Page 175 of Moon Chosen

“She’s his lover,” Nik explained.

“Well, I did say she’s special,” Sol said. “Maeve and I managed to convince my brother and his wife to leave O’Bryan’s bedside, where they’ve been since he began to deteriorate earlier today. We sent them to their nest to eat and try to get some sleep. I promised to send for them if his condition changed. I’m hoping that when I do it’s with good news instead of bad. Maeve’s with O’Bryan now.” He turned to Mari. “Are you ready, child?”

“I am.”

“Then follow me.”

Mari followed Sol and Nik across a wide wooden platform that enfolded four huge pines. Built into the trees were houses that looked like they could be nests for a species of beautiful, enormous birds. The nest they stopped at was the most exquisite of the group. It was swathed in diaphanous material that fluttered gracefully in the wind. Glittering lengths of sparkling objects—Mari recognized shells and crystals, as well as bits of mirrors—dangled from the branches from which the nest suspended.

The entrance of it was an easy step up from the platform. Once Mari was within, she was enfolded in soft, flickering lights thrown from candles that danced within glass cages hanging from the ceiling. The scent was thick with beeswax and putrefying flesh, and Mari immediately recognized the smell of blight.

A woman who appeared to be about Sol’s age got up from the bedside of the single patient in the nest and hurried to them, but Mari’s attention was captured by the Shepherd who bolted from her side to greet Rigel with such enthusiasm that she knocked the pup off his feet.

“Fortina, easy. Not here—not now!” The young canine immediately disentangled herself from Rigel and, looking chagrined, loped to her Companion.

Rigel padded back to Mari and sat by her feet. Mari could feel his happiness and excitement bubbling over from him into her.

“Mari, this is Maeve. Maeve, this is Mari and her Rigel—who you already know as Fortina’s brother,” Sol said.

“Hello, Mari. I’ve been very curious to meet you.” Maeve took Mari’s hand briefly in greeting, though with less warmth than Sol had shown. “Rigel is looking very well.”

Utterly overwhelmed, Mari refocused on the only thing she could control—healing a new patient. “Hello, Maeve—thank you. That must be O’Bryan,” she said, looking over the woman’s shoulder at the still body of a young man on a narrow bed.

“Yes, this is my cousin.” Nik took her arm and led her to the bed. “Tell me what you need to help him and we’ll get it for you.”

Mari opened her satchel and took out a woven pouch filled with herbs. “This needs to be steeped into a very strong tea.”

“But Mari, he’s not awake,” Nik said.

Mari glanced up at Nik. “He will be, and he’ll need that tea then.”

“I’ll brew it,” Maeve said, taking the packet from Nik and hurrying from the nest.

Then Mari turned all of her attention to her patient. He was covered with a light blanket, and when she pulled it off him she had to hold her breath as she accustomed herself to the noxious stench. The wound was simple to locate. His entire right leg was black and swollen. Gently, Mari unwrapped the bandage from around his calf. She heard Sol retching somewhere behind her, but it meant nothing to her; Mari’s entire world had narrowed to the man on the bed.

The wound was like nothing Mari had seen before. It was ulcerated and weeping pus and discolored blood. Striations of dusky, purpled disease spread from the site of the wound, and completely covered his leg. Mari lifted his tunic to see that they continued all the way past his waist, with fingers of darkness beginning to reach his chest. Where the disease didn’t mar his skin, it was hot and damp to the touch.

He’s dying—fast. He could stop breathing at any moment.

Mari squared her shoulders and pulled the basket filled with indigo poultice from her satchel. “I need some water to rinse this wound.”

In moments Nik was handing her a bucket with a ladle and a towel. Quickly and efficiently she rinsed the horribly infected wound, and then packed it with the indigo poultice.

“I need fresh bandages,” she said. Someone placed them in her hands and she wrapped them around the wound. She stood and faced Nik and Sol.

“Can you save him?” Sol asked.

“I’m going to try.” She turned to Nik. “You said that there is plenty of moonlight up here in your trees.”

He nodded.

“I need you to take your cousin and me to it, now.”

“Take you to it? Do you mean you need us to carry O’Bryan outside the nest to the platform?” Sol asked.

“No. The trees are blocking too much of the moonlight there. I need a place where there is nothing between the moon and us except the sky.”

“Is this completely necessary? Shouldn’t we wait until your poultice has begun to work? Moving him now could kill him,” Sol said.