Exciti

Chapter 40 (Adam)

Adam sat up with a gasp. It was freezing and... wet? He looked down to find himself submerged in a bathtub full of cold water, with actual ice floating in it, in nothing but his underwear. He looked around and found Lago sitting on the toilet next to him, dozing off.

"P Please tell me y you are n not using th that!" he managed to say through chattering teeth.

Lago gave an almighty snore and jerked awake, looking startled. "Awaketh! I am awaketh!" He yelled before he noticed Adam and cracked a wide smile. "Oh, thou hast awakened! Lucy! Dr. Little!"

" La La g g ggo... wwhere..." The sound of stomping feet outside the bathroom stopped him.

When the door flew open, Dr. Little practically filled the entire opening. Adam could just make the top of Lucy's head, bouncing up and down to look over the doctor's shoulder, "How is he...Is he okay?... I can't see!"

Dr. Little turned around to push Lucy back, "You wait here," He said then stepped in and closed the door behind him. His cloudy expression colluded with the bathroom's harsh lighting to make Adam's anxiety inflate, leaving little room to breathe in his chest.

I'm in sooo much trouble.

Dr. little helped him out of the water then handed him a towel. "You had us all worried." His tone was clipped.

The towel was warm and comforting on Adam's shoulders, "Wh... where is Liam?"

"He is downstairs, getting tended to by a healing Antiquarian."

Adam sensed that the doctor was holding back. "Is he okay?"

"A couple of circular bruises and broken ribs. Nothing that can't be healed within the hour."

"Dr. Lit..."

"What were you thinking?!" the doctor used a measured tone, barely above a whisper.

Adam wished he would yell already; he'd never imagined that the doctor could get so angry. "I needed an Excitus toy..."

His voice went up a notch, "So you sneak to the Venetian Bubble?!! Alone?!!"

"But you were busy..." The excuse sounded lame, even to his own ears.

"You almost died from the overuse of your gift," the doctor finally yelled, making Lago jump a little, "Raising your body heat by taking in so much Exciti life force, and almost getting Liam killed! The board have never been closer to condemning you to a life in the Cell than they were today! Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for you out there? Even if you exclude the bounty and Tamara's kidnappers, you are the Eclipser, your life is worth a princely sum for every rogue out there."

Adam frowned, "You knew about the bounty?"

"The Board got a word about it a few days ago. They ordered the Hushers to investigate the party offering it."

Adam struggled with his spiking anger. He wanted to yell, and you didn't think to tell me. Instead, it was his turn to keep his tone controlled, "I know who did it."

When he was done explaining what happened in the cul-de-sac. Dr. Little shook his head, "Ignore whatever she told you. Loreal is treacherous and careful. She goes after weak targets and never attacks unless the odds are in her favor. She was most definitely lying to get away."

Adam disagreed. It alarmed him that Dr. Little wasn't taking Loreal's information seriously. But he knew the doctor won't listen to anything he said, so he kept his mouth shut.

Dr. Little sighed and pulled at his braids. "You are just kids...." he stopped himself, then started again, "Look, Adam. I'm glad that you are alright, and that you have finally got some measure of control on your gift. Still, you've left me with no choice but to enforce new rules for your protection. I can't imagine facing Tamara ever again if I let something happen to you."

Adam looked back at the doctor when he heard the exhaustion in his voice. He felt guilt creeping up on him when he noticed, for the first time, the bags beneath the doctor's eyes. Dr. Little was probably the only adult in this world who was resolutely by his side. "But..."

"No. No buts, No excuses! No more investigating behind my back, and no more unaccompanied excursions into HQ. You three have risked so much already." He turned to leave, "I'm taking away Lucy's key until we find Tamara." The door closed behind him with a rattling BANG!

"It is not like you are telling us ANYTHING!" Adam yelled after him.

He was still breathing hard and staring at the door when Lago placed his dry clothes into his arms, "His ang'r cometh from caring. At the hour which thou camest, thou wast in high fever. 'Twas all we couldst do but to dunk thee in the ice. Thou hast given the doctor much to fear." He then gave him a sympathetic smile and left the bathroom, "I shall maketh thee some tea".

Cursing at the unfairness of it all, Adam put on his clothes and left the bathroom. He had never been in Mercury's upper floor, but it was easy to find his way to the stairs at the end of the small hallway.

He found Lucy waiting for him, sitting on the top step. She stood up when she saw him, "Are you okay?" she asked, looking coy, almost ashamed.

He nodded, "I'm fine."

"I got us in trouble, again."

"It's not your fault."

She sighed and started heading downstairs, "Come, Liam is in the backroom. The healing Antiquarian is just finishing up." She descended a few steps before she stopped and turned to him, "No, it IS my fault, and I'm so sorry. I feel terrible for causing all of this. I got worried when I came back with the Gondolier to find you both missing, but when Barb showed up with an unconscious Liam, telling me that she left you to face a rogue ..." She swallowed, and her voice made its way down to a whisper. "I've never been so scared, I thought I got you both killed."

"You've done nothing wrong." Adam's attempt to make her feel better sounded hollow in his ears, so he tried to joke, "Unless you were the one who offered a prize on my head and neglected to tell me..."

Instead of smiling, Lucy paled, "What?!

He passed her on the stairs, not caring if his voice showed how betrayed he felt, "and the doctor knew...listen, I will tell you everything later. I promise. Let me see how Liam is doing first."

It took a couple of seconds before he heard her follow.

When they got down to the backroom, Liam was standing in front of the couch, examining the fading circular red marks on his abdomen. To his right, an old man in a white robe and a carefully combed silver toothbrush mustache was closing a silver trunk the size of a suitcase.

Liam saw Adam and smiled his big wolfish smile, "Look! This stuff is amazing. I won't even have to explain to my dad where I got those circles from. What's for dinner? I'm famished." He signed with gusto.

Adam laughed, an apology dying on his lips. His relief was overtaking everything else.

The healing Antiquarian straightened up and stared at him, looking like he couldn't believe someone could laugh at such a solemn occasion. He pocketed the trunk, which had shrunk to the size of a golf ball. "Well, I'm off. Just please don't forget, Mr. Lopez. The bigger a mountain, the deeper its shadow. Strong natural gifts come at steep prices. You need to pace yourself, or you may lose your life."

Liam nodded, though the healer was looking at Adam when he said that last sentence.