Demon Child Ch. 21

Similandra was clearly ill, her body feverish but most obvious was the pain and irritation in her belly and loins. Her bladder was full and burning with infection. Aylanna nodded and her eyes met the high priestess's, well aware that she was revealing her magic. "She is sick. She has a fever of the bladder. I will need some herbs to brew some tea. It is of utmost importance that she drink as much as fluids as possible to wash the toxins away. Until then, she must not lie with her husband." At those last words, there was a sudden change in the girl's emotional state. A small rush of relief and hope pushed back some of the fear. Cautiously, Simi peeked out from behind her blanket; her once braided hair was a mat of tangles and her eyes swollen with crying.

Aylanna spoke directly to her, "How long has it been painful for you to release your water?"

Simi, narrowed her eyes, "It started last night."

Magdellyn interrupted, her tone impatient, "Then what is your excuse for your behavior all of the day yesterday, your foolish hysteria and refusal to eat? Even when your husband sent for you, you refused to comb your hair or to make yourself comely. You even tried to lie and say it was your blood time."

Simi ducked back down under the blankets and refused to answer and soon the sounds of sobs rose up from the blankets.

Aylanna turned to Magdellyn. "I think that perhaps this line of questioning can wait until she is feeling a little better. She is in pain and feeling very unhappy and afraid. Why don't you get us something tempting to drink? Something sweet and cool, fruit juice would be just the thing." Again Magdellyn hesitated, debating whether to give in on this battle, whether to allow this exotic stranger dictate to her what she should do, but again she glanced toward the silent, watching priestess and chose to acquiesce.

Aylanna could tell that the high priestess was watching her with pent up fascination, fascination and speculation. Aylanna spoke without looking toward her. "Was this what you wished to learn, mother?"

"I would like to learn how you do that."

Aylanna shrugged and commented, "How? That is a much a mystery to me as the first day I learned that not everyone could do the same as I. But this is not the time to speak of such things." Aylanna's eyes purposely went to the curtained doorway.

Similandra was sitting up, looking back and forth between the two of them with a confused expression. She squirmed uncomfortably and stared at Aylanna. Her voice was wet with tears but her lips were pressed together in a stubborn pout. "You are my husband's whore, why should you care if I am sick or hurt? You would be glad if I died." Aylanna could tell in some very real way, the girl believed she was dying and that much of her fear stemmed from that assumption.

Aylanna shrugged and smiled, refusing to be baited by the sick girl. "Because I care about all the children of the goddess and because I swore loyalty to House Twisted Dagger." Her voice dropped, speaking directly to the girl, "And because I love this man that you call your husband and because of that love, I care about his happiness and the happiness of those he cares about. He would be unhappy if you died and if he was unhappy, I would share his grief."

Similandra stared at her in shock and then shook her head violently. "That is not true. He does not care about me. He hates me. And I hate him. And I hate you too." On many levels, Aylanna could tell that the girl believed her own words but there was sadness there as well, and the emotions were neither heated nor fresh.

Aylanna shook her head and spoke with confidence, "You are mistaken. He does not hate you. I know that for a fact. And I can tell that you wish you did not hate him, that you are tired of all of this, that you want nothing more than to let go of this and wish with all your heart for love."

Similandra shook her head, stubbornly refusing to open her heart to hope. "You are wrong. He does hate me. I can see it in his eyes."

"What you see is his frustration. He hates hurting you."

Similandra was sitting up, considering Aylanna's words when Magdellyn returned, followed by a servant carrying a tall pitcher and several cups. Similandra sent a look of pure venom at the mother of her husband and shrank down, ready to pull the covers up over her head at the first word of censure. It was obvious there was little love lost between the two. She poured a cup full of the fresh juice and held it out to the girl. "Drink this."

Simi eyed the cup and made a pained face. Aylanna could tell she was desperately thirsty but did not want to lose this power struggle.

Magdellyn made a self satisfied sound and her tone was sharp. "I did not think she would drink. She is stubborn to foolishness, this one."

Aylanna sighed and did not pull back the cup, just patiently held it out and waited. Similandra glared at Magdellyn and almost defiantly took the cup and drained it without stopping for breath. She paused and stared down into the bottom of the cup almost as if she was surprised. Aylanna could feel the girl's body almost cry out with joy at the moisture and sweet clean flavor. She pushed a few items from the top of an unpacked box and shifted it to the side of the girl's bed, refilled the cup and put it down within her reach. "The more you drink the less pain you will feel as you release your water. I will return soon with some special tea to calm your fever and ease the pain." Similandra did not answer but Aylanna could tell her attention was focused on the beverage, her mouth watering for a second taste.

Aylanna gave Magdellyn a smile and a nod. "Could we please speak privately before I go?"

Magdellyn frowned, staring at the girl. She nodded absentmindedly and responded, "Of course."

As the three women walked together Aylanna chose her words carefully as she spoke to Magdellyn. "You have had a great deal of responsibility thrust upon you. I can tell you are very concerned about Similandra. Her illness is real but I agree that it is not the primary source of her emotional difficulties."

Magdellyn nodded emphatically, "She is defiant. She refuses to speak respectfully. She will not help with the children or the unpacking. The only person she shows any kindness to is Annalla and even that friendship has been strained of late. She is clearly angry that her sister wife carries a child and she does not. Yet when her husband strives to put a child into her belly, she acts as if she is summoned to the gallows. She stays in her room and to tell you the truth, everyone in the women's quarters seems happier that she does."

Aylanna nodded, "For now, we will focus on the illness. For now, do not confront her regarding her words or actions. She is very lonely and feels like everyone is her enemy. She does not believe anyone here cares for her and sadly seems to be doing her very worst to confirm this delusion. Do not fall for her manipulations. When you scold or beg for her to behave as duty dictates, it only makes her work harder to fail."

"So I am to indulge her bad behavior?"

"For the time being she is going to stay in her rooms. Once she begins to drink the tea I brew, you will find her sleepy and less obstinate. And once we heal the pain in her body, together we will find a way to heal the pain in her heart. She is not an evil child; she is just lost and alone." Again Aylanna was very conscious of the priestess's eyes upon her, listening to each of her words.

Magdellyn stopped at the doorway of the women's quarters, hesitant to go beyond without escort. Aylanna stopped and turned, embracing the adoptive mother of the Aga Khan, sensing the woman's surprise at the unexpected gesture of friendship. "I will return soon. For now have another bring her things to drink. She will just see any gesture of kindness from you as insincere and most likely reject it out of hand."

"She is an ungrateful child."

"Perhaps, or perhaps she cannot see the blessings of the goddess and feels there is nothing to be grateful for."

For the first time since entering the women's quarters, the high priestess spoke, touching Magdellyn's forehead in a ritual gesture of blessing. "I am glad that you came to us with your troubles, daughter. May the goddess guide your heart and lend you the strength and patience to face this challenge. I am pleased that you are willing to listen to Aylanna's words. I think the two of you will make a formidable alliance."

Magdellyn did not look completely convinced but she nodded and made her farewells.

)===(>>>>>>>>>>>>>> <<<<<<<<<<<<<<)===(

The high priestess spoke as she and Aylanna walked through the hallways together. "The temple has a wise and experienced healer who will be happy to assist you in the preparation of any medicines you need. And while you are there, I can show you about the temple. It was the first of the goddess's creations in her city, the oldest and most hallowed of places..."

Aylanna frowned at the invitation. One of the many topics of discussion she had been deftly sidestepping was a standing invitation to visit the temple, to join the high priestess as she gave thanks to the goddess. She had never directly refused, but for some reason she been reluctant to stray so far from Jhardron's side and to enter into this new place so charged with the presence of the goddess. She had always demurred, put off the visit, changed the subject.

The offer made sense. The prospect of going to a market in the city and become an object of curiosity held no appeal. Yet, Aylanna was not certain of the local names for many of the herbs and medicines of her childhood. The name for a plant could be one thing in Ramaldi and be called something quite different in the language of the Bak. And two entirely different plants, one benign and another poison could have names so similar that in translation deadly errors could easily occur. She needed to see the herbs, sniff and taste them and question the person who had collected them.

Aylanna sighed and nodded, "Yes, that would be a great help. I will seek permission of the Aga Khan to visit the temple. But I may need to delay the tour until the girl's condition has stabilized. We caught this infection early and I have little doubts we will be able to extinguish the fires in her bladder, but a fever of this nature can spread and I want to make sure she gets the medicine as soon as possible. And there is the matter of her other complaints. Her spirit is out of harmony and her body fights with itself. This weakens her and makes her vulnerable to sickness and negative emotions."

The old woman nodded, "Yes, of course. Tell me, how did you learn so much of medicine?"

"But, mother, I have already told you. I was raised by a Ramaldi witch doctor. Beyond having the singular distinction of owning a demon, Kharthmah was renowned for his skill with issues of fertility and difficult pregnancies among other things. He taught me much of what he knew. Fever of the bladder is a common complaint among new wives seeking advice as to how to conceive a son."

"Oh you devious girl, you spoke of this witch doctor only in passing, dwelling upon what he was not, not a father, not a friend and said nothing of learning the art of medicine or these other things you mention."

"Really, mother, I guess I must have forgotten to tell you of that. And while he may have known many other things, he did not teach me of them, only which herbs he wished for me to gather and how to brew the tinctures and teas of his craft."

)===(>>>>>>>>>>>>>> <<<<<<<<<<<<<<)===(

Jhardron had hardly looked up from the stack of scrolls he was reviewing when she spoke of visiting the temple. He had nodded absently and directed her to take one of the youths with her as an escort but as she left the room his voice followed her, "Do not be gone too long."

)===(>>>>>>>>>>>>>> <<<<<<<<<<<<<<)===(

Thank you for taking the time to read this story. Please take the time to rate it and if the spirit moves you, leave me some feedback. I know I am being frustratingly slow in writing and posting. I too love this story and am delighted to announce that it is finally finished. This is the second to last chapter and the rest is completed and only needs editing.

I am between editors so if you find any errors; spelling, grammatical or mechanical... bear with me. I do my best but I really don't have an editor's eye for my own writing. If you find you cannot resist letting me know about my mistakes, be ready for me to respond to your constructive criticism by asking you to help me edit.