Chapter Twenty-Four
Diagnosis
“Your doctor is very young. Surely he’s not the only doctor you have at your compound.” Her arms were re-wrapped around his waist. The warmth of her body penetrated through his armor.
Lucien smiled. “Iain’s father, Liam MaGrath, has been our compound physician since before my parents met.”
“Is he too old to accompany the battle lord and lady? Is that why he’s not with them?”
“That’s some of it. He suffers from arthritis, and these treks away from the compound are hard on him physically.” He glanced back at her. “By the way, Iain is my uncle.”
She gasped, making him chuckle. “How is that?”
“He’s my father’s half-brother.”
“What? No!”
He nodded, enjoying this exchange between them. “My grandmother, my father’s mother, married Liam. They had Iain.” He could almost imagine how she was justifying that information, and decided to add more information, if for no other reason than to catch her reaction.
“Iain is younger than my older brother, Mattox, but older than my sister, Mistelle. The three of them ran around together and caused all sorts of havoc when they were kids. Then after I came along, I became the brunt of a lot of their antics. They blamed so much crap on me, but fortunately my parents knew better.”
Johna laughed. The sound of it brought another smile to his lips. At the same time, he looked over to where his parents were riding together, yet apart from the rest of the group, to give them some privacy. They gave him a curious stare, but he didn’t miss the gentle smile his mother wore. Yulen made a shushing gesture, reminding him to keep the noise down. Talking was allowed, but anything louder might draw unneeded attention to them.
“Dad says we need to keep the volume low,” Lucien reminded her. She answered by tightening her arms around him.
“Sometime you need to tell me all about what your siblings did to you.”
“I will. Someday.”
Someday. In that single word a promise was made. A promise that he’d still be around if she wanted him to be. In addition, he realized that her strange eyes no longer bothered him. Maybe it was because his brother also had unique eyes. Or perhaps it was because he’d been around Mutah, with all their varying forms of physical abnormalities.
As dusk began to fall, the battle lord called for a halt and brought in his captains to discuss strategy. Dismounting, Lucien helped Johna out of the saddle and led her over to where the group was gathered. Yulen had his map out and was using it to outline his plans.
“We should be hailed by a perimeter guard within the next mile or so. If we are, we’ll continue on the road and pass in front of the compound, in full view. Schutz Ridge is on the northern edge of the roadway, to our right. But if we’re not challenged, we’ll have to assume the compound’s been compromised. In which case, I’ll take half of the battalion with me and pass by their main gates. The other half will take cover in the trees and circumvent, keeping out of sight.” He pointed to one of the captains. “Grimsy, take a couple of your best men and do a little recon. Give me an idea of what’s ahead of us, especially what type of terrain we’ll be facing. The forest has been thinning out these last couple of miles. We’ll continue to advance, but at a slower rate, until you return.”
The man repeated his orders and left. Lucien felt a tug on his arm, and he tilted his head to the side to hear what Johna wanted to tell him.
“Your mother. She’s heating up.” The young woman sounded concerned and a bit frightened.
Lucien narrowed his eyes as he studied Atty. She didn’t appear to show any outward signs of discomfort, but he knew his mother was very adept at concealment. In addition, he believed Johna. She could see changes in people that no one else could.
Rather than approach Atty and confront her alone with the fact, he waited until Yulen was finished and had dismissed the group. His mother remained by the battle lord’s side, which was what Lucien wanted. She may argue with him, but she wouldn’t be able to brush off Yulen’s scrutiny.
Stopping in front of her, he continued to examine his mother, until she finally addressed him. “Yes, Lucien?”
“Johna says you’re heating up.”
Yulen’s reaction was exactly as he’d hoped. His father gave Atty an accusing glare. “I asked you earlier why you hadn’t eaten much, and you told me you weren’t hungry.”
“I wasn’t. I’m not.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you’re coming down sick? Destino! Go fetch Dr. MaGrath!”
A few yards away, the captain acknowledged the order and went to get the physician. Not waiting for Atty to respond, Yulen turned to Johna. “What else have you seen?”
“Just that her body temperature is rising.”
“I’m getting overheated,” Atty protested.
“Not like this.” Johna challenged her. “I’ve seen hunters after they’ve chased down their prey. I’ve seen our men after they’ve engaged in battle. It looks totally different from when an illness hits. You’ve caught something, Atty, and now it’s starting to make its presence known. You can feel it. I know you can. Quit trying to deny it.”
“Atty?” Yulen’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Please.”
They were interrupted by the hoofbeats of an approaching horse. Iain pulled up and jumped down off his mount. His medical satchel was already strung across his chest.
“Destino told me Atty might be ill.” The man addressed them in general, but he focused on the battle lady.
Lucien spoke up. “Johna says she’s showing signs of being ill. She said—”
“What’s with the sweats, Atty?” Iain demanded, cutting him off. Placing a hand against her neck, he gasped. “You’re burning up.”
“It’s this damn body armor. I feel like I’m trapped inside an oven with it on.”
Lucien didn’t buy her excuse. Neither did his father and uncle. She never wore the metal armor, like the rest of the soldiers did. Although she did have on the thick yet supple leather coverings that they referred to as their soft armor, he knew, as well as the others, that it wouldn’t account for the increase in body temperature, especially since she wasn’t exerting herself.
“You’re coming down with something, and until you give me the details, I can’t help you,” Iain harshly responded. He sounded so much like his father, it was uncanny.
Atty looked at her husband, then at Lucien and Johna before returning to the doctor. “My head hurts. I’m having bouts of dizziness. And sometimes it’s difficult to take a deep breath.”
Yulen groaned and covered his face with a hand. Stunned, Lucien could only stare at her as Iain checked her pulse. “Your heart’s racing,” the physician told her, then lifted her eyelid to examine more closely. Rearing back, the man’s shock was plain to all. “Dear God, I think you’re coming down with the virus.”