Secrets of the Night Special Edition (42 page)

Here in the capital, she lived and worked among thousands, known by her customers as a healer, skilled in herbs. She smiled to herself, happy her shop had proved successful, thankful for her many patrons. Why, she'd even had to hire another woman to help her. Adsaluta should be here soon, she could tell by the amount of sunlight in the room.

A bell rang at the shop's front, jerking her from her reverie. She removed her apron and with a soft jangling sound, pushed back the curtain that separated the work area from the store.

A tall man stood at the wooden counter, fingering a jar of crushed thyme and honey, one of her best-selling breath sweeteners. Other products presented themselves on the counter--lilac soap, chamomile lotion, rose water, and many other tempting perfumes and cosmetics.

Clad in a brown tunic, a wide leather belt circling his waist, the man exuded an air of importance. She noted the palace emblem on his chest, and although a trace of uneasiness churned inside her, she sought to keep her voice even.

"May I help you, sir?"

He set the jar on the counter. "Radegunda?"

"The same, sir," she said, her heartbeat increasing.

"You are wanted at the palace. I have a horse outside for you."

Her body trembled with fear, the room swaying around her. Someone must have reported her to the druids. She'd always considered the king a kind man, but the druids must enforce the law against witchcraft. She'd be interrogated, tortured--

"Madam?" He reached a hand toward her, his forehead creased with concern. "Are you ill?"

She pressed a hand to her heart. "Wh-why do they want me at the palace?"

"I shall tell you this one time, but you must learn not to question the king. He has suffered from a backache, and it's said you are skilled in the healing arts."

She wanted to faint with relief, but a new worry ended her contentment. Could her helper manage the shop alone? She'd have to; Radegunda saw no other choice.

It seemed he could read her mind. "The king will pay you well if you cure him."

And if not? She wanted to ask, but feared risking the question. Besides, she felt sure she could help the king.

"I pray you, sir, let me stop by my helper's place so's I c'n tell her. Adsaluta lives only two doors down."

"Very well." He tapped his knuckles on the counter. "Now gather your supplies and let us leave. We mustn't keep the king waiting."

* * *

Lodged at the palace, Radegunda stood outside the king's bedchamber, a tray in her hands, a jar of healing salve tucked in her pocket.

The guard at the door raised his eyebrows. "You are the king's healer?"

"You c'n call me that." After he opened the door, she shambled into the room. She found the king on his back, a grimace on his face, his forehead glistening with sweat. Anxious to prove herself and help the king, she hoped she could cure his backache.

He composed his features as she approached the bed. "Ah, Radegunda--that is your name?"

"If it pleases you, Your Majesty."

"Whether or not it pleases me is beside the point. I shall address you as such, if that is correct."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Enough of 'Your Majesty'. You may call me 'sire.'"

"Yes, Your . . . sire," she said, setting the tray on a bedside table. "By the week's end, I hope to see Your Majesty up and walkin' again, back to normal." Oh, oh, she shouldn't use such bold talk on the king. What if he dismissed her now?

Immensely relieved he said nothing, she reached for a bed pillow. "If I may, sire, I'd like to raise you a little, so's you can drink the honey-sweetened willow bark tea." She'd added a mild sedative, but she didn't tell him that. After she raised him to a sitting position, she handed him a cup. "It's not too hot, sire. After you finish, I'll massage your back with a healin' salve."

He sipped the tea, smiling with appreciation, then handed her the empty cup with a heavy sigh.

Gently, she removed one pillow. "Now please lie on your stomach, and lemme ease your bedgown up."

The king did as instructed, a slow process that left him drenched in sweat. "I feel worse than before," he complained.

"Only give me time, sire. I think you'll see an improvement within a few days. Sometimes we hafta feel worse before we git better." Radegunda hesitated, then plunged ahead. "And sire, I don't want you to stay in bed. Tomorrow, I want you up and walkin'."

"Humph!"

She wiggled the stopper from a jar of salve and released it with a soft plop. "Your lower back, sire?"

"Yes," he said, his voice muffled.

"If I may sit on the bed, sire?"

"No need to ask."

Sitting, she dipped her fingers into the salve, then worked it into his back.

"Burns," he mumbled. "What is it?"

"Ground red pepper blended with body cream, sire. And if it burns, that means it's workin'."

For several minutes, she leaned over him, massaging his back. Convinced she'd done as much as was helpful for the first day, she set the salve aside and eased his bedgown down. "Now I want you to turn onto your side, sire, with your knees partways up."

While the king positioned himself, she spoke soothingly. She pushed the top back on the jar and gathered the tray, all the while talking in a pleasant voice. By the time she tiptoed from the room, the king slept soundly.

Day after day, she worked with him, each day showing an improvement. Within a week, he'd resumed his normal schedule, with only a slight lingering pain in his lower back, a soreness Radegunda assured him would eventually go away.

* * *

Keriam studied her father during the morning meal while the sun remained low on the horizon, and only dim candlelight provided illumination in the vast dining room.

"You look so much better, just within these last few days. When you walk, you're not bent over as before."

"Radegunda has made a new man of me," Tencien said. He finished his oatmeal with honey and shoved the bowl aside. "I wish I could speak to her before I depart the palace, but affairs in
Sligo
require my attention. It will take a good part of the day to ride to that city and back, so it's up to you to pay the healer woman--a goodly amount, please--and convey my appreciation."

She sipped her hard cider, enjoying its tart, fruity flavor, then looked at him with alarm. "You're going to ride a horse, after your recent back trouble?"

"Carriage," he said, "and I'll get out now and then to stretch, as Radegunda suggested."

"And outriders, Father?"

"Very well, but only to set your mind at ease."

She sighed with relief. The sun's first hesitant rays lit the room, a beam of golden light through the wide window that revealed the colorful wooden walls, the brightly-hued sheepskin rugs on the floor.

Keriam spread honey on her acorn toast. "I have a suggestion. Why don't we continue with Radegunda's services," she said as Tencien glanced her way. "We definitely need a healer since Belasaria died last year. Then, too, I'd benefit from learning about herbs and such." Toast halfway to her mouth, she looked over at him. "What do you think?"

"By all means, ask her to remain. If she's concerned about her shop, tell her we'll redeem her losses." He dabbed a linen napkin across his mouth, then pushed his chair back and stood. "Must be on my way." He bent low to kiss her on the cheek, then strode from the room, his straight shoulders and firm step revealing he had many years left to rule, to live.

If the assassins didn't strike him while he was away.

* * *

In her father's study, Keriam drew a large bag of silver coins from a desk drawer and handed the money to Radegunda, explaining her father's absence.

"Now," she said as the healer woman tucked the bag in a hidden pocket of her dress, "the king and I both recognize a need for a healer woman at the palace. The amount I gave you should cover any losses you would incur from closing your shop. Would you be willing to do that, or do you know of someone able to manage the shop in your stead?"

"Yes, I do know a woman who would be willin' to manage for me." Her face brightened. "Madam, if I could only have a place to make my lotions and such here at the palace--"

"That should present no difficulty. We have a still room right off from the kitchen, with its own hearth. You can use the herbal garden that adjoins the main palace garden. I feel sure the herbs there are the same you use in your own preparations, and the cook wouldn't mind sharing the plants with you."

"Suits me fine, madam. With your permission, I can make my lotions here and leave it to Adsaluta to take care of things in the city." She hesitated, staring at the floor.

"Something else, Radegunda?" Keriam observed the thin old woman in her torn and patched brown dress, the gray hair drawn back in a bun, her hands red and work-roughened. Tiny wrinkles tracked her face, expanding at her forehead and mouth. The healer woman twisted her hands in the folds of her dress, her lips compressed.

After a furtive glance around the room, the woman spoke in a low voice. "Madam, I have the second sight."

"Ah!" Keriam, too, threw a desperate look around the room. "Why are you telling me this?" she whispered.

Radegunda leaned forward. "Madam, c'n I speak frankly?"

"Agreed, only if what you say doesn't leave this room."

"Never!" A pause ensued. "But I . . ."

"Yes?"

"I suspect--I know!--you have the second sight, too."

Keriam gasped.

Radegunda waved her hand. "Don't worry. I'll never say nothin' about it. Why should I, when I would only bring trouble on myself? And the only reason I sense your ability is because I have the power, too." She lowered her voice again. "But madam, lemme speak plainly. Some people wish the king ill--"

"I know! And I've tried everything, even asked His Majesty to take a holiday or make a state visit. I'd give my life for him, if I could. But I don't even know the names of all the conspirators."
Nor does Roric Gamal
. Odd, Keriam thought, she'd known this woman for such a short time, and yet she was confiding in her more than she ever had in anyone, except her father.

"Don't trust Aradia, Princess Keriam. She doesn't fool me. She is evil, that one."

"Very true!" Keriam stared out the window, not seeing a thing. A few moments slid past before she rose and folded her arms across her chest. Radegunda stood also. Fully putting her trust in the healer, Keriam spoke with determination. "I'll ask His Majesty to talk to the steward as soon as he returns. He must make Fergus Morrigan see his wife as she truly is. Then Fergus must return Aradia to her family."

"D'you think the steward will listen?"

"If he doesn't return Aradia to her family, I'll ask the king to relieve him of his duties. I intend to get that woman out of the palace, out of Moytura."

Radegunda frowned. "I hope your scheme works, madam."

"It will." She twisted her amethyst ring on her finger, then nodded in dismissal. "Thank you again for all you did for my father . . . and for your warnings, too."

"It is an honor to serve you and your father, madam."

As the healer woman left the room, a premonition crept over Keriam, a sense that something would draw her and the woman ever closer.

What that something was, she had no idea. But she saw heartbreak and disaster ahead for both of them.

Chapter Seven

Keriam brooded by her window, tapping her fingers on the windowsill. Late yesterday, a messenger had arrived from
Sligo
with news that business in the city had extended the king's visit, but Tencien would return home within a day or two. What if the plotters killed her father in
Sligo
?

What would stop them from committing their evil crime far from the palace? She clenched her hands on the windowsill and gazed out at the vast countryside, as if the hills and meadows held an answer to her plight. Turning toward the statuette of Talmora that rested on her dresser, she gave the statuette a long look, and it seemed as if the Goddess returned her look, almost as though the Goddess wanted to communicate with her. This was not the first time Keriam had felt that she was in direct communication with the Goddess. Did Talmora want to tell her something? Did the Goddess sense her anxieties about her father? Ah, how she needed the Goddess’s help.

She spun away and headed downstairs to the Hall of Petition, where she heard disputes and grievances in her father's absence. Early in his reign, Tencien had provided an opportunity for the people of Moytura to bring their disagreements to him, giving them a chance to find adjudication for the disputes that often arise between neighbors and antagonists. For those who lived too far from the capital, the king had established courts in other key cities, a more than adequate judicial system that served all of the people.