Konrad led her a few steps from the tent, hand half-draped over her shoulders. He drew her into the circle of his arms so they could talk above the wind and rippling tent hide. That was all. The physical closeness that made her chest tight meant nothing to him. Elaine reminded herself of that as he leaned near her cheek to speak.

"If we cleanse the wounds, will they start to bleed again and not stop? Does the magic used to partially heal them change how we should treat them?"

She wanted to say something clever and certain, but that would have been an outrageous lie. Lives might be at stake. It was not a time for lies. "I don't know."

"You know more magic than I do," he said. He was really looking to her for an answer. Elaine had never claimed more knowledge than she had. If she didn't know, she always said so, but now was sorely tempted. Konrad's face was close enough to kiss. His eyes looking at her, seeing her.

Elaine drew a deep sigh. "I've only been studying magic for a few days, Konrad. I'm no expert, but Gersalius is." She was rather pleased with that last thought, pleased to have come up with a good idea, if not a good answer.

"I cannot leave them alone. Could you speak with the wizard, then report back to me?"

"I could stay with them while you spoke with Ger-salius." It was a generous offer. The last thing Elaine wanted to do was go back in that tent. Randwulf's serious eyes and his strange voice as he had related his death story had frightened her. She preferred even his teasing and flirting to that.

"No, if anything should go wrong, I am the best healer in camp-at least awake. And the wizard will speak more freely to you. Don't you think?"

Again, he was asking her opinion. This time she could give an answer. "Yes."

"Then go talk with the wizard. I'll wait here. I won't tend their wounds unless something goes wrong."

"I'll hurry," she said.

He gave an abrupt nod, almost a bow, and ducked back inside the tent. Elaine stood there for a moment in the rattling wind. Konrad had asked her opinion twice in one day. It was not only a record, it was a nine days' wonder. What was wrong with him?

«^»

THIRTEEN

Gersalius's tent was smaller than the rest, with strange curlicues of carved wood mounted above the entrance. Elaine hadn't really inspected the wizard's tent closely. Now she looked at the wooden carvings. They were attached to the tent itself, not tied on. It was almost as if the wood grew straight out of the hide. She could make nothing of the carvings themselves. They were of no animal or image she was familiar with, just designs of wood and paint.

Elaine called, "Gersalius, it's me, Elaine. I need to speak with you."

The wind gusted, making the tent strain and pull at the tiny tent stakes. The wood carvings swayed in the wind as if they were antlers on some live beast.

"Gersalius?" Elaine called. She waited in the cold, huddled against the wind. "Gersalius, please, if you're in there, answer me."

When there was still no answer, she turned and walked back to the fire. Elaine was cooking the camp dinner-sausages in a skillet over the flames. They actually smelled good. Of course, even Blaine couldn't do a lot of damage reheating sausages. It was almost foolproof.

There was a smaller saucepan sitting to one side. Blaine stirred it with a wooden spoon. An odor rose from the saucepan and caught the back of her throat with a bitter taste. Before she could say a word, Biaine poured the foul sauce over the lovely sausages. He put a lid over the skillet and set it to one side. He'd probably say he was letting it simmer. Biaine was the worst cook in the world, but he had pretensions of being a gourmet. His 'improvements, experiments with herbs, were legendary.

He smiled up at her, pleased with himself. "I'm trying a new sauce tonight. Want a whiff?"

"I already smelled it," she said, a brave smile in place. Biaine was not only the worst cook in the world, he was oblivious to the deficiency. No matter how much Thordin and the others complained, Biaine never quite believed them. He went on his cheerful way, crumbling dried herbs, chopping roots, and trying to poison them all.

"Have you seen Gersalius?"

"I think he's in Thordin's tent." He turned back to an earthenware bowl on the ground by his knee. A cloth was tied over it. He cut the string, lifting the cloth to reveal a grayish mass. "I made stuffing before we left. All I have to do is heat it."

"Did Mala help you make it?" she asked hopefully.

He grinned. "Of course not. You know I like to do all my own cooking."

"Of course," she said. She left him to ruin their dinner and went in search of Thordin's tent. He shared it with Konrad, so it was big enough to accommodate a visitor.

The wind died down as suddenly as it had sprung up. In the fresh silence, Elaine heard the murmur of the men's voices, a soft, rumbling sound that was somehow comforting. Elaine had spent a great deal of her life listening to that strong, bluff, blunt sound.

She bent over, calling, "Gersalius, are you in there?"

The tent flap swung open. Thordin's face and arm popped out. "Elaine, come join us. I think if we all squeeze there may be room."

It occurred to her for the first time that Thordin had seen clerics work their healing magic. He might know something valuable, too. She crawled into the tent, tugging her heavy cloak through the small opening.

Gersalius was sitting on a pile of bedding, smiling. He had a mug in his hands. "Elaine, what brings you in search of me?"

Thordin offered her a mug.

"Surely that is yours," she said.

"Yes, but I can get another." With a smile, he handed her the mug.

"Thank you." The mug was wonderfully hot to her hands. Steam rose from the cup like sweet-smelling ghosts. The tea was a strong spearmint faintly touched with sugar. Breathing in the steam was almost as refreshing as drinking the tea itself.

"How goes it with the wounded?" Thordin asked.

"That is why I have come," Elaine said.

Thordin poured a third mug of tea from a small earthware pot, then set it back on its warmer. He took a pinch of sugar from a small pouch at his belt, added the sugar to the tea, then stirred it with a small silver spoon.

"With a few comforts, any place can be home," Gersalius said.

"My sentiments, exactly," Thordin said.

"Why were you seeking me, Elaine?" the wizard asked.

"Konrad and I have never seen magical healing before. We aren't sure what to do."

"A cleric heals by laying on of hands. The wound just closes up and is healed," Gersalius said.

"Completely healed?" She made it a question.

"Yes," he said.

She shook her head. "But these injuries aren't completely healed."

Gersalius sat forward sharply, spilling hot tea on his robes. He gave a small yip, pulling the cloth away from his body. He set the mug on the ground. "Tell me exactly what you mean, Elaine. This could be very important."

She looked from one man to the other. Thordin appeared as worried as the wizard. "Are the wounds suppose to heal completely?" she asked.

"Yes," Gersalius said.

"Not always," Thordin said.

The wizard stared at the warrior. "A spell either works or it does not."

"I was a fighter long before I came to Kartakass," Thordin said. "A cleric can heal a wound, but when I had many wounds, not all of them healed. They were better, but some still bled a little, others were only partially healed. Kilsendra, the cleric that came over with me, said each healing has only so much power to it. It heals what it can, then stops. It might take several attempts to heal completely."

Gersalius frowned. "It is true I did not adventure much. I owned a little magic shop where others bought supplies, but with my magic, a spell either works or does not. If the spell components are insufficient, the spell simply does not work at all."