Tohon paused as he dressed. “Is that a guess?”
“No.”
“Dead soldiers are loyal and obedient. I have more realms to conquer, and since I have to leave some of my men and officers to keep the peace in my new realms, I need to expand my army.” He shrugged, as if murdering thousands of men and women was of little consequence. Tohon must have noticed my horror. “I promise they won’t suffer, my dear. As each one enters to offer his allegiance, I’ll pluck his life with my magic. It’s usually quick and painless.”
“Usually?”
“If I’m annoyed, then I can make it quite painful.” He gave me a significant look.
I clutched the blanket in tight fists, wishing I could wrap my hands around Tohon’s neck and zap him. Too bad once I touched his skin his magic overpowered mine. Maybe I could warn Estrid’s soldiers. If they were still here. That thought helped ease my anger.
Tohon said, “You can work in the infirmary today while I find the missing army.” He left the room.
Tohon didn’t appear concerned over the new developments and seemed quite confident he’d locate Estrid’s troops. He had a good reason for his attitude. Estrid’s army had tried to break through the ring of dead and failed.
When I joined him in the receiving area, I stopped short for two reasons. One—Noelle waited for her orders. Two—four dead soldiers waited with her. Three men and one woman.
Noelle stood as far away from them as possible. She stared at them with a combination of utter revulsion and fear. Ah, her first encounter with them. Unfortunately, I understood too well how she felt. The dead wore grubby and tattered uniforms. Protective metal collars ringed all their necks. Lifeless eyes gazed at nothing. At least I didn’t recognize any of them.
A terrible thought swelled. What would I do if I encountered Belen? Or even worse, if I were in a position to stop him? He’d want me to release him from the horror. Could I? Or could I “wake” him like Flea? Would my touch counter Tohon’s?
Tohon pointed at me and addressed his dead. “She is not allowed to leave this building. Understand?”
They all nodded in unison. Creepy.
“You go where she goes. Do not let her out of your sight. Understand?” he asked.
Once again, they nodded.
He turned to me. “Sorry, my dear. I know how much they repulse you, but I also know that you can’t use your magic on them. When you’re not with me, you’ll be with them.” Tohon snapped his fingers at Noelle. “Come, girl.”
Noelle hurried after him. But before she left, she shot me her blech face. When she was little and had tasted something awful, she’d stick out her tongue and squeeze her eyes shut. Despite the prospect of spending the day with the dead, I smiled.
* * *
I worked in the infirmary for the remainder of the morning. My dead bodyguards stood next to the door, watching my every move. Their presence made my patients uneasy, but I couldn’t do anything about it. I wondered what would happen to those in my care. If Estrid’s troops had escaped, leaving them behind, would Tohon make an example out of them? Probably.
If he killed them... My legs trembled and I sat down as reality caught up to me. I couldn’t bear more deaths on top of Kerrick, Belen, Liv, Thea and Ursan’s. The additional grief would crush me. I let my morose thoughts run rampant. My muscles shook with the effort to keep from bawling. Taking deep breaths, I recovered my composure one inhalation at a time. Now I understood why my mentor, Tara, hadn’t talked about her healing experiences on the battlefield.
I checked on Sergeant Enric. The knife wound on his thigh had healed, but I wasn’t sure what to do with him. His squad had left without him. Enric reminded me of Ursan—tall, muscular, with his brown hair cut bristle-brush short. His desire for action was evident in his restless agitation.
“I need you here,” I said to him.
“For what? I should be...doing something. Anything,” Enric said.
Gesturing to the other patients, I said, “Eventually Tohon’s going to decide what to do with them, and you might be needed to help me.”
“With what? They took my sword.”
“I have a few...medical instruments that might come in handy. Relax for now.”
He agreed. I finished my rounds. In order to stall another episode of wallowing in misery, I concentrated on organizing the supplies. Later, a few of Tohon’s soldiers arrived with various injuries, mostly minor. Assessing one man’s infected toe, I lectured him on proper foot care before letting Christina clean the wound and apply salve.
My next patient had to be helped onto the examining table by his buddy. A piece of broken wood had pierced his left thigh. All color had fled his face, and he bit his lip to keep from crying out when his leg bumped the table.
Once he was settled, his friend said, “Nice to see you again, Healer Avry.”
I turned. “I wish it was under better circumstances, Lieutenant Fox.”
“At least we’re both still alive.”
“True,” I agreed.
“The rumors claimed you’d died of the plague,” he said.
“You know better than to believe camp gossip. How’s the leg?” I’d healed his broken leg back when I’d been at Tohon’s castle.
“Never better. I’m hoping you can work your magic on Sergeant Steward.”
I examined the man’s injury. “How did it happen?”
“He fell through a floor,” Fox said. “We were in an old wooden barn, and the section he was standing on collapsed under his weight.”