Chapter 23 #2
“The medici are weakened by death, especially if they’ve used their magic to bring it about.” Sinan glanced down at Meri’s unconscious form, then continued, “As opposed to our caromancers , who gain power when they take a life. Otherwise, the two are quite similar.”
“I am nothing like a flesh witch.” The medica snapped the words back at Sinan, and suddenly, some of the old Valentina was back. “I’m a healer, not a killer. Using my Gift to harm another is against the oath I swore to Saint Thaschus.”
“You had a right to defend yourself, and you used it.” Gallmau had never been happier about Sinan’s ability to offend and outrage other witches.
“I know you’re shaken up, but Meri was injured in the fight and she’s—not waking up.
” Gallmau tried to steady his voice and failed.
“If you have more water, do you think you could help her?”
Valentina dropped the flask on the ground and scrambled over to Meri, as if she had only now noticed her.
“Gallmau, tell your necromancer to stop distracting me when I have a patient to attend to.” She knelt next to Meri and began to examine her, muttering what were either healing prayers or more insults for Sinan, all in Amoran.
She lifted Meri’s eyelids and examined them first. “Her pupils are equal and not too large.” The medica used her knuckles to rub on Meri’s breastbone, which Gallmau found rather harsh.
Meri apparently agreed, despite her condition, because she reached up with both arms to try and stop the discomfort.
“Both sides moving well.” Valentina nodded to herself, running her fingers over Meri’s head and pressing on the back of her neck.
She continued to poke and prod, checking for pulses in the neck and wrists. She placed her ear on Meri’s chest and listened. Then she closed her eyes and put both of her palms on Meri’s forehead, her eyes closing in concentration.
Gallmau didn’t have Meri’s ability to sniff out different types of magic, but he could tell Valentina was using her healing Gift.
“It’s a shock to the cerebrum, nothing more. No blood is pooling against the brain tissue, and her electrical patterns aren’t severely disrupted.”
“Is her skull fractured?” Sinan pulled off his strange traveling bag and opened it. He began to lay wrapped packages on the ground. “I have healing supplies, if you’d agree to use them.”
“Not everything is about bones, and I suppose I don’t have much choice.
” Valentina unwrapped one of Sinan’s parcels with the caution she might use in opening a basket of vipers and drew back in surprise.
She held up the strips of silk imprinted with sigils Meri hadn’t allowed Sinan to use before.
“Where did you get these? They’ve been prepared by a medicus. ”
“Or a caromancer who used to be a medica.” Sinan and Valentina locked eyes, and Gallmau remembered Valentina had resigned her position in the Noviodunam when three young students accused of necromancy—including a protégé of hers—had been given to Karakoncolos in the prisoner exchange that had freed Jacques.
Valentina dropped her gaze first, turning her attention to the other supplies in Sinan’s pack.
“I lost my travel sack and my simar when I ran, but these will help.” She turned to Gallmau.
“I’m going to bind her head and heal the wounds on her back as well.
Your shoulder is next—a clean cut, but it needs treatment, and you also have a scalp laceration I can work on.
Then you need to force Sinan to let me help him.
He has several rib fractures and a contusion on one of his lungs—I can tell that even from this distance.
He shouldn’t be standing, much less threatening to flay me alive with shadow magic. ”
“No.” It was Sinan’s turn to recoil from Valentina. “No one from the Noviodunam is using their magic on me if I can help it.”
“I don’t have to touch your skin,” Valentina assured him.
She knew about Sinan’s Blessing, as the necromancer called it.
“You’ll let her help you, or I’ll sit on you until you agree.
” Gallmau needed his two companions back to fighting form.
He had prayed to his Saint—and a few other deities as well—and they had sent Valentina to them.
They needed her help, and she needed their protection.
“You can touch him without hurting him now.”
The medica’s head snapped up. Maybe he shouldn’t have shared the necromancer’s personal information quite so readily. “You’re not cursed anymore?”
“I wasn’t cursed.” Sinan put his head in his hands and slid down into a sitting position, his face grimacing in pain.
“My Blessing is gone for now, along with my Gift. There was Amor Vitriol in the hunting lodge we took refuge in, and Meri had to use it to save my life. I can’t do any necromancy at all. ”
“Water magic, Amor Vitriol, and attackers who’ve been trained like Shields.” Valentina bit her lip as she wrapped the fabric around Meri’s head, activating the sigils with deft touches of her fingertips. “Whoever took Rixende knows our weaknesses and exactly how best to kill us.”