Page 169 of Alchemised
He pulled his hand away and slowly got up as she was speaking. It had to be agony to move, but he didn’t make a sound, although he wavered as if on the verge of fainting as he pushed himself off the table.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said, reaching for his shirt. “Healing me isn’t your job.”
“Your wounds need to be monitored and watched for infection or further deterioration. And the bandages should be changed at least once a day,” she said, stepping forward and blocking him.
“Unfortunate,” was all he said.
“Ferron.” She took his shirt away from him. “I know you’re not used to it, but you need medical care. If you leave things as they are, you’ll probably die—or maybe something worse.”
He gave a rasping laugh. “Marino, that is the point. You think Bennet did this expecting it to work?”
“But I can help you,” she said desperately, helping him slip his shirt on, trying to prove how useful she could be. “Listen. I have a laboratory. I’m good at chymiatria. I’ll make a salve for you, it’ll be topical so it’ll work on the incisions. I’ll come every day to change your bandages and make sure nothing goes wrong.”
“Really, you have time for all that?” His expression was scathing.
“I’ll make time. I’ll come every day. Please.”
He seemed caught off guard. “Fine,” he said, looking away from her. “Eight o’clock in the evening. But if you make me come here, and you don’t show up, I won’t come back again.”
“I’ll come,” she promised. “Every evening at eight.”
She might need new papers to get permission, but she’d make Crowther give them to her. Or forge them herself.
She buttoned his shirt, pausing when her fingers were just below the dip of his throat. His bones showed through his skin, the dark-coloured veins still visible. “I’m so sorry, Kaine.”
His expression was almost blank with exhaustion, but he quirked an eyebrow. It had less of an effect when she could see all the effort it took.
“If I’d known healing would make you so familiar, I would have said no.” He almost sounded like himself.
She shrugged and picked up his cloak, doubtful about the added weight on his back. “Should I not call you Kaine? It seems odd to keep going by surnames. We’re going to be around each other for the rest of our lives, you know.”
He looked heavenwards and sighed. “I don’t care what you call me, but I’m not changing anything.”
“Good. Then it’s Kaine now.”
She needed to make herself think about him differently. She’d made too many wrong assumptions while seeing him as Ferron.
“I’m a bit out of the loop at the moment, but I do know where Bennet’s new lab is.” He gave a strained smile. “He likes them near the water. One of the warehouses near the West Island shipyard. I’ll bring a map next time.”
CHAPTER 33
Junius 1786
HELENA SET OUT EARLY IN THE EVENING to ensure she wasn’t late, carrying new travel papers that claimed she was going to the Outpost to deliver medical relief.
She felt guilty that it wasn’t the real purpose of her trip. The Outpost had grown crowded, but the Resistance couldn’t afford to reduce their limited supplies by distributing anything.
When she reached the tenement, there were dozens of people inside, clustered around a fire.
She stopped short, not sure what to do.
With his injury, Ferron couldn’t possibly get there without being noticed. Someone might recognise him. She wasn’t even sure how he managed it normally.
As she stood, trying to find a path to the stairs around the huddled group, a figure crumpled against a nearby wall stood up. The hood covering the face slipped back for a moment, just long enough to reveal the waxy features of a necrothrall.
Helena started back.
It had been a man. A tangled beard covered half his face, with thick eyebrows almost hiding the milky white of his eyes. He’d been expertly reanimated. He showed no signs of decay other than the sheen on his skin and the clouding of his eyes.
