~Chapter 3: Searching for answers - Part: 1 ~Nieka~

Smack! Nieka's head hit the floor and she was startled awake. She was temporarily blinded by the bright light reflecting off the whitewashed walls and ceiling from the multitude of candles. Blinking her unadjusted eyes, she tried to piece together what was happening. She realized she must have fallen asleep in the broom closet and the startled old man looking down on her must-have just opened it. Once he calmed from the sudden start he blinked at her, then looked around then back to her.

Nieka looked down at herself too. She was wearing someone's large nightshirt, that if standing would have come down to her knees. Her feet, one of which was in an overturned mop bucket, were bandaged along with her left calf where the daemon had gauged her leg with its claws. Her hands were likewise bound and there were faded bruises and still pink healed scrapes over most of her un-bandaged flesh. How long has it been since I escaped? Beside her, there were mops, brooms, and rags sprawled out across the semi-polished stone floor probably looking less a mess than her.

The younger skinny boy from earlier stepped in, he was probably about fourteen she decided. The old man had spotted him too and started in on him with a firm voice. "What the hellfire is this? We keeping patients in the closets now? This is no way to treat a young woman! What the hellfire goes on in my establishment while I'm gone?" The old man cried exasperated.

The boy stuttered unintelligibly so Nieka cut in with "It's not his fault" and she stood up brushing herself off. "I stormed in there myself to get away from- well everyone." She explained briefly realizing she didn't even know anyone's names; well, the blond had said the mean one's name but she couldn't remember it.

"Takal" the boy informed the old man like he was tattling on a brother he didn't exactly like. Well, now she knew one name. He wasted no time after she'd saved him from the old man's accusations to start picking up the mess she made falling out of the closet. Not knowing what to do with herself she began picking stuff up too until the boy shook his head.

"Humph. Not very good with people that one. My name is Robin, I am the healing master here." Then the old man led Nieka to one of the beds to check her bandages and ask questions, some to her and some to the boy about her condition and treatment upon arrival. The boy answered as he ran about fetching and setting up supplies by the bed. When he unwrapped one of her feet it was caked in dried blood but when he washed it in the basin the boy had supplied, the water reviled no open cuts or scabs, just tender new skin. Again, she wondered how long she'd been there, but this time she got an answer as Robin voiced the question for her. "When did you say she got here Murin?"

The boy, Murin, was taken aback as he explained that her wounds were still bleeding when she arrived early that morning. Great even less time than I thought. This was why her mother never brought her to a healer and why her mother was always begging her, and forbidding her not to do 'wild and reckless things'. She ended up having to learn a lot about herbs and treatments to take care of herself and her sister as she wasn't that good at staying out of trouble. She tried the 'it wasn't as bad as it looked' trick but of course, it didn't work. They were healers and she hadn't even seen the injuries before as she had been passed out cold. All it did was tell them that she was familiar with handing out that excuse.

Bewildered, Murin was helping his teacher to remove her bandages and wash away the old blood. When they were done, they muttered to themselves about the fact that she only had one small scab left on the back of her calf and the rest of the cuts were just soft pink skin. Then Murin asked her to make a fist and if it hurt. A little confused she did and her index finger was indeed a little sore.

"Unbelievable!" he said gaping at it. "This finger was clearly broken yesterday, I set it back into place myself. And you saw her walk before with barely a limp, yesterday her ankle was all swollen, I would have guessed a bad sprain or fracture."

"Well, you did a really good job then, thank you. How about we go grab some food or something. I don't know about you but I'm starved." She tried to distract them by changing the subject and she was really hungry; and thirsty.

"Makes sense," Robin said "it's common to get tired and hungry after using magic."

"Ha, Magic? I've never believed in that nonsense." She hoped they didn't notice the panic in her voice or on her face. "I'm hungry because I haven't had a decent meal in weeks; I was tired because I did a heck of a lot of running. Nothing magical about that."

She just escaped demons; she could not let them think her a witch! She wouldn't be able to save anyone, and her escape would have been pointless if she was burned at the stake. She didn't know any magic anyways, her parents had forbidden it, and denied its very existence for as long as she could remember. The only person she knew to have admitted to using magic was her grandmother and she was just old enough to remember watching her burn for it. Magic was forbidden. Even if you didn't use it, if anyone knew you had the potential, the penalty was death.

"True enough," Robin said putting his hand up to stop Murin and instead told him. "Why don't you go see if you can find our gest some food and drink?" With that Murin ran off without a word.

"You're a scared little thing, aren't you?" he said to Nieka but didn't wait for her to answer "Tough and brave no doubt, but you don't really trust us, do you?"

"I don't know you or anyone here, why should I?" Nieka said warry of the old man's perceptiveness.

"It's wise to be cautious. Takal for example is very slow to trust, not to mention anti-social and direct to the point of being rude. Try not to let him get to you, there's no reason to sleep in the closets. You'll get better rest in a bed and when you're well enough to travel we'll have someone take you safely home." Robin reassured.

Nieka didn't say anything and Robin gave her socks to protect the new skin on her feet and let them breathe. At the rate she was healing she could go home tomorrow; she'd rather stay here in a closet than face her mother. Maybe she could stay here a while, learn to kill demons rescue her sister, and then go home together. Being home without Cinna would just be too much to bear. Behind her, Robin was putting away the medical supplies when he said "If you don't mind my asking, how did you get the scars on your back?"