Page 22 of The Elven Healer's Apprentice

“I will do what I can.” I crossed the room. Grabbing the satchel with the standard birthing supplies I kept prepared for emergencies like this, I knelt before the cupboard where we kept the rarely used herbs.Unicorn root, nettles, wild yam…I need to speak to Sina. She will have usra root.My fingers frantically sorted through the bottles, dropping what was possibly useful into the bag leaning against my knees. “I can’t promise that I can do much.”

“Anything is better than nothing.”

I rose from the cupboard, bag bursting with supplies. “I need to speak to Sina and then we can go.”

Turning toward the door, I managed a single step before Casimir’s hand closed over my shoulder. Shadow magic enveloped us. I stumbled, but Casimir somehow kept me upright until we emerged from the shadows, and he released me. I landed on my seat in the middle of Sina’s cabbage patch. The sterile cleanliness of the infirmary changed to the earthy scents of life, dirt, and sun.

“Casimir!” Sina’s voice resonated in the open air. “That is my cabbage patch! My only cabbage patch!”

“It is an emergency,” I tried to explain as I hurried to extract myself from the plants without doing further damage.

“Veta.” Casimir’s one-syllable explanation seemed to satisfy the irate cook.

“Early labor?” The hobgoblin’s ears drooped, and all ire disappeared from her features.

“I will be—”

“Wild yams are over there.” Sina cut me off with a wave toward the far edge of the garden. “You will need my sloe seed as well.” She nimbly jumped over the rows of vegetables and herbs before disappearing into the kitchen. She returned before I picked my way over to the yams and back. “Here.” She thrust the jar in Casimir’s direction.

The shadow elf bowed formally. “Thank you for your help.”

“Nonsense.” She turned to me. “Now go save those children.”

Casimir claimed my shoulder again. Before I protested that my skills were limited, the sunlight melted into shadows and my only connection to anything was the long-fingered elf’s hand gripping my shoulder.

“Keep walking,” Casimir prompted. “We have a ways to go.”

A ways turned out to be only about a dozen steps before suddenly the world lightened and I was blinking into focus the subdued luxury of a residential corridor.

“That isn’t Merlon.”

Turning toward the voice, I came nose to button with a young man’s chest. Looking up, I encountered his sharp scrutiny from beneath a shaggy mop of black hair. Although tall and handsome in a youthful way, he was definitely human and clearly irate at my escort.

“You promised to get Merlon,” the young man protested.

“The healer is proving elusive.” Casimir’s dark eyebrows lowered. “Kindly lower your voice, Orin. How is Veta?”

“Sleeping.” Orin frowned down at me. “Pardon my bluntness. I am Orin, Casimir’s brother-by-law.”

I offered him a nod. “May I see my patient now?”

“This way.” Orin motioned to the closed door at the end of the corridor before leading me through. As I followed, Casimir’s cool shadow magic disappeared behind me.

The bedchamber beyond remained quiet. Dark emerald velvet draped the walls and covered the windows. Someone had drawn aside one curtain to reveal the last rays of sunlight, gilding an impressive garden in golden light.

“Casimir?” a soft voice queried from the enormous bed in the center of the room. Draped in rich gold-shot brocade curtains, it glimmered in the light from the window. In sharp contrast, the bedding covering the mattress was practical and clearly chosen for comfort. Wool blankets, cotton throws, and a few layers of various dyed linens. Nestled amidst it lay a small woman, almost more swollen belly than anything else.

“He is still looking for Merlon,” Orin responded, moving toward his sister and taking her seeking hand in his. “He brought Merlon’s apprentice.”

“Not apprentice. I am an assistant of sorts,” I corrected. “My name is Adela. Pleased to meet you, Your Ladyship.”

Veta laughed before flinching and pressing her free hand to her swollen belly. Her grip tightened on her brother’s so that her knuckles turned white. The sudden shift of focus, followed by a grimace of pain, did not bode well for her or the children.

“Where may I lay out my supplies?” I asked Orin.

“Over there.” He motioned toward the top of a chest of drawers.

I set to work unpacking what I needed. “How long has she been experiencing contractions?”

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