A Place Called Hawthorne. Excerpt

The Spider Mushroom
It is early morning. A warm, soft. rain fell during the night. The fog hovers, in streams, over Hawthorne. The torches flicker with a low flame, having burned all night. Torch-lighters move solemnly round the gathering circle, refueling the lights. They must not burn out: for they tell the villagers Sage still breathes.

 Barccys and Sage meet over brunch to discuss plans for The Festival Of Hawthorne. Sage is the village healer. She is also training him to take her place, as the village healer, at the end of her time. Shortly after their meal, Sage stumbles, then falls to the floor.
 “Sage!” Barccys jumps out of his chair and runs to her. He kneels beside her, cradling her head in his arms.
 “Sage! Can you speak?” his voice quivering. Sage only nods, then gently, her blue eyes close.
 “Delfyn! Delfyn! Come here quickly, something terrible is happening to Sage!” Delfyn is outside the cottage gathering herbs, as instructed by Sage. He rushes in the door, arms full of yarrow, a dumbfounded look on his face. He sees Sage and Barccys are on the floor.
 “What happened?” Delfyn said, too frightened to speak further. He drops the yarrow and runs to Sage to help comfort her.
 “No, run, you must run to get Wydor and Elum, they are in the council hall! You must hurry!” Barccys spoke with an urgent, forcefulness in his voice!
 Delfyn never heard from him before. Shocked into action, Delfyn runs as fast as his short little legs will carry him.
He arrives at the Hall, terrified and breathless,
 "Come quickly, it's Sage!"
 Wydor abruptly ends his conversation with Elum. They quickly exchange a concerned glance. The two follow Delfyn to the cottage. Once there, they find Barccys still holding an unconscious Sage.
 “Come, everyone. Let us put her on the bed, I can examine her there,” instructed Wydor.
 Elum covers her with the soft blankets, as one would a small child. Noticing a drop of liquid coming from the corner of her mouth. He removes gauze from his pocket and collects the liquid.
" I will take this to my cottage and look at it more closely. She appears to be in a deep sleep, her breathing is regular."
 “Sage” he calls to her softly. Elum's voice grows louder with concern.
 “Sage, can you hear me?”
“What is it Elum? What could have done this?” Wydor asks.
 “I am not sure yet. Maybe Barccys has some answers for us” as Elum turns to Barccys accusingly.
 Barccys is frightened. He knows, it looks bad that he is there with Sage when she fell. He knows, they will suspect him of doing something to bring this lassitude on her. He’d tried to sabotage her work before, to make himself look good. It did not work. He has tried hard to prove that was a one time mistake. Barccys changed the feeding mixture and caused her medicinal garden to fail. ”Barccys replies earnestly.  Now, this! “I swear to you, I had nothing to do with this! I don't know what is happening to her! We just finished the meal and she collapsed!” Barccys pleads with Wydor and Elum. Delfyn stands tucked behind Wydor's robes, his green eyes wide with fear.
 “You can check, here on the table, I ate the same things she did. We had watercress and mushroom salad; only I drank the water. Sage finished her tea from earlier this morning.”
“Delfyn, take all the meal containers to my workshop, miss nothing! Do it now!” Elum ordered.
 Delfyn quickly and obediently does as instructed. All the while, watching Sage, her beautiful auburn hair flowing down her pillow. Crystals hold braids crowning her head. Her pink skin becoming paler. Delfyn could not imagine his life without Sage. She was his teacher, his mentor, and his protector. She had taken him under her wing when he was only twelve. Now, she was everything to him.
 Delfyn was small even by elf standards, but he made up for it with intelligence and therefore Sage first noticed him. Delfyn thought back to that day he found an injured bird in the garden. It had a broken nail, and the toe was bleeding. He picked the red herb from the garden, rubbed the leaves on the bird's toe to stop the bleeding
"You are a clever elf! Would you like to know more about healing?" she says to him.
He wants her to wake up, now.
 Delfyn gathers the last of the utensils and the cups and wobbles out of the door toward Elum's workshop.
 “Do you have everything?” Elum asks Delfyn.
 “Yes, sir”
 “What about the mortar and pestle? Did they grind spices?”
 “Oh, yes I prepared the tea leaves for hot tea. I will get it.” Delfyn says. Then he hurries toward the door.
“Delfyn you must return here to stay with Sage,” Wydor tells him.
 “I will return quickly. Delfyn replies. Elum follows him to the workshop.
 Wydor sits in a simple wooden chair next to Sage’s bed. Barccys stands next to the foot of the bed: much like a statue, except for the constant wringing of his hands.
 “This is not looking good for you Barccys” Wydor comments
 “I know that, Sir. But I am sorry and innocent of wrongdoing.”Barccys replies earnestly.
 "The crowd gathering around the fire ring will not be easy to convince," Wydor says.
 “I will do my best for you at the speaking stone.”.
 “I know you will Sir, you are always fair.”
Delfyn returns from his task for Elum.
 “We must go. Come, Barccys the village is waiting to hear news of Sage.”


New Novella coming out 2019
Sharon L. Carr (c)  all rights reserved