Page 26 of The Tainted and the Tamed
Murasaki followed her line of sight to the jar of pills, not understanding. What was so strange about a sick person with medicine?
“It’s Domanese herbal medicine,” Murasaki replied.
Faster than she’d believed possible, Ms. Tanabe was at her side, yanking the bottle from her hand. She held it not toward the lamplight, but toward the haze of moonlight through the covered window.
Did her lip just curl in distaste?
“How long have you had these?” Ms. Tanabe demanded.
“I don’t know—a few weeks.” Murasaki’s voice came out strangled as she fought the urge to cough.
“I think I hear the doctor. Excuse me.”
But Murasaki didn’t hear anything.
After several minutes of little sound but the light squeaks of the floorboards, a flurry of noise arose outside the maids’ quarters. Murasaki was nowhere close to emulating Ms. Tanabe’s light as air walk, and apparently, none of the other maids were, either. Kanako returned, bowing her head apologetically.
“Ms. Tanabe is speaking to the doctor. I’m sure he’ll be here soon.” She blinked. “How are you?”
Murasaki’s steely expression faltered. Kanako was the first person to have asked her that.
“A little better,” Murasaki replied, though her strident breaths made it clear that was not the case. They wouldn’t understand that “better” had such a wide array of degrees. Not currently choking counted asbetter.
“What did Ms. Tanabe say about it?” Eri asked Kanako, whispering. “She marched in here, said the herbal medicine Ms. Mukai had been given was no good, and just left.”
“How strange!”
“What were she and the doctor saying?” Eri prompted again.
“I think they were speaking about the chairmen, not about Ms. Mukai’s medicine. Ms. Tanabe said, ‘They’re off hunting in the mountains again, so we’ll just have to wait.’”
Eri frowned. “I didn’t know the chairman and his guests left on a hunting trip.”
The girl shrugged. “You know how secretive they are.”
Murasaki interrupted their gossip with another racking cough. Moments later, the noise of the rapidly creaking floor paused.
Announcing his presence, Dr. Setouchi’s round head poked through the narrow screen.
“There you are, Ms. Mukai. Let’s see what’s wrong, shall we?”
“An infection,” the physician proclaimed after listening to Murasaki’s lungs.
“But I haven’t left the castle grounds. No one else here is sick.” Murasaki sighed raspily, feeling a deeply uncomfortable rattle in her chest. “Please be honest, doctor. Is my condition worsening?”
“Please don’t read so much into this,” Dr. Setouchi said. The broadness of his smile struck her as false—perhaps because the rest of his expression was so tight. Yet he was replacing the stethoscope in his bag.
There’s nothing he can do.
“Infections are to be expected, even in the healthiest of folk who’ve only ever breathed the clean mountain air. Don’t lose heart,” the physician said, patting her hand. “I’ll have new herbal medicine made up for you in the morning, to help your body fight the infection.”
The moment he left the room, Murasaki sighed, and felt a bubble of air trapped deep in her lung begin to shift. When it traveled higher, she knew, the coughing would begin again.
Until tonight, Murasaki thought she’d made her peace with the end. But it was easy to think so
while still in a healthier state.
Now what was to come only filled her with fear.
