Page 40 of Legend of Scorpio
“Nope.”
She went to the wall and pursed her lips. They looked mostly the same with slight variations, the contents lighter in some, two even sparkled. When she hesitated, one of the jars rattled slightly, the tower helping to make the choice.
She grabbed the vessel and brought it to Scorpio. “Now what?”
“Take off the cap and dump it on my hand.”
“Seriously? We’re not going to rinse it first or…”
“Nope. You’ll see.”
Guess she would. She stuffed her skepticism and did as he asked, sprinkling the dust onto his open wounds, trying to notcringe as it entered crevices and mixed with blood to form a muddy paste.
“More,” he grunted, his face twisted with pain.
She paused. “Why does it seem like you’re in more agony than before?”
“Did I forget to mention rapid healing hurts? Don’t worry. I’ll survive. It’s already starting to mend the flesh. Now, shake some dust, Doc.”
She drizzled until his hand was entirely caked and the blood stopped dripping. Then she hugged the empty container to her chest.
“How long does the healing take?”
“Depends on the size of the wound. Something like this, an hour or so.”
“Anything else I can do? Do you need water? A shirt?”
His mouth quirked. “Are you offering to do stairs and bring me breakfast?”
“Food would be a good idea, and coffee. Lots of coffee,” she muttered, exiting the Stardust room to see Aries standing with Sage in the entrance. The seer appeared upset.
“I don’t know how I didn’t see it. A direct threat to the tower. I should have known,” Sage insisted, wringing her hands.
“You can’t see everything,” Aries tried to soothe.
“What else haven’t I seen, though? Is my gift failing me, or is this other seer somehow blocking me?” Sage’s lips trembled with agitation.
Aries noticed Rebecca. “How’s Scorpio?”
“Dusted,” her dry reply. “He’s hungry, so I was going to get him something to eat.”
“Go with Rebecca,” Aries suggested. “Have breakfast.”
“Eating won’t help me,” Sage groused.
“Then do it for the baby.”
“Fine,” a reluctant agreement. “But then I’m meditating in the conservatory. Maybe I’ll see something useful.” Sage joined Rebecca, and they headed for the stairs, which, once more, turned into a lift, meaning they didn’t have to climb.
“Thank you. I needed this,” the seer stated, patting the rail.
“The tower really does adapt on the fly,” Rebecca remarked. “It’s pretty amazing.”
“Only for those it likes. The tower can also make living here uncomfortable for those it doesn’t approve of.”
“Does that happen often?”
“No, but that said, it has occurred a few times. Not everyone can live isolated from the world. Some become grumpy and unpleasant. In that case, the tower does what it can to convince them to leave.”