News of Lolo’s overnight incarceration travelled fast and lost integrity with each retelling because there wasn’t a sane reason for putting her into isolation in the first place. Among the exchange trainees, speculations of “the real reason” she was put in isolation ranged from the unlikely to the absurd. When Lolo returned to classes the next day, she was something of an unlikely hero.

“Lolo!” Saikhan waved her over at breakfast. “We heard that you spent the night in a prison cell for touching an ancient artifact!”

“I thought you got locked up for challenging the Bear Tribe Leader to a duel,” Haleit sounded impressed.

“No, no, it was for picking a fight with some guards,” Begrent insisted.

“Yeah! That’s what I heard,” Ernkit agreed with his brother.

“You guys do realize that I’m right here, right?” Lolo’s voice was lost in the din as the first year boys bickered with each other over the rumors. Lolo rolled her eyes, not up to talking about the ordeal anyway, and found a seat, leaving them to it.

“Lolo!” Ulana called as she, Et’zana and Shanti rolled up to the table just as Lolo was about to take a bite. “We’ve been hearing all sorts of rumors. Can you tell us what happened?”

Huo Lohse sighed. “There’s not much to tell beyond saying that I angered Tribe Leader Tragen and he had me locked up for about twenty-four hours.”

“What did you do to make him so mad?” Et’zana asked, eyes wide. This of course was the biggest point of speculation.

“Honestly, I think I make him mad by simply existing.”

Not a very satisfying answer, Shanti pressed for more details. “Ok, but what happened?”

Lolo stared at the food on her plate as she talked. “I was in one of the gardens, just fooling around near some bushes, and Bear Tribe Leader showed up, got mad at me, and freaked out. At some point my hand rested on my sword, and the next thing I knew, four guards had surrounded me and I was being hauled off to an isolation room for threatening him.” Lolo shuddered. “Isolation is the worst.” Her story was simplistic but accurate. Huo Lohse looked up at her friends’ shocked faces. Et’zana and Shanti looked appalled while outrage only approximated the look on Ulana’s face.

“What on earth was Tadellos thinking?!” Ulana was having a hard time not shouting. “Such a gross injustice is-is-…. There has to be some sort of recourse for you to-”

“Ulana! Shhh,” Huo Lohse cautioned her impassioned friend. “Frankly, I just want to put it behind me.”

Still shaking, Ulana was ushered away by Et’zana and Shanti to cool off and circulate the new details of Huo Lohse’s weekend nightmare.

Again, before she could take a bite of breakfast, her brothers showed up.

“Lolo. What happened? Are you alright?” Qingchi began.

Irritated, she set her fork down and crossed her arms. “I got locked up for making Bear Tribe Leader mad. If you want to know the details, that table is discussing it.” She nodded toward the table where the still fuming Ulana was sitting.

“But are you ok?” The concern on her brothers’ faces was a little too much for Lolo to handle.

“I am how you see me,” she snapped back.

“Fine, but I reserve the right as your oldest brother to ask clarifying questions later,” Qingchi said, taking the hint to back off. All six boys moved to hear the girls retell Huo Lohse’s statement for the third time.

Lolo had just picked up her fork again when a shadow fell over her plate. “What?!”

“Well aren’t you just a ray of sunshine this morning.” It was Standig.

“Oh. It’s you. Sorry, Standig. I thought it was yet another person wanting me to talk about the weekend.”

“Are you ok?” Standig looked genuinely concerned.

“I’ll feel much better with some food in my stomach,” Lolo teased weakly. Standig was not amused. Huo Lohse sighed and set her fork down again, this time fighting tears. “Look. I’m ok. No permanent damage except maybe a developing claustrophobia. Did I have a great weekend? No. Do I ever want to do that again? I’d be crazy if I said yes. But I’d like to move on and forget about it instead of reliving it over and over again. Alright?”

Standig nodded and changed the subject. “I have some good news for you.”

“Really?! I could use some good news right now.”

“I’ve been released from confinement.”

Huo Lohse felt the tears rise dangerously, forming a hard knot in her throat. “I can’t even begin to tell you how glad I am to hear that,” she choked.

That’s when Fortus came to the table.

“Hey, Lolo, I heard the rumors ab-”

“She doesn’t want to talk about it,” Standig cut him off.

“I, uh,” Fortus took in the looks on their faces: Lolo trying not to cry and Standig’s severe glare. “Alright then.” He moved to hear the story from Shanti.

“Thanks, Standig.”

“Don’t mention it.”

The rest of breakfast, Standig redirected all inquiries about Huo Lohse’s weekend to the three girls who never seemed to get tired of retelling the story.

Everyone felt tremendous relief when Tribe Leader Tragen informed the trainees that from that morning on, a Bear Tribe elder, introduced to the trainees as Abgriffen, would be taking over the morning lectures.

After Tadellos left, Lolo turned to Standig. “Why the sudden change in teachers?”

He shrugged. “Maybe my uncle got tired of teaching. Maybe he has other things he needs to do instead. Maybe he's trying to lull us into a false sense of security. I don’t try to understand him anymore.”

Abgriffen was ancient and out of touch with current affairs. Some of his lessons on Bear Tribe philosophy and ethics were totally outdated. He was also losing his hearing and often spoke either way too loud or way too quietly. However, for all his weaknesses as a teacher, Abgriffen was a kind and patient soul, and he was a mountain of knowledge about the pre-Tadellos Tragen era of the Bear Tribe's culture. Lolo suspected that this version of their culture was going to be much more interesting and valuable to study.

After sparring practice with Captain Starkam, Standig pulled Lolo aside. “I still have something that I want to show you.”

“North of the lodge?”

“See you there,” Standig nodded and left.

Lolo hurried home to wash off the sweat from the afternoon practice. She had just finished cleaning up as Et’zana walked in.

“There you are, Lolo. Your brothers are looking for you.”

“What do they want?”

Et’zana shrugged. “They didn’t say.”

“I actually have a previous engagement this afternoon. Et’zana, would you mind telling them that for me?”

“Oh? What kind of engagement?” Et’zana squinted her already narrow eyes.

“It’s nothing. I just promised Standig that I’d help him with something.”

“Hm.” Et’zana appeared to be deciding whether or not to ask Lolo something.

“What is it?” Lolo tried not to seem too impatient to leave and sat on her bed.

“Just Standig. You’ve been spending a lot of time with him this summer….”

“Your point?”

Et’zana continued to dance around the subject. “Well, he’s a boy. You’re a girl….”

“And?” Lolo wasn’t about to let her off the hook that easily.

“What’s going on between you two?” Et’zana finished.

“Nothing like what you’re thinking about. We’re friends. I kind of think of him as the twin I never had. We make a good team. We are well-matched as sparring partners. I’d even say that we are close, but we are just friends.”

“Does he feel the same?”

“He’s never given me any reason to believe otherwise.” Lolo shrugged. “Why do you ask?”

“Oh, I was just curious. Most of the trainees have at least wondered about you two.”

“Whatever.” Huo Lohse rolled her eyes and hopped up to move to the door. “Well, I’m off! See you later, Et’zana.”

“Bye!”

Careful to close the door behind her and walk past the window to appear like she was heading down the mountain, Lolo found a section of the deck with easy access to one of the large stilts below. Looking around to make sure the coast was clear, Lolo climbed over the railing and shimmied down the large pole. Once she reached the bottom, she began her hike up the mountain.

Standig was waiting for her in a small clearing hidden from the lodge behind a cluster of trees. “You made it! What kept you?”

“Et’zana was in the room. She wanted to talk, and then I had to be extra careful not to get caught leaving the lodge.”

Standig nodded. “Well, we are burning daylight. I hope you are prepared for a climb.” He turned to lead her up the mountain.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll know it when you see it.” He grinned, enjoying the rare advantage over his friend.

“Fine. Keep your secrets then,” Lolo pretended to pout.

The hike was an arduous one, almost straight up through trees and then across bare rock and gravel, but it only took twenty minutes or so to do. Standig seemed to take the most obscure path at every crossing to follow. Finally, they came to a rock wall with a narrow ledge running across the middle of it. They had to climb up the cliff face about fifteen feet before coming to the ledge. Once on the ledge, they sidled along it to the mouth of a cave, the opening of which was completely obstructed from view from below.

“We’re almost there,” Standig said.

Lolo hesitated before following Standig into the cave. The cave was essentially just a long tunnel running deep into the mountain; as the light from behind them faded, the light in front of them came into view. Lolo anxiously held onto Standig’s arm as he led her through. Recent experiences had primed her to panic in the confined, dark space and her breathing and heart rates accelerated dangerously.

Standig realized his mistake a little late. “Oh, Lolo, I’m sorry. I didn’t think this through very well.” He pulled her into a reassuring hug and then took her hands. “Close your eyes, and trust me to lead you through, ok? It’s going to be alright.” Lolo obeyed and closed her eyes, allowing Standig to lead her blindly through the remainder of the tunnel as she concentrated on slowing her breathing.

“You can open your eyes now!”

She looked around her, a little confused by what she was seeing. They had passed through to the other side of the mountain and were now on a secluded mountain shelf of sorts. Behind her was a huge, steep cliff up to the peak of the mountain. To her left was a sharp drop. To her right was a large flat area that seemed to have been paved with cobblestone a very, very long time ago. It had long since been reclaimed by nature, and tall grasses and thorny vines had broken through the cracks between the cobbles and forced many of the stones out of position.

“Come on! There’s more.” Standig said, leading her across the stony ground.

At the right edge of the paved area stood a grove of unusually tall trees for the elevation they were at. Straight across the ancient courtyard stood a row of six dilapidated stone structures completely swallowed by a collection of ivies that skirted around another sharp drop down the mountain.

“Standig, what is this place?”

“I’m not certain. I think it’s some sort of ancient training courtyard.”

“What’s a training courtyard doing all the way up here? It doesn’t look like it’s been used in centuries!”

“I’ve given that a lot of thought, actually. I think it might have been a training ground for a small task force of elite fighters,” Standig posited.

“What makes you think that?”

“Well, for starters, there are only six dwellings.”

“How do you know they are houses?”

“If you look inside, there are raised stone platforms about the right size for a bed.”

Lolo peeked through the nearest structure, and sure enough, there was a bed-like something inside. “Ok. So six ‘dwellings’, six beds, six people lived here. What else?”

“This.” Standig pointed to the center of the courtyard and moved to pull up some of the grasses in the area. Lolo followed his lead and started yanking up clumps of assorted foliage on her hands and knees. As they cleared the area, a large, round, stone centerpiece became visible. The stone was weathered, but it had been carved with a series of symbols and images, many of them too worn to make out. The few images they could identify were that of a bear, a bird of some sort, and a collection of five swords crossing each other in a circle at the very center of the stone. There seemed to be three more animal figures circling the swords in the middle, but it was anyone’s guess what animals they were supposed to be.

“Whoa!” Huo Lohse exclaimed. “This is so cool! What do you think these markings mean?”

Standig smiled. “Again, I’m not sure, but I have a theory.”

Lolo sat back on her feet to give Standig her full attention.

“Well, five swords and six structures. Maybe five soldiers and one leader? And then, there seems to be five different types of animals surrounding the swords. There’s the bear, and a bird, and three others. Five animals, five main tribes. I wonder if these other three animals are supposed to be a wolf, a dragon, and a lion.”

“So your theory is that this is a training site for a group of five elite soldiers, one from each of the main tribes?”

“More or less, but think about it. At this elevation with such thin air, anyone who trains here will have to develop remarkable stamina. And seclusion is generally sought when someone wants to think or focus on something. Can you think of a better place to focus on training than a courtyard at the top of a mountain, hidden through a tunnel that no one can find?”

Lolo’s eyebrows knit together the way they always did when she was thinking. “You’re right. The pieces fit. Then how did you find this place, Standig?”

Standig seemed momentarily lost in thought. “Lolo, I’ve never told you about my parents, have I?”

“No, you haven’t. I thought it might be painful to talk about, so I didn’t ask.”

“No, it’s ok. The truth is, I don’t remember them very well. They died when I was only six.”

“I’m sorry, Standig.” Lolo put her hand on his arm.

“It’s alright, Lolo. It was a long time ago,” he smiled half-heartedly at her. “Anyway, one of the clearest memories I have of my dad was when he showed me this place. It was one of the last things we did just him and me before he died. I remember him helping me to climb the cliff up to the ledge that leads to the tunnel. We got through the tunnel, and he told me to go have a look around, see if I find anything interesting. I played on and around the ruins until I got tired. Right before we left, dad told me ‘this hidden place is just for you, Standig. Someday, when you are older, it will be useful to you.’ He died just a couple months after that, and this place did become useful as a sanctuary away from my uncle. That’s probably not what my dad meant, but, yeah. Anyway, that’s how I found this place.”

Lolo smiled at her friend in a sad but comforting sort of way. She looked around at the ruins with a new appreciation for them. “Get up, Standig.”

“What? Why?”

“After the last few days, I need to blow off some steam. I get the feeling you might need to as well.” She drew her sword and pointed it in his direction. "Defend yourself.”

Grinning, Standig stood up and drew his own sword.

Their sparring match was a well-balanced battle of control and power versus speed and agility. Any hit Standig managed to land pushed Lolo back considerably, but he didn’t land all that many attacks as her ability to dodge, deflect, and use his own superior strength against him kept him quite busy. Lolo’s attacks were quick and inventive, so when Standig was unable to properly deflect them, it took him longer to recover and gave Lolo a temporary window of advantage. The match was essentially a draw.

About twenty minutes into the fight, Lolo got that glint of mischief in her eyes as she allowed Standig to land an attack and dropped her sword. Standig, thinking he’d at last gotten the better of her, took full advantage of the opportunity to push Lolo back against the cliff wall, finally pinning her there with his sword at her throat.

“Yield!”

“You first,” Lolo smirked.

Standig snorted. “I disarmed you, and there’s a sword at your throat. I clearly won.”

“Are you sure about that?” A smile continued to flirt with corners of her mouth.

Standig became aware of something sharp just under his sternum and looked down to see that his partner had pulled a concealed dagger on him. “You cheated!”

“How is it cheating?”

“This was just a sparring match.”

“True, but no one was winning. So I found a way to end it.”

Standig looked at her incredulously. “... by cheating.”

“Did you really think that I could be disarmed so easily? I never drop my sword unless I want to. Besides, in a real fight, who is the winner?”

“What do you mean?”

“The real winner is the one who survives... or at least protects the ones they want to protect. It doesn’t really matter how they do it, does it?”

Standig thought this over. “I mean, I guess so. But you still cheated. This was just a sparring match, not a ‘real fight’.”

“True. I concede,” Lolo said hiding her dagger back in her belt.

“By the way, Lolo, I’ve never seen that dagger before. When did you start carrying it?”

“Oh, I always carry it.”

“Since when?”

“Since I got it forever ago. My dad gave it to me for my tenth birthday. I never go anywhere without it.”

“You never told me you carried a concealed dagger.”

“If I told people, it wouldn’t be concealed, now would it?”

Standig grinned. “Good point.”

Lolo looked around. “Hey, Standig, what’s through those trees over there?” she asked, pointing at the grove to the right.

“You know, I’m not sure. I’ve never really thought to explore that area.”

“Let’s go look together, then!” Before Standig could respond, Lolo was running across the courtyard.

As the pair entered the trees, they were both struck by how dark it was. The trees were massive, growing tightly together. Something about them demanded a certain reverence as though they were ancient intelligences that had long ago lost interest in speaking. With their branches intertwined with each other, the trees blocked out much of the sunlight. Standig and Lolo found themselves only speaking to each other in whispers as they followed the cliff face down a gently sloping hill, across a stream of fresh spring water, and into a small meadow. Here, they found a circle of six stone seats centered on a small fountain of water that was sourced by a small, diverted section of the stream they had just crossed.

“It looks like a meditation circle,” Standig observed.

Huo Lohse was seized by a sudden irascibility and scrunched her nose up. Maybe it was the result of Tribe Leader Tragen’s interminable lectures on meditation methods this summer, maybe it was because she wasn’t very good at meditating, or maybe it was because she felt that meditation was, by and large, a waste of time, but this circle left a sour taste in her mouth. “Let’s keep looking, Standig.”

The grove of trees was deceptively large. Had they not been following the cliff, it would have been easy for them to get lost in the forest.

“Lolo,” Standig suddenly stopped to look at the sky as they entered a small clearing, “we’ve lost track of time. It’s getting close to sunset and dinner time. We need to head back while there’s still daylight.”

A little disappointed to have to stop exploring, Lolo agreed and they headed back the way they’d come.

***

"Did you know that the Leader's Lodge used to host festivals every Spring and Fall? And that the west section used to be a center of commerce?" Lolo asked Standig over lunch.

"I had never heard that before class today, no, but now I really want to take a closer look at the west end of the lodge."

"If you decide to take a look, let me know and I’ll come with you.” She paused. “Standig, I know you're tired of me asking, but I need to know-"

"You're going to ask me if I have any news about Philige. I only know that he is still locked in his room indefinitely, same as yesterday."

"He’s been on house arrest for two and a half weeks now! Which room is his?"

"You know Philige made me promise not to tell you that. Frankly, I agree with him given what happened last time."

"Come on! Standig, you know the only reason he's locked up is because of me,” Lolo pleaded.

"No, Lolo. He's locked up because of my uncle, and it is precisely because of my uncle that Philige doesn't want you involved."

"But, Standig-"

"Lolo, the answer is no. You should know by now that people with the name Tragen are impossibly stubborn. You're not getting any information out of me."

"Fine," Lolo pouted.

Lolo decided to seek out Fortus after class. Of all the trainees, Lolo had the strangest relationships with those from the Lion Tribe. With Fortus especially, there was a sense of mutual respect and cooperation, but no real interest in being chummy.

"Fortus! Hey! I need to talk to you."

"Make it quick."

"Why? Do you have somewhere you need to be?" He looked exasperated but didn't reply. "Alright, I will make it quick. You know that Philige has been locked up for a couple of weeks?"

"Yes."

"I want to find where he's being held and then come up with a way to get a message to him."

"So do it."

"Well, that's why I'm talking to you, Fortus."

"What have I got to do with any of this?"

"Well, nothing yet, but that's why you're the perfect person to help me!"

"Explain."

"No one will suspect you if you go looking for Philige's room, and no one has a better eye for detail than you. You are the best strategist I know, so if anyone can find a way to get a message to Philige, it's you." Having six brothers, Lolo knew the value of stroking a boy's ego when asking for a favor, and this proved a most valuable tactic with Fortus. Fortus couldn't help but smile at Lolo's sugar-laden words and seemed eager to prove her right.

"I have a better idea."

"I was hoping you'd say that!" Lolo bounced a little on the balls of her feet.

"What would happen if we sent the Bear Tribe leader away?"

Lolo looked confused. "Taking him out of the equation would make things easier, yes."

"More than that, Lolo, think," Fortus prodded. "With Tadellos gone, who is in command?"

"Oh! I get it! That's genius! I'm so glad I came to you. With Tadellos gone, Philige has to be let out to hold the fort!"

Fortus nodded, tickled by her enthusiasm.

"So, what's the plan?"

"Send him on an overnight hunt."

"The Bear Tribe has hunters, why would Tadellos go himself?" She frowned.

"He'd go if he was expected to go,” Fortus said simply.

Fortus and Lolo spent the rest of the afternoon setting the stage for Fortus's plan. The plan centered around a disinformation campaign promoting the rumor that Tadellos Tragen planned to take the fifth year students on a weekend hunting trip to teach them about Bear Tribe tracking methods (sorry, fifth years). To propagate the rumor, Fortus and Lolo, two unlikely collaborators, walked around asking random people for more information about the hunting trip.

"So only fifth years are going?"

"Are going where?"

"On the hunting trip this weekend! Haven't you heard?"

"Hunting trip? No."

"Oh. Well, Bear Tribe Leader is taking some of the trainees on a weekend hunting trip to practice tracking techniques, but I heard that he's only taking the fifth years."

"Normally, I'd be jealous and want to go too, but if Tadellos is leading the hunt, I'm actually glad to stay out of it."

"Me too. In fact, I feel bad for the fifth years."

Pretty soon, all of Leader's Lodge was buzzing about the hunting trip. Tadellos Tragen was quite possibly the last to know about it.

"Who told you that I was going hunting with the fifth year trainees?!" Tadellos growled at the poor guard who had the misfortune of asking him about it the evening before the trip was supposed to take place.

"I-I, well, everyone is talking about it. I didn't realize, that is, I didn't think it was a private matter. You are just teaching them tracking methods." The guard faltered under Tribe Leader Tragen's withering glare. "Sir, Abgriffen requested a suggested packing list on the fifth years' behalf."

"Everyone is talking about it. Who is everyone?"

"Sir?"

"Who?!"

"The guards, the trainees, the servants…. I heard Matron has been preparing the supplies for the last two days."

Tadellos was trapped, and he knew it. "Have six guards prepare for the hunt. Have the fifth years pack their preferred ranged weapons. How they kill the beasts once we track them doesn't matter."

"Yes, sir."

"And bring the crown prince to me."

Fortus’s strategy went off without a hitch. Friday morning, Tadellos took the less-than-thrilled Qingchi, Rensui, Insaltus, and Jadu hunting, and Philige was released from house arrest to serve in his role as the crown prince. Lolo was so excited to see Philige that before he could get out more than a “hey”, she had him wrapped in a hug.

“I’m so glad to see you, Philige! I’m sorry I got you into trouble.” The memories of her own experience with isolation hit her hard, and she quickly found herself fighting tears.

“Lolo, don’t cry! It wasn’t your fault, and believe me, that was not the worst punishment I’ve been given.” Philige tried to comfort her, but it had the opposite effect.

“I don’t know how you stand it. Both of you!” She blubbered, glancing between Philige and Standig. “Your uncle is supposed to be the one who loves you the most, but he is so cruel!”

The group that had come to greet Philige glanced around awkwardly, not sure what to do when a normally cheerful friend like Huo Lohse melts into an absolute puddle.

Shanti was the first to speak up. “Lolo, are you ok?”

“I’m fine,” she sobbed. “Really, I am. I just can’t help but feel that this was somehow all my fault.” Almost simultaneously, the group of friends converged on Lolo in a giant group hug, making her laugh. “I must sound pretty pathetic, huh?” She sniffed and wiped her face on her sleeves. "Thanks guys."

***

That afternoon, a young maid approached Shanti to request that she help her friend, a fellow maid named Emzig, that had suddenly developed a high fever.

"The lodge physician has been unable to see her because he’s been called away to help with an outbreak of illness at the trading post down the mountain," she explained.

Shanti was more than happy to help and collected her medical kit. When Shanti arrived, it was clear that Emzig was extremely ill; she was lying in bed, listless and drifting in and out of consciousness.

"When did Emzig start feeling sick? How long has she had this fever?"

"It started just this afternoon, maybe two or three hours ago. We were working in the kitchen together and suddenly, she said she wasn't feeling well. By the time I got her here, she was running a fever."

Shanti was disturbed by the rapid progression of Emzig's illness. In three hours, a healthy maid had gone from normal activities to in bed, semi-conscious. Shanti started searching for clues about what sort of illness Emzig was plagued with. Her heart rate was a little elevated and irregular, normal for a high fever. Her breathing, also slightly elevated but not labored or raspy. Clear lungs. No sore throat. No ear infection. No digestive distress. Shanti did however notice a fresh, purple bruise on Emzig's arm under her sleeve. Then another on her right collarbone. And another near her left ankle. Shanti had a hunch she hoped was wrong, but the more skin Shanti exposed, the more bruises she found on the maid's body.

"Purple Fever." Shanti turned to the maid that had summoned her. "Listen carefully. I need you to think. Where has Emzig been in the last 24 hours? Who has she talked to, worked with, assisted?"

"Miss, as a maid, our job takes us everywhere around the lodge. We go from laundry to serving food to tending the gardens. It might be a shorter list asking where she hasn't been."

Shanti's heart sank. "I need to speak with Matron and the crown prince immediately. Please have them meet me at The Great Hall."

The maid did as she was told, and Matron and Philige met Shanti not ten minutes later.

"Shanti, you called?" Philige asked.

"Yes, I'm sorry to be abrupt, but we have an emergency on our hands. Emzig, a maid here at the Leader's Lodge, is showing symptoms of Purple Fever."

Matron clapped her hand over her mouth. "Are you certain?"

"I'm afraid so. And, unfortunately, as a maid, she has likely spread the disease around the entire lodge. She was working in the kitchen just prior to falling ill. As you know, Purple Fever spreads easily and the symptoms manifest quickly."

"What do you need from us?" Philige asked.

"I need to set up a quarantine area to bring everyone that falls sick to. Matron, if you could make arrangements for beds and medical supplies, that should be top priority."

"The east corridor has some larger rooms. I'll make arrangements there." Matron bustled off.

"Philige, block off all entry and exit from the Leader's Lodge. If possible, we should try to contain the illness here. Ask all the elders to remain confined to their rooms and assign guards to check in with the elders periodically in case one of them falls ill. Purple Fever tends to hit harder the older a person is. I also need anyone that has had Purple Fever before to meet me in the quarantined east corridor. They're going to be medics."

"I don’t think we’ve had a case of Purple Fever here in the Bear Tribe for a long, long time. I’m not sure if I’ll find many people to send you, but I'm on it." Philige left shouting out orders.

Shanti set off to help Matron set up the east corridor as a hospital wing and get Emzig transported there. After about an hour, Huo Lohse and Haleit showed up to help.

“Shanti, we heard that the maid you visited has Purple Fever.” Lolo explained.

“Have you had Purple Fever before?”

“I had it when I was little,” Haleit said. “It blew through the Hawk Tribe thirteen or fourteen years ago and most of us got it.”

“And I had it when I was nine because Xiao Shen and his parents caught it when I was a mother’s assistant,” Lolo said.

“Welcome aboard, then.” Shanti seemed relieved to have some help.

“Shanti, have you had Purple Fever before?” Lolo asked.

“I’m afraid not, but it's almost certain that I’ve already been infected in the time I’ve been taking care of Emzig. I need to teach you how to take care of patients quickly in case I become incapacitated. It’s looking like you two are the only ones here at the Leader’s Lodge that have had Purple Fever before. You might be in for a long haul.”

Haleit and Huo Lohse nodded.

“First things first. We need to produce a supply of medicine. Do either of you know anything at all about gardening?”

“I do,” Lolo raised her hand.

“Excellent.” Shanti went to the window and brought back a couple viney plants growing in tall, deep pots that she’d found in the physicians clinic. “Kudzu is an incredibly hearty plant, but it can take over a garden pretty quickly. We need to find some large pots or buckets to grow them in to keep them from taking over the gardens here at the Leader’s Lodge. Find as many buckets as you can and fill them with soil. Bring the buckets here and put them in the sunniest spot in the courtyard just outside. Then, Lolo, you are going to rest the vines of these plants on the soil in the buckets to root. Kudzu likes heat and lots of water, and grows crazy fast in the right conditions.”

Haleit and Lolo did as they were told. It took them a couple hours, but soon the small courtyard was set up as a kudzu nursery.

“Excellent,” Shanti said when they returned to report. “We’ve had six more people come down with symptoms since you left. Haleit, I’m going to need a steady supply of cold water, ice, if possible, and rags brought here, and firewood and drinking water delivered to the cooking station out there.” Shanti pointed to a make-shift kitchen in the courtyard with the kudzu garden.

“Ok,” Haleit said and left.

“Lolo, I’m going to teach you how to take care of the patients and prepare medicines. Pay close attention; take notes if you need to. I expect that I will be one of your patients by this time tomorrow, so it’s going to be up to you.”

Lolo nodded. “Where should we start?”

“Let’s start with a quick lesson on Purple Fever. Purple Fever is highly contagious and, once you’re exposed to the illness, symptoms generally appear twenty-four hours later, sometimes two days later. Symptoms of Purple Fever include a high fever and bruising all over the body-- that’s how the illness gets its name. The severity of the illness ranges from moderate to lethal, and the older a patient is, the more severe the symptoms tend to be, though not always. Fevers typically last between one and five days depending on the patient, but the bruising may take months to completely fade away afterwards. Are you with me so far?”

“Yes.”

Shanti smiled and continued. “There is no known cure for Purple Fever. The only thing we can do is treat the symptoms as best we can. First, there’s the fever. Your body uses a fever to fight illness, so we only want to lower a fever if the patient is becoming listless, struggling to stay conscious, or in considerable pain from it. See Emzig here?” Lolo nodded. “Her fever spiked rapidly and she was struggling to stay conscious. Being tired and resting is normal. Being unable to wake up is not. I’ve been giving her kudzu root tea to help control her fever, and now she is sleeping. I will teach you how to make the tea in a bit. How are you doing so far?”

“I feel like I should be writing this all down.”

“Please do. I want you to be as prepared as possible.”

Huo Lohse collected some paper and ink and scribbled down some notes while Shanti tended to the patients. “Is this right?”

Shanti took the paper and smiled. “You are a quick study, Lolo. This looks great. Are you ready to continue?”

Lolo took a deep breath and got ready to take more notes. “Alright, go ahead.”

“Ok. The best treatment for Purple Fever is rest because it significantly reduces the amount of bruising and can prevent more dangerous bleeds. Patients should be kept in bed as much as possible until their fevers break. In the meantime, there are some things you can do to reduce bruising. You see this patient?” Lolo nodded. “He has a number of bruises forming on his chest, shoulders, and forearms. To treat forming bruises, you want to restrict blood flow to that area. You can do this by applying cold temperatures to the area, as I’ve done on his shoulders and chest, with rags soaked in ice water. You can also restrict blood flow by applying pressure to an area. Like here on his forearms, I’ve wrapped bandages tightly (but not too tight) around the affected area.”

Lolo was scribbling frantically, so Shanti paused until she could catch up. “Purple Fever can do some scary things with bruises, Lolo, and this is how it can be lethal. A bruise is just a small internal bleed, but bruising can become a hemorrhage if it affects the right blood vasculature. If you bleed too much, you can go into hypovolemic shock and die.” Shanti fixed her friend with a serious, almost apologetic look. “Lolo, there is a good chance people are going to die here. You need to understand that if we lose someone, it’s not your fault. We don’t have the ability to stop or prevent internal bleeding, especially deep bleeds, beyond what I've already told you. The only thing we can do is try to help patients be as comfortable as possible. Do you understand?”

For the first time, Lolo realized how dire the situation was, and she felt a small surge of panic beginning to build. “Shanti, I’m not sure if I can do this.”

“I know the feeling, but there are lots of people counting on us to do our best. That’s all we can do. Besides, I’ll be here to help you. Even if I’m sick, I will at least be available to talk and walk you through things.”

Lolo took a deep breath to settle herself and did her best to return Shanti’s encouraging smile. “Ok. Let’s do this.”

“Last thing you need to know is just some common sense stuff. People who are sick need to drink plenty of fluids in all forms. Bone broths seem to help reduce mild discomforts, so they are a good choice for ill patients. Herbal teas, like the kudzu tea I’m going to teach you to make, are good for moderate to severe cases because of their medicinal properties. But any fluids you can get people to drink is a win. Also, helping people stay comfortable with a fever is a good thing to keep in mind. They need light clothing and warm blankets, so they can add or remove heat as they want. Cool compresses on their body, especially on foreheads seem to help people feel more comfortable. When patients get sweaty, they may need help washing off the sweat and changing into fresh clothes and blankets so they can stay warm. Honestly, most of practicing medicine is just helping people ride out their misery.”

“That’s something I might actually be qualified for,” Lolo grinned.

“You are good at that,” Shanti agreed. “Last few thoughts, recovered patients will be your best resources to help you care for the next wave of patients. And comfort care is secondary to medical care. You’re going to have to think about who needs you the most instead of who is next in line. Got it?”

“Makes sense.”

“Good. Now, we have two rooms set up for patients. The biggest room is for milder cases-- people that you are helping to keep comfortable. The next room is for patients that are more seriously ill. It’s been outfitted with a curtain to separate men from women. So far, everyone is in the first room.”

“That’s good.”

“Yes, it is. Let’s hope that our luck holds. Now, let’s go make some kudzu tea before the next wave of patients comes in.”

Making kudzu tea involved digging out the roots of the plant, cleaning and slicing the roots into thin strips, and then sun drying them for a couple of hours before stewing the roots in the large pot Shanti had requested for tea-making.

“You want to bring the water to a boil and then add the roots. Let them boil for about ten minutes, and then remove the pot from the heat and serve,” Shanti directed. “Serving the tea hot might actually boost the fever-reducing effect, so serve it hot when you can. It’s ok to reheat the tea too.”

Armed with three pages filled front and back of notes, Lolo was as ready as she could be. But nothing could truly prepare her for a surge of nearly thirty new patients over the next two hours, including two elders that were part of the Bear Tribe council of elders, Matron, two of Lolo’s brothers, Zizai and Lingdao, and Begrent, Ernkit, and Captain Starkham. The rest of the patients were a smattering of guards, servants, and farm hands from all over the lodge.

Shanti turned to Matron. “Roughly how many people live here at the lodge?”

“The exact number is always in flux, but at any given time, we have about two hundred and fifty people or so.”

Shanti turned to Lolo. “People are coming in sick from all areas of the lodge. If we end up with two hundred plus people all getting sick at once, we are going to be completely overrun with just the three of us.”

“Shanti, let’s cross that bridge when we come to it, alright. But I do have a suggestion. We might need a way to wash rags, bandages, and dishes for reuse, or we will run out. I’m going to ask Haleit to set up a wash basin and clothes lines along the edge of the courtyard.”

“Good idea, Lolo. I hadn’t thought of that.”

By nightfall, nearly sixty sick people filled the beds in the east corridor, and as Shanti predicted, the two sick elders and the older Matron developed especially severe symptoms. Shanti spent the night tending only to those three patients while Huo Lohse took care of everyone else and Haleit carried bucket after bucket of water to the courtyard. Each of them managed to catch small snatches of sleep here and there to keep them going, but by morning, they were all exhausted. Lolo was splashing her face with cold water when Standig arrived at the east corridor as patient number seventy-eight.

“Here, Standig, I’ve got a bed set up for you right there.” Lolo got him on the bed and helped him pull off his shoes. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired. And I keep shivering.”

Lolo touched his forehead. “Yeah, you’ve got a fever, alright. Have you developed any bruises?”

“A few, yeah.”

“Do any of them particularly hurt?”

He looked embarrassed. “I’ve got one one my side that’s pretty sore. And another one on my chest that’s throbbing.”

“Take your shirt off for me,” Lolo said while grabbing some clean cloths and a bucket of ice water. Standig just stared at her, and Lolo rolled her eyes. “Now is not the time to be shy, Standig. Take your shirt off, please.” He blushed but followed instructions. Lolo helped him lie down on the bed and applied the cold rags to his bruises. Standig’s teeth started to chatter, so she grabbed a heavy quilt and tucked it around him. “Get some sleep. I’ll come by in a bit to check on you.”

“Thank you, Lolo,” he said and rolled over onto the side without the bruise.

Lolo got up and looked around. All of her patients were either sleeping or drinking the bowls of broth she’d had the kitchen send over. She walked down the rows of beds replacing cold compresses on foreheads and angry bruises, joking with anyone that was awake, and collecting used dishes to be washed out in the courtyard before being sent back to the kitchen. Then it occurred to her, she hadn’t seen Shanti for quite a while. She got a sinking feeling in her stomach and wandered over to the room intended for severely ill patients.

Shanti had fallen asleep on a chair while tending to Matron. When Lolo went to rouse Shanti, she noticed a bruise forming on her jaw. Lolo took a deep breath and gently shook Shanti’s shoulder.

“You just became patient number seventy-nine, Shanti. Let’s get you to a bed.” She pulled Shanti up and draped Shanti’s arm over her shoulders.

“Lolo, I’m so sorry. I just got so sleepy all of a sudden.” Shanti said, stumbling into the bed next to Matron’s.

“You have a fever. That’s normal.” Lolo grinned at her friend.

“Lolo, can you check on the elders for me? Last time I was able to check on them was a while ago, and while they were both sleeping, I could tell they weren’t doing well.”

Lolo nodded and took a deep breath before passing through to the other side of the curtain. The first elder she checked on was struggling to wake up, so Lolo quickly left to find him a cup of hot tea that Haleit had been keeping warm. She propped the elder up into a sitting position and helped him sip the tea. He thanked her and then asked to sleep some more. She tucked him back in and moved to the second elder. He was so still, Lolo felt bad for disturbing him, but when she went to check his fever, he felt quite cool. She put her fingers on his neck, but she couldn’t find a pulse. He was gone.