An interesting situation, to be sure.
“That was to be my next request to Lady de Wolfe,” the physic said. “Although he needs to sleep, if we can find him a tub and a bed somewhere out of this hall, it would be best for him.”
War gently pulled Annaleigh aside as he reached down to pick up Talus. “I will take him,” he said, pulling Talus into a sitting position. “Come along, lad.”
With that, he bent over and lifted Talus onto his broad shoulders. Given the fact that Talus wasn’t a small man by any means, it was an impressive feat of strength. Annaleigh quickly ordered the bucket and rags to be gathered, following War out of the hall and into the keep as he carried limp Talus. By the time they reached his borrowed chamber, the copper tub that the servants had dragged in was about half-full of lukewarm water, by War’s orders.
War dumped Talus into the tub.
He stood back after that, watching Annaleigh and the physic and the servant fuss over Talus as the man lay virtually unconscious. He was so limp that War ended up holding himup by the head as the others bathed him in the tepid water, but the truth was that War was only doing all of this to be close to Annaleigh. It wasn’t as if he had any great devotion to Talus, but Annaleigh was doing what she did best– helping and healing– and he simply wanted to be near her.
That was the sole reason he’d done what he did.
He couldn’t break his fast with her, nor could he speak to her, really. At least, not a private conversation. She was trying to save a man’s life, a man who had designs on her no less but, at the moment, that didn’t bother War. Tending Talus was the right thing to do and as he watched her work, he remembered the woman who had tended his wounds after the battle at Etal. The woman who, despite being Scots, was determined to do the right thing and help a man in need.
She was still determined to do the right thing.
Her bravery and sense of compassion impressed him. It had since the beginning of their association, only now there was something more to it. There was pride– he wasproudof her, proud of her good character– and there was admiration.Greatadmiration. Every moment that he spent with her deepened his appreciation for her and her genuine desire to help and to heal.
She was a rare woman, indeed.
The tending of Talus du Reims went well into the morning. He was unconscious for quite some time before they finally pulled him from the old tub, with War’s help, and put him on War’s borrowed bed to be vigorously dried off. But he remained in his damp linen breeches while his thigh swelled with poison. The wound itself was red and full of poison, straining against the stitches with the swelling.
But Annaleigh and the physic worked on.
As the early afternoon came, there wasn’t much to do with Talus any longer other than wait. They’d tried to give him more of the rotten brew, but he was hardly able to take any becauseof his unconscious state. They’d pour it in his mouth and he’d choke on it, so they finally stopped trying.
And the waiting began.
At some point, the physic had sent for William, who had been in his chamber with his wife all morning, sleeping after a busy night. But he appeared in the borrowed chamber in the unmarried men’s wing, standing in the doorway and realizing that Talus’ gash had been far more serious than they’d all thought.
The physic told William that he thought the blade that had cut into Talus had been poisoned, as The Bones had been known to rub poison on their weapons so when they cut into a man’s flesh, the poison entered the body and death was more of a potential. William had run into The Bones many times and he’d heard of poison on their blades, but he’d been fortunate to never have actually seen that rumor in action.
Regretfully, their luck had run out. He was seeing it now.
The death watch for Talus du Reims had begun.
News of his impending demise was spreading. Kieran showed up to the vigil, weary from being up all night, saddened by the approaching loss of a fine knight. Christian also came, as did Anthony, who was greatly distressed to see his love rival as well as his friend in such a state. The knights began to gather and as word filtered through the castle, others were showing up to the entry to the keep, soldiers who weren’t allowed inside, but they were gathering to show respect for Talus, who was well liked by the men. He was young and fiery, with a sense of humor but a sense of discipline, so he had few enemies.
The mood settling over Castle Questing was a somber one.
Annaleigh hadn’t left Talus’ side. Perhaps there was some guilt there, as he’d tried so hard to woo her but she’d never given in, so she felt sorry for the young knight who’d been unable to gain the wife he so badly wanted. She sat next to his head,putting cold cloths on it. Sometime mid-afternoon, she went to replace the cloth and his eyes were open.
Talus was staring at the ceiling, his eyes dark against his ashen pallor. Annaleigh leaned over him slightly, to see if he would notice her, and slowly his eyes began to track her.
He smiled.
She smiled.
“My lady,” he said weakly. “I… I had a dream.”
“Ye did?” she said, trying to show the man some interest in death as she never had in life. “What did ye dream about?”
“Home,” he said simply. “I saw my home and the bay it presides over. I saw my mother but she did not see me. I tried to speak to her but she walked away.”
Annaleigh replaced the cloth on his head with a cool one. “’Tis only a dream,” she said. “Dreams can be strange.”
He was watching her, every move she made, in an odd sort of trance. As if nothing else in the world existed around them.
