Chapter Twenty-six

 

A couple of days sped by as Ayla and Sophia got in to see the governor. They had him ready to sign off, but the man wanted to meet Doc, which they arranged for the following morning.

 

While things were being set up to get approval from the territory government, it left the rest of the group at loose ends. Sonya and Harrid spoke to the small community of dwarves in the area; they were mine overseers for the prison work gangs, the ones who mined the sandstone quarry a few miles away. Doc agreed that they should head to Elka to speak with the clans when they arrived— good miners were always a boon— and he made sure they were warned about the sheriff there being a bigot.

 

Lia and Rosa rode out to speak to the tribes near the city, leading to the two elders of the area coming back with them to see Doc. He was happy that both elders had brought a couple of people with them. He appointed two of the extras as shamans, and then showed them how to heal, including making women more fertile. The tribes were ecstatic and promised to share the word about Luck’s Voice to the other tribes they knew.

 

~*~*~

 

Breakfast was over, and Doc again wished Charles had come with them to cook, as the meals at the Hot Springs Hotel had been lackluster. Standing up, he went around the table, kissing each of his wives briefly. “Hopefully, this won’t take long. If it works out, I’ll swing by the train depot and buy tickets to get us on the way to Golden Bay.”

 

“He wouldn’t tell us why he wanted to see you,” Ayla said. “He didn’t seem like he was setting a trap… it was more like he didn’t want something known.”

 

“His wedding band finger would twitch when he insisted,” Sophia said.

 

“Hopefully, it’s benign,” Lia said. “If you’re not back by evening, I’ll come to find you.”

 

“We all will,” Sonya said firmly.

 

Doc gave them a soft smile. “I’ll have Rosa and Harrid with me, plus I have my gifts. I’ll be fine, though I will take a rescue if it’s necessary.”

 

A minute later, they were out the door and into a waiting carriage.

 

“Doc, do you think this will be a problem?” Harrid asked.

 

“I hope not. He’d asked to meet me on the first day. He didn’t insist on it until the deal was nearly done. I think Sophia is right, it has something to do with him being married.”

 

“Once we see him, I will know. If he means ill toward Doc, I will tell you,” Rosa said.

 

“That would be for the best,” Harrid nodded. “If it is a trap, the sooner we get away, the better.”

 

Doc looked out the carriage window. There’d been a light dusting of late-season snow the night before. The only snow that had stuck was all in the shadows of buildings. “I’m hoping we’re just being paranoid…” he finally said. “We’ve been waiting for the preacher here to know I’m here and make a big deal about it. Maybe we got away better than we thought.”

 

“I hope you’re right.”

 

“We haven’t seen any indications of the preacher knowing. I doubt he’d wait, considering we slipped away in Elka.”

 

“True,” Harrid nodded.

 

“I have not seen anyone watching us with harmful intent, either,” Rosa added. “Some have been angry with Doc having so many women on his arms— the normal repulsion at some of them not being human or with me being allowed in the city— but nothing that indicated they would attack us.”

 

“That’s good,” Doc said. “One day, maybe that animosity will be a thing of the past, but only time will tell.”

 

~*~*~

 

The capital building was just recently finished, and its sandstone exterior had come from the prison quarry. The two-story building stood proudly with the Emerita flag waving in the light breeze above it. Getting out of the carriage at the split-rail fence surrounding it, Doc smiled. It was such a mixture of frontier and society that he couldn’t help himself.

 

Crunching gravel underfoot as they walked the single path toward the stairs leading to the front doors, Doc looked at the winter grounds. Everything was dormant, but for this world, that meant their coloration was different— they didn’t lose their leaves in the winter. Just outside the front doors was a boot scraper, which both Doc and Harrid used.

 

Entering the building, Doc was surprised to see marble flooring. The atrium they paused in was open with four large offices in each corner. There were stairs that led up to the second floor, which is where Harrid started to lead them.

 

The second floor had three major features, including two big rooms for the state legislatures. The last was a smaller room directly across from the stairs for the governor. Doc could hear voices coming from the open doors of both chambers, showing that the state government was in session. He was glad he wouldn’t have to deal with them— trying to deal with so many politicians at once would be headache-inducing.

 

Harrid opened the governor’s door, letting Doc go in first. He had a smile on his lips when he entered. The secretary’s eyes scanned them before he put a professional smile on.

 

“Good morning, sir. How can I help you?”

 

“Here to see Governor Cole Ernst. My name is Doc Holyday.”

 

“Of course, sir. This way,” the secretary said, opening the inner office doors. “Sir, Doc Holyday is here.”

 

Standing up, Cole Ernst gave them a bright smile. “Come in, come in! I’ve been waiting to meet with you, sir.”

 

Doc walked in, shook hands with Ernst, then took a seat. “Thank you for meeting with me, Governor.”

 

“That’ll be all, Timmons,” Ernst told his secretary.

 

“Yes, sir,” Timmons said before shutting the door.

 

Harrid stood behind Doc’s chair to his left while Rosa knelt on his right.

 

“A guard and a dryad. Your wives did tell me about them, but it’s odd to see,” Ernst said.

 

“I’m unusual. I was surprised that you put our meeting as the condition for you to sign off on my business endeavors in the territory.”

 

“Yes,” Ernst said, coughing slightly. “An… acquaintance of mine told me you healed them. When I realized who your wives were, I knew I would need to speak with you, myself.”

 

“I only ask for a prayer to Lady Luck in return for healing,” Doc smiled. “If you want, I can—”

 

“Not me,” Ernst cut him off. “It’s my wife. I was worried about having to see you in Furden. My wife isn’t seen in public often. She’s… sensitive to how it would impact my life.”

 

“Bestial?” Doc asked.

 

“Half-elf,” Ernst said softly. “She’s worn her hair down most of the time she has to go out, but even that hasn’t helped much. We’ve accepted that, but since she caught the flu a couple of years back… her health has been fragile.”

 

Doc stood up. “Let’s go see her. All you had to do was ask. Luck heals everyone, even a preacher if he’d allow it. You’ve met my wives; I don’t hold prejudices, nor will I speak of it to others.”

 

Ernst was on his feet the next moment. “Yes. This way, please.”

 

~*~*~

 

It took ten minutes for Ernst’s carriage to be brought around and to ride over to his home. The house had a deer bestial maid who met them at the door; she was quick to go make sure the lady of the home was suitable for guests.

 

A few minutes later, Ernst’s wife came into the parlor. Her elven heritage was noticeable, even with her hair down to cover her ears. What caught Doc’s attention was her fatigue— she had dark circles under her eyes, and even the powder she wore didn’t do enough to hide them.

 

“Rosemary, this is Doc Holyday. He’s a faith healer,” Ernst said, going to his wife’s side to help her to the sofa.

 

Doc had stood when she entered, so he bowed slightly to her. “Ma’am, thank you for seeing me.”

 

“A faith healer?” Her voice was worn, but she spoke clearly.

 

“Lady Luck is my patron, ma’am. If you’re willing, I can see about healing you.”

 

Taking the seat, Rosemary breathed slowly, as if she’d run a marathon. “I’m not sure you can help, but if my husband brought you, I’m willing to try.” Her eyes shifted to Rosa before they lost the little bit of life they had.

 

Rosa smiled slightly; she knew why Rosemary had frowned at seeing her. She touched Doc’s ankle and waited.

 

“Lady Luck, Rosemary Ernst is sick and comes to you for healing,” Doc said. “Please help her.”

 

Rosemary blinked at the green glowing hand that was held out to her. “What?” She’d seen a doctor at work before, and their energy wasn’t green.

 

“Just take my hand, ma’am.”

 

Slowly, she did as Doc said. The warmth that began to fill her made her breath catch. She thought of her grandmother and the stories of the tribes before the humans came to the shores of the continent. Her grandmother’s voice, speaking of the gods and their Voices, filled her mind before the warmth ebbed away.

 

Sniffling, not knowing she’d been crying, Rosemary looked at Doc in confusion. “What…?”

 

“He is a Voice,” Rosa said softly. “Lady Luck gave him a mission to save Mother, as your grandmother used to tell you.”

 

Ernst dabbed his wife’s face with a handkerchief, clearing away her running makeup. He was shocked to see her eyes clear and bright, the darkness under them gone. Holding back his own tears, he felt happy that he’d been right to trust Doc.

 

Taking the handkerchief from her husband, she wiped her face, removing the caked-on makeup as she did. “But… they were all killed.”

 

“Yes,” Doc said softly. “They were. Now, I’m here.”

 

“Thank you…” Rosemary sniffled.

 

“I help those I can,” Doc said softly. “Stop using powder makeup. It’s toxic— the heavy metals will ruin your skin and make you sick. I healed all of that when I healed the Lyme disease you were suffering from.”

 

“I will. I’ll never use it again,” Rosemary said.

 

“Ernst,” Doc said, gently taking his hand back from Rosemary, “there’s a new line of makeup starting in Furden. It’s made from plants to help replace the thick powder. If you want her to use makeup, please look into that.”

 

“Yes, of course!”

 

“If that’s all, I’ll be on my way,” Doc said, standing up.

 

“Yes, of course,” Ernst said again. “We’ll go back to my office and I can sign the last of the forms.” He hugged his wife briefly, whispering to her, “I’ll be back shortly, dear. You’re sure that you are okay?”

 

“Better than since I fell ill,” Rosemary whispered back. “Go on. Hurry home, though.”

 

Doc smiled, having caught the whispers. All the way back, Ernst thanked him again and again, but Doc just insisted that it was what he’d have done regardless of whether they had a deal pending. Ten minutes after reaching the capital building, Doc had his copies of the paperwork and was on his way to the depot to get train tickets. They’d managed to stay ahead of the church, and he wanted to keep it that way.