[Bêthberry]

Ruthven barely had time to see a familiar face saunter in and grab a mug of mead from the shelf outside the kitchen--for who was taking orders at a time like this?--before she watched, stunned, as this Rand fellow threw off the assault. He was a big 'un and it would take more than her potion to bring him down.

She called out to Eodwine, "'Ware, Messenger. Watch him, as very soon he will start to show certain effects from mybrand of fighting."

The twins, a pile of arms and legs all akimbo, looked over at Ruthven with disgust and surprise mingled on their faces, a guffaw ready to echo 'round the hall despite their close encounter with the floor. Degas held Saeryn and both looked with undisguised perplexion upon the rag lady. Gudryn quavered with fear and confusion. Eodwine, much miffed with the intrusion upon his heroic stance, yelled out, "By ogre and boggart, what do you mean, woman? Are ye daft?"

Ruthven chuckled and pointed back towards the brigand.

A huge whelt was forming on his forehead where Falco had landed the blow, and a cut, small but bleeding freely, had been opened. Rand had tried to lift his hand and sleeve to wipe away the blood from his eyes and found his arm was not obeying his command. Instead, it hung at his side, stiff. Not even his fingers could he move or bend, and he began to stagger over to the one side. With his other, unaffected hand, he lifted his arm to inspect the hand. But he misjudged the paralysis and instead swatted his own face with his stiff hand, wiping the fingers all the same in the bleeding wound. He dropped his useless arm and roared even louder, as if sound could be a weapon.

"There's monkshood for you," quietly remarked Ruthven. "And if there's any of that ale left on your hand, you've just rubbed it into the wound. But watch him, Eodwine, for he will be unbalanced now and his movements hard to predict."

Eodwine looked over at Ruthven with a nod. "Remind me to offer to do some weeding for you later, in thanks."

"'Tis Bethberry's garden, not mine. You can thank her. Now, carry on, Eorlingas."