"Promise me that you'll look after Lera." His voice was thin, barely more than a whisper. "She's going to need you more than ever, especially when the baby comes."
Jereth gripped his friend's hand.
"Promise me," Flynn said. "I want to hear you say it."
Jereth wiped tears from his eyes. "I swear to you that I will look after Lera and your child."
"And speak well of me to them. Tell my child their father died bravely."
Jereth nodded. "Of course."
Flynn's shoulders slumped. He let out a sigh and closed his eyes. "Thank you," he said.
Jereth touched Flynn's chest.
"Hold on, my friend. Hold on. Lera and the healer will be here any moment."
Ordella wiped her eyes. Flynn's breathing started to slow, and the muscles in his face seemed to relax, as if the pain was no longer bothering him.
"We're losing him," she said to Jereth. She let go of Flynn's hand and stood up. If Lera and Krafe didn't get here soon, they'd be too late.
*****
"Oh, Flynn!" Lera rushed past Ordella and flung her arms around her husband. He groaned and she released her grip, the front of her dress smeared with his blood. "You big fool. When will you ever learn?"
Krafe approached and stood next to Jereth. The healer placed his leather bag by his feet.
Lera turned to him. "Tell me there's something you can do.” Her usually measured voice was edged with panic.
"I'll certainly try," he said. "Now if you'll allow me to examine the patient."
Krafe flicked open the bag's latch and took out a thin-bladed knife and a square of cloth. He then sliced away Flynn's sopping bandage and mopped at the blood.
In the Warren, Ordella had seen more than her fair share of blood and gore, but Flynn's wounds made her stomach turn. The cat's claws had gouged deep into his chest, shoulder, and arm, jaggedly cleaving flesh from bone. The skin at the edges of the lacerations was puffy and bright scarlet.
The healer shook his head, stood up and took a few paces away from his patient. He motioned for Lera and Jereth to join him.
"You can say it in front of me," said Flynn through gritted teeth.
The healer nodded and stepped back towards him.
"As you wish," he said. "The rotclaw's poison has already taken hold. Your blood is flowing like water from a spring." He looked at Lera, then bowed his head. "There is nothing more that can be done. Even conkwort wouldn't stop the bleeding."
Lera let out a desperate sob, but Ordella hardly heard her. Something Krafe had said set off a trigger in her mind. A stab of recollection. A link to something she'd heard before. She sifted through his words.
"Conkwort."
Jereth looked at her, his eyes narrowed.
"Conkwort," she said again.
She knew she'd heard it before. Merisca had mentioned it on their way to Oakhaven.
She glanced at Flynn, then turned to Jereth.
"Don't let him die," she said. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
Nineteen
Ordella hurtled into Oakhaven. Villagers stared as she ran past them, some even shouted, but she didn't stop. She didn't have time to explain what had happened. If Flynn was going to have any chance of surviving, she had to find Merisca, and quickly.
Veering to her left, Ordella narrowly avoided a thicket of silver birch and brambles. She pressed on. The village fire pit loomed into view and she sprinted to the entrance. She ducked as she passed through the wooden door frame and raced to the center of the room.
Chegg was stoking smoldering drowel logs with a large iron poker.
"Where is she?" Ordella said.
The cook turned around, his eyes wide. He backed away from her, holding the poker out in front of him like a sword.
"I've come from the caves," she said. "It's Flynn, he's hurt. Where's Merisca? I need to see her. Now."
Mention of Flynn's name seemed to halt the cook's retreat. He lowered his weapon.
"She's gone to the cold store." He pointed towards the door. "Should be back any moment."
Ordella couldn't risk waiting. She turned on her heel and pelted back across the room.
"Is Flynn alright?" Chegg asked.
Ordella didn't respond. She ran back through the doorway, making for Oakhaven's main pathway.
"Merisca!" Ordella shouted. The Islander was just rounding the corner, her arms laden with a large wheel of cheese and a hunk of salted meat. "Merisca!"
The Islander dropped what she was carrying and ran to Ordella.
"What's wrong with you? Your hands! Your face! You're covered."
Ordella glanced down at her tunic. It was smeared with blood. It was as if she'd just worked a full scrubbing shift in the Warren. No wonder Chegg had been afraid of her.
"It's not mine," she said. "It's Flynn. He's been slashed by a rotclaw."
Merisca winced.
"Take me to him," she said. "Now!"
Ordella led Merisca through the village in the direction of the caves. She pointed to a stand of sanctuary oaks.
"There," she said. "He's lying down at the base of the smallest of those trees."
They broke into a run, and soon they could see Flynn's body. Jereth was crouched down at one side, and Lera was at the other.
"What's she doing here?" It was Lera's voice. The pale woman stood up and stared at Ordella as they approached. Lera stepped in front of Flynn, partially blocking him from view. She pointed her finger at Merisca. “She's not coming anywhere near him."
Ordella and Merisca stepped closer.
Lera didn't move. "Krafe has already examined the wound. There's nothing more that can be done."
Lera sniffed and wiped her hand across her eyes.
"If I could just take a look," Merisca said.
Lera shook her head. "Krafe is a master healer. What could you possibly know that he does not?" she said. "Please leave us alone."
Merisca turned to Krafe who had walked over to stand behind Lera.
"Tell me. How many rotclaw injuries have you treated before?"
He flashed her a condescending smile. "That's just the thing," he said. "A wound inflicted by a rotclaw is virtually untreatable."
Merisca snorted. "That's not true. Common coagulants like conkwort or meadow jarrow will not stop the bleeding, but other remedies can be very effective if they are administered in the correct way." Merisca moved closer. "Rotclaws are common in the forests of the Dappled Isles. Many hunters have been injured by them and many have lived to tell the tale." She looked straight at Lera. "And some of them are alive today as a result of the treatments I gave them."
"At least let her look at him,” Ordella said. “What harm could that do?"
Lera stared at Flynn's pallid face.
"She's right, Lera," Jereth said. He was still kneeling down next to Flynn. "What have you got to lose?"
Lera closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she slowly nodded her head and stepped to the side.
Merisca strode up to Flynn and crouched down. The man's eyes were closed and his breathing was shallow. She peered at the gashes to his chest and arm. She prodded the puckered edges of the wound on his shoulder. Flynn let out a soft moan, but his eyelids remained firmly shut.
"The rot is quite advanced," Merisca said, "but there might still be time."
She turned to the healer. "Have you got any feverfew stalks in that bag of yours?" He shook his head, and Merisca rolled her eyes. "How about yellow browslip or surrage?"
"No," he said. "I don't much use them in my everyday work."
"You can recognize them though?"
He nodded.
"Good. Bring me whichever you find first. I will also need Lambley's Beard. I know there's some growing on the path to the east of Oakhaven because we passed it on our way here, but there's sure to be some closer than that. Gather as much as you can."
"Yes," Krafe said. "I think there's some by the big pond." He stood up.
"Leave your bag," Merisc
a said. "I might find something useful in there."
The healer reluctantly shrugged the strap off his shoulder.
"Well, go on then. Fetch the plants."
With a nod to Merisca and a final glance at Flynn's body, Krafe headed into the forest.
Ordella picked up Krafe's battered bag and placed it on the ground next to Flynn. Merisca immediately started to rummage through its contents. She removed a knife, some clean strips of linen, and a pestle and mortar, and set them by her feet. Then she lifted out a large clay bottle and held it up in front of her eyes.
"No," she said, letting it fall back into the bag.
She raised another bottle. This one had a mottled-green glaze. She turned it in her hands. There was no label. She unstoppered it and moved the bottle's lip under her nose.
"Firewater," she said. "Or something similar. That'll have to do."
Merisca folded one of the cloth strips in half and then in half again, then she held it over the bottle's opening. She turned the bottle over, dousing the fabric with the clear liquid. Then she dabbed at Flynn's wounds. He didn't react.
Merisca put the cloth down and picked up Krafe's knife. She ran her thumb over the blade, then reached into the bag again. After a moment of searching, she pulled out a small whetstone and started to slide the blade over its black surface, first one side and then the other. She examined the knife's edge and returned the stone to the bag.
"I'm going to need to remove some of the affected skin."
"You'll do no such thing," Lera said. She lunged at Merisca, but Jereth caught her around her waist and held her still, her flailing fists mere inches from the Islander’s head.
Merisca shuffled back.
"If I don't, he'll die," she said.
Merisca stood up and looked at Lera's belly. Lera's hands instinctively stroked her tunic over her navel. "And after your child is born fatherless," Merisca continued, "you can explain to them that you were the one who sent away the only person who stood a chance of saving him."
Lera gaped. Her mouth moved as if she was going to reply, then she closed it again. She turned away and dropped to her knees.
"Do it, just do it," she said.
"The fire water will numb the flesh. He shouldn't feel a thing."
Gripping the knife between her thumb and forefinger, Merisca sliced into Flynn's skin, cutting away the parts of the wound that had been tainted by the cat's poisonous claws. She discarded the trimmings into a piece of cloth by her side and finished by applying some more of the liquid.
"For the final stage, we really need the Lambley's Beard." She stood up and looked into the forest. "Where has our master healer got to?"
"I'll go and find him," Ordella said, getting to her feet.
"There's no need," shouted Garvan who'd positioned himself next to the track the healer had taken. "Here he comes now."
Krafe emerged from the trees.
"I've got them!" he said. "Everything you asked for."
In one hand, he waved a clump of stalks topped with purple flowers. In his other, he held a bunch of at least two other green-leaved plants.
He was panting and his face was flushed. Sweat plastered his wispy hair flat against the top of his balding head. With trembling hands, Krafe handed his finds to Merisca.
"Good work," she said, laying the stems on the ground by her feet. She reached first for the Lambley's Beard and pruned away the leaves and flower heads until she was left with only the pale green stalks. She sliced these into small pieces and placed them into the stone mortar that she'd set up on the ground by her feet.
With the pestle, she ground the stalks into a thick green paste. She then added a handful of yellow leaves of what must have been browslip, and a few slithers of the stem of a plant that Ordella couldn't identify. She ground these into the mixture and, with another strip of cloth, daubed the green mulch onto Flynn's freshly-cleaned wounds.
When the bowl was empty, Merisca nodded.
"If that doesn't save him," she said, "nothing will."
Using the remaining pieces of linen, she bandaged his wounds.
"He is not to be moved until tomorrow." She stood up and flattened her tunic, which was now spattered with blood and flecks of green paste. "We'll know by morning if our efforts have been a success."
She turned around and started to walk back to the village.
"Wait," Lera said.
Merisca stopped, and Lera walked over to her. She leaned in close and spoke into the Islander's ear. Ordella couldn't make out the words, but Merisca nodded. Their eyes met for a brief moment, then Merisca put her hand on Lera's shoulder before walking alone back towards the village.
"Garvan," Jereth said, breaking the silence that had accompanied Merisca's departure. "I'm afraid I have one more task for you before you're done. On your way to your platform, round up some volunteers and send them in this direction. The more the better. You can explain what has happened if you need to. I want a grill constructed across the opening of the caves before nightfall." Jereth looked down at his feet. "And we're going to need some strong arms to fetch Dale's body and take him back to the village."
Garvan nodded.
"And what about you? When are you going to get some rest?" he said.
"I'm fine," Jereth replied. His eyes flicked over to Flynn's bandaged body, and to Lera who had returned to her husband's side. "I'm fine."
"If you're sure." Garvan clasped Jereth's hand, and then he picked up his bow and trudged off.
Jereth turned to Krafe.
"Gather your equipment and leave us," he said.
The healer scooped up his knife and pestle and mortar and hastily placed them into his bag. He bobbed his head to Jereth. For a moment, it looked as if he was going to say something, then he appeared to change his mind and strode back down the path to Oakhaven, his leather bag bumping against his side.
Jereth placed his hand on Ordella's shoulder. His grip was firm.
"You did well today, Ordella. I was very proud."
He let go of her and ran his hand through his short hair.
"In the end, you were able to set aside your fear and your apprehension and your self-doubt and let your instincts take over."
He picked up her bow and brushed away some mud that was clinging to the handle. "Now you have another challenge to face, and this is one you can't shoot your way out of."
Ordella screwed up her nose. What in all Ellusia was he talking about now?
Jereth pointed over her shoulder, and Ordella turned around. Merisca was sitting on a log at the edge of the village.
"I don't know what's gone on between you, but I think it's time it came to an end, don't you?" He glanced over at Flynn and Lera. "Good friends are very hard to come by in this world. They're far too precious to abandon when things get difficult or complicated."
He stared at Flynn's bandaged body. "I know that better than most." He waved his hand as if trying to rub away his last comment. "At least listen to her side of the story."
Twenty
Ordella walked towards Merisca who was perched, head-bowed, on a log next to the path.
The Islander didn’t look up.
Ordella was tempted to keep on going. It would’ve been easy to dodge into the trees, putting off the confrontation for another day. But Jereth was right. She’d waited too long already. Enough time had passed.
“Hello” she said.
Merisca glanced up. She smiled, then shuffled along the log and patted its bark-covered surface.
“Take a seat,” she said. “You must be exhausted.”
Ordella sat down next to her and took a deep breath.
“I’m sorry I was angry with you,” she said. “I had no right to be. My grandmother put you in an impossible position, and I shouldn’t have blamed you for her death.”
Merisca put her hand on Ordella’s knee.
“You had every right. You were hurt and you thought I’d betrayed you. Your reaction was natural.” Merisca swallowed. �
��Thank you for what you said. It means a lot. I know you will never truly forgive me for keeping Gwenith’s plans a secret from you, and that is something I must live with. But you must understand that her mind was already made up. Even if I’d told you, she still would have gone ahead with her sacrifice. She made me promise silence, and I will not apologize for keeping my word.”
Ordella nodded.
“However,” Merisca continued, “I am sorry for holding onto the item that belonged to your father for as long as I did.” She sighed. “I was weak. I knew how you’d react, and I was looking for the perfect time. I should have given it to you sooner.”
“And I shouldn’t have treated you so unfairly,” Ordella said.
“Neither of us can take back what we said, but we can leave the past behind.” Merisca clapsed Ordella’s hand in her own. “I’d like us to be friends again.”
Ordella locked eyes with Merisca and smiled. She’d grown close to Jereth and Hob in the weeks she’d spent in Oakhaven, but Merisca knew where she’d come from. They’d survived the Warren together, and they’d both won the Slave’s Gamble. The bond between them was too important to sever.
“Me too.” She wrapped her arm around Merisca and rested her head on her shoulder.
After a few moments, Ordella sat up and glanced back towards the cave.
“Flynn will be alright, won’t he? Be honest with me.”
“We won’t know for sure until the morning, but between you and me, I think he stands a good chance of surviving.”
“Shouldn’t we stay with him? In case he gets worse?”
Merisca shook her head. “There’s nothing more to do. Lera’s with him, and Jereth, too.” Merisca glanced towards the village. “Let’s go and find something to eat. In the morning you can come with me and we’ll check on his progress.”
*****
Merisca and Ordella made their way through Oakhaven towards the caves. They passed a handful of bleary-eyed villagers busying themselves with chopping wood and collecting water, but most hadn’t yet made it down from the trees.
Ordella glanced at the surrounding forest. Some of Jereth’s owls were bound to be awake too, concealed in the trees, their eyes focused on the woodland paths and tracks.
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