He did not stir. Gwen rolled him to his back. His eyes were dark-ringed, his skin gleaming with sweat. ‘No!’ she whispered. Then she cried out: ‘Orrin! Orrin!’
Meria came into the room. ‘What on earth is this noise about?’ she asked. Then she saw the still figure of the child. ‘Oh no!’ she said, rushing to the bedside. ‘It cannot be!’ She placed her fingers upon the child’s throat, feeling for the pulse. ‘He is alive,’ she said. ‘But his heart is racing!’
‘It is just like my Ru,’ cried Gwen. Meria said nothing. The evidence was all too clear.
Gwen gathered the child in her arms and lifted him from the bed.
‘What are you doing?’ Meria asked.
‘I am taking him to Vorna.’
‘I forbid it!’ shouted Meria, storming to her feet.
‘I have one dead son,’ replied Gwen. ‘I will not lose another because of you.’
She carried Orrin out into the dusk and across the field to the house of Vorna.
Chapter Twelve
Vorna laid the comatose child upon her own bed and looked up at the mother, seeing the terrible fear in her eyes. ‘Go to the kitchen,’ she said. ‘Boil some water for a tisane.’
‘He cannot drink,’ said Gwen.
‘No, but we can. Go. Do it now while I examine him.’
‘Please don’t let him die!’ said Gwen, dissolving into tears.
‘I will do what I can. Go. Make some tisane for us. I take mine unsweetened. You will find camomile in the blue jar beside the oven.’
Turning away from the woman Vorna laid her hand on the boy’s head. Closing her eyes she allowed her spirit to flow into the child. He was dying. Of that there was no doubt, the organs of his body close to collapse. At first Vorna could find no reason for his condition, and she flowed deeper, her spirit merging with the blood streaming through his veins. His kidneys were the greatest source of concern, and Vorna concentrated her power there, strengthening the tissue. Even as she healed the organs she felt them come under fresh attack. It was just as Banouin had told her, concerning his treatment of Ruathain. Every time an area underwent healing it almost immediately began to weaken again.
Orrin’s labouring heart suddenly gave out. Vorna sent a burst of energy into it. It flickered, then began to beat once more.
Vorna honed her concentration, flowing yet deeper into the bloodstream. Now she could feel the vital elements within the flow. Still she could detect no sign of disease. The liver began to fail, and Vorna strengthened it. Then the kidneys weakened once more, and she boosted them with fresh energy. She was tiring now, and still there was no clue to what was killing the child.
Vorna withdrew from the boy. His colour was a little better, his breathing easier. Gwen returned to the room, carrying mugs of tisane. Vorna saw her spirit soar as she looked down upon her son.
‘Do not get your hopes up, Gwen,’ said Vorna sternly. ‘I cannot yet identify the source of his sickness. Sit quietly by and do not in any circumstances speak to me unless I ask you to. You understand?’
‘Yes,’ said Gwen meekly.
Vorna gazed at the child’s waxen skin. Think, she told herself. Whatever is causing this is powerful indeed, and yet why had he not succumbed earlier? If it was a sickness, surely he should have caught it from Ruathain far sooner than this. As should the mother, and any others with close contact to the boy. Therefore it was not like the plague or any contact-borne sickness. Yet there had to be a link.
The boy’s heart stopped again. Vorna’s spirit eased once more through the skin, sending a bolt of energy to the stricken organ. Orrin’s body convulsed, then the heart began again. Vorna withdrew and turned to Gwen. ‘You say the sickness began only today? No indications before this?’
‘None. He has always been healthy. Aren’t you going to do something?’
‘I am doing something, Gwen. Stay calm.’
Vorna returned her attention to the child. The surface of his skin was hot, his body battling to bring down the fever temperature. Vorna flowed deeper, once more repairing the liver and kidneys. She had never come across anything like this before. It was as if the disease was continually invading the child.