Chapter 19: Words and Blood

I set the box down and stood up. "Vincent! Attend me!"

He hurried over immediately. "I want four strong men to carry this palanquin to my tent immediately. Tell them to be careful, because if they draw a whimper from within it, I'm likely to hurt someone very badly. I want the two best horsemen and the six fastest mounts made ready. Send the horsemen to my tent when they are ready. Go!"

He turned and raced back to my assembled force.

"Carlton!"

"Yes, Your Grace?" He spoke at my elbow.

"Put together something to ease her pain. Probably something she can inhale, I don't think she will be able to swallow anything now. Then I want you and the surgeon to examine her thoroughly. Look for other injuries, especially something that would be fatal, but not immediate."

"Yes, Your Grace." He made his way to where the surgeon observed, then the two of them went to the hospital tent.

"Iris, go find Mystique and Travis." Travis was the officer in command of the soldiers that had accompanied me. "Bring them to my tent. Kaylene, come with me." As I spoke, four strong young men approached. I was pleased to note that they were of uniform height. "Carry this palanquin to my tent. Be very careful, there is a badly injured child inside it. Make her cry, and you'll bleed."

They looked at each other, then at me, then stooped down to carefully lift the platform. I knew I'd shocked them. I have never been one to threaten my subjects, or to offer undeserved punishments. But something they saw convinced them I meant exactly what I'd said this time.

"Kaylene, I need you to write dispatches for me, one for His Majesty, and one for Her Ladyship, Marquise Eleanor." As we made our way to my tent, I could see Mystique and Travis headed toward it, as well as Vincent and two young men I didn't recognize. At the doorway Carlton and the surgeon were filling a censer with aromatic wood shavings and what looked like poppy paste.

When the men carrying the palanquin arrived, Carlton set the censer inside and lit it, then closed the drapes surrounding it. "She should be unconscious in a few minutes, Your Grace, then we'll let it air before we begin our examinations."

I nodded. One thing I'd learned over the long decades of my existence was to let those I relied on for there expertise do what they did best, without my trying to second guess them. "We'll be inside, then."

I stood in the center of my tent as my batmen removed my armor. As they worked, I spoke to the two chosen horsemen. "You will carry dispatches to the King and the Marquise. I expect these dispatches to result in the sending of additional forces to us. If so, you will accompany these forces back here. Because speed is essential, you will each have two extra mounts. Use them well."

I then proceeded to dictate to Kaylene the dispatches. I described the actions of Terrence, and informed them that I intended to take action as soon as possible, and that I intended to annex the County until such time as a new Count or Countess was appointed. When Kaylene finished writing the messages, I signed and sealed them, and sent the riders on their way.

Then I turned to Mystique and Travis. "I intend to declare Terrence a traitor, and force him to respond to the charge. I hope he'll make a personal challenge, but I'll settle for his Champion. If he doesn't except personally, I want his castle infiltrated, and on the signal his forces decimated and Terrence brought to me alive. Prepare the proper plans and be ready to initiate it within three nights."

"Yes, Your Grace," said Mystique.

"Your Grace?" Carlton stood in the doorway to the tent.

"Yes Carlton?"

"Your Grace, the girl is dieing. Besides the obviously sadistic assaults, her attacker crushed her ribs in such a manner as to puncture her lungs, and also inflicted great damage to her liver and lesser damage to her kidneys. It is obvious that their intent was a slow death. And I'm sorry to say, we can do nothing to save her. With your permission, I'd like to end her suffering."

I was about to grant his wish when Iris leaned down and whispered in my ear. My eyes widened as she spoke, and I motioned Kaylene and Mystique to join us. The others watched as we huddled together, unable to hear what we said, but occasionally seeing us gesture and watching the play of emotions and ideas across our faces.

"Alright, it's worth a try. Carlton, you and Felix bring Cynthia in here and lay her on my bed. Bring that alabaster box with you."

Felix, the surgeon, looked like he wanted to argue, but Carlton simply touched his arm and led him back out.

Kaylene went to fetch a bowl and several clean cloths, as well as one of my daggers. Mystique led Travis from the tent and instructed him to study the blueprints of the castle His Majesty had supplied.

At last, only Iris, Kaylene, Mystique, Carlton and the surgeon remained with me in the tent. "Carlton, open the box and show Felix."

The surgeon looked inside, then looked at me in outrage. "How could they?"

"It doesn't matter at the moment. I want you to place them back where they were removed from, though."

"Your Grace, I can't replace them! The damage is beyond my ability to repair..." Then he swallowed as he realized what I hoped to accomplish. "Is it possible, Your Grace? Do you think it will work?"

I gave a small shrug. "I don't know. If it doesn't, she won't be any worse for our trying. So, if you please?" I indicated the items within the box.

As Felix carefully placed the items, Kaylene opened my wrist with the dagger as Mystique held the bowl to collect the blood that flowed out. When the bowl was full, Kaylene held the wound closed while it healed. Iris looked to see Felix was finished, then dipped a cloth in the blood. As Carlton held Cynthia's mouth open, she let drops of blood flow from the cloth onto the injury.

We knew the blood was having some effect when whimpers of agony and groans began to emanate from the unconscious child. Iris wet the cloth again, and washed the girls eyelids with the crimson liquid. As we watched, the blood was absorbed into the skin and Iris again bathed the eyes with blood. The whimpers quieted down, and Cynthia's eyelids began to flutter as if she dreamed.

"OH PLEASE, DADDY!" she suddenly cried out, and her eyes flew open in terror. She looked at the unfamiliar faces surrounding her, and tried to sit up. "Who are you? Where is my daddy? Please, tell daddy I'll be good! I'll always be a good girl!"

It was Kaylene that moved to reassure the child, and offered her comfort. It was soon evident that we had enjoyed more success than Iris had dreamed. And we learned that Terrence was even crueler then we'd known.

First, he'd told the child of her mother's fate, and then as she'd sobbed her distress, he'd told her what he intended for her. Finally, he'd watched as his friend Salazar had beaten her. She'd finally fainted when Salazar had poked his finger into her eye. That was the last thing she remembered except for pain and movement.

"I'm sorry Cynthia. Your daddy's daddy has sent us to punish him. You won't be able to go home to him again."

She thought about what Kaylene had told her. "Will you punish Salazar, too? He's very mean. All the girls are afraid of him."

When I spoke, she studied me closely. "I think that Salazar needs to be punished, yes. We'll make sure he can't hurt anyone again."

She climbed down off my cot and approached me. With her hands on her hips, she looked me in the eye and demanded: "Who are you?"

With a smile, I stood and bowed deeply to the little girl. "My name is Alexander Halc'on de Pena."

"I heard my daddy talking about you! He said you were a," here she used a horribly obscene phrase. "He called you a Duke, too. What's a Duke?"

When my ears stopped burning at her use of that phrase, I explained about Dukes and Kings and Counts.

She nodded then yawned largely. By agreement, we let Kaylene attend to the child, and the rest of slipped out. The sun was high, so I dashed to the nearest command tent with the rest following.