ways_infirmary | (no subject)

Jadis glares at him. "Very well. I am to remind myself that they are merely dreams. What else?"

"Before coming here, you never dreamt before. Therefore until you know not only in your head but in your instincts that they are harmless, they will not be felt to be harmless.

"You make light of what is probably going to be several nights' work, your Majesty.

"Tell me about the fire."

"Of course I dreamt, you foolish man. I dreamt in Charn. I dreamt in Narnia. I did not dream in the Place That Is Not, because I did not sleep."

She starts when he mentions the fire. "The fire is that which dragged me from the Place, and deposited me here. If I had been able to die, I would have arrived here a corpse. As it is. . . it was not pleasant."

"Who is screaming?" His voice takes on a hypnotic tone and pace.

"I don't know! I don't know, I don't know." She is staring at him, eyes wide.

"You do know. But you do not want to know." He hasn't blinked since asking who was screaming.

"Close your eyes ... imagine the voice.

"You can put a face to the voice if you try ..."

Jadis' eyes flutter closed, and she is silent for a moment. Then her eyes fly open, and they are bottomless black again. "Too many! All screaming, together." Her voice is hoarse and her jaw is set so hard it quivers.

"Pick out one screamer, Jadis. The others are only noise right now and are a matter for later concern. Pick one voice, Jadis. Only one person screaming. Who is it?"

"I can't!" Her voice is little more than a whimper, and her hands are firmly over her ears. "It's too loud."

"You can. You can and you will. The mind is infinitely more powerful than people dream, and you will apply that power to this task, do you understand Jadis?"

The witch looks at him clearly for a moment, then she laughs. "Rachel and I were talking about something very similar. Very well." She closes her eyes again, and this time her face is calm. "Tebrik. The captain of my palace guard. I sent him to hold off my sisters troops so I could perform the ritual for the Deplorable Word."

"What was the outcome of sending him to do this?"

"He died, of course. What do you expect? He would have died when I performed the ritual. I don't know whether he died before or not."

"His scream is only noise now. Pick another voice and match the face to it."

Jadis opens her eyes again, and looks at him tiredly. "So many voices. . ."

He nods. "Very well. Jadis, Close your eyes and begin the recitation. Do not stop. Tonight you will find your sleep is without dreams ..."

As she mumbled the words over and over, Hannibal slipped over to the drug supply closet. His eyes crinkled in amusement as he signed out a bottle of several drugs and needles for each.

He pocketed the vials and needles before he left the closet to return to her side. "You will feel a slight pinch ..." he said as he inserted the small-bore catheter.

He didn't even need to check for a vein, he instinctively found it. Once the needle was removed, he began the doses, five drugs in all, small amounts. The remaining bottles he kept for future use.

She would, indeed, sleep without dreams tonight - chemically so. He knew to do more than one or two nights like this in a row was dangerous to the patient ... but then again, he only planned it for tonight.

Once she was out, he removed the catheter and slipped out of the infirmary.