Page 37 of Bloody Business

“I need to set up,” Julep said urgently.“I need my tools.”

It was spitting rain, so they set up a tarp under the trees and stacked all the bags of blue fern.The rough handling had produced a lot of juice in the bottom of the bags, which she strained into a bowl.

She waved off the girl's juice.She had no way of knowing how the girl had produced the blue slush.There could be undisclosed impurities, and fresh was more potent.“I want it as fresh as possible.”

Julep filled a tiny cup and brought it to Rooster's lips.He obediently drank, and promptly spit it out.

“Whatisthis slop?”He gagged and almost threw up.

Surprised, Julep stuck a pinky in the juice and tasted it.Granted, it had been shoved in leather sacks and squished on the fly, but it tasted right.In fact, as medicines went it was almost tasty.“It's blue fern, of course.We told you we were getting some.It will cure you.”

“It tastes like something that I hacked up from the back of my throat!”

Julep blinked.Her face hardened.“It's the medicine.You have to drink it.”

He stared at her, mutinous.Finally, he growled, “Fine.”He threw up twice, but finally managed to get some down.

Julep sat back with a groan, glad that was over.It had been a horrible night, but saving Rooster would be worth it.

Thunder cracked, and it began to hail.

??

“At least they brought the female back with them.With any luck, she'll be able to stir up some mischief,” Zul Kan said with satisfaction when Hurdle brought him the news.

Artur hadn't allowed her into his house...yet.A clever girl could get around that.If not, it was a small enough investment, and Rooster would be sick for some time.

Zul Kan smiled.He was in a rare good mood.Not only had he damaged someone close to Artur, he'd made him chase around the countryside in search of a cure.Artur wouldn’t soon forget it.

Meanwhile, Zul Kan was watching an opportunity develop.He'd bide his time, keep an eye on things.If things went the way he hoped, he'd soon be able to make Artur bleed.

This could get interesting.

??

Rooster recovered slowly.The carriage ride had been rough, his driver rushing to close the gap between them.Rooster was tough though, and he appreciated their effort.

Julep wasn't as quick to move on from the trip as Artur would have liked.

“It's my fault,” she said sadly.She was settled in a comfortable chair, holding the new baby in Artur's office, but her gaze had strayed to the window.

Artur put down his pen.He knew what she was brooding about.“Maybe.Maybe you had the power to send an entire goblin division to wreck the village?Maybeyousent the goblin after you in the first place?And maybe you should never have created the drug to help your father.”He held her gaze.“I'm sure you could have stood by and watched him die in agony.If only you had known, his sacrifice would be worth it.”

She stared at him, outraged.

“Well?You were being quite dramatic.That is the logical outcome of that line of emotional thinking.”

She blew out a breath.“You're horrible sometimes!”She sounded more exasperated than angry.

“I am,” he agreed mildly.“But not nearly as much as Zul Kan.He would be delighted to know he caused you so much distress.”

“In fact, if we turned your little foundling into a housemaid like you wanted, he'd no doubt know all about it.”

“What are you talking about?”She'd been very annoyed with him that he arranged for the girl to work at a shop he owned instead of the house.At the time he told her that he didn't allow perfect strangers to work in his household.The girl would have to earn the right.Julep had reluctantly accepted his reasoning.

“You didn't wonder that she was conveniently collecting medicine in the woods, just as we were looking for it?”

“No.It's a perfectly reasonable thing to do, especially in the spring.We just happened to stumble upon her.”

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