The Worlds of Katherine Kurtz

Amy wept on Muirea's shoulder, letting out her pent-up exhaustion and relief. "Airich is going to live, Muirea! He is even cured of his ailment. We did a ritual...it was working... but then it wasn't...Airich died, but then he didn't....  A... a healer came... healed him. A miracle has happened. Muirea, a miracle! I have so much I want to tell you and Elspeth, but I haven't had a chance to tell her. It's about the Healer who came. I trust him, but I can not say much more. So I've got to hold it in. I have laid my future in this Healer's hands; Airich's and my future together. I will tell you soon, I promise." Amy rambled on like a student who'd won a drinking contest; excited for the win, but dazed by the drink. Amy was indeed dizzy. Finally, she let go of Muirea and looked around, not finding what she sought. "Do you remember where Speth put her medicines? Wasn't her bag right here?" Amy looked around their small corner room. She stumbled over her own bedding and then sat down rather hard on the pallet, rubbing her forehead. The spell she had learned assisted with the dizziness, but not with the headache.

"It's in the other room, I'll get it." Muirea rushed out and back in seconds later. She plopped the leather satchel before Amy. But Muirea did not dare to even loosen the strings holding the flap closed. Too many mysteries were contained in those small vials, jars, and herbal packets. Life or death if not used with knowledge and respect. "You're certain you know what you're looking for?" she asked as Amy undid the ties and started pulling items out.

"Speth has taught me much about all of this. But I would not use most of it without Elspeth's guidance. Except for the one I need. It's a rolled parchment of crushed leaves with a green ribbon. Oh, here it is. Amy held up the roll to the candlelight to be sure of the writing on the outer parchment. "I don't suppose you brought home any ale from your shift. I don't want to go back to the kitchen to get some."

"Chef liked my work today, gave me a whole skin." Muirea smiled at Amy's side looks.

"He must like you."

"He always did. You know, he was the one who let me sleep in the kitchens when I escaped from that beast... from Jasper's house. The chef is married with a dozen kids, but he saw that I had a place to stay, and food to eat. He respected me like I was one of his daughters."

Muirea poured some of the ale into a cup and handed it to Amy. Amy then measured two pinches of the dried herbs and then tipped them over into the cup. She swirled it a little, then drank the whole cup of ale down. She closed her eyes and hummed for a moment, willing the drum-playing green squirrel to go to sleep.

"Amy, I want you to know how pleased I am that you and Sir Airich have one another. I wish we could all find such happiness." The girl years away from her home in Meara still had that Mearan friendship closeness in her blood. She hugged Amy, hoping to sooth away her friend's tired expression. When Amy started feeling a little better and looked up with a smile, Muirea finally asked,"Tell me, is Bede downstairs? He said he'd be here if he could, no?" Muirea tried to hide her concern when Amy's smile faded.

"I am sorry, but no. Bede would have come with me instead of Edwin," Amy assured Muirea, "but Edwin needed to talk to the Duggans. He is downstairs doing that now. I hope you are not mad at Bede. He seemed really upset about something, but he didn't say what."

Muirea stood and paced the room. "Eustace told me some of today's trouble. What a horror ye've all been through. Is Bede coming back here tonight? He and I have much that needs discussing. The two of us."

This time, Amy's smile returned, slightly lopsided and teasing. "I think that is what he wants, too. You know his eyes sparkle when he talks of you."  Amy squeezed Muirea's and then said more seriously.  "I was going to bring you back with us to the safe house where Bede is, very near to where Airich is sleeping and healing. But I think, now, that might not be best. See, we found the boy Aidan–you remember, Canon Damian's assistant–he was looking sickly so we brought him here. I want you to watch him tonight. Would you be willing to do that for me? I know Bede will get back here before dawn arrives. There is more going on that he will explain to you then."

Muirea looked disappointed but did not say anything.

"Here, help me carry the gear we need for tonight downstairs. Yes, that bag and that one, and those bags in the boys rooms, better included Edwin's book satchel, yeah, the singed one." Amy giggled, seeing the repairs Edwin had attempted after the satchel's harrowing in the fireplace days ago. "We can leave the rest here to get in the morning. I will explain as we carry these down to the kitchens."

Not too many hours ago, in The King's Arms, Eustace had stopped by to see Muirea. She had given him her usual amicable maid persona, strained nigh imperceptibly by the mutual knowledge that she was an informant first. "Ah'm just finishing up my shift, Eustace. What can I do for ye?"

((What Eustace remembers on ((2d6 3 + 1 = 4))) "Bede said to tell you that he might sound like he's lying, but he wants you to believe him anyway. And that he'll fight anyone on any terrain to get back to you, no matter the altitude."

That perplexed her terribly, furrowing her brows and flushing her cheeks. "When? What holds the man up?"

He related the rest of the events of the afternoon as he saw them, and she knew then that she may well be walking back to Duggan's alone. She had half a mind to demand Eustace go back with a message of her own, but chastised herself for even thinking of sending him back into such intrigue. Yes, it was out of her hands, now, and she did not like it, as she did not like walking alone, until she remembered halfway home that she had neglected to appreciate the good news: Jasper had met his match at last! Yes, her one-time savior, the kind Deryni knight, was in mortal peril, Bede was in over his head for sure this time, and the rest of her new friends fared little better. But the monster in her story was as good as slain! She could almost dance her way to the Duggan's doorstep. But still, she worried for them all. She decided she would pray for them, repetitiously, when she could.

In the spacious attic of the Duggan household, she knelt as many do in ritual, but merely praying with a child's training in religion. "In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit ... there are four ... five people I still care about. Now, they are so far away, being charmed by strange men I dinna ken. I am finally free from the murderer of my sister, but so alone. I dinna ken what is next for anyone. That is na gift of mine. I just want to see them all, soon. Including Airich. I'd blame meself, Laird, if he died in my city! And the kind girls. It's been so long since I've had friends like them. Who knew that Kelsonites could be so kind? The bookish one. He could do with less tension, sometimes. And Bede ..." she trailed off, there, feeling a memory of warmth on her lips. That was some un-Bede-like nonsense Eustace was saying, she thought. But she admitted to herself that she liked the sentiment, as she drifted off to sleep.

But sleep gave her less comfort than the waking world. She heard a trample of footsteps and shouted for Jasper to stay away from her.

"Shh ... it's me. It's me, Muirea!" Amy soothed worriedly. Muirea opened her eyes and lifted her tangled hair out of her vision, breathing a sigh of relief. It was indeed the other maid, her friend from Carbury. And she seemed possessed of a weariness beyond anything a single day could bestow. But she was here. Laughing, Muirea embraced her.

I was lucky enough to find copy #24 online. Unfortunately, it came without the slipcover, but I am so happy to have it!

Page 3

Post	Writer	Date	Events
30	Jerusha	Sept 4	Elspeth and Amy run upstairs, taking themselves and the satchel to safety.
31	bynw	Sept 4	A student at the University tells his fellows that a Deryni and his Human friend will be burned at the stake within a fortnight.
32	Revanne	Sept 4	Edwin regrets jumping into the fight to help Airich and vows to never assist anyone else in the library. He sees Elspeth "stealing" his satchel and running away with it. He thinks he's been set up by Airich and these girls to steal his bag. He runs upstairs after the girls and finds himself locked out of their room.
33	Marc	Sept 4	Bede throws his opponant into a bunch of other men, then runs after the barmaid. He thinks it's Winnifred, his fiancee, but discovers it's Winnifred's cousin Muireagain. She doesn't recognize Bede at first. She tells Bede to sneak out the back to avoid the bouncers, but she'll be safer in the kitchen.
34	Nezz	Sept 4	Airich is grateful that Bede knocked down several of his opponents, and is feeling the affects of the brawl. Jasper, the big man who started it all, seems to be the only one still in it, but one of his friends sneak-attacks from behind. Airich puts them both down and heads up towards his room, trying not to faint.
35	Jerusha	Sept 4	Elspeth is arguing with Edwin through the door and makes Edwin tell them what's in the bag so that they can positively identify him as the owner. Amy is convinced that it is his.
36	Laurna	Sept 4	Amy is ready to use her dagger on Edwin if he tries anything funny and lets him in. The three of them exchange heated words and throw accusations and Amy threatens him with her dagger, but the women finally accept that the bag is his and he even thanks her. Edwin marvels at her eyes.
37	Nezz	Sept 4	Airich makes it upstairs, cursing himself for not using his Deryni powers to save the barmaid the easy way, and passes out in front of the Carbury women's door after Edwin chews him out.
38	Jerusha	Sept 4	Elspeth has Amy and Edwin pull Airich into the room and latches the door just as the bouncer come looking for the troublemakers. She treats Airich's bruises and lacerations, and straightens his broken nose.
39	Marc	Sept 4	Bede hides in the stable, waiting for the bouncers to finish their sweep. He sees the innkeep throw out Jasper and his friends, with Jasper complaining about his lack of Muirea. They think Airich must have been cheating to have beaten them, and Jasper suspects magic. He climbs the inn's wall and sneaks into his room.
40	Laurna	Sept 3	Amy helps Elspeth treat Airich and uses her Empathy to find where he's hurt. He notices and Mindspeaks to her, which triggers her and reminds her of her knight from years ago. She runs to the other side of the room and refuses to touch Airich again.
41	Jerusha	Sept 4	Elspeth is concerned for her friend, but continues treating Airich and doses him to sleep. She gives Edwiin the once-over when she discovers the student abandoned "his friend" to chase after his satchel.
42	Revanne1	Sept 4	Edwin apologizes to Elspeth for thinking them thieves and admits that he earns a living using the writing implements in his satchel. They discuss hiring Edwin to do a job for them and he will happily copy a letter for them in the morning.
43	Marc	Sept 4	Bede hears a man's voice through the door to the girls' room, and argues with them about his not being there to protect them. He got inside and traded insults with Edwin, but then realizes that Edwin was one of the men helping Muirea. They make their peace, then Edwin goes with Bede to his room to sleep.
44	Nezz	Sept 5	Just before dawn, Edwin and Bede help Airich back to his own room. He insists on getting a handkerchief from his rucksack, and when Edwin touches it, he feels its magic, but is annoyed when Airich won't tell him about it. Airich is left to himself and he thinks about the woman who'd touched his mind. He decides she's probably Hill folk with Second Sight instead of Deryni, but then has a brief memory that keeps him from sleeping for awhile.

¹Posted by Nezz

Quote from: Evie on May 04, 2025, 01:53:48 PM

Quote from: Laurna on May 04, 2025, 01:45:31 PMOh my Goodness. Evie, you did it!  I could cry!

Who knew that the compulsion to prevent Aidan from sharing what was going on inside his head would extend all the way to trying to keep this scene from getting posted also! (Note for readers: You have NO idea how difficult it was to get Aidan's scene posted, because something in it kept triggering security errors for some weird reason. Thanks to Bynw, Laurna, and Nezz for helping to troubleshoot what was going on with it!)

If I'd thought it would help, I would have done much more troubleshooting. Now I'm afraid this has burned you from ever contributing another scene for us. And we love what you did so much!!!

Quote from: Laurna on May 04, 2025, 01:45:31 PMOh my Goodness. Evie, you did it!  I could cry!

Who knew that the compulsion to prevent Aidan from sharing what was going on inside his head would extend all the way to trying to keep this scene from getting posted also! (Note for readers: You have NO idea how difficult it was to get Aidan's scene posted, because something in it kept triggering security errors for some weird reason. Thanks to Bynw, Laurna, and Nezz for helping to troubleshoot what was going on with it!)

Oh my Goodness. Evie, you did it!  I could cry!

Aidan McLain was scared, and he wasn't entirely sure what he'd just overheard or why, but what he had overheard hadn't sounded good, not at all.

The two priests had been whispering together between the library stacks. Aidan had been standing just on the other side of one of the sets of bookshelves, not meaning to eavesdrop, but given his close proximity to the men, he couldn't help but overhear bits of their conversation.

They were discussing the sudden flurry of activity in the vicinity of the Bishop's Palace, and the disappearance of a great many books and scrolls from the shelves and niches where they were customarily stored in the Great Library of Grecotha. One of the men said something about the likelihood that the Bishop had somehow received word of the impending torching of Grecotha with Byzantyun fire. Aidan prayed fervently that he had misheard. He had known about the book evacuation because the Bishop's investigators had discovered some sort of plot to burn the city, but he had thought they were just talking about a regular fire, not Byzantyun fire! He had recently read about that frightening substance in one of the ancient histories he'd been given to read as part of his monastic education, and the thought of such a lethal weapon being used against the town of Grecotha terrified him. If Grecotha were to burn to the ground, how many hundreds of people might perish?

For that matter, if Grecotha were to burn to the ground and Aidan were to somehow survive the conflagration, where was he to go? That thought terrified him almost as much as the thought of meeting a fiery death just like his brother Corbin had.

"Look at this, whole shelves of books emptied and taken away to God only knows where!" groused one of the priests. "Maybe we should move our plans earlier, lest they have time to smuggle out any more of their Deryni writings or other heretical texts!"

"In this rain?" complained the other. "Granted, Byzantyun fire can spread even given far less than optimal conditions, but it would be more certain to catch and spread if we just wait another day or two until the wood and thatched roofs have had a little time to dry out more. Besides, if rumors have spread about our plans already, you can bet that people will be trying to leave the city. Delaying things would allow a few more innocent people to leave than might have done otherwise."

"And also allow some of those devil's spawn Deryni to slip past the gates as well," the first voice snarled. "Even with the roadblocks, there's no guarantee some wouldn't manage to slip away, and then what would all this planning have been for, I'd like to know?"

"They wouldn't be able to go far," the second voice assured him. "Soon, there won't be any safe refuges left for them to flee to."

He felt a sudden need to catch a glimpse of the whispering priests. Aidan didn't know why; deep down, he really wanted nothing more than to leave the library as fast as possible and tell Canon Damian what he had overheard. His heart thumping in his chest under his brown robes, he silently tiptoed closer to one end of the bookcase he stood behind, eventually finding a gap between the books that allowed him a brief glimpse of the two men beyond, if he crouched down long enough to peer through it.

The two priests wore ordinary black cassocks with nothing noteworthy about them to make them stand out from any other priest in Grecotha, but he noticed that one man wore an eye-catching red and gold rosary that was looped over his white cincture. Even that might not have caught Aidan's eye despite the bright coloring–after all, it was hardly out of the ordinary for a priest to own a rosary–but where Christ or Mary or some saint might be depicted on the small oval medallion above the cross, this particular rosary's medallion sported a lion's head with a halo. Something about that embossed motif teased at the edges of Aidan's memory. He was fairly certain he had read about that symbol somewhere, maybe in his history lessons, but the specific reference was eluding him at the moment. Despite that brief moment of near recognition, he might have thought little of the showy rosary or the medallion except that the other priest wore a ring with an almost identical motif.

The man Aidan thought might have been the priest his mind had labeled as "number one" had dark hair, but the aisle where they stood was shadowed enough that he couldn't quite make out if it was black or a dark shade of brown. He didn't know the priest's name, but he thought he might remember his features well enough if he saw him again in future. The other man had his back to Aidan, so he only caught a glimpse of brown hair, neatly tonsured, in a shade that was slightly lighter than Aidan's own hair, a nondescript color that would be difficult to pick out in a crowd. But he had a faint scar on the ringed hand that Aidan was also fairly sure he would recognize if he saw it again.

The two men moved further away, looking as if they meant to go deeper into the library. Aidan slowly released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and slipped out silently, heading in the opposite direction. Canon Damian must be told of this!


Edwin and Amy had left Elspeth back at the secret sanctuary and were heading back towards the Duggan house to pick up their belongings and see if Muirea had returned yet. As they made their way through one of the sections of town near where the foreign students tended to congregate and seek out lodgings, they spotted a familiar figure in the near distance.  "Is that the boy who assists the Canon?" Amy asked, laying a hand on Edwin's arm as she tilted her head in the direction of a young lad just up ahead who was dressed in the familiar brown robes of a monastic oblate or novice.

"Canon Damian's assistant?" Edwin asked, shading his eyes with one hand and following her gaze. "Aye, looks t' be him, right enow. Aidan McLain, I think his name is."

They started to head in his direction. As they drew closer, Edwin took note of his distracted appearance, the boy's sky blue eyes darting fearfully around as if searching for someone.

Amy frowned. Even from a slight distance, she could sense the boy's distress. She glanced at Edwin, wondering if he sensed it too.

They were nearly upon him now, but he showed no signs of recognition yet, unlike the other times they had encountered him at the Canon's office or elsewhere. Finally, when they were nearly on top of the lad without him seeming to notice their approach, Edwin stepped up and caught his attention. "Oi, Aidan! Ye're a bit out o' the way o' yer usual haunts, aye? Were ye lookin' for us?"

Aidan shook his head, looking slightly confused. "Nay, I'm lookin' f'r...." As if registering their presence and his surroundings properly for the first time, his expression grew even more baffled. "I ought t' tell th' Canon, but he ain't here."

"Should he be?" asked Edwin, equally confused. Why would the Canon be in this remote area of town? It seemed a bit out of the way from the places he normally frequented.

"I...dinnae ken," admitted Aidan with a thoughtful frown. "Mebbe I should find 'im, but I need t' tell Ol–" He stopped abruptly, his brow furrowing as he looked around more closely at their surroundings. "Where are we?"

Edwin glanced at Amy, equally confused. "Where are we? Where do ye think we are? And Ol' Who? Do you mean th' Canon?" Surely the boy wouldn't be referring to his master by such a familiar form of address as 'Ol' Damian'!

"Nay...." The boy looked distractedly around again, this time turning slowly in place to look behind him before turning back to Edwin. "I ain't even near th' Library anymore!"

"Nay, ye're no'." It was Edwin's turn to frown in puzzlement. "Aidan, are ye unwell? Should we get ye hame?"

"How'd I get here?" Aidan asked, his eyes widening in alarm.


Amy glanced uncertainly at Edwin. "Maybe we should see him safely home. Or do you think Elspeth should have a look at him?" she whispered. Loud enough for the boy to hear, she added, "Aidan, did you maybe bump your head or something? Maybe I should have a look."

The boy took a step back in alarm, not understanding why he did so. It was just an instinctive reaction. "Oh, no worries, mistress, ain't nowt tae see in there anyways, just a bit of straw mebbe," he joked with a disarming grin, ducking his head shyly. In truth he didn't know why he felt so reluctant to allow Mistress Amy to check for a head injury, from being fairly sure he didn't have one.

Well, that and she was female. And pretty. And he was just a year or two away from taking holy vows, so he didn't need a woman taking such liberties. Just looking at her made him feel a bit funny inside, not in a bad way, but just in a way that maybe a future monk didn't need to be feeling.

Yet again, as he had with increasing frequency in the past year or two, he wondered what it would be like to take a wife, marry, and settle into some form of trade. But he was uncertain what sort of future he would end up with if he left the order to find his own path in life. What if he ended up back in poverty, but with a wife and bairns to feed, like his father before him? Aidan wasn't at all sure it was worth the risk of leaving the safety and security of monastic life to chase after some silly romantic fancy.

"Oh, I'm sure it's stuffed with something a lot more substantial than straw!" Amy joked back, though she gave Edwin another quick look. "Though you do seem to be a bit disoriented. Are you hungry? Maybe we should get some food in you; that should sort you out."

"Nay...." The puzzled look crossed Aidan's face again. "I'll ken 'im if I see 'im, though."

Amy's brows rose even higher towards her hairline. "Well, maybe we'll see him on the way to getting you fed. In the meantime, why don't you join us? Once we've all had a chance to eat, if you're still not feeling quite like yourself, maybe Elspeth will be back. You remember our physicker, don't you?"

"Aye, mebbe tha's it," agreed Aidan, feeling some relief as Mistress Amy stepped back, allowing her companion to come forward and take the lead.

"In tha' case, why no' come wi' us?" suggested Edwin. "We're just off t' see if one o' oor companions has made it back tae oor lodgin's yet, but there's food there that'll tak th' edge off yer hunger."

"Tha' sounds richt guid...." Aidan's voice trailed off. "Nae, on second thought, I need tae find Ol–there's a man I need tae find first. 'Tis gey important, an' 'e needs tae hear it iffen I c'n find 'im...." His eyes darted back and forth again, making Edwin wonder if the boy was about to dash off again.

"We could help ye look," Edwin offered. Amy raised her brows at him, not at all certain they could risk any delay with their own errand, but he had a gut feeling that Aidan needed help, and not just with finding whoever he was looking for. "C'n ye describe th' man?"

"Nay...." The puzzled look crossed Aidan's face again. "I'll ken 'im if I see 'im, though."

Amy's brows rose even higher towards her hairline. "Well, maybe we'll see him on the way to getting you fed. In the meantime, why don't you join us? Once we've all had a chance to eat, if you're still not feeling quite like yourself, maybe Elspeth will be back. You remember our physicker, don't you?"

Aidan nodded. He reckoned it would be fine if their physicker wanted to give him some potion for these odd forgetting spells he'd had lately.  Maybe she might even find some bump on his noggin that he'd forgotten about while she was at it. There was just something deep down that made him feel like he oughtn't let folk go poking about inside his head. Not that he had anything against Deryni folk in general, and none had ever done him any harm, so far as he knew, but a lad couldn't be too careful about that sort of thing. At any rate, he had formed an instant respect for the woman they called Elspeth despite her somewhat unnerving mismatched eyes. After all, she couldn't very well help ((H)) those, any more than he'd had any say over the small birthmark on his left shoulder. He wasn't sure what it was about her, maybe it was just her efficient, no-nonsense way of doing things, but something about her vaguely reminded him of what few memories he had left of his Mum. If she could figure out why he kept losing bits of time, he'd be grateful, because these funny spells kept happening with increasing frequency now, and they were most annoying.

But now he was letting himself get distracted from the importance of his mission, he realized as he caught sight of a black-clad man walking swiftly in the opposite direction. Time was of the essence, and if he couldn't find the man called Oleg, he would need to tell someone he could trust. Tugging at Edwin's sleeve, he whispered, "There's summat important I need tae tell ye, but no' oot here. Mebbe I should gae wi' ye after a'."

Quote from: Jerusha on May 04, 2025, 12:34:50 PMAwesome scene.  Very scary, and very powerful.  I wouldn't want to be in Christian's path right now.

Looking forward to what follows next.

Thank you! I'm hoping to have a new episode soon!