Consciousness, when it arrived, simply hurt.
Maybe the damned priest was right.....I am bound for Hell...
That the rhythm of pain kept pace with a heartbeat and thus gave evidence of life blessed her with an odd sort of comfort.
The gray peace of oblivion enfolded once again......
"HOW'S THE DRUNK?"
A blast of cold air invaded the lungs and dragged her once more amongst the living. Dulcinaya rose upon one elbow and faced the open door. Squinting through a single blood-shot eye, she discerned Elphin's silhouette.
She gave him a terse description of how his ancestor's unfortunate mating choices had cursed this land with his existence. He smirked, shook his head and slammed the door with malicious effort.
"Damned gadjos - why do I keep taking in every stray dog?"
"Go easy on him. When you didn't come home on Sunday morn, Elphin went to fetch you. The rest of us thought nothing of it - after all, it wouldn't be the first time you and the serving wench got snockered after hours." Katherine spoke gently. "Elphin carried you all the way from the tavern by himself. He swears he didn't drop you on your head more than twice."
"Where am I?"
"You're in your own bed. You're safe - now shut up and lie down."
Katherine pressed a cold rag against Dulcy's forehead.
"By the way, Morwenna says you're not drunk and you don't have a hangover - you've been drugged."
"Mow....who?"
"Mor-Wen-Nah... remember her? She's another stray-dog gadjo you took in recently. That 'dog' has been with you ever since Elphin brought you in - she left only after I threatened to throw her out."
Dulcinaya took a deep breath and held her eyes shut.
"Whenever I can eat again, I'd like a large plate of crow."
"Save the humility. We all know you're not well."
"How did Morwenna know that I was drugged?"
Katherine remained silent and only raised an eyebrow - a prudent woman never revealed where such knowledge came from.
"Leave those things to the healers."
Dulcy rolled upright, sat on the edge of the bed and buried her face in her hands.
"Morwenna said to give this to you when you were strong enough. She said it would help clear your head."
Dulcy gave the potion a sniff and recoiled.
"Augggh! This stuff smells awful!"
"Drink it, it's good for you."
"Drink it? - I'd sooner kiss a pig's........."
"Aysha's sow just had a litter. I'll fetch one for you - got any preferences?"
When presented in that manner, the correct choice was obvious. Dulcinaya took a few deep breaths, steeled herself and downed the entire dose in a single gulp. Her eyes bulged as the cup shattered on the floor.
"Oh - My - Gawd." The words were forced out between croaking gasps.
"You were supposed to sip it, dammit."
"Yeah, thanks for telling me. I hope that was fun to watch."
Katherine placed a finger to her lips to compel silence and gave a quick glance about to make sure there were no others present.
"After Morwenna told me you had been drugged, I was pretty sure that you had been robbed." Katherine leaned close and spoke in a low voice. "As soon as she left, I looked to see if there was anything in your purse."
" - Bet it was kind of empty, eh? - At least I know the bastards didn't get much..."
"- Shut up and let me finish. When I emptied your purse onto the table there were three coppers.."
"- So what? That's just about all I ever have....."
"... and ten gold florins..."
Katherine waited until the shock began to fade from Dulcinaya's face.
"Close your mouth, you look like a fish."
"Y'know, sometimes your sense of humor really gets on my nerves....."
"I wasn't joking and you have some explaining to do. What happened at the tavern?"
"I'm having trouble remembering anything from last night. Hell, when I woke up, I didn't recognize my own vardo."
"It didn't happen last night. Today is Monday - you've been unconscious for a whole day."
Dulcinaya collapsed back onto the bed and wrapped the pillow around her head.
"Gimme some time, this may take a while to piece together."
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