I woke up in response to the ethereal weight that can sometimes be bestowed by a gaze wandering over the observed. When I opened my eyes, I found my host sitting on the bed that I had declined in favor of the floor.
“The hour is at hand,” he said to me. Once I had rubbed the grime out of my eyes, I hurried to my feet. I followed him out of the room, down the stairs, and across the courtyard towards that set of buildings where Magnus was already greeting the morning with his deafening bark. I feared another encounter with the beast but we walked past his crooked shed to a small stone hut. My host opened the door with a large iron key and showed me in.
Behind the hall, in a large room with a sooty and extinguished fireplace, there was a table. Outstretched on the table was a man who could hardly have been older than I was. His hands and feet were bound with rope that had been tied under the table and that prevented him from moving. A stick had been jammed between his teeth and fastened with straps around his head. Behind this, one could glimpse the strip of fabric that had been pressed into his mouth to keep him silent. A rag was wound across his eyes. He was not awake. Next to the table there were a number of bottles with the sour smell of wine, as well as a funnel, and I presumed he must have been administered so much that he lost consciousness. His features were symmetrical and handsome, his hair shoulder length and—just as my own—as blond as spun gold. I hardly had time to absorb this alarming scene before the toneless voice behind my shoulder said: “I have been told that you served as a surgeon’s apprentice. Tell me, how many limbs have you severed in order to save the lives of the injured?”
“I have only used the saw and knife myself on a couple of occasions, but I was present countless times when my master performed these operations,” I answered with trepidation.
My host nodded.
“This is your patient now, Kristofer Blix. It is my wish that all of his limbs be separated from his body as if they had been savaged by grapeshot or bayonet. Both legs, both arms. In addition, I would like for him to be blinded. I want his tongue removed. I would like him deafened. This is the task that I give you in order to pay off your debt. His life is in your hands and if you lose it, whether from pity or inadequate care, then his fate will appear merciful next to yours. All tools and resources that you require will be made available to you. Is there any part of what I have said that you do not understand?”
My head was spinning. I could not believe what I had just heard. It was as if the nightmare scenes from Skinner’s Cove had returned to torment me. My consternation caused me to forget my apprehension and leave all caution aside.
“No! I will not do this for any price, not even for my own freedom! Send me back to Stockholm and the courts and the jail. I’d rather live twenty years in the workhouse than this!”
He shook his head.
“That is no longer an option. If you defy me in this, I will give you to the dog, alive and feet first.”
“But what has he done, tell me? None can be deserving of a fate such as this!”
The man stood quietly for a while before he said, “Make your choice.”
Through my sobs, I heard his slow breaths and I wiped my face on my sleeve. He did not need to wait for my answer, as we both knew what it would be. He spoke again.
“He is sedated with wine and will remain so until the evening. By the time the sun sets, I would like to see his tongue removed. From there you may proceed in the order you find best. The pace should be as quick as possible without endangering his life. Under the table you will find a wooden case of the sort that naval surgeons use, all tools sharpened and in good condition. Anything else that you may need I would like to have announced at the moment it occurs to you.”
I could not stop crying but, with tears and snot running down my chin, I remembered Emanuel Hoffman’s constant admonishments and the things he swore by in order to drive away those swamp gases that constantly threatened to spread putrefaction in the wounds of injured men. “Juniper branches to smoke the room with,” I said. “And spruce fir to spread on the floor. And vinegar.”