Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2009 20:49:21 -0700
From: Dragonwriter <Dragonwriter@toshirodragon.com>
Subject: A Fairy Tale in Flight ch 5

The Tower

	Images whirled past my face, moving far too fast for me to react:
Mellys crying, Father shouting, a cup held to my lips, a pair of pale eyes
swimming in golden soup and then darkness and silence. Silence heavy than
the quieter winter snowstorm filled my head; slowly a quiet noise
penetrated the haze surrounding my mind, at first, annoying and I tried to
push it away so I could sleep, but it remained constant, banging against
the insides of my head. Gradually, the noise evened out into a steady,
rhythmic thumping like a heartbeat.

	"A heartbeat!" I thought my eyes flying open.

	I struggled to sit up, my head pounding and my left side throbbing.
Puzzled at the unfamiliar location, I looked around taking in the small
room with stonewalls, but it wasn't my room. The room was furnished with a
bed, chair, chamber pot and a water ewer. A small window across from the
bed looked out onto an immense stretch of blue: I was in one of the tower
rooms. Climbing stiffly out of bed, I looked down, surprised to find that I
was naked. My arms and legs were decorated by a swirling pattern of red
burns and my chest had patches of burnt skin looking as if I'd come down
with a rather exotic case of spots. Miraculously, I appeared to not be as
burned as I would have expected, given the intensity of Tamas` flame. My
arms hurt like blazes, literally, and so did my left side, but the most of
my body appeared relatively unharmed. I would remember to thank Mother's
seamstress for making my doublet so sturdy. The smell of the burn salve
made my nose sting, and I remembered Tamas once describing it as "the
nastiest smelling goo ever" and had to agree with his assessment.

	Hobbling stiffly to the window, I peered out, it faced away from
the village and I suspected that Father had done that on purpose to break
my spirit. My hands gripped the windowsill painfully and tears dripped onto
my burned hands. Why hadn't I heeded Father's words or told Tamas to leave
town, then this would never have happened. If only I had paid more
attention to Lehi, I really was stupid for thinking he wouldn't use my love
for Tamas against me. Tears slipped down my cheeks, stinging them slightly
as if they were sunburned. Closing my eyes, I said a silent prayer of
thanks for the leather apron. It felt like my hair was heavily singed but
was still there. My ears felt extremely tender but they were still attached
to my head. I said another prayer of thanks for coming through the fire so
well. I loosely covered my ears, listening; Tamas' heartbeat pounded
strongly in my head. New tears dripped down my face, tears of relief in
knowing that he was still alive.

	"Tamas," I murmured softly.

	Behind me, a key scraped in the lock of the door, and then the
latch clanked open. Hastily I dashed away the tears and assumed a blank
expression as I half turned around. The door scraped across the floor,
opening to reveal, the healer from the village, leaning on a curved
cane. He hobbled, one leg stiff, into the room, followed by Mellys and
Raulf, who was there perhaps to make sure no one tried to help me
escape. He leered obscenely at me and I blushed, remembering that I was
naked. Mellys made a squeaking sort of noise and snatched up the blanket
off the bed, wrapping it loosely around me.

	"Aw ri', yeh can go new, Ah doon need yeh an'mo'," Master William
said turning to Raulf. "Yeh can go leer at yer reflection in tha glass,
mayhap it will answer yeh, thi' time."

	Raulf fixed the healer with a glare that would have left a lesser
man groveling on the floor for forgiveness, but Master William only took a
wire handled metal pot and leather bag out of Raulf's hand and made a
dismissing shoo-shoo gesture to him. Raulf spun on his heel and stomped out
the door, pulling it shut with a slam that I suspected could be heard three
floors down. The door latch clanked shut followed by the sound of the key
in the lock. Master William raised an eyebrow and shook his head. He
muttered something under his breath before turning towards me.

	Now that my head was clear, I could study Master William
carefully. He cultivated an old man's attitude, but looking at him it was
clear that he wasn't much older than I was and half a head shorter. His
right leg was stiff, the knee joint frozen straight, causing him to walk
with a limp and use a cane. I wondered if his knee was the result of an
injury or if it had always been like that. His knee and my hands gave me a
kindred spirit feeling and I suddenly felt much calmer than I'd been before
he arrived. Thick coppery curls surrounded a long face that couldn't quite
be described as handsome but was far from unattractive. His sharp, almost
colorless grey eyes studied me like a predator deciding which pieces were
the choicest and I pulled the blanket a little closer, wincing when it
rubbed a burn.

	"Yeh've finally decided t'onor us wi' a visit, eh?" Master William
said amused, leaning his cane against the bed.

	"Huh-how long has it been?" I asked.

	"You've been mostly asleep for a week, Nicco," Mellys said.

	"A week!" I squeaked, my throat still a bit raw.

	"Hai, Ah kep yeh pretty drugged, yeh `eal betteh if yeh no want ta
git up and run aboot too soon," Master William said, his eyes twinkling at
me.

	"Mmm," I said contemplating whether that was a good sign or
not. Tamas told me that when he burned his hand, Nayne had kept him drunk
for two or three days for pain relief.

	"And," he went on, his voice dropping conspiratorially, "buys a wee
bit o' time for whah e'er tha firedrake is plannin."

	"Firedrake! What about Tamas? Is everyone all right?" I asked
eagerly. Mellys put her finger to her lips and jerked her head towards the
door. I nodded in comprehension, Raulf would, no doubt, be on the other
side listening. I nodded and lowered my voice.

	"It's not a wise idea to antagonize Raulf like that," I said to
Master William. "He likes nothing better than to catch people unawares and
hurt them."

	"Nah nah, lad, `e no will `urt me. `E thinks Ah'm a sorcerer or
summat what can conjure beasties. Yeh seed me stop tha firedrake, dint
yeh?" Master William tipped his head on the side and crossed his eyes. I
smothered a laugh against the edge of the blanket. "Nowt thah Ah goes aboot
correctin' thah mistake, hai?"

	"Hai," I answered with a grin.

	"Come, sit yehsef down, Ah no can look yeh over whilst yeh stand
theh like a scarecrow in a field," the healer said, waving me towards the
bed. "And if yeh're worrit aboot the Missy, she's already seen it all."

	I flushed and after glancing at Mellys' red face, scurried for the
bed. Relief flooded my system as I sat down, standing so long had been
tiring but I wasn't about to show any kind of weakness anywhere Raulf might
see as he would capitalize on it in an instant. Master William lifted the
blanket off my shoulders and hmmed to himself as he looked over my body
carefully. His touch was surprisingly light despite having somewhat short
stubby fingers. Leaning close to me, I breathed in the earthy scent of
herbs and took a deep breath, smiling in pleasure.

	"Yeh're lookin' remark'bly goot fer a lad what was burnt 'alf to a
cinder joost a mere week agoo. Is it love? Or are yeh part salamander?"
Master William said lifting my head and looking into my eyes. He turned my
head, first left and then right examining my ears.

	"But yeh're goin' ta have a nasty necklace fer tha rest o' yer
life," he said. Letting go of my chin, he grunted in satisfaction; my hands
flew to my throat. I felt a burn that wrapped around my neck, running down
onto my breastbone.

	"The necklace Tamas gave me! Where is it? What happened to it? It
didn't melt, did it? And what about Bitte`s Gran`s chain?"

	"Yeh betteh hope not, if tha fire had been tha hot ye'd be a
cinder, laddy," Master William said, one eyebrow raised. "I practice a wee
bit o' sleight o' 'and, it distracts chilrun when settin' bones, and passed
'em ta Mistress Nayne, when I tole 'er ta leave."

	"Thank you," I whispered and he nodded. His fingers gently squeezed
my shoulder in compassion.

	Master William stooped and picked up the small pot before limping
over to the chair with a gait that reminded me of a bird hopping. It seemed
he only needed the cane for walking long distances, perhaps that tired his
bad leg. He set the metal pot on the chair. Opening the pot, he wrinkled
his nose in displeasure as a nasty smell oozed out into the room. I made a
face at Mellys who grinned at me, even as she waved her hand in front of
her nose.

	"Gentleman farts," she said and we both broke into laughter at the
old joke from our childhood. Whenever there was a foul smell anywhere, we
would call it 'gentleman farts' after some of the well, less pleasant to be
around, male members of the aristocracy, particularly after a night of
heavy drinking and feasting.

	"Heh-eh, new if yeh kin laugh like thah, yeh moost be on tha road
ta recov'ry," Master William said half hopping, half walking back to my
side.

	He held the lid from the pot, upside down in one hand, and a cloth
in the other. On the lid was a generous dollop of the burn salve. I
wrinkled my nose and sighed, it did seem to be helping, despite the pungent
odor. Handing the lid to Mellys, Master William dipped the edge of the
cloth in the salve and daubed gently at the burns on my arms and chest; he
hrrmed to himself again as he spread the medicine.

	"Ah suppose yeh'd be innerested in knowin' thah theh's a wyvern
roostin' on the abandoned smithy in town," he said meditatively.

	"Kinder!" I said, jerking my head up. "Abandoned smithy? Tamas?
What about Tamas? And Nayne? Kinna? Bitte? And-and-and," I sputtered to a
stop, puzzled at the amused look on Mellys' face.

	"I have it on good authority that Tamas is safe," she said softly,
her eyes flicking to the door. I nodded, knowing Raulf would be listening
on the other side. "As are the rest of the inhabitants of the smithy. The
Smith Guild being rather displeased with the Arm's Master's proclamation
has found Tamas a forge south and east of here." Her voice dropped to a
whisper. "About half a days ride from the university. Puts him just outside
the hundred-mile ban, so he's safe until the Guild can get the decree
turned over. The old Master there has no sons to pass the forge to, so he's
willing to let Tamas take it in return for a warm bed and place by the
fire."

	"Already?" I exclaimed surprised.

	"Well the Guild knew this forge was in need of a new Master so they
sent a messenger. Teru says he took the message as far as Sheverin and
another took it from there to Clannerith and so on. The Guild moved pretty
fast to block your father," her voice shone with pleasure.

	"Thank Heavens," I said nearly collapsing backwards onto the bed. I
sat up abruptly earning a growled oath from Master William. "But what
happened at the forge? Father was going to burn it down!"

	I reached for Mellys' hand nearly dumping the medicine. Master
William growled again and I muttered a hasty apology. Mellys smiled, and
shifted the lid into one hand and with the other took my hand. The warmth
and familiarity of her fingers around mine instantly relaxed my tense
shoulders. Starting from when I could first walk, I had always known things
would be all right if Mellys were there.

	"Well new, thah was mighty innerestin'," Master William said taking
over the narrative. "Yon, lunkhead of a father of yers, not but joost got
tha words outta 'is mouth when Tam-boy lit up like a small sun agin." He
sighed. "Ah'd nivver 'ave reckoned tha Arm's Master to be so stupid and
unnerestimatin' o' 'is enemy as thah. Burnt three men and set tha 'orses a
leapin' in panic." He scowled before starting to swab my burns again. "Gae
tha Arm's Master a fair piece o' my mind, Ah did fer endangerin' yeh so. Ah
suppose, Ah no can expect a pie at Christmas this year from 'im." The
healer chuckled.

	I stared at him trying to work out the image of the healer giving
Father a good dressing down and Father taking it! The healer was obviously
still alive, so Father must have taken the lecture rather meekly. I shook
my head in frustration, maybe Master William really was a sorcerer!


	"That I wish I could have seen," I whispered admiringly. Master
William chuckled again before continuing to speak.

	"Sa even before the sojers could get the torches fully lit, the
young Master took the flame away from them, smooth what like 'e was
breathin' it in." I nodded; I'd seen Tamas do that several times. "But yer
brother, now 'e's a sneaky one, 'e slipped inside tha smithy and started a
fire from tha forge. Tam-boy was much too concerned fer 'is mum, ta worry
aboot yer brother, I `spect thah`s why `e`s still walkin' aboot. Dove right
inta the flames, Tam did, yellin' "Mum! Mum!" Tis a good son, thah one is."

	"Sweet Heaven," I whispered.

	"Yer da he says 'Well, tha take care o' thah problem,' an orders
tha sojers back ta tha castle. Turn `round now, that`s a good lad."

	"But flame won't hurt Tamas," I said puzzled, turning my back to
the healer.

	"Hai, Ah doon thinks yer da was payin' attention, or tis noble
flame betteh at burnin' than peasant flame?" Master William asked with a
derisive snort. Mellys and I snickered.

	"Well, of course, Tamas controlled the flame so it only burned the
smithy," Mellys said softly. "And Mistress Nayne, her father and the young
ones got out safely and hid with the neighbors."

	"Sayji," I said.

	"Perhaps," Mellys said looking at the pot lid in her hands. "But
they're gone now, headed south and fully a third of the craftsmen of the
village with them. I hear 'rumors' that more will be joining them soon."

	"But the smithy!" I exclaimed.

	"He had to do it, Nicco, he couldn't risk Master Doemin returning
if he didn't see smoke," Mellys said softly.

	"I suppose," I said sadly. I knew what that forge meant to Tamas
and how much it had to have hurt him to lose it. "But what about their
lands? How will all those craftsmen live now?"

	"Hai, thah's a problem," Master William said meditatively. " But Ah
hears thah tha fens down theh `ave been drained sa mooch tha theh's land
fer an'one willin' ta work it. The local lord will be eager ta get skilled
craftsmen inta `is lands. The taxes an' lower costs will easily offset the
cost o' `is villiens workin' tha land fer them."

	"But Tamas' land!" I exclaimed. "Father declared it forfeit."

	"Hai, well thah's tha rub init? Yon Mastersmith `as no land o' `is
own. Tha land belongs ta Master Huron, until `e dies. Tha Smith Guild is
asking `Is Lordship ta `and it o'er ta them soes they kin put it ta seed
fer one o' theh young'uns what `as no land o' `is own."

	"Sweet Heaven," I said sagging against the healer, who gently
patted my shoulder. Being chronically short of cash, I was certain that His
Lordship would accept the Guild`s proposal, after charging them a hefty
fee. "I'm sure it's an acceptable solution to Grandfather and to Tamas."

	"Anyway, soon as Tamas dived into the fire, the wyvern arrived,
screaming like a banshee, I'm told," Mellys went on impatiently. "Scared
everyone and now there are rumors of pestilence and plague flying around
the town and more people will be leaving, I'm guessing."

	I chuckled, recalling Kinder telling me that wyverns don't bring
pestilence; they just had a passion for watching people make fools of
themselves. I wondered how far away Kinder had been to arrive so
quickly. Even at dragon speed, he had to be close, perhaps just waiting for
a call from his son. My heart twisted suddenly and for a moment, I couldn't
breathe. Gasping for breath, I heard a heartbeat, strangely comforting.

	"I'm coming for you," the heartbeat said and I smiled, my breathing
relaxing.

	"Heh," the healer blew out a breath. "Yer da, he done cut off 'is
nose ta spite 'is face."

	The door crashed open, and Raulf lurched through it. We'd been so
busy talking that no one had heard the key in the lock. Raulf looked like a
bull about to charge, red faced and panting, his hands bunched into
fists. I had the urge to dive under the bed but my pride wouldn't allow me
to back down to a mere servant. I straightened my back and held my head up,
flicking my eyes to Mellys, who had gone pale but equally as
unyielding. Raulf stomped across the floor to stop only inches from Master
William, who glanced up at him speculatively. Having experienced those
almost colorless eyes myself, I wasn't surprise to see the hastily
suppressed shudder that coursed through Raulf's body. He took a half step
backwards, genuflecting against evil.

	"Have you finished with Nicco yet? You`ve been in here far too
long," Raulf growled.

	"Joost waitin' fer tha me'icine ta start workin and ta see thah tha
lad gets summat ta eat," Master William took the lid from Mellys and handed
it to me. "Go fetch `im summat from the kitchen, broth, lentil soup, no
bread, thah scritches tha throat too much."

	"Oh and warm wine!" he added as Mellys darted around Raulf and out
the door.

	Raulf spun around and made a half-hearted attempt to catch her, but
Mellys moved too fast. He growled a low swear word and turned back towards
the healer. In the meantime, Master William had returned to poking at my
tender flesh, completely ignoring Raulf, who whirled around and stomped
out. Master William sighed.

	"Tha one is goin ta work himself inta an apoplexy. Ha, and who
would mourn him, eh?" He shook his head again. "Tis a sad thing when a man
`as no one ta cry fer `im."

	He tipped my head up and studied my eyes. Nodding, he dabbed the
cloth into the medicine again and daubed it lightly across my cheeks, nose
and forehead well up into my hairline.  I wrinkled my nose and opened my
mouth to breathe easier. It really didn't help against the smell, but I
still kept it open. Delicately, he wiped the salve across my ears,
particularly the tips; I hissed in pain and felt tears sting my eyes.

	"Yer a lucky lad indeed, yeh can see, 'ear and talk, 'ave all yer
fingers, toes, and yer manly parts, not many what's been in sooch a fire
can say thah." He straightened up, his eyes studying me appreciatively.

	"Thank you, Master William. I'm truly grateful to your skills," I
said softly

	"Heh, more like tha power of yersef, lad. I only clean up tha
damage, but yeh, yeh had the strength ta come through `Ell and live. Yer da
is an idiot, if 'e no can see thah."

	I flushed in embarrassment at the compliment. Even after a year of
being loved by Tamas, I still felt awkward about accepting praise. I had
done the only thing I could think to do at that moment, to save all those
innocent people, and to stop Tamas from turning into a dragon, I was
certain he couldn't yet control. Tamas! My heart cried out to him and I
heard the steady pace of his heartbeat increase for a few moments.

	"Master William, sir," I started shyly.

	"Eh?" he said looking at me, his eyes curious.

	"Do you have someone to cry for you?" I asked, turning my head
towards the window. His head followed mine and together we studied the sky.

	"Hai," he said softly. "I've a goot woman what keeps my `ouse
clean, `Eaven alone knows `ow wi' all them chilrun runnin' aboot. Moost o'
them orphans, we take 'em in and fed 'em and make sure they grow
up. Chilrun no should be allowed ta starve," he ended in a soft meditative
voice.

	"Children," I said softly. "I wonder what it would be like to raise
a child."

	"Children! Bitte!" I exclaimed. "Sweet Heaven, Bitte!"

	"Thah's tha dark haired lad, Ah seed yeh aboot town wi'?" Master
William asked. I nodded feeling fresh tears threaten to spill out.

	"I promised his Gran, I'd protect him," I said miserably. "And I've
failed."

	"Mayhap, lad, but summtimes yeh have ta let them walk on theh own,"
he grasped my chin and tipped my head up. "'E's no `as bin caught, so Ah'd
say yeh no `ave dun ta bad."

	"I wonder," I said, staring out the window. "What about your lad,
Paddy was it?"

	"Ah, `e's `ome wi' `s Mum, my wife, She gae `is Lordship a right
earful aboot kidnapping sooch a young un," he chuckled.

	"Paddy's your son?" I asked puzzled because Master William couldn't
be any older than Lehi and Paddy looked to be about fifteen, so Master
William had to have fathered a child at ten.

	"One o' them orphans what we took in. A right sharp lad `e is, will
be a goot 'ealer in `is own right."

	"Training with you, I should think so," I answered
fervently. Master William made a dismissing sound but his face shown with
pride anyway.

	Shortly after that, Mellys returned with a tray of warm food. She
whispered in my ear that Cook had made the broth, especially for me, using
stock from a freshly purchased roast that she'd sent the girl out for that
very morning. Again, I felt tears well up in my eyes, to think of all the
people who cared about me. I sent my thanks back to Cook; I would see to it
that this year she'd get more than just a new kettle from me.  I ate
ravenously, feeling surprisingly starved. Cook had stirred a large dollop
of butter into the bowl of lentil soup and I scraped the bowl until Mellys
teased me that I'd wear holes in the side. Master William made sure I drank
so much wine that I was certain I'd spend the whole night on the pot.

	I'd just finished eating when Raulf opened the door and announced
it was time for everyone to leave. His eyes, narrowed from anger gave him
the look of a cornered adder ready to strike. Mellys sucked in her breath,
but Master William calmly packed up his medicines at his own pace. He
tipped a little more drug from a twist of paper into the jug of wine and
swirled it.

	"Ah wants yeh ta finish thah before dark," he said sternly. "Ah be
back to put more me'icine on yeh joost before then and I wants thah jug
empty."

	I nodded, feeling suddenly very forlorn and abandoned. Soon I would
be left alone with no one to talk to; I felt tears well up in my eyes and
blinked them away rapidly. I refused to allow Raulf to gloat to Father that
his youngest son was a crybaby. Mellys gripped my shoulder lightly as she
passed, carrying the dishes. Master William handed the salve pot and the
leather bag to Raulf, who looked like he wanted nothing more than to throw
them out the window and collected his cane. He leaned heavily on the cane
and winked at me from under a mop of curls, before hobbling unsteadily out
the door.

	"That rogue!" I thought in surprise and was rather impressed at the
image the healer cultivated for himself.

	The door shut with a backwards leer from Raulf and since I wore
only a blanket wrapped around my waist, I felt like he had stripped away
what was left of my skin, leaving me completely naked and vulnerable. I
shivered feeling gooseflesh creep up my back and arms. Pulling up the
blanket, I twisted around in the bed; somehow, my buttocks hadn't suffered
any burns, and lay down with my back to the door. Tears trickled over my
nose to drip onto the pillow. I'd thought I felt miserable when Tamas had
left for Wallingfirth, but I'd been positively merry then compared to how I
felt now. Wary of the burns, I lightly covered my ear, Tamas' heartbeat
pounded like a hammer and I heard a familiar roar very far away. Slowly I
slipped into sleep listening to the steady rhythm of my lover's far away
heart.

	Master William returned shortly before dark. I really wasn't in the
mood for conversation, which he respected and went about tending to my
burns with a minimum of discussion. He watched me as I ate, perhaps to make
certain I actually did eat and left me with instructions to finish the new
jug of wine by morning and to get plenty of sleep.

	"Really," I thought peevishly. "I have little else to do but sleep
and piss."

	I awoke abruptly in the dark, a soft noise penetrating my drug
addled wits. The noise I'd heard was a soft scratching at the door;
wrapping the blanket around me against the chilly night air, I crossed to
the door. Leaning against it, I listened. The soft scratch repeated itself.

	"Who is it?" I asked sharply. From the other side came a sharp
intake of breath and a spoken oath in a language I didn't know.

	"Bitte!"

	"Nicco, oh blessed lady, you're alive." Bitte sobbed.

	"What are you doing here? I told you to run away."

	"I can't! I can't abandon you! The Tlacha told me to take care of
you!" His voice rose to a cry.

	"Shhhh!" I said. "Bitte, Tamas didn't mean at a time like now. You
need to go after Nayne; she'll take care of you."

	"NO!" The boy's voice was sharp and for a moment, I heard his voice
become that of an adult. "I won't leave you. My duty is too you, Nicco."

	"Oh Bitte," I sighed, leaning against the door. I slowly slid to
sitting position hissing in pain as the blanket scraped the burns on my
shoulders and back.

	"I don't trust that-" he spat out a growled word and I knew he
meant Raulf. "I don't like the way he looks at you."

	I shivered. I didn't like the way he looked at me either, but I
couldn't see what Bitte could do to protect me against him. I leaned my
head against the door and felt tears run towards my ears.

	"Please forgive me, Grandmother," I whispered to the dark.

	"Bitte, you have to be careful, you can't let Lehi or one of his
fellows catch you."

	"They won't," he said firmly. "I know every nook and hidden place
in this castle."

	"But you have to eat," I said fretfully.

	"Cook is getting quite absent minded these days," he said, his
voice colored by amusement. "She keeps forgetting to put everything away in
the pantry at night. And now and then she forgets to lock the pantry."

	"Ahh," I said understandingly. Bitte as an extension of my person
would also fall under Cook's care.

	Bitte whispered an oath and I heard a scuffle behind the door then
silence. After a moment, I heard boot heels on the stairs. Holding my
breath and praying I wouldn't be heard, I scrambled back to bed, burrowing
deep into the blankets. I wrapped a corner of the blanket as tightly as I
dared around my mouth and tried to breathe as softly as possible. The door
scraped open and I jerked nervously. I prayed the motion wouldn't be seen
in the dark room.

	"Nicco?" Lehi's voice was soft. "Are you awake?"

	"No dammit, it's the middle of the night, you fool," I thought
peevishly.

	"Damn that healer." Lehi said angrily. "He's keeping Nicco drugged
so he can say Nicco's too injured still to meet the Countess." Boot heels
crossed the floor in a jerky rhythm.

	"Nicco, wake up!" He said loudly.

	Lehi grabbed my arm and shook it roughly. I clamped my teeth
together on a fold of the blanket to keep from screaming as pain exploded
through my arm and across my back. In my head, the dragon screamed in
anger; between the two, I was certain my head was going to explode. Lehi
shook me once more and tears rolled down my face, but I gave no sign that I
was awake.

	"That damned healer!" Lehi swore. He crossed back to the door.
"I'll have him whipped!" The door slammed shut silencing any further
outbursts from my brother.

	"Oh Sweet Heaven," I sobbed into my pillow. "Please, oh please,
protect the people I care about." Far away, inside my head, I heard a
steady beat and a soft rumbling voice saying, "I'm coming, Nicco. Wait for
me, I'll be there soon."