What Is Done

Chapter 23 - Things That Go Bump in the Night

Essaerae had explained to Kitto the situation. He was inside, working his magic on Sellion. Essaerae and I waited for him to finish—the only thing we could do. 

The first floor of Kitto Sperry's house was decorated like a hospital. Multiple beds separated by curtains and a small waiting area that wasn't even really a waiting area. Bookshelves of his herbal remedies contained in jars and books on magical hospital aid were near the stairs to the second floor. Since the second floor was entirely off-limits to us, I assumed it was Kitto's personal residence.

But Kitto could only do so much for Sellion. He soaked rags with his blood, to stop the bleeding. He then used his magic to cleanse the wounds before stitching him up. He wrapped a large bandage around Sellion's hand to keep him from using it. As stubborn as Sellion is, I figured he would immediately tear it off upon waking. Kitto used his spells to put an enchantment on Sellion's flesh that would leave no remnants of a scar when the wound was fully healed.

Essaerae stayed in the book section. She'd asked him if she could read his books on magic alchemy. They weren't in any particular order. She curled up in a chair next to the bookcase to flip through the pages of one once she found one that caught her attention.

When Kitto had gotten a good look at Sellion's face, he said, "Oh, I remember him from the Castle of Glass. He threw a brick at me."

"Did...he miss?" 

I was unsure what to think of what Kitto just said to us.

Kitto took a moment to think back. "I don't know...my memory of it is...fuzzy."

Essaerae blinked. "Why did he throw—nevermind." 

She knew the answer; we all did.

After the surgery, Kitto cleaned his hands using a wash basin. Finishing a bloody surgery I doubt was pleasant. He had to knock Sellion out to get him to stop worming out of the bed. I came up to him as he peeled Sellion's dried blood off of his fingers. I looked back and stared at the curtain Kitto had pulled to keep sleeping Sellion private from everybody else. I could only see his feet. "How is he?"

"He'll live."

"Were his wounds that terrible?" I inquired.

Kitto gave me a vague reply, only bobbing his head in a nod. "Nothing I couldn't handle, though." Then, he joined me in gawking at the curtain separating Sellion from us. "Of course, he's not the worst case scenario I've seen."

I paused for a second, curious about the answer to who had been. "Who was?"

"You," Kitto said in a monotone voice. "I've never seen anything like that, much less been able to save someone with that much internal damage."

"May I ask you something?" I asked, practically cornering him. Kitto nodded slowly, his eyes watching me the entire time. "Why can I not remember anything from before that day?"

Kitto motioned at me to follow him into another curtained off section. There was only a desk with a medicine cabinet and two stools. I looked at the area in confusion. "Strip."

"What? Why?"

"I want to make sure you're still stitched up. It has been five years, after all. I'm a doctor, it's my job to make sure my patients are functioning, no matter how long ago this was," Kitto said, sitting down on one of the stools. He seemed genuine to me, so I did what he asked. "If you'd like, you can simply take off your shirt." 

Turning away from him, I peeled off my mud covered jacket and top. I didn't necessarily enjoy being exposed in such a way unless I was bathing or changing. I hung my clothes up on a nearby hook and sat on the other stool, waiting for Kitto return. He'd opted to give me some privacy as if it mattered.