The boy nodded again. “Aye, Me Laird,” he said, before taking off.
Kayden’s gaze shifted to Lilliana. “What can I do?” he asked.
“Get the blanket from the horse. We need to lay them down somewhere.”
He nodded and went immediately to the horse.
They had brought a warm blanket with them. Lilliana had assumed it was for the horse, to keep it warm in the cold mist. She was just glad they had it.
Quickly digging in her bag, she was relieved to find that she did have some milk thistle. She had brought a few herbs on the off chance they went to the village and saw some patients.
She feared that the illness was escalating if these women had gotten sick so fast. She noted the sweat on their foreheads and the slight rash that had developed on the daughter’s arms.
Kayden returned quickly and laid out the blanket. She sent him off to get some wood to start a small fire. She wanted to make a hot tea for the women to drink.
“Kayden?” she said as he laid out the wood. “I don’t think this is a normal illness. I think someone has a hand in causing it.”
He paused to look at her, his brow furrowed with concern. “Are ye sure?”
“I’m fairly sure,” she replied, biting her lip anxiously.
He nodded as he started building the fire. “Why would someone do that? Is it an attack against me or something else?”
“I can’t tell. But…”
He turned to meet her gaze and nodded.
Lilliana was glad that he took her seriously. If there was a malevolent force out there, doing something to their water, it would require more than medical intervention to resolve the problem.
She took some water from their water skins, rather than collecting it from the loch, and boiled it, adding in the milk thistle and a dash of bloodroot. She also put in some willow bark for the pain.
With a silent prayer, she offered a few sips first to the mother and then the daughter. She leaned back, praying it would work and that she had not just made things worse.
It was not long before the mother groaned, getting up and rushing off into the woods. They could still hear her vomiting. The daughter soon stirred, clearly also wanting some privacy, but weaker than her mother. Lilliana helped her off the blanket and found a private spot for her to purge in peace.
She walked a few yards away, giving them what privacy she could while remaining close enough to assist if needed. The forest air was sharp with pine and damp earth.
After a few moments, the mother emerged, pale but steadier on her feet. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, embarrassed.
“I am sorry ye had to see that, Me Lady,” she said hoarsely.
“There is nothing to apologize for,” Lilliana replied gently. “It is a sign that the body is fighting. That is good.”
The woman studied her for a long moment, as though reassessing something. “We were afraid it was a curse,” she admitted quietly. “Or a punishment.”
Lilliana shook her head. “It is neither. And even if someone has meddled, that is no fault of yours.”
Behind them, the daughter appeared, leaning weakly against a tree. Lilliana went to her at once, steadying her elbow.
“It burns less now,” the girl murmured, “in me belly.”
“That is because your body has done what it needed to,” Lilliana said. “You must drink only boiled water from now on, even if it tastes flat. Promise me.”
The girl nodded solemnly. “Aye.”
The mother reached for her daughter’s hand, then looked back at Lilliana. “We didnae ken what to make of ye when ye first came,” she confessed. “An Englishwoman, speaking of herbs and sickness.”
Lilliana offered a small smile. “And now?”
