All Novel Sweet
550
Coral runs her hand over the thick, dusty leather binding before slowly opening the book to reveal yellowed, handwritten pages and sketches. She shuts the book and looks back up, “If it is all right with you, I would like to take this with me so I can begin reading it at once.”
“But of course,” he smiles, finishing his tea, “take your time and please ask me any questions you have along the way. Mr. Reid brought your case down here,” he points over to the corner, “and I am looking forward to seeing what it is that you have brought on your journey here. I am sure that there are plenty of herbs each of us use that are unknown to the other-ah, for example, the poultice you put on Prince Wistan? I was curious, so I smelled it but it is unfamiliar to me.”
She finishes her tea, “It was dried comfrey leaves. Is that a plant you have around here?”
His brow furrows, “Yes, it is. A rather vigorous plant-it poisoned several of our cattle years back and I know that the farmers have had trouble getting rid of it from their fields. It keeps growing back.”
“Yes, cows will eat it though I have never discovered why. When ingested in large amounts, it is poisonous, but if you harvest the young leaves to make a powder from, it can be used topically. It cuts down the healing time of broken bones by almost half, from my experience. I do know in some towns they call it knitbone.”
“Fascinating,” he says, truly surprised, “that is not something known to us but could have been useful countless times. I should tell the farmers to harvest some instead of burning it, the next time it pops up.”
She smiles, “It isn’t a plant that propagates from seed, which is probably why they are having a hard time getting rid of it by burning it down. If they want it gone they will have to dig up all of the roots; it truly is a hearty plant though. The leaves also make an excellent fertilizer, so perhaps they could get benefit from it that way.”
He takes her empty tea cup with a wide smile, “I can see that we are going to have a wonderful time working together. I know there is a desk and a chair around here somewhere; I will have a few of the servants come help us dig it out. Perhaps now that I have another pair of skilled eyes, we can straighten up this mess and get it organized. But all of that can wait until tomorrow. I was headed home for the evening but had to stay so that I could have the pleasure of meeting you, my lady.”
Coral rises, holding onto the book, “Of course, Doctor. Thank you so much for the tea and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.” She smiles warmly, the Doctor walking her to the door.
She was hoping to spot Quell as she made her way through the bustling first floor; the second floor, in comparison, is deserted and he isn’t there either. Unsure of what to do she returns to her room, discovering the wash tub emptied and gone, clothes hung up. Gladys emptied her bag, taking her dirty clothes to be washed and leaving her personal things neatly on the desk. Drawing in a deep breath, she feels restless, her mind curiously drawn towards Vadim. As a distraction, she drops herself onto the pile of pillows and opens up the book.
Immediately blushing red and flustered, she shuts it again; it takes her a moment to prepare herself. Reopening the book to the same page, she sees a detailed drawing of a naked, human man; the opposing page has a detailed drawing of a male centaur. With her face hot, she thumbs her way to the very first page and decides that perhaps starting at the beginning will ease her into the chapter on cross species relations.
Coral finds the book surprisingly interesting; Adger Gladstone, having been male, assumed that his counterparts would also be male so he was very detailed in his account of the male human body as well as the female human body. She reaches the point in which he outlines his intention to touch on all four mating combinations, human male and female, centaur male and female, centaur male and human female and human male and centaur female, though the last encounter he states as a hypothetical, as he isn’t sure of the actual mechanics being able to produce offspring. As she begins the chapter with human male and female coupling, a knock on the door startles her, causing her to slam the book shut as if she were reading something that she shouldn’t have been. Flustered and oddly aroused, she sets the book on the nightstand next to the bed, straightening her dress as she walks to the door.
When she opens it she is expecting to see Quell, but is surprised to see Vadim waiting with a handsome smile on his face. He looks her over, his smile growing a bit more broad, “You look stunning, Lady Coral.”
She remembers to curtsey, “Oh… thank you, Prince Vadim.”
“I was hoping to escort you down to the hall, for the feast,” he says, “I figured that you would not know where to go so I am here to help.”
“Of course, thank you,” she says, stepping out into the hall and shutting the door behind her.
He walks leisurely as he did earlier, his hands clasped behind his back, “Do you have any plans for tomorrow?”
The way he words the question causes her heart to quicken; she assures herself it is an innocent enough one, not a proposition, “I met Doctor Pelium not that long ago; he has a full day planned tomorrow. I dare say I am just as excited to pick his mind as he is mine.”
“Yes, he is a very intelligent man and highly knowledgeable about his craft though I am certain there are a few things you could teach him. I think my father intends for you to occupy a small building in town, as well, to see human patients a few days during the week. Though they are accustomed to coming to the castle for help he believes that if you are in the thick of it, that perhaps they would feel more comfortable stopping in if it were less… overbearing.”
“That is a very smart idea,” she affirms, “from what I can gather the female population is… far too modest to seek the advice from the Doctor.”
Vadim ponders on it, “Because he is a male or a centaur?”Text © 2024 NôvelDrama.Org.
“To my understanding, because he is a male, though he was the first to say that being a centaur made it more difficult for him to accurately access their needs.”
He laughs, “Yes, I know that all too well. He still calls my feet hooves.”
She laughs along with him, entering the hall. The feast appears to have just started; four long rows of tables make up the bulk of the room. They are taller than a table that would be sat at, and there are no chairs but instead the centaurs stand at them, filling their plates, talking with each other and drinking ale. At the far end is a shorter, perpendicular table, more finely made and stocked with obscene amounts of food. Rainer sits next to his wife and her next to Wistan; Quell sits at the Kings other side. Though she would prefer to sit next to Quell, Vadim leads her to the spot next to Wistan instead. Being his regular spot, a tall plush chair occupies it; he offers it freely to Coral, holding her hand as she steps up into it. Before he can motion for another chair to be brought, two servants carry one towards him, ready to accommodate.