Epor came through, carrying a gray-haired woman wrapped in blankets. She was conscious, andhad her arms about his neck. Epor headed for the back room. "Here's one with breath still inher body, Warprize. There is one other that I have found, but I will need Isdra to chase himdown." He eased the woman down in the chair.
The woman held the blankets close around her, and seemed to sink into them.
"Chase him?" I asked as I put a hand on the woman's shoulder to steady her. She looked up atme through reddened eyes, and I could feel her tremble even through the blankets. Eventhrough the ginger I could smell the foul odor of her sweat.
Epor grinned. "He's running loose, thinking we are the enemy." He gave me a sly grin. "Ofcourse, we were." I gave him a look as he chuckled. But he turned serious in an instant. "Itried the phrases you gave us, but it's no use. I want to secure him, for his safety and ours."
Isdra frowned. "I should have been there to help."
Epor gave her a grin. "Ah, but you had a babe in your arms. I knew you were lost to me, themoment you heard the squawk from the bed." He turned back to me, his eyes taking on a sad,woebegone look. "Warprize, are these cloths up my nose really necessary? They will not stayin!"
"Yes, they are."
"What if I did this?" He took a strip of bandage from my supplies and tied it over his nose andmouth. "If we dip this in the oil? Please?"
I had to smile at his pleading tone. "That would work."
"Epor, you are my hero." Isdra sighed with relief as they quickly rigged the masks and madeready to leave.
The old woman struggled out of the blankets and clutched at me with her thin hands. Her palmwas cold and clammy on my arm. "Are they going after Kred? Tell them, please, not to hurthim. Kred is raving, he's mad with the Sweat. He doesn't know what he does."
"They'll not hurt him," I assured her. I focused back on Epor and spoke his tongue. "She sayshe's ill."
Epor nodded, and looked at the old woman, and spoke
Xyian with his terrible accent. "Do not be afraid." She just stared at him. He straightened, andreturned to his language. "Isdra has told you? Of the dead?" At my nod he continued. "We willcontinue to search and find the crazed one. Pile three benches in front of the door, Warprize,and scream if any try to enter."
I nodded as I followed them to the door. "We will need supplies, too."
"There is kavage in my saddle bags." Isdra nodded toward the pile. "A pot would bewelcome."
"Oh yes," Epor agreed as they headed out. "It will be a long night."
I returned to the back to find the old woman standing by the bed, looking down at my otherpatient. She looked up, her sorrow clear. "He's dying."
I took her arm, and guided her back to the chair. "He's ill, certainly." She sank down into thechair, trembling with exhaustion. "But it's too soon to—"
"No." Her voice was sharp. "You think I don't know? When they lay there, breathing roughlike that, it's the end, the—" She cut off her words, shuddering, hugging herself, sobbing androcking. "It's changed," she whispered. "It's not what it was." She stared past me, the sweatbeading on her brow, her thin hair matted to her forehead. "All of them, all…"
I pulled the blankets up around her. "Take the word of a healer, it's not certain he'll die. Withproper care, he'll—"
The old woman closed her eyes, her hair plastered to her face, sweat or maybe tears runningdown her cheeks. "I'm a healer, and we'll all die." She covered her face with her hands, andwailed.
* * *
It was dark when Epor and Isdra returned.
"No sign of the crazed one. If there's more, they're hiding." Epor placed his load of blanketsby the hearth. "We've lost the light. We'll look again in the morning."
I ran my hands over my hair, brushing back the loose tendrils. They'd hauled in supplies as Ihad tended to our three patients. We'd done quite a bit in the last few hours.
Isdra had a bucket of water, and a crock jug tucked under her arm. "The babe?"
"Sleeping." I took the water from her and placed it with the others. "I fed her again, so sheshould nap for a while."
Isdra nodded absently as she went over to the child, sleeping on a cushion of blankets. Eporand I exchanged an amused glance as she checked her, not satisfied with my reassurance.
Isdra smiled down at the child, her angular face softened in the firelight. "I found a goat withmilk." She put the jug down, then stood, stretching out her back as she did so. As I handedEpor some kavage, I caught him looking at her, and quickly looked away.
