Richelieu's Revenge
Chapter Seven
Aramis was getting ready for bed when someone pounded on his door. Momentary surprise gave way to fury as he listened to the man standing in the hallway. "Which tavern," he asked sharply.
"The Flying Swan. A doctor's been sent for."
Aramis thanked him and gave him a coin for his trouble. He buckled on his sword belt before walking hurriedly to Athos' room. "Porthos is hurt," he told his friend.
"How badly?" Athos was already pulling on his doublet.
"It's bad, Athos."
Together they collected d'Artagnan and ran through the empty streets to the tavern. Human nature being what it was there was a large crowd in the room. Aramis snarled at them as he pushed his way through. Once he had a clear view he stopped dead. Porthos lay in a pool of blood with his eyes closed. An elderly man knelt beside him wielding a needle and thread. Aramis dropped to his knees beside him, only vaguely aware of Athos and d'Artagnan telling the curious onlookers to go home.
The doctor looked up and saw Aramis' pauldron. "You're a friend of his?"
"Yes. How is he?"
The man returned to his stitching. "He was stabbed in the side. If he's lucky none of the major organs have been damaged. We won't know for sure for a few days. He's lost a lot of blood so he's going to be weak for a while." He tied off the last stitch. "There, that's done." He rummaged in his bag and brought out a length of bandages. "Give me a hand."
It was a struggle to move Porthos' inert body but they finally had the bandage pinned in place.
When Aramis stood up he found Athos and d'Artagnan beside him.
"I'll go back to the garrison for a cart," d'Artagnan said. "I won't be long."
Athos paid the doctor before standing looking somberly at Porthos. "It was a Red Guard," he said.
Aramis looked at him in shock. "Which one?"
"The innkeeper doesn't know his name. Apparently Porthos and three Red Guard were playing cards before an altercation started. They all attacked him and once and, when they left, he was bleeding. It could have been any one of them."
"When we find out who it was I'll kill them," said Aramis savagely.
TMTMTM
It only felt like five minutes since Aramis was watching over Athos during his withdrawal. In reality it had been ten days. During that time Athos had avoided wine altogether and had contented himself with weak beer. Now he was sitting at the bedside of another ailing brother. Porthos had roused briefly as they manhandled him into the cart and again on their arrival back at the garrison. But he had been weak and confused so Aramis curbed the impulse to question him about his injury. Since then Porthos had slept although it wasn't a peaceful sleep. He kept trying to shift position before giving a gasp of pain and subsiding.
It was still dark when Athos quietly slipped into the infirmary. "Any change?"
Aramis shook his head. "No better and no worse."
"That's positive then. If his liver or kidney had been hit surely we would know by now."
"Not necessarily. We have to watch for blood in his urine. That is the only true indicator."
Porthos moved again before groaning and opening his eyes. His pain filled gaze switched between Athos and Aramis. "What the hell happened?" he said, his voice raspy and weak.
"Welcome back." Aramis fetched a cup of water and helped Porthos to drink.
"What do you remember?" Athos asked.
Porthos closed his eyes while he considered the question. "I was playin' cards. Doin' pretty well too."
"Who were you playing with?" Aramis asked.
Porthos hesitated while he searched his memory."Giroud, Perod and Bertrand."
"All of them Red Guard," Athos said.
"Well, they're easy marks," Porthos smile wasn't quite up to its usual standard.
"What happened next?" Aramis asked.
Porthos frowned. "That's all a bit hazy."
"Who stabbed you?" asked Athos.
"One of 'em said somethin' about the Cardinal and then there was a pain in my side. They'd knocked me around quite a bit by then and my head was none too clear. I don't remember anythin' else."
"Never mind. You need rest. Maybe it will become clearer," Aramis said.
"I'll go and update Treville."
After Athos had gone and Porthos had dropped off to sleep Aramis brooded. Giroud, Perod and Bertrand. He knew them all. Which one had done the deed? Well, as far as he was concerned, they were equally guilty and must be punished. The reference to the Cardinal suggested that this was his next move against them. Had he wanted Porthos dead or hadn't he cared about the outcome? Richelieu was careless of lives. He must know that they would exact vengeance. Didn't he care about his own men?
"Aramis."
"You're supposed to be asleep."
"You've got that look about you."
"What look?"
"The one that says you're ready to kill someone."
Aramis looked away. "You're imagining things, my friend."
"Don't play the Cardinal's game. He's not worth it."
"I'm supposed to let this pass?" Aramis asked angrily. "You could have been killed."
"I wasn't though, was I?" Porthos grimaced as he unwisely moved. "You know that dueling in forbidden. Do you want to end up in the Chatelet?"
"It wouldn't be my first choice. Go back to sleep. We'll talk again once you're stronger."
"I want your word that you're not goin' to do anythin' stupid," Porthos persisted stubbornly.
That wasn't a promise Aramis was prepared to make. "Sleep Porthos."
Weakness was Porthos' enemy. His eyes began to close despite his visible fight to stay awake. Aramis watched Porthos slip into sleep and went back to planning his revenge.
TMTMTM
"Dueling is illegal," Athos said patiently. "You know what will happen if you're caught." It was an argument he and Aramis had been having off and on for two days.
"They tried to kill Porthos. Don't you care about him?"
"Of course I do. I also care about you and don't want to see you hauled off to jail."
"I'm not going to let this go unpunished. Are you going to help me or not?"
Athos sighed. "What do you think?" He saw Aramis' expression brighten. "Can you at least wait until Porthos is stronger?"
"He's making a good recovery. There have been no complications."
"That's all well and good but I don't want to have to tell him you're dead or in prison."
Aramis grinned. "Have faith."
"Oh, I have faith alright. Faith that you'll find yourself in a whole mess of trouble."
"Well, you'll be there to get me out of it."
Athos shook his head. Aramis was irrepressible and impossible to sway once he had made his mind up. He wondered if Treville would have more luck but didn't want to betray Aramis' intentions to the Captain. With an air of resignation, he followed Aramis back into the infirmary.
Tbc