Page 25 of Laird of Flint
The prior assured him, “I’ll come with ye.”
They climbed the steps to the top level of the keep, where a single guard patrolled the wall. There, the only sounds were the rippling of the banners and the distant chatter of the bustling courtyard below.
“I did all I could, sir,” Peris volunteered out of nowhere. “I swear. It must have been God’s will.”
“O’ course ye did,” the prior said. “No one is blamin’ ye for his death.”
“Right,” Hew agreed. “I want to ask you about the others.”
“The others? What others?”
The prior placed a calming hand on the man’s shoulder. “Like I said, he wants to know about your visits to the monastery, that’s all.”
“I’m not blaming you for any deaths,” Hew clarified.
The physician rubbed his chin. “All right. What do ye want to know?”
“How often do you come to Kildunan?”
“Not often. Just every time there’s a…” He paused to glance at the prior.
The prior finished for him. “Every time there’s a serious illness.”
“Right.”
“Do you come alone?” Hew asked.
“Aye.”
“And where do you go?”
“Where do I go?” Peris said. “To…to the infirmary, o’ course.”
“O’ course,” the prior echoed.
“And do you go anywhere else?” Hew asked.
“Think hard,” the prior suggested.
While the physician was thinking, a furtive movement from the courtyard below caught Hew’s eye. It was her. The angel. The vision. Carenza.
She had slipped behind the wall of the stable and was hunkered down in the shadows beside a small animal. He couldn’t make out what it was. A kitten? A pup?
“The refectory,” Peris said, “if I’m there for more than half a day.”
“To take your meals,” the prior explained.
“Aye, and the garderobe,” he said, “in case I…ye know.”
Whatwasthat creature? It was very small but quick and reddish in color. She seemed to be feeding it.
“The library.”
That caught Hew’s ear. “The library?”
The prior explained. “The monastery has a few medical texts.”
“That’s right,” Peris said.
