[RPG] Re: [FEI][AC]The Heretic will be punished or shall I do it ?

[Bob]

Maltheo observed the King collapse, and moved to ensure that his head didn't
bang on the floor as best he can. Instead his hand did, and he grimaced and
ignored the slight pain. He motioned for a nearby scribe to come, twice.
"Fetch a healer," he says, quietly but firmly.

"Which one?" the scribe asked petulently.

"Which one? The King's, of course. Go at once to the palace."

The young man looked at Maltheo doubtfully. "I've never been in there... I'm
just a scribe, how will -"

"Well, don't be daft," Maltheo said cuttingly. "Tell them the King has
collapsed and needs attention. They won't care about your rank then. Now
go!"

He turned his attention back to the fallen Lu'an. He was almost convulsing,
semi-conscious. It was like no sickness or wound that he knew of. He shook
his head suddenly - *could it be...?*

Gingerly, he put his hands to the King's face and gently pried open an
eyeball. The eye was not rolled up inside his head, but it stared
unseeingly.

He let go. Well, it wasn't a convulsion. And it wasn't either a good or bad
spell of *ikrif* - he was sure the King had never used. And Maltheo would
have smelled it if drunk or smoked.

He brought his face close to that of his king and peered into his nose. No
residual powder there, either. It wasn't a vision, it wasn't Communion. It
required the assistance of *ikrif* to achieve that.

Didn't it?

At last, after sitting helplessly by the ruler's side, guards from the Royal
Palace entered the temple, their boots loud on the wooden floorboards. He
resented it, but said nothing. They came with the King's healer, and some
other courtiers.

"What's happened?" someone demanded.

"He just came in here and collapsed. I do not know why. It isn't a
convulsion," he replied.

One of the guards glared at him. "Is it that plant you smoke, priest? Did
you feed him some of your poison?"

He levelled his gaze at the guard. The old Maltheo would have reminded this
impertinent fellow of his low rank. Instead he said simply, "Not at all."

"We'll take him back. Fetch this man, carefully, we bring him to the coach,"
said the healer with professional efficiency. As they carried him out, the
healer turned to Maltheo. "We'll let you know. Thank you for alerting us."

He spent the rest of the day sitting quietly and pondering the meaning of
this event, knowing there was nothing he could do and that worry would not
help.


--
~b
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