Lupi 08 - Death Magic

the mantle-holder’s brain had to be firing on all cylinders,” Lily said, “and Leidolf’s last Rho pretty much proved otherwise. So the fact that the Lady wants to keep me alive isn’t as reassuring as it might be.”
    “Yes.” Rule’s voice was desert-dry, as bleached of emotion as a cow skull. The mantle would be fine as long as it was in a living host. It didn’t matter if the host’s brain was damaged. “So I concluded also.”
    “Rule—”
    “I’m all right. Let me finish this the way Sam told it. We knew the Lady had done something to allow the Wythe mantle to rest within Lily without Lily’s Gift absorbing it. Sam says the Lady persuaded Lily’s magic that the mantle is part of Lily. This should have kept the two magics from interacting. The problem arises from the healing, but also because of the nature of Lily’s Gift. Very young dragons can’t control their healing, so—”
    Cullen’s eyebrows shot up. “Adult dragons control their healing?”
    “Apparently. If a dragon who hasn’t yet learned this control is seriously injured, he’s subject to a condition called netha in which his natural immunity to magic is set askew by the large amount of power needed for healing. What Lily is experiencing is similar to netha .”
    Lily shook her head. “My Gift seems to be working fine.”
    “It wouldn’t affect the way your Gift works. Sam likened netha to an allergic reaction in which the body’s immune system becomes hypersensitive or confused and overreacts to some substance. Your Gift is overreacting to the healing.”
    “You’re telling me it’s my own Gift that’s causing the TIAs.”
    “Boiled down, yes.”
    Lily scowled and drummed her fingers once on the table. “If Sam can figure all this out from over two thousand miles away, seems like your Lady should’ve been able to guess it could happen when she first stuck this mantle in me. Old One, vast amounts of knowledge—they go together, don’t they?”
    Oh, yes. Yes, the Lady must have known. The wild rage surged up like a sandstorm, tattering thought, fraying his control—
    “Rule.” Lily closed her hand firmly over his.
    He took a slow breath. Looked down at the table, at her hand on his. I am not whole. “I would speak with my nadia privately.”
    “Sure.” Cullen shoved his chair back.
    “That,” Lily said, “was a very Rho way to handle it.”
    He looked at her, puzzled.
    She squeezed his hand. “You didn’t excuse us so we could go to another room. You just let everyone know what you wanted.”
    He didn’t understand her point. “I was courteous.”
    Her mouth tipped wryly. “Yes, you were. Never mind.” She looked at Cullen. “About those pizzas . . . is ten large enough, if we’re including the guards?”
    Six guards plus the four of them in the room.... “Better make it a dozen.” Rule lifted up so he could retrieve his wallet.
    “I’ve got it,” Cullen said.
    It was for him to feed his people. “No.”
    “Yes. I’ve got your card number.”
    Of course he did. Rule nodded.
    The Rhej had stood, too, and moved behind Lily, placing her hands on Lily’s shoulders. “I won’t tell you to have faith. Faith is for God, not the Lady. But she’s good people. She’ll do right by you.”
    Lily looked uncomfortable. That was probably more because the Rhej had brought God into the conversation than because she didn’t agree with the Rhej. She took a swallow of coffee to hide her discomfort. “I’ll bear that in mind. So how do you feel about anchovies?”
    “Nasty little . . .” The Rhej stopped. Stilled. “Do that again.”
    “What?” Lily craned her head around to look up at the woman. “Talk about anchovies?”
    “Take another swig of coffee. A nice big one.”
    “Uh . . . okay.” Lily did just that.
    For a long moment no one spoke or moved. Then the Rhej nodded slowly. “Honey, I think you’re going to like this prescription. I want you to drink lots of coffee.”
     
     
    “I always thought coffee affected you.” Lily refilled her mug.
    Rule was leaning against the counter, frowning into his own mug. “I’m still not sure about it.”
    Lily smiled and shook her head. Stubborn man. “The Rhej can sense what happens when a lupus drinks coffee. If she says it affects you, that’s good enough for me.”
    “It’s what she said about it affecting the mantle I have trouble with. Nothing affects the mantles.”
    Rule had always maintained that he enjoyed coffee purely for the