Page 29 of Into Orbit
Willow shot him a glare; I blinked, startled. I’d never seen the doctorglarebefore. ‘We have no idea what this might do to Maeve’s system,’ he snapped. ‘As the Captain said, she isn’t dying. Yes, she’s in pain, but pain is preferable to unthinkingly administering what might be apoisonto her, First Guard. I do wish you’d believe that I know what I’m doing.’ He mixed the black powder into the water. ‘Maeve, I need you to sip this. We’re going to have a few small mouthfuls, wait for thirty minutes, then have a few more.’
‘Tell me what I’m putting in my body,’ Maeve said tightly, pressing on her eyes.
‘It’s the powdered bark of a tree native to Tir,’ I answered, going down on my knees before her and taking her hands. ‘It has pain-killing and calming qualities. It also encourages muscle repair by stimulating certain proteins.’ I looked up at Willow. ‘It’s the gentlest of all our painkillers. You can give it to Tirian children. Willow has chosen this one because it is absorbed slowly into our systems and can be purged swiftly through vomiting and fluid intake.’
‘Do you trust him, Elswyth?’ Maeve said slowly.
I met Willow’s gaze. ‘I trust him.’
Maeve nodded, then winced. ‘All right then.’
I took the glass from Willow and held it close to Maeve’s lips, so close it brushed her skin. She sipped at it cautiously.
‘That’s enough,’ Willow said, when she’d taken half a mouthful. ‘We need to do this slowly.’ He ran his hands through his hair. ‘Green gods, I’d give my entire clinic for my scanner. Maeve, may I feel your pulse?’
She nodded, and Willow placed his fingertips beneath her throat. I watched, fascinated. Tirians didn’t possess a pulse point there; ours were along the many branches of our spines. There was something intimate about watching Willow touch her like that, so gently and so seriously, and he wasn’t immune to it, his pale cheeks flushing a deep green as he sucked his bottom lip between his teeth.
I glanced across at Ashton. He was watching closely, his arms folded, every muscle in his body tense.
I sat back, giving Willow room to examine Maeve’s eyes again. I hadn’t thought much about why they were here – in my room, inMaeve’sroom – rather than where they should be – in the clinic and on the bridge respectively – but now I didn’t have to. They were watching her so closely; too closely, almost. The hot stir of jealousy bit at my stomach; around me, the plants around the room shrank back, the arcadias over the bed giving an almost audible whimper.
I looked down at my hands. If Maeve was Tirian, she’d build a family with multiple partners; my mother had already mentioned it – gently, as if she were warning me.
I mulled over how I would feel if Maeve claimed another Tirian. The jealousy stirred, but curiosity did, too. What would it feel like to be part of a family like everyone else? What would it feel like to share a life with Tirians I couldtrust?
I knew – somewhere deep down inside, somewhere that was made of instinct andelya– that Maeve would never welcome a being who would make me uncomfortable, a being who could harm me. She’d care about my opinions, my feelings, mysafety.
She’d care about my desires, too. About Tirians who could make my body sing the way she did.
I stretched out my fingers, watching my skin glow slightly at the thought. Perhaps I’d help her along. I could let her know which Tirians I liked, and which ones I didn’t. I could make a list.
It isn’t real. She’s here for Tessa. She’s not really your bonded, not your karia.
The thought was like a sudden downpour of icy rain. I clenched my fingers into fists, swallowing the false hope, pushing it back down where it belonged, down to the most secret depths of my being.
Maeve giggled.
I blinked at her.
‘You didn’t tell me your painkillers got you high, Els-wyth,’ she said thickly, drawing out the sound of my name.
‘High?’
‘Y’know. Wasted. Ripped. Blasted. Juiced.’
Willow frowned. ‘Maeve –’
‘Intoxicated,’ she said with exaggerated care. ‘That’s the one I was searching for.’
‘They don’t,’ I said, exchanging a glance with Willow.
‘Oh, beautiful,’ Maeve said, laughing. ‘If I could see where I was going, I’d be fucking flying right now.’ She paused. ‘I think I’m flying anyway.’
‘Well, this is going fantastically,’ Ashton growled. ‘We’ve drugged her.’
‘It’s all right, elf-boy,’ Maeve said condescendingly. ‘I’m not that sad about it. If there was music right now, I’d be dancing.’ She paused. ‘Do you have music?’
‘Of course we have music,’ Ashton answered tersely.
