Godblind. Anna Stephens

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       DURDIL

       Eleventh moon, seventeenth year of the reign of King Rastoth

       Physician’s quarters, the palace, Rilporin, Wheat Lands

      ‘I will no doubt regret asking this, but how do you keep the cadavers so fresh?’ Durdil asked.

      Hallos tapped the side of his nose and sat forward in his chair, putting his glass to the side. ‘You have your secrets, my old friend, and I have mine. I’ve had a few of your recruits assisting me with my research.’

      Durdil eyed him dubiously. ‘You haven’t made any of them into cadavers, have you?’ Hallos laughed and waved a hand. ‘How many recruits?’

      ‘Three, and they’re all fine, before you ask. They had a few days’ leave and wanted to make some extra coin. They’ll be well enough to return to the barracks tomorrow.’

      ‘Hallos!’ Durdil snapped. ‘My soldiers are not your personal playthings. You know I had four drop out last year after you got your hands on them. One of them still has a limp.’

      ‘It’s vital research, Commander. The king himself gave me permission.’

      ‘I’m not sure he was aware of what you’d be doing to them. You’re a physician, not a soldier. What did you learn this time?’

      ‘Not much, unfortunately. I’m trying to find a way to swiftly elicit unconsciousness so that wounded men can be treated. A blood choke, you call it. Only they keep waking up when the pressure on the neck is released.’

      ‘You are not to keep pressure on indefinitely,’ Durdil almost shrieked.

      Hallos patted the air. ‘I know, I know. I am a physician, after all. The brain would be compromised if the choke were applied for a sustained period. I tried it on some dogs before I moved to humans.’

      ‘You tried it on …’ Durdil trailed off and then drained his glass. ‘Remind me never to bring my hounds to the palace.’ He paused and replayed Hallos’s words. ‘Wait, you said they’ll be well enough to return to the barracks tomorrow. Where are they now?’

      Hallos shifted in his seat. ‘Hospital,’ he muttered, and then patted the air again. ‘Precautionary only, I promise. I am making progress on ascertaining how long a healthy man can hold his breath in a variety of situations, though. Under water, in toxic smoke, while under stress, while running. All fascinating.’

      ‘And how is this of use?’ Durdil asked.

      ‘Well, say the palace caught fire, gods forbid. The king is trapped in his quarters with a fire raging its way towards him. You’re at the other end of the corridor. Now I’m confident that a fit man, as you undoubtedly are, could sprint that hundred yards while holding your breath in around twenty seconds. Meaning you know how long it will take you to reach the king and escort him to safety.’

      Durdil choked slightly on his drink. ‘Twenty seconds? You have a lot of faith in an old man, Hallos. But let’s go along with the scenario. I heroically hold my breath and sprint the length of the corridor, full of toxic smoke, and burst into the king’s quarters. Now, once I’ve got my wind back, which I imagine would take several minutes and perhaps a small lie-down, how do I get his majesty out? With all due respect, I do not think him capable of sprinting a hundred yards while breathing, let alone while not.’

      ‘Ah, but this is where the research really comes into its own,’ Hallos said excitedly. ‘One of my volunteers breathed in toxic smoke for eleven minutes by the sand clock before finally passing out. Now, it wouldn’t take eleven minutes to walk a hundred yards, would it? And even if Rastoth were somehow incapacitated and you had to carry or drag him, it wouldn’t take you more than a minute, two at the outside. And we can tell from my research that your body would be able to withstand that much smoke without long-term adverse effects.’

      ‘You poisoned one of my recruits for eleven minutes?’

      ‘Durdil, you’re missing the point. The human body is resilient: there’s so much it can absorb, endure, before it starts to break down.’

      ‘Well, we know I wouldn’t need to sprint the hundred yards if I could walk it without dying.’

      ‘Yes, СКАЧАТЬ