The sixth morning began different

No rooster no quiet steps to her door Instead there was the sharp sound of metal and hooves The whole village seemed to hold its breath Emily stepped out of the clinic hut and saw riders at the edge of the square Three men on horseback One wore a dark coat with silver stitching He looked cleaner better fed more sure of himself than any villager His posture said he believed the land and the people on it already belonged to him

Behind him two men carried spears Not quite soldiers not quite farmers Something in between

Hart was already there standing in the open with both hands behind his back calm steady like a wall The rider with the silver stitching spoke first His voice rolled over the square Everyone could hear him Everyone stopped talking to listen

Emily understood almost nothing of his words at first but she read the shape of the moment She had seen this scene before in a different way She had seen it in hospitals when directors walked into the trauma bay after a bad case and wanted someone to blame The air felt the same Cold Tight

The man’s eyes landed on Emily fast He did not blink long He looked at her like she was not a woman not a person but a weapon A tool that someone else owned His gaze moved to her hut and all the people standing around it and she could already see what he thought She was valuable

Hart spoke back to him firm not bending but respectful The two men with spears shifted when Hart spoke like they did not like that he stood so tall in front of their superior

Then the rider lifted his chin and said one word Emily did understand Healer He pointed at her You Come

That word again She was both grateful and afraid of it

Emily walked forward She kept her shoulders even and her steps slow She did not bow She did not drop her eyes She had learned as a nurse you never walk into a room like prey You walk in like you belong there or they will eat you

The rider looked her over close His gaze flicked to the small scissors clipped to her waistband then to the burned edge of her old hospital badge Then he said more words slower this time Sick Girl House On Hill

Emily felt it click He wanted her to come treat someone important This sounded like the large stone house she had already visited The one with the fine stitched bedding and nervous servants That family again

She nodded once I remember I helped her She is breathing better She needs rest and hydration

The rider clearly did not follow her whole sentence but he seemed to understand she knew who he meant He grunted All right Then he pointed to the cart waiting behind them

Hart stepped in then and spoke fast to Emily His voice low his eyes urgent He pointed to her then pointed to the ground here Stay He repeated that twice Stay He tapped his chest Hart Stay then he pointed to the rider and shook his head like warning

Emily understood

This was not a request This was a claim

They were not only asking for her help They were trying to take her

Emily looked from Hart to the rider and back She felt everything in her tense up She had done hard nights where everyone wanted a piece of her time Family yelling Call the doctor now Security yelling We need you now Admin yelling You cannot chart that But this felt worse This felt like ownership

Still she could not say no if someone was dying

She took a breath Slow Calm Think like triage

She pointed to herself then to her clinic her hut her table her water station She kept her voice even I work here I stay here This is where I help people You bring sick people to me and I help

The rider watched her hands He understood enough to frown

He said a short word that sounded like RefuseThen he laughed the kind of laugh that said he was not used to people telling him no He looked to Hart and spoke louder rougher

The men with spears moved in one step

Emily felt anger start boiling low inside her chest Not fear Not yet Anger

You cannot just take me she said steady The words meant nothing to him But they meant something to her and to the crowd listening I am not a tool or a slave I am here because I choose to help If you take me people here die You understand that I know you do

The rider leaned back in his saddle and studied her face for a long moment like he was weighing what kind of fight this would be He was not stupid Emily could see that He knew pulling her by force would turn the whole village against him and against the house on the hill People might refuse to bring food or labor It would not be worth it unless he had to

So he tried a different path

He snapped his fingers and one of the men with spears brought forward a wrapped cloth The rider opened it just enough for Emily to see inside Coins not a few A lot Heavy

Payment he said

She almost laughed

This man thought money was the answer She did not even know if this money meant anything in this time or this place She did not even know what the coins could buy Soap More cloth Boiling pots Building supplies Maybe But that was not the point

She shook her head slow I am not for sale

The rider’s face changed

For a second the charm dropped The polite act vanished His mouth tightened His eyes turned cold All patient pretending gone He leaned down close from the saddle and spoke in a tone she knew way too well It was the tone of someone about to remind you how small you are

He told her what would happen if she did not agree She did not understand every word but she understood enough Prison He made wrists together with his hands He said law and then he said witch

Her stomach turned to ice

She had pushed that word away but now it was right there in his mouth this time spoken like a threat not a rumor He had power behind it That was clear

If she said no again he could call her a witch say she cursed the village say she stole life that was not hers and the world would turn fast Because fear always listens to authority Fear loves a uniform Fear will let a burning start and no one will stop it

She looked at Hart Hart’s jaw was tight His face told her the truth She could not win a public fight like this Not yet Not now

So she did what nurses do a thousand times a day She adapted

She nodded once Slow Calm She pointed at the cart I will go help She placed her hand on her own chest And I come back here

The rider studied her again

Finally he nodded One of his men dropped a few coins in the dirt in front of Hart The message was clear This deal is between men not her She hated that She swallowed it

Hart did not pick up the money He only stared with a look Emily could not read A look that said I accept this because I must not because I bow to you

Emily climbed into the cart Her heart hammered so hard it hurt She held the edge with white knuckles while they rolled out of the village and onto the rough path toward the hill

The ride felt longer than last time The trees higher The shadows thicker She kept replaying the scene in her head His voice His threat Witch In her old world witch was a joke A Halloween word A costume In this world it could mean fire and rope

She breathed slow through her nose and forced her shoulders to relax She needed her head clear Once they reached the house she would have to work like nothing was wrong She had to keep the patient stable earn time and return alive That was the job right now Nothing else mattered

When they reached the estate she was rushed inside This time there were not many candles lit The air felt heavy nervous Servants moved fast with tight faces The fine woman from before lay pale again Her breathing shallow Her skin damp

Emily went straight to her She forgot the rider forgot the guards forgot her own fear Her world narrowed to patient and need She touched the woman’s wrist Weak pulse Too weak She pressed two fingers under the jaw and counted fast Her heart rate was racing Her lips were almost white

Internal bleeding Emily thought first Then hunger Then infection She checked the bandages on the woman’s side There was dried blood under the wrap too dark to be fresh Maybe she had reopened something Maybe they had moved her too early Maybe they did not follow instructions

Emily turned and snapped her fingers Water Clean She pointed to a pitcher and made a disgusted face when she smelled it Stale She forced them to bring fresh

She lifted the woman partly upright with pillows She rubbed her chest and arms to warm the skin get circulation moving She whispered You stay here Stay awake Stay with me I need you with me

The woman’s eyes fluttered She tried to speak Emily shook her head No talk Save your air

She mixed warm clean water with crushed bits of boiled root that smelled sharp and bitter The servants had given her those leaves last time and told her they helped with strength She did not trust old plant medicine but she could not ignore that the woman had improved after taking it before Sometimes old medicine hid real chemistry She had to work with that

Sip Emily told her Sip slow She held the cup to the woman’s lips and waited as she swallowed in tiny amounts at a time

Color slowly crept back into the woman’s mouth Emily felt her shoulders loosen an inch Good Good Stay like that Do not stop

Hours passed She kept the woman upright She pressed warm cloth against her hands to keep circulation She cooled her forehead when sweat started to build She coached every breath in and out She did not sit She did not eat She did not answer questions when the rider tried to ask how long She only worked

When the worst had passed and the woman was resting steady Emily finally spoke without looking away from the bed She kept her voice low Calm Firm like she was giving discharge instructions in the ER

She pointed at the woman then to the bed Stay Rest No moving She held up both hands flat No Visitors No Stress You do not move her unless she is dying You understand

The rider frowned like he did not like being told no Emily gave him the same look she gave arrogant resident doctors back at St Mary’s The one that said You can fight me or you can let her live Pick one

He looked away first

When she was sure the woman would make it through the night Emily finally pulled back Her legs shook from exhaustion Her throat felt raw She turned to the rider and held out her hand not begging not soft Direct

I am going back now

He did not answer

For a stretch of heartbeats she thought he might say no She thought he might call the guards She thought of rope She thought of flame She felt her jaw clench

Then he waved a hand like it cost him something and muttered Fine or something like it

Relief almost made her knees fail

The cart ride back felt colder Wind cut through her clothes Her body was drained But her mind was already moving She replayed everything that had happened and filed it in her memory like chart notes

She now knew three things

First People with power already saw her as theirs to command

Second Refusing out loud was dangerous because the word witch was now on the table and in the wrong mouth that word could end her life

Third She needed protection stronger than kindness or respect She needed structure She needed rules She needed to make herself not just helpful but essential in a way they could not erase

When the cart rolled into the village at last and she climbed down she saw Hart waiting for her at once He looked straight at her face not at her hands not at her clothes He was checking if she was hurt

I am okay she said even though he did not know all the words He still understood He released a slow breath

Then something happened that she did not expect

Three women stepped out from behind Hart Lila’s mother and two others Emily had wrapped and treated in past days They stood in a line like a small wall Their chins high Their bodies between Emily and the road

She stared at them and felt her chest pull tight because she understood what that was That was loyalty That was Not one of you takes her without going through us first

And she realized her plan had already started

She was not alone anymore