Desperate time, desperate action

Riul dragged his feet along the ground, ignoring the amount of dust on the road. I need to see a healer, I'm surely sick, he thought as he wiped off the sweat from his brow, only a few more hours to the next town. Riul stopped. How much time had passed, he wondered and looked at the evening sun, then down to the street in front of him.

"Gods, protect me." he croaked as the twenty bodies came into view. Slowly Riul stepped between them as they lay strewn around the healers building he was trying to get to and knocked on the door. Moments later a deep, hoarse voice bellowed out: "If you are sick i cannot help you, stay where you are so you don't make others ill. I am sorry, but my herbs and tinctures are to no avail."

Riul tried to speak, but could only whimper as the world began to spin. He fell looking at the blood red setting sun and moments later his breath left his lungs for the last time.

With his head and body wrapped in linen Kreal heaved up another limp, naked body and through it unceremoniously into the pit. Was it a man or a woman, he pondered for a moment before moving onto the next body. The carts kept on coming and he didn't have time to contemplate. Who cared about decency, his lord had said, if those bodies are not buried we will all die. "Then why don't you do it?" Kreal muttered as another body landed below him with a crack of bones breaking.

"Your majesty, urgent scroll from lord Hroun."

"Hand it over. Close the door on your way out."

The servant handed over the scroll, bowed and backed out the room, doing as he was told. As soon as the door shut king Urel started pacing the room while reading.

"He is saying the same thing. People dying in the streets. Sickness even in the church. Asks for my aid.", he said and then tossed the scroll to his wife who was standing behind his desk while he continued pacing back and forth, "What aid can I give? My prayers have done no good. I cannot send soldiers against an enemy that cannot be seen."

"And yet something must be done, for we cannot allow this to continue. It is our duty to do something, even if it comes at a cost."

Urel stopped at the stained glass window, pondered the words for a moment and then turned to his wife. "Gillia, dearest, it seems to me like you have an idea. By the sound of it not an idea I'm going to like."

Gillia smirked as she gently put the scroll down on the table. "You know me well and it is indeed as you say, but in this case I must admit that I am not fond of the though either."

This made him frown and he took a step towards her. "I'm listening."

"Do you remember Nileli, the swamp witch?"

"I do and I would like to not hear her name."

Gillia sighed and said: "We do not have many options left and she is one of the few who could definitely stop the disease from spreading."

"She did help us get to where we are. You do know what price she asked of us last time."

"Of course I do", Gillia spoke with a sharpness that made Urel shudder, he had not heard it in a very long time, "Never think that I would forget that my own son is in her hands."

Urel averted his eyes from Gillia and started pacing again, faster than before. Neither of them spoke as the sky went from blue to yellow to red as the sun went behind the horizon. As the sun dipped behind the hills Urel stopped.

"I cannot come up with anything better." He then stepped around the desk, took up parchment and quill, lit a candle and started writing with Gillia watching over his shoulder.

Nileli, as no doubt you have heard, a sickness is spreading through my land. I wish to make another deal with you to rid it from this world.

— King Urel

As Urel let wax drip onto the parchment Gillia whispered: "I hope the gods see it fit to respond before we finish this deal."

"We both do." He then put the candle away and stamped the wax on the letter with his signet ring.