Chapter 9
Part 2
Kol stopped to examine some fruit. In his head he was no longer in the market, he was laying curled up in the bed. A decision couldn’t be made to pass out or throw up. “Talk to me.” He whispered.
“What would you like to talk about?” Her voice was soft and comforting.
“Anything, I don’t care.”
He felt the bed move as she knelt in the floor beside of him. She started reading from the Bible.
“Here.” He heard a man’s voice but wasn’t sure who it was. Or he could have been dreaming.
“I don’t think we are going to be able to get him to drink this.”
“Get some in your mouth and give him a kiss.”
“Dad!” came her shocked cry.
“He would drink it then.”
“Serious suggestions dad.”
“I am being serious.”
“Is anyone else sick?”
“Yes, a handful of people have come to me. I think it’s something they have eaten. I was told the grand dukes wife is very sick.”
She took a pouch of tea leafs from his bag. “Max,” she called. He stepped from the shadows. “Make our king drink this.” She handed Max the cup that her dad had given her.
He grinned, “your dad is right. One big wet kiss from you would get this in his belly.”
She shook her head as she walked away. Max and her dad giggled like school boys.
When she arrived at the grand dukes home, she was met with confusion and suspicion, “I am told the lady of the house is very sick?”
“Follow me.” The porter threw his head back and walked stiff legged through the house.
She was led to a small dark bedroom. The lady was curled up much like Kol. Only she was cold to the touch and her bed was wet from perspiration.
“Has she been near the king?”
“No.” Came the grand dukes shaky reply. He was worried about the health of his wife but more worried about a Bejhar in his house.
“Has she eaten anything no one else in the house has eaten?” Kessa asked.
Another lady was standing in the doorway. “She loves cherries. Ate the whole bowl.”
She gave this young lady the pouch of tea leafs. “This will make a pot of tea. Make her drink it all. Not at once. But she needs to drink all of it.”
“I understand.” The grand duke answered.
She and Luke went to the market and found three vendors selling cherries. One vender, his cherries were much more orange than the rest. They were beautiful and plump. He was arrested and questioned about his fruit. No one died from the fruit he was selling.
After a few days, she went back to Kol, “what did you learn?” He asked. He was up and walking around but she could tell he was still feeling poorly.
“His crop didn’t do well this year. So he picked some wild fruit at the edge of his property to supplement his yield. He swears he didn’t know they were poisonous. Following your instructions, he isn’t allowed to sell in the market for one year.”
He took her by the hand and kissed the top of it. “Thank you.”
She whispered in his ear, “the glory belongs to God.”
Without a word, he walked away from the table in the market place.
“My lady, my lady,” rang out through the crowd. Kessa and the king turned to see the grand duchess quickly walking toward them. She bowed her head to the king, “my king.” Quickly diverting her attention to Kessa; “My lady, I haven’t had the opportunity to thank you for the tea. I have never been as sick as I was from those cherries. It was the worst experience of my life.”
“All the glory belongs to God. I am happy you made a full recovery.” She bowed her head slightly.
The grand duke had caught up with his wife. He said his pleasantries to the king and they walked on.
Kessa stood there for a moment, looking very confused.
“What?” Kol asked.
“That was five years ago.”
Poetry & More 