Page 98 of Heart of the High King
“Okay, I’m with you. I want him to be in less pain, and hopefully we can extend his life. I know how hard it is for him to consent to procedures after all the ones he’s already had. So, I will agree not to press the issue. However, if it becomes medically necessary to have a blood transfusion, I’m not going to hesitate to make that call.”
“Thanks, Dr. Suricata. I appreciate that,” Rafe said. “That’s the only obstacle for me. I’d…well, I would like to go ahead.”
Aleksander grinned and kissed his cheek. “Let’s start planning, everyone.”
“The hospital is willing to allow Sorcery D’Vaire to line a single patient room in copper. They balked at first since the board is comprised of mostly shifters, and they never seem to put enough value in magic, but the Arch Lich contacted Dr. Tranelephas, and he has a lot of clout. Once he put his weight behind the request, they agreed. I’d like to do this as soon as possible, before anyone on the board or administration thinks of a silly reason why this is not a good idea, and it’s best for Rafe if we don’t delay as well. I can do this on Tuesday if you guys can get the copper handled.”
“We can do the copper at any time, Dr. Suricata,” Dre’Kariston promised. “This afternoon works for us. It would give us a chance to recuperate the lost magic in case we need to refill my parents as they work on Rafe.”
“Rafe, is Tuesday good for you?” Saura asked.
“Yeah, sure. How long would I have to stay?”
“If things go well, it will likely only be a single night but may extend to two or three. I know you’d prefer to return to D’Vaire as quickly as possible and if you’re stable, we’ll send you home. Let me go get the logistics worked out on which rooms I can snag, and I’ll call you, Grand Summoner,” Dr. Suricata promised. After farewells from everyone, they disconnected.
“You will need to contact Drystan or Conley,” Alaric said. “Mortis will need to be tranquilized.”
“I can do that for you if you want,” Aleksander offered.
“Yeah, sure, go ahead.”
“Should we keep him here? If we leave him in the room with Rafe for a long time, those stones are going to drain him and make him feel like shit,” Chander remarked.
“Is that okay with you, buddy? You can get tranqued and sleep in your own bed until I get home.”
“Can’t go?”
“It’s better for you to stay here.”
“Who protect Rafe?”
“Mortis wants to know what the plan is to protect me.”
“It’s definitely something we need to discuss. You’ll be in a room with Cwylld stones, which means no sorcerers, sentinels, or fallen knights in there with you,” Brogan replied. “So, it’ll be dragons. Worth, Mac, Dray, and I will sleep there with you and Aleksander. Did you have security before when you were in the hospital since your attacker or attackers are still at large?”
“Yeah, Drystan and Conley kept a guard in the hospital the entire time I was there. I don’t think they were stationed outside my door every minute, but I had a button I could push if I needed help.”
“Okay…so, Aleksander, when you speak to them, request a guard. Otherwise I’ll ask our sentinels to take turns doing it.”
“Two High Kings. I’m going to have sentinels in the building, no matter who likes it,” Alaric stated.
“Good, then maybe I can actually relax a little,” Brogan remarked. “I know this is medically necessary, but it still scares me shitless. Especially with Mortis here and knowing that the High Kings will be separated while Rafe’s being healed.”
“Mortis only needs to be tranqued for the duration of the procedure. Once he awakens, if Rafe is in any danger, he will automatically come to his defense, Cwylld rocks in the room or not. Their souls are bound,” Alaric stated.
“What do you think, Mortis?” Rafe asked.
“Alaric and Brogan got this. Reverent friends help too. You safe. Will help if someone come near you.”
“Okay, Mortis is satisfied with that plan.”
“Stupid question, but are you staying overnight, Aleksander?” Brogan asked.
“You already know the answer to that. I’ll be with Rafe.”
“So, let’s discuss what happens after the healing,” Delaney said. “You’re going to be swollen, and in order to keep it in check, you’ll need to stay around the stones for a few days. If you leave the confines of the room for long periods of time, you may experience a rebound of your symptoms, so it’s important that you don’t do that.”
“I can manage for a few days. Sander, you’ll take care of Mortis?”
