All That Glitters: 09 of ?
A Taste of Honey: Weaver Hall: 3400.02.04
On the landing, an apprentice stopped, panting, his arms laden with medical supplies to replace what had been used, his blond hair plastered to his head. He had a heavy wherhide pack slung on his back, whitening the tanned skin visible under his short tunic sleeves. He looked at the huge door with the ugly iron bits, wondering what everyone else had in the Hall: why put that iron work on that old door? There didn't seem to be any purpose except to make it look ugly. His grey eyes narrowed in contemplation... was that a pattern in the metal and wood?
Soon he'd caught his breath and gulped. No more excuses... he'd have to go in there. He'd only ever seen The Master a couple of times and never up close. At times it seemed like the man was just a rumor... a story to scare the apprentices with. "If you don't do what you're told, you'll answer to Master Aurum," was a common refrain in the classrooms. With the dread bourne of two turns of rumors and threats, the apprentice reached out a hesitant hand and knocked on the large door.
The heavy door flung open immediately, like someone had been sitting there on the other side waiting. Someone had, in fact: Honoria. "The supplies, thank you!" she said with a bright smile. She managed to shift some of the load to her own arms and headed back into the room, expecting him to follow.
"Uh..." Chyp gulped nervously then followed the woman into the vast, now well lit, room. His eyes widened, mind boggling at the sheer size and the immense jumble of items. He followed Honoria closely, but his eyes wandered everywhere.
"They can go right here," she told him, more cheerfully than she'd spoken since she arrived. An area of one of the tables had been cleared off for her own little work station... Aurum hadn't complained yet so she assumed she was going to get away with it. "Thank you again. I've had so much to do this morning the thought of running back up and down those stairs one more time..." she gave an exaggerated sigh.
The apprentice nodded. "Yes'm. And where do I put these books?" He slid the supplies onto the table then pulled the heavy pack from his shoulder with a grimace.
"Books?" she looked confused for a moment, then recognition lit her face. "Are they from Islinne Weyr?" she asked excitedly, snatching the bag from his arms. It was heavier than she expected and immediately went to the floor, but she simply fell to her knees and began pulling out the precious information she needed. "Faranth," she whispered, looking at each tome as if it were as rare and valuable as one of Master Aurum's collection.
In a way, they were.
"Uh, Ma'am?" He gulped again. "Shirisa said I was to help you, uh, tend the... Master?" He said the last word on a whisper, his face a bit paler and his hands trembling.
"What?" she asked, completely having forgotten he was there while drooling over the books. "Oh, that's wonderful," she said, giving him a reassuring smile. He was obviously frightened, but Shirisa's generosity would be of great use to her today. "And please, call me Ria." Pushing herself up to her feet she took one of the bags of medical supplies. "Okay, can you take the books and move them to my room? There's plenty of shelves for them," she pointed with one hand towards the end of the long hall where her alcove was. "And after that..." her eyes trailed meaningfully towards the tall ladder and window cleaning supplies.
The lad nodded and hefted the sack of books into the tiny former office. He put them carefully on a shelf near the door, one by one, making sure not to damage them. Finally finishing his delicate work, he'd never seen such books in his present life, he walked back into the big room and waited patiently, trying not to wet himself with fear.
While the apprentice was busy with her books, Ria practically skipped into the Master's rooms, using both arms to carry the basket. Bedridden from the pain of the cleaning last night, his color had still improved. She smiled even brighter upon seeing him. "Bronzerider S'varas sent the books he promised," she told the Master while she restocked the medicine cabinet.
Aurum looked up from his inventory log, which he had not yet passed on to Ria. He seemed comfortable at the moment because he smiled at her. "Well, with all of the sunshine you're letting in, I believe you'll need this." He held up the book. "To categorize the collection, Honey."
She took the book from his hands and opened it, reading enough in to realize what it was. "Of course, Master," she said, "I'll get to work on it as soon as we've tended your leg fully."
His voice took on that honeyed tone. "My name is Aurum, Honey."
Pausing, a strange expression crossed her face then finally settled into a smile. "Aurum," she repeated softly.
After a long moment of watching her features, he chuckled. "Who're you entertaining out there?"
"Hm?" she blinked and turned away from him, the only way she seemed to be able to think fully sometimes. "Oh, he didn't even tell me his name, the poor boy. Just one of your many terrified apprentices." Her voice was light and playful, and she winked at him.
The Master chuckled and said, "Well, if he dares come in here, I'll have to growl. I am The Monster, after all." Of course, that would make it more difficult as the boy had been sent to help her tend the master's leg.
Ria giggled as she bounced to the door to go retrieve the second bag of supplies. "I'm sure there's paint out here," she said with a mischievous grin. "Then we could really scare him. But don't worry too much. I have him cleaning those bloody tall windows." With that she was back out into the large room, to get the second bag.
...to find the apprentice just standing there. She stopped and blinked at him, her smile faltering a bit. "Is something wrong?" she asked.
"Ma'am? Shirisa said I was to help you tend the Master. I was Healer Hall born." He looked nervous. "I got sent here to apprentice because I'm so handy with thread and needle. My mother wanted me at the Tailor Crafthall, but my father refused. This was the compromise."
"Oh my," she said faintly. She'd expected him to be just another apprentice, sent here on busy work, but he actually could be of help. Then her smile returned, twice as bright as before. "This is wonderful! And my name is Ria," she repeated again, changing directions quickly and going to her alcove. "Bronzerider S'varas sent these," she said, "so the answer is in here. Before anything can be done we have to find out more about removing a foreign substance."
"That Master's got something stuck in his leg? Then you'll need lots of light and something to hold the sides of the wound open... and something to pull it out. What's he got stuck? Bit of wood? Broken bone? Maybe some rock?" His tone suddenly went brisk and it was apparent he had grown up around healers.
She opened her mouth to tell him, but instead said, "I'm not certain." The Master had only said it to the healer. It wasn't her place to tell that secret, not unless he gave her leave first. "Have you ever done anything like this?" she asked, a little anxiously. To read it in a book, look at diagrams and pictures, was one thing. The thought of actually performing such an operation was terrifying.
He shook his head. "I've seen it done almost every day. It's worse in the head or throat or chest. Leg's are easier unless it's near a blood vessel. Or..." he paused, looking a bit more nervous, "they looked easier."
She bit her lip, the high she'd been on since throwing the healer from the Hall yesterday finally fading. It suddenly occurred to her that she could just more easily kill the Master than help him, even if she read every medical book on the planet. Swallowing past a sudden lump in her throat, she asked, "Do you think you can go through these books and find anything relevant to this? Set them aside, and we can study them more indepthly once they're sorted."
He nodded. "I could do that... Ria," he said the name hesitantly then continued with more confidence, "But when I put them on the shelves I could see what they were. They're Medicine books not Healer books. They'll talk about what to do to gather plants and cure them and turn them to medicine... what can't be used together and what can... and what's best for what. Those'll teach you to make medicine... but they usually talk about plagues and infections, not surgery." He tilted his blond head and watched her nervously. "You gonna faint?"
"No, I'm fine," she said weakly. Of course all the answers wouldn't be right there, it was too easy.
He interrupted her, "'cause I can send for a real healer, if you want? They'd know how to debride a wound. Uh... that means clean it out."
Now she ducked her head in embarrassment. "I don't know if they will," she said, shamed. "I threw Master... something out of the Hall last night."
At that, the apprentice threw back his head and laughed. "You and the Master both. I hear he's thrown out more healers than probably exist on the Northern Continent." He grinned at her, displaying a gap in his teeth where one had been knocked out in some accident.
"Do you think you could get someone to come?" she asked, looking at him hopefully. "Someone who wouldn't just want to... chop his leg off?"
The color in the apprentice's face drained and he stopped laughing. "Uh... chop his leg off? Just how bad is this injury? What'd he get stuck in there?" He watched her with a frown as she moved back into the Master's room with the rest of the supplies, but he didn't follow her or shout after her. Instead, he glanced at the windows and shrugged, rolled his sleeves up, climbed onto the ladder, and started scrubbing, waiting for her to return.
Aurum watched Ria at her busy work. He frowned, his eyes darkening in worry. "What's happened, Honey? I thought I heard your friend laughing, but you don't look like you enjoyed the joke." His voice was low, slow, calculating. He sounded sure that whoever the apprentice was, he'd either offended Ria or upset her. Carefully, trying not to jostle his leg, Aurum began to pull his sleeping fur off, uncaring that he was only wearing shortpants. He would see to that apprentice; no one was allowed to hurt Ria. Aurum's frown was getting more fierce with every passing second.
"Don't even think of getting out of that bed," she chided him, not turning from the medicine cabinet. She finally straightened up and smiled at him, though the brightness was dimmed. "He's actually trained in some healing... he's seen the surgery that will need to be done to remove... ," her voice broke and she spun back to the cabinet, now just moving things around busily. "He's going to be extremely helpful," she finished after a moment.
Still frowning fiercely, Aurum lay back against his pillows, pulling the sleeping fur over his left leg. He left the injured right leg uncovered. He merely watched her, that fierce frown on his face. "And what makes you think an Apprentice Weaver knows more than a Master Healer?
"Because between the two of us I think we've managed to piss off every single healer on Pern," she said, an attempt at levity. "How does your leg feel?" she asked briskly, changing the subject.
Aurum let out a chuckle, his face relaxing and his eyes dancing with a playful golden light. "Ah, but I have yet to anger the weyr healers, Honey... would you have me stop now when I am so close to my goal?" He avoided her question for the moment.
She gave him that strange look again then began to laugh, shaking her head. "Then perhaps I will have to steal a dragon to go find us a healer after all."
"Hmph..." He shook his head, crossing his arms over his bare chest. "Too bad the healers I've seen aren't more like your bronzerider. He, at least, made sense. Everyone always says I need to chop the leg off. He's the first one to say we should find out why it's infected." He dropped his arms and leaned forwards. "Proactive instead of reactive. That's what makes a good healer." But he was frowning again, staring into his glass, normally used for water at night, now half full of wine. His eyes were drooping a bit. "Honey..." he drew the word out. "I drank that while you were playing with the apprentice... what did you put in it? What did you do to me?"
"Just a tiny bit of fellis," she said softly, having begun the process of laying out the supplies to clean his leg while he spoke. "Shirisa gave it to me and told me how to sneak it to you, since your stubborn arse won't listen to anyone." She sat on the edge of the bed, the pan next to her. "Now how about you stop driving me insane by being the worst patient ever and just let me help you?"
Aurum slid a hand over hers, taking it and bringing it to over his heart, which beat slow and steady. "Is Honey feeling neglected?" His voice had dropped to that molten honey tone once more, his eyes dark and mysterious behind their gold flecks.
She smirked at him, squeezing his hand gently. "Your ムHoney' has just figured out it's much easier to deal with you if I drug you first," she said teasingly.
"And what kind of deal did my Honey want to make?" He lifted her hand to his lips, but didn't touch it to his mouth. His eyes stayed steady on her the entire time.
Her mouth went dry and she once again made the mistake of looking into his eyes. "I... I should tend your leg, Master," she said, remembering when he'd caught her after she fell from the stool suddenly.
"Aurum," he corrected softly.
"Aurum," she repeated, a smile quirking at the edge of her lips. "Now are you going to be good and let me do my work, Aurum?"
The master chuckled low. "Does Honey want me to be good?" He put emphasis on the last word, but didn't clarify. He gently tugged her hand, unbalancing her a bit.
She felt the heat of flush rushing into her face again. "Aurum," she began, not having any idea how to respond. But she didn't try to pull back from him, and she felt her heart thud painfully in her chest.
"If you wanted me to be good, Honey, you shouldn't have given me fellis..." He pulled her that last little bit, running his other hand into her hair and pulling her head down to brush his lips over hers.
A loud knocking on the door sounded and Aurum stiffened, pushing her back from him hurriedly. His face was once more fierce and he was glaring at the door. "What the blazes do you want?" his roar was enough to lend credence to every rumor of the monster. There was no hint of the gentle lover about him, fellis induced or otherwise.
Though his shove nearly knocked her off the bed with its unexpectedness, she tried to regain her composure. "I'll take care of it," she said hurriedly, leaping from the bed and nearly running to the door. All the time her lips tingled... her first kiss, stolen by a man who quite possibly could be insane.
She swung the door open, hoping that she didn't look nearly as flustered as she felt. "I'm sorry," she murmured to the terrified apprentice, "I was just about to clean Master Aurum's leg... ," she trailed off, realizing her blouse had slipped, revealing one creamy shoulder. Her face flared again and she jerked it back into position. "Can you see if you can find anyone who can do the surgery?" she asked, looking anywhere but at the apprentice. "Shirisa's firelizard can take messages... check the Weyrs, he apparently hasn't tortured them yet."
The boy nodded flushing at Ria's brief exposure, not prepared to argue with her or the Master. He'd be flamed before he went in there anytime soon. The man sounded angry as a queen dragon with a missing egg. Turning without a word, Chyp ran down the long room and out the huge wooden door, letting it shut behind him with a thump.
Aurum glared at the door, arms crossing over his chest once more. "Damn impudent whelp," he growled out.
All the stress went out of her like a deflated bladder and she burst into laughter. "You are utterly and completely insane," she said to him, a fondness in her voice. "Finish that wine. You went and worked yourself all up and I need to clean your leg." Then she glanced back at the door and cursed, stamping her foot. "I didn't even catch that poor boy's name."
The master picked up his glass and stared into the laced wine. "Name's Chyp," he murmured. "Came to us because his parents didn't know what to do with him. Should've gone to the Tailors really, but he might make an Orrus Weaver yet." With that reference to the coveted and very small clique of lace and metal weavers, Aurum downed the rest of his glass in one breath. He put the glass back onto his night stand and looked at her with one quirked eyebrow, a gentle challenge.
"Chyp, hm?" she repeated, returning to his side and sitting down once again. She didn't make the same mistake this time, going straight to cleansing her hands with the redwort and getting the numbweed and bandages. "He was very helpful."
"A bit young for you, I think, Honey," his voice was playful once more. "He's not even a senior apprentice yet."
She gave him a wry look as she began to unwind the bandages from his leg, one eyebrow quirked upwards. "Really?" she asked, amused. "You steal my first kiss without my permission, and then you're jealous of some silly little apprentice. If I didn't know better I'd think you might be growing fond of me." She sat her tools out on the tray after disinfecting them, trying to focus on those little things that had become so familiar to her and not the man who was still making her heart race.
Aurum didn't move, his breathing slow and controlled. He kept his eyes on her every move, a soft frown on his face as she talked. Finally, he reached out and touched the back of her wrist. "I never meant to steal from you, Honey. A lady's first kiss should be from someone she cares for." His voice was serious, almost sad sounding.
She blushed and smiled, looking over her shoulder at him. "Maybe you didn't steal it then," she said, shy and soft.
With a sigh, he merely nodded, as if lost in deep thoughts. He never once complained or even stirred as she cleaned the wound and re-bandaged it.
She finished as quickly as she could, hands still gentle as could be. S'varas' concoction had made her job easier, even if it caused the Master more pain. When she was done, and had washed her hands and disposed of the waste, she went back to his bed and tugged the furs back up around him. "Tired, hm?" she asked.
"Drugged, Honey... you drugged me..." his voice was neutral, not accusatory. The dullness was almost terrifying in such a passionate, volatile man. The gold did not dance in his eyes at the moment he looked at her; instead, he seemed sleepy and withdrawn.
"Well if you weren't so difficult... ," she smiled at him. Even if the dullness was frightening, it was less frightening than seeing him in pain. He might be angry tomorrow, but she'd sleep well that night at least. "Oh," she said, suddenly returning to the bed and leaning across.
She pressed her lips against his hesitantly, trying to recreate the moment from earlier, but clumsy enough to prove that he was indeed her first kiss. She leaned back, face flushed but smiling. "Fair's fair, right?" she whispered.
His eyes had closed during the kiss and he slowly opened them, looking at her. "Remind me later there's another thing to teach you." His voice held a faint hint of the playfulness, but it was more weary than anything. He was making a great effort to stay awake.
"Go to sleep," she murmured, brushing his hair back from his face. Unable to help herself she gave him one more quick peck on the lips then got the pitcher of water and a new glass from his desk and poured him a fresh glass for the night. She paused at the door and turned back and shyly said, "Sleep well... Aurum."
"Honey..." came his sleepy voice.
Continued in Chapter Ten
