A kind of bundle of rags thumped downat his side.Cai jumped, then with a shock recognised Danan.Hisloneliness eased just a fraction.“What are you doing here?How didyou know…?”
“I know what I need to.Ihave come to help.Why are you letting this good soul die in thisway?”
“I can’t save him.You cansee that.”
“Yesterday you bought fromme the means to set free what you couldn’t mend.”
“Yes, but…” Cai shivered.Unorthodox as he was, the abbot of Fara had trusted in a power andmercy outside himself.“Isn’t it in God’s hands?”
Danan took out of her sleeve a smallvial, its contents gleaming softly in the grey light.She uncappedit and took hold of Cai’s wrist.She turned his hand palm up andgazed at it intently for a moment.“Yes,” she said, gripping ithard.“Yes.In God’s hands.”
Unsteadily Cai pressed the vial toTheo’s lips.The abbot was wheezing now, making faint sounds ofincomprehensible pain.The dose ran passively into his throat, butafter a moment he swallowed, and his gaze sought Cai’s, lucid andfull of forgiveness.Barely ten heartbeats later, his anguishedbreathing ceased.
“Caius?”
Cai looked up.What did Ben want ofhim now?Danan was gone.He wasn’t sure how long he’d been kneelingby the dead man’s side.“Yes?”he said hoarsely.
“The others needyou.”
“The others?What can Ido?”
“You’re our doctor.Helpthem.”
“I’m not a doctor.I’ma…knuckleheaded son of a hill-farmer.”Something about this struckCai as appallingly funny, and he forced back sobs of laughter.“Noone ever trained me.I don’t know what to do.”
Benedict put down a hand to him.“Well, you’re all we’ve got.I’ll help you.”
“Ben, you’re aploughman.”
“More of a man than you, itseems.”
That stung.No one save Broccus hadever accused Cai of any failing there.He got up and almost fellover the blanketed shape on the ground at his feet.“Leof,” hesaid, not as a question.
“Yes.Cai, I am sovery—”
“How many are dead?”Itcame out low and fast, with an odd note of command in it.Ben’sresponse was stranger still—he let go of Cai’s hand and steppedback, drawing himself up straight.
“Five of us now.Brother Petros,trying to defend Theo.Andreou, trying to avenge him.Aethelstan,when he tried to stop thevikingrfrom getting to the forge.And…”
“Yes.”Cai cut him off witha motion of the hand.Poor Brother Blacksmith, who’d made all thehinges and hasps for the medicine cabinets… He shook himself.“Whyweren’t there more?”
“I don’t understand thatmyself.They seemed to be hunting something, and when they didn’tfind it, they left.”
“Not without torching us.Is my infirmary still there?”
“Yes.The dormitory wing isdown, and the church, but—”
“Get the injured there.Whois worst?”
“BrotherGareth—”
Gareth, with his warts and imaginaryplague.“Damn Brother Gareth.”
“Gareth has an axe-cut likea slice of pie out of his shoulder, but he says it’s a mere scratchand you should tend the others first.Brother John is probablydying.Cedric and Wulfhere too.The rest are walkingwounded.”
“Very well.Bring them tome in order of need.Get water boiling—lots of it—and send to thevillage to see what supplies they have there.Did the Vikings raidinland?”
“No.”Benedict made a sound inhis throat, as if he’d swallowed asir.“The village is safe.”
