Paladin of the Peaceful Lady

Chapter Fifteen Unhappy Necessaties

Drake looked at Greenie's limp body, fear welling inside him. "The baby? Is Jocelyn safe?"

Arnold nodded to Jacob, "The babe has been sleeping peacefully since we found Dale's horses, the rhythmic hoofbeats lulled the sweet thing right to sleep. Greenie took quite the beating keeping her safe, I take back everything ill I've ever said of the little goblin."

Drake was reaching up to take the broken body from Arnold. "We will bury him near Mae, she always liked the little creature."

Arnold looked at Drake in surprise, "No doubt she would like that, but maybe wait until the poor bugger expires before we go and bury him alive. Be a pity to have him go through all he has just to write him off, though his prospects seem grim as they are."

As Drake took Greenie from Arnold a small groan escaped at the pain the shift brought about. Greenie's eyes fluttered open as realization of the conversation finally reached him. "No bury Greenie yet. Greenie just need rest." The words came out low but clear, he eyes closed again.

Drake quickly, but carefully, laid Greenie down on the soft grass and removed his tunic to see what could be done for the unfortunate creature. As he looked over the green skin, now a lighter pallid tone, he saw the dark bruises and broken skin. Drake had seen such wounds before and knew the risk was more internal than external.

"Put your hands on the worst injuries" The Lady spoke into Drake's mind.

Finding the broken ribs and placing his hands on top of them he waited, trusting in the Lady. "Now will him to heal" she spoke into his mind again.

Drake wasn't sure exactly what that meant, but he did want Greenie to live, to be healed. He closed his eyes and imagined Greenie's ribs unbroken, his injuries healed like his had been as he spoke his oath not twenty minutes before. At first nothing happened, and Drake felt silly kneeling over the now unconscious goblin with his hands pressed to his flesh. Then a flash of green under his palms, dim at first but growing brighter. The green light twined out from under his palms like sweet pea vines climbing a trestle. They wove around and darted along Greenie's skin, circling around where the worst injuries were. Greenie gave a gasp, and his eyes shot open as the vines seemed to grow tight around him and he sat up briefly, Drake's hands coming away as he did. He fell back down, his eyes shut again, his breathing normal, and the skin returning to his darker green.

Drake looked up at the two other men, they had gotten down from their mounts and had come to stand by him. Jacob still held little Jocelyn, but his eyes seemed about to bulge out of his head.

"You've taken an oath, or I'm not the town miller." Arnold spoke flatly, as if watching a miraculous healing was an everyday occurrence.

"Judging by the way you sit a horse," Drake responded as he stood up, "and that you're not surprised to see a healing spell, I'd say you weren't always the town miller." He stared at the other man pointedly.

Arnold waved it away, "A story for another time. There's work to be done here." He looked around at the bodies scattered about. Smoke still came from somewhere inside the walled farmstead. "We had better prioritize that fire."

Drake nodded and making sure Greenie was comfortable under the tree, Daisy came and laid down protectively around the goblin. Drake took the sleeping Jocelyn and lay her against the big mare's flank. Like Greenie, Daisy had been babysitting since Daria was a babe. Arnold hobbled Dale's horses and set them out to crop at the grass. "Where did you get that big beast from?" Arnold asked throwing a thumb towards Daisy.

Drake looked at him quizzically, then realized what was asked. "That's Daisy, she brought me up to the hill before taking three arrows and fading away. I thought I had lost her, but new oath, new look, I guess. It's her though, if you look into her eyes you'll see. Same horse." Daisy nickered at them quietly in acknowledgement.