Free Rigante Series 03 - Ravenheart by David Gemmell Page B

the upper right side. Banny's own teeth were loose. He could move them with his tongue. Outside the sun was shining, and, for the first time in months, there was genuine warmth in its rays. Banny wanted to walk out in the sunshine, and feel the heat upon his skin. But he was too weary, and there was no strength in his legs.
    He heard a movement and looked round. Kaelin's aunt was coming into the room. She was an imposing woman, tall and fierce-eyed. Banny was a little frightened of her. Back in the summer, when he and Kaelin had come running into the house, she had grabbed him by the shoulder and marched him outside. 'You will play out here,' she told him. ‘I’ll have no fleas on my furnishings, if you please!' It had been a shaming experience.
    As Maev leaned over the bed and laid her hand on Shula's brow Banny turned his gaze back to his mother. She would not die, he decided. It would be too unfair. A trembling began in his stomach and he felt his throat tighten. Tears spilled from his eyes. Fighting for control Banny sat very still, making no sound. He squeezed his eyes shut to prevent more tears from shaming him. Then he felt Aunt Maev's hand upon his shoulder. 'Sleep is good. Sleep is healing,' she told him. 'Now you come with me. You need to eat again - and then to bathe.
    You have both lice and fleas and there is no room for either in my house. Come now.'
    Banny rose on trembling legs and followed her into the kitchen. It seemed like a palace to the twelve-year-old.
    He sat down at the pine table and stared at the golden sheen upon the wood. Aunt Maev placed a deep bowl of beef gravy soup before him and a hunk of bread.
    'Do not chew on the bread,' she said. 'Your teeth are already loose, and we don't want them falling out. Just dip it into the soup.'
    'She won't die, will she?' whispered Banny.
    'Not if I have a say in it,' said Aunt Maev. 'Now eat your soup, Banny. Take it slow.'
    It was almost a week since Banny had eaten solid food, and that had been a gnarled root his mother had dug from the edge of the forest. It had been bitter, and had made him nauseous. His stomach was still queasy and, when he gazed down at the soup, he felt suddenly sick and dizzy.
    'Be strong now,' said Aunt Maev, moving swiftly alongside him. She tore off a small hunk of bread and dipped it in the warm soup. 'Here. Just hold it in your mouth and let the juices run.' Banny opened his mouth, allowing her to feed him like a babe. The juices of the meat flowed on his tongue, awakening his hunger. His stomach cramped and he almost choked on the bread. Carefully he chewed the morsel, then swallowed it. It tasted divine. 'That's good, Banny,' whispered Aunt Maev. 'Take a little more now.'
    Banny sat very still, staring down at the soup bowl. It was white-glazed, but only on the inside - the outer was the golden brown of lowlands clay. It was a pretty bowl. His mind swam and he felt himself falling. He didn't care. Maev's arms held him close, and when he opened his eyes he found, to his surprise, that he was still sitting at the table. It seemed to Banny that he had fallen from the world, spinning down and down into a blessed darkness, where there was no hunger, no pain, no fear. 'I'm sorry,' he whispered. 'I have fleas.'
    Maev said nothing, but she dipped more bread into the now cold soup and lifted it to his lips. Banny ate until both the soup and the bread were gone. 'I think we'll forget about the bath for now,' said Maev. 'Let's get you to bed.'
    Banny's legs were unsteady, but Maev helped him up the stairs to a small room. The window shutters were closed, but thin lines of golden light could be seen between the slats. They shone on a patchwork blanket which covered the single bed of pine that nestled against the far wall. Maev drew back the coverlet and the two thick blankets beneath. 'Let's get you out of these clothes,' she said. She took hold of the torn and filthy shirt he was wearing. Banny raised his arms and she lifted it clear. His