“I know it sounds odd, and I don’t know if it would actually work, but wouldn’t it be worth at least trying?”
“What about their horns? You’ve seen yourself just how dangerous they can be. Even if we put out the fire, those horns could still do plenty of damage.”
“The same could be said about horses’ hooves. Plenty of warriors have been kicked by a horse that panics. And given how wild they are, the unicorns would likely be better suited to battle, temperament-wise.”
A snort sounded from behind him, and he turned to see Hallix doing a poor job of smothering his laughter.
“Taming a unicorn?” the big man said. “Great gods, man, you’ve gone soft in the head. You want to tame a demon? And then what, let their poison infect the entire city? It’s not just the fire that’s the problem. They’re pure evil, spat out of the mouth of hell itself. The last thing in the world we need is demons running loose in the city. Or have you forgotten that that’s the exact thing we’re out there every day trying to prevent? Besides which, we already have horses, which I dare say are far easier to train than a rampaging demon. What could a unicorn do that they couldn’t?”
Renfold, too, seemed amused by the idea, while Petios just shook his head. “I’m with Hallix on this one,” he said. “Not to mention that even trying to catch one could cost good warriors their lives. You’ve lost your marbles on this one, Nalyx.”
Nalyx opened his mouth to answer, but he didn’t get the chance. “Hallix has a point,” Captain Leefe said, though his tone was far more respectful. “We already have plenty of horses. And trying to catch one of those beasts, never mind taming it, would be a hell of a risk to the men. It’s an interesting idea, but I honestly don’t think it’s of any use to us. We have enough work to do using tried and true methods without wasting time and resources on such a fanciful idea. Sorry, Nalyx. The answer’s no.”
Nalyx nodded. “Fair enough. Just thought it was worth mentioning.” He let himself out of the armoury and headed back to his room. He’d tried. What more could he do?
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The days that followed passed by in a slow trickle for Gantalla. Her time at the hospital was split between treating patients and studying the books in the office. She spent her days off exploring the shops around the city or spending time with the other nurses, getting to know them better. And every now and then, she saw Nalyx, as well. Sometimes, early in the morning, he would be alone, and they’d chat while he bought himself breakfast and Gantalla tended to menial errands like ordering more bandages from the seamstress or buying soap for the nurses’ laundry room. Other times, most commonly in the evening, she saw him with Liatra, and on occasion with another woman whom the other nurses had told her was named June.
She felt a lingering fondness for the man, but he seemed perfectly happy with not just one, but two women chasing after him, and Gantalla kept her distance while they were around. The serving women, she’d learned from subtle eavesdropping, were not above gossiping about their peers, starting cold and vicious rumours to try and dissuade a warrior from paying too much attention to the ‘wrong’ woman, and she didn’t want to give any of them any reason to start targeting her with their malicious comments. As a newcomer, her reputation in the town was still fragile and her friendships with the nurses still new. Far better to let things settle rather than risk any stories starting up about her poor character.
To be honest, it was a surprise to her how easily she’d settled in. She was becoming accustomed to seeing her own face in the mirror each morning, no longer startled by the pale brown of her skin, rather than its native green. She improved her sense of balance, learning to move without the aid of her tail, and hours at a time began to drift by when she hardly thought of her old life in Chalandros at all.
But the soothing calm couldn’t continue forever, and so, some three weeks since she’d passed through the gate, the first shock arrived.
Gantalla was at the reception desk in the hospital, with Nanta showing her how to make bookings in the appointment sheet and explaining to her how to triage the more serious cases that walked through the door, when a sudden burst of shouting got their attention.
“Get a doctor! We need a doctor! She’s choking!”
The door was flung open and two warriors rushed inside, one of them cradling a limp body in his arms. It was a blonde woman, and as she and Nanta rushed over, Gantalla realised it was Liatra!
The warrior set her on the ground, and Liatra immediately rolled over and vomited. With the way her torso was heaving, and from the fact that nothing but bile and liquid came out of her mouth, it was clear this was far from the first time she’d thrown up.
“Get the doctor,” Nanta snapped at her, and Gantalla raced away, dragging Doctor Samuel out of an appointment with another patient to rush back down to the foyer.
“Out of the way,” he ordered sharply, then he hauled Liatra into his arms, carrying her down the hall to a consultation room. He set her gently on the bed, then peered into her eyes and listened to her ragged breathing. Her eyes were bloodshot and her breaths harsh. Her gums were pale, and when Samuel leaned down to press his ear to her chest, he muttered a curse. “Her heart rate’s slow. She’s showing all the signs of some sort of poisoning. Get some activated charcoal,” he ordered, and a nurse rushed off, then returned a moment later with a cup of black liquid. “Help me get her to drink it,” he said to Gantalla, and she obediently lifted Liatra’s head, opening her mouth so the doctor could pour the liquid in. Liatra gagged, but gamely tried to swallow.
“What have you eaten?” the doctor asked her. When she didn’t answer, he took her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him, and repeated the question.
“Nothing,” Liatra said weakly. “I had nothing this morning.”
“What about last night?”
“Just dinner with the warriors.”
“Is anyone else affected?” Samuel asked the warrior who was still hovering by the door, having followed them down the hall to the consult room.
“No, not that I know of,” he said.
“What did you eat?” Samuel asked Liatra again. “I want to know every single detail.”
“Meat. Venison, I think. And potatoes and carrots. And some mushrooms. And a slice of apple pie.” She moaned and listed to the side, so Gantalla grabbed her, holding her upright.
“What sort of mushrooms were they?”
“I don’t know…”
“Haber?” Samuel asked the warrior. “What mushrooms were they?”
