Medieval 01 - Untamed

myself.”
    Without waiting to see whether Simon watchedor turned away, Meg ripped off the used smock and threw it into the fire, whispering the old chant beneath her breath. She threw a mixture of soap and herbs into the basin and bathed herself hurriedly, chanting so quickly that the words ran together like a waterfall. When nothing remained on her skin but the astringent scent of herbs, she pulled the new smock into place and turned around.
    Simon’s back was to her.
    â€œI’m finished. Now tell me what happened,” Meg said. “Think carefully but quickly. Dominic’s life hangs by a very thin thread. If I give him the wrong medicine he will certainly die. If I give him the right medicine, he could very well die anyway. When did you first notice he was unwell?”
    Simon turned to face Meg. His breath came in as though at a blow. It wasn’t Meg’s words that surprised him; it was the slow, soundless fall of her tears down her cheeks.
    â€œWhen he came out of Harry’s cottage,” Simon said simply. “Dominic said the light was as bright as Jerusalem, but it wasn’t. It was the same as it had been when we entered the cottage.”
    Meg’s lips thinned, but she said nothing, only listened as though Dominic’s very life depended upon it.
    â€œThen he stumbled and began talking as though drunk,” Simon continued.
    A sharp movement of Meg’s hand dismissed that possibility. She knew Dominic well enough to know he would never yield his self-control to ale.
    â€œHe staggered, righted himself, and then would have fallen if I hadn’t caught him,” Simon said. “His eyes looked very strange.”
    â€œHow so?” Meg asked sharply.
    â€œTheir centers were so wide his eyes looked as black as mine.”
    â€œDid he eat or drink anything in your presence?”
    â€œFood? No. He ate with you. We had a mug of ale.” Simon grimaced as he remembered the taste. “It was a bitter brew.”
    â€œDid you share the same mug?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œThen what happened?”
    â€œDominic said he was going to his small falcon to take the bitter taste from his mouth. But when he got to your room, you were gone.”
    â€œYou say your ale was bitter, too?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œBut you felt no dizziness or languor, no need to hide your eyes from light?”
    â€œI’m tired and somewhat slow for such a mild workout with sword and shield. And…” Simon frowned. “Odd, but my ribs don’t hurt as they should. ’Tis rather pleasant, actually.”
    Meg’s eyes closed against the fear that was clenching her heart. There had been enough pain medicine in the missing bottle to kill many knights. Obviously Simon hadn’t drunk enough to be in danger. The same couldn’t be said for Dominic.
    â€œSend to the garrison quickly,” Meg said. “Find if any other knight is ill. I fear the ale was poisoned.”
    Simon stuck his head out the door. Dominic’s squire hadn’t moved from the place he had found earlier, when he had been thrown out of the room. Jameson sat on the floor at the end of the hall, his head in his hands and fear plain on his young face.
    While Simon gave clipped orders, Meg pulled the antidote from her basket, eased the stopper from the bottle, and tipped a scant amount into a bowl of water that sat near Dominic’s bed. As she started to stopper the bottle once more, she hesitated. Her husband was an uncommonly large man. She added a few more drops of the bright amber potion, andthen a few more after that, before she set the bowl on the table and concentrated on the man who lay so still upon the bed.
    â€œDominic,” Meg said in a clear, commanding voice. “Arise. Your brother is in danger!”
    There was no response from Dominic. He lay pale and slack, his breath slow and shallow.
    â€œAm I in danger?” Simon asked calmly from behind Meg.
    â€œNo. But of all that Dominic holds dear, you are the dearest. If danger to anything would rouse him, it would be danger to you.”
    Simon was too surprised by Meg’s insight to respond. He simply watched as she bent over his brother and shook him to no effect.
    Without warning her hand lifted. The sound of the slap seemed as loud as a thunderclap in the room. Simon caught himself even as he started forward to prevent Meg’s hand from slapping Dominic’s other cheek. Much as he