Page 22 of A Skirl of Sorcery
He glanced at me, nostrils flaring. There was no sign of recognition. ‘You’re fine,’ he said dismissively.
‘It’s not me who’s ill. It’s a friend of mine.’
He raised a thin eyebrow. ‘Another friend? Is this one another highly placed witch that you’ve kidnapped?’
So hedidremember me. ‘A ban sith.’
I didn’t miss the flare of interest in his eyes though he masked it quickly. ‘Ban siths have their own clinic.’
That was news to me. I wondered if Keres had gone there when she’d lost her powers and, if she had, what they’d told her.‘I think your particular medical skills will be more appropriate in this scenario,’ I said smoothly.
Fergus spun round slowly. ‘I don’t see any ban siths here.’
Ha. Ha. I held my patience. ‘She’s too sick to travel. She’s resting at my place.’
‘Where’s that?’
‘Danksville.’
He pulled a face. ‘That’s almost an hour away.’
Hardly. ‘Forty minutes,’ I said. ‘Tops.’
‘I don’t make house calls. Anyway, it’s late. I’m clocking off for the night.’
‘I can make it worth your while.’
Fergus gave me a long look. ‘I’m not so desperate for money that I’ll travel to the worst suburb in Coldstream during the full moon.’ He inclined his head. ‘Good day to you.’ He trudged off behind the desk towards the rooms beyond.
‘Something is inside her,’ I called after him. ‘Something dark that’s eating away at her. I don’t know what it is, but it feels evil.’ He stopped moving. It was almost imperceptible but there was a definite stiffening to his shoulders. I doubled down. ‘I think it’ll kill her if we don’t find a way to get rid of it.’
There was another long silence then Fergus gave a heavy sigh. ‘Very well. Give me a few minutes to get my bag and some supplies.’
I allowed myself a small smile of triumph. ‘No problem.’
The tram rideto Crackendon Square passed without incident. I tried to engage Fergus in small talk by mentioning the full moon and the price of witched saffron powder but he ignored me. He gripped his black-leather medical bag tightly in one hand andstared out of the window as the tram wended its way through the streets.
When we boarded the second tram, things were different. Fergus submitted to the wolfsbane check then clumped towards its centre while I dropped two tokens at the front to pay for us both. Instead of gazing out of the window again, he sniffed the air and his eyes widened in alarm. He swung his head from side to side to examine the other passengers then fixed on a teenage dryad sitting quietly in the far corner.
Her head was bowed, her long hair draped across her shoulders, and she was giving off more stay-away vibes than the most anxious of feral cats. Fergus didn’t appear to care that she wanted to be left alone. He strode towards her, pushing past a troll and an exhausted looking druid, until he was standing over the teenager, breathing heavily.
I watched with interest. On the first occasion we’d met I’d worked out that although Fergus might not be a trained doctor, he possessed the magical ability to sniff out health problems – literally sniff them out, judging by the way his nose was hovering over the dryad’s head. After several seconds twitching his nostrils, he crouched beside her and began to speak.
He kept his voice low so that even though I strained to listen, I couldn’t hear what he was saying above the trundle of the tram. At first the dryad didn’t move her head or look at him but he didn’t appear bothered by her lack of interest; he continued talking to her until she finally reached out, grabbed his hands and squeezed them tight.
When she lifted her head, I caught a glimpse of tear-filled eyes – but she was smiling.
Fergus waited until she released her hold on him, nodded, patted her shoulder and stood up. He joined me by the tram window. ‘Problem?’ I asked.
He smiled serenely. ‘No. No problem.’
I glanced at the dryad. She was no longer staring at her lap. Although I could still see the glint of unshed tears in her wide violet eyes, she looked at peace with herself.
‘You’re a good man, Fergus.’
He snorted in response.
I couldn’t know what had bothered the young dryad or what Fergus had said to reassure her, but his actions made me think of my own insignificant issues. ‘Is reading minds one of your skills?’ I asked quietly.
