36. Figured You Should Know
Velanna's spell works exactly as it's supposed to, though she warns that it's a temporary fix at best. With the Taint in Ezekiel's arm contained, for now, we shift focus to figuring out the best way to remove the Tainted part.
It's best, we all agree, if it can be done without the services of a traditional-civilian-doctor, to avoid the risk of someone else catching the Taint. That means doing it ourselves, since the same can be applied to not letting any of his brothers help. Since Jowan is both the better healer between the two mages and the least squeamish at the sight of blood, he gets to be in charge by default. He seems surprised when I admit that-outside the battlefield-I am not good with blood, and in the context of removing a limb, I'll be no good.
So I volunteer to go back into town, get us rooms, maybe explain to Dev and Micah what's going on. Minus the James helping a darkspawn part. That's his secret, and I'm not spilling the beans.
"What if I need help?" Jowan asks, looking less than comfortable with the idea of being in charge without me around as a safety net.
"You have Mahariel and Velanna," I point out. "And I'm pretty sure they'll listen to you."
He still looks less than sure, but doesn't protest further. Part of me does feel bad about running out on him, but the rest of me keeps chanting amputated limb, lots of blood over and over in my head, and I can't do it. I make sure to specifically inform Velanna and Jerin to do whatever Jowan needs them to, without questioning-which earns me a disgruntled snort from Velanna-but then I'm out of here.
A little voice whispers in my head as I hurry toward town, hard as I try to ignore it. Coward.
oOo
It's a nice day, and the walk into town is pleasant enough; though I do find myself reaching as if to grab someone's hand every few minutes before remembering I'm alone.
Dev's tavern looks plenty busy as I approach, and the woman herself barely has time to shoot me a frazzled smile of recognition as she serves up drinks.
"Can I get you anything, Warden?" she asks over her shoulder, setting mugs in front of a pair of tired-looking mill workers.
"Not to drink, no," I shake my head. "I'm too much of a light-weight. But my friends an' I will need rooms. James told us you're the best an' only place to go."
"That boy..." Dev chuckles. "He's the only one who had trouble decidin' which life he wanted 'tween the farm an' tavern. I think a part of him still feels guilty for choosin' the farm, b'cause everyone who meets him mentions how he talks this place up." She frowns slightly "Where'd you stay last night, then?"
"The farm," I reply. "We didn't conclude our investigation for the day until real late, James apparently started an... acquaintance with two a' my Wardens, and he offered t' let us stay there."
The frown turns into a fond smile. "That does sound like James. There's four of you, aye?"
"Yep, and, um, we... could manage with just two beds, if you get my meaning," I joke, hoping I'm not blushing too much.
She actually laughs. "Don't worry; the inn's not that full. We can set ya up however you like. We don't really get a lot of travelers out this way. So you can pretty much have your pick." She winks. "I can even do a separate room for each couple if y'like."
"I think I might take you up on that," I sigh, knowing money's not an issue here, really. "Some of us might prefer bein' at least sort of alone with our thoughts after today..." My good mood at least partially dissipates when I remember the other reason I needed to talk to her. "Dev, there's actually somethin' else I need to talk to you about."
"That sounds ominous," she murmurs, catching the attention of the blonde working the opposite end of the counter. "Is it somethin' quick, Warden? 'Cause I can leave things in Carmela's hands for a few minutes, but she's new enough I don't want to overwhelm the poor girl."
"The tellin' I can do pretty quick," I reply hesitantly. "You might need some time to process it, though."
"Well, now you have to tell me, just to get it over with." Dev murmurs a few words to Carmela, who nods, looking only slightly nervous. "Is it one of my boys."
I nod. "Ezekiel's broken wrist... the circumstances of it being broken led to him contracting the Taint." She goes white as a sheet, and I rush to the next part. "However, it doesn't appear to have spread out of his arm, and one of my mages knows a spell for slowing it down. She's using that to contain it until they can amputate. It's not ideal, I realize; a farmer with only one arm, but if Jowan's right and the Taint hasn't spread yet, at least he'll be alive."
"I... thank you for telling me, Warden. Don't s'ppose there's much of anything I can do, is there?" she asks slowly.
"Not really." I shake my head. "We just figured you deserved to know what was going on, him being your son and all. They're actually takin' care of it right now, so just... pray really hard the next couple days that Jowan was right and the Taint didn't spread, and that his arm heals up easily." Mentally I adds that that's gonna be the easy part-two mages with healer's training, infection is low on the list of things to worry about-but I don't tell Dev that. Because I'd have to follow that with admitting how high the risk is that the Taint will still spread. That she might lose a son in addition to her husband. And that's not how I want to end this conversation. So instead I assure her, "Jowan and Velanna are both very skilled mages and very good at healing spells. Ezekiel's in good hands."
She still looks worried, but squares her shoulders resolutely. Alright, then. I trust you, Warden, so if you say they're good enough to get the job done, I believe it. Let's get you set up with rooms, and then when you go back to collect your fellows, you can find out for me how it went."
"Agreed," I nod.
It doesn't take long to get the lodging arrangements worked out, and then I set off back to the farm, hoping if I walk slowly enough they'll be done by the time I get there. I want to get a status report, not catch them in action. So I settle on a pace best described as a mosey, and mentally cross my fingers as I hope for the best, in more ways than one.
A/N: Hey, guys, sorry for being later than I expected getting back. The rl stuff took longer to resolve than I thought it would.