The Patient

 

Still more came up the stairs. None needed surgery or a bone set. One poor fellow had lost part of a hand in an accident, but it had healed. There were minor cuts and bruises, but most suffered from overwork and exhaustion.

Alithea noticed that her breathing was more labored, then reached up to remove her mask. Noticing the faint flow of many minute specks on the mask, she turned to the Fae assistant and motioned for a new mask. She glanced at Erthen, not wanting to awaken him to replace his mask. He was playing with the Fae warrior’s four fingers. Was she teaching him to count? That was her job - hers and Fallon’s.

The Fae assistant retrieved some gauze, but that was too coarse to filter the air. Why didn’t the Fae wear masks? She tore two more strips from her gown, tied one around her mouth, then motioned to the Fae to give her Erthen. Sitting him on her lap, she inspected the mask over his face. The same tiny specks although his breathing did not seem labored. She replaced the mask and held him to her chest. The sun was drifting below the edge of the great pit far above. She wanted to be gone from this place.

The Fae assistant brought another patient up the stairs and Alithea handed Erthen back to the Fae babysitter, then stood up. As the patient turned toward her, she gasped. She tried to remember his name, but couldn’t, so she said the name of his brother, “Alpen.” The bent figure looked up and the outer edge of his left ear stiffened. Then she remembered. “Mellen?”

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He looked at her and asked, “Bebe?” He had the same pale dusty blue in his eyes that the others had.

Alithea took his hand. “Alithea. Bebe’s friend. Fallon’s partner. Alpen has told us so much about you. We thought we might settle down with you and your family. How are they?” He was a year older than Alpen but looked drained.

“I haven’t seen them in a while,” Mellen said, hanging his head.

“You’ve been here how long?” she asked. He shook his head. Out of the corner of her eye, the Fae assistant made a gesture for her to hurry along. “Are you hurt? None of the patients I’ve seen so far have any wounds.”

“That’s not today and not here,” Mellen said. “This is the medicine clinic. They take us somewhere else for surgery. Much cleaner. Can I have my medicine?”

“Do you come here everyday for your medicine?” she asked.

Mellen nodded. “As long as we work, we get our medicine. It helps us work.”

The Fae assistant extended the tray to Alithea and she took a square. Mellen dutifully opened his mouth and closed his eyes. She placed the square on his tongue. Like the others, his teeth had a pale gray tinge to them.

“Tell Alpen not to come to this place,” Mellen said and let himself be led down the stairs.

Alithea glanced at Erthen, glad she had kept him out of that school and away from whatever they fed him.