Brother Cadfael 11: An Excellent Mystery

north. I hold this shire for King Stephen, as you must know. I would not keep you from your lord, but will you ride with me into Shrewsbury and sup at my house before you move on? I'll wait your convenience. You can give me what I'm hungry for, news of what goes forward there in the south. May I know your name? I've given you mine.'
    'My name is Nicholas Harnage. And very heartily I'll tell you all I know, my lord, when I've done my errand here. How is it with Godfrid?' he asked earnestly, and looked from Hugh to Cadfael, who stood by watching, listening, and until now silent.
    'Not in the best of health,' said Cadfael, 'but neither was he, I suppose, when you last parted from him. He has broken an old wound, but that came, I think, after his long ride here. It is mending well now, in a day or two he'll be up and back to the duties he's chosen. He is well loved, and well tended by a young brother who came here with him from Hyde, and had been his attendant there. If you'll wait but a moment I'll tell Father Prior that Brother Humilis has a visitor, and bring you to him.'
    That errand he did very briskly, to leave the pair of them together for a few minutes. Hugh needed tidings, all the firsthand knowledge he could get from that distant and confused battlefield, where two factions of his enemies, by their mutual clawings, had now drawn in the whole formidable array of his friends upon one side. A shifty side at best, seeing the bishop had changed his allegiance now for the third time. But at least it held the empress's forces in a steel girdle now in the city of Winchester, and was tightening the girdle to starve them out. Cadfael's warrior blood, long since abjured, had a way of coming to the boil when he heard steel in the offing. His chief uneasiness was that he could not be truly penitent about it. His king was not of this world, but in this world he could not help having a preference.
    Prior Robert was taking his afternoon rest, which was known to others as his hour of study and prayer. A good time, since he was not disposed to rouse himself and come out to view the visitor, or exert himself to be ceremoniously hospitable. Cadfael got what he had counted on, a gracious permission to conduct the guest to Brother Humilis in his cell, and attend him to provide whatever assistance he might require. In addition, of course, to Father Prior's greetings and blessing, sent from his daily retreat into meditation.
    They had had time to grow familiar and animated while he had been absent, he saw it in their faces, and the easy turn of both heads, hearing his returning step. They would ride together into the town already more than comrades in arms, potential friends.
    'Come with me,' said Cadfael, 'and I'll bring you to Brother Humilis.'
    On the day stairs the young, earnest voice at his shoulder said quietly: 'Brother, you have been doctoring my lord since this fit came on. So the lord sheriff told me. He says you have great skills in herbs and medicine and healing.'
    'The lord sheriff,' said Cadfael, 'is my good friend for some years, and thinks better of me than I deserve. But, yes, I do tend your lord, and thus far we two do well together. You need not fear he is not valued truly, we do know his worth. See him, and judge for yourself. For you must know what he suffered in the east. You were with him there?'
    'Yes. I'm from his own lands, I sailed when he sent for a fresh force, and shipped some elders and wounded for home. And I came back with him, when he knew his usefulness there was ended.'
    'Here,' said Cadfael, with his foot on the top stair, 'his usefulness is far from ended. There are young men here who live the brighter by his light - under the light by which we all live, that's understood. You may find two of them with him now. If one of them lingers, let him, he has the right. That's his companion from Hyde.'
    They emerged into the corridor that ran the whole length of the dortoir, between the partitioned cells, and stood at the opening of the dim, narrow space allotted to Humilis.
    'Go in,' said Cadfael. 'You do not need a herald to be welcome.'

Chapter Four
    In the cell the little lamp for reading was not lighted, since one of the young attendants could not read, and the other could not speak, while the incumbent himself still lay propped up with pillows in his cot, too weak to nurse a heavy book. But if Rhun could not read well, he could learn by heart, and recite what he had learned with feeling and warmth,