Read Online Study in Slaughter (Schooled in Magic) by Christopher Nuttall - Free Book Online
Authors: Christopher Nuttall
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practicing certain spells on each other—as well as volunteers from the other classes,” Lady Barb continued. “However, for the moment, we will stick with Paddy, as you will be unable to cause permanent harm to him.”
She paused, her gaze moving from person to person. “I will be operating under the assumption that Paddy is a real human being,” she added. “If I think you’re cutting into him for the hell of it, or if you’re being careless because you think he isn’t important, you will regret it. A sadistic attitude to Paddy may lead to a sadistic attitude to one’s patients and that leads to a dangerously unstable healer. Or worse. I will not hesitate to kick you out of the class if I feel that you will prove a danger to others or...yourself.
“Healers have the most important job in the Allied Lands. It is vitally important that we do nothing to tarnish their good name. A healer who abuses his or her powers will be hunted down and executed, if they are not killed by breaking their oaths. Healing is serious business. If you’re here because you think the class will let you have a chance to look at naked bodies, think again.
“There are plenty of other courses you can take at Whitehall that you can actually turn into a career—or a vocation—if that is all you want. You do not need to feel that you are wasting your time here.
“I will tolerate nothing less than your complete concentration, dedication and focused study,” she concluded. “We have a lot of ground to cover, all of which will be mentioned on your exams—and tested, extensively. Students have been known to break under the pressure of healer exams. I know I felt myself pushed right to the edge when I was a student.”
Emily nodded in understanding. Her last set of exams had been nerve-wracking, even though Mistress Irene had hinted that the school might have given her a free pass, after she’d beaten Shadye. Somehow, it just hadn’t seemed right to accept the offer. And she’d wanted to know just how well she was doing, compared to the other students.
Lady Barb looked down at Paddy, then back up at her students. “If you don’t want to be here, you may leave now,” she said. “Everyone else, stand up and gather around Paddy.”
Emily watched in some amusement as a handful of students headed for the door and escaped out into the corridor, then she stood and walked to the main table. Up close, it was easy to see that Paddy was male; she blushed furiously when she saw his manhood between his legs. She wondered, absently, how they were going to practice working on a female body, then pushed the question to one side. It was something she could ask later.
“Feel free to touch his body,” Lady Barb said. “You’ll notice that it feels human .”
She was right, Emily realized, as she touched Paddy’s leg. It felt rougher than her own leg, but it was warm and very human. If his skin color hadn’t been so unnatural, he could easily have passed for a human being. But then, creating homunculi that could pass for a specific human was banned by the Allied Lands. The thought of being replaced by a copy was probably one of the nightmares that kept King Randor up late at night. Would anyone realize if the King were no longer himself?
Presumably, she told herself, the homunculus would be unable to act like the King—but there might be spells to ensure that wasn’t a problem. Or perhaps the entire court could be replaced, quickly and efficiently. Or perhaps the King’s brainwaves could be copied and used as a template for the homunculus...
Lady Barb produced a small knife and jabbed it into Paddy’s chest. The homunculus let out a cry of pain and everyone jumped.
“Human reactions,” Lady Barb said, flatly. “You’ll be expected to master spells that can cancel out pain, but there are some curses that counteract them—and situations where using them is dangerous to both parties involved. Paddy and I will be simulating such
She paused, her gaze moving from person to person. “I will be operating under the assumption that Paddy is a real human being,” she added. “If I think you’re cutting into him for the hell of it, or if you’re being careless because you think he isn’t important, you will regret it. A sadistic attitude to Paddy may lead to a sadistic attitude to one’s patients and that leads to a dangerously unstable healer. Or worse. I will not hesitate to kick you out of the class if I feel that you will prove a danger to others or...yourself.
“Healers have the most important job in the Allied Lands. It is vitally important that we do nothing to tarnish their good name. A healer who abuses his or her powers will be hunted down and executed, if they are not killed by breaking their oaths. Healing is serious business. If you’re here because you think the class will let you have a chance to look at naked bodies, think again.
“There are plenty of other courses you can take at Whitehall that you can actually turn into a career—or a vocation—if that is all you want. You do not need to feel that you are wasting your time here.
“I will tolerate nothing less than your complete concentration, dedication and focused study,” she concluded. “We have a lot of ground to cover, all of which will be mentioned on your exams—and tested, extensively. Students have been known to break under the pressure of healer exams. I know I felt myself pushed right to the edge when I was a student.”
Emily nodded in understanding. Her last set of exams had been nerve-wracking, even though Mistress Irene had hinted that the school might have given her a free pass, after she’d beaten Shadye. Somehow, it just hadn’t seemed right to accept the offer. And she’d wanted to know just how well she was doing, compared to the other students.
Lady Barb looked down at Paddy, then back up at her students. “If you don’t want to be here, you may leave now,” she said. “Everyone else, stand up and gather around Paddy.”
Emily watched in some amusement as a handful of students headed for the door and escaped out into the corridor, then she stood and walked to the main table. Up close, it was easy to see that Paddy was male; she blushed furiously when she saw his manhood between his legs. She wondered, absently, how they were going to practice working on a female body, then pushed the question to one side. It was something she could ask later.
“Feel free to touch his body,” Lady Barb said. “You’ll notice that it feels human .”
She was right, Emily realized, as she touched Paddy’s leg. It felt rougher than her own leg, but it was warm and very human. If his skin color hadn’t been so unnatural, he could easily have passed for a human being. But then, creating homunculi that could pass for a specific human was banned by the Allied Lands. The thought of being replaced by a copy was probably one of the nightmares that kept King Randor up late at night. Would anyone realize if the King were no longer himself?
Presumably, she told herself, the homunculus would be unable to act like the King—but there might be spells to ensure that wasn’t a problem. Or perhaps the entire court could be replaced, quickly and efficiently. Or perhaps the King’s brainwaves could be copied and used as a template for the homunculus...
Lady Barb produced a small knife and jabbed it into Paddy’s chest. The homunculus let out a cry of pain and everyone jumped.
“Human reactions,” Lady Barb said, flatly. “You’ll be expected to master spells that can cancel out pain, but there are some curses that counteract them—and situations where using them is dangerous to both parties involved. Paddy and I will be simulating such
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