Page 46 of The Knucker King

“You came.”

Tears prickled at her. “You called.”

Avice studied his iris; the bright crimson had dulled to the colour of dried human blood. She shoved a hand under his lip and felt his gums. They were tacky and cold, which was not a good sign.

“Can you tell me what happened?” she asked.

“The humans…” He practically spat the word. “…poisoned the healing waters with their iron. It killed two Wulver and fouled the air.”

“Did you drink the water?” she pressed, hefting his lip back with a grunt. Alarm bells pealed in her head at how pale his gums were compared to their usual vivid pink. “Is that what made you sick?”

“No. I took in all the iron poison, so it would not harm any more of my Faeries. There are younglings down there. I could not live with myself it if they—”

He retched. Avice side-stepped the black sludge he vomited up. She leant forward to inspect it, wrinkling her nose at the overpowering smell.

“If you are heaving, it is your body’s way of trying to purge itself,” Avice reasoned. “We need to get you to vomit more.”

“How would—”

Avice shoved her entire arm into his maw.

He spluttered as she rooted around the back of his throat, trying to feel out where his uvula should be. She wanted to grab and tug at it, to make him spew up the rest of the poison. She jolted as she realised he did not have one.

“Avice!” he mumbled around her arm, pushing it out with his tongue. “What are you—”

A spasm made his body writhe, shoving her backwards. She fell onto her rear with a painful thud. Supressing a yelp, she rolled out of the way just in time to avoid a twitching talon.

Avice! Bramble barked, leaping to his paws.

“Stay there!” she called.

The fit slowed, and Trewoofe collapsed onto his side, exposing more of his belly. Avice’s eyebrows flew up as she saw an old scar that carved all the way down. She pushed herself up and rushed to his side.

“I am sorry, little witch. This poison burns every part of me. I feel it in my blood, in my bones.” Trewoofe could barely open his eyes. “I did not hurt you, did I?”

She patted his neck. “I am fine, please do not worry about me.” Avice dropped her gaze to his jaw. “I tried to make you vomit. Trigger your gag reflex. It did not work.”

“I eat my prey whole. I do not think I have a trigger to make me vomit.”

She wanted to tear her hair out. He had already bled plenty on his journey down the hill, and she could not get him to vomit more. How else was she supposed to rid him of the poison? The human midwife had no idea how to heal a Knucker.

She voiced this. “Lord, I do not know what else I can do. I can give you healing waters for your missing scales and to drink. But with how huge you are, and the amount I have with me, it might not be enough. Also, you are a Knucker, and I do not know how to treat beings of magic.”

His eye opened. “There may be a way…” His scales twitched and more quicksilver poured from his wounds. “But I will need some of your blood.”

Avice did not hesitate. “Where?”

“In my mouth, on my tongue. I need to drink it.”

She could have used the knife in her medical satchel or pricked her finger with a needle. On impulse, she raked the length of her arm down one of his serrated fangs. She bit back the tears as she did, her crimson blood bright against his sickness. She yanked out his dry tongue, and squeezed each side of the gash, feeding him as much as she could.

“Swallow,” she ordered once his tongue was saturated with it.

Trewoofe retracted it back into his mouth and gulped down Avice’s blood offering. She watched his throat rise and fall, ensuring he got every drop she had given.

The Knucker jerked once.

Twice.