Hours later, Dr. Sherman and Finn arrived back at Klain. She had been tranquil and contemplative during the journey, and the doctor chose not to interfere with the direction of her wandering thoughts.
They entered the city gates and stopped by Dr. Sherman's home to freshen up before delivering the medical report to The General.
Riley and Mayra enveloped Finn in a little group hug as if she'd been gone more than a single day and night. She laughed at their enthusiasm.
"I'm fine, you two!"
"Of course you are, we're just so happy to see you up and running around as if you'd never been hurt at all." Mayra assured. She looked at Riley as if emphasizing a point.
"Am I missing something?" Finn asked, glancing between her two friends.
"We should talk inside," said Riley, ushering the girls in.
Dr. Sherman took off his hat and traveling coat, accepting the cool drink his wife offered him.
"My Dear, how did you know I would be thirsty?" He teased.
"You look like you took a dust bath, it's only natural you would want some liquid." She shot back, smiling.
The group sat down at the table. Mayra started in, "Finn, how do you feel? I mean, compared to less than two days ago when you were bedridden, feverish, and in terrible pain?"
Finn blinked, "I'm all better. I don't even feel it anymore."
"Doctor," Mayra turned to him, "The herbs you get from Jimmy now, they are different than the normal, natural ones you used before, right?"
Dr. Sherman rubbed his chin, "Yes. I don't know why exactly, but they work almost miraculously well, and better all the time. Finn is my most quickly healed patient yet. And I can say that without medical help, she would have quickly succumbed to the blood infection and died. I don't know what to make of it, and am afraid to look a gift horse in the mouth."
"Well, Jimmy told us that the herbs do special things. He said they're the same herbs, but you have to put them together in the right way and the recipe is a trade secret."
"You believe that odd man?" Mrs. Sherman said skeptically.
"I have no reason not to!" said Mayra.
"Other than the fact that he's a strange hermit who flaunts the law for his own profit and may not have any integrity at all." Put in Riley. While he couldn't deny the goings-on were strange, he was strongly opposed to trusting a weird stranger on something so outrageous.
"I think that's why herbs are missing everywhere." Put in Mayra. "I think somebody else figured out the herbs have magic in them and are gathering them all."
"Somebody else? Why not Jimmy?" Riley put in, feeling the need to rein in his imaginative sister.
"He's only one man, as you pointed out, and I don't think he'd have told us what they do if he were the one gathering them from everywhere. It wouldn't make sense." She retorted.
"There's a lot about this that doesn't make sense." The doctor thought out loud. "But, perhaps I'll mention it to the General. Then again, perhaps not. Until we know more potential uses for the herbs, it might not be a good thing to have that information spread about." He concentrated, trying to weigh the options and potential outcomes of the choice.
"Won't he be expecting us soon?" Asked Finn. She'd been taking in all the information and suddenly became eager to see if The General could shed any light on what they'd discovered.
"Yes, of course. Get cleaned up and we'll leave in a few minutes." The doctor adjourned the little impromptu meeting.
On the way to the General's residence, Finn tried to puzzle out the problem. She still thought everything was connected but she just couldn't see how. It seemed beyond the grasp of her mind and she decided to take a break from trying to get ahold of it before she got a headache.
Guards stood outside the residence, ready to do the General's bidding should he need it at any time. They moved aside to let the pair in. Finn carried the records for Dr. Sherman, embracing the role of dutiful assistant.
"Good day to you, General," Dr. Sherman bowed in greeting.
"Good Day. What news have you?" The General had been perusing books on a shelf but turned to speak to the newcomers.
"All recruits are healthy and ready for duty. Even young Ashley." Dr. Sherman moved forward to hand the records to the General.
"Ashley?" The General opened the record book and scanned a few pages. "The Provider's daughter volunteered for a year of service?" His bushy eyebrows shot to his hairline. "But why?"
"Her reasons, I believe were said in confidence." The Doctor did not make a habit of talking openly about things his patients told him. "But I'm interested in anything you have learned about your mystery."
The General's face darkened. "Several carrier pigeons are missing. I have reprimanded the man in charge of keeping them."
"Did he give any explanation for their disappearance?" Asked the doctor.
"He had none. He seemed like he was hiding something, and I will have him questioned closely. Such dereliction in the care of Klain's swiftest messengers is not a small offense."
"Is there any way to call them home?" Finn asked. Both men turned to her and she cringed, fearing she'd overstepped her role.
"Not if they are caged somewhere," The General explained magnanimously, "But if they are free to fly, I can put out a signal to divert them here to my residence instead of wherever in the city they may currently be delivering their notes. Although the pigeons can be retrained, their instinct is to travel home."
Home. The word filled Finn with guilt and longing. She should get home as soon as she was able. Her father and brother would be anxious the longer she stayed away. She wondered what they were doing now, and how well Abigail was taking care of them. She hoped the village was safe in her absence.
"Speaking of animals, I have a supplemental report from the field medic at the outpost." Dr. Sherman pulled some papers from his bag. "I had asked him about unusual animal attacks, and he kindly went to gather the records for me and had them delivered before I left."
Was that what Roland had been carrying? Finn wondered if he'd glanced at them before handing them to Dr. Sherman. Likely not, he seemed like he would follow the rules and be a good soldier as long as he was in the service.
The General put down the records he held and took the new ones from the doctor. His brow furrowed as he read through a few pages.
"Interesting."
Finn was about to burst with curiosity, but after her last question met with a mildly censuring reaction, she was hesitant to interrupt again.
"As you see, a month ago in the West they caught a bear that was wildly aggressive. They held it in quarantine to see if there was a disease, but over the course of two weeks it slowly calmed and returned to normal bear behavior. Alone, it would be an anomaly, but paired with other reports of aggressive animals, mainly in the West and South, I thought it was of note. There may be other incidents which just did not seem important enough to make it into an official report."
"Hmm." The General continued perusing the report. "The prospect of an army weaponizing animals, as your apprentice's report seemed to imply, is not a good one. As it is mainly located in the furthest reaches of the land, for now, I do not see any dire urgency. However, it definitely warrants investigation."
Finn was a few beats behind the other two, "The West and South? By my home?" Her breathing picked up, "So it's possible there have been more attacks on my village since I left?"
The General laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Things are always possible, my dear, but not usually probable. I'm sure your village is fine," She opened her mouth and he held up a finger, "However, since you live so far on the edge of the scrubland, and news is scarce from your region, I would like any news of further disruptions. A well-supervised border would do Klain a great service."
"What do you propose?" inquired Dr. Sherman.
"I assume from the look on the young lady's face that she's eager to return home. I propose to send her with one of my carrier pigeons so that she may send news after arriving there. If something is amiss, I can dispatch a contingent of the standing troops to further investigate."
"Would you need the Council's approval for that?" Asked the doctor. He wasn't intimately familiar with the protocol, but investigating a potential war seemed significant enough to involve the Council.
"Not approval. I will do it as a training exercise. Why, do you not think I should keep them apprised as of yet?" The General looked curiously at the other man.
"I am... cautious. It is unknown who has the carrier pigeons, or for what purpose they are being used, or if it is related to these other mysteries. It could be someone very close to the Council that would have had access to the birds."
"Indeed. I will need to investigate this carefully." The General stroked his beard in thought. "I assume you will be attending the open Council meetings more often?"
Most of the Council meetings were open to the sword-bearers of Klain to observe. Relatively few of the deliberations were confidential, and even then a list of the subjects discussed was posted for viewing. As the sword-bearers of Klain voted once a year to either keep or replace one of the Council, the way the government functioned was a matter of public interest. The newest member of the Council was the Peacekeeper, but his father had been Peacekeeper before him, so there had been no real upset in the makeup of the Council in over a decade.
"I will make time, Sir." Dr. Sherman bowed, sensing they were being dismissed. Finn imitated him, giving an awkward sort of curtsy.
"Good. I need you paying attention. Young lady, I will send you a carrier bird tonight. Keep it with you until you reach your village, then release it with a message on its leg. I look forward to your report."
"Yes, sir." She curtsied again.
"Thank you. Your service to me makes you, I should think, an honorary member of the military."
Finn cut her eyes toward the doctor, "Is that a real position?" she asked.
Dr. Sherman shrugged, "I've never known anyone other than the military to have access to the carrier pigeons. I suppose he has to appoint you as something to justify giving you one."