Killian felt giddy.
“Healer, I would speak with you.” Killian’s eyes flickered around the room. “In private.”
“Are you blind or just stupid?” Hokda spit through gritted teeth. “I’m busy.”
“Official business.” Killian tilted his head imploringly. “You understand.”
Fists clenched, Hokda jerked his head towards the back of the room where his office waited behind a thick, sound-proof door. “I’ll deal with you in a moment. Don’t touchanything.”
Killian floated by Hokda, grinning as he heard the healer hiss angrily.
Hokda’s office was a study on anal retention. Kept completely spotless at all times. Nothing was allowed out of place, not even a single speck of dust. Bookshelves and storage cabinets lined the walls, treatment records were housed behind the gigantic desk that faced the door, safe under lock and key;not a single one was titled and they were all bound exactly the same. Specimen jars and ingredient bottles were placed perfectly so nothing was touching and everything was evenly spaced apart, labels facing outward.
How the healer was meant to find anything in the mess, Killian would never know.
There was an examination table on the left side of the room, wooden and blocky and foreboding. Leather restraints dangled from the table at four different points. Bedside manner clearly wasn’t Hokda’s strong point.
Killian leisurely strolled the perimeter of the room, taking his time to shift a few bottles here and there, swap a couple of books from one shelf to the next, and move an anatomical canvas a couple inches off center. Only when he was satisfied did he go and lean against the exam table to wait for Hokda to grace him with his presence.
The healer soon came banging into the room, the door bouncing off the wall at the force of which Hokda opened it. It fell closed behind him as he strode across the room to take a haughty seat at at his desk.
“Well,” said Hokda, with an impatient gesture toget on with it.
“I assume you’ve heard about the incident that took place yesterday morning.”
“You mean how your Guard was so incompetent that they allowed someone to slip through their patrols and take a stroll through the labyrinth? Oh, no. I haven’t heard a word of it.”
Killian scowled. “He didn’t get through.”
Hokda gasped. “Really? I thought he’d made it inside to enjoy a nice relaxing night by the pond.”
Ignoring him, Killian moved on. “His name was Fayren Ulr. I have it on good authority that he was a common visitor to the infirmary. Do you remember anything about him?”
“Fayren?” Genuine surprise leaked into Hokda’s voice. ”Really?”
“He worked in the—”
“Kitchens. Yes, I know. That was the source of most of his injuries. He was a clumsy thing. Awkward. Always coming in with small cuts and burns, he almost took his finger off once. Not anything unusual for the kitchens though.”
“Was it always you who healed him?”
“Gods no,” scoffed Hokda, as if Killian were an idiot for even suggesting it. “Minor injuries like that even my apprentices can’t fuck up.”
Killian’s brain was whirring. “Who usually treated him?”
“Whoever was free.” Hokda’s eyes narrowed. “There was nooneapprentice he favored, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“I see.”
Hokda said, “Is it true he’s dead? Our secret, of course. You know I’m not one to spread palace gossip.”
“Only because you’ve no one to spread it to.”
Hokda scowled.
Killian flashed him a smile. “Yes, he’s dead. Threw himself at the mercy of hiseniland tried to break his vow when he learned his fate.”
“A shame,” said Hokda.
