Chapter 40

"But in a world infested with Dragon, those humans without scars of fire upon body or heart- those are rare.

So, why now, would arsonists bring deliberate flames and the scars that follow where there are much of fiery dreads already? Was this not testimony that men were at war with their fellow kin, even where common death-bringers as ruthless beasts did exist?"

~

The Village of Lyrishveil,

Kingdom of Tristendyre,

The first Phrinight of the Second month,

XXI Year of Regency

Lady Minerva had not understood the need for Aldric's eldritch horror until the carriage had turned, being veered in line with the curve of the road and found the Village ablaze with smoke and fire ascending to the very heavens carrying the breaths of its mortalised victims.

There was chaos that reigned over the calamity, where every human had become either a salvager or loser of lives and loved ones.

The Royal carriage halted and the people within alighted off of the vehicle to tend to the grave situation about them in the blazing land.

The woman immediately began hastening towards some victims of the accident, treating the nearest and commanding the persons in her assistance to follow the instructions she was calling.

In the haste of the moment, the Royal Physician did turn to find various other medics of the neighbouring town gathering at the scenario to save the perishing.

But she could not pay attention to Aldric who stood far from her help, for this predicament was no time for her to train the rugged boy. The young lad still stood, frozen, by the carriage clasping his hands tight against his face like he cold bore holes through them.

She rose to her feet, letting the other proficient physicians clean or treat wounds for the moment, so she could retrieve her equipment for further service.

Just as the Chief Lady hurried, to her waiting instruments, she was waylaid by a tall man who seemed like he had sustained a severe case from the heavy smell of fire that he was encompassed by.

Lady Minerva gasped as she took a step back in panic before her eyes met the masked face of the Royal Archer.

"Jaycob", she heaved, blinking several times. After all the flails Fate had fired at her that day, it was as reviving to her heart to sight his familiar face.

"M'lady, this case is terribly urgent and vital, a primary and forthright casualty. A private treatment, kindly", said he, in whispers and the woman's face was barren of light.

There was a large bundle of his cape wherein a child appeared to be cradled in his arms. She nodded quick and called Aldric to bring her case of resources and follow.

"Relief preceding; life over secrecy", said she, descending to her knees. The Archer knelt beside her and planted the girl he was carrying into the Physician's lap.

Minerva unravelled the fur of his cape and sighted the large amount of blood that it seemed to have drunk.

The Elder could understand the need for tension for the child's situation was grave.

In all her years of acquaintance with Jaycob, which was a good many years with a great deal of affiliation, be-cause she was the Prime Physician practicing at the Imperial Castle and he was the Chief of Artillery dealing with the art of war where injuries visited regularly like a sister in need of benefits, she had never seen this suave lad show any emotion past his reservation and nonchalance.

Yet, this night, his face appeared grave and frantic and his eyes pleaded.

Being skilfully versed in the art and knack of first-aid, the Lady performed her finest and swiftest means to seal the wound and kill the bleeding, preserving the child from immediate danger.

There were shards of porcelain that required being relieved from her forehead, which was uncanny in the case of a fire victim. There must have been an ulterior and underlying struggle.

She looked up and the young man beside her carefully repossessed the girl and covered her face with his cape before rising to his feet and leading the way to a covert place.

Lady Minerva carried gathers of her skirts in hand and treaded at his heel whilst a weeping woman also seemed to be pursuing their trail; presumably, the mother of the unconscious and injured child.

As they reached the demarcation of the Village at the border of the town of Hazenvale, Lady Minerva shivered for the night was cold and dark and the street's lamps were without candles.

In the eerie place, Jaycob handed the bundle of child into the Royal Physician's arms and drew out a key to disarm the padlock that sealed the doors of a deserted old and dusty house.

Lady Minerva knew that that had been Jehu's place of residence prior to his arrest to the Pillory.

"How did you find these keys?" asked she, nearly given of her breath. The tall man who was still panting shook his head before kicking the forsaken door of the unpossessed house.

"I had misappropriated it for personal use when Jehu was being seized", he whispered hurrying inside and setting a table straight to be prepared as the bed to lay the child.

There was enough time wasted and the Physician promptly placed the girl on the face of the counter to begin her procedure.

Aldric scurried in, carrying the large case and unpacked it to minister to the lady.

It was visible that the boy who had been mute and aghast at the face of devastation was trying all in his might to recompense for his lack of service at urgent hour. His nervousness was translated into the impulse of his moves.

However, none paid attention to his lack of calibre and faculty for he was one of whom incompetence was only expected business. Further, there was a circumstance direr in their hands.

Lady Minerva cautiously peeled the drape of his cloak from over the infant patient and the fabric thereof was dressed in guileless blood.

She quickly inspected the case, paying no mind to the surrounding, but the woman that mothered the child wailed at the vision of her injured daughter and dissolved into passive syncope.

~

Jaycob asked the young boy that escorted Lady Minerva to treat the fainted old mother with water and to take her to another room of the abandoned cottage that they had invaded.

He had not paid much attention to the identity of the lad, but he was aware that this was a child that was severely forbidden from listing in the Imperial Army forces by untold words, be-cause he was of foreign and unknown background.

Aldric, however, took his responsibility most imperatively and showed dutifulness in attempting to revive the woman.

Jaycob was only thankful that the woman was a burden lesser to fret about. He had private matters he wished to discuss with Lady Minerva.

His eyes followed her actions where her left hand was quicker than her right whilst she worked against the wounds.

"I may need some Rivenhove, for the child's leg has sustained far too much fire to survive", said the Physician, eyes turning to the dusky lampposts where she seemed to expect traces of the substance.

Jaycob paid note to her observation, wondering how she had known.

He was aware that she had inspected the scene of crime the previous night, before Imogen was arrested that following morning, but he hadn't realised how quick to grasp the woman was even at such age. It was no awe that she was a physician of crown rank.

"I may have some", he offered, drawing the palm-sized case out of his pocket. It had been the casket wherefrom he had managed to douse Jehu's senses earlier, in the previous night.

He could not leave this secret possession anywhere, for he had urgently left to hide beneath under the pretext of a journey yesternight.

Lady Minerva thanked him before scooping the sombre essence in her gloved hand and applying it against the legs that would be treated and to dull the senses thereof.

The scent of Rivenhove would not afflict the vigilance of their minds, for there weren't the first rains. However, gloving hands before utilising the material was necessary decorum in order to avoid the numbing of the Physicians' ministering fingers.

Further, the dark aspic like fluid bore dangerous attributes, where Physicians only held property of an authorised amount of the material in their office.

Minerva seemed a slight bit cold, like she harboured suspicion of unrighteous reason behind his possession of such a drug at that hour, in ready use. It was, indeed, an illegal means of his acquisition, for the Regent had bestowed the Rivenhove upon him for the criminal cause of murdering Jehu in silence. Odd, how the legislative government was involved in the illegitimate.

There were a few moments of silence and observation, before the quietness was broken.

"What is the matter?" asked the Lady who had been so closely acquainted with him that she could discern his spirit by his actions.

However, Jaycob preferred to count it as the wisdom bestowed by her age and encounters of persons, for he would not that there was a single soul that could read him.

The woman's eyes hardly left her scathed subject whilst she spoke or listened.

"This was no ordinary, natural or accidental fire", he began, pausing to choose the words that dressed the remnant part of his sentence.

"There was a person I could not recognise who deliberately started it", said he and the woman nodded.

"The flames were not the child's murderer; amid the shambles, there was a large beam that was much greater than her that stood over beside, bearing and hindering the rest of the fallen spars and timber that could have wedged the child. The bleeding owes its birth to a vase that was shattered on the floor beside her.

It is potential that the arsonist found the child having sighted them and decided to slight the girl's senses by hurling the object at her head and causing her death", said Jaycob, contemplatively, as his mind skimmed through his experience of the incident.

"We must find the criminal then?" asked the Lady as she continued her work swiftly. There were a few shards and fragments of ceramic that were entangled with the girl's hair.

Jaycob assisted the Physician by snipping the child's frazzled braids and tresses.

"The only means is if the child can recover her memory. There is no doubt this mysterious person would have deliberately attempted to kill the girl, for they had endeavoured to cast like mischance upon me as well. Surprisingly, I missed the blow of the unwinded lattice before they escaped into the night", answered the Head Archer.

"I cannot assure you that this child will speak or recollect. It is greatly likely she will not entirely recover; especially not in regards that encompass this traumatising incident", said Lady Minerva as she continued on the various wounds of the little one's body.

"That is unfortunate news. But I have more that is left to be said to you, m'lady", resumed the masked man and the woman nodded to suffer his words.

Jaycob leaned forward, closer the diligently working Physician and lowered his voice to say:

"It appears the family was expecting this 'accident'."

Lady Minerva looked up to meet his eyes.

~