Hell's Eyes

Chapter Four Will & Testament

P ostmaster Reginald helped carry Mr. Noblémyn from his house at the edge of Halberry town to Mr. Basil’s infirmary on the sturdy cloth-and-shadow-wood litter he wasn’t entirely convinced hadn’t been passed down from Healer to Healer since the Herbary’s establishment. But it held firm under Mr. Noblémyn’s weight, as it had under many a person’s weight before his. After he and Mr. Basil had transferred the unconscious financier to one of the four beds in Mr. Basil’s infirmary, Reginald took his leave to continue his route, leaving Miss Elsie Hyacinth in the stiff company of Mr. Herman Basil. Elsie watched as he examined Mr. Noblémyn with glowing hands, humming to himself every now and again. Slowly moving his hovering hands from head to toe, she remained silent until finally Mr. Basil’s magic faded and he resorted to poking or prodding Mr. Noblémyn as if doing so would explain his condition. But with each second that ticked by with the beat of her heart, Elsie knew that Mr. Basil had found nothing. Realizing the deep quirk of his brow and the slipping slope of his lips, Mr. Basil finally straightened, knowing that even a conventional examination of Mr. Noblémyn would yield the same result as his magical examination.

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