Chapter 1

 

'Please, please, can you help my brother? A woman in the nearby village told me that you would be able to help us, that you have certain skills,' Joy pleaded with the heavily bearded man who had just opened the door. His striking, deep green eyes stared down at her as if questioning her words and presence on his doorstep. Then he noticed the bundle in her arms - her little brother, pale and restless and trembling, delirious to the world around him - and the man's expression softened.

'Come in,' the man said with a deep textured voice. Had she not been so desperate for his help, she may have hesitated before entering a stranger's home so freely, but her brother was terribly sick, and she feared the worst. She knew that she did not have time to spare.

The man moved a heap of books and strange looking items from a makeshift bed to a wooden table behind them. 'Put him on the bed there, so he can lie down and rest,' the man instructed, pointing to the bed.

'Ok, stand back so I can take a look at him properly,' he said.

Joy moved away from the bed reluctantly, fidgeting as she stood looking helplessly. 'Will he be ok?' she asked, still panicked.