Chapter 18

When they arrived at home, Bash was already unconscious. Panicked, Mary jumped off the horse and ran into the Castle.

"Guards! Quickly! I need help! Sebastian de Poitiers is severely injured. Tell Nostradamus, that he should keep himself available!"

She ran back and watched, how the guards took the lifeless body down from the horse carefully and carried him into the Castle. Bash's face was white as a sheet, his breathing weak, and blood from the wound dripped on the floor, as the guards brought him to Nostradamus, the healer.

"Please, you have to save him!" Mary pleaded.

The healer looked down at Bash with a thoughtful look. "I can hardly count how often he was stabbed and I had to patch him up again. But this time..." He sighed deeply. "This is bad. I must remove the dagger first and hope that he doesn't have grave internal injuries. Otherwise, he's bleeding out here on the spot."

"Bash..." Mary leaned down to him and stroked him gently over his sweaty forehead.

"He is unconscious and cannot hear you." Nostradamus turned Bash from the side on his belly and ripped his shirt. "I'm trying to pull the dagger out. Can you hold him down, in case he tries to get up?"

Mary nodded. She held him down as good as she could manage it and turned her head to the side. She heard a suppressed groan and knew that Nostradamus had done his work.

"Done. And it doesn't look bad. Seems the dagger hadn't struck any vital organs. Otherwise, the bleeding wouldn't stop."

Mary looked at Bash and exhaled deeply. She hadn't even noticed that she had stopped breathing. She stroked him gently. "Everything is going to be fine. You're in good hands now."

The healer frowned. "I can't make any promises. At least he has a chance. I'm going to clean the wound now, put on some herbs and bandage him. I hope that he won't get an infection. The wound is very deep. The next few days will show whether he will survive or not."

"Thank you, Nostradamus!" Thankfully, Mary grabbed his hand. "You are not only a good healer but also a good friend of the family."

"You have heard about the renewed outbreak of the plague?" Nostradamus changed the subject.

Mary nodded. "Bash and I were on the road with our horses, when villagers stopped us and told us that the road was blocked because of the plague." She sighed. "We wanted to get to lady Lola, because we thought that lady Kenna might be with her..."

"Lady Kenna is back?" the healer cut in confused.

"She was." Mary confirmed. "But then she left us without saying goodbye, and nobody knows where she is now."

"Kenna..."

Alarmed, Mary looked down at the patient. "Bash, it's me, Mary." she said softly.

"Kenna? Where... are you?"

Nostradamus sighed concerned. "He is delirious. The fever has already taken possession of him."

"What can I do?" Mary whispered back.

Nostradamus shrugged. "Just play along. Perhaps it will help him to heal faster."

Mary nodded and leaned down to Bash. "I'm here." she said quietly.

"You came back...?"

Mary felt a lump in her throat. How much must he love her, when he demanded for her even on the brink of death. "I'm back." she said with a trembling voice and tears in her eyes.

"... Never leave me... again..."

"I won't. I promise." Tears ran down her cheeks and dripped on the floor. She touched his cheek, but he had already closed his eyes and couldn't hear her anymore.

"Go now!" Nostradamus urged. "I'll take care of his wound." He looked at Mary, questioningly. "I don't mean to be curious, but what happened between lady Kenna and Bash?"

Mary wiped her tears away. "It's a long story." she replied. "I'll tell you at another time."

For the last time, she looked at Bash's lifeless body and left Nostradamus to his work then.

"Kenna?" Lola exclaimed surprised, as she recognized her former friend. "What...?"

But Kenna interrupted her. "Quickly! Come in! No one can see you. I have orders to let no one in." She looked at the little boy, who was tightly pressed to his mother's leg. She smiled at him. "Don't be afraid! I'm a friend of your mother. You're John, right?"

The kid nodded.

Kenna grasped Lola's arm and dragged her inside. "In my chamber... quickly!" she urged.

Relieved, Kenna closed the door to her chamber, when Lola and her little son had entered. She turned to Lola. "Good to see you again!" She gave her a hug.

"You're my savior! Do you know that?" Lola returned the hug and looked at her son. "John, do you remember Kenna? She was also at Court, at the time, when your father was still alive and king of France."

"He was just a baby." Kenna said smiling. "He can't remember me." She crouched in front of the boy, who resembled his father incredibly alike, and patted his golden curls. "I have a little son too. His name is Daniel and he is 2 ½ years old. How old are you?"

John considered for a moment. "Almost four." he said then proudly.

"Three years and eight months." Lola corrected. She rubbed her lower back. "Can I sit down, please? The ride to the brothel wasn't particularly comfortable."

„When is the baby due?" Kenna asked.

„In two months." Lola replied. „But I'm already so big that I wish he or she would come earlier." She smiled.

Kenna nodded. „I can relate to that. But now tell me what happened? Why are you here?"

Lola sighed deeply. "When it was announced that the plague has broken out again, they started to burn everything down. I had no contact with others. So I was sure that I wasn't infected. But they wouldn't listen to me and set the house on fire. I wasn't able to save my belongings..." She blinked back tears. "I could just manage to take John and leave the house."

Kenna took Lola's hands in hers. "I'm terribly sorry!" she said sympathetically. "And where is your husband?"

"They entrusted him with the burning of infected corpses. I don't know where he is now and he doesn't know where I am." She put their hands protectively over her swollen belly. "I just wanted to save John and my baby."

"You're safe here." Kenna said reassuringly.

Lola nodded. "That's why I came here. I knew that Greer wouldn't deny the entrance." She looked at Kenna, curiously. "But what are YOU doing here? Mary told me that you wanted to live in the Castle again?"

"Good news travel fast." Kenna rolled her eyes. "I had a dispute with Bash. I couldn't stay."

"Why...?" Lola started to ask, but was interrupted when the door flew open and an excited Daniel stormed into the chamber, followed by Greer.

"Lola?" Greer exclaimed startled. „What are you doing here?"