Hell's Eyes

HELL'S EYES

dared not stray. “I am not certain of anything anymore. Mr. Noblémyn is exhibiting all the known signs and symptoms of a cerbertes attack, but so few patients have actually been observed so soon after a sight ing that there is not much I can do. Furthermore, there have been no reports of a cerbertes sighting in this area. So the questions we must solve are: how did Mr. Noblémyn come to be afflicted in such a way? And what can be done to save him?” Elsie’s eyes snapped back to Mr. Basil, having drifted to study Mr. Noblémyn as if she might notice something the Healer might have missed. “You think Mr. Noblémyn can be saved?” “It is my hope that he can be, yes,” Mr. Basil explained. The tension slipped back into his voice, as if Elsie’s question was unwelcome. But to her surprise, he continued. “If Mr. Noblémyn’s case is truly caused by a creature he had seen in his dreams and not a real, living cerbertes, it is possible that there is some remedy that could revive him and soothe his psychosis.” Elsie nodded, trying to sift through the Healer’s prognosis. “How do we determine for certain whether or not Mr. Noblémyn saw a cerbertes, or if his affliction is truly caused by his psychosis?” “Well, I can almost assure you that Mr. Noblémyn does not have a history of psychological or neurological conditions that would result in an episode such as this without warning. And secondly,” Mr. Basil paused and seemed to bristle before he said, “I do believe this situation is too dangerous for you to continue aiding me, Miss Hyacinth. I do not want to risk earning the town’s ire because I allowed our resident baker to let herself fall prey to a cerbertes.” “And what of yourself? You’re the only Healer for miles. You can’t be the unfortunate victim of a cerbertes either.” Herman paused in his ministrations, caught between his sense of duty and pride and Miss Hyacinth’s sound logic. “Then perhaps we should both go, as I wouldn’t entrust this task to anyone but myself—well,

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