An impish gleam lit her face. “Good evening to you, too, Mr. Kerrick.”

“Sorry, Mom.” He pecked her cheek. “Good to see you well.”

“And you and your young pup are a welcome sight. Have you got news for me?”

“Yes.” He told her about Melina’s rescue.

When he finished, she groped for a chair and sank into it.

Worried, Kerrick knelt next to her. “Melina’s fine. She’s helping in the infirmary near Grzebien.”

She shooed him away. “Don’t fuss over me. You’ve taken such a weight off my shoulders, my legs didn’t know how to handle it.”

“I can’t take all the credit. Avry is the one who insisted.”

“She’s a miracle that girl. She promised...” Tears spilled from Mom’s eyes. She dabbed at them with a corner of her apron. “She kept her promise.”

“That’s Avry. She’s true to her word.”

Mom drew in a deep breath and glanced around the inn. “Now I can leave.”

“To catch up with the others?” Flea asked. He remained on the hearth, leaning against the bricks.

“Oh, heavens, no. I’ll go help Melina and Avry. I’m sure those soldiers don’t know how to cook a decent meal.” She bustled to her feet. “Let me grab my bag of cooking pots and utensils.”

“Uh, Mom?” Kerrick asked, stopping her. “Where is the rest of the town?”

“Scattered. As soon as the Skeleton King crossed into Sectven Realm, they started the evacuations.”

“Yet you stayed.”

“Of course, dearie. I wasn’t going to leave until I heard from Melina. Besides, Mr. Belen still needed care.”

Chapter Fifteen

CHAPTER 15

After Kerrick and Flea left, I kept busy to keep from worrying about them so much. Ginger and Christina handled the few incoming injured soldiers, consulting with me on the serious cases. I concentrated on caring for the new plague victims. As I changed linens and emptied bedpans for the four men, I puzzled over a possible cure.

Between the Healer’s Guild healers and my own knowledge of the nature of the disease, there was little left to discover. But still... A niggling sensation deep in my heart just wouldn’t quit. It reminded me of one of those wooden building sets my brother Criss used to assemble. Knowing he had all the pieces, he’d get so frustrated when he couldn’t get them all to fit. To make matters worse, our brother Allyn would sweep in half-distracted, glance at the incomplete structure and scattered pieces and point to the part Criss had been searching hours for.

Our father had claimed Criss just needed to take a break and look at the project from a different angle. Perhaps I should apply that logic to the problem of curing the plague. I considered. Digging deep into memories, I recalled the conversation I’d had about the plague with Ryne and Kerrick before we’d rushed off to save Melina.