Through Wolf's Eyes (78 page)

"Try to get a little water into him," Elise said, "but slowly. There may be injuries I can't see."

Sapphire took the proffered water bottle, reminding
Elise in her gentleness of the days they had both nursed dolls. Then
the regular bustle of hospital and distant battle was pierced by a
deep, mournful howl.

"Blind Seer!" Elise gasped, keeping herself to her duty with effort. "Something has happened to Firekeeper."

"I hope not," Sapphire said, but she too remained where she was needed.

Perhaps to distract herself from how the water
dribbled down Shad's face or from the implications of that mournful
howl, Sapphire continued:

"I'm not bragging, but it got down to few enough of
us. Then a lucky blow slipped through and caught Duke Allister in the
head. Shad went crazy, slashing at the man who'd done it. The commander
was only stunned though. Someone got a bandage around his head and
tried to get him to command from the rear but he insisted on staying.
That's the kind of courage Duke Allister has. He knew what would happen
if he left.

"I was crossing blades with some Stoneholder when
Shad went down so I don't know exactly how it happened. Afterwards,
someone told me that he took the flat of a sword squarely on the side
of his head. I guess it's lucky that it wasn't the edge, but whatever
did it, he went down like a bull under the hammer.

"Duke Allister ordered me to get his son off the
field and I did. The duke wasn't playing favorites—not a bit—but I knew
he couldn't very well fight a war with his son dead or dying at his
feet. How is he?"

For a confused moment, Elise thought her cousin meant the duke, but then she recovered:

"He's breathing. His brain has obviously been shaken. Still, I see no deep wounds. I'm no doctor, but I think there's hope."

Sapphire smiled and got wearily to her feet. "Then I must report back. The commander will need to know. And . . ."

Her voice trailed off. "What is that?"

Elise looked where Sapphire was pointing, seeing a thick cloud of dark smoke rising in the west.

"Fire?" she said. "What does that mean?"

"It means," Sapphire said, straightening her helmet
and arraying her much dented shield, "that if we press now the battle
may be over."

Elise looked after her cousin as she ran toward the battlefield, understanding.

"The battle," she whispered, hardly daring hope, "and maybe even the war."

Then she remembered Blind Seer's howl and, calling
for an aide to tend to Shad Oyster, she ran in the direction of the
king's pavilion.

A splatter of blood on the ground outside the
pavilion heralded the scene she found inside. Elise's overshift of
bloodstained raw cotton (no medical uniform could be found for her when
she volunteered) was her passport past the guards, for it marked her as
someone from the hospital. Only after she was heading through the door
did she hear one comment to the other:

"Was that Lady Archer?"

Within, the pavilion was crowded with those who had
been delegated to stay near the king. Elise saw Aunt Zorana, Opal
Shield, and Nydia Trueheart among the faces, but despite this usually
talkative company, the pavilion was curiously silent, all attention
fixed on the middle of the room. There Sir Jared knelt over a patient
lying on one of the several carpets that had been spread for the king's
comfort.

King Tedric himself held the lamp that lit the
medic's work and Elise did not need to see Blind Seer pressed flat on
the ground near the patient's head, whimpering with rather more pathos
than one would expect from such an enormous beast, to know that the
woman facedown on the floor was Firekeeper.

The crowd parted to let Elise through. She moved immediately to Sir Jared's side and asked:

"What can I do?"

"Hold this open," he said, not even glancing at her. "I need to make certain it's clean before I stitch it up."

Elise grasped the separators as she had been taught earlier that day, holding open a deep and ugly slice in Firekeeper's
left
thigh. While Jared sloshed something pungent into the raw opening Elise
glanced at Firekeeper, but though the wound must have burned horribly,
the younger woman did not stir.

Firekeeper's eyes were not so much closed as not
open. A faint white line could be seen beneath the shuttered lid. An
ugly wound in her back near her left side testified that a mere leg
wound alone hadn't felled the wolf-woman so profoundly. Her armor and
clothing had been partially removed, the sword cut cleaned, but little
else had been done.

"Firekeeper saved my life," King Tedric explained,
his voice quavering. "Prince Newell came. I believe he hoped to shock
my heart into bursting, but failing that I think he would have taken
more direct means. I don't know how Firekeeper knew, but she came
charging in here—Newell had sent everyone away, saying he had something
for my ears only and who was I to doubt him? There are state secrets he
knew because of his marriage to Lovella."

"Knew?" Elise asked, letting the wound close when Jared signaled and then holding the edges in position so he could stitch.

"He's dead," the king said. "Firekeeper killed him even as he stabbed her in the back."

"Didn't anyone try to help her?" Elise asked indignantly.

"I was unable to do so." The king sounded as if he
was apologizing. "Newell came closer to bringing on a heart attack than
he will ever know. When the guards came in, I could not get the breath
to speak. All I could do was keep them from interfering. Sir Jared, how
does your patient?"

"There's not much I can do about the back wound,"
Jared said, his hands busy. "I think the sword blade missed most of the
vitals, but I don't like the blood on her lips. A lung may have been
nicked. Still, my talent may help keep internal damage from worsening."

Blind Seer moaned and sniffed Firekeeper's hair.

Elise asked, "But this on her leg doesn't look like a sword cut."

"Arrow," Jared said briefly.

"I did it," Lady Zorana said, coming forth and taking the
lantern from King Tedric's hand. "Sit, Uncle. Do you want Lady Blysse's valor to end for nothing?"

The king reluctantly obeyed, leaning forward to keep watch over the proceedings. Zorana went on to Elise:

"Lady Blysse came charging up and without any
explanation insisted on going into the tent. We told her the king was
in conference, but she wasn't having anything of it."

"So you shot her?" Elise heard the incredulity in her voice.

"You may be comfortable with feral women and wolves," Zorana said in angry defense, "but some of us are not."

"She's also Lady Blysse and has lived with us for moon-spans now!" Elise protested.

Sir Jared glanced up. "Elise, please fight with your aunt later. I need you now."

Elise complied, but her anger didn't diminish. Only
later would she calm enough to wonder if Purcel's death might have so
shaken his mother that sane judgment had failed her.

At last, Sir Jared lifted his red-stained hands.
Unasked, Elise poured water for him from a carafe, noticing for the
first time how everything portable seemed to have been thrown about.
Her gaze fell on Prince Newell's corpse, on the ugly red mark on the
side of his face, and she thought she knew how the mess had been made.

Sir Jared said, "Your Majesty, I don't think
Firekeeper should be moved except perhaps from the floor onto a cot.
I'll need to commandeer your pavilion."

"It is hers," the king said. "I would remain here to guard her, but I fear I have a war to fight."

Elise realized that King Tedric knew nothing of the
fire to the west. "Sire, if you're strong enough, you should go out and
see what messages may be waiting. Just before I came here it seemed as
if the enemy camp might be on fire."

"Lend me an arm, Opal," the king said immediately,
turning to his grandniece. Elise noted absently that he didn't seem
surprised by her news. "I'm strong enough if I have someone to lean on."

"The rest of you," Jared snapped, clearly expecting
to be obeyed, "get out. Two of you take the corpse with you. Get me a
cot, clean bandages, and more water."

The gathered nobles, even Lady Zorana, obeyed.
Zorana, however, paused long enough to hang the lantern from one of the
pavilion beams.

"Whatever you think," she said to Elise. "I do regret
my part in this. I thought I was right—that's all I want you to
realize—but I was wrong."

Elise nodded. When Zorana turned to go, Elise said to Sir Jared, "I'm not leaving."

"I didn't mean you," he said. "You're medical staff."

Warmed by his confident assumption that she had a
right to be there, Elise confided, "I would have never thought I could
do this work. I hate hawking or hunting, get all squeamish. My father
is quite fed up with me."

"Squeamish?" Sir Jared shrugged. "Not when it counts.
I've found you a steady assistant. It's a pity you're to be a baroness.
I'd like to see what would happen if you had further training."

Elise raised an eyebrow. "There is no law against a baroness learning medicine. It could be quite useful."

He coughed. "I apologize."

Two guards came in then with the requested cot and gear. As they were setting it up, there was a shrill, avian cry from above.

"Elation," Elise said. "Then Derian . . ."

The tent flap all but flew open and the redhead
dashed in. He was sweaty, reeking of smoke and horses. Blind Seer
greeted him with another whine.

"Is she going to be all right?" Derian asked, flinging himself on the rug next to Firekeeper.

Jared said, "I hope so, but it's too early to tell. She's taken several bad wounds and lost a lot of blood."

Derian groaned. "I tried to get here faster. We heard
Blind Seer howl, but we were still quite a ways off. Then we had
trouble getting through the camp. Everyone was running here and there—a
new push was on—fresh soldiers were needed. I nearly got hauled out
there myself, but Elation kept diving at everyone who came close. What
happened?"

They told him as, with his help, they moved Firekeeper onto the cot. Blind Seer promptly positioned himself directly
under
his pack mate and no one dared try to move him. The fierce desperation
in the wolf's blue eyes was more eloquent than words.

"Poor guy," Derian said, doing what no one else had
dared and actually patting the wolf on the head. "She's going to make
it, fellow. After everything Firekeeper has survived she isn't going to
let a couple of pompous noble-born asses kill her."

He glanced at Elise. "I'm not going to apologize for calling your aunt pompous."

"Just as long as you don't include me in that assessment of the nobility." Elise forced a laugh.

"Not you," Derian promised. "I don't even think it."

"Now that we've got her on the cot," Sir Jared said,
"we should get the rest of Firekeeper's clothes off of her. Lady Elise
can . . ."

Derian interrupted. "I've seen Firekeeper naked
plenty of times. I think the minx used to do it on purpose to make me
blush. Elise can chaperon if you want, but I'm here and I'm not
leaving."

Jared patted the younger man. "Why do you all think
I'm trying to get rid of you? I'm grateful for your help. Do you think
you could tell Blind Seer not to bite us? Firekeeper may cry out as we
move her."

"I think he understands," Derian said, taking out his
knife and carefully beginning to cut away leather and fabric. "I just
wish we could understand him better. He could tell us how Firekeeper
knew the king was in trouble."

To his complete surprise, Blind Seer crept out from
under the cot and, going to the door of the pavilion, barked once
sharply. They heard Elation cry response; then the wolf returned. To
everyone's astonishment, the peregrine falcon was walking with
deliberate care after him.

She shrilled softly, almost cooing as she inspected
Fire-keeper. The wolf, busy fitting himself back under the cot, gave a
low bark. Elation came to Derian and tugged at the cuff of his riding
breeches with her beak.

"No," the young man replied. "I will not follow you. I'm
staying with Firekeeper. Do you want someone to go somewhere with you?"

The peregrine drew her entire body up, then down, bobbing her torso in a fair facsimile of a nod.

Derian stepped to the door of the pavilion.

"Guard, get me Valet, Earl Kestrel's manservant. If you can't get him, I'll settle for Ox or Race Forester."

When it seemed that the guard might protest, Sir Jared snapped, "Do it!"

Derian returned to his task, saying to the falcon in
passing, "Just a couple minutes. I'd have sent you after them, but I
think you need someone to explain."

Grinning rather weakly, he looked at his friends.
"You try tending to Firekeeper for nearly five moon-spans and see if
you're not talking to animals at the end."

Elise saw the tears that filled Derian's hazel eyes as he looked at the unconscious woman, and politely pretended not to notice.

Valet arrived almost immediately. Elise noted that the usually immaculate manservant was nearly as grubby as Derian.

"That guard said you desired my presence," Valet said politely.

Derian nodded. "Follow Elation. I think she knows where something important is. I don't know more. Can you go in safety?"

Valet nodded. "The battle is over. The fire
demoralized Stonehold's troops. To their credit, they didn't like
fighting soldiers who were in many cases their friends. General
Grim-sel—the big blond woman—had been killed, earlier. Not much was
needed to break their morale. General Yuci surrendered to Duke Allister
a few moments ago."

The rush of relief that filled Elise was so powerful
that her hands started shaking. Biting down on her lip, she steadied
herself and continued with the delicate task of removing Firekeeper's
undergarments without leaving fibers in the wounds that might later
encourage infection and scarring.