“Ready,” she said with a smile of her own. She waved to the butler to bring out the sock prosthetic, which Vennala had already placed in the dining room for them.
He placed it on the floor before Luka, who now looked a little nervous.
“Don’t worry,” she said softly, trying to reassure him.
“Will it…be very painful?” he asked in a low voice, and her heart squeezed.
Maya looked up at the butler, who was hovering over Luka’s chair with a worried look on his face.
“Can you leave us, please?”
The butler looked at Luka, who nodded. The butler bowed, and with a snap of his fingers and a few hushed commands, he escorted the serving maids out of the room, closing the doors behind them with a click.
When they were alone, Luka let out a shaky breath.
“I’m sorry for being so nervous,” he said with a wince.
“No, no, I can understand,” Maya said, catching his hand in hers. “This is a big step, and I understand why you would be reluctant to trust one of my inventions again,” she said bitterly.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you,” Luka said, shaking his head, “but I am…” He shrugged, trailing off, and Maya nodded. He didn’t need to say the word for her to understand: he was scared.
“How about we start with you just putting on the prosthetic? And then we can take it from there. Here, I’ll explain it all to you, so you know exactly what is going to happen.”
Maya took her time explaining her idea for the sock and the design of her prototype, how she’d designed the little faux toes that would replace the ones he’d lost, so that his gait would remain balanced.
When she was done, she looked up to see Luka nod.
“Alright, let’s try it.”
He still looked nervous as she slipped the leather over his foot and strapped it on, flinching when she pulled the belt tight, and when she stepped back, he looked down at his foot as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“Try flexing your toes,” Maya said. “All of them, together.”
Luka did as she asked, and gasped. “They’re moving! The last two toes—they’re moving, just like they’re still there on my foot!” He looked up at her, his eyes shining.
“Can I wear my normal boots on this?”
“I don’t see why not,” Maya said, smiling at his reaction. “I sized it to make sure the prosthetic would fit under your boots.” She frowned. “I may need to make another one to fit under your riding boots, but—”
“I’m going to try standing up,” Luka interrupted her.
“Careful,” she cautioned him, reaching out to help him, but he leaned one hand on his walking stick, and the other on the table, and heaved himself to his feet. He nearly buckled under the first time he put all his weight on his bad foot, and Maya caught him quickly.
“It’ll take some getting used to,” she said, and Luka nodded, his mouth stiff with pain, while Maya winced in sympathy.
After a long moment, Luka nodded, and moved away from her. Under her incredulous eye, he took one step, then two, then three, still leaning heavily on his walking stick for support.
“Where does it hurt?”
“Here,” Luka pointed with his walking stick. “Maybe if you tightened the wire a little?”
Maya nodded, and whipping a little screwdriver out of her pocket, she bent down to Luka’s foot. A moment later, she stood up.
“Better?”
He took another experimental step and smiled. “Much.” He looked up at her and grinned. “I think I’m ready to go outside for a walk now.”
“Excellent!”
