"You have knowledge in engineering, architecture, languages and magic" Elysia's voice was obviously pleading, before her was Frey who was sitting on a bench near the bar of the tavern. "Would it be possible that you also have knowledge in medicine?"
Finishing eating a stew of beans, Frey turned her gaze towards his partner. "Yes, I have knowledge in medicine"
"Could you examine me and Elissa?"
Frey shifted her eyes from Elysia to Elissa and then back to Elysia, then shook her head. "I can't, I'm not a doctor."
"but he possesses knowledge, perhaps…"
"I'm not a doctor" Frey's voice was powerful and resounded on the walls of the place. "I can only treat wounds and injuries. Things like diseases are beyond my abilities."
With great bitterness, the sad eyes of the cat girl turned to Elissa. "But, it can't help..." Elysia's voice was brittle, it was obvious that she was about to cry.
"But..." Frey's words rekindled hope in Elysia. "I know someone who could help"
"Seriously?"
"Yes, I will have to ask for some favors; And if you accept, it will take a few hours to come"
♦ ♦ ♦
"Interesting place." The voice of a woman was heard entering the door of the Stinky Pig Tavern. "I read the reports, but I never expected them to be true. The great Frey turned into a tavern thug"
"It's all part of the mission" was the only thing Frey answered as he approached the stairs that led to the second floor.
"As you say Mr. Frey." The high-heeled boots the woman was wearing produced a rattle every time they made contact with the wooden floor; Her movements were precise, her gait elegant and refined.
After a short journey, Frey and his unknown companion arrived at the place where the unknown girl's patients were. Walking in, both Elissa and Elysia fixed their gazes directly on the unknown girl.
"Who is she?" Elysia immediately asked.
She was a short and thin girl, her delicate body was covered by a protective suit that consisted of a thick cloth tunic that was tight to her body revealing her slim figure, a mask with glass lenses and a conical nose shaped like a beak. Raven; Behind his mask was a cloth cap that sealed his entire head and in addition to this there was a hood which covered the head and the upper part of the mask, covering his neck and the upper part of his body was a tight shoulder. black leather cape, fine black leather gloves were on his hands, on his waist was a silver buckle belt, attached to the belt was a leather pouch which was on one side, high heeled leather boots they extended to the girl's knees, and as if it were part of the ensemble, in the girl's left hand was a square briefcase held by leather straps; the entire clothing was totally black, except for the shoulder cape and the hood which were white; no part of it was to be seen bloodstains. The robe she was wearing was so expensive that it was difficult for Elysia to discern the price of it and her sixth sense told her that each piece in the outfit was magical equipment.
Given the clothing that the girl had, it was impossible to see any detail of her face, it was not even possible to see her eyes behind the crystals of her mask.
Before Frey could reply, the girl stepped forward and introduced herself. "I am Dr. Niccolev di L'Orme, a specialist in the field of diseases. I am known to Mr. Frey; By chance finding myself in the city, I decided to help Mr. Frey with his problem."
"Are you a doctor?" I ask something uneasy Elissa
"Doctor," Niccolev corrected. "I use my knowledge and skills in the medical sciences to diagnose and cure any physical and emotional ailments. In any case, how can I help you?"
"She needs a doctor." I leave Frey nonchalantly.
Niccolev's eyes flew from Frey to Elissa and then to Elysia, then back to Frey, it was almost possible to see the thoughts forming behind Niccolev's mind.
"You haven't… gotten these girls into any trouble, have you?"
"No" Frey replied, at the same time he laughed for the first time since she had woken up.
"I hope so. I don't think it's a good time to have an heir."
Placing the briefcase on the table, Niccolev removed from it a small bowl, lit a serillo, and ignited the contents to make the contents release smoke.
"What's that?" Elysia asked. Since the supposed doctor Niccolev had entered, both she and Elissa had felt insecure. Niccolev exuded an aura of intangible power, Elysia's sixth sense telling her that she was dangerous.
"An incense made with special herbs. Its vapors are a countermeasure for any disease that is transmitted through the air, and it also has the function of an anti-inflammatory."
The smell was very strong. Niccolev politely handed it over to Elissa. The girl put it under her nose, inhaled deeply, and began to cough.
"Of course she clears her nose," she commented, her eyes watering.
Elysia picked up the bowl and took a deep breath, immediately understanding what the girl had meant. The vapors cut through the nasal passages like knives. They had a sharp minty aftertaste, and a sensation of warmth spread almost instantly through his head and chest. She noticed her nose was clearer and she was breathing much better.
"It's very good," she gasped as she returned the bowl to Niccolev. Elysia had to admit that the herbal mixture was impressive, its effectiveness almost immediate.
"I have rented a small building in the wealthiest neighborhood of Bergheim, I will be in the city for a while, so I will use that place as an office"
♦ ♦ ♦
Elysia looked towards the door. Niccolev and Elissa were inside the temporary consulting room, and Elysia, for the moment, had been locked out of it. Frey had also left them, he had stayed in the tavern.
Not knowing what to do, Elysia reached into her backpack for a leather-bound note book, which she had recently bought, and she began to read it. In the note book were the drafts for the novel she had planned to write.
"Are you a scholar, Miss Elysia?"
Elysia turned around and found that Dr. Niccolev had left the office. The mysterious doctor's clothing was immaculate, no bloodstains were visible on any part of it. She couldn't even see the traditional jar of leeches that was an essential part of any medical procedure.
"Only a little." Elysia admitted.
"That's good. A woman should always feed her mind as soon as she gets the chance."
"How is Elisa?"
Niccolev took a white silk cloth from the pouch at her belt and then wiped the crystals from her mask.
"It's okay; she just has a summer cold. That is all."
Elysia understood why the rich were so willing to pay for the services of an expensive doctor. There was something tremendously reassuring about her softness and her serene Niccolev voice.
"No..., it's not the plague, then?"
"No, it's not the plague. She has no landres, no lesions, no festering ulcers on her skin, which are the symptoms she can identify of this plague. Of that, I'm sure. Before arriving with you I had the opportunity to examine an infected person."
Elissa left the office and smiled at Elysia. she forced herself to return the smile.
"I understand that you were in contact with a carrier of the plague yesterday, Miss Elysia." said Dr. Niccolev, suddenly serious.
"Yes."
"In that case, we'd better take a look at you. Let me see her arm."
Over the next five minutes, the Doctor performed a series of rituals that Elysia had never seen before. She touched his wrist and counted as she looked at a timer that she took from one of her tunic pockets. She patted him painfully on her chest, and looked into his eyes with a magnifying glass.
It wasn't what Elysia had expected. Where were her scalpels, salves, and leeches? Was this woman some kind of charlatan? Certainly she was unlike any doctor or barber she had ever known.
For starters, her outfit wasn't dirty or splattered with dried blood. In addition, she that woman possessed instruments and techniques that she had never seen. Elysia mentioned that detail, and Niccolev gave her a piercing look.
"I studied medicine in a place that possesses knowledge and techniques impossible to find elsewhere" she replied.
"If you are so talented and the place is special" Home Elysia. "Why have I never heard of Dr. Niccolev di L'Orme or her prestigious school?"
"In Damenburg they don't give diplomas! By the time you leave, you're either a doctor or you're not. If you're not, no piece of paper will make you a real doctor."
"True, but what did she learn there that she couldn't learn here? Also, where is Damenburg? It's the first time I've heard that name."
"Many things; including the fact that humans do not have a monopoly on wisdom and that much of what their doctors teach is just plain wrong." Masterfully, Niccolev brushed aside the question of where Damenburg was.
"For example?"
"Well… I don't bleed my patients. That hurts more than it helps."
Elysia felt both relieved and shocked: she relieved that she, like many people, feared the doctor's scalpel; Shocked because she that woman was obviously a charlatan!
Everyone knew that bleeding allowed the bad humors that were in the blood to escape and accelerated the patient's recovery. And yet, Frey had claimed that she was the best doctor he knew and that she had cured more people than all the other surgeon-barbers combined. Besides, Niccolev seemed like a deeply civilized and cultured lady.
"Do you think I have the plague?" Elysia asked suddenly, surprised at the fear and anticipation that washed over her as she waited for the doctor's answer.
"No, Miss Elysia; she doesn't have it. I think she has a slight cold, and nothing more. I think that most of the people in this city who believe they have the plague are probably afflicted with the same thing as you, and I believe that the panic such beliefs will cause will do more damage than the plague itself."
"So you don't think the plague is real?"
"Oh, of course I think it's real! I think many people will die of the plague as the summer heat increases and more people flock to the city from the country. But I know you don't have it. If you did, you would probably be dead or dying by now."
"That would make it easy to diagnose," Elysia replied dryly, and Niccolev laughed.
"I will give you and Miss Elissa pain-relieving herbs. This combination is effective against the fumes of the plague, I have also placed enchantments to strengthen their defenses against diseases."
"So, you are a sorceress as well as a healer?"
"I am a doctor, Miss Elysia," Niccolev corrected again, "and I use the means that best serve to help my patients. I have included protective type enchantments. I can't fully guarantee their effectiveness, as you understand, but they should help if you were exposed to the plague."
"Thank you."
"You don't have me to thank, Miss Elysia. Thank Frey that, after all, he is the one who pays my fees."
Just as he turned to leave, Niccolev gave them one last warning. "Watch out for rats."