by Pedro Urvi
“Good. Now it’s done,” Angus said, as if he were passing judgment.
“And now?” Ivana asked.
“Now we wait to see whether he improves.”
“Or whether there’s some complication,” Haakon added.
“Yes, to both suppositions.”
“We’d better make ourselves comfortable,” said Esben. He sat down on the floor with his back against the wall.
“True.” Angus sat down in a small armchair, and the Healer and Eyra sat down on the bed itself.
“I’m going downstairs to fetch a chair,” said Haakon after he had been standing for a while. He came back with a chair for Ivana and another one for himself, and Nilsa sat down at the foot of the bed.
The hours went by slowly. Nobody spoke. They were all waiting to see what would happen. Egil, along with Gerd and Valeria, watched them from the open door which gave on to the corridor. They were sitting on the floor with their backs to the wall and nodding off, they were so tired from the journey. Nilsa was making a huge effort not to fall asleep in front of the Master Rangers and Angus, but she was beginning to find it impossible to keep her eyes open.
Although their faces revealed nothing, Egil was aware that they were all wondering who among them might be the poisoner, if indeed there was one at all. It was natural enough. He himself was doing the same, subconsciously. He stared at their faces and tried to think what possible reasons there could be for wanting to kill Dolbarar.
He scratched his nose thoughtfully. The most obvious one, the one with the most direct reason, was Angus. Without Dolbarar, the leadership of the Camp would be almost sure to be his. Esben did not seem to have any motive, but sometimes those who seemed to be the most innocent were really the guilty ones. Haakon and Ivana were less innocent. In fact their motives might be darker and more twisted, although he could not imagine what they could be. They had shown that they had something against him and against Lasgol, and shown this openly. But against Dolbarar? What could they have against him? What could anybody have against him?”
He watched Edwina and Eyra. Exhausted by the efforts of caring for Dolbarar, they had both fallen asleep, one on the bed and the other on the cot they kept in the room for exactly that purpose. The Healer and the Master Ranger of Nature were free from suspicion. They had gone out of their way to heal Dolbarar day and night for a very long time. But was anyone really free from suspicion in a situation like this? Probably not.
Egil stopped turning the matter over in his mind. He would cross that bridge when he came to it. Now what mattered was that Dolbarar should improve. He was sure that the antidote would work. They had put so much effort into getting hold of it. It had to work. With those thoughts, he fell asleep from pure exhaustion.
The night went by.
And with dawn there came the surprise.
Chapter 49
The sunlight which came in through the two windows of the bedroom filled it with light and life. As if through the magic of that light, Dolbarar opened his eyes.
“Water …” he asked, in a feeble, broken voice.
“Right away,” replied Edwina, who was on the bed. She handed him a glass of water from the bedside table.
“Just a moment!” Angus interrupted. Judging by his appearance, he had not slept all night.
Edwina looked at him blankly. “It’s just water,” she said.
“I would imagine it is. All the same, from now on the patient isn’t to be given anything without my approval.”
Eyra got up from the cot where she had slept a little. “But … we have to tend to him …”
“You are only to give him whatever I’ve approved,” Angus repeated, calmly but forcefully.
Esben had now come across to see Dolbarar. “Is he better, then?”
The voices had awakened the people who were still asleep. Egil, Gerd and Valeria were watching from the corridor, and Nilsa had got up from the foot of the bed. Ivana and Haakon were looking at Dolbarar, intrigued.
“It looks like it,” said Angus. “Eyra, could you take a look at him?”
The old lady examined him, but it was obvious that he was better. Dolbarar was looking at all of them in surprise, but there was a vital quality in his gaze which had been absent for months.
“His pulse and breathing are stronger than they were yesterday,” she said.
Dolbarar swallowed and looked at all the people in his room. He seemed to be waking up from a nightmare. Edwina examined him too and came to the same conclusion.
“He’s still very weak, but rather better. It’s amazing, I can’t explain it.”
“Perhaps not so much,” Angus said. He beckoned to Nilsa. “Can you bring some fresh water? As for the explanation, Egil gave it to us yesterday. He doesn’t have Putrefaction of the Blood. He’s been poisoned.”
“That’s a lot to claim,” Haakon warned him.
“A slight improvement doesn’t prove anything,” Ivana added.
“But it does convince some of us,” Esben said. “Even though I hate the implications, I too now believe that he’s been poisoned.”
“That’s jumping to hasty conclusions,” Edwina said. “Sick people often get better suddenly, without any explanation.”
“And they often do that just before they die,” Eyra added.
“That’s why – and before we conclude categorically that he’s been poisoned – we’ll wait for him to recover.”
“I think that’s an intelligent idea,” said Esben.
“So do I,” Ivana agreed. “That way we’ll clear up any doubts once and for all. I prefer certainty myself.”
“What if he relapses?” Haakon asked as Nilsa came into the room with a jug of fresh water.
“Pour it out for him, please,” Angus said.
Nilsa filled a glass and helped Dolbarar to drink, and he smiled at her feebly. He did not seem to understand what the matter with him was. When he had drunk, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
“Nilsa, you’re to be his caretaker,” Angus said. “You’re not to accept anything from anybody without my approval. Not even water.” He turned. “Gerd!”
“Yes, sir?” the giant said from the doorway.
“You’ll help her.”
“Me, sir?” Gerd said in surprise. This was not really the kind of job he was good at.
“Yes, you, because I can trust you two. You haven’t been in the Camp in all the time Dolbarar has been sick, and besides, you were on the mission to defeat the Ice Specter. Your others: I’m afraid it would be better if you were to stay away from Dolbarar for now.”
Haakon took offense and began to mumble rude comments. Ivana was not happy at all with this attack. The rest were murmuring, but they were not so offended.
“It’s nothing personal,” Angus assured them. “You’ve been with Dolbarar during the whole period of his sickness, and if he has been poisoned, that makes you all suspects, whether I like it or not.”
“It also makes you a suspect yourself,” Haakon pointed out.
“I’m afraid I was summoned when Dolbarar was already very ill,” Angus said, “so that rules me out.”
Egil was not so sure whether this ruled him out completely but it was a good alibi. It would do for now.
“And what about us?” Eyra asked. “Don’t tell me you suspect Edwina and me, surely?”
“I don’t suspect you, but unfortunately I can’t make an exception for you. Nobody is to come close to Dolbarar except Nilsa and Gerd, who couldn’t have had anything to do with it. I’m sorry, but that’s my decision.”
“But he needs care, Eyra said.
“He’ll get basic care and food from his custodians,” he said, looking at Nilsa and Gerd.
“This is a mistake,” Eyra protested.
Edwina rushed to support her. “A very big one.”
“That may be so, but I’m going to follow my hunch. Now, if you don’t mind, leave and let the patient rest. I’m going to set a guard at the door, and only Nilsa and Gerd wil
l be allowed in to see him. Not even I will go in. That way there’ll be fewer suspicions.”
“That seems a good idea to me,” said Esben.
The others left, some looking angry, others upset. As he went out, Haakon glared at Egil.
“Make sure he recovers,” Ivana said to Nilsa as she passed her.
“Yes … of course …”
“Or the blame will fall on you. And you’re from my School, so you’d make things look bad for me.”
“I won’t fail, ma’am,” Nilsa said, sounding very unsure of herself..
“If he gets worse, please call us,” Eyra pleaded.
“We’ll speak to Angus, but don’t fail to warn us,” Edwina said to both Nilsa and Gerd.
“Yes … of course,” Gerd said, though he was not at all sure of the right thing to do in this case.
When they had all left, Angus stayed back with them. “If he gets worse, call me, and I’ll decide on the course of action.”
“All right,” Gerd said. He was feeling rather ashamed at having agreed so readily to call the Healer.
“Good. Get down to it. Dolbarar’s life is in your hands now.”
“You can count on us, sir,” said Nilsa.
Angus smiled. “I know. I trust you.” He left the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Outside, Egil and Valeria were waiting in the corridor.
“That was a great job you did. If it’s confirmed that he’s been poisoned, he’ll owe you his life.”
“Let’s hope he recovers,” said Egil. He was not too sure of this, given how weak Dolbarar was.
“He will,” Valeria told him to encourage him.
“He’s a fighter. He’s always been that, ever since he was young. If he’s held on till now, I think he’ll manage to fight back and survive. We’ll have to wait and see, but we’ll have to put our trust in that.”
“Yes, sir,” Egil said, feeling a little calmer.
“I’m going to organize the watch and all the other Camp business. Egil, I need you to get back to your old duties, I’ve been having to do nearly all of them myself, and I can’t deny the fact, it’s been exhausting.”
“Of course, sir. Right away.”
“Valeria, stay in the Camp until all this is over.”
“Very good, sir.”
Angus nodded to them and went away down the corridor. Egil and Valeria stayed staring at the closed door, wishing they could be inside with their friends. Unfortunately that was impossible.
Three days of intense expectations went by. Angus was right. Dolbarar was tough. He had not succumbed so far, and he did not look as though he were about to give up. By the third day he had improved considerably. He was beginning to stammer a word or two, even though he was still unaware of what was going on around him. Nilsa checked his pulse, breathing and heartbeat almost constantly. Gerd tried to get her to relax a little, but it was impossible. More than once he had had to order her out of the room to take a stroll and get rid of her nerves.
Angus had set two Rangers on watch duty at the door, day and night. They were not to let anybody through except Nilsa and Gerd: not even the Master Rangers and the Healer. These orders had surprised the guards greatly, but finally they seemed to have understood. In any case, and to make sure of things, Angus had sent Oden to check, and there had been a kerfuffle because he had not been allowed to pass. Angus, satisfied, had told the Master Instructor to make sure nobody went in.
Dolbarar could barely take in anything other than fluids, so Nilsa and Gerd fed him cups of fortifying hot broth. They themselves prepared the food, in the canteen kitchen, to make sure nobody slipped anything into it. By the end of a week, Dolbarar’s state had improved substantially. He could speak now, and his mind was beginning to come back. He recognized where he was, and also his caretakers, who were delighted. They called Angus to give him the good news, and he met them in the corridor.
“The news makes me very glad. You’re doing a great job.”
“He’s started to ask questions, sir. He wants to know what’s happened to him.”
“For the moment don’t tell him anything. Say I’ll tell him all about it when he’s a little better.”
“He doesn’t know you’re the new Camp leader, sir,” Nilsa said.
“Tell him that. I don’t want it to be a surprise.”
“He also asks for Eyra and Edwina,” Gerd added, “and we really don’t know what to tell him.”
Angus was thoughtful. “Tell them he’ll see them soon, that they’re gathering medicinal herbs outside the Camp.”
“I’m terrible at lying, sir,” Gerd admitted.
“I’m even more so,” Nilsa added.
“Well, you do what you can. It’s a lie, but it’s a perfectly credible one.”
“We’ll try,” said Gerd resignedly. The expression on his face suggested that he was not too confident about this.
“Has anybody harassed you?”
“No, sir,” Nilsa replied. “Nobody’s come to see him, and nobody’s contacted us.”
“I trust it’ll go on like that. If anybody tries, tell me at once.”
“Of course, sir,” Gerd said.
“Cheer up, you’re about to save Dolbarar.”
Nilsa smiled. “Yes, that’s what’s keeping us going.”
“I’ll leave you to it. Now back you go.”
A week later Dolbarar managed to sit up in bed. He was strong enough to talk by now, and asked to see Angus. He might still be very weak, but he was strong enough to have worked out that something was going on. Angus greeted him from the door, without coming inside.
“How do you feel?” he asked Dolbarar with a smile of happiness when he saw that he was so much better.
“As if I’d fallen to the bottom of a frozen abyss, and then climbed back up.”
“As well as that, eh?” Angus joked.
“My care takers tell me Gondabar called you and put you in charge because of my illness.”
Angus nodded. “That’s right. I’ve done the best I could.”
“I’m sure you’ve done wonderfully. You’re the most competent and meticulous man I know.”
“Thank you very much. That’s a great compliment, coming from you.”
“I need to know what’s going on. These two won’t tell me anything, and I imagine it’s on your orders. If that’s so, it’s serious. Am I wrong?”
“Unfortunately it’s very serious.”
“What’s happened? Is it the Camp? The Zangrians?”
“No, don’t worry, it’s none of that.”
“No? Well, then? Is it because of my illness?”
Angus nodded. “You’re not going to like what I’m about to tell you, and it has very serious implications. Are you sure you’re strong enough?”
“I am. Tell me.”
“Well, I’ll tell you plainly. You’re not suffering from any illness. You’ve been poisoned.”
Dolbarar opened his mouth to say something, but could not manage to utter a word. He closed his mouth again and looked at the end of the room, his gaze distant. There was a long silence, which Angus did not want to break by adding more information. He let Dolbarar come to terms with it all. It would not be an easy thing to accept, especially for the Leader of the Camp, because it had happened there, in the heart of the place, with all that implied.
Dolbarar came out of his thoughts after a while. “Are you … sure?”
“Unfortunately, yes, I am.”
“Absolutely? There’s no possibility of a mistake?”
“The possibility of a mistake can never be ruled out, but in this case I’m sure. You’ve been poisoned.”
Dolbarar heaved a sigh of enormous sadness, which seemed to come from the depths of his soul.
“I’m tired … let me get my strength back a little more and think about what you’ve told me.” He lay down and shut his eyes. Nilsa hastened to help him.
“Of course. As soon as you feel stronger, send for me and we’ll talk about it.”
Nilsa and Gerd went on looking after Dolbarar, and there were no incidents. None of the Master Rangers, nor the healer Edwina, nor any other of the Rangers, tried to come near. Oden kept watch on the corridor practically every day and night, quite apart from the watchman at the door. Nilsa and Gerd were always inside, except at those moments when one or the other of them went to prepare meals or to fetch water. This made it practically impossible for anything to reach the patient.
Another week went by, and Dolbarar was able to get up and walk a little with the help of a staff. Feeling himself to be stronger, he called Angus, and they had a long conversation. Angus told him everything that had happened while he was convalescing, stressing the latest events which had brought about his recovery. Dolbarar asked many questions to make sure he had a full grasp of the situation, and Angus resolved all his doubts.
That same afternoon, he called a meeting of the Camp Council.
The time had come to explain the attempt to murder Dolbarar and find the guilty person.
Chapter 50
Sitting with Angus, who was presiding at the council table in the Command House, were the Four Master Rangers and the Healer. Egil, at Angus’ request, was also present, a little apart beside the low fire in the hearth. Valeria, who had not been invited, was waiting outside the House. Master Instructor Oden was guarding the door, escorted by two Rangers.
“This council is one I am very glad to be presiding over, and at the same time very sad,” Angus began. “The reason for my gladness is that Dolbarar has recovered.”
Esben slammed both hands on the oak table. “That’s wonderful news!”
“It certainly is. Today is a great day,” Ivana said. Very uncharacteristically for her, a sincere smile appeared on her icy face.