Healer (10 page)

At this, Glory’s
maple-brown eyes lit up. “So
you’re
the one who sent that lovely
package. It’s a pleasure to finally meet a family member.” She noted his dark
hair pulled in a low ponytail. His garments were of dark green and gold trim,
the patterns briefly resembling embroidered leaves around the shoulders. A
subtle touch, for they seemed to fade according to which way the light played
over the outfit.

“Likely, I’ll be the
only one for a while.” They entered the opened balcony doors and stepped out
into the night. Clouds rolled around the outside walls, now and then parting to
allow glimpses of a half-crescent moon.

At his comment, Glory
thought back to the night Wisdom had spoken of his family. “Do you accept me –
as a human?” She watched his brow slightly creased in consideration.

“I see he’s mentioned
our kind’s current relationship.”

“Not in full detail.
He only mentioned that he wanted to bring us closer. But how did we separate?”

“Long and complicated,
I’m afraid.”

A brisk breeze
unsettled Glory’s hair around the shoulders. Brushing it back, she asked,
“Anything to do with that storm over Sapphire?”

The Healer let out a
long sigh. “No one can fully comprehend
it’s
true
purpose. But…yes. There’s a lot of history between us…and
it.”

“But what—”

“Best let it alone for
now.” He swept a hand out toward the sky.
“Such a lovely
night to waste on such a dark topic.”

Glory eyed him a
moment before agreeing, though she kept the subject in the back of her mind to
ask afterwards.

“There you are!”
Wisdom, followed closely by Shy, joined them out on the balcony. “Ah, and look
who shares the evening.”

His grandfather
beamed. “We meet in better circumstances this time. Plus, you’ve a lovely young
lady attending tonight.” He raised her hand to his lips and gently kissed the
top.

“Pleasure meeting you
as well,” she said.

“And this young man
must be my
other
grandson.”

“Shy,” Wisdom gave his
brother a nudge, “this is Providence.”

The young Healer
allowed his natural ears to show for the first time. Slender tips covered in
soft fuzz laid back in greeting before illusion quickly covered them to
resemble
human’s
.

“I already know much
about you,” Providence said sternly before Shy could utter a word. “It’s
me
you need to know about. And that father of yours.”

“Why don’t we let you
two catch up.” Wisdom motioned for Glory to follow.
Might learn a thing or
two about Chronicles,
he added in thought.

As if I need to
know more?
Shy’s dry thought cracked
a smile from his brother, who led Glory back into the main ballroom.

“So, did Shafari
really know how to dance?” Wisdom’s question received an eye-roll. “Guess not,
huh?”

“Oh, he danced all
right,” she said in a dry tone. “Danced me right over to Valor and handed me
off!”

“Thought
I saw him earlier.”
The prince
glanced around the room. “Did you see your parents? Your father was by the door
when we came back in.”

The mention of her
father dropped all thought of Valor. Quickly, Glory dived into questions.
Wisdom had to laugh at her piqued enthusiasm.

“Are you ready to face
her?”
He guided her attention to the doorway. There, a couple mingled,
drinks in hand, with a slender woman gossiping loudly in a fitted gown so that
even Glory could not withhold a groan of recognition.

“Guess I can’t avoid
her but so much. And I’ll admit it was a little rash to run off without telling
anyone.” She glanced up at the prince. “But she can’t keep me from the person I
love.”

Grinning, he took her
arm. “Let’s go say hello.”

It was Roland Elite
who saw them crossing the floor first. His reaction to seeing his daughter for
the first time since she had run off was one of pure joy. Her stepmother stood
in the background a bit longer before interjecting with a hint of shame brought
to the family name. Roland, however, seemed to shrug it off and invited the
prince and his daughter into their circle of conversation. Among the group, to
Glory’s dissatisfaction, was Valor.

“I want to thank you
for taking care of my daughter, Master Wisdom,” Roland said. “You don’t realize
what a relief it was to receive that first letter.”

“And to think what
could
have happened!” Lady Pena added sharply.

Wisdom noted her
stylish golden-brown hair woven tightly into a cone, so tight her eyebrows
arched higher. Two tendrils of twisted curls bobbed over each ear. It was the
extent of looseness she would allow. The dress was nearly too tight, and made
the woman stand straight as a railing. Her walk, no doubt, would be stiff, and
reminded him of his first encounter with Glory. She, too, had been dressed the
same way, something she despised and wanted freedom from. He could hardly blame
her.

“Not to mention all
that dust settling on your fine clothing!”

“You needn’t worry,”
Glory said. “Wisdom has everything under control.”

“I would be interested
in seeing this clan of yours,” Roland suggested.

“You
did
mention
that in your last letter,” Wisdom said. “And I’m pleased to announce that the
renovations were successful.”

“Renovations?”
Lady Pena scrutinized the prince with a narrowed
look. “Don’t tell me our Glory had to live in some low-level building with
gnats flying in and out. I won’t have it!”

“M’lamb, please!”
Roland motioned for a passing servant to pour her another drink. “I’m sure the
young man accommodated her just fine, didn’t he?”

Glory raised her chin
with pride. “I wouldn’t take any less.”

“That’s a
lady
for you.” Her stepmother produced a smile as tight as her hair.
“Nothing less!
Now then, let’s have a look at you, shall
we?”

Wisdom felt her
penetrating stare as though she was prying into his very soul.
What secrets
can you possibly hold?
they
seemed to say, to
which he nearly laughed.

More than you
realize.

Valor cleared his
throat. “May I also mention that this is the slave who—”

“Is
not
who you
think!” Glory interrupted.

“Pardon?”
Her father raised an eyebrow.

Glory shot her former
fiancé a heated look. “How can you possibly think I’d run off with a slave?
Master Wisdom is an accomplished clan owner. He’s no slave! Nor will he ever
be!”

There was a brief
silence, of which all eyes were upon the prince. There was no hiding the warmth
he felt on his cheeks, and was sure they could all see the truth behind his
rich looking clothing.

“Of course he isn’t,
darling,” Roland finally said. “We’ve met before, haven’t we? You’ve, um,
helped my daughter once when she was lost in this place. Found her in the
garden, I believe.” He gave the prince a knowing wink.

“Uh, that is correct!”
Wisdom stole a quick glance to Glory, feeling his burning cheeks begin to
subside. “I’ll admit
,
that was some time ago. But I’m
glad I was the one who found her.”

He eyed a slightly frowning
Valor beside Lady Pena. In a game of chess, he would have considered this a
check. Valor was a king all on his own, with the Lady Pena as his queen. Yet
the stakes were evened, as Glory’s father had become a mere pawn at this point,
and seemed to have switched to his side of the playing board. That made things
easier, as Roland already knew Wisdom from his days in slavery.

It’s just a matter
of him keeping that part of my life to himself. If Valor leaves the scene, her
stepmother would be the only one to convince.

“Glory, darling,” Lady
Pena cooled herself with a delicately, laced fan. “Do tell me you have your own
servants at this clan.”

It was Glory’s turn to
frown. There had not been time to discuss servants, as getting the clan livable
and fixing the town had been more of a priority. Desperately, Wisdom tried to
come up with a response to delay another tongue-lashing against him.

It was Roland who beat
him to it. “You must be patient, dear. He’s young. When I claimed my first
clan, I didn’t start off with many servants either.”

“That’s no excuse!”
Lady Pena exclaimed, waving her half-empty glass. Its contents nearly splashed
on Valor.

“No excuse,” he
repeated. “You see? This is why—”

“Take one of mine,”
she finished, with Valor blinking in hushed defeat. “Galaxy’s one of the
finest!”

“Your
personal servant, M’lamb?”
Roland
smiled.

“That really isn’t
necessary,” Glory said.

Her stepmother,
however, lifted an arm and snapped her fingers. A short, dark-headed male
harkened to her summon. The servant must have been standing in the opening to
the servant quarters where he could keep an eye on his mistress. Several crumbs
remained around the mouth from a meal Wisdom was certain he had not finished.
After taking her empty glass, he handed her a fresh drink brought with him. It
was not until Roland made a slight motion did the servant finally wipe the
crumbs from his mouth.

Several markings
around the eyes and cheekbone area reminded Wisdom of plucked feathers. He had
seen the same on Corrigan’s mother, forcing a more human appearance.

“Anything else you
need, M’ Lady?” he asked in a crisp voice.

“You’re to tend to our
Glory from now on,” Lady Pena said. “Treat her as you do
myself
.”

“Yes,
M’ Lady.”
Bright eyes turned to
Glory. There was almost a happy sheen to them, which Wisdom hid a smile.
Even
her servants can’t stand her. How does her father?

“Really, I don’t
think—” Glory began when Wisdom interrupted.

“Actually, I do think
it’s a good idea,” he said. “And Lord Gracie was kind enough to offer a few of
his own to take back with us. We’ll be
needing
them
soon enough.”

“Always
the gentleman, Lord Gracie.”
Roland nodded to that statement.
“Always lending a hand.
You will keep me informed, then?”

“Of
course!
Will you still be making
travel arrangements?”

“As it stands, but I
will send word.” He gave his wife a knowing glance with a sideways grin. “Give
you plenty of time to prepare for our arrival.”

“Then we look forward
to greeting you there.
And My Lady.”
Wisdom bowed
humbly to her. She declined to comment, but dipped her head with a slight
smile. “I think she’s warming up to me,” he leaned over to whisper.

“Keep the drinks
coming, she’ll learn to like ya real fast,” he heard Galaxy mumble behind his
back.

CHAPTER
8

It was not the clink
of utensils on a breakfast tray that woke him. It was the smell.

Wisdom cracked an eye
from under the bed covers, his nostrils filling with the scent of freshly baked
bread. With a yawn, he slowly pulled himself up to further inspect it. A dish
of churned butter sat beside a juice glass.
 

And
something else.

“Morning!” came a
salutation.

“Morning, Irene.” It
was hard to sound as cheerful when sleep still lingered. The prince yawned
again,
then
reached over to pick up the sapphire
necklace next to his juice. He glanced over the petite woman – a White Wing, he
was sure. Her hair was a mix of light gray and dark browns – mostly browns. A
hint of amber outlining her green irises marked her harpy heritage when she
turned to meet his gaze.

Can’t
hide the eyes.
Always a giveaway.

She pointed to the
necklace between his fingers. “Lord Gracie wanted to make sure you had it first
thing this morning.” She turned to leave. “I’ve a task of cooking ahead of me,
which you’ll need for all the guests you have.” She headed out, no openings in
the back of her clothing for wings.

They must have been
cut back at…
He dared not think about
his own days of slavery at Castle Mire. What he had seen, what he knew
…
She’s lucky Lord Gracie bought her when he did!

He listened to her
footsteps trek through the adjoining social room. The sound of door shutting
confirmed her absence, and he took the opportunity to try his breakfast. It was
the first time a meal of any sorts had been fixed in the clan, and he relished
the thought of more to come.

That’ll give
Alexander’s cook a break.
He smiled
to himself. The Western Clan had provided much of the meals for the prince’s
guests since they had arrived. Even some of the townspeople had pitched
in,
delivering homemade remedies that Blackavar swore even
made Lexington’s merchant-baked goods look bland!

From outside his
balcony doors, he could hear voices of other new servants getting a run-down of
the clan by Chanté. The harpy’s occasional throaty chirp conveyed his
enthusiasm of having other
‘Ken
around. Wisdom could not blame him. The
idea of behaving like a grounded servant had not been a favorable plan. Now, he
no longer needed to pretend as flapping confirmed them all in the mood for
flight.

Wisdom took a bite of
bread. Such a simple meal, yet its warmth
was
enough
to ward off sleep. Like a child, he dipped a finger in the golden sauce of
melted butter to finish up the rest. The memory of his childhood days came to
him. Such happy times!

Can I not produce
the same for future generations?
With
the dark unicorn still on the loose, promises to the clan and town to keep, and
other minuscule tasks to perform, Wisdom doubted he would have much time to
enjoy it until the
Purification
was at its end.

If
I survive long enough.

Shoving the thought
aside, he quickly downed his juice. The necklace was still between his fingers
when he called upon it to release its inner secret. The stone glowed with
anticipated use, allowing his thoughts to activate its barrier holding items
within. In truth, he had only used the crystal sparingly, and did not know its
capacity limit, nor if it even increased in burden.

An oval mirror
instantly appeared next to his writing desk. At first, the wooden frame’s
coloration seemed lighter than the furniture. Yet after a moment it darkened,
matching the surrounding wood texture.

A silken gown draped
around his ankles as he slipped from bed to gaze at his reflection. Unlike
before, the mirror’s illusion stayed intact.

 
“So now what?”
He
eyed himself, looking for the slightest signs of
Osha’s
presence. “Lord Gracie believed you needed the portal, even though I don’t feel
exactly comfortable knowing Sapphire’s right around the corner! If the dark
unicorn can freely go outside its territory, what makes this a safe idea to
have it so close by?”

With a sigh, Wisdom
turned away to clean up and get dressed, then paused. Although
he
had
stepped away from the mirror, his reflection had not. He
glanced
over one shoulder to find himself still standing in full frontal view.

“Patience has always
been one of your strengths.” It was his own voice he heard, but the words of a
unicorn within. “It will be patience that opens the way.”

Wisdom cautiously
approached the mirror.

“Are you saying the
portal will take me there?”

“Lord Gracie never had
to say anything to Jenario about it. We know. It is what we are accustomed to.”

Wisdom’s brow furrowed
at the thought. “Then he’ll be looking for this.”

“The laws of Nature
still hold. We know our limits. But that does not include others under our
influences.”

“Besides Jenario, you
mean.” The prince shook his head.
“Unless he uses Abraham.”

“Dark magic can sense
those whose thoughts have darkness thrust upon them. Jealously, fear, hate. Do
not concern yourself too much with those already associated with Jenario, for
it will not be one of them who seek the mirror.”

“I don’t have time to
play guessing games! Who else could he use?” Wisdom waved a hand as if to
dismiss the matter and walked over to the breakfast tray. He carried it to the
desk and set it down, then returned to straighten up his bed. “If it were
possible, I’d go over there right now and strangle Jenario for all he’s done!
As if there isn’t enough to worry about, now I need to look for some
depressed….”

He stopped, letting
his thoughts trace back to yesterday’s events. When he glanced over his
shoulder to the mirror again, his image only mimicked the movement.

“Thank you,” he
murmured while quickly assessing his garment options for the day in a nearby
wardrobe. He pulled out a red shirt that laced up the front with covering
frills, a black sash for the waist, and matching pants. He grimaced at the
overbearing flush against his pallid figure. A quick illusion spell tuned it
down. The frock had been a snatch as a thief, and was thankful for Blackavar
bringing his collection from the guild.

As he checked himself
in the mirror, he decided against the color altogether. At a thought, red
switched to blue, more fitting to his tastes. A pair of boots completed the
look.

“Should I leave the
mirror?” he wondered aloud. It seemed the safer decision to put it back in the
necklace. One thought, and it would be done. His finger was already over the
crystal when a knock pulled his attention to the bedroom door.

“Yes?”

“Me
prince?”
Eclipse peeked around the
door’s slightly opened position. A mop of black, scraggly hair fell in all
directions around his face that limited direct eye contact.

“Morning, Eclipse.
How fairs Mididus and others?”

A
grin, with the Simpleton’s open thoughts connecting him always with his clan.

All well.

Returning a pleasant
smile, Wisdom took a sidelong glance to the mirror before joining Eclipse in
the hallway.

“You have news for
me?”

“Those merchants ye
send for? ‘Tis set in town.
New faces.
They come from
the Point now!” Excitement welled in his voice, his sentences a series of
chopped fragments.

Wisdom depended on the
Simpleton’s active thoughts to provide the rest of the information. From the
unknown faces seen in town, he deduced that travelers had arrived to check the
new merchant wares.

“Lord Gracie must be
spreading the word,” he said. “Good for the town. So Blackavar has everything
set up?”

Another
nod.

“Good. I’ll check in
with them. Thank you, my friend.” He watched Eclipse continue down the hall
while pausing in front of Ashpin’s bedroom door. It was the only one closed
along this particular floor. Most of the others were vacant, their doors open
from merchants coming and going while setting up in town.

With
Osha’s
warning still fresh, he gave a quick knock.

“Ashpin?
May I come in for a moment?” He held his breath,
tuning his ears to the slightest response. A few seconds passed before he heard
movement within, and let out a sigh in relief when his presence was
acknowledged.

Upon entry, he found
Ashpin leaning against the window overlooking the front yard. A few voices
floated in from below, those of merchants loading items onto carts.

“You
all right?
You were quiet on the
ride back yesterday.”

Ashpin shrugged.
“Just...thinking.”

Wisdom left the door
open as he strolled closer to the window. A series of squeaking carts from
outside confirmed the merchants leaving for town. “About what Lord Gracie
said?”

The boy continued to
stare out his window. “Sometimes I have to wonder about all the things my
mother told me while she was sick. I learned to believe the ones when I knew
she was aware, and just listen to the ones when I knew it was just...” He
finally looked at the prince. “You know.”

Wisdom gave a slight
nod in understanding. He recalled when his own mother had taken ill. Never once
had he doubted her words to discover what he was or where he came from. Then
again, she had been well enough to tell him before the illness completely claimed
her, while Ashpin’s mother had lingered in uneasy cycles between truth and
fiction.

“Did she ever mention
something happening to your father?”

“No.”
Back to the window again.

An awkward silence
lingered while the prince thought of ways to liven the mood. News of the boy’s
father darkened the room; its presence was a testimony to
Osha’s
warning. There were no more carts outside. The last of the merchants had
disappeared under the draping trees that led into town. It was there the prince
needed to be, and with that thought an idea emerged.

“Why not come to town
with me this morning?” He studied the boy’s reaction to his invitation. “Take
your mind off things for a bit.”

It took a moment for
Ashpin’s unfocused gaze to steady after peering over his shoulder.

“If
it’s not going to burden you.”

With a chuckle, Wisdom
motioned for the boy to follow. “The only burden is knowing you’re miserable
and not being able to do anything about it.”

That cracked a smile.

“Come on, then. Let’s
get out while the day’s still young!”

*****

Ashpin let
conversation drown his sorrow. The man envisioned had a beard – black, of that
he was sure. He had worn dark clothing the night he disappeared. Ashpin
remembered him as a person who always carried a trap or two, hunting knife, and
a crossbow. The rest was a blur of movement disappearing on a wintry evening.
It was the last memory he had of his father.

“It was a hunting
accident,” he thought back to his mother’s claim. She had spoken in a feverish
manner while her son dabbed her burning forehead with a damp cloth. It had been
one story right after the other about his father’s lack of presence. As the boy
walked alongside the prince, he gradually tuned out his own thoughts to focus
on more current matters.

A pleasant charm surrounded
the prince at all times. He noticed it with the way the Healer took care to
speak to his fellow clansmen. Now, as they walked side by side under a row of
overhanging branches, Ashpin began to notice other details. Several chains hung
around the prince’s neck, though only one was kept in full view while the rest
seemed tucked away under his shirt collar. It was only by chance that he
noticed a glint of silver chain while passing under a volley of sun rays
filtering through the thick leaves.

Ashpin had heard of
albino-looking individuals before, just never seen one. A Healer was the last
person to expect, especially one with blue eyes instead of the typical red.

Must be their magic
, he thought before realizing the rustle of leaves and
crunch of dirt road under their feet were the only sounds in place of chat.
“Sorry, you were saying?”

He heard the prince
sigh. “I shouldn’t expect you to forget your troubles so soon. But I will say
this – you’re not alone. I too have experienced something similar.”

“Did you have to
search for
your
father?”