Page 15 of Curse of Immortality
“I can fix this,” Rose muttered and turned back to the large shelves to search for the right remedy.
“Fix what? Am I sick?”
“You will be if we don’t get you some medicine fast.”
“How can you be sure? Is it the same illness as my mother?”
Rose ignored her friend’s question and worked with concentration. With precision, she mixed the right ingredients making sure to follow the steps her parents had taught her.
Anne moved closer and stared as Rose ground up green herbs in a stone mortar, only to scoop up the paste and roll it into a small ball. Grabbing a jar of honey, Rose dipped a small spoon in and placed the green ball on top of it.
“Put this into your mouth and let it dissolve; it will prevent you from getting sick.”
Anne had been long enough in the cottage for warnings to enter her mind. She knew that Rose’s family were healers, but it had never concerned her until now. Staring at the wooden spoon in front of her, doubt crept in. Could this be something devilish?
“Do it, Anne, please,” Rose encouraged. “It will help you.”
With a tiny shake of her head, Anne pushed away all hesitation. This was her friend Rose, who was the sweetest and kindest person she knew. Rose was the kind of person to pick up injured porcupines and carry them home to heal them. There was no way she would poison her.
Opening her mouth, she bit down over the spoon and swallowed the concoction.
“You may wake with a sweat during the night but that’s just the sickness leaving your body.”
Anne sunk to a chair. Looking around, she warned, “Rose, you have to be careful. With the way you and your family live, some might think you do witchcraft here. I don’t want to see you hurt.”
“We’re not a danger to anyone. On the contrary, we help and heal.”
“I know, but…” Her eyes darted around taking everything in as she fiddled with her brown skirt. “You could still get accused of doing the devil’s work.”
Rose sat down next to Anne. “The devil isn’t real, Anne. And I’m not a witch.”
“Yes, he is real. Father Morgan says so himself. I’m not saying that you’re a witch, but what if…” Again her eyes glided across the bottles, jars, and pots with strange ingredients. “I mean did you ever question where your parents learned all this from? What if it’s witchcraft and you just don’t know it?
“What are you talking about?” Rose asked, not liking the way Anne spoke to her as if she were talking to a delusional person.
Eager to wash away any dangerous misunderstandings about her parents being witches, Rose grabbed Anne’s hand and confided in her friend the secret that her parents had forbidden John and her to ever tell a human. “We’re not witches, Anne. I was born an Earthen. But there’s nothing evil about Earthens. We are pure-hearted healers and protectors of nature.”
Anne moved back a little. “You’re making that up.”
Shaking her head, Rose felt desperate to prove that she was telling the truth.
“Look.” Raising her hand, she showed how she’d mastered the element of fire by creating a small flame in the midst of her palm.
At first, Anne looked scared, but then her expression changed, and she leaned in a little closer. Fascinated and sure that it was some kind of trick, Anne reached out and touched the flame with her finger, only to be burned. Anne’s pretty brown eyes widened in shock as her gaze flew to Rose. “It’s real?”
“Yes. We Earthens learn how to control the elements of air, fire, water, and earth. I can also communicate with animals.” With eagerness, Rose pointed to the shelves. “And I can make medicine to heal the sick, like you and your mom.”
“Are the rest of your family Earthens too?” Anne asked.
Sensing disapproval in her friend’s tone, Rose protected her family. “No, it’s just me. But there are other Earthens out there.”
After looking thoughtful for a moment, Anne asked in a hopeful voice, “Can you heal my mother?”
“I can try. But we’ll need more herbs. It will go faster if you help me collect them.”
Moving fast, the two friends headed into the forest, which was still damp from the night of rain. It was early spring, and the tall trees were showing off their gorgeous green leaves. As they gathered the right plants, Anne suddenly said, “You know, Rose, I think it’s sad that you’ve never been in love.”
Love was one of Anne’s favorite subjects to gossip about, but it often made Rose feel awkward and uncomfortable. Keeping her gaze on the ground, she answered, “I wouldn’t say that I’ve never been in love.”
