The First King’s Court by F. Malbeck

Author:F. Malbeck [Malbeck, F.]
Language: eng
Format: epub

CHAPTER 16

“Well,” Val said mildly, for all the reproving was in his grey eyes as Cassius stumbled into his office, peeling off his ornate coat the moment he stepped through the door, “I suppose it is later.”

“The demands on my time—” Cassius started, with a sigh and a tone carefully nudged into resignation instead of temper.

“Are never-ending. I am aware.”

“And stimulants are not a replacement for adequate rest,” Cassius granted in return, drawing an approving smile from Val’s mouth.

“Here,” Cassius prompted and handed over another vial of the honey-coloured syrup, taking care that their fingers should not brush together, “I found it in my pocket.”

The reproach in Val’s eyes lightened and he plucked the vial from Cassius’s grip. “Thank you.”

He held it up to the light for a moment to examine it, the colour and viscosity, and held it back out to Cassius. “You can have it back if you tell me why you need it?”

Cassius made a face and went and sat behind his desk. “Keep it.”

Val frowned and came to stand opposite him, a frown tugging at his mouth, his grey eyes bright and fixed on Cassius. “Let me ask you, Your Highness, what was the point of appointing me as your personal physician, if you are only going to treat me as you did Master Hew. What is the point of even having a personal physician if you will not let them physic you?”

“I am not in need of physic at the moment, Medicas,” Cassius stressed. “Simply of a new council, a kingdom not under threat of plague so that I can get on with the things I actually planned to do with my time, and some of that rest you astutely pointed out that I have need of and of which these other affairs keep me from. Physic may be needed in Mistral, but not for me.”

Val sniffed and straightened, the bright flash in his eyes turning stubborn, a tenacious set overcoming the frown at his mouth. “And, of course, you have studied and graduated from the Feng Medical Academy to know that. You’ve practiced as an apprentice, passed all your studies, and you’ve been granted license. You are a member of the high guild and for that you bear the title Medicas.”

It seemed Val was done taking stock of Cassius’s requirements as a patient and Cassius was slightly taken aback by the assertiveness that had been hidden behind that discerning gaze and polite manner. Taken aback, but a flicker of impressed captivation warmed under the thin shield of Cassius’s irascible mood.

“And in Medicas Cassius Sands’s professional opinion, he does not need physic. But it is my—” Val let show a slight snarl and hint of teeth in the word, the pride of a man who worked hard at his vocation and was confident in his ability to carry it out, even in the face of Cassius’s difficulty as patient. “—professional opinion that you do.”

The snarl died quickly, and Val pointed out, “If I had any

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