Free Preserving the Ingenairii by Jeffrey Quyle Page B

unconscious, just like Bethany .   She was somewhere nearby.   Alec took a determined step away from the window, entered the hall, and walked aimlessly until he found a maid, who gave him directions to the infirmary.   Alec soon found the door and stepped inside, where he saw Brandeis standing next to the only occupied cot in the room. 
                    Alec looked at Noranda, pale like all the others who had fallen, her face in a slight grimace.  He watched with sympathy as Brandeis stroked her hair.  “You need to make sure you drip a strong broth in her mouth.  Boil vegetables as well as the meats, so she gets as much nutrition as possible,” Alec said.  He and Brandeis both lingered by her bedside, thinking of her, for several minutes, until Brandeis emerged from his reverie.  “We need to get you down to dinner.  Helma will insist that we be there on time, if not early, after all she’s had to do!”  The two of them returned to the guest quarters, where they gathered all the other travelers, and together they trouped down to an elegant dining room whose windows looked over a small courtyard.
                    “You’ve outdone yourself!” Brandeis congratulated Helma as she stood in a small doorway, observing the wait staff setting the dishes on the table.  Delle was waiting, along with Durer and Johanna and Circh.  Alec greeted them all warmly, and in turn they treated him like a lost member of their tribe.
                    Over dinner Alec learned about the young leaders’ progress in working with the leaders of Stronghold and running their family’s trading business.   “Your cleansing water is making a big improvement in our trade.   As long as we keep making profits from it we’ll keep the aunts and uncles satisfied with our methods,” Durer gratefully told Alec as they conversed. 
                    Eventually dessert was served and the meal drew to a close.   “We’ll need extra horses and water skins to cross the prairie,” Alec told Durer as the last plates were removed from the table.
                    “You can take as many as you need,” Durer said easily.  “How many riders do you want?”
                    Alec looked at him momentarily.  “We’re traveling as fast and light as possible.  I don’t plan to take a fighting force.”
                    “We’ll take him,” Armilla spoke for the first time.  She pointed at Delle.  “If he wants to come.   I’ve traveled with him before.  I know he can keep up a good pace.”
                    “If you’re taking Delle, you have to take me too,” Brandeis spoke abruptly.  “I won’t slow you down.  You’ve got two from Goldenfields and two from Oyster Bay , so you need two from Stronghold.”
                    “Rander wanted to come too,” Alec replied slowly.  “I told him he needed to stay to take care of Rief, to make sure he was with her.”
                    “I’ve done this before Alec,” Brandeis said pleadingly.  “I waited for months the last time Norrie was in her tomb, and it drove me crazy.  If I stay here and stew with no way to help the situation, I’ll go crazy again.”
                     “You know this is not a well-planned journey.  We only know we are going to go in search of the lacertii in the mountains.  I don’t want to sound negative, but it may not be a simple journey that will make you feel like you’re accomplishing something.  But if you want to join us, I understand.  You’re welcome to be a part of our trip,” Alec relented.   He turned his head slightly, and saw Johanna give a slight nod of her head, a sign of her approval of his decision.
                    “We’ll leave first thing in the morning.  I’d like to go down to your stables tonight and select some horses, if that’s