“We prefer Reverence to the Revenant,” Alphie corrected me gently.“Sit down and put your foot up so I can get a look at it.
I did as I was told, because I definitely needed medical care, even if I didn’t completely trust it.I stretched my leg out, and she placed a folded towel under my damaged foot, elevating it slightly.
Gingerly, she turned my foot this way and that as she inspected it, and she finished with a softhmmnoise.“I won’t lie and tell you this isn’t going to hurt, but I’ll do the best I can to minimize it.Your foot needs to be cleaned, the wound needs a few stitches, and very soon, you’ll likely need those two necrotic toes removed.”
“Why not do it now and get it over with?”I asked.
“Nell will want to meet with you first,” she said.“She is the Allmother of the Reverent and the Revenant.”
“Of course.That makes sense,” I muttered, my voice dipped in sugar and spite.
When she touched my tender flesh with a rag soaked in alcohol, I inhaled sharply through my teeth.I had felt worse pain in my life, but not by a wide enough margin, honestly.
“So what’s your deal?”I asked, hoping to distract myself from it.“What do you all do around here?You worship the dead and squeeze in a little yoga?”
“There issomeyoga,” she admitted with a sly smile.“But it truly is a simple, blessed life here.We all work to take care of each other and our Loved Ones, and we express gratitude for living such a comfortable life when so many others are suffering.”
“That sounds nice,” I said, and it did.But I had been around the post-apocalypse long enough to know that if something sounded like a utopia, it was probably the opposite.
43
Remy
At least I was warm, and Vince was likely warm, too.No matter what happened to me here, he was a good sturdy mule, so I assumed they would treat him well.
I didn’t let myself think on Ripley or anyone back at the Barbarabelle too much.Ripley was strong, independent, and resourceful, so she’d figure out some way to hunker down and stay warm.Boden, Stella, and Fae were safe back on the boat, probably even safer now that I was gone.
Sometimes, I wondered dimly if they hated me for leaving them the way I had.I wouldn’t blame them if they did, especially if it made it easier for them.And it wasn’t like I didn’t deserve their rage, either.
I understood that what I’d done was unforgivable.But I didn’t see any way to avoid them getting hurt.I brought too much darkness on myself, and it was only a matter of time before they’d be consumed by it, too.
The only thing I had to distract myself from my own thoughts was the battered leatherbound copy ofThe Book of Mercy.It had been tucked away in the lining of my jacket, because I sometimes read it on breaks, so I liked it keep it on me.Flipping through the pages of a mad woman’s delusions was only slightly better than focusing on the throbbing pain in my foot or the anxious beating of my heart.
Eventually, the door to my cell opened.Benedict – the tall guard – entered first.He’d traded in his snow white ghillie suit for a vibrant tunic and trousers.His rifle was shouldered, and he had a sharp spear in one hand.
Behind him was Alphie, the Empath who had cleaned my foot, once again carrying her wicker basket of medical treatments.That had been yesterday, I think, or maybe earlier today.It was hard to tell when left alone in a windowless room without a clock.
Then yet a third person came in.A petite woman draped in vibrant robes and glittering jewelry.I couldn’t put my finger on it, but she looked strangely familiar.
She was shorter than me, and maybe a decade or two older.Her hair was long, light brown with graying streaks near the top, and her pale eyes were large but weary, like an exhausted mother about to scold her misbehaving children.Her layers of colorful robes accentuated the aggressive sinewiness of her collarbones and her narrow arms.
“Rise when Allmother comes in a room,” Benedict barked at me, like I would’ve somehow known any of that shit.
I sat up and faced them, tucking my book behind my back so they’d be less likely to take it.My legs hung over the edge of the cot, but I didn’t go further.“I’m not really standing so great on my foot these days.”
All of their eyes bounced down to my partially bandaged foot, and they wore a trio of grimaces at the sight of my two black toes poking out from beyond the wrapping.
“You were correct, Alphonsine,” the woman said.“Those toes must come off.”
“Thank you,” Alphie said, turning humbled by such minor praise.“Shall I do it now?”
“Yes, I don’t see why not.”The woman motioned for Alphie to tend to me, and the Empath hurried over and kneeled at my feet.
“What exactly is going on right now?”I asked, growing confused and concerned.
“I’ve come to introduce myself and perform an assessment,” the woman explained with her slender fingers laced together in front of her.“The Empath is here to amputate your toes before illness ravages you, and the Sentry is here to ensure that everyone is safe.”
“Okay, sure,” I said, as Alphie began to carefully unwrap and wash my injured foot.
