Chapter 4

The unmistakable pace of his measured boot heels clicked along the cobbled floor. He was heading her way.

On the bed Merlie moaned again, eyelids fluttering wildly. Jana stood helplessly and watched as her friend’s body shook, gripped with fever. If she did nothing, Merlie would die!

Without thinking, Jana raced through the door and down the hall. Turning the corner into the foyer, she stopped breathlessly before the imposing figure of her father. General Trence looked down at his only child and grinned. “Rumor has it two young girls were outside the city walls today,” he drawled. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

Jana gulped and shook her head. “Father,” she sobbed.

The smile on her father’s face faded. “What is it, Jana?”

“It’s Merlie,” she said, hanging her head. “I don’t think she’ll make it.”

The general peered into her face. “What do you mean? What happened?”