Praetorian Rising, стр. 93
Despite the darkness of the looming village, White Wall was a place of rebuilding and recovery for anyone suffering from the virus. No one questioned the methods of the old man at the top of the keep; it was with unshakable faith that anyone who was sick or in need of a remedy sought out Langhorn. He was the most knowledgeable doctor in Aspera, and one of the few citizens who remained free of the High King's far-reaching control.
Camille would be in good hands with Langhorn, although Theo was still worried about how long she'd been under. He could tell her body was fiercely fighting the venom, but only Langhorn's assurances would make him feel better.
Jolie's hooves clopped loudly on the white cobblestones of the village square as they entered. Maneuvering Jolie along the twisting streets, he urged her faster with increasing determination. Once they'd reached the tallest tower, Theo slipped from the horse's back and threw the doors open, leading Jolie and Camille straight into the main hall. A group of Rogues were gathered around a table at the far end of the room, equally as blood-soaked and spent as he was..
"Theo, is that you?" a Rogue said, rushing forward with a look of extreme concern as he took in Camille's condition. "Send word for Langhorn—we need to get this girl to the infirmary."
"She's been bitten," Theo said. "We must hurry—"
"I'm here," said an elderly man, approaching from a side entrance. "Where is she?"
Theo cradled her close as he walked over to Langhorn. The old man's piercing stare was bright with intelligence, his eyes a soft, mossy green. Relief flooded Theo's body at the mere sight of the legendary doctor.
The old man didn't ask for an explanation as he traced the edges of Camille's face, his eyes widening and narrowing as he assessed the damage. He took in the greyish pigment of her clammy skin and the garish holes along her arm, chest, and abdomen before motioning for Theo to follow. The old man moved with haste, his long grey and white robe—tied with a silver sash—billowing out behind him like a sail when he walked.
Langhorn moved with purpose, striding swiftly down the maze of hallways and stairs as though he were a leaf floating down a brisk stream. Never second guessing, never careening off the road map stamped in his head. Langhorn knew the caverns, hallways, corners, and crevices of his home like nobody else.
They burrowed deep into the belly of the mountainside, finally arriving at a seemingly old wooden door, reinforced by a thick slab of iron on the other side.
Langhorn went inside and beckoned for Theo to follow. "Put her there, on the examining table."
Theo listened and watched as Langhorn bustled around Camille, scribbling things on a tiny slip of paper as he stripped the blood-soaked clothes from her wounds. He carefully doused the puncture holes with various ointments, before wrapping the open wounds in a thick cushion of bandages.
Camille didn't move an inch during the entire process. Her skin had returned to a nearly-normal, pinkish hue during the cleansing, but she was still extremely dirty and bruised all over.
"She's going to be okay, right?" Theo asked, aching to touch her, to feel the warmth of her skin beneath his fingertips, but he refrained. Not that he cared if Langhorn saw. Theo was worried his ability to maintain control would falter. The wall keeping back his emotions was perilously close to crumbling, and he feared a single touch of her skin would send him down a darkened path of aching guilt and regret.
"Of course; Camille's a strong little bird. It would take more than a few Chimera bites to do her in," Langhorn said brightly, continuing to clean the dozen or so other small cuts she'd sustained on her face and limbs.
The door suddenly burst open behind them, nearly flying off the hinges as Vesyon and Neeko bounded into the room. Langhorn didn't even pause in his cleaning and wrapping, working methodically to address every wound with precision.
"How is she?" Vesyon asked as he moved swiftly to her side.
"Fine, she's just fine," Langhorn said calmly.
Theo watched as Vesyon pulled one of Camille's hands into his grasp, and a small pit of jealousy formed in his belly. He'd seen them touch, hug, and hold each other many times before in moments of extreme emotion and in the comfort of friendship. They were close, he knew that, but still, it irked him. Something about the blazing heat of panic swimming openly across Vesyon's face rang an alarm in Theo's pricked awareness.
"Theo," Langhorn said, startling him out of his envious reverie. "You and Vesyon should go up to the kitchens and find something to eat."
Langhorn's words sounded foreign to Theo's tender ears, and it took him much longer than usual to register their meaning. "Yeah—okay."
"I'll summon several of my healers this morning, and by tomorrow she'll be good as new!" Langhorn said as he turned to wash his hands in the porcelain basin along the opposite wall.
The promise of sustenance was enticing, and Theo knew his presence would only be a nuisance to the flutter of healers and caretakers. He waited for Vesyon to join him, observing with a sharp eye the way his friend was doting on Camille in a tender way he'd never seen before. He'd always suspected Vesyon loved her, but, standing there in that small medical room, with Camille's life hanging in the balance, had proven just how much. And it made Theo sick.
Chapter Twenty
Broken Bond
Langhorn waited for Theo to turn away before shooting Vesyon a look of concern. He knew Camille would be all right, but he wasn't sure what effect the Chimera venom would have on her system. He needed to run blood tests and thoroughly assess