By the next afternoon, Ainsland was more than a little worried. Collum and Uwe had yet to appear at the cottage, and the clouds loomed dark and foreboding on the horizon.
“Come, Beastie. We’ll go to Parker’s and see what’s keeping them,” she said, as she locked the door, fastening her cloak around her shoulders. “I hope that Parker’s not worse.”
The old man’s house was an hour’s walk from her home. Halfway there, a light rain began to fall. By the time she reached the door, it had begun to sleet.
“Come in, my dear girl,” Parker urged, as she hovered near the doorway. “I know I am a poor man, but your husband and his apprentice have saved my life. The least I can do is offer you some shelter from the weather.”
“Have they been gone long from here?” Ainsland asked nervously.
Parker seemed perplexed and said, “Why, they left yesterday afternoon. About this time it was. Collum made mention of going to the village before they went home.” He patted Ainsland on the hand and said, “Perhaps he was stopped by someone else and is tending to them even as we speak.”
“Yes, that must be it,” Ainsland said weakly. “I should find him there. Do you need anything before I go?”
“No, Child. You’re very kind to such an old man as myself. Keep your own self warm and dry, and tell your husband again that I’m forever in his debt.”
Ainsland pulled her cloak more tightly around her as she hurried towards the village. She knew instinctively that she would find neither master nor apprentice there. Still, she might speak to someone who’d seen them passing by.
She found Uwe lying near the path just outside the village. There was a large purple knot on his temple, and his breathing was erratic. Ainsland could not rouse the boy. She was wondering whether she should leave him and go for help when the dog began to lick Uwe’s fingers and the boy opened his eyes.
“Mistress?” he said drowsily. “My head hurts something awful.”
“You’re hurt. Lie still.”
“I need to be sick,” he moaned, and then he was.
Ainsland cradled the boy in her arms. He dozed briefly then came awake with a jolt.
“Master!” he cried. “Master Collum!”
“It’s all right,” she said soothingly. “I’ll find him. Do you know where he is, Uwe?”
“Men came out from the trees. One hit me, and then all was black. I’m sorry, Mistress.”
“It’s not your doing,” she said firmly. “Once I know you’re well enough to leave alone for a moment, I’ll get someone to go with you to the village. Then I’ll go looking for Collum.”
Ainsland was surprised by how calm she sounded. She felt her composure disintegrating even as she uttered the reassuring words to her husband’s apprentice.
“Another boy,” Uwe mumbled.
“There was another boy with them?” Ainsland asked, hopeful that this might be a vital clue that would lead to Collum’s return.
“No. The baby you carry. It’s another boy.”
Ainsland stared in disbelief at the injured apprentice.
“There’s a baby?”
“Only just.”
“And you can tell that it’s a boy?”
“Master will be angry with me. He told me not to tell that kind of thing, remember?”
“I’m glad you told me. Collum will be glad to hear it, too. Rest now.”
The boy lost consciousness then, and Ainsland gently lowered him to the ground and rushed to the rectory. Soon, Uwe lay on the spare bed in Adric’s room, and the men of the village had gathered to begin a search for Collum that would last through the night and the following day.
“I’m going to his father’s,” Ainsland declared over supper that evening. “Perhaps he’ll be able to send men out everywhere to look for Collum.”
“Have they not been looking for Garreth for months?” Jane asked. “How will they find Collum?”
“I don’t know, but I can’t simply sit in the village and wait for his body to –” The words caught in her throat, and she forced herself to rein in her emotions before continuing. “I’ll go out of my mind if I don’t do something.”
“And what of the people in the village?” Oscar asked. “You’re the nearest thing to a healer that we have.”
“Uwe is a healer and will be recovered in a few days’ time.”
“Someone should go with you,” Adric insisted.
“Who? You’ll leave your parish? Oscar will leave his business and his grieving son and daughter-in-law? Luke will leave his wife and children? Or perhaps Jane would like to roam through the woods with me in search of my husband and a murderous man?”
“I would come with you,” Jane said shakily. “I’m your friend.”
“You can’t,” Ainsland countered. “Becky needs you, and you’re not used to wandering outdoors. I’ve grown quite accustomed to it since I met Collum. When one is married to a healer, one learns to help him forage for herbs and things and to accompany him to the houses of the sick and injured.”
“There are others in the village who would go with you,” Adric insisted.
“No. I have to go alone. It’s something I must do. I’ll take Beastie with me, and I’ll be careful.”
Her friends continued to protest, so Ainsland ceased arguing with them. They finished their meal, retiring early to bed.
Later that night, Ainsland slipped quietly out of the rectory. She and the dog returned to the cottage where she packed a sack with some food, money, and a small knife. As she was about to leave, she decided to go to the surgery and take some herbs and potions.
“I might meet someone in need,” she said to the dog, as she slung the sack across her shoulder. “Or I might need something myself.”
She shuddered at the thought and set off in the direction of Richard’s estate. There were few clouds in the sky. The two moons lit up the countryside, making Ainsland feel slightly more at ease. She stayed in the open and was well on her way when dawn came several hours later.
As the morning wore on, Ainsland became more and more exhausted. She had barely slept for two days, and the constant worry about her husband was wearing on her. The sack on her shoulder seemed to have been filled with stones. Although the day was not as frigid as those that had preceded it, it remained cold and windy.
Eventually, Beastie trotted several yards in front of his mistress, circled twice, then lay down in the center of the road. When Ainsland attempted to walk around him, he got to his feet, moving to lie in front of her again.
“You like looking out for me?” she asked, as she scratched the dog behind his ears. “Me and my babies? All right, then. We’ll stop here for a time; then we can move on.”
After eating some bread and dried meat, woman and dog drank from a nearby stream then lay down to rest. Ainsland had only intended to stay for a short while. When she next opened her eyes, the late afternoon sun was slanting through the trees. She hastily gathered her things and set out once more.
That night, she asked for shelter from an elderly widow. The next day, she set off at dawn. Once more, she became exhausted by the afternoon. Once more, she begged a stranger for shelter in the evening.
The pattern continued for four days. By the fifth day, Ainsland was weary. Her food was almost gone, and the snow which had mercifully not fallen since the day she’d set out now threatened. To make matters worse, she had begun to feel violently ill each morning when she awoke.
“Hello, Child!”
Beastie began to bark and snarl at the man on the horse who was approaching them from behind. Ainsland touched the hilt of the knife in her pocket and called out warily, “Hello to you!”
The stranger appeared to be nearing forty. His hair was black peppered with gray. He carried himself like a soldier.
“I mean you no harm!” he called back. “I merely wish to pass.”
“Beastie, come here,” Ainsland ordered. As the dog stood alert by her side, she said, “Good dog.”
The man rode closer then paused in front of them. He smiled down at the woman and dog. Ainsland could only imagine what they must look like to a stranger. Her heavy cloak and dress were dirty; her hair was surely a mass of tangles; and she felt sick and drained. The dog’s coat was dotted with dirt and leaves.
“Not a child,” the man said slowly. “Forgive me, my lady. May I ask where you’re headed?”
“Varnan,” she replied cautiously. “And you?”
“Woolrith.” In response to her blank stare, he added, “Past Varnan.”
“Oh.”
“My name is Harold. And yours?”
Thinking of the Elders’ suggestion so long ago, she volunteered, “It’s Eleanor.”
“Well, Lady Eleanor, would you like to relieve your feet for a time and use my mount?”
Ainsland looked longingly at the horse then shook her head and said, “Thank you, but no.”
“My lady, I’m a former soldier and am used to long campaigns across treacherous ground. It won’t bother me to walk all the way to Varnan if need be.”
“I thank you, but no.”
“You’re determined to collapse?”
I’d happily ride the horse. However, if it should throw me, it might harm my child, and I’ve already lost one too soon.”
His eyes filled with pity, and she turned away and resumed her former pace. After a few moments, she heard the horse’s hooves behind her, and Beastie turned and growled fiercely at the animal.
“He’s a loyal one, isn’t he?” Harold asked pleasantly.
“Very,” Ainsland agreed.
After some minutes of silence, Harold said, “Please, Lady Eleanor. You make me tired watching you. Surely it can’t be better for your child that you –”
“I refuse to take a chance on the horse.”
“Where is your husband? Does he know of your exertions?”
“My husband doesn’t even know about the child. He’s disappeared, and I’m going to his family to ask for help.”
“Disappeared? When?”
“Six days ago? No, seven.”
“And you worry about foul play?”
“He’s a healer. He was on his way to see to someone when he and his apprentice were overtaken. I know there’s foul play.”
“And the apprentice?”
“Will live, but he couldn’t describe the attackers.”
“Lady, you have another two days’ walk to Varnan, assuming it doesn’t snow. The trail is already seven days old.”
“You’re already going that way. Could you ride ahead and give word to my husband’s brother?”
“Would that I could. My horse went lame before I left Nevres. This old fellow was the only horse available. He’s a good mount, but he has too many years on him to go that far that fast.”
She nodded and reached up to pat the horse’s neck. The dog quieted when he saw this. Harold got down from the horse and held the reins in one hand.
“Why did you dismount?”
“I won’t ride while a woman who’s with child is forced to walk beside me. It wouldn’t be right.”
There was a small inn at the village of Alleron. Harold convinced Ainsland to allow him to pay for her meal and her lodging for the night. The dog was also well fed and given shelter in the stable with Harold’s horse. To Ainsland’s delight, there was a large basin in her room. The innkeeper’s wife was more than willing to help her fill the bath and bring her a clean cloth to dry herself.
It took almost an hour, but Ainsland managed to untangle the knots in her hair. That night, she went to bed, clean and refreshed for the first time since her journey had begun.
“I’d like to travel with you, Lady Eleanor,” Harold said at breakfast the next morning. “We’re going in the same direction after all, and I can offer you protection. Did no one offer to go with you when you left your own village?”
“They did, but I felt I had to come alone.”
Harold studied her for a moment then pushed back his plate and said, “We should be on our way.”
Ainsland stared at the remains of her breakfast and tried not to think about food. She gathered her sack, thanking the innkeeper and his wife then set off with Harold in the early morning light.
“Will you tell me your true name?” he asked when the inn was no longer in sight.
Ainsland’s steps faltered, but she recovered herself quickly and said, “I don’t know if I should.”
“I didn’t harm you yesterday. Do you think I could travel with you one day and then molest you the next?”
She chewed on her lower lip and pondered what Harold might do if he knew her true identity. He didn’t seem the type to be one of Garreth’s men. He would have certainly already guessed her identity if he were.
“My name is Ainsland. I was married to Kendall of Hamleish, who was killed by Garreth of Blon. Garreth wanted…he….”
“I told you I was a soldier,” Harold said. “I’ve fought against vile men who’d stop at nothing to get what they desire. I know what he wanted.”
“I escaped from him and was found in the woods by Collum –”
“Collum, the Healer?”
Harold had stopped walking and stood, gaping, down at Ainsland. She wondered if she’d done the right thing by telling this man her story, but it was too late to stop.
“Yes. Collum saved me. We married so that I could better hide from Garreth, but we found that we truly did love each other. And then there was a child. Garreth found us months later. He tried to…he…I fought him, and I fell.”
“You don’t have to speak of it, Harold said quietly.”
She nodded then said hastily, “Garreth had his men beat Collum so badly that it nearly killed him. It took many, many months, but we regained our strength and our hope. And now this.”
“Lady, I would tell you something. I’ve known Collum since he was a boy. I fought with his brother, Edward, in many battles in other lands. During the last campaign, I was gravely injured. I was taken back to my home to die. Collum was called, and he saved my life. The local priest declared my survival a miracle.
“If Collum is in danger, then I’ll do anything I can to help find him. I’ll also do whatever I can to protect his wife and child.”
Stunned, Ainsland stammered, “I – I thank you, Sir. Do you know how to get to Edward and Richard’s lands?”
“We’ll go straight there when we arrive at Varnan.”
“But what of your own business?”
“It can wait. Collum’s life is more important.”
A storm forced the travelers and their animals to take shelter in a deserted barn. As Ainsland divided their provisions for a meal, she asked, “Did you know Cierran?”
“Collum’s first wife? Yes, I did.”
“What was she like? I hate to ask Collum, and I didn’t think asking his brothers or parents would be wise.”
“They wouldn’t mind, to be sure. Neither do I mind. Cierran was a lovely girl, although not quite as lovely as you. Her hair was light in color as I recall. She was taller, thinner, and not as…uh…well-built for nursing babies as you are, but she used what she had to her best advantage.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“She knew how to hold herself. Poor girl. She would have made a good wife for any man. Many men did desire her, despite her affliction.”
“Affliction? What affliction?”
“She couldn’t hear. Her father had taught her to speak somehow, and she understood gestures and watched people’s mouths when they spoke. I’m sure it was still a difficult way to get by. Collum loved her and took the time to hear her awkward speech and make himself understood.
“His master, Jordan, was a good friend of mine. He was against the marriage, though. He didn’t think his daughter could raise a child without being able to hear. He told Collum that she was barren in hopes that Collum would find himself another wife. Obviously, that didn’t happen.”
“I believe I know the rest. Thank you,” Ainsland said thoughtfully.
“For what?”
“For helping me to understand.”
She lay awake for a long time that night, picturing young Collum patiently communicating with his wife. She imagined Jordan working endlessly with his little girl and somehow managing to teach her to speak. Both men had loved Cierran and had wanted what was best for her. Both men had mourned her, her child, and their own damaged relationship. When Ainsland eventually slept, it was not a peaceful slumber.
“My lady.”
Ainsland was instantly awake and instantly regretted it. Her stomach muscles lurched with the reflexive urge to throw up the previous night’s supper. She shut her eyes tightly and took shallow breaths.
“It grows late,” Harold told her. “The sun has been up for two hours. We must leave now if we’re to reach Richard’s home before nightfall.” Pausing, he added, “You look pale. Are you ill?”
“This happens each morning. I’ll be better as time passes. Give me a moment.”
They reached Richard’s estate late in the afternoon. As they prepared to turn off the road and walk down the path to the main house, Beastie began to snarl and raise his tail. The horse shied to one side, as another rider came charging down the road towards them.
“Harold! Harold, it’s Darius!”
“Call your dog,” Harold said to Ainsland. “Darius is a friend.”
As Beastie trotted near his mistress, Darius reined in his horse and said urgently, “Harold, you must come with me now! Your father has taken ill.”
“Taken ill? In what manner?”
“His breathing is labored. His cough has worsened. He’s asking for you.”
Harold grimaced, looking to Ainsland with regret.
“My father’s been ill for some time.”
“You must go to him,” she urged. “I’ll be all right from here.”
“But I vowed to help you.”
“You’ve already helped me more than you can know. You must go to your father.”
“I’ll come to help as soon as I’m able. I swear it.”
Ainsland watched the soldier ride off towards his home, which she assumed lay past Woolrith. Or perhaps his business in Woolrith had actually involved a visit to his ailing father.
Starting down the path, Ainsland said a prayer that Richard was not away from home. His own affairs might have taken him far from his lands. If that were the case, at least Edward was close by and would help to organize a search. If both of them were gone, surely Vivien would know to whom she could turn.
Oddly enough, these mental assurances were making Ainsland more fearful. With each step, she grew more tense, certain that some disaster would befall her before she could reach the house. When the manor came into view, she wiped at the tears of relief and strode forward to find her family.