As I said before, this is a work in progress that I haven't touched for a number of years. I really must get back to writing it because I want to know where it leads.
He turned it gently in his hand, studying its permanent fist of melted flesh and sympathising.
“Come with me Katherine, you have much to learn in only a short time,” he said as he took a pot from the folds of his cloak. He removed the waxed cloth covering from the pot and dipped two fingers inside. They emerged covered in a thick green-grey substance that Katherine could not recognise either the look or the scent of.
She pulled back as he made to take her hand again, but allowed him to hold it on his second and more determined attempt. He smeared the substance onto her wound with a delicate touch and immediately she felt it soothing the sore skin. Then he draped a piece of clean cloth over her hand loose enough to only adhere to the salve. Then he stood and held out his hand for Katherine to take, she hesitated for less than a heart-beat and took it in her left hand, he helped her to stand and waited whilst she shook the pins and needles sensation from her feet, then he led her further from the doorway she had been evicted from less than an hour before.
“Where are we going? She asked, accepting the fact that she would follow him without it being mentioned.
“We are going to your future, Katherine.”
“How do you know my name?”
“I know your name, I know how you came to burn your right hand and I know that none are left in your life to mourn you if you go missing. Your father did not want you and was happy for you to go into service but yesterday, when you had your accident and became useless, he washed his hands of you. He has gone, deserted you and left you in the care of someone else that does not want a crippled girl on their hands, unable to contribute to the household, yet is another mouth to feed.”
Katherine began to cry. Her heart felt as though it had fallen into the cavity of her chest and was still dropping. She stopped walking and sat on the dusty road, not caring for the rocks and pebbles that made her chosen seat uncomfortable. Her hand had begun to throb again and although it was less painful because of the salve, it was still close to unbearable for her.
Her companion did not shout at her or try to force her to get up, but he stood and watched her for a moment and then kneeling beside her, wrapped his arms around her in a gesture that she had not felt for so very long in her short lifetime. She was comforted and gave herself over to the warmth she found in the embrace.
Soon, she stopped crying but he did not remove his arms. He held her until she fell asleep and then he scooped her up and carried her, careful not to disturb her hand and wake her with fresh agonies.
Katherine awoke in a warm bed, her hand was throbbing again but she could smell delicious aromas and her belly was empty and over-rode the pain for the moment.
As she stirred, the stranger noticed and came over to the side of the bed and knelt on the floor so that he was at the same level as she was and could talk to her.
“Katherine, I am known as Dominic, I have a craft, it is a healing craft and I know that you sometimes have visions. That tells me that you are at least part-way to knowing some of the lessons I would like to teach you. If you will agree to become my apprentice, I shall teach you all I know and together we can travel the country and make our living from healing others. Would you like that?”
She looked at him as though he was talking in a language that she could not understand and he was concerned that he had misjudged the situation. He did not speak again, but allowed her to gather her thoughts.
“How did you know my name? How did you know that I would be at the stream? How do you know that my father abandoned me? How do I know that you are telling me the truth? Why should I trust you? Where have I been taken? Where had I been taken? Who was the man in that shack?” Katherine only paused to take a breath.
It was Dominic’s turn to be confused, the bombardment of questions that she fired at him was overwhelming and he sat on the floor and looked at her. She began another round of questions but Dominic held up one hand to ask her to stop before she started the next set.
“Katherine please, I cannot answer all of your questions immediately. Take a breath and give me a chance to think on what you have asked.”
She did as he asked and sat up in bed.
After a moment, Dominic began to speak. “I knew that you were going to be at the stream because I too have visions of a similar nature to yours. I know your name and that your father has gone by the same method and you have to decide if you can trust me or not. You are at my home, deep in the woods and the other questions are either of no consequence or will wait until later to be answered. I will not keep anything from you, Katherine, trust has to be mutual. Your destiny is entwined with mine and we have to be able to trust each other – even with our lives if necessary. Some of the things that I shall teach you are dangerous and if you do not trust me or I you, then we could cause great harm to one or both of us.” He gave her a moment to think on what he said and when she seemed to have it clear in her mind, he began again. “I am sometimes known as a Warlock or a male witch…”
Katherine’s eyes grew wide and she became frightened. To her credit, she did not try to get out of the bed or to flee and Dominic smiled at her for that.
“As I told you earlier, I heal people. I follow the Goddess Morgana in her teachings and I practice the philosophy of ‘Do no harm’. I think that you would be a good apprentice and that your visions would help you in this chosen field. Would you like to learn all that I have learned - how to heal a sick child or help to heal a broken limb?”
Katherine was calmed by his soothing tone and she listened to his voice explaining what he did and how he lived. She understood that he was willing to teach her his craft and how to read and write and in the end, they would be as partners. In exchange, she would keep his house and cook for him and study hard.
When he was away, she would be safe, for he could place enchantments around her and their home and eventually, she would be able to do the same. Her apprenticeship would take years, but if she was diligent, she would become a healer.
It took very little time for Katherine to agree to the conditions and they set to work to begin her lessons.
Pain management was one lesson that Katherine wanted to learn first but Dominic was adamant that her own needs were secondary to the needs of others and until she had learned to put other beings first, she would not learn anything well.
He began to teach her the first lessons of his craft the very next day.
On most evenings she would collapse into her bed, exhausted from the lessons and from the chores. She awoke early every morning and set the fire and cooked their breakfast. Sometimes she would have to wake Dominic, but other times he was already gone when she brought his food and she was puzzled as to how he had got past her in their one-room shack.
She learned to read from the few books that Dominic had lying about the place – only few were of any interest because most were written in a language that Katherine could not understand and Dominic said that he could not understand them enough to teach her. He studied those books in an attempt to decipher them enough to be able to teach Katherine.
She studied her lessons well and became as good a healer as Dominic and sometimes was allowed to carry out healing on the very infrequent visitors that came to the shack for that purpose.
Dominic seemed pleased with her progress and made more frequent trips away from home, he was confident enough to leave her to her own devices.