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“It would be best if you bore the pain,” I told her, seeking her eyes. I reached into my pocket and withdrew the bottle of blue ivy tincture. “If it gets to be too much,” I said, carefully choosing my words, “take this.”

“What will it do?” the husband asked.

I didn’t take my gaze away from the woman’s. “It will make you sleep.” I stressed the final word. “But take no more than three drops every six chimes.” Her eyes widened a little with understanding, and her chin dipped, nodding, letting me know she understood. She took the bottle from me and held it in the palm of her hand.

“Thank you,” her husband said. He moved around the bed to shake my hand. His grip was painful; he clutched my fingers as if they were a lifeline. “Thank you so much. You’re the first person whohelped. Thank you.” His voice cracked. “Ronan, come here, thank the alchemist.”

“I’m not a—” I started. The boy held his hand out to me. His grip was far weaker. For the first time, I really focused on him, not the patients in the beds. Ronan’s skin was sallow, dark shadows under his eyes.

Dark shadows on his fingertips.

My grip on his hand tightened reflexively. He saw where I was looking and snatched his hand away, cramming it into his pocket.

His father hadn’t noticed. His brother and mother were too ill to have seen.

But I saw it.

He shook his head, just barely.Don’t tell, his eyes pleaded with me.

His father couldn’t take another loss.

FOURTEEN

Grey

Nedra looked likea ghost, and Master Ostrum didn’t care.

I gave my daily report to the professor first, as usual, but when Master Ostrum flicked his hand to dismiss me before listening to Nedra’s report of her day working at the hospital, I didn’t move.

“It’s not right,” I muttered.

“Excuse me?” Master Ostrum said, his tone pitching lower.

“You’re exhausting her,” I said, flinging a hand toward Nedra. Her eyes widened at my outburst. “You’re treating her like a slave, as if she’d already taken the robes, but she’s still a student. It’s been more than a week since you asked for volunteers, and since then Nedra practically lives at the quarantine hospital.”

“Grey—” Nedra started.

“It’s not fair, and it’s not right,” I insisted.

“Grey.” Her voice was firmer now.

“If Ms. Brysstain would like to forgo her appointments at the hospital, she is free to. She’s a volunteer, not, as you say, a slave.” Master Ostrum’s voice held finality, but I didn’t move.

Nedra dropped a hand on my arm. “Grey, I can make my own choices,” she said. “Thank you for your concern, but I’m doing what I want to do.”

I growled in frustration and stood to leave. I waited at the steps outside the administration building. I wasn’t sure what I wanted totell Nedra, but when she pushed open the doors and descended the steps toward me, all words dried up in my mouth.

“I appreciate your concern,” Nedra said, biting off the words, “but don’t ever do that again. I can speak for myself.”

I opened my mouth, then snapped it shut again. “Sorry,” I muttered. We started walking across the quad to the dormitories. “But I’m right.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m right,” I said, stopping and turning to her. “You’re always at the hospital. You need a break.”

“They needhelp, Grey.” She sounded defeated. “But apparently Master Ostrum agrees with you. He told me to take tomorrow off for Burial Day.”

“Good!” I said, but then I groaned aloud.