14. Gaius
Chapter 14
Gaius
“ B y all the saints, what are they doing here? And why are they bleeding so much?” Lovette demanded, voice raised as she pushed the soldiers out of her way and began to gather supplies.
“I should think it obvious, daughter, that they’re here because they are bleeding.” Magnus wore a grin. He’d enjoyed our early questioning of this pair as much or more than I had.
She clucked her tongue at him, hands full of bandages. “Fine. But my question still stands. It is rare that council members leave the council building, is it not? Why are they utilizing the conclave for healing instead of their own infirmary?”
“Ah, well, that would be due to the fact that we abducted them for questioning,” he answered. “Their answers were not overwhelmingly forthcoming so…” Magnus pulled a face, gesturing with his hands as though their current state explained everything his words didn’t. “Besides, it wasn’t just us. We stopped at d’Arcan on the way so our friends and relations could clear up some things with them as well.” He gestured to some marks on both of the councilmen’s clothing. “It’s Rylan’s fault they smell of scorch.”
I hadn’t realized how unhinged my old friend could be until today. I’d seen one of the demons in action against the hordes, but I had a new appreciation for them both after witnessing firsthand the grace and technique they used to encourage Hugo and Augustus to talk. My mistrust in them simply because they were demons had faded to nearly nothing, and I was grateful to have them as allies.
Lovette gaped back at him, her mouth open and eyes blinking slowly. “Honestly,” she swore, shaking her head.
“Help them so they can heal up properly in stone sleep, if you can, Little Dove.” Her eyes flicked to me, and my skin warmed as I realized the endearment had slipped out.
“Of course I can,” she said indignantly. Then she ordered the soldiers who hovered by the beds watching our conversation with amusement to move Hugo and Augustus to her liking. I didn’t bother to stifle my smile when they groaned out as their idea of “properly positioned to receive medical care” was proven to be vastly different than hers.
“You’ll face trial for this, the both of you!” Augustus choked out, groaning as Lovette packed a sizable wound in his abdomen with gauze and wrapped him with a wide bandage.
“Unlikely,” I said, crossing my arms as I settled in to watch her work. “I’m fairly certain the other council members will have plenty of questions for you as well once we present our findings.”
“Findings?” Lovette asked, moving on to treating Hugo.
“I’m very much looking forward to confirming my suspicions about several things. Let’s leave it at that for now,” Magnus said.
Lovette focused on her father’s face. “The… What you’ve been searching for?”
He smiled broadly, a mix of satisfaction and relief on his face. I wasn’t sure what she was referring to, but with Magnus looking like that, I guessed it was important.
“Yes. I hope so.”
Lovette smiled back. “How wonderful.” She turned to Hugo. “Stop moving, and it won’t be quite as painful.” She shifted him around once again, making him grunt, which brought me a special kind of joy. I was usually on the receiving end of her forcible ministrations, and it was nice to see I hadn’t been given special treatment.
“What are you dosing the guards with?” I asked, realizing we’d never gotten around to that during the time we’d been with the demons. We'd covered plenty else, but that detail had been left out. “To make them not remember?”
Hugo gasped, and Augustus choked on a laugh. “What a ridiculous question.”
“Is it?” I stepped forward, into the space between their beds. Lovette moved to the far side of Hugo’s bed and Magnus to Augustus’s. “How long?” I asked, catching the glance they shared. “How. Long.” I pressed my palm into the open wound Lovette had just dressed in Augustus’s abdomen.
He gasped, trying in vain to push my hand away. Magnus frowned deeply.
The new shift of soldiers came in just as Magnus applied a similar pressure to Hugo, repeating the question of what, precisely, they were giving to whom and under what direction.
“I’ll get more bandages, then.” Lovette gave a soft huff as she returned to the cabinet, dispersing three younger stone kin sentries who stood before it throughout the room.
One at a time, the councilmen flinched as Lovette pressed a hand to their bodies while she worked to undo the damage we’d inflicted. It was obvious the moment her unique talent of stealing anxiety from someone worked its magic on them. I hated that they got such a gift. They didn’t deserve it.
“Speak!” Magnus demanded.
“May I?” Lovette asked.
“Be my guest.” Magnus stepped back, and Lovette sat next to Augustus on the narrow cot.
“Councilman, have you been giving loyal stone kin a potion of some kind? Something that would make them not remember things?” He turned ashen as her nimble fingers began the delicate stitchwork she was so skilled at one-handed, pulling nearly invisible thread through the skin along his stomach. Her other hand forcefully pressed the edges of the wound together, narrowing the gap. “Think carefully before you answer.”
“I don’t know what you’re—” The movement of her arm was barely perceptible, but Augustus jerked. Then he shrieked, and everyone in the room tensed. Lovette glanced up at me, oddly vacant eyes focused on my face as she removed the fingers she’d sunk into his open wound, wiping them on her apron. She turned away again, making him yell out once more a she pulled out the stitch he’d fouled by twitching.
I’d rarely seen this Lovette when I'd needed care. Though when I had, I’d likely deserved it. She was nothing short of terrifying. Even her father looked as though he’d prefer to leave rather than watch her work when she became this cold, distant version of herself, not to mention the soldiers behind us.
“Would you like to try again? I didn’t hear you. I’m afraid it’s terribly important to know.” Her hands began moving again.
“How could you? What about your oath? Haven’t you sworn to do no harm?”
Lovette barked a short laugh, the sound edged in darkness. The tiny hairs on my neck prickled at the sound. “No harm? You were there the night I killed those guards, were you not? They were threatening us, so I had no choice, of course. Still, you saw it happen.”
“That's not … this is different. I'm in your care. You’re not supposed to?—”
“I’ve taken no such oath, councilman. I’m not a physician. Only an exceptionally well-trained healer.” My eyes widened as her arm jerked and he cried out again. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind answering my question, I would appreciate it very much.”
Hugo was panting and sweating as he watched his friend get sewn up. “Oh, for saint’s sake, Auggie. It’s not worth?—”
“Quiet, Hugo!”
She tutted her tongue, using her teeth to break the thread. “Seems I worked a bit too efficiently. That’s too bad. Hugo? Would you mind sharing what you know? I’d hate to see that fester. Some things not even stone sleep can cure. Would be a fascinating thing to study, though.”
As Lovette reached for a bottle of antiseptic, Hugo sputtered, his hands up in a defensive position. “It’s a tonic. I don’t know how it’s made or from what—that’s none of my concern. The witch council provides it.”
My blood turned to lava. “How long?” I demanded.
“As long as I’ve been in my seat. Longer. I don’t know!”
“Shut up, Hugo!” Augustus complained, but Magnus stepping closer was all it took for him to quiet down.
“Can the effects be reversed?”
“I don’t know.”
Lovette stitched as fast as she dared, her jaw ticking in concentration.
By the time we knew where in the council building to find records of the tonic and perhaps even a sample, she’d done enough to ensure they would recover, then we were left with two grimacing statues on the cots after Magnus forced them into stone sleep.
Lovette washed her hands thoroughly, scrubbing at her fingernails as the soldiers took their leave at Magnus’s request. There would be another shift coming in soon enough, and neither councilman was leaving while frozen as a statue.
“The missing?” Lovette asked Magnus in a voice barely above a whisper, drying her hands on a worn towel. Exhaustion lined her face, but there was a light in her eyes indicating she’d returned to herself.
“A very solid lead.” He grinned again, tracking her as she moved around the room, setting supplies to rights and cleaning up. She hugged him, no words needed for them to share their matching emotion about such a thing. “I’ll retrieve the tonic. Perhaps Greta can work it backwards to find out what it is, how to reverse the memory loss.”
The roiling pit in my gut settled slightly. I was terrified at what I might have forgotten over the years, but having The Alchemist back with the stone kin, there was at least a partial chance of remembering. Though I wasn’t sure that was something I wanted to do either; I could very well lose everything.
Magnus excused himself to get some supper at the meetinghouse, leaving us alone. I fidgeted, eventually frustrated with myself enough that I sat on the edge of a cot so I would stop moving.
“You feeling alright?” she asked.
“No worse than usual,” I sighed. “You?” I desperately wanted to pull her to my chest, to comfort her. Whatever happened when she went to that cold place, I didn’t care for, and I was sure it had lingering effects on her too.
“I’m fine.” She gave a weak smile as she returned to tidying up. It was comforting, her very methodical work. The replacement sentries arrived just as she finished, taking their places with a quiet nod.
“Come on,” she said, leading me out. “Food. Then rest.” She turned her face to the sky once we were outside, taking a deep breath. “Go on back to your hut. I’ll be along shortly.”
I didn’t argue, just started down the path, my leg throbbing with every step, my arm sore and buzzing with a strange electrical current.
Words were few when she arrived with the basket. We ate in silence, and she packed everything except our mugs of ale away once we were finished. I hadn’t even realized I was massaging my forearm until she reached for my hand.
“Let me help you, Gaius,” she said, steel in her eyes.
My chest began to ache as much as my limbs. Besides, when she said it like that, what option did I have? I placed my arm on the tabletop, and she drew it down into her lap, golden hair falling into her face as she began to work. I closed my eyes, grateful for the peace her touch brought, even if I was certain I didn’t deserve the mercy.