Conflict and Courage (26 page)

“Essentially,
you are qualified,” Doctor Whistler had continued, “you just need
more experience and you’ll certainly get it there. You said to me
once that you wanted to be a surgeon?”

Hilary
nodded.

“Just the place
for you then,” he had said.

To go back a
fortnight, Gsnei had arrived at the gates of the medical facility
and sat down to wait, causing much excitement amongst staff,
patients and visitors alike. When asked, he had replied in broken
Standard that he was waiting for his human and that he was sure
that she would be along soon. Hilary had just begun her shift and
was accompanying her mentor on his ward rounds.

Hilary looked
out over the hospital yard when the news of his arrival reached her
but thought nothing of it although she was finding it difficult to
concentrate. Doctor Whistler became increasingly exasperated with
her and after some thought the wise man put two and two together,
made four, and, with a knowing smile on his face, asked his young
intern if she was sickening for something. At Hilary’s vehement
shake of her head he suggested that perhaps it would be better if
she were to go outside for some fresh air.

“Perhaps I
should,” replied Hilary. “I’ve been feeling a peculiar sensation
behind my ears and in my temple since I woke this morning. I think
it’s a headache coming on. Some fresh air might clear it.”

Doctor
Whistler, who knew something of how the Lind chose their life
partners, being a friend of Jim Cranston, only nodded, to all
appearances intent on his patient who was responding very slowly to
his medication.

He was not sure
that he had got the dosage right with this specific native
palliative but this morning his mind was not centred on his
patients, but on his intern. He would not be at all surprised if it
was Hilary the Lind was waiting for. Just the other day, Manya, the
Lind healer he most usually worked with had indicated that the
young woman was a prime candidate. He wondered if Manya had been,
in effect, preparing him for just such an occurrence.

“Go on then,”
was all he said, making a pointed effort not to look up, “I’ll see
you later.”

He remained
motionless until he judged Hilary had left the ward then with a
reassuring smile at his patient rushed over to the window that
overlooked the courtyard.

Thus it was
that he watched Hilary emerge and the large black and beige striped
Lind rise to his paws.

Watched by a
group of interested bystanders, she stumbled over to him. The
patients were beginning to wonder where their visitors were. There
were oohs and gasps from the crowd and a smattering of approving
claps as she laid one hand on his neck.

The Lind
lowered his body, one un-winking, inviting deep green eye holding
her gaze as if daring her to mount up on to his back, daring her to
accept the challenge. His tail began to wag, slowly at first then
speeding up as Hilary began to accept her destiny.

Hilary, sensing
what he wanted, looked up at the window seeking approval or
permission; Doctor Whistler was not sure which. He waved and,
making a shooing gesture with both hands, watched as she contrived
to swing her leg across his withers and twist her hands through his
neck-ruff, a necessary precaution Doctor Whistler realised, as the
Lind rose to his full height. The Lind turned and walked away, the
small slight figure of his intern perched precariously atop his
back.

Only then did
he turn to face the patients who were clamouring to know what all
the cheering was about.

Now Hilary
found herself riding through the stronghold gates thinking about
how her life plans had been set aside so easily. She was
apprehensive about her future with the Vada. A military life was
not what she would have chosen.

A heavily
pregnant Laura McAllister met her, Faddei by her side.

She helped
Hilary dismount and after a few words of welcome led her towards a
long two-storied building not far from the gates. It had wide swing
doors at each end and in the middle.

“This is the
Holad,” announced Laura, “our medical base. Staff quarters are
round the back. Some of us medical staff live here but others have
their dagas nearby.”

“Dagas?”

“Lind word for
home,” explained Laura, “we use many of their words here.”

She led Hilary
and Gsnei through the middle doors and out the other side.

“We’re very
glad to have you,” added Laura as she showed them their room,
bigger and more spacious that the cadet cubicles but with similar
furnishings, “I’m afraid it’s a bit bare. When you have a spare
moment come and see me and I’ll help you make it more
comfortable.”

“Doctor
Whistler did say you were shorthanded,” ventured Hilary.

“Yes. We’ve
only one qualified doctor and now you. The rest of us are medics or
nurses. Doctor James will see you soon. He’s down on the training
field, one of the cadets had a fall, otherwise he would have been
here to greet you himself.”

She eyed
Hilary’s rucksack.

“Is that all
you have brought with you?”

“Just these few
clothes and my medical bag. My books and everything else are coming
by boat. Doctor Whistler is sending them on. I didn’t want to
burden Gsnei.”

“Oh, they can
carry a lot if need be but we can kit you out with what you’ll need
for the immediate future.”

Later, fed,
clean and attired in (mostly) fitting garments from the general
store, Laura led Hilary back to her new quarters.

“Do you live in
this building as well?” asked the newest member of the Vada
Holad.

“No, I’m
married to Francis who commands here. He’s been having a trying
time of late getting the Vada up to strength and his Asya’s
pregnancy isn’t helping.”

“His Lind is
pregnant? Doesn’t that make it rather hard to lead his troops?”

“We manage. My
Faddei obliges more often than not. There are quite a few of us
pregnant, of both species. My son is due in a week. You’ll be busy,
never fear.”

With Lind
births as well?”

Laura looked
surprised.

“Did no one
tell you? I suppose they didn’t think of it. The medical team here
is made up of both human and Lind. I know your Doctor Whistler has
worked with our Holad friends at Settlement. The Lind Holad are
good, they know so much about native sicknesses and home-grown
remedies. They are somewhat restricted in what they can do because
they have paws and not hands so it’s up to us humans to do any
surgery or intricate work.”

Hilary stood
there, staring at her, mouth agape.

“Both species
benefit,” Laura added as she helped Hilary put her meagre
possessions away. Hilary remained silent, digesting the news.

“Their death
rate is dropping rapidly from wounds, fractures and childbirth, I
should say lindbirth really. When healer Talya watched her first
caesarean section she danced for joy. Both mother and ltsctas would
have died otherwise. If you are interested in midwifery, speak to
Janice Randall up at rtath Winston near domta Afanasei. She and her
husband have begun a medical school there. Janice is becoming quite
an expert on the vagaries of Lind ante and postnatal care.”

“Winston? That
name rings a bell.”

“He’s a vet,
you’ll have met him on the ship. He and his family were one of the
first to volunteer to come to Vadath when Jim and Larya asked. Here
at the stronghold we specialise in battle injuries. At domta
Winston they teach everything, human, Lind, other animals,
physiology, the lot. You’ll see him soon. We work closely
together.”

Hilary’s
eyebrows rose in astonishment. “I didn’t realise,” she
stammered.

Laura changed
the subject. “Well, you do now. How much teaching have you
done?”

“Teaching? Me?
It’s not so very long ago that I was the one being
taught
.
What teaching?” Again Hilary wondered just what Gsnei had got her
into.

“You and James
are the only qualified doctors we have. James is stretched to the
limit. With you here he can devote more time to his students and
can travel to Winston and help with the teaching there. Just at
present they come to us.”

“Is Doctor
James alone or is he like Gsnei and me?”

“Alone, he has
to cadge a ride whenever he can. When you have to do dagavisits
your Gsnei will take you as a matter of course.”

Something else
was worrying Hilary.

“Gsnei said
that I would have to learn to use a sword.”

“You’ll have to
fit in at least some arms practice. Everyone has to learn, even
me.”

“I’ll be
hopeless.”

“Weaponsmaster
Wilhelm won’t let you out on your own until you can defend yourself
but that won’t be today or even tomorrow. Get settled in and get
some sleep. Faddei will bring Gsnei round when he’s ready.”

On her way out
Laura turned to ask a final question.

“Before you
left Settlement, did you hear about the recent raids?”

“I don’t think
so. Were they very bad?”

“Two attacks;
one in Argyll and another south-east of here, just within Vadath’s
borders. Luckily a Lindar was on patrol near the latter and ran
them off. In Argyll though I believe whole families have
disappeared. They only take the people, never the livestock.”

“The pirates
are becoming a big problem,” said Hilary.

“A giant
headache,” Laura agreed. “Jim Cranston warned them, he suspected
some of them would turn to piracy but so many ignored him. Now, I
really must go. I’m glad you’re here. I think you’ll do well and it
will be good to get to know you.”

Hilary,
comforted by Laura’s parting pronouncement, decided that bed, hard
and spartan as it looked and felt, was the best thing for her.
Tired out from the journey, she fell asleep as soon as her head
touched the pillow. Gsnei too was exhausted and when he pushed open
the swing doors and tip-pawed over to his own divan, he laid his
head between his forepaws and collapsed in an untidy heap of legs,
paws and tail.

Over the next
weeks Hilary wondered again and again at the massive change Gsnei’s
appearance had made in her life. Gone were the ordered hours and
duties of the Settlement medical facility. She was, as Laura had
prophesied, kept busy every waking moment. If she wasn’t tending to
ailments and injuries she was teaching, if not teaching, she was
being taught herself, mostly by the Lind Talya with whom she and
Gsnei became friendly and if that wasn’t enough, she had to attend
the scheduled weapons practices held by Weaponsmaster Wilhelm or
another of his team.

Doctor James
welcomed her as a fellow physician and not an intern barely out of
medical school. As her confidence grew, so did her competency and,
by the end of winter, he was able to leave her in joint charge of
the Holad with Talya when he went north to Holad domta Winston,
warning her that he fully intended that next time she would go in
his stead.

Hilary took a
deep breath and got on with it.

: You do
well :
said Gsnei and Hilary basked in his praise.

They did manage
some leisure time and explored the countryside, Hilary’s eyes
bright with interest and a hitherto unknown sense of adventure.

By then, Hilary
wouldn’t have traded places with anyone else on the planet and she
looked back at her earlier resentment with a great deal of
amusement.

Tina Charles
shared Hilary’s sentiments one hundred per cent. She and Daltei
settled in better that anyone or anylind had hoped. She was still
rather quiet and reserved, although she did speak her mind when the
occasion warranted. Daltei’s well-meaning exuberance had been
tempered slightly but not by very much.

Tina and Tara
struck up a firm friendship, the younger girl had a maturity and
depth of feeling that Tina lacked, sheltered from life by her
strict religious upbringing. Tara’s Kolyei was also older than
Tina’s Daltei and Kolyei treated him much as a big brother would to
Daltei’s secret gratification.

Tina would have
been surprised if she had listened to a conversation between the
two men responsible for weapons training within the Vada.

“Tina and
Daltei are settling in well,” said Ross.

“More than
well,” said Wilhelm with satisfaction. “She is a natural. I’m
teaching her moves that I normally only teach to the cadets in
their final year. By the time she reaches that stage she might well
be challenging me!”

“The future
Weaponsmaster when you retire then?” teased Ross.

“Perhaps. She
will have the skills of that I am in no doubt, but will she be
mentally able, mentally robust enough for the task? I train them. I
watch them leave with their Ryzck for the first time. I train them
when they return. Some don’t. The Larg are not the only enemy. Have
you ever seen these huge cat-like predators in the northern
mountains? Every time I hear that a vadeln has died, I see them in
my mind’s eye, remember them as the fresh young teenagers they
were. I say to myself, did I do enough? Could I have trained them
better for the trials ahead? Did I miss a weakness and not train
them to compensate and so cause their deaths?”

“Every trainer
has such thoughts,” said Ross. “I do myself, but you must remember
that without you it would be far worse.”

“I know,”
Wilhelm answered, “but it doesn’t make it any easier and Tina, if
she was in my position … I think it might well destroy her.”

Tara was
settling down as well.

“How’s it going
little sister?” asked Brian, “managing all right?”

“It’s pretty
much as I suspected,” answered the cautious Tara, “I don’t like the
sword lessons but the rest isn’t too bad.”

“It’ll get
better, at least it’ll stop aching so much.”

“It’s not
that,” Tara answered, “I just don’t like it, every time I hold a
sword I start remembering.”