Alys Clare - The Enchanter's Forest

‘Then what is-’ She broke off, for what she had just caught sight of had answered her question. ‘Josse, I must see to your arm.’

‘But-’

‘Now, Josse, for the cut slices deep and if it starts bleeding again, I may not be able to stop it.’

She got to her feet, unable quite to prevent the wince as the pain from her head seared through her. He noticed that, too, and put out a hand to hold her back. But it seemed that his strength had suddenly left him, for even as he tried to grab her, he sank back on to the grass.

She looked down at him, nodding. ‘Yes, dear Josse. Lie there until I have done what I can for you. Meggie — oh, Meggie, hello, dearest! Have some more to eat — yes, help yourself from the bag. Now,’ she added to herself, ‘what should I do first?’

He had mended the fire, she noted, and she put a small amount of water on to boil. While it heated up she fetched her leather satchel and took out several small packets: comfrey, Lady’s Mantle, herb bennet, horsetail and lavender; styptics and an antiseptic with which to treat that gaping wound on Josse’s arm. Also, because she knew she would be a more efficient and observant healer without the thumping headache, she set out white willow and a tiny pinch of the dangerously poisonous but highly and swiftly efficacious monkshood for herself.

As soon as the water began to steam she poured a little into the small wooden cup that she reserved only for healing and into which she had already put some drops of lavender oil. Then, returning to Josse, she gave the bowl and a clean piece of soft cloth to Meggie and told her to bathe away the blood.

Josse looked up at her, horrified. ‘She’s only a child!’ he hissed. Looking down at the cut on his arm — it was, Joanna had to acknowledge, not a pretty sight — he added, ‘She shouldn’t have to do this!’

‘She’s a healer and in her own time she’s going to be a fine one,’ Joanna replied calmly. ‘Also, as you are about to find out, she has an exceptionally gentle touch.’ Then she went back to the fire.

The water was now boiling and quickly she poured some on to the mix of analgesic herbs in her drinking cup, swirling the mixture round and round to make the plant substances release their power and to cool the water a little. Making a face at both the ghastly, bitter taste and the still-hot water, she swallowed it down. Then, knowing that it would soon bring relief and in the meantime trying to ignore the crashing pain in her skull, she set to work to prepare the mixture that would knit Josse’s flesh together and, with any luck, heal that awful cut without the need of stitches.

Some time later, her headache all but gone and Josse’s arm bound up in clean cloth — she had after all had to put in three stitches, an operation that Meggie had observed with keen interest and that Josse had borne with great courage, only crying out once — the three of them sat under the shade of the birch trees eating the small amount of food that Meggie had left in the bag.

‘Now, dear Josse,’ Joanna said when there was not even a crumb remaining, ‘tell me what happened this morning just before dawn.’

She had been dying to ask ever since she had come round but, appreciating that there were more important things to do and that, moreover, there no longer seemed to be any imminent danger, she had reined in her curiosity and got on with what she (and, increasingly, Meggie) did best. But now that she had done all that she could, she had to know.

Josse was gazing out over the forest and for a while did not answer.

‘Josse?’ she prompted.

He turned to her and, smiling, reached for her hand with his unbandaged one. ‘I do realise,’ he said gently, ‘how much you must want to know. It’s just that I’m not sure how to tell you because I don’t know what did happen.’

‘Ah.’ She had an idea that she knew why this might be. To prompt him, she said, ‘We sensed that someone was out there, approaching the hillock, and-’

‘ You sensed it,’ he corrected. Then, in a fervent whisper, ‘I’m still giving thanks for you and your weird abilities.’

She squeezed his hand. ‘Me too. So, someone attacked us and we both leapt up and laid into them, you with your sword and dagger, me with my knife.’

‘You all but cut his ear off,’ Josse remarked.

‘Did I?’ She had but a vague memory of pouncing on their assailant’s back and wielding her blade. ‘Pity. I must be losing my touch because I was going for his throat. Then what happened?’

‘He flung you off and you fell flat on your back. I thought — hoped — you might only be winded but in any case I couldn’t do anything for you just then because-’

She heard the apology in his voice. ‘Of course you couldn’t,’ she agreed calmly. ‘Your priority was to kill our attacker before he killed us.’

He gave her a grateful smile. ‘You always were a very reasonable woman,’ he murmured. ‘Anyway, I chased off after him down the slope and away along some narrow and winding animal track and suddenly he stopped. When I caught up with him there was something, some one maybe, standing right in front of him.’

‘A man? An animal?’ She was now almost certain she was right.

He shrugged, the deep frown betraying his confusion. ‘I don’t know. While I was in pursuit I thought I heard some very large animal running through the undergrowth, keeping pace with me. Then, when I saw that great shape of darkness rising up in front of the attacker, I — Joanna, it — he — was huge .’

I was right, she thought jubilantly. I just knew he was out there — I sensed his presence. Oh, perhaps he’s been with us ever since Folle-Pensee! He must have picked up that we were in danger and he did not leave us until he had removed that danger.

She had not a single regret over what had happened, for the man sent by Cesaire had undoubtedly meant to kill her and probably Josse and maybe even Meggie — oh, Meggie! — too. Nevertheless, she who had seen her rescuer as both man and as bear knew how his very appearance could strike cold terror in the heart, even when he was in his benign aspect. In furious fighting mode, rising up to his full height on those incredibly powerful back legs, deadly claws extended to strike, he- But she stopped herself. It was too frightening even to think about.

Trying to calm the thrill of excitement coursing through her, she said, ‘Did he kill the man?’

‘I’m not sure,’ Josse replied. ‘I think so. The starlight seemed to flash on a weapon of some sort — it was something I’ve never seen before, almost like a knife with multiple blades — and I caught an image of terrible violence, although the picture wasn’t clear in my mind and I’m at a loss to know what really happened.’ Slowly he shook his head. ‘The man who attacked us fell and I watched to see but he didn’t get up again. When I looked up the dark shape had vanished.’

‘Did you not check that the man was dead?’ she demanded; she had to know, had to be sure they were safe now.

He looked at her and she could not read his expression. ‘No, Joanna. He was down and that was all that mattered. Me, I had other things to see to.’ There was a brief pause. Then: ‘I thought — I was terrified that you were dead.’

She understood. Her moment of anxiety-induced anger vanished and she saw the scene from his perspective.

Dear, loving, loyal Josse.

She leaned against him, turning her head so that she could kiss the bare flesh at his throat. ‘Dearest Josse, I have a skull like a rock. It takes more than falling against a stone to kill me.’

‘Don’t say-’ he began.

But it was enough; there was no need to say any more.