The Plague Doctor Book 2 Chapter 50 Part 2 (Gift)

Book 1: (Desperate to save his son, Kenneth, a calm and nonviolent doctor accepts a deal offered to him by a strange creature. However, the price he must pay is to abandon everything he holds dear: his wife, children, and world as he attempts to share his knowledge of healing and medicine in a world entrenched by violence. Yet, in such a place, how long can his nonviolent nature remain if he wishes to survive?)

***
Kolu quickly scurried behind Kenneth with his claws out. 

“A marvel, yes, from an engineering and architectural standpoint, for something so tall and thin to not just fall over yet stay standing. 

“I wasn’t talking about that old thing,” he replied, gesturing to the tower. “I meant finding you, not pulling something out of someone, or something out of that bag, or doing something unheard of.” 

“Me taking some time off is something I would call unheard of.” 

“I do wish I had subordinates, like you,” Noksafgro said, leaning his back against the railing. “Hard working, obedient, and smart.” 

“If I didn’t know better, I would think you were flirting with me.” 

“Tried men, tastes… decent, but not something I seek out,” Noksafgro shrugged.

“What a relief,” Kenneth said, staring at the tower, slowly looking up. “I guess it’s clear today.” 

“Today… yes, it would seem,” Noksafgro shrugged. “Good and bad, I suppose.” 

“How so?”

“Don’t talk,” Split interrupted. 

‘Oh, right, his voice could set him off,’ Kenneth remembered, unzipping his mask and pinching his nose. “How is this?” 

“Papa sound fun,” Nokstella laughed, while Kenneth put her down just to be sure she was safe if it didn’t work. 

“Are your surprises becoming boring now? Well, at least your voice isn’t as annoying as it was anymore, though you ought to know it wasn’t you she told you to stop, was it, sister?” Noksafgro asked. 

“You know why.” 

“It’s clear, why don’t we try?” 

“You know why.” 

“I don’t know why,” Kenneth interjected. 

“I want you to heal me,” Noksafgro said. “You know the battle… It… it…” 

“Don’t talk,” Split said firmer, walking between him and Kenneth, it seemed partly to protect him, and partly, so Noksafgro only focused on her. 

Kenneth gestured for both Nokstella and Kolu to stand behind and a bit back, and with his nose still pinched, he carefully asked. “What exactly is going on here, and what do I need to heal?”

Split let out a sigh, “You can’t.” 

“It’s clear, let him try,” Noksafgro said. “You don’t know what it’s like to be in your body, but wonder in a fog, unable to think clearly, and be angry.” 

“Okay, this sounds like something I should take a look at,” Kenneth urgently said. 

“No!” Split snapped. 

Surprised, Kenneth stood there frozen, not stepping back, slightly frightened, with his core chilled, and bladder, having to be clenched shut, but most of all confused. 

“If you look, he won’t control himself.” 

“Okay, I don’t mean to be rude,” Kenneth began, “but between the two of you, a guy who flies off the handle, and a one-sentence perplexing woman, could either of you, maybe, give me the facts straight?” 

Noksafgro stared from behind Split at him, then covered his ears, and gestured for Split to talk. Somewhat reluctantly, she did so. “He was wounded in battle, his eye stabbed, after he hadn’t been the same, angry too easily, more so without the eyepatch, confused at things, even if he is right there hearing it.” 

“Okay, thank you, just one question, why didn’t you ask me to, you know, look at it at any time, like I don’t know, when he was asleep, very easy to inspect the damages then,” Kenneth pointed out. 

“If you think you’ve seen his wrath when he attacked you, it isn’t even close,” Split said ominously. 

“I mean, it took three people to take him down, how much worse—“ 

“If he had woken up when you looked at his eye, he wouldn't be stumbling in a fog of the past and now. He would have been here, and he would have killed you and everyone in that room before he calmed down.” 

Her voice was so cold and clean. It left no doubt in his mind that Split believed that to be true. 

“Okay, then how about we restrain and sedate him, should wor—“ 

“Put him behind bars and he’ll bend them,” Split cut him off. 

“Ah… well, I’ll take your word for that, but potential counterpoint,” Kenneth reached into his bag, and while he hadn’t ever tried to think of this, it was worth a shot, as he pulled out a stray jacket. “Let him try this on.” 

Some minutes later, Noksafgro had his dashing new clothes on. At Kenneth's instruction, he tried to break free, with a couple of guards nearby in case things suddenly went south

struggling, and ripping, past the point any sane man would have given up, causing Kenneth to have a moment of doubt that it could hold, he gave up, hunching over and catching his breath. 

“It didn’t rip,” Split said in astonishment and disbelief. “What is it?” 

“It’s a stray jacket designed to restrain even the strongest and most dangerous of individuals,” Kenneth replied, neglecting how he used the bag to make it out of carbon fiber, so Nokuji and Nokqotir wouldn’t get any ideas.

“Good, now tie the rest of me up and heal me,” Noksafgro insisted, and after a little more creative thinking, his leg, mouth, and even tail were secure, but even so, Split held his face down, gripping his snout while the guards did the same for the rest of his body, dispite the restrains most looking uneasy. 

For the first part, things were fine, nothing to worry about, even as he lifted up the eyepatch, nothing happened.

‘His eyeball is nearly completely missing, though the nerves behind are for the most part still there,’ Kenneth inspected, taking a closer look. ‘Just as I guessed, it might be mostly healed, but there is definite damage. Whatever hit him went straight to his brain or at least touched it.’ 

At a certain point, Noksafgro’s remaining eyes and his met, and suddenly his body went rigid.

Split was the first to react, “Eyes!”

Suddenly, Noksafgro struggled trying to rip his carbon bindings with greater beastly ferocity than before, snarling, growling, and hissing like a feral animal. 

It was only a moment later that Kenenth realized what Split had tried to warn him about. As the old saying went, eyes were the mirror to the soul; unfortunately, his were far too reflective, as he got an eyeful of his own wound.

Despite his restrained condition at the moment and four people pushing down on his body, it still seemed like at any moment he would break free, stretching the carbon fiber, stray jacket with such brute force; however, his success on that front might very well be due to the guards losing their nerve.

“These are holding, aren’t they?!”

“Keep pushing down on him!”

“Maybe we should run while we have the chance?!”

“NO!” Split beastly hissed, showing the familial resemblance.

And while they were doing that, Kenneth, having gotten a syringe containing the dreamer from the bag, injected it into his body.

However, it did not calm him in the slightest; more so, it angered him to the point that the carbon around his mouth stretched so much he was able to speak.

“TELL ME HOW THE HERETIC DIED?!! THAT MONSTER, KEPT FIGHTING, NO MATTER HOW MUCH DOKA'S ROBE WRAPPED AROUND THE BODY… YOU ARE SPECIAL!!! AND I KNOW WHY IT’S BECAUSE WE ARE THE SAME, EXCEPT I BET YOU WEREN’T BORN WITH IT LIKE ME!!!”

“Oh, he's been infected with madness and talking in tongues!” 

“Isn’t that last part Weakie talk?”

“Doesn’t Black Beak have one around him everywhere?”

By now, the sedation was beginning to take effect. Not that Noksafgro wasn’t fighting every bloody second. “This is what she said to you. You are special!!! And I know why it’s because we are the same except I bet you weren’t born with it like me!!!”

Almost immediately, the fierce fight that brimmed in his remaining eyes seemed to quell, and he stopped fighting, or the drug took complete effect; regardless, Noksafgro fell asleep. 

“We need you around all the time if that happens again,” one of the guards said, exhaustedly. 

“I summize all of you have been through this before, so is he going to wake up, remembering all of this, and be just as angry or…?” 

“Perhaps it will be foggy, or clear when he wakes, only the gods decide,” Split explained. 

“Well, guess we can get all of that stuff off him. I, for one, would want to wake, not knowing how I got into that.” 

“He doesn’t forget, he never does,” Split said, watching her brother with a faint gaze. 

In silence with the help of the guards, Kenneth got the restraining gear off Noksafgro and back into the bag. 

“You can’t heal him, can you?” Split asked after he closed the bag. 

“You’ve been listening to my class, I see,” Kenneth replied in a sympathetic tone. “If I didn’t know it was brain damage, I would have guessed Alzheimer’s, but regardless, it's not something I can just root around inside and fix. It will have to heal on its own if it ever does… but.” 

‘Shut up.’ 

“It can be manageable, more so than it shakily is now. There is medication to help improve focus in situations with brain damage, only—“ 

“It isn’t safe for us.” 

“Not the version I know,” Kenneth sighed. “Brain chemistry is much too delicate, too just try and see, the only option is to look at nature, vegetation, or Sil. Not too long ago, I wouldn’t have imagined they could carry medicine, but they do, now it’s just about finding the right one. I’m sorry.” 

“He asked you,” she simply replied. “I’ll show you where we sleep.”

It was rare, but Kenneth had a feeling Split was hiding her emotions. No, she was hiding disappointment, of course, with everything he had done, all the crazy things in their eyes, saying there wasn’t something he could do, must have felt like a slap in the face, only he felt it too. 

‘Why did I open my mouth? I didn’t need to, I shouldn’t have. I’ll… I’ll be gone soon…. And then…’ 

He looked at the tower one more time, feeling the pain, before finding Kolu and Nokstella, innocently exploring the wall before heading back down, into a house, not too far from Kenneth’s, which was still under refurbishment. 

To say not a few hours ago, his home was barren would be accurate; however, even so, somehow, Splits felt even more so despite the fact that there was nothing in the room. It wasn’t cold, but it still felt like it. 

“It's like our home,” Nokstella said, looking around. 

“At least I won’t get sand in my fur,” Kolu added, in a relieved tone. 

“You sleep here all alone?” Kenneth asked. 

“Yes,” She replied. 

Ostracized, to be alone, from what Kenneth had seen and learned, above all, this is a cruel punishment for such a social people; she might like the silence, but even so, even the biggest introverts needed some contact. 

“Sleep where you like,” Split said, before leaving, probably to relinquish the bag, and arriving back with food, something for all three to eat. 

Kolu quickly sank his teeth into; however, Kenneth was a bit slower, knowing she ate next to nothing, which didn’t quite stir his appetite very much.

However, Nokstella just walked right up to her and handed her meat. “You not eat.” 

Split looked at her for a moment, “I already have.” 

“You not smell meat.”

“I only swall—“

“Better give up right now,” Kenneth warned her. “The little lady is a persistent one and quite stubborn to boot.”

With darkening scales and a serious look, Nokstella wouldn’t take no for an answer; however, Split would be her toughest challenge yet, refusing every time, while Nokstella kept offering, again and again, with all the powers of an annoying child, used for the purposes of good. 

However, Split still did not relent, and when Nokstella’s stomach growled, Kenneth just looked at her, gestured with his hands, and finally she surrendered, “I’ll have some.” 

It was a victory well earned as Nokstella beamed with glee, followed by eating and then drowsiness as all of them went to sleep, Nokstella huddling close to Kenneth, while Kolu slept close to him, but Split kept her distance as all closed their eyes.

That night, he didn’t get a lot of sleep, if any, his mind so obsessed with the idea of escaping, everything there could go wrong, ‘what if Nokkuoras is watching me, what if not all will leave, what if we are spotted, what if… what if… what… if… I don’t want to escape.’ 

It plagued him, filled his gut with ice, and twisted it all around painfully. There would be times when it felt like he would drift off, but Nokstella would bite him in her sleep, an unconscious protest, to a breaking of the oldest laws within their society, a plea for him not to do it. 

“You aren't sleeping.” 

“…no, I’m not, too much on my mind,” Kenneth sighed bitterly. 

“Don’t think.” 

“I can manage that when I’m rooting around inside someone, have to be decisive at times and not overthink, but I’m not currently rooting around inside someone, unless I count.” 

Without a word, she got up and walked over to the door. “Come.” 

Kenneth looked at Kolu and Nokstella, both sleeping peacefully. With a sigh, he carefully pulled Nokstella’s mouth off him and watched as she unconsciously sought Kolu before leaving. 

She closed the door behind him carefully. 

“So what are we doing out here?” He asked. 

“Exhaust yourself,” she commanded. 

She wasn’t wrong; if he was tired, he had to make himself, but he doubted any amount would quell the turmoil inside. But it was better than nothing. So for that reason, he began to walk around with Split following. 

The night sky was clear and brimming with glinting light; it almost made one forget his troubles, making it seem insignificant compared to the infinite cosmos. But while it wasn’t significant to it, it was significant to him. 

With each step he took, wandering around, one new reason popped into his head for staying, every doubt, he’d ever had of it failing at any and all point of time, during the actual escape, but likewise with each step, one more visceral images, of Sil, getting ripped appart, screaming in pain, Romeo and Juliet, being torn from another, if he wasn’t next. 

“All it takes for evil to win is for good men to do nothing.” 

It was what his father had once said to him in church, and never since had he remembered that moment until now. It would be so easy to do nothing, but even if he could live with himself, in some capacity, he would not be guiltless; that list of Sil was a death warrant, and he had blood on his hands, even more so regarding.  

“Hold,” he called him. 

His train of thought came to an end as he looked back to see Split lagging behind. “Something the matter?”

Of the two of them, she looked the most exhausted. “You keep walking in circles.” 

 “Yeah, pretty much.” 

“Are you exhausted?” 

“Mentally, but I doubt a short walk like this will tire me out. I’ll just have to keep going for a while, but I can pace back and forth if you want to take a break, then I guess we can get some sleep in a little while.”

“Look up.” 

He did as he was told, not quite sure what he was looking for, which lasted for all of five seconds, before he noticed it was the earliest twilight hour. It hadn’t just been a couple of minutes; he’d been walking around for hours without noticing at all. 

“Uh… sorry,” Kenneth apologized. “Let’s go back, so you can get some rest.” 

That, it would seem, was quite agreeable for her as they made their way back, but on the way, a strange sound caught his attention. It was like a rattling splash, like water running, except it wasn’t; all the gates were closed. 

Perhaps he was just looking for something to take his mind off things instead of letting it fester, but as he looked around, he noticed someone familiar. “Wait, is that?” 

His gut tightened as he realized it was Fashik, and worst of all, he was standing out in the open all alone.

Quickly, Kenneth began walking along the water's edge over to him, ‘dammit, he can't be caught, and suffer whatever cruel punishment, if worst came to worst, I would have to take the fall.’

As he got closer, he noticed he was looking down at the water and holding the end of a chain, and to his utter confusion, when he was only a few meters away, Nokoovo popped out of the water, freezing halfway out when she noticed Kenneth. 

All of them stood there in silence for a little while, Kenneth not sure what to make of what he was seeing. 

“I didn’t know you were out this early,” Nokoovo said, getting to her feet. 

“I couldn’t sleep,” Kenneth replied. 

“I see,” She kept her head low and didn’t look him in the eyes. 

In the awkward and confused moment of silence, Fashik spoke, “chain.” 

“Keep it as it is,” Nokoovo commanded. 

It was a moment that seemed out of place to Kenneth until the first light of the morning ran over Nokoovo’s body, getting reflected, as it finally dawned on him in dreadful realization.

‘The brooch, the chains. She is the slave master, but she’s… You idiot, their king is a woman,’ Kenneth internally kicked himself, keeping face, though as he responded, it was difficult to hide a certain shakiness in his voice. “I didn’t expect this.” 

He barely had any words he could say; he didn’t even know what to say or do. 

“I… I was only doing it for you,” She replied, his confusion further growing. “I know I shouldn’t have, but after I saw you, the marks, and you told me… I… I couldn’t only do nothing.”

“What are—“

As they talked, Kenneth's eyes began to notice something in the water under the surface, and for the first time, he asked with urgency in his voice, “Why is he holding that chain?”

Nokoovo didn’t have an answer as he noticed her fist clenched and shaking. 

Rushed past her, his gut tight and continuing to tense as he looked closer, his eyes widened in horror, as he suddenly snatched the chain and pulled as hard as he could, Trafka emerging from underneath the water, his eyes closed, and his body was unmoving. 

In a moment of utter shock, confusion, and betrayal, emotions that overrode his training and instincts. Kenneth just turned to Nokoov and asked, “What is going on?”

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