The Healer's Legacy by Sharon Skinner Read Free Book Online Page B

inside the shed, hanging from the low rafters, illuminating a narrow set of shelves along one wall. Ryospar had heaped a large pile of straw alongside the wall. A heavy blanket had been thrown over the straw. Several more blankets were stacked in the corner.
    Kira gave the gnome a questioning look.
    “’Twas an old bit of bedding, and not worth a stone.” A catch in his voice belied his words and betrayed his emotions. “At least she’ll not be chafed by the straw,” he mumbled, facing away from Kira in discomfort.
    Kira smiled at the gnome’s obvious concern for the child. “It was very considerate of you.” She laid the girl down on the makeshift bed, then gestured to Malla to bring the oils to her. Malla handed her the vial. “Ryospar, can you sit her up? I’m going to hold the oils under her nose to rouse her. Then we’ll have to get her to drink as much of the tea as possible.”
    Ryospar did as she asked. Then Kira uncorked the vial and held the oils up to the child’s nostrils. Talya’s eyes fluttered, then she grimaced and pulled her head back, sneezing violently. Kira handed the vial to Malla and took the bowl from her.
    “Talya.” Kira held the girl’s face with one hand to focus her attention on what she was saying. “Talya. You’re very ill, and I know you don’t want to eat or drink, but you must drink this in order to get well,” she said firmly. “Do you understand?”
    Talya blinked, face slack and eyes dull.
    “Talya. You must drink as much of this as you can. Do you understand me?”
    Talya nodded her head a tiny bit. Kira wasted no time and put the bowl to the girl’s dry cracked lips, pouring the warm liquid into her mouth. Talya made a small face, coughed and pulled away. “Swallow it,” Kira said. “It will make you better.”
    The little girl turned her bleary eyes up to Ryospar, who nodded back, reaching out to her. Her small fingers gripped his rough hand. She took a ragged breath, then leaned forward with her mouth open. “That’s it,” Kira said as Talya drank. “Good.”
    Kira tilted the bowl up and encouraged Talya to keep drinking until there was nothing left but fine sediment. “Well done,” Kira said as Ryospar laid the weary child back onto the bedding.
    “Now what?” asked the old gnome.
    “Now we wait.” She handed the empty bowl back to Malla. “She’ll have some stomach pains at first, then she’ll begin to purge. No food, only tea for the next three days. After that you can start her on weak broth. But only if the stomach swelling has gone down. If not, you’ll have to make her another infusion to give her.” She took out the rest of the berries she’d collected and the last of the garget root she’d taken from Heresta’s stores and handed them to Malla.
    The short woman cast her eyes to the floor and took the root without looking at Kira. “Och, ’tis a foul thing, them men a-chasin’ after ye as they are,” she said under her breath.
    Kira jerked her head up. “What?”
    Ryospar stepped between the two women, concern on his face. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said quietly. “They’ve been askin’ after ye, in the outer holdings. I would’ve mentioned it to ye, but I didn’t want to spook ye.”
    Kira felt the blood drain from her face. “I don’t know what you mean,” she said, giving Ryospar her best blank look.
    He smiled. “They haven’t made it this far south yet, but news travels on the wind in these parts, though I don’t think they’ll be comin’ our way any too soon. We’re not a bit more ’en a wide spot along the road, ye might say.”
    His voice was soothing, but Kira’s stomach clenched. “You must be mistaking me for someone else,” she said, as calmly as she could.
    “Nay. The name may be wrong, but the descriptive fits ye close.”
    Kira combed her fingers through her fresh-cropped hair. The gnome’s left eye twitched, as if he was winking at her. She should have used the acacia resin to color her hair