Chapter 242 – Long Day Healing

Morning has come too soon. Shyla shakes me awake as the sun peeks over the snowy horizon.

"My Lady," Shyla says when I open my eyes. "The fighting is starting early today."

"Great," I groan. My nightgown is quickly replaced with a green dress. Shyla at least helps her pregnant lady stand up before putting on my coat, boots, and scarf.

Hurrying to the medical tent, I begin my wait for the nobles. Surrounded by hurt commoners that I'm just too good to heal.

Well, I'm not, but I'm sure they all think that's why they're still lying there injured when I could help them. Elora is standing here all bundled up, waiting for me, so she'll provide a distraction for a bit.

It's nice that they haven't forgotten about me.

"Hello, dear," Elora says. "I only have a few moments, but I wanted to check up on you."

"I'm fine," I say. Did Geta not talk to her?

"Good, you're doing an amazing job. We were able to confirm that one of the enemy's nobles has died. Yet, you have healed all of ours to perfect condition," Elora says, giving me a curtsy. "Thank you."

"Hmph, then why do they complain so much?" I ask, taking a seat. I'm now more pregnant than she is. Well, I was before now, and it is just noticeable now, even wrapped in my bundle of clothing.

"They are annoyed about the first day," Elora says. "They weren't happy to have to wait, but you did no harm there. I know you wish to heal more women, the ones in these beds right now. They are all women in my lands, and I have a way of keeping track of them. I can give you that method, and later, we can go around and work on healing them. We can work out the plan together after the war, and I also hope to give you some time during the war to get to them. You are right that they deserve to be healed as well."

"I guess," I say. "But they still die, while I can't let a noble pass away."

"Yes," the Princess says. "Yes, there isn't much we can do about that. Sorry, I don't like it any more than you do. But that is how wars are. A single noble can kill hundreds if the other side doesn't have another noble to keep them in check. However, you did scare off Lady Oriphusa, and that opens up the opportunity for you to find a new way to manage this tent."

"She was letting women die who had no need to die," I say. "If that scared her off, then I can hardly call her a healer. Anything else?"

"I understand," the Princess says. "She is following the healers' guidelines exactly. You already have more mana than her and are likely growing even stronger. You can be a bit looser with your mana and still have everything work out. No, I just wanted to thank you for your work and check up on you. The nobles may complain a lot, but if you keep this up, they will be praising you after the war."

"Good for them," I say.

"Goodbye, my love," the Princess says, giving me a soft hug.

"Goodbye," I say. The Princess sneaks in a kiss and walks out officially, leaving me with nothing to do but to wait amongst the misery.

The wait isn't as long as yesterday. Another noble comes in, looking like a dartboard. How these women don't bleed out on the journey to this tent is crazy. I know they have potions and whatnot, but the number of holes in her body is absurd.

"Shyla, just tell me if another is about to die," I say, getting to work on healing the first noble of the day.

...

"My Lady," Shyla says. "Another noble is coming in. If you don't get to her, she will die."

"Can't they use potions?"

"They've tried that; otherwise, they wouldn't have made it here, my Lady."

"I've got this bitch, who's already on death's doorstep, and Kali and Esta are busy. So tell me who should die," I say, keeping my focus on the noble I'm already working on.

"It would be best if you didn't let either of them die."

"Thanks for the fucking wisdom, maid," I say. "I'm going to be a lot slower and may kill both of them if I split my attention."

"Try my Lady," Shyla says. "Worst case, you give up on one and save the other, leaving us exactly as you would have been."

I don't think that is the real worst case, but whatever. "Fine," I say. I'll find a way to blame Shyla if this gets two nobles killed instead of just one. "Set her down on the same bed or something."

Well, this is a first. The new woman is covered in some fungus thing.

"Poison?" I ask no one. I've just finished using two streams on one patient, and now, I immediately have to try it with two patients at once, with an injury I've never seen before?

I give her arm a kiss and hope for luck. What comes up is nonsense, so I creep up beside her, careful to maintain full control of my first stream on the original girl. As for the second stream, I just let it wash over the strange fungus for now. Maybe it'll do something without my direction.

I bend over to give her another kiss on the cheek and get an actual answer. The fungus has sprouted some root thing into her and is fighting for control over her nerves.

Is there a reason they didn't burn or cut off the fungus?

"I don't think this one would die, but she will likely start attacking us," I say. "Do we have a guard who can hold her down, in case she goes out of control?"

"I will get one," Shyla says.

None of the fungus is near her head, likely the only reason she hasn't tried to kill anyone yet. This must be a great torture method, with all the pain that the fight over her nerves must be causing her.

I start with the parts near the woman's heart, in case they can take over that rhythm. That would be the fastest way for it to kill her if it senses defeat and has its own will.

My other patient has frostbite, so I just need to cut that away around her heart and wait.

"Let me know if I need to act, Lady Alzi," a guard says, standing at the foot of the bed. I hope she's smart enough to figure that out on her own.

The fungus doesn't react when I clear it off her skin, but I'll need to find a way to pull out the roots or whatever grows out of the fungus. It seems to still be a little active without the top portion.

The frostbite is getting chopped off, but healing over the missing body parts is slow work, and with the noble's blood pouring out of my new cuts, I have to keep going.

"Can you call over a manaless healer?" I ask. Maybe she can plug the wounds enough for me to leave her until after Miss Fungus is cleared.

I spark growth in the woman's body, trying to push out the roots. Her nerves settle down as the roots start to get pushed out, but there are hundreds of little roots to push out under just the small area of growth I've cleared so far.

"Lady Alzi," a healer says. "Would you like me to cover the frostbite wounds?"

"Yes, I'll cut away, and you patch over. I'll heal underneath the cover. I just want to limit the blood loss."

"Yes, Lady Alzi."

...

It worked. Barely, but alive is alive when you have mana to fix anything with a pulse, or whatever the undead have. I should find out if their hearts beat. I don't know how I've gotten several of them pregnant without even knowing that.

Whatever. The fighting has constantly sent a string of nobles into my tent. They aren't on top of each other like those two were, so I haven't needed to split my attention, but I think I need to work on that so that I can heal them faster and not hear their bitching.

"My Lady," Shyla says. "You need to eat."

"Do you have food? I've still got this bitch to heal."

"I am not a bitch," the noble says, still missing most of her limbs.

"You are," I say. "Over and over, you've complained. I didn't freeze your limbs solid. Sure, I cut them off, but they were already dead. Think it takes just a second to regrow four fucking limbs? Think I want to sit by your side while others are dying? No, I'm working as fast as I can, not only keeping you alive but getting you back in shape to fight while others die behind me. So, stop bitching about how long I take. How many women would have all the nobles walking out of here alive?"

"The Royal Healer could," she says.

"So, one. Glad we're on the same page."

"My Lady," Shyla says. "I will get your food. Please be nice to the patients; they have it hard, fighting so much."

"I am nice to them. I normally don't even say a word to them while they complain about me saving their life."

"Hmph."

"Now bite down on the leather. I've got limbs to regrow."

*** Elora ***

"Three hundred today. But we got five hundred," Geta reports. "Alzi has kept all of our nobles alive and is just working on getting the last few into fighting shape. In a few days, they should have to start retreating."

"You think we can't force a decisive battle tomorrow? Azula De Vil still isn't nearby, and we have the numbers and should have the advantage in nobles. I'll take to the fight and force their attention onto me. You and Shimmer come at their flank. Take Elyne with you as well. I'll have Ioelena, Inanos, and Syro to cover me. I want to gain a bit of ground. Mother said she's made contact, and Lyrei is almost there."

"But they are behind us a bit," Geta says. "Wouldn't it be best not to draw them into retreating towards us? We can't trust Lyrei to follow them correctly as we advance."

"Any more of this, and we risk having a day when more are injured than Alzi can handle. We have several days before they can reinforce whichever Princess we have across the field from us. We just need to increase the scouting behind us and dig in a bit more so that we can handle it. Sister knows that if she fails to pursue her enemy, Mother will have her head. Mother wants the kids in Alzi's belly almost as much as Alzi wants them."

"This fight of yours risks overwhelming Alzi tomorrow. Wait a few days until your sister makes contact, and then we push hard that very hour. By then, we should have an advantage in nobles that will keep Alzi from being overwhelmed, making our siege all that much easier and safer."

"The hour my sister makes contact, we push," I say. "The nobles are still ready to turn on Alzi."

"Just a day or two more. I know we need to time this so that Alzi can give birth in a city. I also think I should be the one to strike in the middle. With a horse taking me to the front line, I can get there fast enough and hold the line better. Then you can come in on the flank and use your better mobility to sweep up. Vanya could even aim to take the other flank if she isn't pushed to join the battlefield before us."

I don't love that idea, but Geta would hold her ground better in the fray. "Fine, you are better at holding your ground. But I can't go to the far flank without Alzi starting to feel pain. My group will split in two, one crushing the flank and the other pushing towards you in the middle," I say. "If only we could end this before Alzi's Mother gives birth..."

"That would require your mother to bring her entire harem out here."

"And the damn dragons just had to show up at the ceremony."