little Gou Wun had already rustled up a wad of dense cloth for staunching the wound. "Get the needles and thread ready," said Gou Ngaam as she placed her hands on either side of the blade wound. I couldn’t see her channel her qi into the man to search for foreign bodies but I felt it. After a moment she lifted her hands. "Needles." I held out a cloth roll with fine acupuncture needles neatly stowed along it. She took four and deftly inserted them around the wound. At the beginning of the evening, when everyone’s energy had still been high, Gou Ngaam had been able to take the time to tell me the names of each of the acupuncture points she was targeting and why, but now everyone was too tired for that, most of all the head healer. The blood from the man’s wound slowed to a trickle as the last needle found its mark. "Thread," said Gou Ngaam and I handed her a pair of scissors with a threaded crescent moon shaped needle held tightly in its blades. She took it and began to stitch the wound. One, five inch long stitched wound later, a pair of different women came and picked up the moaning unconscious man. Around his middle was a tight wound of off-white bandages that rose awkwardly at his stomach where the gauze was packed. It was already turning pink. "There’s some kind of spell on those blades," said Gou Ngaam quietly as she rose. "I thought it was a poison at first but..." The woman swayed suddenly and I quickly jumped up to catch her. "Mama!" exclaimed Gou Wun. "I’m okay, I’m okay," said her mother as I lowered her carefully to the ground. "Just a little tired." Little Gou Wun’s eyes welled with repressed tears and her mother reached out a hand to stroke her cheek. "Can I help you?" I asked the snake woman. "Can you take energy from me, or something?" "That..." She looked a little unsure. "You’re recovering from a wound yourself and your blood is on the low side." "I’m fine," I said quickly. "After all this is over, I’ll have plenty of time to recover. Right now, making sure you’re able to go on is more important." I looked to Gou Wun. "Right?" Gou Wun, suddenly twigging to my meaning, nodded deeply. "Dragon-brother is a spritely young man. He can recover fast," she said. Despite the situation, both Gou Ngaam and I laughed. "Alright," said the snake woman finally. "I’ll only take a little, just to help with the dizziness." "You can take more than that..." She shook her head. "Give me your hand," she said, holding out her hand with the palm up. I obeyed and placed my hand, palm down, on hers. "Close your eyes and breath deeply." I did so. It started as a tingling where our hands met that quickly spread up my arm and to the base of my neck, ringing around my throat and the nape of my neck. Next there was a coolness and then I felt something in me begin to flow up from my abdomen, to my throat, then down my arm and out of my hand. I cracked open an eye and saw that a small eddie of wind had picked up in the temple, tugging at our clothes and making the candles flicker. And then it was over. Gou Ngaam pulled her hand away from mine. She was panting a little but smiled before I could voice my concern. "You have a strong qi," she said. "This is enough. Do no worry." Little Gou Wun tugged at her mother’s sleeve and the woman looked down to her. "Can Gou Wun help mama too?" The elegant woman shook her head with a smile and pinched her daughter’s cheek. "When you get older you can take over mama’s job, but right now, you can only be my assistant, okay?" Gou Wun pouted a little but was clearly pleased to see her mother full of health again and she fell forward to hug her. "Can you pass on a message to Yeung-sister for me, Misha?" said Gou Ngaam as she patted her daughter on the back. "Yes, anything," I said. "Tell her that as soon as she’s finished with the formations, she needs to look at the blade wounds. It is a spellcraft I do not recognise, but I suspect that she can." I nodded. "I’ll tell her," I said, getting up. "Anything else?" Gou Ngaam shook her head. "No, oh, if you come across some tea, I would greatly appreciate some. "I’ll look for tea too." "Thank you." And with that, I left the mother and daughter at the door to the make-shift infirmary. The attack on Cloud Flame Manor had come as a complete surprise to everyone here but they had not fallen into a panic. I was still unsure what Whale Toes exactly does, but I suspected it involved armed conflicts of some kind, or at least, its members had experience in the area. The way everyone worked together to support each other without anyone falling to pieces was incredible. "Misha, I have the herbs Healer Gou wants!" said a giant man with a pig’s head. His name was Zhanju and in his arms he held a large basket full of green leaves. I pointed back the way I’d come. "She’s at the infirmary. I need to pass on a message to Aunt Yeung." "Got it. I’ll deliver this myself," said Zhanju and continued on. About two hours had passed since you and I got down from the roof and found ourselves in this conflict and that meant two hours for me to rapidly get acquainted with much of the people here. I wasn’t quite sure why everyone could understand me, but I wasn’t about to question it right now. I was busy. The clanging of weapons outside has simmered down and now there were only two or three points where I was sure there was fighting going on based on the sound. From what I’d been told, Aunt Yeung was activating various spells around the manor to secure the place and it was that, not the death of everyone fighting outside, that was causing the lull in the conflict. A wooden door opened right as I passed and a pair of men in full armour staggered in. I and a few others inside the temple rushed forward to support them. "North gate’s... secure..." gasped one man before falling unconscious. "Get them to Healer Gou!" "Here, I’ll take him, Misha." "Thanks." I helped the door sentry close the bar the door again then hurried off again to the inner chamber. I hadn’t been in there, but I knew that’s where your aunt and you were right now. I’ll admit it. I was dying to see you. "Hold it!" Another sentry, a woman with two sets of black bird wings, held out an arm blocking my way. "I need to give Aunt Yeung a message," I said. The sentry shook her head. "She and the Little Raven are in deep meditation. They cannot be disturbed right now." "Ah, then... can you pass on a message?" "That I can do." I passed on what Gou Ngaam had told me to say then turned to head back. I was disappointed that I wouldn’t get to see you, but at least I knew you were safe. Just the thought that you could maybe be out there with all those puppet spirit things was... "Misha..." The voice was barely louder than a murmur but it rooted me to the spot. "Misha... Help..." I turned and ran to the shuttered window and pressed my ear against it. "Misha..." It was your voice. I was absolutely certain of it. But how? Why? Weren’t you supposed to be in the inner chamber with Aunt Yeung? Had something happened? Fear stabbed through me and I raced down the side of the room until I came to the side door. It had already been barricaded but it was a normal sized door with bar across it was easy enough for me to get off down from the inside. "Hey!" called a voice from behind me. "What are you doing?!" I turned and handed the bar to the young man behind me. I couldn’t remember his name, but I knew I’d met him over lunch. "Here, help me barricade the door." "No, not unless you tell me why you’re going out there," said the young man stubbornly. "Bran’s out there. He needs help," I said impatiently. "Little Raven?! We need to tell Cheungyi!" I didn’t know who that was, but that didn’t matter. "Bar the door, then go do that," I said. "I’ll head out first to help him." "Alright," said the young man. He hefted the wooden bar between his hands. "The Southern gate is staying open, so you two can come back through there. Good luck out there." "Thanks." The young man gave me a nod then shut the door behind me. I waited until I heard the wood slide back into place then set off into the mist.