Chapter Nine: Glitch's Study
DG ached. Her arm was bruising under her dress sleeve. There was dull pain in her ribs from being thrown into a chair. Her legs throbbed from being forced along the stone corridors to Glitch's study: half running and half dragging behind Wyatt Cain. This was not mentioning the soreness in her temples that was increasing, aided along the way by the escalating volume of the argument going on in front of her.
Cain had deposited her in the advisors study and then gone to fetch his son. The two of them had returned already arguing. Glitch had been taken aback to find General Cain practically foaming at the mouth and demanding he find a way to stop DG getting sick. Which, he tried to reason, was something that may or may not be about to happen. He'd joined in the yelling purely, DG thought, out of self-defence.
Azkadellia arrived, after a terrified runner had come to her hoping she'd be able to stop what was fast approaching a brawl. As she entered the study she went unnoticed. It took her a few minutes of listening and watching faces before she understood what was going on. Wyatt Cain was arguing with his son about the plan to 'test the theorem that the Turning Malady is passed on through charcoal outline effigies.' Ambrose was angry about that too and Jeb was trying to argue with them both.
'How long have they been screaming?' Az asked DG after walking round to kneel by her chair.
'About, a quarter hour.'
'What happened?' Azkadellia was still watching the three men at loggerheads. When her sister didn't answer she turned to look at her. DG was looking at the picture she had drawn; it was a candid and beautiful sketch of herself.
'Oh Deeg...' Az took the picture from her sister. 'Oh Deeg...'
'I had to do something Az.'
'NOT THIS!' Azkadellia's sudden scream cut across the argument. All three men turned to look at DG.
'Oh good. Now everyone's mad at me.' DG sighed.
'We need you DG... without you we're lost.' Azkadellia was still kneeling by her sister and reached out for her hand as she whispered.
'I'm gonna be fine Az. We're going to figure this out.' The silence stretched out around the group fragile and full of emotions.
'What other theories do we have on the table?' Jeb asked Glitch breaking the spell.
'Well...' The two of them drew away to the table in the far corner of room, Azkadellia, Wyatt Cain and DG being swept along too. '...not everyone who DG has drawn has gotten sick.'
'Not everyone who is sick has been drawn...' said Az wrinkling her nose at some papers.
'Maybe it isn't DG then... Could she be affecting people who are already sick?' Glitch asked... 'If Caydie had been sick and then DG drew her and she turned...'
'Maybe... I'm still not sure how the drawings affect people.' Azkadellia said. As Ambrose began to give some theories DG drew Wyatt Cain aside.
'Can we talk?' she asked. The General nodded and led her outside to the corridor.
'Kid, you need to start listening to your sister.' Cain seemed calmer now but there was still a hard edge to his voice. He was looking out of the window as he spoke. 'You're vital to this city, this country, this people. Without you we are lost. You're the person who saved the O.Z the people out there need you; they don't trust your sister. They need YOU. So now none of this is just about you anymore. It's about the big picture DG.'
'Cain...'
'I've pushed you too hard. Expected too much. That dance... that night... I went too far. I need to be helping you focus now...' this was said quietly. Almost to himself, Wyatt Cain usually used so few words that this outburst had left him feeling embarrassed.
'Cain...' DG's voice was thin and small. He turned she was pale and clinging to the wall. 'Cain... I don't feel...' The Tin Man rushed forward as DG collapsed into his arms. As he touched the bare skin on her hands he felt the heat coming off of her.
'HELP!'
They were still in Glitch's study. DG was screened off in the far corner, lying on the sofa. Raw and one of the palace healers was tending to her. She was conscience and exchanging whispered conversation with the healer.
Azkadellia was hovering by the screen. Her face pale and lips bright red from where she kept biting them. She was straining to overhear what was being said. The words 'we're lost without you, DG' kept echoing around her head. Cain's yell had started her heart pounding at it hadn't stopped yet.
'HELP!' Jeb Cain bit down the bile rising up in his throat. He put his clenched fist in front of his mouth and swallowed again. He kept remembering the sound of his dad's yell for help. The level of panic in his voice... If DG has the Turning Sickness it was his fault. Up until hearing the yell Jeb hadn't even considered that DG might get sick. That she chose to draw herself instead of him was so obvious now he couldn't believe he hadn't realised that was what she'd do. He glanced up at his father... Turning the fist into a flat hand over his mouth Jeb turned away again.
Glitch was staring at Azkadellia. He was numb. The concern and fear in her face was only matched by what his broken mind was running through. All of the options, how to fix this, how to help DG, and how to support Azkadellia... thousands of them. But still he felt numb; he knew that the emotions wouldn't kick in until this interminable waiting was over. Every second was passing like an hour and each noise was hugely loud to Ambrose. The others breathe, Azkadellia switching her wait from foot to foot and the murmuring from behind the screen.
For Wyatt Cain the world was on hold. He wasn't aware of Azkadellia's fearful hovering or his son's anxious stare. He couldn't hear the conversation from behind the screen. Everything had faded into silence after Raw had arrived. There was no echoing thought in his head. No feeling of panic or bile rising in his throat. There were no contingency plans in back part of his mind. Every fibre of his mind, of his body too was perfectly still.
After pulling DG up into his arms he'd carried into the study and put her onto the sofa. His cries for help had raised runners and resulted in Raw and another healer being there in moments. After the screen had been pulled across hiding DG from view Wyatt Cain had frozen stood by the wall opposite the screen.
Raw came around from behind the screen, 'DG exhausted. No Sickness.'
Three sighs of relief sounded hugely loud in the room. Cain felt his back hit the cold stone of the wall the sound of his heart thundering was suddenly loud in his ears and his drew a breath almost gasping.
'She needs sleep now. Rest.'
It had to be nearly dawn. DG awoke and felt stiffness hit her in a wave. It took her a few moments to realise where she was but it all came rushing back.
She forced herself to sit up and stretched. Beginning to move round from behind the screen she felt more than heard someone else's presence.
'Hello?'
'Hey kid. How are you doing?' as she rounded the screen she saw Wyatt Cain sat in a chair at Glitch's desk.
'Cain? Have you been here all night?' she made her way across the room to lean against the desk opposite the Tin Man.
'Night's not over yet.'
'Thank you.' DG said quietly. Cain shook his head gently. DG winced as there was an ache in her arm. Looking at it in the dim light of the study she saw a deep bruise on her forearm, in the shape a tightly gripped hand.
Pulling her arm behind her back quickly she looked up at Cain. He was already stood and pulled the arm, gently towards him. Seeing the bruise he met her eyes and sank back to his seat.
'I'm so sorry DG.' He dipped his head in remorse and suddenly, to DG, looked as tired as she felt.
'Hey. It's okay. It's a small price to pay to have you around to look after me.' She knelt in front of him putting her hand onto his knee. 'It barely hurts.'
Slowly Wyatt Cain put his own hand on top of hers. The two of them stayed there for a while in silence. Before DG said in barely a whisper...
'We need to talk about the dance.'
Authors Note: Thank you all so much for reading, can I ask you to review please? I'm not 100% where we're going after this chapter so your thoughts are very much appreciated!