story - part 43 - solutions - 1181 words

We sit waiting on the edge of the bed, neither of us saying a word; I am too busy checking on the prince, dragging down that fever and easing away that pain. She is too distracted, turned worn and pale, unable to help. I wonder why all of this seems to upset her so much.

Eventually, she slips away to sleep in my chair, off to one side, and I begin to nod off where I am sitting. I am just beginning to shut down into an uncomfortable, sideways sleep when there is a commotion at my door and Corbin comes charging through, dragging the young physician along by her collar. I cannot help but wince at the way he throws her around. We have not proven anything yet, we should not hurt her.

I do not dare tell him this, though. Instead I lean down to check on the Prince once more, as Corbin pushes Sialia down into one of my worn chairs and binds her to the arm, making sure she has no chance to escape. He has already convicted her, in his mind, and has probably even acted out some horrible punishment.

Tumaire's breathing has turned somewhat steadier, his heartbeat does not falter anymore. There is something healthier about his sleep, now, something even and healthy. It is no longer because he is drugged, or because he has passed out, but merely because he is still unconscious. A hard shake would probably wake him up.

"Is he alright?" Rumbling from my left. I lift my head to blink up at Corbin, who is strangely calm and gentle with me, watching the way I take care of his son. Maybe this is because now I am the only one who has proven himself trustworthy, the only one who has fixed things. Tumaire never had a fit like this while I was still his physician, and the King knows this.

"I think he will be." Eyes shifting down toward the struggling girl, then across to Calidris, still sound asleep in the corner. I finally drag myself up to stand, sweeping a hand over my hair and tucking it neatly down into its tail, making sure it is all pulled back out of my face. I am tired, but this must be dealt with first.

It is strange - the physician fights with her bonds, but it is a weak, confused kind of struggle. She looks more disoriented than afraid or angry, like we have just waken her from a deep sleep and she does not know where she is. Her eyes shift from Corbin to me and back, she licks her lips and searches for words, for an explanation, but cannot find them. Instead she sits staring up at the pair of us, fingers curled into her fist.

"Father, why are you always so quick at the draw? She is not dangerous enough that she needs to be attached to the chair." That length of metal makes me uncomfortable. I remember what it is like to have it clamped about a wrist, it makes my own arm and back ache. I rub at my right hand, trying to ease away some phantom cold, and fight against the shudder down my spine.

"It is better safe than sorry. Do not question me, Corbett." Standing back to glare down at her. He is not swayed by her confused expression, the flash of fear across her face, the way she blinks around the room and over to the Prince and does not seem to recognize any of us. Likely all he sees is a suspect; he watches her without seeing her.

She does not say anything, at first. This might be because everything she has to say is so ridiculous and so crazy. She might not know what is going on, but she recognizes the sting of cuff against skin, and the hostility in his stare. She knows that there is something wrong with Tumaire, sprawled out across my bed as he is. She is very convincingly baffled, and I wonder briefly if this is just another act. I do not think it is.

"What is going on? Why am I here? Why did you drag me all the way across.." Her voice softer and trembling. It does not hold the mocking edge, the game edge, that it had in the interview. She seems tiny and terrified, with wide and shocked eyes and a nervous frown on her lips. It is impossible for me to hate or fear this shivering creature.

"Your name. What is it?" Cutting in before my father can say something else to terrify her. She looks up at me with a mixture of surprise and confusion, as if that is something I should know; so she recognizes me, she is not completely lost. It is merely the situation that makes her uncomfortable.

"Sialia of Zonotrichia. The same as it was the last time you asked, and...and the same as it has always been." Her eyes go fuzzy, unfocused, and for a moment she stares up at me in completely confusion again. The flash of recognition is gone, I might as well be a complete stranger. There is something wrong, in her voice and those distant eyes, which makes me suspect something darker involved, and makes my heart leap up into my throat.

I turn back to my father, and carefully navigate him across the room to stand in a far corner. Our wings block us in, making this private and secretive, closing everyone else out. My voice slithers down to a barely audible whisper, I do not want anyone to overhear.

"Tumaire said something which made me...made me think there is something more here than merely a slacking physician. I think there might be some magic involved, and.." It hisses away into silence at the light flashing in his eyes, in the dangerous frown on his mouth. He does not want to believe it, or even think about it. There has been too much magic in his life.

"So we should execute her immediately?" No attempt to keep his own voice down. I can see Sialia, out of the corner of my eye, stiffen in her chair and begin to fight at her bonds. I can hear the tiny terrified whimper that she makes.

"No. No, I think we should get rid of the spell, and see if we can figure out what is going on. I remember enough magic to do that." A small part of my life that I have never truly admitted to him until now. His jaw sets tightly and he stares down at me, trying to ascertain if I am serious or if I am toying with him, if it is an honest offer or not. He wants to say no, and condemn me as well, for even mentioning it - but he instead bobs his head in a reluctant nod and shoves away from me, picking across the room.

"You have my permission to do whatever you need to do, and my pardon."