Ponderosa jerked awake at the sound of a very loud knocking that rocked her door and rattled the windows. She got up swiftly. She opened the door then had to step back to avoid the fist that had been raised to knock once more.
“My apologies, Ponderosa,” Prince Kelton said.
She nodded then leaned against the door a little, still feeling exhausted since she had stayed up most of the night making sure all of her herbs had been ground and stored.
“Are you feeling okay?” he asked.
She nodded then motioned for him to come inside.
Prince Kelton stepped inside, motioning for the two knights that had come with him to wait outside.
Ponderosa closed the door behind him. She noticed that Prince Kelton’s attention had immediately turned to Iredys.
“Do you know how much longer she will sleep?” he asked.
She shook her head.
He nodded. “I, uh,... can’t say that I’ve been able to make a firm decision about….” Prince Kelton sighed. “But I would like both of you to come with us, in case….”
Ponderosa’s lips twitched because she could practically hear the rest of the unfinished sentence, but she nodded.
“We can leave as soon as Iredys wakes.”
Glancing at the sleeping Iredys, Ponderosa bit her lip. She watched the very, very, slow rise and fall of her chest. A sure sign that she may not be waking for many hours yet.
“Is something the matter?”
Ponderosa turned to her writing kit. ‘The depth of Lady Iredys’ breath tells me that she will remain unconscious for some time. Whether that be a couple hours or a full day, I never know.’
Prince Kelton frowned. “Is there no way to wake her?”
Ponderosa shook her head.
He blew out his breath. “I was really hoping to be able to tell her so she knew.”
‘She knows,’ Ponderosa wrote.
“You are that sure?”
She nodded.
“Alright. We’ve purchased a small carriage and horse for you and Iredys to use.”
Ponderosa nodded.
“How much time will you need to gather your things?”
Her gaze turned to the rafters where the roots she hadn’t gotten to the night before should have been. However, they were nowhere to be found. Ponderosa’s brow furrowed as she scanned the floor,but did not see them there either. She turned to her satchel and searched the pouches. The bottles designed for those roots had been filled with a powder, instead of the rough cut she usually managed. Opening the jar, she smelled the powder. Her brow furrowed. It was the correct herb, but… Ponderosa slowly affixed the cork back into the mouth of the bottle. She turned to look at the fire and saw the steady, but low burning coals. Iredys. Iredys had dried and pulverized the roots, which would allow her to bring more of the root with her than she would have had she been able to dry and cut them herself.
“Ponderosa?” Prince Kelton asked, looking confused by her actions.
Ponderosa put the jar back into her satchel then picked up the quill once more. ‘We can be ready within the hour, My Lord.’
“We will return within the hour then.”
She nodded then opened the door for him.
She closed the door then turned to double check her satchel. She also needed to pack her writing kit, bundle up the blankets, and much more. All of the jars in the satchel had been refilled. She had enough jars of ground wheat to last her and Iredys the several week trip to Greywolf Castle. She cleaned up her writing kit and stored it in another satchel. She had just turned to her chest to grab the items most precious to her before she turned back to the jars of ground wheat.
For some reason, she felt like she should pack all of it, just in case. Once she felt satisfied with those preparations, she turned back to the chest. She sorted through the few things she kept in there, looking for the trinkets that meant the most to her. It did not take her long to find them. She tucked them all into a small pine box and added it to the satchel holding her writing kit. She made sure to add her book of formulas as well.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
‘Okay,’ she thought. ‘Food, herbs, writing kit,... blankets.’
Ponderosa turned her attention to the cot. The warmth of the fire was waning, but she did not dare add another log to the hearth since they were leaving soon. Instead, she focused on getting Iredys ready to go out. She slipped socks and shoes onto her feet. She gently removed the blankets and replaced them with the thicker cloak. Then she shifted the cot a little closer to the hearth to keep Iredys warm while she finished preparing what she could.
She folded and bundled the blankets together. Then she put her own socks and shoes on. Ponderosa looked over everything once more. She added a couple more things from her chest and several cups to another bag before she rearranged the bags a little. The sound of several horses’ hooves and the rumbling wheels of a carriage sounded outside the cottage as she finished putting the most important things into the two largest satchels. Ponderosa slipped the lighter cloak over her shoulders before she opened the door. Prince Kelton, Sir Droyn, and one other knight stepped inside.
“I hope we are not too early,” Prince Kelton said.
Ponderosa smiled and shook her head. She motioned to the three bags and the tied up blankets.
Prince Kelton motioned to his knights to load her things into the carriage. Once the two of them were gone, Prince Kelton turned to Iredys. He pulled off his left glove, revealing the ring that held the Garnet stone in it, before he gently stroked her cheek. Iredys didn’t respond to his touch at all. He sighed.
“Do you object to having me ride with the two of you for a time?” he asked.
Ponderosa shook her head.
“Okay.”
She doused the fire in the hearth then followed Prince Kelton out of the cottage. She looked back once to make sure there wasn’t anything she had forgotten before closing the door. Ponderosa noted the various expressions Prince Kelton’s knights had as they waited for their Lord to be ready to go. Some of them were smiling. A few of them had looks of suspicion, and the rest seemed thoughtful. The knight that had come in with Sir Droyn held the reins of the carriage horse steady while Prince Kelton climbed into the carriage with Iredys. She followed soon after.
Prince Kelton held Iredys securely against his chest. The carriage swayed a little as the knight that would be driving the carriage climbed up. Prince Kelton waved his hand out the window once the knight was settled and a couple of the knights kicked their horses to start walking just before the carriage started to move. Ponderosa could see the rest of the knights following behind the carriage. Once out of town, the carriage started to move a little faster. Ponderosa felt the carriage turn and head toward Ghinf Village.
A village she had not been to since she had gone to help Krissy support a woman through a difficult labor six months ago. Fortunately, both the mother and the baby had survived the ordeal. How they were doing now, Ponderosa did not know. She had shifted her focus back to helping the people of Pride Town and hiding in the forest on the nights of the new moon, until she’d left to rescue Iredys from the most vile man on the planet. She was grateful that she no longer needed to hide away when the moon was new—especially now that she was surrounded by Prince Kelton and his knights.
They were almost to the village when Prince Kelton’s attention dropped to Iredys. Ponderosa shifted to see Iredys’ face better as she shifted in his arms and moaned. She knew that moan and tugged on Prince Kelton’s sleeve to get his attention. She pointed to where she knew the knight driving was and made the motion to rein the horses in. Prince Kelton’s brow furrowed as Iredys moaned and shifted again. Ponderosa motioned for him to give Iredys to her. He had just started to loosen his hold when Iredys twitched and started to convulse in his arms.
He quickly passed her to Ponderosa then whistled for the knight to stop the carriage. Ponderosa lay Iredys on the floor of the carriage and held onto her head and shoulders while she continued to thrash about. Prince Kelton remained where he sat, his expression troubled.
“What’s the matter?” a knight called through the door.
“Lady Iredys has fallen into a fit,” Prince Kelton replied. “The healer is helping her.”
“Is she in need of anything?”
Ponderosa shook her head.
“No,” Prince Kelton replied. Then he asked Ponderosa, his eyes remaining on Iredys’ face, “What is happening?”
Ponderosa could only look at him and continue to keep a firm hold on Iredys until the vision stopped.
When the shaking finally stopped, Iredys whimpered. She turned into Ponderosa and held her waist. Ponderosa rubbed her back and petted her head.
“Lady Iredys?” Prince Kelton asked.
She curled up against Ponderosa and held tighter.
Ponderosa could feel Iredys shivering, but it was hard to see why because the hood of the cloak kept her face hidden. Prince Kelton shifted to unbundle the blankets, but Ponderosa stopped him.
“She’s shivering,” he said.
Ponderosa nodded, but then pointed to the blankets and shook her head.
“I don’t understand.”
Ponderosa nodded then turned her attention to Iredys. ‘Did you want me to help you up, or Prince Kelton?’
‘You,’ she replied.
‘Okay.’
Ponderosa shifted and Prince Kelton reached down to try and help her up, but the moment he touched Iredys, she cringed and clung to Ponderosa more fiercely. He stopped and looked at Ponderosa. She gave him an apologetic look then motioned for him to leave the carriage. He sighed then carefully climbed out of the carriage. Ponderosa then helped Iredys up enough to be able to settle back onto the bench. Iredys drew her arms to her chest as she leaned against Ponderosa. She squirmed a little until Ponderosa could hold her securely. Prince Kelton frowned, but closed the door of the carriage. He mounted his horse then rode to the front so they could keep moving.
‘Are you well, Iredys?’ Ponderosa asked now that they were alone.
‘I am, Ponderosa,’ she replied softly. ‘You can expect the convulsions to happen often during this trip because I have the feeling that I will see more than just the possibilities for the settlements we will pass through.’
Ponderosa nodded. ‘Is there anything that will support you? Potentially shorten them?’
‘The calming and nutritive herbs will be the best help, since I am unable to use external movement to help deal with the flood of information.’
‘Alright. Which ones should I use when we get into Ghinf Village?’
‘Your intuition is always spot on. Keep the trust you have in your skills.’
‘I will.’