Late Morning of a Bitterly Cold Dawn
Arriving at the infirmary, Mary made her way to the storeroom to put away her belongings. She changed into a nurse's habit, a white head covering akin to a nun's veil, save for the absence of pure black. As she adjusted her garments, she pulled up her sleeves, exposing a faint scar upon her left wrist. Shortly thereafter, she stepped out and entered the nurses' quarters, where she found the women casting herbs into a rounded cauldron, brewing a potent concoction. Warm vapors bearing the fragrant essence of diverse flora billowed from the vessel.
Presently, the voice of an elderly woman called out to Mary.
"Mary~ Over here."
"Yes, sister~"
Following the voice, the maiden found an elder nurse waiting amidst mangy, matted pups. The woman was seated, feeding medicine into the mouth of a frail, bedridden boy left stripped of his garments.
"W-What has happened?" Mary's heart sank at the tragic sight before her.
"I was hoping thou couldst tend to this child while I see to the remaining cauldrons."
"I-I can certainly do that," the maiden replied, her voice trembling slightly.
"I leave 'im last moment in thy care." The elder nurse bowed her head low, knowing in her heart that the boy's time had nearly drawn to its close.
Mary sat upon the wooden stool beside the little boy, who opened his eyes to gaze up at her face without a trace of fear toward the nightmare around him. His frame was heavily soiled, prompting her to take a damp cloth to gently cleanse his rough, frail skin.
The boy offered a faint smile, speaking in a weary, raspy voice. "Sist-- I have to ask thee."
"Of course, child. Go on," the maiden offered an encouraging smile to the young lad.
"Art thou an angel?"
A gentle smile touched the corner of her lips upon hearing his words. She scooped a spoonful of medicine, feeding it to the emaciated, pale boy. Black, boil-like eruptions had broken out across his arms.
"Wherefore dost thou think so?" Marilyn answered softly.
"Because once... my father said unto me that a fair maiden would come to meet us before any soul in our roof passes away. At first, I believed him not... but now, I am not so certain."
Mary paused for a moment, resting her hand gently upon the boy's head. "And where are thy mother and father now?"
"My mother was hanged by the decree of the priest... for she disobeyed the Lord. Yet she was cleansed of her sins before entering the holy land. After that, my father began to drink more until his mortal frame gave out... for he knew he was ill and wished to go after my mother." The young lad pointed a slender finger toward the ceiling. "Now i see, They are waiting for me."
"Nay, child. The path of life is meant to be longer. The Lord shall guide us unto the place we seek... And when thou art grown, what dost thou wish to become?"
"At first, I desired to be a knig... cough! A-Ahhk!" The lad choked, coughing up phlegm laced with blood. "...I wished to be strong against all things, and valiant before any foe. But now, I long to be a servant of the lord... for he seeks to be our deliverer, freeing us from all sorrow."
"Then thou art already one. Naught can harm thee so long as thou dost not yield. The heart of a warrior must battle his foes with all his might."
"Then it seems I have require the victory. I knew thou wert an angel from above! Haha! If there be a next life... I hope to meet an angel like thee once more."
Mary offered a trembling smile, closing her eyes as she squeezed his small hand tightly. A wave of guilt washed over her—the agonizing weight of her inability to save this innocent life after hearing his words. She fed him the remaining herbal remedy until the cup was bare.
The boy looked up into her eyes, tears welling in his own. Blinking softly, he spoke in a fading whisper, "Please, do not cry..."
"When thou awakenest on another day, thou shalt surely greet the golden rays of the rising sun. And when that time comes, this city shall be bathed in radiant light, purged of all evil," the maiden whispered, leaning down to kiss the forehead of the boy slipping into slumber.
"We are the children of the Lord through righteous faith... and so shall we be... a-ahk! ...forevermore," the little child murmured.
Mary cleansed his body while softly humming a sweet, melodic lullaby. The lad reached for a necklace resting on the bedside table, pressing it into her palm. Opening her hand, she found a wooden cross hanging from a brown cord. At last, he closed his eyes forever, uttering his final words.
"This cross is like mine eyes... which shall behold this city become beautiful once more through thee. Pray accept it... It is the one thing that shall grant me absolute peace..."
The young boy drifted into eternal sleep upon the bed. Mary clutched the wooden cross tightly in her fist, weeping bitterly over his lifeless vessel, offering desperate prayers to the Lord for his soul's safety beneath His divine hand.
"Wherefore must it be so?! For what reason wouldst Thou grant him no chance?! The life of this child was worth infinitely more than mine own! I beseech Thee, answer Thy servant! Hath this city truly fallen so close to complete ruin?!"
Mary cried out to the silent watcher above, unable to bear the sight of an innocent child taking his final breath before her very eyes.
Without warning, a sweet voice called out to her from behind. "It is done, Mary. His suffering has come to an end."
Upon hearing those words, Mary turned around to find her fellow nurse standing before her. The young nurse, her dark brown hair falling to her shoulders, bowed her head in mournful remembrance for the little boy who had just passed. "The only thing we can do... is march toward a better tomorrow."
"Delby...."
"We have striven with every ounce of our strength, yet it was simply not enough. Rise up; Claudia must attend to this matter next." Delby gently supported the sorrowful maiden's shoulders, guiding her out of the ward. "Dost thou feel feverish?" Delby asked in concern.
"Nay. I am merely overwhelmed with all that hath transpired... I am beaten at every meal. Were it not for Father Sereza sustaining my spirit, I might have chosen to end mine own life by now. Delby, what am I to do?!" Marilyn poured out her lamentations like a woman bordering on madness, her eyes wide with terror and grief.
Delby led her into the apothecary room to calm her shattered nerves, and the two sat staring into each other's eyes without so much as a blink.
"Hast thou eaten anything this morning?"
"Naught yet, Delby... Tell me, are there many orders for herbal remedies at this hour?"
"Many, indeed! Beyond a shadow of a doubt. This morning, I found over a hundred letters delivered to our doors. I could scarcely believe mine eyes! Every church across the land is purchasing these potions for the folk of Caslette. Among them is Father Sereza himself. I know not what dwelleth in his mind to order such useless medicines in such vast quantities—when he knows full well they possess no power to heal the villagers! And the most laughable part is... this is the 16th century!! There is no lingering demon causing this foul plague, Mary! We can no longer cling to old doctrines when we know the cause of this ailment!"
"Peace, Delby. Father Sereza knoweth full well how devout the people are. He would never abandon simple folk such as us. He merely wishes to seek the best path to grant the villagers a heartened spirit. Are we not his flock? Hast thou forgotten?"
"His flock?! Mary! It hath been a decade now! He forces us to produce these poor remedies over and over, demanding and instructing without giving a single thought to us ! Dost thou know?! One by one, the nurses are deserting their posts—some struck down by this deadly plague, others stubbornly fleeing beyond the city walls only to be caught and beheaded by the guards! The crops and vegetables are all dying in the fields; we are left without bread or grain. This misery will not abate—there are only more corpses piling up every day! Mary... call me not hysterical, but thou and I have known each other for over two years, and we have coin enough to flee this place and forge a new life!"
"What dost thou mean? Art thou suggesting we abandon our home?!"
"This is no longer a home, Marilyn—it is hell upon earth! This ailment hath no cure... It devours those we hold dear. The corpses hauled out of the city every day for burial do nothing to mend our plight. What we ought to do is burn those bodies at once! Mary, wilt thou still close thine eyes and feign blindness...? How many of us have perished when the sun's light turns dim? Tell me, when shall we ever escape this nightmare? Worse still, the knights who once protected us have turned into mere manslayers. They possess no conscience to help us anymore! Everything... ends with a command from God! Everything rests upon HIM! If He truly felt pity for us, He would never have allowed such horrors to come to pass!"
"Fear not, Delby. We shall pass through this safely, so long as thou maintainest thy faith in Him."
"Everyone uttereth the very same words to me," Delby murmured, holding her head in her hands as she babbled softly. "Even God cannot save Caslette..."
"Delby... art thou all right?" Mary asked, startled after hearing her friend speak with such broken faith.
Delby ceased her trembling and lifted her head, wiping her face. Her eyes were red and swollen from sheer exhaustion, yet she managed to force a faint, flicking smile back at Marilyn.
"Nay, I am fine... I am merely out of thought..."
"Delby, I shall never abandon thee. I will stay by thy side always. I ask only that thou yield not to what hath transpired. Treat all of this as a passing storm. One day, it must surely blow away."
"I thank thee dearly. I thank thee with all my heart, Mary. The only thing I hold faith in now... are those words of yours."
"If a soul loses faith in all things, madness shall take its place," Marilyn replied softly.
Delby nodded faintly before reaching for a towering stack of letters upon the table. With weary hands, she penned a note and handed it to Marilyn.
"A letter from Kadelmere Church on XVI Elk Street. Father Sereza hath ordered more medicine... We have dispatched remedies to over a dozen locations, and our nurses are stretched far too thin. I pray thee, take this medicine to the church at once. Thou shouldst arrive before late morning. Deliver the letter and the potions to Sister Galetta. Thou wert once her apprentice—I hope the two of thee can speak smoothly." Delby signed the medicine dispatch slip and handed the herbal vials to Mary.
"If thou asketh it of me, I am glad to do it." The maiden tucked the medicine vials and the letter securely into her cloak pocket. She turned toward the door, preparing to take her leave, until Delby spoke once more.
"And Mary... return safely."
"Many thanks, Delb. Until we meet again."
Mary opened the door and stepped out of the infirmary. She made her way down Elk Street, where the local folk went about purchasing their wares as best they could, though fish and vegetables had dwindled to almost nothing.