He sighed, then stored the five potions in the limnthal. At the same time, he removed his coin purse and took out a few coins. Hobbling over, he grabbed his teacher’s hand and put the coins in his palm.
“What’s this?” asked Karlovic, staring at the silver.
“Two clima,” said Will with a grin. “Isn’t that the going rate for a lab assistant?”
They both laughed, and then his professor asked, “Aren’t you going to take one of those potions for your leg?”
“Not until I go to the Healing and Psyche building. They make you very sleepy afterward. I don’t want to pass out before I make sure my friends are taken care of.”
“You’d better get going then.”
“What time is it?”
“It’s just past seventh bell. The dining halls are still open if you need more breakfast.”
Chapter 34
Doctor Morris met him before he could enter Janice’s room, having been summoned by an orderly who spotted the man who had absconded two nights before. “You’ve a lot of nerve,” said the doctor. “Do you have any idea how long they questioned me after you ran off? I’m not sure they believed me when I told them you escaped against my wishes.”
Will felt a little bad, but not much. He’d been through worse on his side of things. With a flourish, he produced one of the regeneration vials, making it look as though he had palmed the item like some common street magician. “I got it.”
“Is that?” Doctor Morris’ eyes grew wide.
Will nodded. “I’m sorry for the trouble yesterday, but if I had let them hold me I wouldn’t have been able to help them.”
“Where did you get it?”
“I went to hell and back. Met some trolls along the way. I spent last night in the Alchemy building.” Limping, he moved around the doctor and pushed through the door.
The room was well lit, with sunshine streaming in through an eastward facing window, but Janice probably couldn’t see it. She was a shapeless bundle on the bed, with blankets pulled high to cover her entirely. “Janice, it’s me,” said Will. “I have something that will help.”
The mound of blankets didn’t move, but he heard a faint grunt. Doctor Morris stepped up beside him. “She can’t talk. Her head and face are tightly bound right now to keep her from hurting herself more.”
“How will she take the potion?” he asked.
“There’s an opening in the bandages for a tube. She’ll have to take liquids through that until she’s healed.”
Will thought about it a moment. “The bandages will have to come off. She can take it through the tube, but if they’re binding the flesh and skin, she might not be able to heal properly with them in place.”
Doctor Morris nodded. “I was thinking the same, but it will be painful. Let me give her some medicine to ease the pain first.”
The doctor left to gather help while Will continued to talk to his friend. “It’s all right, Janice. I’ve got a regeneration potion. It will probably hurt a lot when they take the bandages off, but hopefully you’ll be able to have your eye back and everything will be normal again.”
“Mmmphf hmm,” she responded unintelligibly. He hoped it was an affirmative.
Minutes later they had her sitting up, and he could see her one good eye staring at him through the bandages that swaddled her face. It pierced him like an accusation, though he couldn’t honestly say what her expression might be. One of the nurses held out a hand for the potion, but Will wouldn’t release it. “I’ll pour it in,” he told the man. “I’m not letting go of this vial until I’m certain it’s empty and she’s received it.”
Doctor Morris nodded, and they made room so he could approach and pour it down the tube that ran into Janice’s bandaged face. Her eye stayed on him the entire time. “Here goes,” he told her, then he tilted the bottle up, letting the fluid pour into the tube.
She got it down without gagging, despite the taste, and once they were sure the liquid had been swallowed, Doctor Morris began removing the bandages using a sharp pair of scissors. Will felt a sense of urgency, as he worried the man wouldn’t be quick enough. Meanwhile Janice began to groan as her pain increased. Tears ran from her one good eye, and the doctor moved more quickly.
The final cut was made, and the bandages fell away like a blood-soaked cocoon. Beneath them, her skin and flesh were a twisted horror to behold. Janice shoved the doctor away from her, then pulled her blanket up again to shield herself from their eyes. “Mmm ammay!”
Will finally understood, and he turned his back while his own tears began to spill over. She had been begging them not to look at her. “It won’t take long, Janice. I promise. It might hurt, but it won’t last.”
Doctor Morris stepped forward after a minute. “Janice, I need to see. I can’t tell how well it’s working if you won’t show yourself.”
Apparently, something was happening, for she was able to respond in a thick voice, “Get him out!”
“Janice,” he started to say, but she cut him off.
“Please! Get out!” Her voice was rising through the registers, climbing toward panic.
The doctor gave him a sympathetic look, then gestured toward the door. Will went, but just before he stepped out the physician called out, “Your other friend is across the hall.”
“Thank you, sir.” Racked with guilt, regret, and a whole host of other mixed-up emotions, Will retreated. Outside, he took a moment to breathe and regain his composure.
Through the door he could hear voices, some of them loud enough to understand. “No more visitors,” Janice begged. “Don’t let him in again.”
One of the nurses responded, “He’s just trying to help, miss.”
After that, all he heard was crying and his chest tightened. Moving forward, he crossed the hall and opened the opposite door. Tiny was in the bed, partially elevated into a half-sitting posture by a collection of pillows. Unlike Janice, the big man was naked, at least the parts Will could see from the waist up. Pale skin covered thick muscles, and everywhere Tiny’s body was discolored. Most areas were shaded blue or purple, but some regions had deep black bruises, where blood had congealed under the skin.
And that was his front. From how things had played out, Will knew the back side was probably worse. Tiny spotted his friend and smiled brightly, showing a mouth full of undamaged teeth. In contrast to Janice, his injuries had almost entirely been to the body. Aside from a few scratches, his head had been untouched. “Will!” he called cheerfully. Then he frowned as his eyes tracked toward Will’s wounded leg. “That’s new. I shouldn’t have let you out of my sight.”