Page 29 of The Gargoyle's Gift
Lovette washed her hands thoroughly, scrubbing at her fingernails as the soldiers took their leave at Magnus’s request. There would be another shift coming in soon enough, and neither councilman was leaving while frozen as a statue.
“The missing?” Lovette asked Magnus in a voice barely above a whisper, drying her hands on a worn towel. Exhaustion lined her face, but there was a light in her eyes indicating she’d returned to herself.
“A very solid lead.” He grinned again, tracking her as she moved around the room, setting supplies to rights and cleaning up. She hugged him, no words needed for them to share their matching emotion about such a thing. “I’ll retrieve the tonic. Perhaps Greta can work it backwards to find out what it is, how to reverse the memory loss.”
The roiling pit in my gut settled slightly. I was terrified at what I might have forgotten over the years, but having The Alchemist back with the stone kin, there was at least a partial chance of remembering. Though I wasn’t sure that was something I wanted to do either; I could very well lose everything.
Magnus excused himself to get some supper at the meetinghouse, leaving us alone. I fidgeted, eventually frustrated with myself enough that I sat on the edge of a cot so I would stop moving.
“You feeling alright?” she asked.
“No worse than usual,” I sighed. “You?” I desperately wanted to pull her to my chest, to comfort her. Whatever happened when she went to that cold place, I didn’t care for, and I was sure it had lingering effects on her too.
“I’m fine.” She gave a weak smile as she returned to tidying up. It was comforting, her very methodical work. The replacement sentries arrived just as she finished, taking their places with a quiet nod.
“Come on,” she said, leading me out. “Food. Then rest.” She turned her face to the sky once we were outside, taking a deep breath. “Go on back to your hut. I’ll be along shortly.”
I didn’t argue, just started down the path, my leg throbbing with every step, my arm sore and buzzing with a strange electrical current.
Words were few when she arrived with the basket. We ate in silence, and she packed everything except our mugs of ale away once we were finished. I hadn’t even realized I was massaging my forearm until she reached for my hand.
“Let me help you, Gaius,” she said, steel in her eyes.
My chest began to ache as much as my limbs. Besides, when she said it like that, what option did I have? I placed my arm on the tabletop, and she drew it down into her lap, golden hair falling into her face as she began to work. I closed my eyes, grateful for the peace her touch brought, even if I was certain I didn’t deserve the mercy.
Chapter 15
Lovette
“You should be getting regular massages like this, you know. Therapy for the tissue if it bothers you so much.”
“I’m fine.”
I sighed deeply, probing at the scar between the two areas of his forearm with my fingertips. “You are many things, Gaius Caledon. Fine is not one of them.” He grunted, but when I looked up, his eyes had slipped halfway closed. “Are you going to argue with me all night? We both know you need this.”
His face went through several fascinating changes through the span of several breaths. Finally, he sighed. “Do your worst, healer.”
His capitulation was music to my ears. “You sure? You’ve quite recently seen my worst.” I knew I’d done nothing wrong today… but I hated who I became sometimes out of necessity.
I got up to get a bottle of heavy ointment that Greta had sent over with my father, his empathetic gaze following me. She’d prepared a lotion with a new Elixir of Healing mixed into it. My cousin was an alchemist and had fully embraced her calling at d’Arcan. The little box she’d sent with Father contained no fewerthan a dozen little vials, all magical in their own way, all a boon for us to have.
After warming the balm between my hands, I massaged it into the skin all around the joint, using one hand to balance his forearm while rubbing small circles over the scar with the fingertips of the other.
His fingertips flexed and relaxed as I worked over the strong muscles on the underside of his forearm. I was amused watching the mechanics work as they should. “Nerves and reflexes all seem in order.”
“Mmm.” His eyes blinked heavily, the relaxation evident in his slower breathing.
I failed to stifle the smile his response gave me, the corners of my mouth lifting gently as he sank further into his seat as I worked.
I reached for his ankle once the balm had all been absorbed on his arm. He shifted his foot away from my grasp. “Does your arm feel better?”
He frowned. “Yes.”
“Then let me also do your leg.” Gaius heaved a sigh, as I pulled his calf over my knees. I simply glared back. His discontent quickly turned into a low rumbling groan of happiness as I worked the ointment into the knotted flesh. He was a melted puddle of a man, eyes closed and mouth slack, when I finally finished and returned his foot to the floor.
“Why do you fight it so when you know it will help? We’ve been through this.” I chuckled, shaking my head.
“Because I don’t deserve relief,” he said after a moment.
