Cursed Forest [Ongoing]

Chapter 15

A week passed in oppressive calm. Sekafi and Aaspaelwin told Gaen of his wife's dead friend, but couldn't do much more, having no real leads. Aaspaelwin went to the guild and asked them for work, but they had nothing for him and told him to wait. Sekafi took some small-time jobs as a hired sword to keep them from running out of money, but the lack of work ate away their meagre savings faster than they liked. They also heard about more victims of the strange plague from time to time.

The citizens' unease grew with each passing day, and by the end of the week, Master Owadro made an appearance in the city square. Flanked by guards, he walked through the assembled people and stepped up onto a wooden platform with a podium for speaking. He gazed out over the crowd in silence. Sekafi watched him closely, trying to figure out what this was about. Aaspaelwin stretched and stood on his toes beside her. If not for the raised dais, he wouldn't have been able to see the Council Mage at all in the press of people, most of whom were taller than him. She suppressed a smile.

Dressed in rich, finely decorated blue robes, Master Owadro stood out from the commoners like a king. A large golden pendant hung on his chest, adorned with a green gem glinting in the sunlight, and rings sparkled on his fingers. His narrow face held a dark, serious expression. His sharp brown eyes swept the assembly, seemingly noting everything.

'Greetings, dear people of Toin Caas,' he called out, raising a hand for silence. 'I have important information for you all, so I beg of you to listen carefully.'

The murmur of the people settled after a few moments. Sekafi wondered if the mage would tell them about the state of the High Council, or just talk about the fears of the plague. Normally, Lady Hennaja would have handled public relations, not the mage. What had happened to her? Was she sick after all?

'First off, I need to address the tragedy that's befallen our beloved city and the High Council. You may have seen or heard that people have died from a mysterious plague.' He waited for the assembled people to quiet down again. 'It's a true tragedy, and one that we wish to mitigate. To help the people in this time of stress, the Council has decided to aid the Temple of Heldest with any necessities they need to be able to accommodate the growing number of sick and heal them.'

The crowd cheered, but many shouted questions. Where did this come from? Why did the gods punish them? What should they do? Aspen got shoved in all directions from the press of people and struggled to stay on his feet, but Sekafi kept him upright. He stuck close to her side.

'The High Council is currently closed, and any who need to contact us will have to do so by letter. This is to make sure that the Council will keep functioning. If too many of us fall ill, we fear that chaos will overrun us. But do not despair about the current state of the Council, we have things under control. But you, the people, need to keep safe. After all, we are nothing without the people.' He stroked his beard, looking pleased with himself, and waited again for the commotion to die down. 'In order to suppress this sickness, please stay away from anyone appearing sick, but also from strangers. Keep extra distance from visitors from other cities. From what we know, the disease came into the city with a mixed group of non-humans. So we advise you to steer clear of any outsiders.'

The people closest around Sekafi and Aspen glanced at them. Some scuffled further away and someone grumbled behind them about stinky two-legged animals ruining good things for decent people. A growl rose from her stomach, but she managed to hold it back. It wouldn't help them to start a fight. But the comment touched on a sore subject. She gripped her golok and glanced around, then found Aspen's pale face beside her. The little fart wouldn't make it if it came to blows in a crowd like this. She swallowed her anger and focused on the mage again. He spoke for quite some time, moving on to other things, like changed rules at the market and increased tolls for entry to the city. She lost interest and kept her eyes on the people around them instead. Several glowered at them but kept their distance as much as they could. Her size was a definite advantage, she thought.