Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 90574 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90574 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
“He sleeps,” Aliss said to the couple, who could not take their eyes off their grandson.
“He will live?” asked the grandmother.
“I cannot say for sure,” Aliss answered honestly. “Right now sleep, rest, and light nourishment is what he needs to heal completely. There is also swelling, redness, and fever to worry about. I will keep a close watch on him, as will Anna. Hopefully he will be victorious in this battle.”
“He is strong,” his grandmother said optimistically.
“Tell him that often,” Aliss said. “It will give him the courage to fight for his life.”
“How can we thank you?” the grandfather asked.
Aliss looked to their grandson. “I will have my thanks when I see him walking, smiling, and flirting with the young girls of the village.”
The elderly couple smiled, nodded, and turned their attention to their grandson.
Aliss had instructed Anna in James’s care and they divided the time that each would spend with him. Aliss now had other ill people to look after and a slew of other things to do and not enough time to do them all.
Derek had improved then suddenly had had a relapse. Ivan was doing much better. Tara’s two-year-old had improved greatly and was up to mischief already.
Aliss headed back to Rogan’s home. Why did some ailing people improve and others did not? Why were they suffering relapses? How had she managed to prevent deaths since her arrival? The answers were there. She just was not certain where to find them.
Aliss was surprised that she had not seen Rogan the rest of the day. He usually managed to keep company with her throughout part of the day. He kept out of her way, but he was there observing.
At first, she had thought he did not trust her, but she had come to realize that he not only felt a responsibility to his people but he actually cared about them, and they in turn cared for the Wolf. There was camaraderie among them all, a closeness that was palpable, and her curiosity about the clan was quickly turning to admiration.
She had learned that the Wolf clan had inhabited this island not far off the coast of Scotland for many years. Its peoples were a motley mix of various heritages. Shunned, for various reasons, by their clans, they had formed their own. A fierce band of warriors with no allegiance to king or country, they were feared by many and yet Aliss found them a loving and generous people, not at all the barbarians she once thought them.
Normally by late afternoon, she would be feeling the effects of a hectic day, but today she felt empowered instead of tired. The surgery she had performed on James had gone better than she had hoped, right down to the neat little stitches, all fifty of them.
When she last checked on him he was sleeping comfortably, having woken briefly. Anna had made certain to give him the sleeping brew so he would rest. So far, all was well, but it was still too early to tell if he would survive.
Before she did anything else, she needed to make more salve and brew more potions for the ailing. She hurried into the cottage, eager to get started, and came to an abrupt halt when she saw John bent over the table, knife in hand, ready to cut into Rogan’s hand.
“Stop!” she screeched.
“I told him to let you look at it,” John said defensively and backed away from the table.
Aliss walked right up to Rogan. “You have an injury and you do not summon me?”
“You are busy with more important matters,” he said firmly.
“You think that is a good explanation for foolishness?”
John sneaked out the door before the couple could notice his departure.
“You call me a fool?”
Aliss turned to examine his hand and he pulled it away. “You need healing, you go to the healer.”
“My wound is nothing more than a sliver of wood embedded in my finger. It hardly needs a healer to extract it. Besides, you exhaust yourself day and night tending the truly ill.”
“That is why you abducted me. To heal your people.” She was beginning to believe that he spoke the truth about his reason for her abduction. Everyone she had spoken with verified Rogan’s intention to bring a skilled healer home to cure his people.
“My people, not me,” he said, standing to tower over her.
Again, he put his clan before himself. However, when it came to healing, she fought with as much gusto as he did for his people. She stood her ground and did not back away, though his size easily intimidated.
“So if you were sick you would not let me heal you.”
“That is different.”
“It is not. Now give me your hand,” she demanded, holding hers out to him.
“You are busy enough without needing to tend me. You have not been home once today and you probably have not eaten all day.”