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“Nay. Nay. Not another bairn lost to us,” Marsh begged, shaking his head.
“He was born too soon. He will not last the night,” Merry said, tears flowing down her cheeks.
Fia yanked herself free of her husband’s hand and rushed past them all into the cottage.
Marsh went to go after her, but Varrick’s grabbed him by the shoulder. “Let her try!” He sent a warning look to Merry that she and the women were to do the same and she nodded and hurried inside.
“This is the second son who will be lost to us, and I fear Ella will not survive this loss,” Marsh said.
“Come wait by the fire and let Fia work her healing skills,” Varrick said.
“Or does she rush in to curse my son and send him to the God of Death?” March said angrily and pulled away from Varrick to go stand and stare at the fire, fighting the tears pooling heavily in his eyes.
* * *
“Get out, witch!”one of the three women there yelled at Fia when she entered.
“Can you save my son? I don’t care if you’re a witch,” Ella pleaded. “Please use your magic to save him” She held the small bundle out to Fia.
“Nay!” another woman shouted, stepping forward to stop her.
“Stop!” Merry said, entering. “Lord Varrick orders that Lady Fia is to help.”
“He commands a witch to touch the bairn? Has he gone mad, or has he fallen under her spell?” one woman said. “Whatever it is, I’ll have no part of it.” She walked to the door.
“Either will I,” the other two echoed and followed the woman out.
“Please,” Ella said, holding the bairn out to Fia once again. “Please save him.”
Fia took the tiny bundle in her arms. He was small, though not as small as she expected. Perhaps Ella got her calculations wrong, and she had been further along than she had thought, which would serve the bairn well. His breathing was a bit shallow but that could be because they had him swaddled too tight. She loosened the blanket and looked over him seeing nothing to be concerned with, she swaddled him in the blanket once again.
“Take him for a moment,” Fia said to Merry. “And leave the blanket a bit loose so he can breathe more easily. His tiny body must grow accustomed to living outside his mum’s body.”
Merry nodded and did as she was told.
“You need to make a brew of these leaves,” Fia said, pulling a small pouch from the healing pouch she had retrieved before leaving the keep.
Merry looked at her suspiciously.
Fia held her hand out to her. “Chamomile and valerian. It will help Ella rest. She needs her strength to produce the milk the bairn needs to grow strong.”
Merry nodded and got busy fixing the brew after returning the bairn to Fia.
“My breasts are full. I have plenty of milk for him,” Ella said.
“Aye, but he also needs your strength. He needs to feel the steady, strong beat of your heart as he did when he was inside you, so we can fool him into believing he is still there growing strong,” Fia said, seeing the exhaustion on Ella’s pretty face.
“Aye! Aye! I can do that,” Ella said eagerly.
“You certainly can, Ella,” Merry encouraged.
“Freshly cleaned bedding will be needed along with a freshly washed mum,” Fia instructed.
Merry turned puzzling eyes on her, shook her head, and went to the door to step outside. “Marsh.”
The man turned and hurried to Merry. “Go to the keep and bring me fresh bedding and blankets and don’t ask me why because I don’t know.”
“Ella and the bairn?” he asked, eager for news.
