Worship

People avoided Mr. Gab’s home for the remainder of the month after he lost his arm. Only Mack went daily to check on him. He carried water in for Mr. Gab, and changed the bandages on his arm and his head. Finally he approached me while I was walking through the town square, and he knelt awkwardly, “P-Princess,” Mack spoke through his teeth.

“Rise…” I bid him, “That means you can stand up, now.”

He stood quickly and nodded, “It’s Mr. Gab. He is feverish this morning. His arm festers.”

I looked at the scar under my fingernail, “Wounds are seen to do that, yes. Your friend, Mr. Brick, he is a stonemason, correct?”

“Princess, I’m speaking of…”

I held my hand out to him, “Pass the message from me that Mr. Brick is to ensure the broken bridge remains stable. The river is near to rising past its base. Heighten the bridge if necessary.”

Mack held his breath, “What about Mr. Gab?”

“If the wound has turned, Mr. Sky will have to take the rest of the arm. What more do you want?” I held my scepter more firmly, “He should not have jumped in the river.”

Mack pressed his lips together. His glanced past me, toward the glowing fire gland in the wall, “It is not that he leapt wantingly. He tripped. It was a tragic accident, Your Majesty.”

“Indeed,” I said, “this is why I am asking to repair the bridge. So that somebody does not suffer the same error. We learn from our mistakes here.”

“Yes, I shall let Mr. Brick know,” he scratched the back of his head, “Princess, can I ask something else of you?” I stood, tapping my foot against the ground, so he continued, “You’ve heard about my wife. She won’t come out of our home, but recently, she’s had some visitors. I’m afraid her madness is getting worse, you… you should speak with her.”

“Of course!” I smiled sadly, “Everyone in town is worried about her.”

“Thank you, Princess.” Mack led the way back to his home. The old blacksmith’s shop sat at a slant. It was torn out of its foundation, and one of the walls had lost half a meter from its bottom. The door was broken on its hinges and hung a few centimeters open. Over the month, its wooden bottom had turned a darker brown and black at the bottom. It looked like melted wax, some of the wood dripping down toward the ground. Wooden walls and doors had started doing that all around Dragontown.

I stepped inside, my feet pressing against the ground. The bottoms of my shoes had been ruined, and Bubbles hadn’t been able to get me new ones yet. Everyone’s shoes were falling apart too quickly. At least, mine would be replaced. The bottoms of peoples feet formed callouses and blisters and scars. The ground was always damp.

Daisy was still asleep this early in the morning. Her parents had set her to rest on top of a table so she wouldn’t have to sleep on the ground. I could tell it was better for her, her clothes were intact. Mack’s had holes forming in them, and through the holes, I could see patches of burned skin. The table wobbled as she stirred. Two of its legs had melted into unstable points.

Elsie shivered in the corner. A patchwork of white cloth was wrapped around her like a robe, “M-Mack…” Her voice quaked. “H-home…”

“I know, my love. I’m here,” he wrapped his around around her shoulders, helping her to sit straight. The makeshift robe didn’t extend past her thighs, and her lower legs were covered in long, burnt streaks. The flesh turned white with no hair on it.

I grabbed the frayed end of her sleeve. The threading almost ripped from my light grasp, “I’ll get you new clothes,” I pulled my hand away.

“No…” She shook her head, “The Padro said… he said these clothes will garner her favor.”

“The Padro?” I asked, “Her favor? Who is this Padro?” There was nobody in town with such a name.

She wheezed, “He t-taught us to be humble before the empress- the dragon. Bubbles-Navfa.”

“Navfa?” I blinked. I’d never heard a word like that, even from Bubbles herself.

Mack used his finger to draw a holy symbol on his forehead. He bent his head down and muttered an apology to something. He smiled sadly, “In our homeland, Navfa meant goddess.” Mack looked her in the eye, “The real Navfa are still with us, Elsie. Do not lose sight of them. See them in Daisy’s eyes if you must.”

I looked around, “Tell me more about your homeland.”

Mack leaned back against the wall, “Hell, it was cold. But, one day was warmer than the last, or colder. It wasn’t the same every day. The ground stayed in one place unless you took a shovel and did the work yourself. The river flooded all at once when it wasn’t frozen, and the worst it did was ruin crops. When that little thing happened, we thought Navfa were angry with us.”

“Sometimes it would snow in Farhaven,” I thought back, “only once in a couple years. It didn’t snow last year.” I sighed, “I was disappointed. I wanted to see the snow, but I forgot about it quickly. It would snow in another year or two.”

“It’s snowing somewhere in the world,” his eyes crossed the room, “Daisy always loved the snow. I never understood it, even as a kid. It’s just cold given shape. The frost can kill, you know? I used to love the heat, it would only get hot for a couple days of the year.”

I nodded slowly, “You would have loved Farhaven. It only rarely got cold.”

“Princess…” Elsie pressed her head against the ground. She collected some of the droplets of liquid on her blistered fingertips and dragged the moisture across her face. She winced as it seared her cheeks.

“Yes?” I looked away from her ritual.

“The Padro wants to meet you. I c-can tell him when.”

“You will command he meets me at the palace this time tomorrow morning.” I stopped myself and spoke more softly before leaving, “Thank you for your help.”