Chapter 800:
Listening to Kailee prattle on, Rylie produced a sheet of paper and a pen and began sketching out a prescription. She positioned herself so she faced the old woman directly, her pen moving in distinct rhythms over the page, sometimes tapping out hurried strokes and sometimes slowing into steady, deliberate marks.
When she finished, she slid the prescription across to Kailee. “Given how long this has persisted, full restoration of speech and motor function will take considerable time. For now, I can only begin therapies to rebuild her musculature and nerve strength while I work to identify the specific toxin.”
Kailee accepted the paper and exhaled. “A number of prominent physicians have examined my grandmother before. They concluded she inhaled a toxic vapor by accident. After extensive testing, they said it appeared to be a botanical cocktail, a rare mushroom named Phantom Cap combined with a bloom known as Mortis Lily.”
Rylie knew both of those lethal species already. The Phantom Cap was native to the deep rainforests of southern Toxalis, its spores laced with potent neurotoxins, while the Mortis Lily grew only in a remote basin of the Mortalis Peaks, its pollen notorious for inducing muscle paralysis and progressive organ failure.
In combination, the two would theoretically form a compound toxin able to render a victim utterly motionless and mute, yet mentally unusually lucid, exactly the condition the old woman exhibited.
Furthermore, those agents were outlawed in Eshea, and importing them would require an extensive, well-funded smuggling operation.
After a brief pause, Rylie spoke. “Admiral Morgan was exposed to a neurotoxin, too. He’s coping with the help of medication, but unfortunately, the formula I created for him won’t be of use to your grandmother.”
At the mention of Brad, the elderly woman’s eyes brightened, and her frail fingers tapped out a set of coordinates in Morse code across the bedsheet.
Kailee remained unaware of the quiet communication. “I’ve heard that even well-regarded experts like Rory see you as a master,” she said. “Surely, you must have some kind of remedy.”
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Rylie let her gaze wander for a moment before commenting lightly, “This room holds quite a number of old photographs.”
“My grandmother once flew as a pilot,” Kailee replied. “Our family has always been patriotic, eager to serve the nation. I’m the odd one out, since I’ve dedicated myself to protecting animals instead.”
Rylie responded with a faint, unreadable smile.
Ultimately, she accepted the challenge of treating this unique elderly patient. As Kailee watched Rylie drive away, the friendly smile on her face faded, replaced by a shadowed expression.
A woman came up quietly behind Kailee, speaking in a hushed tone once Rylie’s car disappeared around the bend. “She didn’t pry too much, did she?”
Kailee gave a small shake of her head. “No, Rylie doesn’t strike me as someone who interferes. All her attention was on my grandmother’s condition. She never asked about anything outside the illness. I believe we can take the risk.”
“But her ties to Brad are troubling,” the woman murmured with unease. “That worries me…”
“Brad’s situation is bleak right now,” Kailee replied. “The Everswell disaster unsettled the cabinet. My father said the President is facing heavy pressure, and with nearly thirty dead, Brad won’t be returning to the military anytime soon. On top of that, the investigation into Everswell was handed to us. My father altered the report, placing Brad under severe scrutiny.”
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