Chapter Twenty-Two
Ruth’s jaw quivered. He clutched his dripping forehead as though overcome with a dizzy spell.
“I heard that you were staying at the monastery, but…did you really decide to join the monastic order of your own accord? What about Sir Riftan?!”
“Wh-What…n-nonsense are you spewing?!” Maxi yelled shrilly.
Surprised by how loud her voice had come out, Maxi nervously glanced about. Soldiers leading horses down the hill darted suspicious looks at them.
Growing anxious, she hastily lowered her voice to a whisper. “The habit…is so I could follow the s-support unit. I am currently…working as a h-healer’s aide for the camp’s wounded.”
“An aide?” Ruth repeated like a parrot.
Maxi seriously considered giving him a good blow to the head so he could think clearly.
“I do not have time t-to explain,” she hissed. “Before you leave, I want to hear about…everything that has happened. I-Is Riftan…well? Is everyone…a-all right? I was told that some were injured—”
“Wait, hold on!” Ruth shouted irritably. “You can’t just say whatever you want after appearing out of nowhere like that. I need time to arrange my thoughts.”
He narrowed his eyes and slowly scanned her from head to foot as he wrung the water from his robe. Suddenly conscious of her disheveled hair, clammy face, and ragged clothes, Maxi blushed with embarrassment.
Ruth covered his face with his hands and let out a long groan. “By God…does Duke Aren know you’re here?”
“I told you…no one else kn-knows,” Maxi mumbled, pulling her hood back into place.
Ruth frowned as though he finally understood what was going on. “Sir Riftan will be furious if he finds out!”
Startled, Maxi covered his mouth again. “Please…keep your voice down.”
Ruth stared up at the sky as if the heavens were testing his patience and mumbled a short prayer.
“Why in God’s name are you doing this to me?” he groaned. “Couldn’t you have kept all this a secret from me as well? I don’t see why you had to drag me into this.”
Maxi’s eyes narrowed at his overly harsh words. She had nearly been moved to tears upon seeing him, but now her happiness quickly dissipated.
“I-Is that all you have to say…when we haven’t seen each other for so long?” she demanded. “A-And to think I was so worried about you!”
Ruth snorted. “Did you think that I would dance from joy upon finding out about your schemes?” he retorted sarcastically.
Indignant, Maxi lifted her chin. “Won’t it be fine…a-as long as I make sure that it does not c-cause you any trouble? Tell me of the situation on the b-battlefield. I came this far so I could get a more d-detailed account of what’s going on…but I’ve been too busy to even ask around.”
“Don’t try to change the subject!” Ruth snapped. “I don’t know how you managed to join the party undercover, but I can’t turn a blind eye now that I’ve seen you here. You really have put me in a difficult position!”
“Is there a problem?”
Maxi stiffened. One of the soldiers who had been moving the horses was looking at them curiously.
Maxi quickly lowered her head. She could almost feel Ruth hesitating. It seemed that this darn sorcerer was going to reveal who she was and ruin all her plans.
She squeezed her eyes shut and clasped her hands together. Moments later, she heard the click of a tongue and Ruth’s grouchy voice saying, “No, everything is fine.”
Maxi sighed in relief as the soldier went on his way, but the feeling was fleeting.
Ruth trudged up the bank of the stream and glared at her. “Which tent are you staying in?”
“Th-The one at the east end,” Maxi replied.
“I see. I will come to you later when I get the chance.”
“Th-That won’t do. Someone might find it sus—”
“We’ll just have to come up with a suitable excuse,” Ruth shot back. He sighed and added, “I can’t remain here for long. I have important matters to discuss with the men. I’ll come find you in an hour or two.”
Without waiting for a reply, Ruth crossed the gravel path and climbed up the hill. Maxi sullenly watched his figure recede into the distance before returning to the infirmary tent. Idsilla, who had been anxiously waiting for her, ran over and asked if she had learned anything.
Maxi gave her a glum look. “I-I will…tell you everything later.”
It was time for the administration of herbal decoctions, and the tent bustled with female clerics going about their tasks.
Realizing that now was not the best time, Idsilla silently nodded.
Maxi rolled up her sleeves and got to work, but she could not stop her eyes from constantly drifting to the entryway.
Ruth had told her that he would come see her in an hour or two.
Was he planning on convincing her to return to Levan?
His reaction had somewhat disheartened her.
After all, the sorcerer was the one who had taught her the art of healing as well as magic.
Yet he had seemed disapproving of her using her skills here.
Maxi bit her lip. If Ruth’s reaction was this severe, she could not begin to fathom how furious Riftan would be.
She swept loose strands of hair back into her hood, then stood up to feed some patients a remedy to alleviate their nausea.
She had just begun administering herbal treatments and changing dressings when Ruth entered the tent.
Maxi’s eyes widened as she watched him stride in so nonchalantly. The female clerics tending to their own patients all around the tent eyed him curiously, but Ruth did not seem flustered in the slightest.
“I am here to check on the condition of the men,” he announced. “Please, resume your work and do not mind me.”
With that, Ruth truly did begin walking between the cots and checking the patients’ faces. Maxi wondered why as she flicked glances at him.
He only approached the soldier she was tending to after he had seen all the patients in the tent. Inspecting the long gash on the man’s chest, Ruth remarked, “A neat stitch. I would say they should be ready for removal after two more days.”
Not knowing how to respond, Maxi simply bobbed her head. Ruth carefully studied the suture, then motioned with his hand for her to continue what she was doing. Maxi stiffly applied a salve made of mashed herbs on the wound and neatly dressed the area with a bandage.
After silently watching her work, Ruth said in an exaggerated manner, “You are quite skilled at this. If you do not mind, sister, I would like to hear your advice on treatment methods. Would you be able to spare me a moment of your time?”
His terrible acting made Maxi blink at him with dismay.
The female cleric who was looking after the patient in the cot next to them chimed in. “Sister Meg is the best healer among us. There is no herb she is unfamiliar with, and she can stitch wounds in the blink of an eye. She would surely be helpful.”
Not used to receiving compliments, Maxi blushed. She had been completely unaware that the women thought so highly of her skills.
Ruth regarded Maxi with a mystified expression, then requested in a formal tone, “It seems I have a lot to learn, then. Please, allow me to briefly consult with you.”
Maxi paused. “Very well,” she finally replied.
Maxi’s patient winced from the prickling sensation of the freshly applied salve. After asking him to excuse her, she rose to her feet. Ruth promptly guided her out of the tent and sought an isolated area.
Sensing his somber mood, Maxi nervously looked about. Ruth led her through the thick trees for quite some time. Just before he stopped, he glanced around to make sure they were alone.
He whirled around to face her. “You succeed in surprising me more every time, my lady. I never took you to be this fearless when we first met.”
Flushing like a reprimanded child, Maxi began rambling her excuses. “A-After I heard that the war would drag on…I-I simply could not sit by and wait. I th-thought I could gain better insight on…wh-what was going on if I were c-closer to the battlefield.”
“Is that why you secretly joined the campaign party dressed in such rags?” Ruth asked as he blandly eyed the burned holes in her clothes. They were from sparking embers while lighting fires to boil herbs and cook meals for the soldiers.
Though it made her ears burn with shame to have him see her in such an unseemly state, Maxi deliberately tried to look calm as she brushed dust off her clothes.
“Wh-What is wrong with my attire?” she snapped. “I am not ashamed…of what I’m wearing. It only shows that I am w-working hard!”
“I had no intention of criticizing you, my lady,” said Ruth, letting out a long sigh. “You are a skilled healer, and you’ve come this far to take on the heavy burden of looking after the injured. If anything, you deserve praise.”
The relief Maxi felt at his unexpected words did not last long. “However, I can’t praise you for hiding your identity and secretly joining the campaign party,” Ruth stiffly added. “The basilica must be turning itself upside down as we speak searching for you.”
“I-I have made arrangements!” Maxi interjected. “The basilica thinks that I’m c-currently visiting…the home of a friend I made at the m-monastery, so do not worry.”
Even with her confident reassurance, the frown on Ruth’s face did not soften. “There will be hell to pay if your deception is ever discovered,” he said grimly. “Duke Aren will surely be embarrassed, and do you realize how incensed Sir Riftan will be when he finds out?”
“I-I intend…to formally offer the duke my apologies after all this is over,” Maxi mumbled, hunching her shoulders. Ruth had managed to point out the very thing that had been weighing most heavily on her conscience.
He shook his head and heaved a sigh. “I doubt the duke ever thought that you would do something so reckless.”
Maxi swallowed hard at his biting tone. “D-Do you…intend to send me back to Levan?”
Ruth clenched his jaw, and Maxi anxiously looked up at him, feeling like a criminal awaiting her sentence. He furiously scratched his messy hair with both hands before letting out a long, pained groan.