Ria Cantrell - Celtic Storm 03 by Knight Storm Read Free Book Online

log for the fire. We need to keep the baby warm. I saw a small pile of wood outside. That should suffice for the night.”
    Alric sheepishly answered, “Aye, Lady Rhianna. I am sorry that I have not kept up with the wood store. With Alys and Hildie both not feeling well, and the harvest, I just did not have time.”
    “It will be fine. We can chop some more in the morning. There were a few logs that will be enough for the rest of the night. Could you gather them for me now?”
    Rhianna knew that the diversion would be just what was needed for the troubled father and husband. Hildie still hovered over her child, not wanting to leave her for even one moment, but Rhianna took her hand and led her to a chair.
    “You will be no use to Alys if you fall ill, Hildie. I am going to take good care of her. You have my word.”
    “Oh, Lady, I ne’er heard such sounds coming from the chest of a child. I am sore afraid. It sounds like demons fill her.”
    It was true. The child’s breathing was labored and each breath whistled with tones that vaguely sounded like mewling kittens.
    “Alys is very sick, Hildie, but I can help her get better. I have seen this thing before and I have just the remedies to make her well. Leave it to me now and get some rest. I promise Alys will be better in a few hours after I start to treat her. You have my word,” she repeated to assure the worried young mother.
    Rhianna watched Alric toss the last of the logs on the fire and she then stoked it so the embers glowed hot under the wood and peat. She put a kettle up and sprinkled just the right amount of herbs to steep into a soothing tisane for the child’s cough and chest rattle. The challenge would be to get her to drink it, but Rhianna would sweeten it with honeyed wine and the little girl would eventually get it down. Rhianna set out her jars on the table. She wanted to make an ointment of mint, camphor and mustard to smear onto the child to draw the infection out. She crushed the mint with her mortar and pestle until it was finely ground. This released the oils in the leaves and she added the camphor and mustard powder to the mix. It was a strong smelling ointment, but the vapors would help clear the breathing passageway to the child’s lungs. Rhianna sat beside the delirious little child, telling her she would get better soon. She could not be sure the child heard, but Rhianna was such a natural at trying to soothe her patients. Rhianna raised the child’s thin shift and rubbed the soothing salve onto her laboring chest. All the while, she talked sweetly to the child, calming and soothing her as she ministered to her. After she had felt she had rubbed a sufficient amount of the ointment onto the little girl, Rhianna heated one of the linens close to the fire and she applied the warm cloth on top of the salve. The warmth of the plaster would comfort the child as well as aid in releasing the valuable properties of the poultice to aid in easing the constriction of her lungs. Rhianna propped the child up because she knew that lying flat only allowed the fluids to settle. Even that simple act helped the child breathe a little easier.
    Rhianna alternated giving sips of the wild geranium tea and the honey wine boiled with Masterwort and Horehound for fever to Alys. Rhianna suspected that the child’s throat was sore as well so the sips were slow, but she was satisfied that enough of the healing herbs and roots were getting into the sick little girl. Rhianna worked tirelessly through the night, making sure the little girl was warm because the fever brought both chills and sweating to her frail little body.
    Rhianna checked on Hildie from time to time. The mother had succumbed to exhaustion soon after Rhianna had arrived and lay sleeping. She wanted to be certain that Hildie had not developed the lung fever as well, but it seemed that Hildie was still cool and breathing normally.
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    Rhianna sat down for a few moments to rest a little. It had