Page 230 of Savage Throne
“Yes. Lei redirected the poison to his skin, keeping it on the surface. He must have not been able to expel it all when he was in the tree.”
“He’s going to be okay?”
“Yes.” The man lowered to his knees as two other men came over to us. “My assistants would like to take the Mountain Master.”
“You can help him?”
“Oh yes. But more because Lei helped himself.” He let out a long breath. “I’m so proud of him.”
The men took Lei from my arms and that should have calmed me but I was more terrified, not happy that Lei would be away from me.
“I’m Master Wu.” The older man held out his hand.
I shook it quickly. “A-and he will be fine?”
“Yes.”
Dressed in a sky-blue robe and holding a heavy dark blue bag, Master Wu had his hair in a topknot and a deep scar curved from his brow to his cheek, leading to the smooth stretch of skin where his eye should have been.
His remaining eye, a sharp hazel orb locked onto me with an unsettling calm. “I’m the Head Healer.”
“Nice to meet you.”
He winked his good eye at me. “One day, I’ll be in the room when you deliver our next little Mountain Master or Mistress.”
“Uh. . .”
“By the way, my secretary has been trying to schedule a proper OBGYN appointment with you, so that we can discuss birth control and a plan—”
“Can you just focus on saving Lei right now?” I may have raised my voice a little higher than necessary.
He winked that good eye again. “Of course, Mountain Mistress.”
“I’ll uh. . .schedule that appointment later.”
“Perfect.” He set the dark blue bag down. “Anyway, our Mountain Master did most of the work for me. It's called the Black Vein ritual, an ancient technique from our ancestors used when one faces a deadly toxin.”
Two of the men now had Lei on the gurney, the two other men held.
Master Wu leaned over and rummaged through his bag. “It's a treacherous method, one that could kill him if done incorrectly. But Lei was always a quick study, always in tune with the ancient arts. We can thank his quick thinking for keeping the worst of the poison at bay."
“So. . .he’ll really be fine?”
“He will and the black lines will fade once we treat him with the antidote.”
“His pulse is weak.”
“I’m sure it is.” Master Wu pulled out strange instruments and bottles filled with multicolored liquids.
A woman appeared with turquoise bandages in her hands and grabbed the bottles from him. “I’ll begin treating the Mountain Master’s wounds.”
“Excellent.” Master Wu’s gaze dropped to Lei’s body. “My focus will be the poison since it is still spreading quickly. Thank God that I know what it is and was prepared.”
“What is it?”
“Shadow Venom. It’s a rare and deadly poison.”
Damn you, Leo.
