Half Brains, Sacred Water book 1 Read online



  Sacred Water

  Book 1

  Half Brains

  Charles Kaluza

  Copyright 2010 Charles Kaluza

  Chapter 1

  Daniel could hear angry voices on the other side of the door. He thanked his guide and turned toward the heavy wooden door knocking softly. He waited for a response and then knocked more forcefully. The room became silent. The door creaked open and he saw four of the royal physicians standing in front of a large stone fireplace. The candlelight filled the room with a warm glow but also cast shadows making the standing physicians seem larger-than-life with darkened faces.

  “Excuse me, I am Daniel and believe you sent for me. How can I be of assistance?”

  The oldest man dressed in a scarlet robe snarled, “You are the healer from the Forest? You seem little more than a boy.”

  “I am of the Forest and I am learning the skills of a healer.”

  “The King’s daughter is ill and your opinion has been requested, against my council. You are not to perform any treatment unless it is authorized by us. Is that understood?”

  Daniel nodded before asking, “How long has she been ill?”

  The youngest of the royal physicians responded, “The Princess developed a loss of appetite three days ago and we treated her with a purgative without relief. Her illness has progressed to severe pain in her abdomen and a moderate fever which we have treated with a bloodletting. She is now suffering from deliriums, and has required repeated bloodlettings for control.”

  Daniel said, “I will try.”

  Daniel was led into the bedroom space which was dimly lit by a single candle near the bed. The smell of illness permeated the room and in the bed lay a young woman who was as pale as the sheets covering her. Her blond hair was damp from the cool cloths that the attendant was applying to her forehead. Daniel introduced himself but she did not respond. He felt her pulse and a deep furrow formed between his eyebrows. The pulse was rapid and instead of a strong surge of blood pushing through the artery he felt only the sensation of a string with a series of small knots moving beneath his fingers. He had the attendant hold the candle close to her face as he pulled down her eyelid. The lining was almost white instead of the normal pink. He examined her hand and noted the very pale fingernails. He pressed against the nail bed and watch how slowly the blood returned.

  He used the listening tube held against her chest wall trying to hear her heart which sounded distant. The breathing did seem clear but very shallow. He placed his hand over her abdomen and felt for the normal movements of the intestines, there was none. The abdomen was stiff and mildly swollen. As he moved his hand slowly around the abdomen an area of increased warmth was present on the right side. He gently pushed and she responded with a groan. He repeated the pressure and quickly released his hand which produced a much louder groan. The royal physicians were obviously becoming concerned with the pain he was causing. Daniel completed his exam and walked out into the antechamber. He was followed by the other physicians. Daniel was biting his lip and thinking.

  The junior physician asked, “What are your thoughts?”

  Daniel looked up at them and said, “She is quite ill and has lost too much blood. I think her appendix is ready to rupture and her only chance of surviving is to have it removed.”

  “You would be willing to operate on the King’s daughter?”

  Daniel replied, “In the Forest we have no king and everyone is given the same chance to live.”

  The physician in the red robe asked, “And you think she is strong enough to tolerate the ether?”

  “No, she is much too weak. The surgery would have to be done with just some extract of poppy. If her nature is strong enough she’ll make it. Without surgery she will die within a few days.”

  The physician in the red robe said, “The King is awaiting our decision. We had better present ourselves.”

  Daniel held back when the others were leaving. It was not until he was told directly to join them that he followed along. They entered the King’s library. Daniel’s attention was initially drawn to the very rich woodwork. The room was paneled in a chocolate brown colored wood and highly polished. It was only when the figures sitting next to the fireplace turned that he realized he was in the presence of the King.

  The King asked, “How is my daughter?”

  The physician in the red robe replied, “She is not yet improving. We have had the healer from the Forest evaluate her as your Queen requested.”

  “And what does this stranger say?”

  Everyone turned and looked at Daniel who after a moment of silence said, “Sir, your daughter has an infection of her appendix. If she does not have surgery she will die soon. She is so weak that surgery is of itself very dangerous.”

  The King asked, “And you would be willing to operate on my daughter?”

  “If your daughter were my patient, I would perform surgery on her.”

  The King turned to the physician in the red robe and asked, “Why would this healer from the Forest be willing to operate and you are not?”

  The physician responded, “Sire, the Princess is too weak and we are afraid she would not survive an operation. Hopefully, with a little more bloodletting, she will recover.”

  The King turned again to Daniel and asked, “You disagree. Why?”

  Daniel said, “Your daughter has already lost too much blood. She may die from surgery but will certainly die without it.”

  “You tell me my daughter will die if she doesn’t have surgery and my royal physicians tell me that she will die with surgery. How is a father to decide?”

  Nobody spoke and the King began to pace around the room and then stopped and just stared into the fireplace. He finally spoke, “My daughter is a feisty one and not for indecision. She would take the risk of surgery. So my decision is made; proceed with your operation.”

  The physician in the red robe began to object but the King held up his hand and just motioned them to leave. Outside in the hallway the Royal physicians began arguing amongst themselves but Daniel was already visualizing the required steps for the operation. It was a surgery he had performed many times before but never on a patient who was so ill. He was most concerned about her weakened condition and knew that she could not afford to loose any more blood.

  His thoughts were interrupted by the demand, “I hope you’re ready for this. If you fail, and the Princes dies, the burden will be on your shoulders. Dr. Racawits will assist you and make sure you do things properly.

  Daniel just nodded before saying, “I’ll need a sturdy table covered with some blankets and lots of candles. She will not tolerate ether so the surgery will need to be performed with just extract of poppies. I will require one-half small cask of sacred water for preparation and clean linen strips. We must control any bleeding so a charcoal pot and a small cautery rod will be needed. If you could prepare these items and administer the extract of poppies I will go retrieve my surgical instruments.”

  The younger physician, whom Daniel assumed was Dr. Racawits, spoke up and said he would make sure everything was ready. Daniel turned to leave but realized that he did not know his way out of the dimly lit castle. He turned to ask for help.

  The physician in the red robe laughed and said, “This Forest healer thinks he can save the Princess but he can’t even find his way out the door. You would do much better turning left and going down the stairs. I can’t support this decision so I am going to bed and let you accept full responsibility for your rash decision.”

  Daniel was met at the door by the same guard who had brought him to the castle. Daniel informed him of his need to retur
n to his quarters for retrieval of his surgical instruments.

  The guard said, “Sir, does this mean you’ll be able to help the Princess?”

  “I’m going to try.”

  “Well I knew you’d be able to do it. After hearing what the Queen said, I told Martha, that’s my wife, that they should ask you to help. I mean, after all, if you can heal a half brain you should be able to heal anybody.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You know, the half brain called Betty, she was real sick and kept vomiting. You opened her up and fixed something. Now she’s good as new. She was the Queens favorite and everyone’s glad you fixed her. Now you’re going to fix the Princess. This new Queen seems nice enough but we miss the old one. Sure too bad about her dying like that.”

  The guard kept up his banter during the walk to and from Daniel’s quarters. For the most part, Daniel just let him talk. He was visualizing the surgery and trying to solve any problems before they arose. He used his grandfather’s advice almost like a mantra, “If you can visualize it, you can do it.” He kept visualizing each individual step of the operation, over and over. When they returned to the Princess’s quarters the antechamber had been converted to a small operating room. Everything seemed to be in order. Before moving the Princess, Daniel carefully unrolled the leather instrument pack. He placed each instrument in a large bowl, except for a shiny black sliver of obsidian. This dagger sized piece of rock was the scalpel. He used a small piece of flint to carefully create small chips along the tip of the instrument. Once he was satisfied he placed it on top of the other instruments and poured sacred water over them. He then rinsed his hands in the sacred water.

  Dr. Racawits objected saying, “You’re wasting the sacred water!”

  Daniel explained, “Using the sacred water to cleanse the instruments helps keep purulence from developing. We’ll also use it to moisten the linen strips. I think we’re ready, let’s move her onto the table.”

  The Princess was as limp as a rag doll as they placed her on the table rolled partially onto her left side. Daniel directed the attendants to hold the candles to maximize the lighting. He raised her gown to the level of her breast and covered her lower body with the linen. He then wiped the skin area with the linen strips moistened with the sacred water. The cautery rod was placed into the pot of burning charcoal and within just a few seconds it was glowing red. Daniel picked up his stone scalpel.

  Dr. Racawits interrupted him, “Why don’t you use an iron scalpel?”

  “This obsidian scalpel is much sharper than any iron scalpel; it produces a cleaner cut and better healing. I will need to concentrate now.”

  Daniel used the scalpel almost like a pen, lightly drawing it across her left lower abdomen. The skin seemed to simply pull apart wherever he touched it. He used the linen strips soaked in the sacred water to blot up the blood and identify the bleeding vessels. He then used the cautery rod to sear the bleeding points; the Princess groaned each time the cautery was applied.

  Dr. Racawits said, “You are causing her pain. We have to administer some ether.”

  “She’s tough or she wouldn’t have made it this long. She’ll recover from the pain but I don’t think she would survive the ether. We need to get on with our work.”

  The smell of burning flesh filled the room but Daniel ignored both the smoke and the smell. He had Dr. Racawits hold the skin back using hooks. He cut through the muscle layer little by little using the cautery rod to seal any bleeding vessels. It took several minutes to work his way down to the shiny white peritoneum which sealed the inside of the abdominal cavity. He used a tweezer instrument to hold this layer up away from the intestines. He made a small incision with the scalpel and inserted his fingers into the abdomen. He enlarged the incision by cutting between his fingers protecting everything else. Daniel repositioned the hook retractors and the candlelight so he could see down into his incision. He used linen strips to help pull the small intestines off to the left side. The appendix became visible as a swollen red thumb like extension off of the cecum.

  With the culprit of the Princess’s illness in sight, Daniel picked up a piece of silk thread and carefully wrapped it around the base of the appendix. With great care he gradually tightened the noose around the base. A second noose was then applied just above the first and he used his obsidian scalpel to carefully cut between them. He handed the now severed appendix to Dr. Racawits. He placed a moistened linen strip against the amputated base and relaxed for a few minutes. When they removed the strip only a few areas of bleeding were visible. He carefully touched these with the cautery rod.

  Daniel began repairing his surgical wound by using a silk thread and a needle to sew the peritoneum back together. He also sewed the individual muscle layers together with the silk thread. The Princess groaned with each suture that he placed in the skin but he ignored her discomfort and worked to finish his surgery.

  Daniel had no sooner finished his surgery, when Dr. Racawits left the room to report the results. Daniel and the attendants moved the Princess back into her bed. Her breathing remained shallow and her pulse very weak.

  There was a soft knock and the door opened. The king and his Queen entered the room. The king asked, “How’s my daughter doing?”

  Daniel replied, “She survived the operation. Now we must wait and see if she has the strength to recover.”

  The King said, “I was told you caused her pain during your operation. Why?”

  Daniel shrugged his shoulders and said, “People do not die from pain but they do die from ether. I did what I needed to do.”

  “Fare enough. My physicians tell me your job is done and that they will take over again.”

  “She is my patient now, and I would see her through her recovery.”

  The King said, “I would expect that of you. I’ll inform the royal physicians of your ongoing care. I would like to sit with my daughter now.”

  Daniel nodded and quietly closed the door behind him as he left the room. He carefully washed his instruments in the sacred water and then rinsed them with more sacred water. He replaced them in the leather instrument roll. As he finished securing the roll, the door opened and the king and his lady came out of the room.

  The king said, “She seems more comfortable. Keep us informed of her progress and if you need anything inform the attendant.”

  The lady spoke for the first time saying, “I appreciate your saving Betty. Everyone told me it was hopeless because half brains don’t heal well, but I didn’t give up hope. I’m not giving up hope now, either.”

  Daniel bowed slightly and said, “Hope is a powerful thing.”

  Daniel returned to the bedside and felt her pulse. It wasn’t any weaker. He then placed his hands under her back and began gently massaging her back muscles trying to stimulate the healing powers within. He positioned the chair next to the bed and kept his hand on her pulse. He was tired and would nod off intermittently. Every time he awoke, the back massage was repeated. He had the attendants continuously moisten her lips and mouth with a ginger tea. Her fevers and deliriums continued all the next day. In the late evening her fever seemed to break and Daniel fell into a deep sleep, sitting in the chair at the bedside with his hand on her pulse.

  Daniel was awakened by a very quiet voice saying, “Who are you and what are you doing here?”

  “I am Daniel of Issip and have been doing my work as a healer.”

  “Why were you holding my hand?”

  “Actually I was holding your pulse to make sure your life continued.”

  “I’ve been pretty sick, haven’t I?”

  “It was your appendix. It was poisoning your body and I needed to remove it.”

  “But why you?”

  “That’s not important now. You need to drink some broth and get some more rest. I’ll inform your father you are recovering.”

  As the Princes continued to reco
ver Daniel had more time to spend on his studies of alchemistry. He spent part of everyday at the bedside, massaging her back and administering herbal medications. During one such session he asked her, “I have heard you called; the Princess, my Princess, my daughter, your Highness, but nobody has ever called you by name. You must have a name, everyone has a name.”

  “Yes, I have a name. Nobody uses it, everyone just calls me Princess.”

  “So what is this mysterious name?”

  “Heather.”

  “We have heather in some of the mountain meadows. It’s a beautiful soft fragrant bush. When you examine it closely it is very tough and a bit prickly. It thrives in some of the harshest conditions. Heather would seem a good name for you and I will enjoy calling you Heather.”

  “I think you’re supposed to address me as the Princess.”

  “In the Forest, we do not have royalty and such terms are not used. I’ll call you either ma’am or Heather as you wish.”

  “I would prefer you calling me Heather. What is it like where you live?”

  “The Forest is a beautiful place. We have mountains and volcanoes everywhere with valleys and rivers between them. It seems as if the Forest was formed when the land of the Northern Kingdom pushed against the land of the Southern Kingdom and everything between was raised up. Our winters are longer than yours because of the higher elevation but our south facing valleys are quite fertile and comfortable.”

  Daniel became a regular visitor to the castle. His skills as a healer were called on repeatedly much to the chagrin of the Royal physicians. His alchemy studies were going fairly well until an experiment blew up and destroyed part of the lab. Daniel had been invited to dinner the next evening and showed up without any eyebrows and obvious burns on his hands and face. He was embarrassed when they asked him what had happened. He explained, “I had an idea for making a better firestarter. I mixed some of the saltpeter, I had brought from the Forest, with some sulfur and charcoal dust. When I tried lighting the mixture there was this loud noise and flash of bright light followed by the sounds of breaking glass and the room being filled with smoke. I am afraid that I caused enough damage to the lab that my welcome there may be worn out.”

  The King could not help laughing and said, “Maybe you should leave the chemistry to the alchemist and stick to your healing. Why are you dabbling with this alchemistry anyway?”

  “The Forest Council had asked me to take time and study this new mineral saltpeter, that they had discovered in a cave. I agreed and now look at me.”

  The King was serious and asked, “Is this related to the new bridge that the southern Kingdom is building?”

  “Sir, I know the Forest Council is very concerned about the bridge but I don’t know that the request is related. Anyway, it looks like my study of alchemistry is finished.”

  The princes change the subject by saying, “If you are done burning down labs and almost killing yourself, maybe you can spend more time here. It seems someone is always needing your skills as a healer.”

  Daniel replied, “I enjoy my visits here very much, but if my work as an alchemist is over I should be returning to the Forest.”

  Daniel’s quiet pronouncement put a damper on the festivities until the King asked, “I have a project I would like your help on. Could you spend a little more time with us and help with my project?”

  “Sir, I would be happy to assist you as long as my delay in returning was not too long. What is the project?”

  The King responded, “It is time for dessert, we’ll talk about it later.”

  After the dinner and entertainment were completed Daniel accompanied the King back to his library where they had first met. The King offered Daniel a small glass of brandy saying, “This brandy is one of the few worthwhile things from the southern Kingdom.” “Those of the Southern Kingdom can be a tricky bunch. Your Forest Council is wise in being concerned. If we can help just let us know.”

  Daniel sipped his brandy and nodded his head in response.

  The King continued, “Before we discuss the project I want to again thank you for helping my daughter. She wants to resume her training but my physicians say that she must wait at least six months. What is your opinion?”

  Daniel responded, “The wound has healed but after only six weeks it does not have much strength. She could begin gentle exercise but your physicians are correct, it will take six months for the wound to reach full strength. I would think she could resume her horseback riding and fencing in another few weeks.”

  “She is my only heir and I have tried to raise her with both statesmanship and military skills. Unfortunately her military skills have developed much quicker than her statesmanship. She is much more comfortable with a sword than with a pen and getting her to be involved with the ladies of the court has been almost impossible. She takes after her great grandmother who was a warrior, instead of her mother who was a gentle soul.”

  “Heather is a fitting name for her. If she listens to her body and does not do anything which causes pain at her surgical site she should do well. Your daughter is a very impressive young woman.”

  The King changed the subject saying, “The project I would like you to work on involves a confidential matter concerning my wife. We had a child who died at birth and I need to know why. My physicians tell me the problem was with my wife but I am afraid that my age may have been the problem. I would like you, as an outsider, to look into the matter and report back to me.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  They finished sipping their brandy and the evening ended.