Warprize

senel.”
    “Simus…” Joden was standing there frowning.
    Simus glowered at his friend. “We will both be there.” He raised a hand to prevent Joden from saying anything further. I looked at both men’s faces. Joden was clearly unhappy, and Simus looked angry. I didn’t understand that at all, but Joden was uncomfortable. I cleared my throat and drew Simus’s attention. He shifted his gaze, focusing his dark eyes on me. “Well?”
    “It looks well enough. But only a few steps.”
    “Hah!” Simus brought his hand down into his fist. “You watch, little healer. I will dance out of this tent.”
    I rolled my eyes. “I am sure. But just in case, let Prest and Rafe support you for the first few steps.”
    Simus grimaced, but was willing to put up with anything just to get a chance to walk, calling in my guards impatiently. Rafe and Prest supported him on each side as he rose from his bed and managed a few steps. Very quickly, he was grey and shaky from the effort. We got him back onto his pallet and Joden helped him get comfortable. Once that was taken care of I knelt and began to strip the bark of the stumps in his tent.
    Simus coughed. “Warprize, what are you—”
    I ignored him. “It’s a medicine.” I kept peeling. “I’ll use it to brew fever’s foe.”
    He rolled his eyes. “Oh, great joy. I must confess, little one, that muck tastes terrible.”
    Prest and Rafe left the tent, hands filled with bark. I moved to follow, with both hands full.
    “I will see you at senel, little healer.” Simus called after me.
    I turned, and brandished my bundle as if to admonish him. He raised his arms to ward off a blow. “I know, I know. They will carry me to the tent.” I smiled at him. I turned to find Keir in front of me. He stepped in close, lifted my chin. “Be on time for senel.” Then he kissed me, hard and fast. I just looked up at him when he pulled back. With a smug look, he nudged me on my way. As we moved away from the tent I looked over at Rafe. “What is a ‘senel’?”
    He puzzled for a bit. “A gathering, a taking of advice from others, a…” He looked to Prest for help, but Prest just shrugged. Rafe rolled his eyes.
    “Who will be there?”
    ‘The leaders, Keir’s…“ He screwed his face up. ”Secondaries? We call them warleaders.“ The morning sun caught the glint of metal off to the side. I turned my head to see a group of warriors in a large practice field. A tall woman was standing in the field, as a large horse raced toward her. I stopped in my tracks. “What?”
    Rafe chuckled. “Watch, Warprize.”
    Prest was giving her a sharp eye, and grunted. I turned back to watch as the horse charged the woman. At the last moment, the horse brushed past her, and suddenly she seemed to leap into the saddle. There were shouts from the group watching as she swung the horse back toward them. She seemed pleased with her performance.
    “How did she do that?” I asked.
    “Practice,” said Prest.
    Rafe nodded his agreement. I gave him a doubtful look as we continued walking. “No, its true, Warprize. We all practice our riding skills in the same fashion. Each is required to be able to mount a galloping horse.”
    I sighed. “Rafe, you used my name in the city.”
    Rafe nodded. “True. But you are now the warprize.”
    Prest nodded in agreement.
    At the healing tent all was well. It took almost no time to check the wounded, and take care of their needs. The worst was the one who’d been whipped, but he was still asleep, so I waited to check him. Instead, I started a pot of water boiling on one of the braziers and corralled one of the wounded into watching it. I was careful to explain that he had to add water as it boiled away. As I moved among the cots, the only problem was that I kept bumping into Prest and Rafe as they hovered over me. Finally, I turned to Prest.
    “This is foolish. Go sit in a corner of the tent and watch me.” Rafe frowned and opened his mouth to protest. I snarled. “Take your big feet, and go over there out of my way.”
    Prest laughed and pulled Rafe with him. They settled down off to the side. Soon, Rafe was working his sword with a whetstone. Prest appeared to be carving something from some wood. Some of the mobile wounded joined them, and they were laughing and talking quietly as I worked. But I noticed that one of them always had an eye on me.
    I gathered up the boiled skunk cabbage and some clean cloths, and went to where the warrior lay