Chapter 61: Ambush, Elixirs, and Maggot Kernels

  “Kolin?”

  Tess opened the door, and standing there were a pair of guards supporting our friend between them. At first glance, all I could think of were cops escorting a perp.

  //Way too many ‘Law and Order’ reruns//

  Then I looked again—Kolin was in bad shape; the guards were the only thing keeping him upright. A blood soaked linen bandage was wrapped around his temples, his hair spiky from the dried stuff. A splint supported his left leg, the guard on that side acting as a crutch. His skin was ghostly white, everywhere that wasn’t covered in green and yellow bruising.

  There was a gasp, then the sound of a platter crashing as Gaelia took in Kolin before she rushed out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Even the old codgers shut up, as the rest of us swarmed the door, Tess in the lead.

  “Hey, Tess,” came a weak voice. “Did you miss me?”

  “Dude, what the fuck happened to you?”

  Ah, the sweet tones of a woman in love.

  //You know, there are times to be serious//

  ‘I’m coping.’

  Tess slipped herself under Kolin’s arm, replacing the man on his left side. On closer inspection, the two individuals I’d been thinking of as ‘guards’ turned out in fact to be a pair of Crown Sentinels—literally royal guards. They were dressed in dark leathers and bright polished chain-mail, the Matriarch’s crest emblazoned on their left breast.

  I looked to the guards for information as Tess escorted the wounded swordsman to a seat. “What’s happened?”

  “Your friend’s Team was ambushed at the strait, and he was exfiltrated back to the city for the [Healer]s,” the shorter, female guard told me. “He was given basic treatment, and then he asked to be brought here.”

  “Fine, he’s more than welcomed, but why not the Guild bungalow?”

  “The rest you will have to get from him.”

  Their job done, and orders discharged, the uniformed pair turned on the heels of heavy, armored boots and left us to it. The bigger guy—aka ‘Crutch’—closed the door solidly behind them.

  I transferred my attention, quick-stepping over to where Tess had Kolin propped up on the couch, kneeling before him and clutching his hands in her own trembling ones. Damn, I’d never seen my fellow Earther in such a state. She was hurting.

  “C-can you tell us what happened?” Her tone was gentle.

  The group of Masters had retreated to the kitchen side of the counter, Ponce still holding his drink while Mr. W. was trying to scrape the dropped caramel off the floor. Alric was paying close attention, and Tounsel was loitering at the bottom of the stairs for some reason. Harms looked glassy-eyed, no doubt seeing the future of his daughter.

  “We were on a routine…patrol, riding along the …river,” Kolin’s voice was low and slow, having to take breaths every handful of words. “These…things…swarmed out the waters, dripping slime…Quyn was the first to go down, his daggers no use against their teeth and claws. Baltha’s spells didn’t do much more—she was next. I remember a pair of the creatures…I think they were kelpyds…”

  ‘Kelpyds?’

  //Don’t know. Shush//

  “…one chewed through her neck while the other pulled her head off by her dreads…Jaxxon dropped under a hail of pronged spears, but not before his arrows took out a half dozen of them. Rolf lasted the longest—aside from me.”

  “Thank Christ and his Virgin Mother.” No one could spare the thought to question Tess’s prayer.

  “I…I was buried under my steedle. The blood from its torn throat and my head, it must have been enough for them to think me dead. At least Rolf died fighting, not lying in the mud and blood.”

  “It doesn’t matter, Kolin,” Tess told him, her worry at the tone and words evident. She gave me a pleading look, but what could I do? “All that matters is that you survived.”

  “Too many don’t,” said Harms, his voice haunted.

  I was distracted by a clatter as Gaelia trundled down the steps, an armful of glass bottles clinking at every step. She had been raiding our first aid stash, good.

  “I brought everything I could think of,” she said.

  “Let me see.” So, that was why Tounsel had been waiting there, the Master [Alchemist] waiting on his apprentice. The short man stood almost nose to breast with her as he poured over the offerings she’d brought as he murmured absently. “No…no…maybe,” he tucked that flask in his armpit, then shouted, “Tobiaz! What do you know of kelpyds? Poisonous? Toxic? Necrotic?”

  “I thought he’d been to the [Healer]s?” I asked, not that there was anything wrong with being thorough.

  “Bah,” replied Tounsel as he carried a trio of bottles over to the stricken warrior.

  “Their skin is mildly poisonous, numbing so the prey doesn’t know how bad they are hurt. Their bites can cause sepsis. That is all I can think of—Alric?”

  “I’m not sure,” my Master answered. “We should send for Philly.”

  That’s right, she’s an actual [Healer]; she’d fixed my wounds no problem.

  //Your very minor wounds//

  “I got it,” said Ponce as he headed to the recently closed door. “I’ll send a [Courier].”

  Tess was so distracted she didn’t make a quip.

  //You do realize it is the old guys doing everything, don’t you?//

  Sia was right. Gaelia had reacted with speed, but other than Tess giving comfort, the rest of my friends and I were standing around like posts.

  ‘Hey, we are just giving them space to work.’ Even I didn’t believe that, reinforced by Sia’s silence.

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  “Drink this one first,” Tounsel told Kolin, handing him a vial filled with a violent pink liquid. About half of it down, Kolin went to pull away, but the Master [Alchemist] forced the remainder down him. Kolin shuddered.

  “Ack, that’s horrible.”

  “Taste is irrelevant,” said Tounsel. “This one next.” The second bottle was the standard red of a [heal]ing elixir. That left a muddy brown for last. Kolin looked pleadingly at Gaelia as the man he’d never met before plied him with potions.

  “It’s good, Kolin,” she said. “The first was a multiplying catalyst, then [heal]ing, and the last one is fortifying—it will boost your system and let the other ones last longer. Beware though, it tastes worse than the first potion.”

  “Gaelia! Never say that to a customer.”

  “You mean patient,” I interjected.

  “No, I don’t. I am not a namby-pamby [Healer].”

  O-kaaay. I looked at Gaelia and she shook her head, mouthing “No.”

  Well, I guess I’ve always heard that the worse a medicine tasted, the better it works. I think I preferred magical [heal]ing.

  “There, I’ve done what I can with limited materials.” Tounsel gave a disapproving look to his apprentice, as if she should have had a better supply on hand. I was grateful she had anything at all. Of course, I would’ve stopped after the official [Healer]s finished with me. Did these guys know something I didn’t?

  //…//

  ‘Shut it.’

  Speaking of, the Masters and Ponce—who’d refilled his tea mug with brown stuff that was most definitely not tea—had returned to their huddle in the kitchen, heads down and gesturing wildly amongst themselves. They seemed more agitated than was warranted. Not to disparage Kolin’s trauma, by any means. It gave me a foreboding lump in the pit of my gut.

  “Kolin?” Asked Tess. “How are you doing, better?”

  “Actually, yes,” he said. Some of his color had returned and he was sitting straighter on the couch.

  “Be careful,” Gaelia warned him. “After that mix, you will feel better than you really are, so don’t overdo it, OK?”

  “OK.”

  “Don’t worry, I won’t let him. Let’s get him up to bed now, before the effects wear off.”

  “Good idea, Tess. Book, Magali, help him up.”

  Us? I would have chosen the strongest two—Tess and Tak.

  //At least you are aware//

  We did as Gaelia asked, with Tess running ahead of us to make things ready in her room. After we helped settle him, Magali and I left Tess to minister to Kolin and we headed down to the lounge. The Masters had left while we were gone, with only Ponce remaining. That had been a quick exit. I wonder...?

  “So, now that Tousel and his cronies are gone, let's get down to business,” he said. “My nephew tells me that you have a business proposal for me?”

  “Yes, but I’m not sure if this is the right time, after everything.” ‘Time and place’, I thought to myself.

  “Nonsense. Your friend is taken care of, and there is nothing more that you can do for him.”

  True, but still.

  “Of course, Uncle.” Maldyn had been abnormally quiet up until now, not that anyone was complaining.

  //I thought you were warming up to the guy//

  ‘Old habit. I promise I will do some growing.’ Saying it I meant it, but we'll see what the future holds. I don't want Peter and Tink to miss me.

  //Lost Boy my ass//

  “So, tell me.”

  “I’ll do you one better, Uncle. I’ll show you.” With that bold statement, Maldyn made to lead the way up to the showers in a dramatic showing. He was going for confidence and enthusiasm, hoping for the quick sale.

  “Relax, Maldyn.” So much for that ploy. “Just tell me, then we can go from there.”

  “Oh, OK."

  Ha! Seeing him deflated was...crap, already breaking my promise. Being an adult is no fun.

  "See," he continued, "Book had this idea, Magali engineered it, and I had the prototype made…”

  Philly showed up sometime later, finding us having a subdued celebration over our new source of income, but tempered by Kolin’s condition.

  “Where is the patient?”

  And that is why I preferred [Healer]s over chemical pharmaceuticals. Except special 'Colorado' medicine, the gummy kind.

  //[Alchemical]//

  ‘Whatever. Chemical is in the name.’

  “I’ll take you,” Gaelia hopped up and led the older woman to Tess’s bedroom.

  We sat in silence, each lost in thought. The ping-pong emotions had my stomach in turmoil. I wonder if there was an antacid potion? It should be hard to make; another business idea.

  //And why didn’t you go to business school?//

  ‘Because I am a creative type. Besides, back home all of my ideas have already been done, I’m just bringing them to a new market.’

  //Intellectual theft//

  ‘Yup. No shame.’

  //Figured. You have stolen enough from me, I know//

  ‘Hey, what’s yours is mine…’

  //And?//

  ‘Nothing. That’s it.’

  Philly returned a short time later, with Gaelia in tow. I started to think maybe the apprentice [Alchemist] should consider a [Class] change. She was much more suited to a caring role. Dual [Class]?

  “He’ll be fine. The other [Healer]s got most of the corruption, though they missed the latent kernels.”

  “Excuse me?” I asked.

  “Yeah, kelpyds have a nasty habit of leaving behind tiny pockets of poison that are hard to eradicate. You have to specifically look for them.”

  Eww, fish eggs?

  //Like wriggling maggots, nasty//

  ‘We should find a book or something of native creatures, huh? Our knowledge is sorely lacking.’

  //Was that something you wanted to know?//

  “I assume that was why I was sent for, wasn’t it?”

  “Our masters—the rest of your old Team—suggested it.”

  “You mean the old goats actually got together? When I received the invite, I didn’t think they’d go through with it. And your house is still standing, too. No scorch marks. Sorry I couldn’t make it, but…I didn’t want to.”

  No apology, just statement of fact.

  //I like her//

  ‘Do I detect a hint of wistfulness? From her, not you.’

  “Why didn’t the other [Healer]s find it?” Tounsel might want to watch out, with Gaelia hanging on Philly’s every word.

  “Because the Crown only employs the mediocre ones, despite what you’d think. If it had been Adventure Guild sponsored then it might have been OK. Exactly why every Team needs a dedicated [Healer], and not just someone thrown into the role.”

  There was some heat in that last bit of shade.

  //Sometimes, you try so hard to say something pithy that it makes no sense//

  ‘Sue me.’

  //You’re broke//

  “Government bureaucracy strikes again.”

  “Ha! I knew I liked you better than your Master, Book.”

  “Alright, that is it,” I exclaimed, my frustration getting the better of me. “Somebody has to tell me what happened with Team Vaunted, it’s driving me crazy. I keep hearing all the sniping, but not why. Spill.”

  “Ah, nothing much.” Philly gave me an evil grin. “Ambition, betrayal, terror, and spilled blood. The usual. You want more, pester your Masters, and/or fathers and relatives. You realize all of you are connected that way, correct?”

  I was starting to realize that, yes. What was surprising was that Philly—the one we had no connections to—was the most forthcoming. And I’d only met her once before.

  “If your friend needs anything else, or doesn’t get better soon—at least physically, the mental will take longer—let me know. Your tab is paid in full.”

  “It is?” I wondered.

  “Ponce took care of it,” she said, confirming my thought. Maldyn got his hidden altruism legitimately. It wasn’t a bad trait—as long as you could afford it. “Tell your mother I said ‘Hi’, Paytin.”

  With that she was off, leaving us exhausted at the events of the day. The last thing I heard say was, "Dark times."

  //You are missing something//

  ‘What?’

  //Philly’s connected to Paytin, you dolt//

  You couldn’t make this shit up.

  //Uh…//