Ozor was busy making arrangements. “—go ashore and refill the water casks. And forage what we can before dark. We’ll set out first thing in the morning.” He frowned. “We should invite Yosiv’s folk to dine with us, but we’ve nothing fit to serve them. Maybe Shonika can hunt something before nightfall.”
Nirel caught her breath. “Pardon me, sir, but Shonika and I killed a deer earlier today. A suckling fawn, as well. We brought them with us on the boat.”
“That’s right, you did.” Ozor gave her a pleased smile. “Tell Maion to get them ready to roast. We’ll cook and eat ashore tonight.”
Nirel ducked her head and hurried toward the galley. As she went, she let her mind return to speculation about what the coming days would bring. She wished she had someone to talk to about it. Gan would be excited, but he’d probably just nod and agree with whatever guesses she presented without adding any conjectures of his own. Tifla and Dayrine wouldn’t care about anything but how handsome the young men there might be. And everyone else was much older and had no interest in gossiping with the youngsters.
If only Josiah hadn’t left the company. In the brief days he’d been among them, Nirel had come to appreciate his quick wit and adventurous spirit. He would match her idea for idea until both of them were reeling with anticipation, and thrill as much as she to the revelations which would surely surpass even their wildest imaginings.
But he’d deserted them. He’d broken his oath and fled with the wizard Elkan, without even bidding her farewell. The memory of the kiss she’d stolen from him burned on her lips. She’d thought he felt something for her, but she’d been wrong.
He’d given his loyalty to the enemy. That was why she’d refused his offer of refuge when he’d asked her to leave Ozor’s company that storm-torn night. She would remain true to her sworn word, as he hadn’t. He was a wizard now; she’d seen the gold fire pouring from his hand. That made him the enemy of Ozor and all who followed him.
She should forget him. He was part of the past she’d left behind. And would be leaving even farther behind in the morning. At least she’d never have to see him again. Never have to face the confused feelings the thought of him still roused in her heart.
Maion enlisted her aid preparing the doe and fawn for roasting. They skinned them, cut them up, and took them ashore to where spits had been erected over an enormous bonfire. The men of Yosiv’s ship praised the fine meal with words that were clearly enthusiastic though mostly unintelligible. They brought out bottles of rich red wine and shared them with Ozor’s company. By the time she climbed into her hammock on the lower deck of their ship, all thoughts of Josiah were gone from Nirel’s mind. She dreamed only of the wonders the new day would bring.
Three
J
osiah struggled to make sense of the jumble of sensations flooding his mind. Even after half a year bonded to Sar, he was still frequently overwhelmed by the confusing information transmitted by the Mother’s power.
He took a deep breath. “One thing at a time,” he said before Elkan could.
“That’s right.” His master gave him a wry grin. “Start with the visual.” Elkan scratched the ears of the huge mountain cat sitting beside his chair, her head propped on his knee.
Josiah tried to ignore the fact that Elkan and Tobi would be able to sort out their patient’s difficulties within a few minutes if they chose to send the Mother’s power into her body. Even though Tobi was as new to this as Josiah, she’d learned much more quickly. Maybe it was easier when you were the one in control, and not the one forced to accommodate your bondmate’s actions.
Sar turned a liquid brown eye on him and flicked his ear. The donkey, too, could heal the woman easily if he wanted. Josiah’s hand on his back was all the help he would need. But both Sar and Elkan insisted that Josiah learn to understand what the Mother’s power showed and did, and not just act as a passive partner to his familiar.
Their patient, a plump, middle-aged woman named Master Tava Tailorkin Candler, propped herself up on an elbow and gazed at the shimmering golden light surrounding her chest. “There’s not a problem, is there, Master Elkan?”
“Not at all. Josiah just needs a few more minutes. Although if you’d rather I—”
“Oh, no. Apprentices have to learn; I understand.” Master Tava lay back on the cot. “Take all the time you need.”
Elkan nodded. Josiah settled his hand more firmly into the warm fur at the base of Sar’s mane.
He shut his eyes and concentrated on the images swirling on the back of his eyelids. The Mother’s healing power let wizards perceive their patients’ bodies, but it was very different from ordinary sight. After much practice, he could usually match the swirls of color and washes of light to the organs they represented. The heart, for instance, was a pulsing mass of violet and gold, swishing with the blue and crimson of blood. Master Tava’s thumped steadily, her lungs sending regular washes of crystalline air into the blood coursing through them. Everything seemed healthy and thriving there.
Josiah cycled through each of his other senses, confirming his first impression. The thuds and swishes and gurgles of tissues and fluids sounded regular and strong. The flavors and odors were warm and pleasant, with none of the bitterness or sickly sweetness that could indicate infection. Finally, he focused on the tactile sensations. They were the most important, but the hardest to interpret. But now that he had dealt with the others, he could understand the sensation of liquid flowing across his skin and wind blowing in his hair. His fingers detected none of the heaviness or tightening that would reveal a damaged heart nor any of the overly intense pushing of the blood which would indicate restrictions in the vessels.
Whatever had caused Master Tava’s pain, it wasn’t a defect of the heart. That had been Josiah’s first thought when she’d described waking to spasms of pain at the base of her ribs. She hadn’t been able to breathe, and once had vomited. The episodes went away within an hour or two, so she had ignored the first few, but after a particularly bad one this morning her eldest daughter had insisted she come to the Mother’s Hall.
Elkan had sat beside Josiah and listened as Master Tava reported her symptoms. But when Josiah asked him if he thought it might be her heart he’d looked inscrutable and told Josiah to investigate every possibility.
He probably knew exactly what the problem was and just wasn’t telling. Josiah pinched his lips together and moved his hand to Master Tava’s abdomen.
Down here, Sar?
Whatever you need.
The donkey shifted the flow of golden light until it enveloped her belly.
The wrongness fairly leaped out at Josiah. Every sense registered it—a sickly greenish glow, a strangled gurgle, a taste like rotten meat and a stench like decaying flesh. Heat pulsed against his hands. He traced the source to a small pouch-like organ near the liver. It swelled with malevolent force, straining the fragile tissues to their limit. Josiah recoiled and the light of the Mother’s power jerked away from the spot. He moved his hand back into position, Sar’s displeasure sharp in his mind.
“I found it, Master Elkan.” Josiah tried to remember the details of his lessons in anatomy. “Here, by the liver. A bad infection. It’s in the… something to do with bile, I think…”
Elkan nodded. “The bile reservoir often becomes infected. Do you remember why?”
Josiah was sure Elkan had taught him that tidbit of information at some point, but it was lost among the vast number of similar details his master had poured into him over the last few months. “Um, doesn’t it get blocked somehow?”
“That’s right.” Elkan rose and came to stand across from Josiah. Tobi padded to his side. “Would you like me to show you?”
“Yes, please.” Josiah was beginning to feel competent dealing with common ailments, but the hot green mass frightened him.
“Sar, focus in tight.” Elkan set one hand on Tobi’s head and extended the other. Gold light poured from his hand to join Josiah’s. “Feel there, in the little duct that joins the one from the liver?”
Josiah concentrated on the spot. There, a hard lump right in the duct’s opening. “I see it.”
“It’s a stone. They tend to form in the bile reservoir. Sometimes they get stuck and block it off, and then infection can set in.” Elkan frowned. “Feel the others?”
Sar shifted to focus on the swollen pouch and let the Mother’s power penetrate within. Josiah felt the stones, like a handful of gravel in his palm. “Yeah.”
Elkan was silent for a few minutes, concentrating on the play of power below his hand. At length he sighed, and the light died. Sar followed suit, and Josiah pulled his hand away. He rubbed his tingling palm against his breeches.
Elkan helped their patient sit up. “Master Tava, were you listening? Do you understand the problem?”
“I think so.” She gazed at him with perfect trust. “The Mother’s power can fix it?”
He nodded. “Normally I’d prefer to crush the stone causing the problem. The infected bile would drain, and we could reverse the inflammation. But the problem would be likely to recur, and you’d be back here with more pain in a month or a year.” He looked troubled for a moment. “In your case the infection has damaged the reservoir so much I recommend you allow us to take it out.”
“You can do that?” Master Tava’s eyes widened.
“Yes. Your body can function quite well without this particular organ. It might affect your digestion slightly—you may need to avoid eating certain things, fatty foods, things with seeds or skins, berries, for instance. The procedure is fairly simple. However, it will require that we cut an incision to remove the diseased tissue.”
Josiah sat up straighter, his heart leaping, though he tried to conceal his reaction from Master Tava. Surgery? He’d never gotten to see Elkan do surgery before. Conditions that called for it were rare. The Mother’s power could heal most problems without the need to cut into the body.
Master Tava looked startled, but nodded. “You’ll heal it afterwards?”
“Of course. There will be some pain, but we can dull it a great deal.” Elkan glanced at the gap in the screens. “If you’d like me to send for anyone, so you can discuss it before you come to a decision—”
“There’s no need.” Master Tava shook her head with a rueful grin. “If this reservoir is what’s been making me feel like I’m about to die twice a month, I’ll be well rid of it. I can deal with a little pain for that.”
“Very well. We’ll get ready and be back in a few minutes to begin. It won’t bother you to have Josiah present? I can ask another master to assist me if you’d prefer.”
“No, let the boy do it.” She grinned at Josiah. He realized she was nervous despite her offhand manner. There was something a bit forced in the way she patted his arm. “There’s a first time for everything, isn’t there?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He gave her the most reassuring smile he could muster. “Elkan is a great wizard. Everything will be fine.”
“I’m sure it will.” Master Tava lay back on the cot and closed her eyes.
Josiah followed Elkan from the cubical, past the rows of screens where other wizards worked with patients, and to the side wall of the Hall where a series of basins waited. Sar and Tobi followed them. Elkan scrubbed his hands and gestured for Josiah to do the same. From its sheath at his belt Elkan pulled out the thin, razor sharp knife he kept for just this purpose. He examined the blade critically. “I sharpened it this morning. It should do.” He soaped the blade, rinsed it, and dried the metal on a clean towel.
Elkan turned to Josiah. “Sar has worked with me on plenty of surgeries. He knows what to do. I’ll be busy coaching Tobi, so I won’t be able to spare much attention for you. Listen to what he tells you and you’ll do fine. You and Sar will be responsible for keeping blood loss to a minimum. You’ll need to slow her body until her circulation nearly stops. That will stop the pain as well. In addition, I want you to push blood away from the incision site and heal any major vessels I cut. There’s going to be some blood anyway, and I need you to clear it away periodically so I can see what I’m doing. It will take a fair bit of energy, but you should have plenty to spare. Tobi and I will take care of removing the organ and healing the incision. Are you ready?”
“Yes, sir!” Josiah couldn’t wait.
Elkan grinned at his enthusiasm. “Let’s get started, then.”
He detoured by the stash of supplies to acquire a large basin, a small metal bowl, and a stack of towels, and again by the busy front section of the healing area to notify Master Yathora of their plans. She looked around at the crowd of people waiting to be served and sighed. “This is going to put you two out of commission for the rest of the morning, isn’t it? Report back to me as soon as you’re rested. We’ll be working past sundown at this rate.”
Elkan assured her they would.
He sent Josiah to fill the basin with water. When he arrived back within the screens, Elkan was chatting with Master Tava. After he’d explained everything they intended to do, he positioned Josiah and Sar where he wanted them, on the far side of the cot. He nodded to Josiah.
Josiah cleared his throat. “We’re going to slow down your body for a while, Master Tava. You won’t be aware of what we’re doing, or feel anything. It will seem like no time at all, and then you’ll be awake and we’ll be finished.”
“Go ahead, young man.” Master Tava pulled her tunic up, exposing her belly. She lay back and closed her eyes. For a moment Josiah was taken aback by the completeness of her trust in him. She was vulnerable to anything he might choose to do. The idea overwhelmed him.
It’s not you she trusts, but the Mother.
Sar pressed close to Josiah’s side.
He was right, of course. Master Tava was perfectly safe. Josiah could do nothing with the Mother’s power unless Sar cooperated. And animals, since they had no free will, were incapable of disobeying the Mother’s Law. Even if Josiah wanted to abuse his power, he couldn’t. The idea was oddly comforting. That was the whole reason wizards had familiars, after all.
He gripped the base of Sar’s mane firmly and extended his other hand over Master Tava’s chest.
I’m ready, Sar.