Miriam watched Quinn for several long minutes. His face was gaunt, his beard overgrown and patchy. It was obvious that he hadn’t been eating well. His clothes were dirty, stained with sweat and blood, not to mention ragged, with several holes and rips in the fabric.
She was tired and wanted to settle into the chair she kept by her bed, but she remembered the horses she had seen outside. There had been two, both saddled and looking almost as tired as Quinn. She knew that not only would it be bad for the horses to stay saddled overnight, but there was also a strong possibility that they would be stolen if she didn’t move them into the barn.
She hurried outside after lighting a lantern. The horses were waiting out front. Although neither was tied up, they seemed content to stand and wait on Quinn. She took their reins and led them into her barn, which was filled with animals and people. She had one stall left, and luckily it was big enough for both horses. She removed their tack and brushed them both down before giving them a bag of oats and leading them into the stall. When she got back inside her house she collapsed into her chair and fell asleep.
It seemed like only a moment later that the sun was peeking through her window. She yawned and stretched. Sleeping in a chair, no matter how comfortable, was hard on her. When she moved her neck a sharp pain ran down her arm. She tried to stretch the soreness out but it wasn’t very effective. Still, she knew she had things to do, so she forced herself to get moving.
Miriam started her days by feeding and watering the animals she had in her charge. She went out to the barn, enjoying the crisp, cool, early-morning air. The nights had finally started getting cool again, after weeks of very hot weather. In the barn, only a few of her guests were stirring. They were all temporary residents. She made sure that they knew she didn’t want long-term guests living in her barn. Most were refugees, and she refused to take what little payment they offered.
There were sick animals, but none seemed critical. Since that first meeting with Zollin months ago, she hadn’t faced a problem she couldn’t solve when it came to sick animals. She had always considered herself to be a talented animal healer, but now things seemed to come to her more easily. After she checked on the sick animals, she looked in on her own. She had three horses, several chickens, and a milk cow. The goats stayed outside in a small corral.
She milked the cow, spraying the warm, frothy milk into a wooden bucket. Most of the milk would be given to children of the families she allowed to stay in her barn, but she planned to save a little for Quinn. Once she had seen to her animals, she returned to the house and went into the kitchen, where she brewed coffee and toasted a little bread for her breakfast. She had two permanent house guests who traded room and board for work. Both were young and happy to have a place to call home. When they rose and found Miriam in the kitchen, she sent them both on morning errands. The girl was sent to get the eggs her hens laid overnight. The boy was sent to fetch the doctor. Miriam could hear Quinn coughing in his sleep. His breathing was labored, and she was beginning to worry about him.
When the young girl returned with the eggs, Miriam set about making breakfast for her two boarders. They ate eggs and toasted bread before hurrying off to start their chores. The healer from the fort arrived while they were eating, and Miriam showed him where Quinn was still asleep. The healer listened to Quinn’s breathing with a funnel-shaped instrument and then he gently woke Quinn.
After an brief fit of coughing, Quinn was able to answer the healer’s questions.
“I’ve been traveling pretty hard,” Quinn admitted. “I had a wound on my leg, but it was treated and seems to be mending just fine. It’s this cough I can’t get rid of.”
“You’ve got fluid in your lungs, and it could get worse. I’ve got some herbs that will help, but you really need to stay off your feet for several days,” the physician said.
“That’s the one thing I can’t do,” Quinn admitted. “I’ve got to find Zollin and Mansel.”
“They’re headed to Orrock,” the healer said. “Commander Hausey was sent for Zollin, and scouts reported that there was a group traveling together. Zollin, Kelvich, and a big lad.”
“That would be Mansel,” Quinn said bitterly. “I have to go.”
“You’d do better to wait at least a few days and give your body time to heal.”
“Yes, you should stay, Quinn,” Miriam said, almost pleading. “You’re in no shape to go after Zollin.”
“It can’t wait. He’s in danger.”
“I’ll go for you,” Miriam suggested.
“No, Mansel’s my problem. I don’t know if I can stop him or not, but I have to try.”
He related how they had been bewitched in Lodenhime and how Mansel was operating under the witch’s influence. Quinn coughed again, and the healer went to the kitchen to brew a drink with the herbs he had with him.
“This is lunacy,” Miriam said. “You’re in no shape to travel. Your horses aren’t either. You’ve run them into the ground.”
“I have to try,” Quinn said. “He’s my only son.”
“I understand that, but you aren’t going alone.”
“What?”
“I’m going with you.”
“No, you can’t. You have people here who need you.”
“I have people here who can look after things while I’m gone,” she insisted. “I’m going to get things ready and then we’ll leave. Until then, you stay in this bed.”
Quinn wanted to argue, but he knew it was futile. He had no reason for not wanting Miriam to go with him. She wouldn’t slow him down, not in the state he was in. Their chances of catching up to Zollin and Mansel were slim, but they had to try. And the truth of the matter was, he wanted Miriam with him. Now that he had seen her again, he knew without a doubt that he wanted to be with her, not just right now, but always. He had to save Zollin-that was his first priority-but after that, he would stay with Miriam for as long as she would have him.
Miriam called her young helpers into the house, just as the physician was taking Quinn the hot drink he had brewed. The boy was fourteen and Miriam’s unofficial apprentice. He knew enough to take care of the animals in the barn. Miriam put him in charge of her small practice and to see to any repairs around the house that needed to be made. The girl, a bright, young orphan who thought she was eleven, although she couldn’t be sure, had lost both parents when the dragon attacked her village. She was found by a band of refugees and brought to Felson. Miriam had no children of her own. Jax had filled that role to some degree, but with his absence Miriam was only too happy to bring the girl into her home. She put the girl in charge of the house, including fixing meals and helping with the refugee children.
Then Miriam went to the barn and saddled three horses. She left the two Quinn had brought in, and they looked relieved when she left them in the stall. It took nearly an hour to make sure she had enough food and medical supplies. Once she had everything packed neatly on two horses, she went to get Quinn.
“Miriam,” the young girl called. “The healer told me to pour this up for Quinn. Is that the man sleeping in your bed?”
“Yes, child,” Miriam said, blushing a little at the implication. “He’s very sick.”
“This is his medicine,” she said holding up the canteen. “And here are the herbs. The healer said to boil them in water to make more medicine.”
“Thank you,” Miriam said smiling at the girl’s enthusiasm. “I’m very proud of you. We shouldn’t be gone too long, a few weeks at the most.”
“I’ll make sure everything is okay here,” the girl said.
“I’m sure you will.”
Miriam went to get Quinn and found him sleeping. She wanted to wait, to let him rest and recover, but she had promised they would leave as soon as she was ready. She moved to his bedside and shook him gently.
“Quinn,” she said in a soft voice. “Can you wake up?”
His eyes fluttered open and they took a moment to focus on her.