Buried Too Deep Read Online Free Page B

Chief Bodvocus. I’m sorry I can’t shake hands.” He managed a thin smile. “I’ve broken my arm, or rather had it broken for me. I hear you’re the best bone-setter in these parts, so I hope you can patch me up.”
    I’d never met Coriu, but I’d heard of Chief Bodvocus. He was a powerful native chieftain of the Parisi tribe, and he lived on the coast, so this guard captain, one of his senior men presumably, had travelled quite a distance.
    “I’ll do my best. When was it broken?”
    “Yesterday.”
    “Good, you haven’t wasted any time in coming to see me. Some sort of accident, was it?”
    “Not really. A Gaul attacked me with an axe. I think he was aiming for my head, so I suppose I should be thanking the gods that it’s no worse.”
    “I’ll take a look, and we’ll see. If it’s a straightforward fracture it should heal up as good as new. If the ends of the broken bones overlap, we’ll probably need to stretch it, to make sure the arm doesn’t shorten.” He looked round and seemed to notice me for the first time. “I’ll be with you in a heartbeat, Aurelia. Now, Coriu, will you just climb onto this bed and make yourself as comfortable as you can. Phokas here will take off that sling and clean the wound, then we can see the damage. If you’ll forgive me, I must just have a quick word with Aurelia about Belinus. Come with me, Aurelia, he’s in the side-room.”
    Phokas moved forward to help Coriu onto the high bed, but the injured man waved him away. “Belinus? From White Rocks Farm? Is he one of your patients?”
    Timaeus nodded. “He was brought in last night. He’s quite badly hurt, I’m afraid. You know him?”
    “Yes, I know all Chief Bodvocus’ people, and Belinus is a good young farmer. What’s happened to him? Was it the sea-raiders?”
    “I don’t know. He’s been unconscious nearly all the time since he got here. His injury looks like a sword-wound, but the neighbour who brought him here said it was a farm accident.”
    “No accident, I’d stake my life on it.” He paced across the room and back again, frowning. “Gods, this is serious. Belinus has had trouble from Voltacos’ raiders before, but I didn’t realise things had got as bad as this.” He paced the room again. “The Chief will need me now more than ever. I think I ought to go straight home. If you can put this arm in a decent sling for me and give me something to dull the pain, I’ll take a chance that it’ll mend by itself.”
    “It won’t,” Timaeus said sternly. “You must know that, or you wouldn’t have come all this way to have it treated. Do you want a deformed right arm the rest of your life?”
    Coriu hesitated. “That’s really what will happen? It won’t just heal itself?”
    “Oh, it’ll heal after a fashion, but there’s a big risk you won’t have full use of it. Now I can see you’re worried about Belinus, but the only way you can help him is to get well and strong again as quickly as you can.”
    Coriu shrugged, and the gesture made him wince. “I suppose you’re right. Let’s get on with it then.” He eased himself onto the bed, waving away Phokas’ help. “You say he’s badly hurt? He’ll be all right, won’t he?”
    Timaeus adopted his most professional manner. “We’re doing everything we can for him, but these things take time. Now, let’s concentrate on you. Phokas, you know what to do. Aurelia, if you’ll just come with me to Belinus’ room…”
    We entered the little side-room that was used by any of Timaeus’ patients who needed to stay in bed. I was disappointed to find that Belinus was unconscious. “Spurius said he’d woken up. I was expecting to be able to talk to him.”
    Timaeus shook his head sadly. “He was only conscious for a very short time. He asked for your brother. I said he wasn’t here and I would fetch you, but he said that would take too long. He made me promise to give you this message: ‘Please send for Lucius urgently, there are