"No paying." Lian held up his hands palms out.
He had more money than the average planet. His parents had left him well off when they died.
"It's part of my job. Consider this a courtesy visit. I'm not even officially on the job, yet. I just heard about the problem on the scanner and thought I could help. But if you could keep this mostly to yourself I'd appreciate it. I kind of want to keep a low profile." From what Shean told him Bourne wouldn't appreciate Lian helping out the dragon master whether for the dragons or the men.
"I'd love to show you around town later. It's the least I can do," Jevies said with a flirtatious smile.
Lian had seen this before. Men often fell for their doctors after a healing.
"Thank you. I'll keep your offer in mind," he agreed without committing himself.
He didn't need some baby knight crushing on him. Lian's mind went back to a particularly sexy dark-haired man who kissed like a sex god and wondered what Nevair did alone at night in his bed. Damn, if he didn't want to be there to see it.
"May I take a moment of your time, healer?" Maurek asked.
"Certainly. They aren't expecting me at the medic center for a few more hours." He'd caught an earlier flight than planned.
Curious as to what a dragon trainer would want with him, Lian followed the man across a long expanse of sands to a small stucco building. As the cool air hit him, Lian let out a relieved sigh.
"Sorry, I'm not used to the heat yet."
Maurek gave him an understanding smile. "Some people never get used to it."
"I hope I'm not one of them." He'd hate to let the heat get to him for the entire three months he planned to be there.
Questions fled when Maurek opened the door and took Lian inside the small building. In the far corner, Lian spotted a man lying on a cot. Wrapped in bandages blotched with red, the injured figure didn't move. Lian could smell the taint of infection from where he stood.
"By the goddess!" he rounded on Maurek. "Why didn't you take him to a healer?"
The dragon trainer snorted. "And put him in the hands of those butchers. They can't be trusted to heal the dragonkin. Bourne fears dragons and doesn't want to deal with our kind since the dragons killed the last healer."
Lian scowled. "You're the second person to say that. Why would a man who hates dragons work on a dragon planet? Not only that, but why would the king tolerate it?"
Maurek shrugged. "How can you understand the royalty? I've heard Bourne has important political ties and his majesty cannot yank Bourne from his position without serious repercussions."
Lian sneered. "I don't care about the problems of kings. People need care, not political rhetoric." Lian would go against a planetful of rulers, if it would save one life. He silently wondered if the kings' persistence in contacting his bosses had more to do with replacing their current head healer than anything else.
Kneeling by the cot, Lian used his inner sight to assess the wounds. Infection raged through the man's veins and from the smell had set in a while ago.
"Hi there, I'm Dr Blythorpe." Lian smiled at the suffering man, pushing a bit of pain relief magic into the damaged body.
He'd have to heal him in stages so Lian's power didn't run out. After healing both the dragon and Jevies, Lian's energy levels had dimmed a little.
"His name is Canin," Maurek offered when the injured man didn't speak.
"Hi, Canin. I'm a touch healer. It might hurt a bit but I'm going to make your wounds disappear. Nod if you agree to allow my healing." Lian hated to heal someone without his or her approval but in this case he'd make an exception.
The man wouldn't survive without immediate intervention.
The nod when it came, slow yet steady, spurred Lian into action. Placing his hands lightly on Canin's stomach Lian closed his eyes. He always found it easier if he could block out the world and focus on the one he needed to heal. With his magic, Lian visualized Canin and sank his healing powers into the other man. The smell of rot faded away, replaced by the scent of fresh blood. The wounds needed to be free of infection before healing could begin. He didn't want to trap diseased flesh inside healthy tissue, it could cause complications.
"You look to drain him of his essence before you heal him," Maurek growled.
"Quiet." Lian didn't need distractions as he focused on putting back together the man he'd been forced to take apart in order to heal his wounds.
Rarely had Lian been called for such a large task. He mostly healed smaller injuries; broken bones, cuts, and once, before now, a sword wound. His bosses liked to keep Lian around for research, not healing. They always claimed machines did better than magic in fixing large amounts of damage.
Here, there were no machines, at least not that he'd seen or had access to.
