Chapter 11
Gabin had one foot propped on a crate and his arm was in a sling with stitches holding the injury closed. However, he was still managing to tell Suza a story now that Karlee was finished with them both for the time being. She was holding off on Healing Gabin until she had looked over everyone.
"He certainly leads an interesting life." Karlee commented to Tyber and Smidge. "Now that he's patched up again, it's your turns."
Smidge shook his head. "I didn't even get a scratch."
"I'm fine."
"Liars." Karlee pointed to the lone, unoccupied chair in front of the fire. "Sit down Smidge."
Smidge had a scratched palm and bruised knees from his tussle with the buyer. Karlee cleaned them with ointment and removed a few slivers. "Your other scratches seem to be healing well."
"I use the ointment." Smidge assured her.
"I have some food." Maisie announced as she entered from the disused kitchen. "It's just simple fare."
The men's stomachs grumbled in unison at the smell of the food she had prepared from produce purchased from farmers they encountered on their way back to Tyber's house. It had been nearly dawn before they could leave the bridge. The Heralds always had more questions, as did the guards when they showed up.
Maisie looked around then cocked an eyebrow at Tyber. "You have no table?"
Tyber strode from the room to locate a table. Maisie set the tray on the hearth and started to prepare a plate for Gabin and Suza. "It is so nice to have a proper kitchen. If only it was stocked."
She had prepared a steak for everyone as well as some vegetables with a simple cheese sauce. No one had complained when she said she would accompany them back to Tyber's house and prepare a meal as a reward for believing her.
"Healer Karlee, would you care for some?"
"Of course, it looks like the perfect breakfast after a night like that." Karlee assured her. "I don't know where we will sit though."
Maisie leaned back and looked through the door Tyber had left through. "And some chairs!"
"Let me guess, you're the only daughter." Karlee grinned.
"Eight brothers, four younger, four older." Maisie offered the plate to Gabin. "There we go, lots of sauce for you, Suza."
"Thank you." Suza said shyly and settled the plate on Gabin's injured leg. Gabin glowered at his injured arm, the good one was pinned by Suza.
Suza used the knife to cut a piece of steak and offered it to Gabin.
Gabin gave her a resigned look and allowed her to stick it in his mouth. She had refused to leave his side once she had been fetched back from Maisie's room. Karlee was unsurprised. Children seemed to know they'd found a protector in him.
Karlee pronounced Smidge fit enough and ordered him to help Maisie with preparing the plates of food. Taking the empty seat she watched Suza like a hawk. The girl was still very weak and Karlee was here more for the girl than anything else. Suza had collapsed when she tried to walk and was far too passive. Karlee was fairly certain she was drugged but whatever it was, was too complex and was beyond her training to identify. She had sent word to the Circle for someone familiar with drugs to get their butt down here.
Gabin frowned slightly when he saw Karlee's expression.
Suza froze when she saw the frown so he quickly replaced it with a smile.
"Do you want to hear another story?" Gabin asked.
Suza nodded.
Gabin started another story for her, interrupted by the bits of food she fed him.
Tyber returned with two chairs. "I have no table." Setting the chairs down, he accepted a plate. "How's Suza?"
Karlee shook her head slightly.
"Oh."
"What?" Maisie asked, her large, brown eyes locked onto Karlee's face.
Karlee shook her head again.
Maisie bolted to her feet. "I made a treat for you Suza, I'll be right back."
Smidge hurried after her as she practically ran to the kitchen. Suza watched with an expression of confusion. Her expression smoothed and she turned her attention back to Gabin.
"She's too calm." Tyber said softly to Karlee.
"She looks like she's dreaming." Karlee whispered back. "I sent word I need more help."
Suza ran her finger through the cheese sauce and licked it clean then leaned against Gabin's chest.
Maisie returned, her eyes blood shot. Smidge carried a plate with a baked apple spiced with cinnamon and a creamy sauce.
Suza's eyes lit up but she was still lethargic.
She had eaten about half of the treat, with Gabin telling another story, when a knock announced the arrival of the other Healer. Tyber let him in and the small group gathered in the room watched as the grim faced Healer spoke to Suza.
"I think you need to sleep, my dear." The Healer said with a forced smile. She flinched away when he offered his hands to help her to the ground.
Karlee nudged him aside and helped the girl to her feet. "How about we use Gabin's bed? He can sleep on the chair."
Suza allowed Karlee to lead her away.
"What's wrong with her?" Gabin demanded in a low growl.
"Poison." The healer sank onto the hearth and buried his face in his hands. "It's killing her."
"Killing…" Gabin said tightly. His hands balled into fists.
"That bastard didn't want anyone else to have her." Tyber said darkly.
"I'm gonna kill him." Smidge snarled.
"It explains why she has been becoming more docile as time passes." Gabin said as he lurched to his feet. He winced as his injured leg protested the weight. "How long?"
"It's a mix of several toxins. I can delay it, but I cannot stop it. It's like he took every drug and poison he could get his hands on and fed them to her one at a time. There is arsenic, argonel, some toxic berries, and more that are so muddled by her body trying to process them I can't figure them out." The Healer looked up as Gabin limped past him.
"I need to think." Gabin said as he headed to the kitchen and its back exit.
Tyber grabbed a bottle of wine and a couple glasses. "Anyone else?"
The Healer nodded as did Smidge. Tyber poured three large glasses of wine. "This is from Ruvan, its strong enough to get a draft horse drunk."
Maisie sat in Gabin's chair. "Why would anyone kill a little girl? Why were they there last night?"
"They were selling her." Smidge said finally.
"Those bastards! I knew I should have hit him again. Well, if she is going to die I am going to make certain she has a perfect last day. Not drink something strong enough to make a horse drunk." Maisie stood and favoured all of them with a glare, her hands fisted on her hips.
Smidge cleared his throat. "I'm going to talk to Gabin. I haven't seen him that mad in years."
Maisie hurried after Karlee. "I will go help Healer Karlee so she can come talk to you."
Tyber looked to the healer. "This is going to be one hell of a day."
In the stable Gabin was seated in Varian's stall.
:We still failed her.: Varian said mournfully.
"Can any of the Heralds perform a miracle?" Gabin asked as he studied his knees.
:No.: Varian nosed Gabin's good shoulder.
"The Healer can't fix it."
Varian considered Gabin. :At least she isn't scared.:
"I never got to know Suza well." Gabin said but Varian wasn't certain if Gabin was talking to him. "By then there were so many of them. Too many."
"Gabin?" Smidge interrupted as he entered the stable.
Smidge found Gabin staring into the darkness.
"Gabin? What do we do now?" Smidge asked he leaned against the doorframe. "Should we take her to the Palace?"
"I knew there was a chance they would start killing children." Gabin confessed. "But I thought we'd arrived in time."
"He didn't poison her because you were making him feel threatened. He poisoned her because he wanted the money from selling her but didn't want anyone else to have her." Smidge pointed out.
Varian rested his nose against Gabin's hand. :I think you need to go to her.:
"Why?"Gabin asked.
:You are her protector. You make her feel safe. The Healer will keep her relatively calm, but I think feeling safe is the best gift you can give her.: Varian explained. :I couldn't even give that to my Chosen. He died scared and alone. She won't.:
Gabin reluctantly got to his feet. "He didn't die alone."
Smidge looked confused.
"Let's go inside." Gabin clasped Smidge on the shoulder. "Mourn later."
Two days later Gabin, Tyber, Smidge, Maisie, Karlee, and Varian clustered around the tiny grave. Karlee insisted on paying for a plot in cemetery in the country where her grave was surrounded by those of other children.
The cemetery workers were already piling dirt into the small hole.
"Gabin." Karlee threaded her arm through his and forced him to turn away. "You can't become obsessed with Suza's death."
"I don't need to be told what I need to do." Gabin said stubbornly.
"You do." Karlee pinched his arm to get his attention. "There's a little girl in a yellow brick house who needs to be rescued. Smidge has been working through his grief by searching for that house. He tells me he needs more details to find the children."
"If you give him enough details, he can find anything." Gabin admitted with a grim pride.
"Then why don't you four start hunting for the yellow house?" Karlee asked. "Bring me someone I can help. Losing her is killing me too, Gabin."
