Air: Merlin's Chalice (The Children of Avalon Book 1) by Meredith Bond Page B

fool with the weather that way.”
    The old man closed his eyes, and I looked toward the window and wondered if all the noise from the city was bothering him. I had the shutters closed, keeping both the light and noise out as much as possible, but it still managed to creep in through the gaps. The clopping of horses’ hooves resounded off the buildings. The creaking and clunking of carriage wheels and the cries of wandering tradesmen and milkmaids were still easily heard. Especially after the quiet of the forest, the city was a very noisy place.
    “You should be out there,” Sir Dagonet said again quietly.
    I looked down at him. He stared up at me with such concern in his eyes. I had no desire to be out there, not while my dear old protector was lying here like this.
    I shook my head. “I was just worrying about you—how you can rest with all that noise. You need to sleep.”
    He gave me a weak smile but nodded. “I’ll be all right.”
    “But…” I clenched my hands together in my lap. “If only Dylan would come back with a healer!”
    “Scai, my dear girl, do not worry. I will recover from this. Have no fear, I will not be carried out of here in a pine box, wot?”
    He knew. He knew my fears. His words were meant to reassure me, but still, if only Dylan…
    I blinked to stop my eyes from stinging and then gave him my best smile. “Of course not. How silly you are, sir. You will be perfectly healthy again in no time. It would just be so much faster…”
    The low murmur of voices from the taproom downstairs momentarily got louder. I turned to see Dylan coming into the room. He closed the door gently behind him.
    His face, flushed with good health, was like a slap to Sir Dagonet, but the good knight didn’t seem to mind. I felt the sting for him, but restrained my growing anger by taking a deep breath and reminding myself Dylan was doing all he could to make up for his misdeeds.
    I stood up, wincing, as every one of my muscles protested the sudden movement. Sitting still for the past three hours had made me stiff.
    “Well?” I asked, taking a step toward him. I hoped the excitement in his eyes foretold good news.
    “I found a woman…” he began.
    “Can she come right away? Did you explain his symptoms to her?” Finally! Finally, I cried silently. I was so worried about the old knight, I was desperate for someone to come and help him.
    Dylan shook his head, losing his smile a little. “No, not a healer. A woman who might be your mother.”
    “Oh.” I dropped back down into my chair, like a sail that had suddenly lost all of its wind. The hard wood of the chair hurt my bones and muscles all the more for having had a moment’s respite.
    “No, Scai, she sounds very likely to be the one. She said…”
    “Dylan, I told you, I don’t want you searching for my parents. I need you to find a healer!” How many times was I going to have to explain this to him? I clenched my teeth together and took in a deep breath through my nose.
    Sir Dagonet’s hand reached out from under the covers once more and patted my knee. “It’s all right, my dear.”
    “I am looking, truly sir, I am. But I can’t help it if someone begins to tell me about their lost child, now can I?”
    I didn’t say anything, just continued to glare up at Dylan, wishing for him to understand the extent of my anger. The fact that he took a small step back reassured me he was finally getting some inkling of my feelings. The heat of Sir Dagonet’s hand caught my attention and I turned back to remove the cloth from his forehead once again.
    “You will go and see her, won’t you?” Dylan asked hesitantly, as I rinsed out the cloth once again. It took less and less time for it to soak in Sir Dagonet’s fever. I worried it was getting worse.
    “Scai.” Dylan took two steps forward, moving from the door to the bed and put his hand on my shoulder to get my attention. “I told her you would be down soon.”
    I finished arranging the cloth on