Page 99 of The Robin on the Oak Throne

They pulled into a back lot behind the hospital. A sliding glass door directed them into a brightly lit lobby, and Graves bypassed the woman at the front in peach scrubs. The Covenant was not just a monster hospital—it was also acoven of witches, who used their powers for healing. Kierse had been appalled when she had first learned that anyone would want to help monsters, but she had come around to the idea that everyone needed assistance.

They passed through a long corridor, stopping in front of a closed office door. He knocked twice, and the door swung open to reveal a beautiful woman in teal scrubs, a matching hijab, and a white coat.

“Hello, Emmaline,” Graves said.

Dr. Mafi blew out a heavy sigh. “I got your message.” Her eyes flicked to Kierse. “In trouble again, I see.”

“And you?” Kierse asked. “Staying out of it yourself?”

Dr. Mafi pointed across the hall. They stepped into an empty patient room, and Mafi closed the door before answering, “I’m only doing this because you killed Louis. My debt was cleared, and now I’m free again.”

“I was glad to do it,” Kierse said.

“Of course, now I owe you one, instead,” Mafi said with a shake of her head. “Not how I wanted that to happen. Well, nothing to be done for it. Why don’t you tell me why you’re here?”

Kierse glanced at Graves. “How much did he tell you?”

“I’d rather hear it in your own words.” Dr. Mafi shot Graves a pointed look. “You can wait in the lobby if you’d prefer.”

He crossed his arms and stared at her. Dr. Mafi’s relationship with Graves was fraught at best. They had been close before the Monster War while she was getting her medical degree. When things hadn’t worked out, he’d paid for her to finish, and she’d owed him for that ever since.

Kierse cleared her throat. “I learned recently that I hada spell put on me that made me forget my past. Since the spell…came down, my memories have been jumbled. I’ve tried several magical ways to recover them, but we’re—I’m—concerned that there might be something else wrong.”

Mafi’s gaze slipped to Graves. “There’s something that you can’t figure out?”

“We’re in your capable hands,” Graves said.

She narrowed her eyes at him as if he’d insulted her. “Tell me what you’ve tried so far.”

So Kierse took her through the magical treatment she’d tried from the market and her work with Graves. Mafi listened intently, asking questions and jotting down notes on a clipboard as Kierse explained. “So, Graves suggested that the issue might not be simply magical.”

Mafi nodded. “As much as I hate agreeing with him, it does sound possible. There are some tests we can run to see if there’s any damage to your brain, since you mentioned previous falls,” Mafi began. “I’ll set you up for an MRI first to rule out that possibility. Then we can discuss other options once we have the results in.”

Mafi went for the door, but Graves put his hand on it. “You’re going to keep your findings to yourself this time, right?”

She bristled under his scrutiny. “I’m a professional.”

“You were last time, too.”

“Then find someone else,” she challenged him. Graves stared her down, but it was Mafi who looked away first. “I won’t share it.”

“Good,” he said and released the door.

They ran a series of tests on her brain, all of which sucked in some way. The idea that her brain was somehowpermanently damaged, either from Jason’s abuse or the spell, had never occurred to her. She had been worried about magical interference, not normal human stuff. It unsettled her to think that could be the problem.

Afterward, Kierse and Graves returned to the patient room to wait for the results. Almost an hour later, Mafi knocked and then entered. “Sorry about the wait. There was an emergency.”

“That’s all right,” Kierse said.

“I want to say first that the testing came back fine. Your MRI shows a very healthy brain.”

Kierse released a breath. “That’s good.”

“Yes. It’s very good, considering the potential brain trauma you discussed with me in your past. I don’t know if that spell helped you, or if your magic shielded you from worse pain, but whatever the case, that isn’t an issue here.”

“So…it’s just the spell, then?”

Mafi leaned back against the wall and considered. “I’m not sure that’sallit is. It’s not a brain injury. There’s no damage, that’s very clear. But I would think that, after everything you went through, you’re dealing with a significant amount of trauma.”

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