The doctor waved one hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. We hear all sorts of things from people when they wake up after trauma. We were laughing about it the rest of the week.” The old man’s eyes were moving up and down, and he leaned closer, staring at the side of Will’s head. “Did this happen at the dam yesterday?” Reaching up with one hand, he probed the lump on Will’s scalp, causing him to gasp.
“No, sir,” he answered. “I got that last night.”
“How?”
“I fell,” Will prevaricated.
“Really?” responded Doctor Morris, disbelief in his voice. “It would be very unusual to get a knock on your noggin like this from a fall. It’s rare that people fall sideways. This looks more like someone rapped you with something small and hard. You aren’t still getting into fights, are you?”
“Only when I can’t avoid them,” said Will sourly.
“Ilona said you had a headache. Did you have that before you had your accident?”
“No, sir—well, not exactly. My headache now is from the injury, but I’m also getting short-term pains if I try to use spells. I think I injured my will while keeping the dam from rupturing yesterday.” Doctor Morris stared at him blankly, causing Will to hurry and add, “But I’m sure it will be better in a few days.”
The doctor nodded. “Yes, I see. You know a lot about injuries to the will, do you?”
He felt his cheeks coloring. “Well, it has happened to me once before.”
“Does it seem like something that should be commonplace among wizards?”
Will didn’t answer immediately, as he could see the doctor was leading him with his questions. Given the current state of wizardry, it probably was unlikely that anyone managed to injure themselves as he had. “Perhaps not,” he said hesitantly. But it would be if people were being properly trained to use magic. “How many have you encountered?”
“Yours is the first,” said Doctor Morris dryly. “Such injuries are discussed in some of the old literature, but I’ve never had the opportunity to see one firsthand. If you’ll make yourself comfortable I’d like to perform a few diagnostic spells.”
He lifted one hand to his temple, feeling slightly anxious. “You don’t expect me to use any spells myself, do you?”
The doctor shook his head. “No. As I said, I don’t have any personal experience with this, but the texts I’ve studied advise against you using magic yourself.”
“What will these spells reveal?”
“I won’t know until I try. According to what I’ve read they won’t show any physical injuries, but I’d like to confirm that for myself. May I proceed?”
Will nodded and then waited patiently while the doctor went through a variety of spells, most of which seemed to be passive in nature, although one or two of them did actively probe his body with streams of turyn. After fifteen minutes the physician seemed to have finished. “I’ll be back shortly,” he told Will before stepping out and closing the door.
Rising from his seat, Will went to the door and listened. He could almost make out the doctor’s voice as the man conferred with someone else. Reflexively, he started to adjust the sensitivity of his hearing, but he stopped as a sharp pain stabbed through his skull. Idiot, he told himself. You knew wild magic would do the same thing to you as any spell. Rubbing his temples gingerly, he returned to his seat.
Unable to sate his curiosity he waited impatiently. A few minutes later the voices drew closer and he recognized Master Courtney’s voice. “Have you mentioned Duncan to him?”
“Not yet,” said Doctor Morris.
The door opened, and the two men stepped inside. Will started to rise, but Professor Courtney waved for him to keep his seat. “No need to get up.”
Will relaxed. Master Courtney was a classic academic, but as the Head of Research, he held a uniquely influential position with the people who ran Wurthaven. He had an imposing presence despite his below-average height and unremarkable build. It was something about the man’s intense hazel eyes. He could never figure out what the man was thinking, but it was obvious that a lot was going on behind those eyes.
Master Courtney glanced at the doctor. “Would you like to give him the good news, or shall I?”
Doctor Morris dipped his head deferentially. “Please, go ahead.”
Master Courtney’s sharp gaze fixed on Will. “You’re perfectly healthy. It doesn’t appear that you’ve suffered any long-lasting effects from what you did at the dam yesterday. Aside from this injury to your will, of course. Has the good doctor given you any instructions regarding that yet?”
The doctor started to explain that he hadn’t yet, but Will spoke first, “No magic for a few days, then I test my abilities with caution. If there’s any pain I should wait another two weeks before trying again.”
Doctor Morris stared at him. “You already knew?”
Master Courtney glanced between the two of them, then turned to Will, his gaze questioning. “You learned that from your former teacher?”
Will nodded.
Master Courtney said nothing for a few seconds. “You’re going to have to tell me more about this former master of yours one of these days. He must have been an interesting man.”
He ignored the statement and looked at the doctor instead. “I couldn’t help but hear you mention Instructor Broder outside the door. Is he all right?”
The two older men looked at one another, then Doctor Morris answered, “I’m afraid Duncan won’t be teaching the practicum any longer. The strain of what happened yesterday has forced him into early retirement.”
Will felt the blood draining from his face. “How bad is it?”
The doctor grimaced. “It’s impossible to say for sure, but I doubt he’ll last more than a few years. The amount of turyn he used—”
Master Courtney interrupted, “Which makes your condition all the more remarkable. What was the size of the force-wall you created?”
The man’s lack of regard for what had happened to Duncan irritated Will, but he could see that the researcher was caught up by his interest in the topic. “It was roughly ten feet by twenty feet, sir.”
“And how far away was it from you?”
“About thirty feet above where we stood.”
“And you held it for how long?”
Will shrugged. “I’m not sure. I think it was ten minutes or so, but I can’t say for sure.”
“That’s ridiculous!” exclaimed Doctor Morris, unable to contain his disbelief. “He’d be dead—twice over.”