Page 13 of The Physician's Barbarian
The eye roll she got in response was so intense, it looked like it hurt. I almost winced in response. He shoved to his feet, stomping up to me and putting out his hand expectantly. I handed him the bottle without argument, rising to follow him as he marched in the direction we’d come. His barbarian wasn’t far behind him, with me and Zoya and even Finn and Godr following behind him.
I was a little concerned that many people would only make it harder, but he stopped outside the woman’s tent, spinning around and pointing a finger at his barbarian. He said something the barbarian wasn’t happy about, but no amount of arguing was changing Simon’s mind. He gave the barbarian a glare, jabbed his finger toward the fire nearby and didn’t waver until the barbarian begrudgingly walked away. Finn tiptoed over to join him with Godr at his side, leaving just me and Zoya. I was going to join the rest and wait since Maman obviously didn’t trust me, but Zoya pulled me along when Simon ducked into the tent without waiting for an invitation.
Simon didn’t seem to have a polite bone in his body. He marched up to the older woman, shoving the bottle at her, and said something in the barbarian language that pissed her off. She glared at him, snapping back at him, and they went back and forth for a while before Simon switched to the common tongue.
“You stubborn old bat! You can’t refuse medicine!” Simon screeched.
“Watch your tongue, brat. I am not as soft as my son. I will get a switch to keep you in line.”
“Oh, please,” Simon shot back. “With how sick you are, you wouldn’t be able to do more than make me itchy.”
And I thoughtmybedside manner needed work. But to my surprise, Maman’s lips twitched like she was fighting back a laugh. I couldn’t see Simon’s face since his back was to me, but it didn’t take long before they both started laughing. I shot Zoya a confused glance, and she shook her head with a smirk.
“Those two are kindred spirits. They sound mean, but they love sniping at each other. They don’t actually mean it.”
To my surprise, when Simon dropped to sit next to Maman on her bed and handed her the tincture, she took it with less grumbling, drinking it down while Simon spoke to her in thebarbarian language again, his tone relaxed like he was sharing his day with her, not screaming at her like he had been before.
She offered the bottle back to Zoya, narrowing her eyes at me as she spoke in the common tongue. “It is sweeter than the other tinctures I was given. Why?”
“Thimbleberry,” I answered. “It makes it more palatable without altering the effectiveness.”
She nodded once, seeming satisfied with my answer. “I will accept the tinctures from you only. I refuse to drink the others. It is worse than horse urine.”
“Why do you know what horse urine tastes like?” Simon teased.
Maman just rolled her eyes, shoving him off her bed. “Go tend to the clay. And do not make a mess for me to clean up later. I will make Feigrind stay here during the next journey if you aren’t careful.”
Simon gasped, his expression incredulous. “You wouldn’t! I brought you back gifts last time!”
Maman shrugged. “Don’t piss me off, little brat, or you’ll face the consequences.”
He rolled his eyes, a smirk on his face as he leaned in to kiss her cheek. “Get some rest. I’ll keep Feigrind from hovering too much. We’ll join you for lunch later.”
She patted his cheek affectionately and chose to listen to his instructions, getting comfortable in her bed. It was what I was going to suggest as well, so I was glad Simon was on top of it. I knew better than to underestimate family influence on stubborn patients.
We all headed out together, and when Simon’s barbarian looked up in concern, Simon went over to him and plopped into his lap, speaking in a reassuring tone in the barbarian language. Finn and Godr were gone, but Zoya didn’t seem concerned about that.
“Thank you, Simon. I don’t like to force them if I don’t have to.”
Simon barely looked up from where he was staring adoringly at his barbarian. “It’s fine. How long until she needs to take more? I want to be there to help.”
“I’ll have her next dose ready by supper,” I answered. “It’s better to take after a meal anyway.”
Simon looked up at me, eyes narrowed. “You’re one of the tributes, right? What town was stupid enough to let go of a physician?”
I didn’t answer that. I wasn’t giving anything away about where I came from and why I was really here until I was sure my sister had enough time to get away. I just had to figure out some way of finding out. It seemed that would be a bigger challenge than dealing with these barbarians.
I usually hadto spend the entire day working to get through all my patients in town. But aside from the tinctures I had to make for two of my new patients to have with their suppers, the rest were all healthy enough that Zoya sent me back to Godr for the time being. She said she appreciated my help, but didn’t want to distract me too much while I was getting comfortable with the clan. She led me back to the field with all the horses, making sure Godr knew I was there before leaving me.
It felt odd to have time off, even if it was only temporary. From the way she made it sound, once I was more comfortable, we’d be working together more often, but for now, I actually had time to breathe. That was almost unheard of for me before now. Any spare time I had back in town had been spent with Sebastian and Evie.
The thought of my son made my chest ache, but before I could dwell on it, Godr jogged closer, beaming at me. “Ambrose!”
I lifted my hand in greeting, hopping over the fence when he beckoned me. There were two other barbarians in the field training and caring for the horses, but a good deal of the herd was left on its own to graze and relax. A few followed idly behind Godr as he closed the distance between us, nudging him for treats, which he seemed to have stashed in the pouches tied to his waist.
We didn’t share the same language, but that didn’t stop him from talking to me. He gestured with his hands, talking like we were old friends. It was kind of nice. He patted the horse closest to him when it rested its massive chin on his shoulder, offering the horse a bit of carrot from his pouch. Then he put his hand out for mine.
Uncertain, I took it, letting him lead me to the horse’s side. We’d ridden into the village in carriages when I arrived, and I’d only ridden on the back of one of the horses for a short period while we met up with the other tributes. The barbarian’s horses were several hands taller than a normal horse, with thicker muscles and longer manes. The barbarians rode them bareback, which might have been due to their size. Making proper saddles for horses that big would probably take a lot of leather. Godr urged me up, guiding my hand to grip the horse’s mane so I could hoist myself up. If I was any shorter, it’d be an impossible task. Even with my height, I needed a boost from Godr, and I tried not to yelp when he palmed my ass. He’d only done it to help me.
