Moonhunter

Chapter 37 .: Antidote :.

.: Chapter 37 :.

Antidote

       After they had cleaned up the mess from their fight, though they couldn’t really explain the burn marks that the “earthquake” had left, they returned to Dasrye’s house, where a kindly-looking youth who looked to be in his late teens waited.

       “Get a move on!” he called when they neared. “You two walk like snails!”

       “Isn’t ‘Dillia’ supposed to be a ‘she’?”

       Luna grimaced. “Dillia is supposed to be an old woman. I have no idea who this is.”

       “Warrin is my name,” he introduced himself. “And you must be Luna...” His eyes flickered over her, and he turned to Leya. “And Leya.” He looked at Luna again and at the sloppily bandaged arm. He sighed. “You should have been back first,” he scolded. “Reincarnate wounds aren’t kind.”

       Luna rolled her eyes. “Thanks. I see why I need your expertise.”

       The door opened, allowing Dasrye through. She raised an eye at them. “Well, aren’t you coming in?” The three followed Dasrye inside. “This is Warrin Smythson. He’s Dillia’s apprentice—or so I’m told. Dillia told me she had emergency patients to tend to but assured me she’ll be at the meetingplace.”

       When they finally got into the kitchen, Warrin took a hold of Luna’s arm and cut the bandages off with clean scissors. For a youth who looked to be impatient and sloppy, his touch was unusually gentle and calm. Luna winced as the open cuts met fresh air.

       “I’m going to check on Aldric,” Dasrye said. Leya, looking nauseous, followed her.

       “What’s that?” Luna asked as Warrin took what looked like a small metal stick.

       Warrin didn’t answer as he touched it gently to her cut. He drew it away a moment after. “It’s part of my training to make antidotes,” he replied. “And Dillia wanted me to try making one for Reincarnate wounds.”

       Luna raised an eye. “There is an antidote,” she told him. “Haven’t you heard? Though it’s a laboriously slow process...”

       “Exactly,” Warrin told her matter-of-factly. “Antidotes are supposed to be quick and efficient cures to poisons. Especially as we’re facing an entire army of them, there’s a need for a better one.” He put the metal stick into a small clear bottle. “And this will be helpful.”

       He reached towards her again. “For now, I can use this spell to ease some of the pain. Be careful,” he warned. “It will still take a while to heal.”

       Luna stared at him suspiciously. “You can’t use spells on Reincarnate wounds. They don’t work.”

       But Warrin didn’t seem to be listening. He whispered a spell that made his hand glow bright blue. He reached towards her arm with his free hand and held onto her wrist. “It might sting.”

       As he’d warned, there was a dull sting as he put the bright blue glow into her arm. His hand felt warm, dry, and comfortable on her arm. Bit by bit, she could tell the pain was fading away. Luna flexed her fingers wonderingly. “It doesn’t hurt,” she said out loud, awed.

      “All I did was numb your pain receptors in your arm. Be careful you don’t get it cut off or anything. You won’t feel anything from it.” Warrin took a clean set of bandages and expertly bound her arm. “I have to change these every few hours though. Don’t do anything extraneous. You might make it worse. It’ll take me a day or two to come up with the antidote.”