Page 89 of The Dragon King's Assassin

Chapter Thirty-Seven

On my way out of the palace, I swung by Dr. Chisuren's clinic. As expected, it was modest, with only three beds, all of which were empty, and one nurse. I found the doctor and nurse sitting at a round table in a corner of the room, having tea and reading. Lucky bastards.

“Ah, it's the King's Assassin,” the doctor said as he stood. “I attempted to check on you but was unable to locate you.”

“There's been some excitement. Would you have time to check on my back now?”

“Yes, of course. This way.” He led me to the back of the clinic and through a doorway into an exam room.

A padded table sat along one wall with a stool on one side of it and a chair on the other. The other walls were lined with countertops that had cabinets both below and a few feet above them. Several items sat on the counters but far more could be seen beyond the glass doors of the upper cabinets—neatly labeled jars and boxes of medical paraphernalia. I would have scanned them for any familiar bottles, but I had never gotten a look at the magic potion he used on me. What I did note as the doctor closed the door, was the vast number of bottles there were. There was no way I'd be able to steal all of them, especially not with him there.

“So it's just the two of you?” I asked him.

“The two of us?”

“You and the nurse?”

“Oh! No, there are several doctors and medical assistants on staff here, but we do weekly rotations. This is my week.”

“Ah.” It was all I could do to hold back a sassy comment about how hard it must be to work a week a month doing absolutely nothing.

“The rest of my month is spent with the Scales,” he went on. “The money I make here allows me to donate my time and services to those who desperately need medical help but can't afford it.”

Thank the Gods I hadn't opened my big mouth!

“That's incredibly admirable,” I said. But I couldn't help testing him. “As a man from the Broken, I know exactly how much your help is needed.”

“You're from the Broken?” he asked in surprise.

The surprise wasn't his alone; I was just as shocked that he knew what I was talking about.

“Yes, born and raised.”

“I see,” he murmured, staring at me as if he were meeting me for the first time. “How amazing it is that you are standing here before me now. I think the Gods favor you.”

“If they favored me, I wouldn't have been born in the Broken.”

“To make a sword, the metal must be heated and pounded, over and over. The Gods have forged you, Assassin. You should rejoice in their work.”

“Oh, I always rejoice in a good pounding.” I grinned.

Dr. Chisuren cleared his throat while simultaneously looking disapproving.

“Sorry, Doc. I'm not a religious man.”

“Evidently not. But you're right; it is not my place to preach to you. Now, remove your shirt and lie down on the table, please.”

“Sure.” I took off my jacket, belt, then shirt, laying them in the chair set to one side of the table. “Um, Dr. Chisuren, could I see that potion you used on me?”

He went still. “Which potion?”

“The one that sped up my healing. I'm just curious to see what it looks like.”

“Ah, yes, that one. Uh . . .” He looked around the cabinets, then went to one and opened the door. The glass bottle he retrieved had a deep blue liquid inside. “This is it.” He held it up for me to see.

“Huh, it's a pretty color.”

“Yes, very nice.” He set it back in the cabinet. “Now, on your stomach, please.”

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