by Jay Boyce
“This…is…AMAZING!” One of the girls was ecstatically sipping first from one mug, then the other. They all burst into laughter while Estelle moved over, helping Jade close the barrels for easier transport. She’d pulled out a bunch more mugs as well, and Jade smiled gratefully at her as she waved her hand over everything, putting it into her storage space. All three women let out gasps as she did so, and the same girl breathed out in awe, “Where’d they go?”
Grinning at her, Jade held up her ring. “I made a new kind of spatial storage. It’s quite convenient.” The girls were still looking at her like she was insane, so she just hugged Estelle briefly. “Thanks, Estelle, you’re the best! I’d probably better get going. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“You’re welcome, dearie. Be safe.” Estelle returned her hug briefly, then walked her out, heading back to her station as Jade quickly slipped out the door and into the waning sunshine. Her babies took flight around her, exploring the surroundings happily as she became a black cloud as she absorbed light while she walked.
She reached the infirmary, happy to find she was the first one there. She glanced at her pocket watch, seeing she still had fifteen minutes before everyone was supposed to show up. She entered cheerfully, making sure her babies made it in before the door closed behind her. They went off to explore again while she started rearranging things in the main room, setting up a table where she put out the six small barrels and mugs.
She also set up the main table/bed where she’d operate with plenty of water, rags, and buckets to catch blood nearby. She was afraid of there being a lot of blood. She was lost in her task until Lilith’s voice alerted her, “There’s people here.” Lilith’s voice seemed curious, and Jade almost dropped what she was holding when a vivid image of two people kissing appeared in her mind.
Perhaps what was more shocking was that she recognized the two people. Shaking her head, she walked towards the back, where now that she was paying attention, she could hear the breathy sounds of two people making out. She walked to the door, clearing her throat as the noises came to an abrupt halt. She smiled at the two people who’d turned to the door, obviously startled. “Hi, Bryoni, Chase. I figured I’d let you know that I’m healing Kevin’s foot here in about ten minutes, so there’s going to be a lot of people here soon. Just figured I’d let you know in case you, erm, wanted to take this somewhere else.”
She smiled at the brazen singer and her hooded companion. She had to admit, the super outgoing Bryoni and the sleepy Chase were not who she expected to find hooking up in a dark room. They seemed like complete opposites! But well, you know what they say, opposites attract and all that jazz. She heard the shuffle of clothes being straightened as they appeared in the door, Bryoni looking sheepish and Chase’s lips curling in an ironic smile.
“Ah, Jade… I…” Bryoni started to try to explain uncomfortably when Jade held up her hand with a grin.
“Don’t worry about it. You’ll get no judgement or gossip from me. You might want to hurry, though. I have no idea when everyone else is going to show up.” She was highly amused by the situation, but she wasn’t going to give her fellow water mages too much trouble. Chase hadn’t said much to her, but he seemed like a decent sort, and she was starting to grow fond of Bryoni.
“We’ll be off then. Later, Jade.” Chase saluted her cheekily, still smirking lazily as he took Bryoni’s hand boldly and pulled her out. Bryoni blushed prettily, smiling shyly at Jade before they disappeared out the door. As soon as it closed behind them, Jade clutched her sides, bursting into laughter.
“Go Bryoni, go.” She giggled a little bit, just staring at the door and picturing the couple in her mind. They were cute together, despite the unexpectedness of the pairing. She silently wished them all the best before going back to setting up. Lilith landed on her shoulder, and Jade smiled down at her little queen. “Thanks for letting me know they were here. You’re amazing.” She smiled, reaching up to run a gentle finger over the body of her baby, who seemed to preen beneath her soft touch. “How did you send me that picture?”
“Bond is stronger. You can see what we see.” Lilith’s voice sounded proud and excited. Jade vaguely recalled that someone had mentioned that before, and wanting to try it, she focused on Ramoth. Closing her eyes, she was a little disoriented when she felt along their bond, and suddenly, she was dipping and weaving through the air as Ramoth explored the rooms. She clutched the table she was next to, releasing the bond as she felt queasy. That would take some getting used to. The colors were bright, almost ultraviolet, which she hadn’t quite realized in the still picture Lilith had sent her.
Either way, this was amazing news. It meant her babies could totally scout for her and send her information from afar, though she still needed to figure out what the range was. She was just hesitant to send them too far from her right now. “I’ll watch for more people,” Lilith’s voice sounded in her head, and she smiled gratefully down at her little queen.
“Okay, Lilith, I’d like that.” She walked over to the door, opening it and letting Lilith fly outside where she flew to a nearby tree and hid herself among the leaves. Jade made certain she was well obscured before she let the door close and went back to her work. She would run outside at the slightest panic in their bond. She was happy with the ingenuity of her baby queen and her willingness to help. She had a feeling she’d be relying heavily on them this weekend once they left the city.
She had taken out a little metal and was making straws when Lilith reached out to her again. “Group coming.” The words were accompanied by the vivid mental image of ten people making their way towards the building.
The kind features of Mike were the first she recognized, followed swiftly by Scylla’s corkscrew curls. They walked in front with another man, who looked to be in his mid thirties. He had a finely groomed brown beard and short hair, but it was his clothes and air that made him stand out. He walked with the quiet air of assurance that he knew his own importance. His clothes were somewhat extravagant, obviously of fine quality and cut perfectly to his impressive figure. Her guess was that he was Cody, the palace healer, since the other seven looked younger, in their twenties or early thirties, and followed respectfully behind those three while chatting amongst themselves.
Jade opened the door as Lilith sent her the image they were in front of it, surprising the people in front of her as she greeted them with a smile, “You made it!”
“Jade! Good to see you! How did you know we were at the door?” Mike came forward, giving her a gentle hug while smiling broadly.
She laughed as Willow flew forward from the depths of the infirmary, landing on her head and preening. “I had Lilith watching the door, and she told me you were here. But please, come in!” She stood aside, holding the door open for them to enter. Mike did so, then promptly pulled her behind him, holding the door instead. Who said chivalry was dead?
She grinned and stood next to him as Scylla entered, kissing her on the cheek. “Jade darling, it’s lovely to see you, as always. This is Viscount Cody Besok, the palace healer.”
Cody had come forward, taking her hand and bending over to place a kiss on the back of it. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Jade. I’ve heard so much about you.”
“Hopefully at least some of it was good! It’s lovely to meet you, Viscount Cody.” She smiled at him as he nodded in approval, moving past her into the room to inspect her preparations as the ‘apprentices’ filed in behind him.
Mike helpfully introduced each one as they entered. They each greeted her with a kiss on the hand or cheek. Once they were all inside, Mike let the door close behind him as they walked towards where she’d set everything up. Cody had turned to ask, “What are these barrels for?”
She smiled, motioning to the cups to one side. “Nutrients. The healing I’m doing is going to take a lot out of Kevin and me, most likely. Rapid changes require the nutrients to come from somewhere, so I’m basically going to have him sipping what I prepared the whole tim
e in the hope that most of it will be converted into the energy to regrow his foot. It’s also for me and anyone else who needs it to keep our energy up as well.”
She frowned at the table. “I want each of you to be able to see what’s going on, but I feel like ten people around the table might be a bit much…”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. We can just create a chain.” Mike’s voice waved off her concern, and when he saw she didn’t understand, he shook his head. “I forget you haven’t been here long. Healing magic can create a map of anyone you’re touching, but it also goes through their touch as well. So we can create a chain, and don’t have to have everyone touching the person, but everyone can bolster through the connections. We use it for healings that require large amounts of power.”
Jade stared at him in surprise, then grinned. “That’s lovely! I guess I should be spending more time with other healers…”
Scylla smiled, patting her shoulder. “You’ll have time.”
Jade nodded but didn’t reply. She could only hope that was true.
Chapter Fifty-Nine – Surgery
“Another group coming.” She heard Lilith’s voice in her mind as a mental image appeared. It was so much easier to see through their eyes when they were perched and not moving, even if everything was still a lot more vivid than she was used to. If Scylla was still trying to talk to her, she wasn’t aware because her full concentration was on seeing what Lilith saw.
There was a group of twelve people approaching, and the only one she knew was Kevin. However, most of the people around shared similar traits, and it was immediately obvious that they were his family. Aside from the obvious physical traits, there was something about them…
She understood why Camille had described them as a military family. There was an uprightness to them, the straightened spines and careful monitoring eyes that scanned the surroundings constantly.
The most domineering of the bunch reminded her of Count Ammon; he was an older gentleman, plenty of scars visible on what skin was showing, hair closely cropped to his head. His face was stone blank, but his eyes were constantly vigilant as he led the group forward confidently.
Kevin was behind him, supported on either side by an older man and woman she assumed were his parents. To his left was a lone woman who looked like she was probably the sister of his dad. She had a younger girl with her who looked around the age of thirteen, a true mini-me of a daughter. To Kevin’s right was a couple, and the man once again looked like the father, so she assumed that those three had been siblings and the woman was his wife.
Bringing up the rear of the group was what looked like twelve-year-old boy surrounded by three girls who looked to be around eighteen, sixteen, and fifteen if she had to guess… Really, she was just making conjectures based on the hierarchy of their placement in the group…and height. They were probably either Kevin’s siblings or cousins. She could guess a few things from this: Kevin was the oldest grandchild, and the only other male was the youngest.
She let the picture fade from her mind as she smiled at Scylla, who was watching her pensively. “Excuse me for a moment, I’m just going to go let Kevin and his family in.” Scylla nodded thoughtfully as she turned, walking quickly to the door. She opened it just as Kevin’s grandpa had lifted his hand to knock, probably out of habit, even though this was a public building. Manners were manners everywhere, after all.
Smiling brightly at the startled man, she greeted the family, “Good evening, everyone. Please, come in. We’ve been expecting you.” She may have affected a tiny British accent when she greeted them, but she couldn’t help it! She felt like Jeeves, anticipating the master’s needs before they even knew what they were themselves! Pushing away her fanciful thoughts, she stepped aside to let them through. To her surprise though, they did not enter.
She saw Kevin put a hand on his grandpa’s shoulder as he introduced, “This is Lady Jade, the traveler. Jade, this is my grandpa, Duke Byron Elliot.” He paused, giving her a strange look as he shook his head to clear whatever thought it was away, then went on to point at the two people flanking him. “This is my mom, Eleanor, and my dad, Corey. That’s my aunt Alexis and her daughter Christine, my uncle Dakota and his wife Danielle, their daughter Grace and son Dennis, and then my sisters Wanda and Jessamyn.” He pointed at each in turn as he named them.
“It’s lovely to meet you all. Please, come in. If possible, I’d like to get this done while there’s still daylight.” Once she added that part, the hesitation on Byron’s face disappeared and he nodded curtly to her, stepping past without having said a word. Kevin gave her an apologetic look, but everyone filed inside with courteous nods to her. At least his siblings and cousins smiled a bit tremulously at her.
She watched as their faces changed from strained consternation to pleasant surprise when they saw all the healers waiting inside. She stepped up to Kevin, asking in a quiet voice, “You’ve been eating as much as possible, right?”
He rubbed his stomach absently, nodding. “Yeah, I’m not sure how it’s supposed to help. I just feel a little queasy, so I’m a bit worried it’s going to come up on you.” You know, that’s a valid concern. Was that why whenever they did surgeries, they asked people to fast before going in? They didn’t want to deal with anything coming out...either end. It was something to think about at later point.
For now, she just smiled encouragingly at him. “It’s fine, we’ll cross with that bridge when we get to it. I’m a little more worried about you passing out from the pain.” She didn’t want that to happen because she’d have to stop healing until he woke up so he could keep ingesting food. Unfortunately, one of the things she hadn’t studied was how to numb pain.
The hospital had always used stuff like morphine for her, though she’d developed a pretty severe tolerance for it by the end. She’d never studied blocking the pain, so she wasn’t sure how to do it and didn’t want to mess with it when she was already striking out into the mostly unknown territory of regrowing limbs. The only reason she’d even looked into that was because she had been hoping they could replace what she needed to become healthier. The answer was no, and she’d moved on.
Kevin looked a little uncomfortable with her admission, then shrugged and promised, “I’ll do my best to stay coherent.”
Jade nodded, realizing that most of the room had been trying to eavesdrop on their short conversation. She couldn’t blame them, since the Elliots were concerned about Kevin and the healers were concerned about new knowledge. And Kevin, obviously. Research doctors were always concerned with the patient. Everyone knew that.
Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she smiled at Kevin and beckoned to the ‘operating table’ she’d set up, which was really just a counter with a mattress thing on top, with the buckets and towels all around to catch any of the…mess.
Grabbing one of the small barrels, she frowned at it for a moment, then took out a hunk of metal from her ring. She ignored the surprised gasps around her as she quickly molded it into a very long metal straw. She double checked that it hit the bottom, then nodded to herself, thinking for a moment before she frowned. She wanted him to be taking in nutrients, but she also knew the pain would probably have him biting down…and she didn’t want to deal with shattered teeth either.
“Is something wrong?” Mike had stepped up to ask the question that almost everyone was thinking.
She shook her head. “Just thinking. I forgot to arrange for something for him to bite on, but at the same time, I need him to be drinking nutrients. I’ve got the straw, but I don’t want him to shatter his teeth on it…” Thinking aloud, she spied one of the towels, grinning in triumph as she grabbed it and tore it into strips before wrapping the straw. She held it up to Kevin, “Here, try this.”
“What am I supposed to do with it, exactly?” He looked confused by her contraption.
She sighed. “Clamp your teeth on the cloth, close your mouth, and then suck in. Breathe through your nose.” He nodded, clamping onto
her new device and sucking, only to have a startled look come across his face when he got his first taste of smoothie.
“Whazzat?” He opened his mouth only enough to mumble around the cloth.
Grinning, she informed him, “It’s a smoothie. Now lay back. I’ll need someone to hold the barrel for him and replace it if it’s running low. I also need someone with mugs on hand to give to any of the healers who need it. I’ll be by the missing foot, but I need every limb held down so that he doesn’t thrash when the pain hits. Healers, if you’ll form your chains at the legs, we’ll leave his upper body to his family.”
There was a general rush of movement as everyone situated themselves accordingly. His parents had each taken one of Kevin’s hands, his grandfather was holding his head down, while his uncle and aunt had his shoulders. The cousins and siblings were all on smoothie duty.
“Ready?” She glanced around to grim nods.
Kevin let go of the binding enough to mumble, “Do it.”
Grimacing slightly, she called forth water from the air and started to rotate it like a buzzsaw. Once she was satisfied it would create a clean cut, she held up a bucket to catch the end as she declared, “Hold on.” She went two inches above the stump and used the water to cut. The quiet of the room was interrupted by Kevin’s agonized screaming through his clamp.
She worked faster, trying to get this part over with, sparing one part of her concentration to use blood magic to keep the blood in him instead of splashing out and all over her. When she finally cut through fully, the blood, bones, and flesh of his leg fell with a loud squelch into the bucket. Sweating slightly, she put the bucket down, trying not to gag. She was the doctor here, and she needed to be in control! She was only slightly conscious of the fact that one of the girls removed the bucket beneath her.
