A Healer's War

Chapter 35 - The Broken Star

Chapter 35: The Broken Star

19:57. Tuesday. April 24th.

The Hidden Cove

The yellowy tonic tasted terrible. Caroline mentioned something about pain and phase-slug mucous, which not only sounded disgusting but left the flavor of burnt hair and acid stuck to the roof of Rory's mouth.

Despite the tonic's unpleasant flavor, he was glad to have it on board. His head swam in a warm cloud of contentment as he thought about all the patients he'd sedated. "Not so bad..." he mumbled to himself.

Caroline rooted around his ribs for the blood moth larvae using hook-nose tweezers. He felt no pain, only the occasional pressure spike as he reclined beside the fire, toasting his feet with his legs kicked up on a rock. Above them, the starry sky stretched horizon to horizon. Watching the stars, he discovered he'd started humming.

Khloe sat beside him in a blue camp chair with her wounded foot atop a piece of driftwood. The adrenaline had worn off, leaving them both spent. While Rory hummed, Khloe stared at the fire, blinking at the coals. He understood. He'd taken the mind-blowing plunge into the Cove and knew how the many questions clogged up his thoughts. Or maybe it was the shock or the tonic. She'd been silent since they'd sat down.

When Caroline returned from the cave, announcing everything was in order, he felt relieved that Jacklyn wouldn't kill them. "Oh... good."

Khloe barely nodded.

There was more good news. The psybelles were safe, and Jacklyn searched the cave for hiding sporelings. Caroline seemed upbeat, dipping her finger several times into the steaming iron cauldron hanging over the fire. Presumably at the right temperature, she tossed in an assortment of odd ingredients from the leather satchel she collected from the tent. Fat green scales, a handful of spotted yellow leaves, and what Rory was certain was a leathery bat wing. He chuckled. "Witches brrrew," he'd whispered to Khloe in a high voice. His drunken attempt to get her to laugh failed; she just stared. Caroline mixed the solution and tasted it before adding another scale from her patch-covered satchel, then ladled it into a pair of mugs. Rory took his and wrinkled his nose at the smell. Caroline urged him, and he drank, gagging. Khloe accepted hers without a word but didn't drink. Caroline whispered something. Khloe nodded and sipped without a grimace.

A few minutes later, Rory's head swam lazily among the stars.

"Ah, found it," Caroline said, drawing his attention back. He felt the pressure against his rib increase. Then a pinch and he looked down in time to see a long, bright orange tape-worm extracted from his side. "It was heading for your lung."

"Whoa." It was all Rory could muster. He might have felt scared, but the tonic washed away his worry too. Caroline whipped the worm into the fire, where it hissed and popped. Rory smiled.

"I didn't feel a thing," he slurred. "This stuff is... something." He thought for a moment. "Will I remember this?"

Caroline chuckled as she packed his wound with white gauze. "You'll both remember, but you might be stiff in the morning. I haven't been able to work out that side effect. More bat leather, perhaps?"

Ah ha, it was a bat... Rory looked over at the steaming cauldron. "Wing. Cool."

Caroline leaned back. "Congratulations, Rory. I believe you'll live."

She rose and walked over to Khloe, who didn't look up. Caroline touched her shoulder, and Khloe's eyes drifted from the fire. The older woman whispered something and pointed to her foot. Even stunned, Khloe nodded, and her eyes seemed to refocus as she watched Caroline pull back a flap of sandy skin hanging from the bottom of her foot. She didn't flinch, which meant the tonic was working, but her brow furrowed.