Within (Walk Through Shadows Book One)

Chapter Seventeen

In the morning Deamol found the brothers in the dining room shortly after the owner started banging around in the kitchen as he prepared the morning meal. Ceri was behind the bar organizing mugs for tea. She brought over three steaming mugs when Alasdair gave her a little nod.

"Lass can we assume all that noise means breakfast is being constructed?" Haelan asked. She gave him a single nod. "We'll take three of whatever it is when it's ready." She nodded again and then turned away to take her place behind the bar. While they waited the other guests staying at the inn gradually made their way down the stairs to take seats at the empty tables. Ceri made her way around the room, dropping off mugs of strong tea then slipped into the kitchen. After a couple of minutes she reappeared with a tray full of bowls and little pots of jam. Her first stop was at the trio's table. She deposited the bowls and a little pot, accepted their thanks and then moved on to the next table.

Deamol picked up the little jar, dropped a dollop of the orange coloured jam onto the boiled oats in his bowl then passed the jar to Alasdair. "I was speaking with the barmaid last night." Haelan looked up from the bowl with a surprised look in his eyes. "She dropped off some clean rags for me," Deamol explained. "Anyway, she told me where to find the healer."

"Did she mention the healer's name?" Alasdair asked as he stirred the jam into his oats. Deamol shook his head. Alasdair turned to look for the barmaid. She was behind the bar. He lifted his mug to catch her attention. She grabbed a large kettle from its place over the fireplace near the bar and came over to the table. "Thank you lass," Alasdair said as she poured the steaming tea into their mugs.

"Ceri," Deamol said with a disarming smile. She rested the kettle on the table and waited. "We were wondering—" He stopped as she frowned. She looked down at the kettle, her fingers straightened the rag she'd wrapped around the handle. Haelan and Alasdair watched the exchange quietly. "The healer—" Ceri just stared at Deamol, a confused look clouding her amber coloured gaze.

Alasdair took pity on the pair as the awkward silence lengthened. "What's the healers name lass?" he asked.

"What?" Ceri blinked then shifted her gaze to the prince. "Why is that important?" Alasdair just smiled. "It's Rayne."

Haelan sighed softly. "Rayne what?"

Ceri picked up the kettle and looked at him. "Rayne Stormbow." Her eyes swept over the table, seeing that they had everything they needed she turned away to see to the other tables. Haelan reached out to grab his brother's arm before he could push his stool back and rush off.

"It's too early for us to disturb her. You might as well finish your breakfast," Haelan murmured. Alasdair settled onto his stool with a sullen look on his face.

                                                                       ***

The healers little house was just where Ceri had described. It was quite small, made of grey stone with a simple, if somewhat old, shingled roof. It was tucked back from what passed for a road in the borderlands, under the dense branches of a huge tree. With that sort of cover it would have been very difficult to see from the air.

As they approached it a small figure in a faded grey dress came out of the front door and disappeared around the side of the house. The males hurried to follow and came upon her in a small, well organized garden that was set back from the shade of the tree. She was bent down, humming under her breath, selecting herbs and tucking them into her apron.

"Good morning," Haelan called out. The woman looked up to search out the source of the greeting, squinting against the morning sun slanting through the trees. She didn't smile as she stood and wiped her hands down the front of her apron. Once she'd cleaned her hands she lifted them to her head to pat the piece of fabric holding her frizzy grey hair out of her face.