THE APPLE OF SNAKES

xxviii. porcelain doll

After everything, Nerluce was finally taken to the infirmary. He was scraped up and had hit his head but it wasn't a concussion as he'd feared. All things considered, he'd been lucky.

He spent a night in the infirmary and then he was sent back to the room. Eko was the only other one who they sent back. Corbett and Hamelin should be released tomorrow - or at least that was what the healers had told Nerluce when he asked - but Lyana and Jurine... they weren't sure yet. Lyana had suffered a serious concussion and lost quite a bit of blood. Jurine... well Jurine had broken both her legs and one of her arms. Worst of all, Jurine hadn't even woken up yet.

But there was nothing that Nerluce could do for them. There was nothing that anyone could do for them that hadn't already been done by the healers. So, Nerluce had left quietly and returned to the empty room. Not knowing what else he should do, he picked up one of his textbooks and sat down at his desk.

He'd missed a day of classes in the infirmary, meaning he was already behind. He needed to start studying now or he'd never be able to catch up again. Besides, there was nothing like reading about how awful people like him were to brighten up his mood. He closed the magickal history textbook and picked up the math one instead. He might not understand math but took all of his mental focus to try to.

When Eko entered, Nerluce was writing out math problems and trying to solve them. Eko didn't say anything to Nerluce and in turn, Nerluce didn't say anything to them. There wasn't much to say to one another. They didn't normally talk. Eko didn't normally stay in the room if Jurine wasn't there. But, they went to the place the room shared the textbooks.

Eko frowned at the bookshelf, bending over and looking for one of the books. From where they were looking, Nerluce knew which one.

"I borrowed magickal history, sorry," Nerluce said, eyes not leaving the page of math as he lifted the spare textbook he hadn't bothered to put back and offered it to Eko. They accepted it and returned to sit at their futon.

All was quiet for a time. There was just the sound of Nerluce writing on rice paper as he worked through the confusing equations and Eko flipping pages as they read faster than Nerluce could ever hope to read. It wasn't nice. There was a tension in the air. Eko wanted to ask something and Nerluce knew that sooner or later they would. Until then he kept working on math problems and hoping he'd have the answers they were looking for.

"I've been sworn to secrecy," Eko said, finally.

This was not what Nerluce was expecting. He lifted his head, curiously. "What?" he asked.

"The Head Priestess and Taayir summoned me today," Eko said. They didn't lift their head from the magickal history textbook. Nerluce could see what page they were on. One with a sketch of a magickian with a life affinity bringing thorny plants to life and spearing them through the stomachs of several soldiers. "They swore me to secrecy about everything that happened. No one else will know."

"Oh," Nerluce said. And then he went back to his math problems. "You can tell people if you want. I don't mind it."

Eko paused and the tension became nearly unbearable. Finally, they asked, "Why not?"

A fair question. Nerluce frowned as he tried to figure out why he didn't mind if people knew or not. Certainly, he wouldn't advertise the fact but... rumors would spread regardless. Not even the High Priestess could erase all evidence of that night and gossip caused all news to be as contagious as the plague in the dorms. If Eko wanted, all of Ethera could know by morning. The thought didn't scare him, though.

"I guess... even if everyone was scared of me... if everyone hated me... it wouldn't make much of a difference. I'd keep doing what I've always done." Nerluce offered Eko a smile that he hoped would be reassuring. He wanted to say with that smile what he couldn't with words.