CHAPTER 7
“Did you get the blood sample?” Gaetan stood from his worn wooden stool, and the old lumber creaked as if relieved from bearing his weight. Pain, his constant companion, wormed into the joint at his knee, settling in for another splendid round of torture. He secured his grip around his staff, using the ancient wood for support.
Sheri hadn’t responded to his question, so he glanced at her. Shoulder-length blonde hair cascaded around her shoulders. She stood beside the new arrival, the female Ursus, who lay supine on one of the infirmary’s stone-carved beds. With an intensity in her hazel eyes, she held up a needle, deep red blood filling the tube. “Got it right here.”
“Excellent. I’ll analyze the enzymes for compatibility with—” He sucked in a breath. Pain rippled down his leg, and he leaned against his cane. The orange sunstone at the tip brightened, the heat warming his palm. A gift from his sister Ginnia long ago, the sunstone was a constant reminder of her love for him and his duty to her.
“Gaetan?” Sheri padded across the room, her soft-soled shoes skating across the polished stone floor. She gripped his elbow, but he shook her off, unwilling to receive support from anyone.
“I’m fine, Sheri. Thank you for your concern.” He smiled, letting his natural ability to calm others filter along their connection. “My leg just fell asleep there for a moment.”
Before he could stop himself, his attention tore to the beakers, bottles, and assorted medical paraphernalia scattered across the shelves lining the infirmary’s walls. He focused on one bottle in particular—the one that contained his pain killers.
Relief. That’s what he needed.
He hobbled over to the counter, aware of Sheri’s assessing gaze. Appearing as nonchalant as possible, he wrapped his fingers around the container. With a quick twist, he released the cap, shook one of the pills into his palm, and popped it into his mouth.
He swallowed the tablet dry.
Ah, much better.
Sheri placed the vial with the Ursus female’s blood into a rack next to an old medical text. The solitary tube’s dark red color gave him pause. A shiver, part hunch, part dread, skittered over his nerves. The blood seemed more like their own than that of the Gossum.
“Gaetan, are you sure you’re okay?” Concern filled Sheri’s voice.
He turned to face her. “It’s been a long night. I’ll need to rest my leg soon.”
Yes, the deformed piece of meat he called a leg couldn’t withstand much weight. When he was younger, the pain hadn’t been so bad, but over the past few hundred years, the agony had increased. Now, the bitter ache was a constant in his life.
Sheri crossed her arms. “You work too hard. Let me handle the analysis on that blood, okay?” The compassion in her hazel eyes spoke volumes.
He sighed. “That would be nice. Thank you.”
Sheri set out a glass slide and picked up a jar of solution. Using metal tongs, she gripped a clean cloth, dipped it into the concoction, and then wiped the solution over the slide. She glanced at their patient. “She looks so peaceful. Do you think she’s the enemy?”
The female’s dark braid hung over the side of the medical bed, the tip almost touching the floor. Thanks to the sunstones and their healing ability, they hadn’t needed to remove her clothing to heal her wounds. With closed eyes, her pale skin glowed with a soft innocence, reminding him of his sister, Ginnia.
She was locked away in a cell in the strongroom for releasing the traitorous Mauree. Noeh hadn’t wanted to jail the Keep’s seer, but she’d admitted to the crime. Unwilling to let anyone else care for his sister, Gaetan had vowed to watch over her.
He exhaled. “I trust Saar’s judgment.”
“I hope you’re right.” Sheri nodded toward the Ursus female. “Despite her innocent look, she’s a warrior. I’d hate to be on the receiving end of her wrath.”
“Point well-taken.” He glanced at Sheri, but he focused on the cabinet behind her. Beyond the glass door, wrapped in a brown cloth, the blue sunstone of legend sat in the uppermost corner of the top shelf. After Sheri had retrieved the sacred stone from Mauree, Noeh had placed the ancient relic in Gaetan’s care—to watch over, keep hidden. Sooner or later, he’d have to get rid of that thing. The blue sunstone was more trouble than it was worth.
The sudden urge to take another pill flitted over Gaetan’s nerves. His fingers twitched.
Goosebumps rose along his arms.
He returned his attention to Sheri. “Thank you for assisting me with our…,” his attention flitted to the female, “…guest.”
Sheri smiled. “Of course, my pleasure. I enjoy helping you in the infirmary. It gives me a chance to give back, use my medical training to aid you and the warriors here.”
Mated to Tanen, Sheri had been turned from human to Dren and was now a vital part of the Keep. She picked up the vial with the female’s blood and twisted the lid. With careful attention, she tilted the small bottle. A single drop slid from the vial and landed on the glass slide.
Gaetan placed his hand over Sheri’s arm and gave her a gentle squeeze. “Your assistance means more to me than you know.”
Each day his pain worsened, and he was glad for the reprieve she offered.
“Results?” he asked.
Her eyes widened. “As I suspected from the color, Lemurian blood, like ours. What do you think this means?”
He stifled a laugh. There wasn’t anything funny about this war, this battle for Earth’s water. Yet, circumstances had veered into the macabre. Telling friend from foe wasn’t as easy as it once was.
“What a tangled web we weave.” He peered at the ceiling. “What’s going on, Alora?”
Silence.
He shrugged. Not that he’d expected an answer from his goddess, but he longed for a response all the same.
“Let’s check our patient one last time before we let Saar in, shall we?” He hobbled over to the Ursus female, relying on his cane more than he cared to admit.
Sheri beat him there. She placed her fingers against the female’s wrist. Her brow knit together. “Heartbeat seems normal. Shouldn’t she be conscious by now?”
“The brain is a mysterious organ. You never know what will trigger a response.” He gripped the edge of the sheet and pulled it up to the female’s shoulders. Leaning over, he patted her on the arm. “We’ve done all we can, my little patient. The rest is up to you.”