[coronatiger]

28th of Ratanu, year 412 (continued)

Wolfram asked Nynos if Ælios knew healing magic. I groaned inwardly at the mention of magic, but Nynos took it in stride. Apparently, what Ælios did wasn’t considered out of bounds for the foreigners, for Nynos replied rhetorically, “Isn’t that his job?”

I noticed that Grogg had no shadow. This had to be caused by demonic influence, and I suggested we went to find our cabin. I hoped to get everyone away before my dim-witted companions blurted out something they shouldn’t and without any strangers noticing Grogg’s lack of shadow.

Xipil undermined my attempt by asking Grogg if he was ready to fight the dragons. Grogg answered that of course he was ready, and Xipil said he wouldn’t come below either, because the dragons were coming. I claimed the dragons weren’t arriving quite yet, but Grogg still refused to come. Nynos had just slipped away and the other foreigners kept a respectful distance, so I took the opportunity to remind my friends not to mention what we had just done.

Wolfram started walking towards the cabin and he met Nynos coming up the stairs. Nynos asked him to check on Ælios. This piqued Xipil’s curiosity, so he decided to come with me after all. Even Grogg changed his mind, albeit after summoning Kraa – which startled everyone that could hear the spirit bird but not see it – and telling it to keep an eye out for the dragons and come tell him when they arrived. Xipil drew additional attention by taking out the spirit-seeing ring and watching as Kraa hopped around Grogg’s legs. Due to my monthly weakness, I couldn’t see the creature myself, but I registered where Xipil was looking.

With Wolfram slowed from his injuries, I easily caught up with him. The door to Ælios’s laboratory stood ajar, and there were no guards outside. Wolfram and I hurried inside. It was quite dark in there, but I could see Nillet and Korro were still strapped to their benches. Movement in the corner caught my eye. It was Ælios, rocking on a barrel and clutching his head. We approached him.

Ælios put his hand in his pocket and pulled out Grogg’s needle. I took it, since it appeared not to harm Ælios, and indeed I felt no pain from it either. Wolfram asked Ælios how the patients were doing, but the physician ignored him. Instead, he stood up and gestured towards the barrel, which appeared to be his source of distress. Wolfram took Ælios’s seat on the barrel and Ælios retreated a few steps and sank down against the wall, clearly fatigued.

Wolfram asked if I could look him over since the doctor was out of order. I told him I wanted to check one thing first. I went inside the sleeping alcove just as Grogg and Xipil entered the lab. Xipil told Wolfram he was sitting on Darvan’s barrel. That might truly be troublesome, but I had to make sure Yana was all right before I could deal with the demon’s possession.

At first, I saw nobody in the alcove, even though it was slightly lighter in there than in the lab. Then I spotted Hylda huddling in a corner. That meant the shape under the bed cover was Yana. I fell to my knees in front of the bed, barely registering Hylda’s gratitude that we were returning and also that she didn’t cast a shadow either.

I touched the lump on the bed, and Yana turned towards me. A nervous wreck, she gave a deep sigh of relief when she registered that it was my hand that had startled her. If observing Ælios hadn’t been enough, I certainly knew now that something terrible had happened while we were away. I gave Yana a long, wet hug. She held tight despite the river water soaking me, and I stroked her back and her hair, whispering soothingly.

“What happened here after I left?” I asked when we finally broke off the hug. Yana rubbed her eyes before answering. “I’m not quite sure. I’ve been so confused and dizzy. I completely lost track of the time.” “And I who was planning to ask how long we’d been gone,” I interrupted before encouraging Yana to continue. “I know Hylda was here, and I remember talking to you. I felt both drunk and hung-over at the same time. You don’t think Ælios’s wine was spiked? I only had a taste.” I shook my head. “If there had been anything in the wine that wasn’t supposed to be there, Ashtar would have told me as soon as I put the glass to my lips. Wolfram didn’t show any signs of being poisoned either, and while it would have taken a larger dose to affect him, I would have noticed something, seeing how heavily whatever it was affected you.” “Since both light and sound pained me so, I curled up under the blanket,” Yana explained.

“I think I must have dozed off for a bit, or perhaps blacked out. I wasn’t afraid,” she assured me,” but it was an unpleasant experience nevertheless. When I heard your voice in the other room, that slowly brought me back. And then you came here and hugged me and everything was fine. Well, not everything,” she amended with a wince, rubbing her eyes again. “Why are you so wet? Has it anything to do with why it is so foggy in here?” I frowned at her. “It isn’t foggy, there’s just not very much light.” I heard footsteps approaching from the lab. “We took a little bath in the river. I’ll tell you all the details when we have more time.” And when you’ve calmed down, I added to myself. I wasn’t sure Yana was ready to hear about demons and violence quite yet.

It was Wolfram and Xipil who came. Wolfram carried the barrel on his shoulder, and Xipil repeated that this was certainly Darvan’s barrel. I asked if we knew what it contained. “Something magical,” Xipil answered. Since I didn’t see Grogg anywhere, I asked Xipil where he was. Xipil said Grogg had gone back up on deck. I made hurried excuses and ran after him.

I caught up with Grogg on the stairs. “I have some good news for you,” I declared, holding out his needle. Grogg scowled, “Why are you standing there holding my needle?” “Because I’m in the process of handing it to you,” I explained patiently. Grogg took the needle and walked away, but after a few steps, he turned and said thank you. I gave him a smile and a nod and returned below, so caught off guard by his uncharacteristic gratitude that I completely forgot that I had meant to bring him with me downstairs again.

Passing through the dark laboratory, I noticed that Grogg’s operating table was free of clutter and occupants, so I proposed to Wolfram that he could lie down there while I looked over his wounds. Wolfram thought he’d be more comfortable in the bedroom, so he sat down on the barrel to prevent Xipil from being careless with it.

Xipil had apparently had a chat with Volkir up the mast of that ship, and he told us that Volkir would rather be in Tivito’s captivity than being around Darvan. From Xipil’s story, I gathered that there was much hostility among the seven demons, but possibly some alliances as well. Xipil chose to release Volkir. I hope that doesn’t come back to bite us.

Wolfram had to remove most of his clothes and Hylda watched eagerly while I bandaged the giant warrior. “Why don’t you have a shadow?” I asked her. Hylda didn’t answer my question, instead countering with a question of Grogg’s whereabouts. I told her he was up on deck, but I warned her that it wouldn’t be popular among our hosts if she went up there. I seemed to remember that Nulius had an intense dislike of orcs, and we were under orders to stay with Ælios. I didn’t think Nulius was very pleased with having Grogg on deck, but I didn’t see anything I could do about it, not when Grogg was convinced he had to watch for the dragons. I should have left the needle with Hylda and told Grogg where to find it.

Yana was also paying attention to the first aid, although I should think she was watching me rather than Wolfram. It was hard to say; I glanced her way from time to time to see that she was all right, but she still seemed stressed and uncertain what was going on and she kept squinting as if something was wrong with her eyes. Wolfram noticed too, and he offered to destroy whatever spell afflicted her sight. I thought that sounded hazardous and wanted to check for mundane causes first.

Xipil soon bored of watching me apply bandages and he went outside to the laboratory. Wolfram took the opportunity to ask me from where the barrel came. Not remembering that Darvan still had the barrel in the illusion, I reminded Wolfram that the demon had it with him when he arrived on the ship to fetch us. Wolfram posited that Darvan might be inside the barrel, but Xipil had overheard and poked his head inside to tell us he would have sensed a much stronger magic from the barrel if Darvan was inside.