Chapter 7. Smoke Damage

The smell of smoke inside the Smials grew stronger, though the air remained breathable. Mardibold glumly considered what they'd find when they emerged... smoking ruins, most likely. He wondered if any of their animals would survive, or if the fire would catch them as they ran in panic before the flames.

After an eternity of waiting, they heard the clang of bolts being shot back, and the smell of smoke grew as one of the great doors was eased open. A harsh voice called, and Mardi thought he recognised the voice of the Took at the door, the one who had refused entry to the prize pony. The voice sounded rougher than before: coarsened by smoke, his healer's training told him.

'A healer!' the voice was rasping. 'Is there a healer in the Smials?'

Mardi struggled to his feet, shouting, 'Here!' He put down a hand to Rosamunda and pulled her up beside him. 'Lilianora and Telibold, you two watch over the children,' he instructed. Receiving their nods, he and Rosa struggled through the packed-in hobbits towards the entrance. Thankfully they had been amongst the last to come to the refuge of the Smials.

The Took started to speak, then doubled over, coughing violently. Here was his first patient, then, but no, the guard thrust Mardi away and forced himself upright. 'In the courtyard,' he gasped. 'I am well.' He coughed again, belying his words, but managed to say, 'You are needed in the courtyard. Hurry.'

Passing out of the Smials, through a haze of smoke they saw a pony standing in the courtyard, head drooping, flanks heaving, and then he heard the pony coughing, a sound he'd never heard before. Hobbits stood around, several trying to ease the pony, others gathered about a hunched figure on the ground. Coming closer, Mardibold saw that the hobbit was holding another in his lap, head bent over, arms encircling the limp figure, holding tight.

'What have we here?' he asked, reaching the group. The hunched-over hobbit raised his head, and Mardi recognised, to his shock, Ferdibrand Took, all arrogance gone, face smoke-blackened and streaked with tears.

'Please,' Ferdi whispered. 'Please.'

Mardibold knelt beside him, gently prying his arms away. 'Let me take a look, lad,' he said. He turned the limp figure towards himself, and got his second shock. Ferdi was holding the Thain, face pale and slack under the smoke-smudges.

'Please,' Ferdi said again. He seemed to have mislaid his wits, and Mardi looked to his daughter.

Rosa immediately said, 'We need water, here, cups for drinking and cloths for wiping.' One of the Tooks nodded and left the group.

'Let me take a look, lad,' Mardi said again.

Ferdi shook his head. 'Too late,' he whispered. 'Too late. We rode like the wind, but the smoke caught us anyway.' He coughed, and could not speak further.

'It's not too late. I do not know how it is, but he's breathing, somehow, not much, but while there's breath, there's life.'

The water was brought, and Rosa held a cup to Ferdi's lips, urging him to drink. Mardi dipped a cloth in a basin and carefully wiped the Thain's face, noting the black smudges around the nostrils that told of smoke in the lungs.

'Is there any clear air inside the Smials?' he asked. 'A closed-off room, perhaps? We've got to get him out of this smoke.'

A Took nodded. 'The Thain's personal apartments were kept closed off,' he said. 'We can take him there.'

'Good,' Mardi nodded. 'We'll get him into his bed at the same time. I'm going to need boiling water, basins, and a large blanket when I get him there.'

'Right,' the same Took said. They carefully lifted the Thain and bore him into the Smials, past the thinning crowd of bewildered hobbits who were emerging into the smoky courtyard.

'Stay here!' one of the Tooks was bellowing. 'The fire is out, we hear, but we want to be sure before we send anyone off home again!'

Working quickly, they stripped away the Thain's clothing outside the bedroom door, then bore him to the bed. 'Close the door!' Mardi said sharply. 'Keep the air here as clear as we can!' Mardibold was relieved to find no burns on the body; that was a mercy, at least. They soon had Pippin propped up in the bed, the smell of smoke still faintly coming from him. Mardi took a crock from his bag. 'Where's that boiling water?' he demanded.

A steaming kettle was brought from the next room, for he had not allowed a fire to be kindled on the hearth in this one. He put a generous handful of ointment into the basin, sat himself on the bed, practically in the Thain's lap, said, 'Drape that blanket over us both!' He lifted the blanket slightly when they were completely covered. 'Now pour the water into the basin.' As soon as that was done, he disappeared under the blanket again, holding the basin with its aromatic steam before the face of the Thain. 'Breathe, lad,' he said softly. 'Keep breathing now. This will help open things up a bit.'

He called out again from beneath the blanket. 'Keep a kettle boiling!'

'One is, already,' an answer came. 'We're just putting another on.'

'Good!' he said. 'I'll be needing another basin and more water soon enough.'

He kept renewing the aromatic steam until he thought he saw the Thain's breathing ease, just a bit, then lifted off the blanket. No use smothering his patient, after all. He saw the Thain's wife, standing silently, hands wrung together and tears on her cheeks, though she made no sound.

'He's still with us, Mistress,' he said. 'I do not know quite how, with the lungs he's got, but he's fighting.'

She nodded, trying to smile. 'He's a fighter,' she whispered.

Mardibold looked to the group of grim-faced hobbits hovering by the door. 'If you can find her, go and fetch Healer Woodruff,' he said.

'She's at the fire break on the ridge,' one of them said.

'Well, then, send for her at once,' Mardi barked. 'She's forgot more about healing than I've learned in my entire lifetime.' He looked to the Thain. 'We're going to need all the weapons we can bring to hand, for the battle that's before us.' He looked up again. 'O and find the steward...'

'He's here,' Regi said, pushing himself forward.

'Good,' Mardi said, not showing his relief. 'Now close the door!' he ordered.