Guild Of Zeroes

Chapter 13

The patter of rain on leaves and the sigh of wind through the trees coaxed me out of a dreamless sleep. I wasn't sure exactly where I was but it was somewhere soft and warm. The air was rich and heady with herbs and pine but the pleasant aroma was undercut with the hot copper smell of blood. Prying one eyelid open, I found myself in some kind of white void. Maybe I was dead.

No, I was fine. I was lying in a bed surrounded by white curtains.

I tried to call out but my mouth might as well have been packed full of sawdust.

Someone heard my coughing and sputtering and a man with a blonde beard and a white medica hood peeked through the curtains. "Parsnip," he said with a smile. "It's good to see you awake." He pulled the curtains back and a silver pool of moonlight spilled onto the bed.

The medica handed me a cup of water, and I drank the whole thing in one gulp.

He refilled the cup from a pitcher on a low table next to the window and handed it back to me. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit."

The medica nodded. "I'll be sure to put that in my notes."

I threw off the sheets and swung my feet out of bed. "Where's Quin?"

He put a gentle but firm hand on my shoulder, holding me in place. "You shouldn't be walking right now."

I pulled his hand off my shoulder. "Where's Quin?"

The medica sighed. "Lady Parsnip, please you need to be resting."

I stood with a series of crackles and snaps from every joint. A white fire stab of pain lanced through my left leg and something twinged in my back. I nearly went down but stubbornness kept me standing. Spite let me take a step. A raw, animal need to protect my best friend let me walk down the hall. The medica hall was a squat building on the north side of the Tower's grounds. Large windows lined either side of the hall to catch the sunrise and sunset, and between each pair of windows was a four poster bed with curtains like the one I'd fought my way out of.

The medica followed me and put one hand on my elbow to guide me down the hall. "Parsnip, you need to be back in bed. I have other patients to check on tonight."

"What's your name?" I asked.

"They call me Stitch."

"Well, Stitch, we have two options tonight. You show me where Quin's bed is and then piss off. Or you can piss off now, go back to your rounds and I'll find Quin myself."

Stitch groaned. "Fine. Their bed is at the far end of the hall."

"Thank you."

"Shouldn't you put something on before you see them?"

A flash of heat rushed up my cheeks. This was like one of those nightmares I had where I was giving a presentation to Hawk completely naked. Cringing, I looked down at myself and found I was mostly dressed. The medica staff had put me in a thin shift that fell to just above my knees. It was a far cry from walking around naked.

"What's wrong with this?" I said.

"It's not exactly proper," said Stitch.

"Let me guess," I said, letting go of his shoulder and taking another step down the hall.. "You're a northman, right? Probably from somewhere up beyond the Grey Marshes."

Stitch frowned but agreed.

"That explains a lot," I said. "See, Quin is from the south. The far south, past the Sunfire Mountains. Things are a lot less conservative there. Quin won't care."