Chapter 73: (1/2)
I sat on the fantail of the Roc’s Eye, one of my father’s books on my lap. I had been keeping up on my reading of all sorts of topics, but right now I could only stare at the page, my mind elsewhere.
We were sailing under the waves, leaving Nilfheim. However, an abnormality aboard my ship was that I’d had to create a bubble of air for the hold where the sea couldn’t intrude. I’d discovered the capability back when I was first experimenting with my profession, but had little cause to use it as anything on board my claimed ship didn’t suffer water damage. The way I saw it, let the sea fill every crevice when I submerged, and I’d have the option of swimming instead of walking.
But now I had someone on board who could not breathe the sea water – someone not part of my claimed crew.
You do not have the capacity to enlist this individual.
It wasn’t his fault, but that message hadn’t made me feel any better about Drese Huut, master life mage or not. Still, he’d been willing to join my crew, so I couldn’t blame him for anything.
It just struck me wrong.
Gerald was the one who prompted me to put down the book I wasn’t reading and go talk with the madu. Stepping through the hatch from the sea to my dry hold was odd. Water streamed from my wet clothes but was wicked away on contact with the deck, my magic forcing the seawater out.
Drese Huut stood when I entered and inclined his head to me. Proper posture for the Madu looked a bit different than the humans or tarish, but it was plain to see Drese had good form. He didn’t move like someone who had military training, but was still incredibly disciplined. The way he kept his feet shoulder-width apart and his hands folded behind his back reminded me of Blake’s soldiers in formation.
Everything about Drese threw my mind back to the Wind Runner. I paused to re-center myself, this man didn’t have anything to do with that.
“Are you comfortable?”
“Yes.” He replied in his gravelly, echoing voice. “The experience of looking up at the sea from comfort is a novelty. I feel I must again apologize for the inconvenience my transport has put upon you.”
I waved his concerns away because he’d apologized already and it wasn’t a real inconvenience. Creating the space was a simple exercise, the only trouble came with periodically recirculating the air in here, but that was merely a logistical consideration.
“I must apologize as well. I’ve been rather tense, and it’s made me a poor host.”
“You are not asked to be my host, Captain. My service is offered freely, and how you dispense with me is your prerogative. That you had even wished for me to be a member of your crew is a compliment.”
I studied the man’s wide-eyed, green-scaled face, but he was 100% serious. “I want to talk about your background. You are very committed, very quickly. I came to regret my own choice of servitude, I wouldn’t want you to do the same.”
“You gave up a life of freedom for chains of service. I have not. Always my role has been to serve, and now my service has been placed in the hands of another.”
“Madu men have no say in your lives?”
“The image of men being held under the heels of women and the matriarchs is a misconception that finds willing listeners in more patriarchal societies. We are painted as a perversion of a natural order. In truth, our society encourages the genders to infringe on their peer’s roles during their formative years to challenge them to perform at a societal standard, and this sometimes ushers in talented individuals to roles of an opposite gender. The vast majority of our society, however, falls back into roles that their blood and talents are better suited for.”
I had an inkling that if I asked, he would categorically describe every facet of their culture in the same succinct tone. I never thought the other madu I’d met and fought were so clerical, so I was going to assume that was just his nature.
“That’s very interesting, so you were going to tell me why you’ve been in service your whole life?”
“I was identified at a very young age as having a talent for life magic,” he began. Thankfully, while recounting his own story he started to slowly pace and otherwise show more emotion. “I had been studying the path of a warrior, with forays into administration to challenge my sisters. I welcomed the life of a magician – or mage, as you humans say – but rebelled against my master. It was a youthful display of distemper that led to me being relocated to a reclusive order … and fated for more than the life of a simple healer.
“The order brought discipline into my life that I sorely needed, as well as perspective. Many in the world have opportunities cut off due to misfortune. My circumstances were quite the opposite: I had a gift, and so to do anything but cultivate it would be a waste. I was a slave to my magic, and my magic was best used to support others, so I was a slave to them too. Ah, pardon me …” he paused to gauge my reaction, though I thought I’d done rather well in not showing one. “I have shared this testimony many times, and had forgotten that you do not care for slavery as an institution, correct?”
“That is correct, though my record of improving the lives of slaves leaves something to be desired.”
“Nilfheim practices slavery, and has for our entire history. We would like to differentiate our practices from the methods you abhor among the southern nations, however.”
“I’ve heard the arguments and wouldn’t mind having a discussion about it, but that’s for later. I’m more interested in you specifically, right now.”
“Very well, I believe I have answered your question of how I view my service.”
I rubbed my eyes. So officious …
“Can you tell me about your capabilities as a life master?”
“Healing or otherwise?”
I paused. “You said you were trained as a healer?”
Drese did not break propriety for a moment, but I could practically hear his scoff. “I claimed to leave the path of a simple healer behind me. Mastery of life magic extends far beyond medical aptitude.”
“And … isn’t ‘charm’ a spell of life magic?”
“Indeed it is, though the oath of service I gave to you before boarding would be violated if I employed it on you, so you may rest assured I have not made any attempt.”
Stories always had a moment where everything went wrong because a character got charmed. One of the first stories I read was of Jordan Voyager getting charmed by sirens while hunting for the Eastern Passage, and it had horrified me as a boy. That is, it instilled a proper respect for magic that supplanted someone’s will.
“I’d like for you to catalogue all your spells for me.”
“That would be extensive. Please do not think I am objecting to the task, only warning you. Perhaps a summary of spell categories would suffice for now?”
“Alright, but I will give you the writing supplies for a list.”
“Of course. Broadly speaking there are healing, summoning, nature and combat. Healing deals with both the mending of the body as well as restoring or fortifying HP. Summoning concerns creatures, typically for magical aid. Nature deals with the growth and nurturing. Combat is the most varied category and has applications that range from the charm spell you mentioned to adding courage buffs, casting a bolt of life energy, detecting hostiles, etc. Life magic is also uniquely suited to combating undead.”
I shivered, remembering the horde of zombies that the Emerald had nearly taken the Death’s Consort with. It was good to know we had a specialist to counter that, as I didn’t think they’d given up on a track that had nearly succeeded.
“In the case of a battle, would you be able to assist and keep people from dying?”
“As I said before, my services are you’re to dispose of as you see fit.”
“Drese,” I said curtly. “I’ll admit to having a hard time with madu but I’m working on that, and I don’t want you to get killed in our first battle because I put you somewhere I shouldn’t have. So tell me, could you help during a battle? Or will you be a healer for after the fight?”
He regarded me in silence for several long moments. “My order was not a pacifist one. As an unruly child I wanted to be a warrior. As a disciplined adult I became one. I have no weapon proficiencies, but you will find me a capable skirmisher. That being said, most forces will try to congregate to take down a healer once identified.”
“I’ll have you work with Gnar. I’m sure he will have plenty of devious ideas to use you.”