Chapter Twelve

"I only have two more tests to run." Coran growled. "I think you can wait an hour before you tuck me in."

"Coran… it's the middle of the night." Devona answered. "I'm sure whatever you're working on will keep until morning."

Not that the warrior really had any clue what Coran was doing. He could have been playing an obscure Asuran game for all she knew; flicking a small glass flask filled partway with Adelbern's blood, and half with a pale green liquid that he was attempting to mix.

"The sooner I can make a diagnosis, the sooner I can prepare a course of treatment. Isn't that the end goal?" The young prince retorted.

"Oh, for Lyssa's sake, the headmaster is a grown man." Yue's voice cut in testily. "You're not even married yet, and you're trying to smother him. He survived just fine without you for nearly a decade."

This time, Devona caught the dark glare the assassin cast her way. Devona's jaw dropped, uncertain just where to being responding; whether to the dismissal of her concerns, the idea of smothering anyone, or the implication of any impending marriage.

Yue's attentions quickly turned to Coran, offering him a cup of a steaming liquid. "White Tea, with a dash of sugar and cream; just how you like it."

Coran gave an appreciative, if distracted nod, and took one long sip promptly after claiming the cup. "Many thanks, Yue. Although I must ask that you dull your tongue towards Devona. She is merely acting as she think best."

Yue slouched like she had been slapped. "Of course, Headmaster. I… I too was only acting as I thought best."

"I know you were, Yue." He said, finally turning his head towards the assassin with a slight smile. "I think we're all on edge… probably stemming from me. But worry not, with any luck, we'll have this thing resolved in a few days."

"What do you think is wrong?" Devona asked.

"Well, his suffering stems from fluid building up in his lungs, causing the difficulty breathing, as well as the atrophy of his body… as he is unable to get the oxygen necessary to fuel the metabolism that allows his appetite to function properly." Coran began, either ignoring or not noticing the glazed over look that had fallen over the eyes of both women. "But that is merely the symptom; the culprit behind the symptom could be one of three things. First, and most hopefully, it is a bacterial infection which can be cured with the proper antibiotics. Secondly, and the most likely culprit, is a viral infection, most likely Allurmas Villiontra, well known for producing these symptoms. In that case, I can only prepare a proper dietary supplement and watchful eye and hope he pulls through. Finally, and also a strong possibility, is malignant genetic decay, which he could have easily developed through the poor environment… I'm sure there are a distressingly large number of contaminants in the earth that would then contaminate the food, or in the water and air. In that worst case scenario, the only thing I could do is ease his pain as much as I could."

There was silence for a moment until Devona and Yue processed that he had stopped talking. "And… these tests your doing now will help you figure out which problem it is?"

"Precisely." The prince affirmed. "This here is actually a simple dying technique. Once I examine it under the microscope, any antibodies in his blood will be highlighted. If I find an abnormally large number, it will exclude the malignancy theory. From there, I can examine the bacterial culture I made earlier. If it comes up positive, then the problem is bacterial. If nothing, then it's viral."

He paused, and for a moment, Devona was sure the prince had swayed slightly. "So, yes… very much… hinges… on this… blast it… Yue… you… did it again… didn't you?"

The assassin hopped forward, catching Coran as he slumped over. "For all the gods find blessed, could you give me a hand here?" Yue snapped at Devona, "He's heavy."

Devona complied, taking his left arm and sliding it over her shoulders while Yue did the same on the right. "What did you do to him?" The warrior accused, her mind trying to process the happenings in conjunction with Yue's seeming passive response.

Yue smirked triumphantly, "The Asurans call it Sleep Enhancing Drugs Activating Temporary Incapacitation Versus Extensive Sleeplessness; or S.E.D.A.T.I.V.E.S. for short. They're quite useful when Coran decides to pull one of these sessions. A couple drops stealthily slipped into his drinks heads off a very cranky Coran after being awake for three days."

The assassin pointed out to the door, and ordered, "All right, let's get him to bed before I crumple. Good thing you're strong as a bear… when Grazz isn't around, it's up to me and a handful of Asura to lug him off to his chambers."

"He really has changed a lot, hasn't he?"

Yue scoffed, "Not as much as you might think."

Another silence dropped over their surroundings. "You don't like me very much, do you?" Devona finally queried.

"Whether I like you or not is irrelevant." Was Yue's curt reply.

The warrior pressed forward, unsatisfied with the deflection. "Maybe, but I'd still like to know why. Did I do something that I don't realize?"

"You have no idea."

"What did I do? I don't care if you hate me, but I think I deserve to know why."

"Oh, for Lyssa's sake… you are obnoxious aren't you?" The assassin grumbled. "You're nothing like the woman Coran wrote about." Yue then froze, realizing what she had let slip, and hastily added, "Not… that I'd know… mind you…"

For a brief moment, Devona was about to take the assassin to task for what was clearly a breach of confidence, but her mind quickly made another connection that dug right to the heart of the matter.

"Oh, Dwayna save me… you…"

"Don't even start. I told you it didn't matter." Yue snapped.

"Does he know?"

"Of course he doesn't know, you halfwit! And I expect you to keep it that way!"

"Yue…"

"Listen to me like your little boyfriend doesn't. Even if I had told him, it would have merely caused problems. I never had a chance, and I know it. I'm a nothing… the daughter of immigrants from Cantha."

"I'm not a noble either…"

"Yes, but I'm not the one he was pining for. Don't you get it, he's been smitten by you from the moment you were children. There wasn't, and isn't, room for anyone else. As humans go, you're rather bright, you have a good personality, and you're a heck of a lot more easy on the eye than I am. You're the perfect package."

"Don't say that, you're not ugly, or stupid, or mean-spirited, no matter how hard you try." Devona said with all the sincerity she could muster. "There's nothing I have that you don't."

Yue's eyes drifted down to her chest, then made a similarly appraising glance to the warrior across the way. Devona flushed, and said, "This… is mostly armor."

"Mmm hmm." Yue said disbelievingly, then said depressively, "Just… listen to me. Revealing how I feel will only needlessly complicate things. I'm not out of the picture because I was never in the picture to begin with. He loves you, and has for years… and you the same for him."

"Well… a lot has changed…"

"Do not patronize me." The assassin rolled her eyes then stopped abruptly. "We're here. Let's dump this fellow on the bed so we can get to sleep ourselves. Coran's going be irritated when he wakes up, and we're gonna need to be as sharp as we can to deal with him."