"I'm not leaving until I hear the bench." Isdra's voice floated through the door.
Irritated, I dragged a bench over, and dropped it down in front of the door. "There."
"We'll check the nearest buildings and return. Stay safe, Warprize."
I'd already forgotten them as I hurried to my patient's side. No swellings, no boils. No signs ofvomiting or flux. I wiped him down with damp cloth, and tried to get him to drink but it dribbledfrom the side of his mouth. He never roused as I examined him, and his strange lassitudedisturbed me. Still, from all appearances, I was dealing with the Sweat. He wasn't coughing,although each of his breaths seemed an effort. I listened to it as I set my supplies in order,praying that I'd have enough to minister to those in need.
Blankets, we'd need blankets. And something to eat, a broth if I could find something to makeit from. Porridge, if nothing else. I should have said something to Isdra, so they'd look for themas well. There were no supplies to speak of here. I tried to relax, take a breath and ease theknot in my stomach. Once the villagers knew that a healer had arrived, we'd have help aplenty.
A pounding at the door jerked me up. I let Isdra in, her arms filled with a squirming bundle, herface grim. "I found this one on the bed next to her thea." The blanket fell back to reveal ababy, squirming and fussing in the cloths. Isdra brushed past me. "Ward the door, Warprize."
"Isn't Epor bringing her mother?" I looked out into the square.
It was the silence that made me turn to look at her. Isdra had an odd, cold look in her eyes.
"No."
I bit my lip, and turned back to secure the door. By the time I entered the bedroom, Isdra hadthe babe by the fire, cushioned by the blankets, and was digging in her saddle bags. The babywas crying, kicking its feet in the air. "I've gurt here," Isdra said. "We can soften it in waterand feed her. She's a mess, Warprize. Her thea must have been dead for hours."
I knelt down, and smiled at the little one, checking her over. "There's no sign of fever in thisone. Just hungry and unhappy."
"Skies be thanked." Isdra started looking through the blanket. "I grabbed some extraswaddles." She pulled forth some clean diapers, and the few stalks of lavender fell to the floor.
The babe opened its eyes and looked at us with sweet brown eyes framed by dark curlinglashes. Then the little face squinched up and a howl filled the room.
"What are those flowers?" Isdra asked as she started to work. "They are lovely."
"Lavender. Her mother must have freshened her diapers with it." I cleared my throat. "I'm notsure gurt will be to her liking. Hopefully we can find a nursing mother among the othervillagers."
Isdra's voice was cold, even as her practiced hand worked to clean the child, a little girl. "Idoubt there will be others, Lara." She made an odd clicking sound with her tongue, and thebaby opened its eyes wide, staring at her. "We've been in half the buildings and this is the firstwe found someone alive."
My throat closed. "No," I croaked. "Please, tell me it's not true."
She kept her head down, focused on the babe, who grabbed at the end of her braid and bawled,kicking in the air. "They are dead in their beds, Warprize. Dead in the halls and doorways.
Some are laid out, some died where they fell. Some for days, others just hours from the look ofthem."
I sat there, numb, staring at the babe as it tugged at her hair, threatening to loosen the leatherstrip that held it. Dearest Goddess, the entire village?
Isdra turned her head slightly, careful not to pull the braid from the babe's hands. "We need tofeed her." She picked up the crying child and cradled her to her shoulder with both hands. Sheseemed to chant something under her breath, and her hands were gently tapping out a rhythmon the babe's back. The child hiccupped, and looked at me with wide eyes, tears clinging to hereyelashes.
I smiled at the babe and reached for my baskets. "I
have a feeding cup we can use. We can sweeten the gurt."
"Trust me, Lara. This little one won't care. As long as it's warm and filling she's going to drinkit." Isdra continued to use her fingers and hands to beat softly. The babe yawned, and let herhead fall onto Isdra's shoulders. Isdra, on the other hand, gave a critical look at the ceramiccup with its long spout. "Are you sure that will work?"
"Yes." I reached for the water and gurt. "What do you use on the Plains?"
"We use a dried animal teat," Isdra frowned. "It's more like a breast than that cold dish."
"It works, trust me." I mashed the gurt into the warm water. "Where did you learn that?" Inodded at her hands.
She chuckled softly. "'Tis what we do to comfort a child. We drum a pattern on their backs andchant to them. It calms them, and as we slow the pattern, they usually fall asleep. We use it towake a sleeping child as well, at need."
Isdra was right, the babe sucked the gurt up with no complaint, falling asleep with the narrowspout still in her mouth. Isdra smiled at the lax child in her arms. "I should go. Epor will needhelp…"
There was a pounding at the door that broke our fragile peace. I started for the door at Epor'scall, even as Isdra settled the child down in the blankets we'd placed by the hearth.
