She also worried about something she had learned accidentally two days before. It was only a rumor, but her experience proved there was usually some truth to them. Disturbed by the idea of miraculous cures, the Church sat up and took note of the healer. In recent years, the Church had given up more and more power to the princes. It was said that Pope Urban VI had become increasingly upset about the Church’s dwindling power. The city wars only fortified the political power of kings and princes, angering him even more. The local bishops knew all too well that the Church had begun to lose its lambs. So the Pope carefully calculated a plan to endorse the establishment of more universities. At least this way, he could have a voice demonstrating his benevolence as well as emphasizing the deeper meaning of the Church’s religious tenets. Since the cough was quickly becoming an epidemic, it could very well be the spark that ignited a wildfire. However, the Church seemed bent on manipulating these events for its own purposes.
Agathe noticed men who asked too many questions had been surfacing in Worms lately. Initially, she figured that these minions acted on behalf of the doctor, but they acted so conspicuously that everyone seemed to know to remain silent. Worms’s doctor had lost significant prestige. The prevailing opinion was that he didn’t know his trade. As such, citizens stubbornly insisted on finding out more about the healer, who had saved the lives of so many people. The physician, in contrast, bled his patients, then sat back and watched them die. But now a new threat loomed over Madlen, one significantly more alarming than the quack’s spies. Apparently, there was a man in town hired by the Church to scope out the possible existence of a healer. Agathe tried to learn more, but no one seemed to have more information about this man’s identity. The only thing that Agathe could find out was that he was a high-ranking citizen and a confidant of the archbishop of Trier.
“It’s too dangerous,” Agathe warned. She sat down with the completely exhausted Madlen, who listlessly shoved some bread and cold roast beef into her mouth.
Madlen took a sip of spiced wine to wash down her meal. “You’re right. I can’t fight this anymore. It’s simply too much.”
“Everyone in town is talking about you, and who knows who else. It’s only a matter of time before someone discovers you. The people only protect you because they still expect you to help them. What if you cure them and then these same people need money? What would keep them from turning you in?”
“Do you really think that someone could do that to me?” Madlen shook her head helplessly. “And I’m careful. I only come when they themselves have purchased the exact herbs we’ll need from the spice merchant. And nobody knows exactly when I’m coming. I never promise anyone anything.”
“Except for Mechthild and Otilia. They know who you are.”
“I saved Mechthild’s brother and Otilia’s daughter. You don’t really think they’d tell anybody?”
Agathe shrugged. “Life has taught me that most people are capable of anything given the right circumstances. Maybe they’ll be thankful until the day they die, maybe not. No one can say for sure.”
“So what should I do?”
Agathe scrutinized her niece. In the last few weeks, she’d gotten very little sleep, sometimes none over a period of two or three days. She was pale and had dark circles under her eyes. It was obvious that she would soon collapse from exhaustion. “From today forward, you will not treat anyone else,” Agathe said firmly.
“What?”
“You heard me. I’ll spread a rumor that a young woman fled on a ship leaving Worms in the middle of the night.”
“And you think people will believe that?”
“People always believe what seems to be the most likely story. A young woman sneaks onto a ship in the middle of the night. She didn’t want to be found, but somebody saw her. From that moment on, the secret healer will never be heard from again. Not even her patients will hear from her again.”
“But if I don’t treat them, many will not make it,” Madlen protested.
“Then they will die.” Agathe nodded. “There will never be a right time for you to stop. You said it yourself: there are too many, and there are more every day. No matter how much you try, you can’t save them all. But if you don’t stop, they will find you. There are many people trying to track you down; each passing day increases your risk.”
Madlen stuck a piece of meat in her mouth and chewed. She saw the faces of the people she had helped. If she stopped, many would not escape the disease with their lives.