WORRLGENHALL (24 page)

“
Orhan,” King Rone said, his patience tested, “Something must be done.”

“
I have seen this before as Queen Nohla bore Bayl,” he confessed, “A child who fights from being born.”

“
Queen Nohla did not sleep or burn.” King Rone remembered as fear gripped him.

As he spoke, he went to her side and listened to her only moan, saying nothing.

“Seda!” he said, but still she said nothing back.

Again, King Rone looked a
t Orhan, but as Orhan began to speak, someone knocked on the chamber door.

“
Enter.” he said; then walked away from the bedchamber.

“
Father,” Bayl said, as he entered the room, “How is she?”

“
Dare not ask!” he anguished answer, “Dare not!”

“
It is beyond me,” Orhan said, as he thought of his long years of healing, and of the other
great loss
, one that he fought not to remember, “I know of nothing that will open a womb other than time without bringing harm to the mother.”

Bayl
’s eyes widened, as he thought of his wife who often spoke of her grandmother’s special gift of healing. Old and wise, he gathered she would know well about birthing children and its troubles.

“
My wife’s grandmother Tela,” he said pulling Orhan over to the side, so his father wouldn’t hear him and have false hope, “Has a gift for healing. She is from the lowland tribe and the women give birth by themselves in birthing huts with their help.”

“
Bring her!” King Rone, who overheard anyway commanded, “With haste!”

Hurriedly, three guards went to
get Tela, and as she walked, impatient because she moved to slowly for their liking, two of them picked her up in their arms and carried her to the king’s chamber.

Once there, they put her down in front of the king, and as she bowed her head, he told her
to raise it.

“
Before you, is the queen,” King Rone said and pointed. His face filled with worry, yet his voice remained controlled, “She has taken ill for the reason her womb will not release our child. Can you help her?”

Tela gasped at such a request, fea
ring if she could not the wrath that may come from the king, even if her granddaughter was wedded to his son.

“
Such is my fear,” Tela confessed, “Cures of the lowland tribe may not be enough for a queen.”

“
It comes to me,” King Rone said, “That you seared my son’s wound.”

Tela nodded.
“Yes, my king.”

“
Again you are asked for your gift in such things,” he said.

“
I beg that if fate takes the queen or your child,” she said, “I not be killed in a fit a rage and sorrow. I have no hand over fate.”

“
So be it.” King Rone agreed.

“
Send all but two servants away.”

As asked, King Rone sent all the servants away including Bayl, other than two; then he watched as Tela sat next to Seda, following her every move intently.
Her moans now soft, they had become short, as if she had trouble breathing.

Quickly, Tela looked at Seda
’s eyes, her tongue, and her lips, and as King Rone and Orhan looked at the other curiously, they began to wonder.

Now as Tela looked at Seda
’s fingernails and her toenails, King Rone became inquisitive.

“
Speak, what do you see?”

“
Such is her breathing.” Tela suspected, “Bearing a child is my other worry.”

“
Speak,” King Rone said; slightly irritated that he had to keep urging her, as he hurried beside Seda.

“
She has not spoken, nor as you look into her eyes, does she see anyone back,” Tela said, as she touched her brow, “And she burns.”

“
Seda,” King Rone said, as he looked at her, “Speak to me. Speak to your husband. Speak to the king,” yet Seda still said nothing.

Both frustrated and worried, he turned hi
s head from Tela and Orhan, and walked to the end of the chamber bed.

“
Reveal to me,” the tone in his voice expressing how clearly shaken he was, “What is wrong with her?”

“
My king,” Tela now revealed, as she turned and looked at him, “It is poison.”

His e
yes seemed to lose focus from Tela’s words, and as if all his strength had left him too, he leaned to rest himself against to bedpost to keep from falling over.

“
Speak your words again carefully old woman,” he said, his breathing now becoming coarse, and his words coming from low in his stomach to his throat, “I pray I heard you wrong. What were your words?”

“
Someone poisoned the queen,” Tela revealed again.

**

Studiously, Eron piled the dead boars; then went to speak of what happened, but as he entered WorrlgenHall, when a guard told him the king would not hold court or do a daily account, left.

At first, his plan to give an account; then burn the boars, curious and concerned something could happen to the other
animals, he went back and looked at them, and all looking healthy, decided to gut one.

After he cut into one of the boar
’s stomach to see what it had eaten, at first seeing nothing other than the normal scraps of food. He noticed numerous pits, seeds, and pieces of undigested cherries, and after he gutted the others, noticed all had eaten the same thing.

“
Cherries?” he mentioned aloud, “Eaten by boars as they grazed. Such a fruit is only for one in a high place. How did they get here?”

When Dan returned
to the pits, he saw Eron burning the boars and both known to the other; he questioned him casually between friends.

“
Such a stench,” he said when he approached Eron, “Why are you burning whole animals?”

“
Some small boars have died,” Eron answered, “And all have eaten the same thing.”

“
What?”

“
Cherries.”

“
Who have you told of this?”

“
No one,” Eron said, as he began to walk away, “The king is not holding court this day. I will speak of it in the morning or when he does.”

Dan
’s palms sweated and he felt his heart quicken from Eron’s words; then as he looked this way and that way, when he saw no one, asked for a word with him.

“
Speak as we walk,” Eron said, and began to walk away.

“
They are just boars that ate cherries,” Dan said, “Why speak of it?”

“
There is no place for cherries to grow here,” Eron said, “Someone went to the trouble of throwing them here, and now I know why.”       

As Dan followed, again he looked this away and that way, then when he was sure no one was near, pulled out his knife.

Causally, he touched Eron’s shoulder; then when he turned, stabbed him in his side.

His inhale deep, as a loud gasp came from him; Eron looked at Dan completely surprised.

“Why?” he groaned as he fell to the ground.

“
Did you not just answer your question?” Dan asked, before he stood over him and stabbed him again.

Right away, Dan ran to the meal house; then when Anla saw him standing by the door, quietly went to him.

“Well,” she whispered, but pretended as if she was doing something else, “Did you get them?”

“
No, the boars ate them and died.”

“
Tell me why I favor you again?” Anla questioned angered, “You are truly slow to reason.”

“
Slow to reason or not,” Dan said, “There is more and now we are in this deeper.”

“
What do you mean?”

“
Eron,” Dan whispered, “Found the cherries in the stomach of dead boars. He was going to give an account of it in the morning so I killed him.”

“
Curses!” she said. Her jaws clenched, “Where is his body?”

“
I left him in the forest.”

“
I hope no one saw you, if so your fate is sealed.”

“
Me,” he said, “What of you? My fate shall be yours,” he then argued.

“
Meet me in the forest,” she huffed.

When he left, Anla doubled over and held her stomach.

“Such pain!” she cried out, “I must go inside!”

“
What is wrong?” Olea asked, when she came to her.

“
There is a pain in my stomach,” Anla said, as she hurried from the meal house, “If I lay down I will feel better.”

As Anla walked from the meal house, Rena watched her closely; then when she saw her meet with Dan behind the barn, then go towards the pits,
decided to follow them.

Quietly she, as close as she could followed, then when they stopped for a moment to argue, as she hid behind a tree, she jumped startled when something touched her leg.

After she impulsively gasped, she quickly looked out to see if they heard her, then when she realized they hadn’t, looked down and saw Eron on the ground bloody.

“
Goodness…” she said shocked, as she kneeled and put his head in her lap, “Eron, who did this to you?”

“
Dan,” Eron groaned knowing he was dying; then stretched out his bloody hand and gave something to Rena, “For these …”

Curiously, Rena opened her hand and looked at the cherry pits and stems.

“Eron!” she said, as she tried to get him up, “We have to get inside.”

“
It is to late,” he said, as he fought to talk and breathe, “Leave me and get word of this to a king’s guard.”

Her dress bloody, frantically Rena ran towards the entrance into WorrlgenHall and once inside, she screamed as loud as she could, making many, including inner guards hurry to her.

“Speak why you screamed girl,” a guard demanded.

“
Eron!” she cried out, then opened her hand, “As I speak, lays dying by the animal pits because of these!”

Once all learned what happened to Eron, they searched for him and when Anla and Dan heard horses approach, kne
w someone else must have found him first.

“
They come for us,” Dan said fearful.

“
We must run and hide,” Anla added, and both fled.

**

After Tela spoke of the queen’s state, at once King Rone left the room to regain his composure and speak to one of his guards; then when he came back, he kissed Seda tenderly on her head, then looked to Tela.

“
Anything you ask of me, anything,” he vowed, “Shall be yours if you save the queen’s life.”

“
My king,” Tela began to speak, but as she did, a hard knock came from his door.

“
Great king,” several guards said ready, “You called for us.”

“
With haste,” King Rone said, as he walked out his chamber past them, as they quickly followed, “Gather all young and old who, cook, carry, serve, hunt, or pick food and have them stand before me.”

Just as the king gave his order, Bayl came to him.

“Father,” he said, “A man is dead.”

“
Who?”

“
Eron,” Bayl said; then opened his hand.

“
Cherry pits and stems?” he said outraged knowing only one, which was his queen, ate them, “Give me names!”

“
Eron’s last words were of Dan,” Bayl said, “And a young girl spoke that she saw Anla with him.”

“
That name,” he said, “It is one that I have heard before, bring them both to me.”

“
No one can find them.”

His breath again heavy, King Rone
’s mouth tightened, but not one raised word came from his lips.

“
Let there be no rest in this land, until they both are before me,” his words exact, “I decree it.”

At once, a great search went out, as nothing no matter how big or small was untouched, and as all knew the k
ing burned with fury over the queen’s state, not one person said an angry word to the guards as they searched their houses and everything they came across.

Now hours into their search, as several guards reached the glen, one saw something between the crac
ks of several rocks; then as he looked at it closer, he drew his sword.

“
Come out!” he ordered, “Or I will kill you!”

Slowly, Dan came from behind the rocks.