Chapter 12

We looked at the woman in shock. We had told her nothing of what had happened, and yet she could figure it out from a short inspection. We followed her into her cabin, and I was amazed at what we saw inside. The entire wall, opposite of the door, had shelves going up to the roof. The shelves were covered with vials, jars and boxes filled with various goods. Some were liquids of different colors, some were powders and others were specimens. The fireplace had a pot bubbling over the fire and strange aromas were emanating from it. There was a bed and small basin across the cabin, opposite the fireplace. The final wall had two bookshelves on either side of the window, packed with books. Underneath the window was a small workstation with a mortar and a few things I did not recognize. She gestured to the bed and had us sit down as she brought a stool over.

“So, young man. As I asked you before, how long has it been since you were bitten and cursed by a wolf?”

“Um, it has been around seven months since I was bitten. What do you mean that I was cursed by the thing?”

She got up and started looking through her bookshelves. After a few minutes she found the book she was looking for, though I did not recognize the language.

“Given your reaction while I was examining you, the injury was your right shoulder. You are having violent spasms when you over-exert the shoulder. A hard bump with the right amount of force can trigger them as well.”

I looked at her, shocked, as she listed my symptoms. We had not even been her for more than a few minutes and she had diagnosed the problem.

“You were bitten by a beast called a Voguel, in my mother’s tongue. They are people who turn from man to beast at the light of the blood moon. There were tales of them in Vilshant Province when I was a little girl.”

“Vishant Province?” Ilane asked, “I do not think I have heard of that area before. Where exactly is that located?”

The old lady snickered and replied, “It is located across the Hu’ntak sea, east of the Province we currently reside in. My parents moved here when I was a teenager, but that was a long time ago. My elder mother told stories of the Voguel to us as we would sit around the fire. They do not know when the beasts began, but they had existed throughout our history. The blood moon was a terrifying time and hundreds would die at the hands of those beasts. For centuries, it was a plague that saw no end. Mistrust was born from their dead, as they would return to the form of a man, or woman, upon death. Their attacks left no survivors, but over time, we stood up against them. It took nearly a hundred years of bloodshed before we had culled all but the last remaining Voguel. We heard news three years after we moved here that the last of the Voguel had been eradicated. I am surprised that they had surfaced here, but I had my suspicions.”

“If you do not mind me asking, how is it they were able to know who were these Voguel? I mean, it would be almost impossible to tell them from normal people.”

She leaned forward and smiled, “how is it you were able to realize that the Patron of your town was one of those beasts?”

“Well, I had been attacked by multiple wolves, only one was able to get away. I had damaged the beast’s shoulder before it could get away. During a scuffle, I saw blood on Brant’s shoulder mirroring the wound the wolf had suffered.”

She clapped her hands, “Very good, boy. They had done the same, only they had used a very special herb to do so. Wolf’s Bane is poisonous, a staple of assassins, due to its toxic nature. However, there is a side effect when a Voguel encounters the substance. Ingestion results in retarding the effects of their curse. There is a rumor that, if they take enough, they could go through a blood moon without changing. There has been talk of a cure involving the plant, but never any proof of it working. The real trick is when the poison touches their skin. It is like hitting them with a branding iron, the mark can never fully heal or go away. It does not even have to pierce the animals skin to burn them.

“Those who fought them back would make sure to rub the beast’s face with a blade covered in the poison. Many who tried to fight them, died in the process, but their sacrifice helped purge the infestation. I worry that their plague will spread across this land, next. You are a curious case though, young man, and I hope one of you can give me the answer I am looking for. It seems that somehow the curse has been trapped in the area you were bitten. Though it has healed, the curse still permeates the area, trying to spread. However, there is something that is holding it back. When I smelled your body and breath, I caught the slightest trace of Wolf’s Bane. So, would you please explain where it is that he has been getting it?”

Ilane and I both looked at one another in shock at this statement. Someone I knew was feeding me this poison so to keep the curse from taking hold.

Ilane sighed and said, “We keep some in the clinic. Lillian suggested it after the fight when Davik was injured. She thought it might be good to make into a salve the soldiers could use on their weapons for the next blood moon, if we were attacked. We made it and distributed it to the soldiers, but there has not been an attack since.”

I spoke up. “I know that Liza and Trina are growing some in their garden, they had the same idea, no doubt. Probably suggested by Clive or Trent.”

Ilane nodded and replied, “That would allow at least fourteen different people access to the herb and to you. I can tell you that I have not done this, nor have I witnessed anyone handling the plant. However, you cannot just take my word for it, as I could be lying.”

The old woman nodded and with a quick flash of movement stamped Ilane’s arm with a seal. She yelped at the shock, and we all looked at where the woman had stamped her. Other than the briefest outline of the stamp on her arm there was no reaction.

“No. Before either of you get upset, that is a mixture that was developed to test only. There is little reaction to skin contact with the Wolf’s Bane, it needs to be either ingested or introduced into the blood. In your case, young man, there have been no real ill effects as the dose has been very low. As you know, young lady, poison in very small doses can have a curative effect. Now for you, young man.”

Quick as a flash she stamped my arm and we watched in anticipation for a reaction. But there was no reaction - to my elation - but that did not stop her.

Gesturing at my arm the old woman said, “As you can see, there is no reaction, but watch what happens when I stamp the wounded region. Please remove your shirt.”

I did as I was instructed, and I heard a gasp from both women as I removed my shirt. It was a typical response I got as my body was well toned and defined from years of hard work. With another flash of speed, she hit the area in which I had been bitten and pain exploded in my shoulder. I dropped to my knees from the pain: my skin felt on fire. As the pain dulled, I opened my eyes and looked to where she had stamped my shoulder. The outline of the stamp was raised and red, like a burn from a hot iron.

“There you can see the curse reacting to the Wolf’s Bane. Whoever is responsible for this knew what they were doing, they have stopped the spread of the curse from your shoulder. However, this will not last forever, soon this effect will lessen and lessen with each dose. Given the nature of the medicine used to stop the spread, stronger doses could kill you. I would have to know the mixture of ingredients for the medicine. I am not sure if this was meant to cure you or if it was a temporary measure.”

As I thought about the past few months I mulled over where I could have gotten this supposed medicine. Then it hit me, and my stomach turned at the thought.

“It is Violet, she is the one who is giving it to me. The food is communal, and everyone would have noticed if there had been something added to the food. I think it is the late-night medicine she has been giving me. It makes me really drowsy and prevents me from having fits when I sleep.”

“Davik, you do not think that my little girl has been the one to be feeding you Wolf’s Bane. How would she know how to use it or what to mix it with to be successful?”

The old woman raised her hand to stop Ilane from continuing with her questions. Even I had trouble reconciling it, but it was the only way it could have happened.

“Davik, you said you had fits before getting this medicine. Were they right after the bite or later? How long has it been since you had one?”

Ilane raised her hand and said, “I can answer that. After the fight he had been injured, and we helped him to heal well enough to move. He was planning on heading out of the town to hunt for a few days. At the gate he fell and received his first attack just after saying goodbye to my daughter, Violet. We bought him to his house and proceeded to try and treat the problem. It took a few days before we found a mixture that got him to calm down. However, at night he would suffer terrible fits. He did not wake up for two months, and when he did, he was very weak. He would still spend most of the day sleeping and would get fitful, occasionally. Violet found that when she or two other women from his household rested with him the fits would not come. He would sweat heavily so we kept him nude, for the most part.