First Apprentice

Chapter 29 Part 3

Mei's head swiveled toward me. "One, I wasn't aware you have a heated tub. Two, purification is purification. The situation outside will only get worse. If we use the local water for the rituals and restrict your supplies to drinking only, we may be able to stretch yours long enough for Terry and Endellion to get the Well back under control."

"No need. I swap out my cisterns every six months. I finished working on the other one the day before Grandfather welched. I'll enlarge it tomorrow afternoon. Uncle Manfred volunteered to drop it in the headwaters of the Ing River, my usual spot. In three days, we'll have a nine-month supply for thirty-five people."

"How much per day?"

"Three barrels per person. I've never needed more than two."

"Overestimating," she hummed to herself. "A good practice if you can carry unlimited amounts of water." The way she flicked her finger at the subplane walls indicated she'd already guessed how I managed to hide a cistern the size of a small lake.

"Not unlimited," I said, hoping she hadn't made the same mistake Endellion did the first time I showed her my subplane. Gate-created worlds like Headquarters are only limited by their gate's power and the oversoul's imagination and sense of purpose. "The largest subplane I've made measured two hectares. In theory, it can go up to four hectares. After which, the seal itself is mathematically unstable."

Her breath hitched. "Gods," she breathed, "do you have any idea...During the second war, my greatest enemies were scurvy, beriberi, night blindness, anemia, insufficient food in general. I can heal wounds. I cannot heal empty stomachs. Throw in some dirt, the greenhouse wards Uncle Xian developed for the caves, a few standard farming seals, and a farmer or two to maintain them and you can ensure your sealers never go hungry. Even a few lemon trees can be the difference between life and death. Dear gods, the possibilities! Here you use it as a glorified cave!"

"I like caves!"

"Dracon," she huffed.

Cupping water in her hands, she poured it over her shoulder. Purple water droplets beaded on her skin, five minutes before the ritual finished and Mei turned her attention back to my candidates where it belonged. I had a million questions I wanted to ask, starting with how do I survive this. I didn't ask her for the same reason I hadn't asked Selim. I already knew the answer.

I didn't.

My thoughts turned back to the one question I needed to ask, the one that terrified me. I steeled myself. My magic, my summon, their poison. This was my responsibility. "How bad is it?"

Water sloshed as Mei twisted in the tub. Her eyes bored into mine. "Listen to me, apprentice. Every guardian on every gate knows when you summoned the Central Keystone. It was like we had our heads stuck inside a bell being struck by a hammer. Thirty minutes before that, we received word of a making. Saar did not leave the Well that night because Terry needed a master sealer topside. He left to turn himself into a gate, using every sealer present as his material. Every sealer and guardian who survived that summon owes you their life. You saved their lives then, and you're saving them now. This is not your fault. Terry, Joel, the other Seven, the chief healer, the Dracon, all share a portion of the blame. You do not."

"My summon, my magic," I whispered.

"Tortured any gates in your spare time?"

Blood drained out of my face as I recoiled in horror.

Mei sniffed. "I thought not. Cruju is both a miracle and a curse. I've seen it keep a man alive long enough to reattach his head. Used incorrectly, it can turn moderate poisoning fatal in under five minutes. It was a good call. Risky and I'll have to drum all the reasons why they should never use it like you did into their skulls, but good."

I winced. When Xian first suggested treating Grandfather with cruju, he made certain I understood that unless the donor's magic exceeded the receiver's by forty percent or more, cruju itself was a death sentence.

"Tylar tells me Maria's official core index is three-hundred-eighty-one. Officially, you are a maturing class two Shedu dae born to a lost Marstow line. Ferepris begins at five-hundred-one."

Clenching my jaw, I ducked my head. "I know. Tylar and I already discussed this," my mouth snapped shut and I shook my head.

"Good." Her tone gentled. "You took a calculated risk. Now we must ensure the fact that Maria survived because you brewed cruju never leaves your caves. Every last clan elder and clan chief understands basic mathematics."

"I understand. My candidates?"

"Technically, aura poisoning comes in four grades: mild, moderate, severe, and fatal. I say technically because most healers never encounter fatal aura poisoning where the patient is still living. The five nearest the door are all fatal."

"They're dying." The words sat heavy on my tongue.

"Yes and no," Mei replied. "I'm a healer, not a goddess. I cannot guarantee anyone's survival. That said, I have cured so-called fatal aura poisoning before. Provided their magical cores don't fracture during the rituals, I believe they will survive and, in time, regain their full power. Now, the four closest to them will turn fatal should the cruju wear off. The other four are all severe, and three moderate bordering on severes are sleeping in the other subplane."

"Sixteen sealers out of commission."

"More than that, I'm afraid. Ten others have mild poisoning that will progress if it's not treated. Kevin and Brian fared the best, which isn't surprising. They were both born within spitting distance of the Dracon Gate's anchor point. Their bodies learned how to reject foreign magic in the womb. Philip's healed."

"You mean they treated Philip, but not the others."

"According to Tylar, Philip shielded his mate-to-be during the summon and was at death's door afterward. Chief Aric apparently checked on his son before meeting with Terry-dae. Whether Philip would have been treated without his father's presence is a question for your candidates and Helen, not me. As to what treatment they received prior to today, I don't know and won't until I run their histories. Speculating is a waste of my time and yours."

"But?" I prompted.

"When evacuation orders go out, you count every patient. You count them at the hospital. You count them at each gate. You count them when you finally reach your destination. In my professional opinion, the only way to misplace thirty patients from the same unit is if you intend to lose them."

Mei's words confirmed a gut feeling I'd had since my sealers hauled themselves into my study. This was deliberate. Were they targetting my office in particular or the candidates in general? That was the real question.

"Dev?"

"He has the worst case of magical exhaustion I've ever seen, but he'll live. If there's nothing else, I have patients waiting and you need sleep."

"I'm sorry about the oath. Helen didn't tell me that Endellion interfered until after you'd already sworn it. If I'd known," I trailed off when Mei aura turned a melancholy yellow.

"Alannah, I knew whose child you were before Helen recruited me. I was willing to swear more. Good night." Her tone said the subject was closed.

"Good night," I replied and spun on my heel. I tiptoed back to the doorway, slipped into the other subplane, and crept back to my blankets, knowing I may never understand Mei's reasons any more than I did Endellion's. Still, why anyone would swear they'd keep my secrets even after they were no longer in my employ and protect and defend me while under contract without meeting me, I didn't know. I wouldn't.

Author's Note: Slight schedule deviation... The next part should post late Sunday afternoon. I have help installing waterlines and a fence in the orchard tomorrow and Sunday morning. Fingers crossed that we'll get everything done! I really don't want to pull fence wire by myself :)