10 Fake Seer, Fake Physician (1/2)
”We need to begin treatment soon. Please, could the men present offer a prayer to the Lords?” As if under water, a muffled sound reached Corco's ears. Weary and heavy, his eyelids opened to find unfocused silhouettes of several men towering over him.
”Doctor, is it bad?” he heard Brym's voice, worried.
”Hmm... there is hope yet, but we will have to act fast,” an unfamiliar voice said as the silhouettes began to leave his sight.
With some effort, Corco managed to open his eyes and sharpen the image around himself. As he lay on his back, he only saw a dirty wooden ceiling above. There were no sounds of murmurs coming from the outside, so they couldn't be in the city. This room should be the inside the castle proper.
”Doctor, he is awake!” This time, it was Fadelio's voice to call out.
Soon, the entire gang bent over the uncomfortable bed he was laying on, crowding his line of sight. Brym, Fadelio, Atau and Ronnie.
”Laqhis, everything fine?”
”How do you feel?”
Don't worry, the doctor has been sent to save you.”
”Big Bro...”
Under the bombardment of voices, Corco tried his best to push himself up into a sitting position. Suddenly, a biting pain stung his left and pearls of sweat formed on his face. His heavy groan caused Fadelio to step in and hold down the injured prince.
”Careful, Boss.”
With his warrior's help, the crown prince managed to sit up. Finally, he could get a better look at the surroundings. Dark, dirty and cramped, the room's interior design was the preferred style of Albius, king of Whiteport. However, something was off about the room. From his left, Corco felt a heat, emanating from a warm illumination, so unusual for the grim halls of Lordspire.
”Hey, you're gonna say something?”
”What's wrong? You can't talk?”
While the words of his companions became increasingly panicked, Corco narrowed his eyes in annoyance.
”Can you move over?” With a scratchy voice, he spoke up and pushed Atau to the left. The move freed his sight onto the source of the heat. A middle-aged man in black robes stood over a bucket of glowing coals, his short, trimmed beard lighted up by the glow. The iron poker his clean hands held into the heat gave Corco a bad premonition. Even worse: He had seen the man before, when he had performed at the royal court two days ago. At the time, the men and women of the gallery had shown the greatest respect for the bearded man. After all, he was the famous court physician Freigen, of great repute along the western coast and confidante to King Albius. At the time, the doctor had seemed less than impressed by his mentalist act.
”Oh, Great Seer Corco. You are awake. What a shame.” Their eyes met across the room and Corco could see the mocking twinkle within them. ”I wonder, just how could the strange attacker surprise the great seer, the man who can speak to the Lords and read the future?”
”It was me who failed big bro! He stepped in front to protect me!” With a step between Freigen and his brother, Brym called in a loud voice. ”Please, great doctor, you have to save him!”
”Hmmm... as I said, it is a shame that the patient is awake now. I really would have loved to do my work without anesthetics, but it seems like this won't do anymore. Hold him still and make sure he won't lose too much blood. I will return with the dwale as soon as possible.” With a satisfied smile, the doctor rammed the metal poker into the coals before he turned and left the room.
Bit by bit, it dawned on Corco just what fate lay ahead of him. It seemed like the good doctor had a problem and wasn't intent on treating him like a normal patient. Although even if the doctor were to return with best intentions, the crown prince would still be treated with medieval methods. From his memories, Corco knew just what ”dwale” was. The vile concoction he was about to receive included hemlock, along with various other nasty substances. He really didn't want to drink poisoned testicle juice and then have his wound sealed by a branding iron.
Crap.
Beads of sweat formed on the prince's brow, though he didn't know if it came from the pain or the fear.
”Lock the door!” Corco shouted, to the confused looks of his companions. ”Quick!” Only with his second, more urgent call did Fadelio move over to push closed the bolt and lock the door. He needed time to think.
”Big Bro, what are you doing? The doctor will soon come back to heal you,” Brym said.
”Fuck the quack!” came back the succinct response.
”...but he is the best doctor in the country. The king's personal physician, specially sent to help the great seer.”
”I don't need his help.”
”Bro...” Brym's voice became quiet, almost disappearing, as tears formed in his eyes.
”How 'bout you first look at the damage before you talk big.” Atau butted in behind his left. As if remote-controlled, Corco's view went down to his side in a mechanical motion. The bed he lay in had been dyed red in his own blood. The precious liquid had soaked the cloth and was now dripping down to form a puddle on the dark brown floor boards.
Crap again. Now what?
After his brain had become aware of the wound, the pain in his side returned with a vengeance. In search for an answer to his dilemma, one which wouldn't involve insulting the king by refusing his help, Corco's mind began to churn. They had prepared for this sort of emergency, but for the first time they had to deal with interference from a self-pronounced professional. In his first step, the prince pressed his hand onto his wound to stop the bleeding. Then he asked the questions he needed answers to if he wanted to avoid the iron.
”Do we have the travel bag with us right now?”
”Right here!” Ronnie said as he held up the large bag they carried all their stage equipment in.
”Good. Perfect. Take out the brandy, ethanol, catgut, needle... and the cloth. Do we have water?”
Even though he should have known what Corco's words meant, the alchemist only looked back in confusion.
”Are we... not waiting for the doc-”
”Right here!” Atau shouted over the alchemist as he brought a clay pot of water to Corco's lips. Annoyed, the prince pushed his cousin's hand away.
”Not for me, man. Put the pot over the coals and boil some cloth for the bandages. We've done this before, right? Why is everyone just standing around?”
In fact, they had suffered their fair share of wounds in their early days on the road. They had applied the procedure Corco had learned from his memories and it had always been effective. Still, the men around him showed little confidence.
”...but, doctor Freigen should know better than us, shouldn't he?”
”Bro, the doctor is a real physician and you're bleeding an awful lot...”