"Mom!" I wanted to run to her, but I still was unable to sit up. Running was out of the question. Instead, she walked over still wearing her shiny metal armor she wore on duty. I glanced at it and discovered it looked different. She didn't have the four small coronets on the front on a gules (red) and azure (blue) shield she had always worn for as long as I knew. Also missing were her epaulets marking her rank and her red and blue plume standing out from her helmet. Instead, she now had a single large Or (gold) crown on an argent (silver) field. No rank showed at all. She removed a new polished silver helm and rested it on something in the other room. Had she been demoted? Did she change units or get a desk job? What does the new armor mean?
Mom stepped to my side and embraced me. She held me tightly without saying anything for a few moments before whispering, "I should have been here sooner. I've missed you so very much. "
"Lady Maude." Dustin stammered and bowed deeply. "We didn't expect you so soon. We heard you were coming tomorrow with the duke."
"I heard of my son's condition and rode ahead of the rest of my unit. I am no longer with the duke's army." She leaned away and surveyed me with great scrutiny. My head didn't look too bad, but of course it had been treated several times since the injuries occurred. "As of last week, I am the prime champion of Khehep."
Mom is working for the king? I was amazed!
"Lady Champion," said the two healers in unison as they bowed even deeper. This would bring kingdom-wide fame for Milltown as one of their own is now one of King Garret's personal advisors and the leader of all of his armies.
After bowing again, Maurin backed out of the room. Once he reached the entry alcove, he said, "excuse me, lady," turned quickly, and moved down the hall toward the front door.
Dustin stood and looked down for a moment before speaking. "Lady Champion, I have sad news. Your son was injured grievously by his own wooded sword and the trees in Cooper's grove. No hand of man but his own caused his injuries. Through luck or poor fate, he came to us. Please do not penalize the town for an accident of fate."
Lady Maude looked at the man in white. "Monica has already told me the tale of my son as have several others. I am not vindictive against a town for the luck of my son. I am not my predecessor. Please, continue your ministrations."
Dustin continued to take care of me, checking my head, rolling me to look at my neck and back, then poking at my legs and feet. "Can you feel this? How about this? Does this tickle?" With each test, his face looked more stressed. Finally, Dustin took out a small mallet and holding my leg, he tapped my knee then the back of my foot before switching legs and doing the same to the other. He then shook his head.
At this point, Master Whitehair arrived clutching his robe closed and trying to get the buttons through the loops. "Maude!" Then seeing her golden crown on her breastplate, he bowed. "Lady Champion, forgive me. I am an old man and not as perceptive as I once was."
"Stop it Godfrey," she glared. "I am still the same little girl whose skinned knees and bruises you patched so many times, and you could still see a needle prick at ten paces and tell what size needle made it and how long ago. Don't Lady Champion me. King Garret is not here, yet. How is my son?"
Master Whitehair glanced at Duncan who shook his head slightly, hoping to be unnoticed by this noble lady. "So far it doesn't look promising, my lady. We have given him various draughts and potions to speed his healing, but his lower body doesn't seem to have any feeling yet. I have even given him a rank seven restoration elixir, but all he has done is sleep, which is not bad."
My mother's mouth dropped.
Hearing this, my own throat got tight, and my stomach sank. A rank seven restoration elixir could regrow limbs after a few days. On top of this, we were just a baronial city. Master Whitehair must have pulled a lot of strings to get the ingredients to make one or even more strings and enough gold coins to build a small keep in order to purchase one from an alchemist for me. No wonder everyone looked worried. They really had gone to a lot of effort and expense to try to heal me.
The healer continued. "We also acquired the services of a fourth rank healing arts wizard who is still recovering in the next room six days after attempting to heal Von. He was able to waken Von from his slumber, and allow him to have some movement in his arms, neck, and upper body. Despite draining his mana, your son is still not fully healed."
Lady Maude's face turned pale. Several realizations came to her mind. A rank four healing wizard? I've seen the amazing things a rank two can do. In fact, I had six under my command with the duke. Rank four must be extremely powerful, although King Garret and Queen Maisett each had a rank seven at their service. Their children share a rank four. Von's damage was much more severe than I thought, she pondered.
Having finished her musings, she said aloud, "King Garret will arrive tomorrow to watch the knightly trials. Perhaps I can persuade him to lend us Jayr and see if he can heal Von. If not, what can we do?"
"Dustin told me about a grotto which has amazing healing powers. That's what we were talking about when you arrived, mom." I spoke. "He said the ancient healers or King Garret could maybe give us permission to go there and he thought it could cure me."
Master Whitehair gave a look toward Dustin who quickly looked away. "Maude, the grotto of the gods is fickle. Even if we could gain permission and learn its location, there is no guarantee it could work. It is just as likely to absorb Von's essence as it is to heal him. Ancient Healer Vicol travelled there in my youth as there were no suitable candidates for the council. Instead of restoring a few decades to him, when they lowered him into the pool, he completely vanished, and the grotto glowed for hours. When Prince Kenric was taken there as a youth for his cough, upon touching the water, his essence was completely devoured, and his body disappeared. This is why Garret is now our king instead of his older brother Kenric. The grotto has never been reliable. This is the true reason why permission is needed and why the location is kept hidden."
"So, if Jayr can't heal Von, or isn't permitted to try to heal him, what are our options? How long would it take to brew a higher-level restoration potion?" She appealed to Master Whitehair.
"Since the death of Alchemist Drea, I have not heard of an alchemist who can brew a level six or higher restoration potion. Drea had only one apprentice, and he fell victim to a glazu demon while seeking herbs near the rift two years ago. Drea, as you know, avenged her apprentice several times over, killing dozens of glazu. Unfortunately, she was overwhelmed by tataka demons with only one of her guards surviving. It is from her we learned of Drea's defeat. Once the world learned of her death, Drea's entire stash of potions and elixirs were taken by various inhabitants of the region, some of whom while trying to mix these elixirs turned into strange beings or worse, exploded. Of course, Arbac the purple is an exception. He managed to mix three random potions and gained the gift of spell-less flight, but as his moniker states, his entire body turned purple. Unbeknownst to most people, he also became a neuter. What potions may remain of hers are considered lost at this time."
"How do you know all this," she said looking intently at the master healer. "I am the king's right hand, and I know less than half of that which you spoke. I began doing as much research as I could at the capital before riding here and still, I know little of what you are speaking. Today was the first I heard of the grotto."
"Dustin, if you would. Please take Maurin and tend the others. If none needs tending, please get a breath and return in half an hour." With these words from Master Whitehair, the two lesser healers left the room.
Godfrey shut the door behind them, sliding the bolt. This done, he uttered something I couldn't understand and moving his hands in a circle about the door, a white circle appeared on it. Master Whitehair moved to the window and touched the shutters. Again, he uttered the same words and a white circle appeared on the shutters. As soon as the circle finished drawing, my ears popped, and I could hear nothing outside. The only noise was the crackling of the fireplace.
Having sealed the room, he walked to the side of my bed, sat on the edge, and began whispering some strange words. As he uttered these words, he placed his left hand on my forehead, and I began to feel tired. My vision became less clear; my eye lids grew heavy, and I struggled to stay awake because I wanted so desperately to hear what the two of them were going to say. Unfortunately, I was losing my fight with weariness.
Before I went under, I heard the healer say, "Maude, as the king's right hand, I am confiding in you, but please don't tell anyone. First, I am much older than...." I tried to hear the rest, but his spell finally surpassed my will.