Healer (14 page)

CHAPTER
2

The letter sat on his desk
unopened. Its red, waxy seal depicted two wings crossing over a decorative
border, the mark of Central Valley Clan. Now and then Wisdom glanced over it
while tallying profits earned that morning in town. Blackavar had been kind
enough to donate one of his own books to keep record of income. Already,
several pages were filled, a good amount Wisdom hoped to keep producing so the
clans could start profiting themselves.

He finally set the
quill down to concentrate on the matter of Roland’s travels, which he was sure
the writing would reflect. Slipping a finger under the fold, he ripped the top
open to pull out a tan-colored letter. Yet even Roland could not hide his
wife’s concerns. While he admitted, giving his daughter her own personal
servant helped, Lady Pena had been displeased Wisdom had not supplied one
earlier.

The prince sighed.
“I’m sure Valor brought the matter up.
Anything to turn the
family against me.”
He pushed the letter aside, too caught up in thought
to read the rest. “And then there’s my own family. What would my father think?”

“That you’re a fool.”
The sudden voice turned Wisdom’s attention toward his brother leaning against
the outside doorframe with folded arms. “But then again, you already knew
that.” He gave a mischievous smirk.

“And where have you
been hiding lately?” Wisdom rose from his seat to join his brother on the
balcony.

Shy shrugged.
“Thinking.”

“So when do I get a
share of it?” Wisdom cocked his head in question. “Your thoughts are always
closed to me.” He rested his hands on the balcony wall that overlooked the
front yard and gated entrance. It was fairly quiet this time of day. The guild
members were still in town. Below, a few servants moved around the side of the
building, though their conversations could still be heard.

Shy cleared his
throat.

“I’ll tell you this,”
the prince heard his brother approach from
behind,
“you were right about Providence. He
did
share some things with me I
didn’t know about Chronicles.”

“I knew he would.”
Wisdom glanced over his shoulder. “Any of it shed some light on him?”

“Actually, it makes
sense why he couldn’t finish healing one time.” Shy motioned to the line of
trees bordering the property. “Father’s a half-breed! Do you have any idea what
this means? We’ve been weeding out half-breeds all this time, and he’s one of
them!
If the clan ever found out...
I mean, I don’t
think Chronicles even knows! At least, Providence never mentioned it to him.”

“‘Course not.” Wisdom
brushed the comment aside. “He’s too stubborn for truth, covered it so much
with lies that he can’t even see himself for what he truly is.” Turning to face
his brother, he added, “What’s worse? He’s raised you and others on those same
beliefs.”

Shy cast his gaze to
the side as though in denial, and Wisdom knew without sight-reading what his
thoughts centered on: Katherine and Twilight. All of them had been manipulated
into believing humans were a common threat.

“If he could, I’m sure
he’d use the White Wings to promote his ideas as well.” When his brother did
not immediately reply, Wisdom asked, “So when will you be returning? You never
said how long you’d stay, and you know how impatient Chronicles gets.”

A
frown.
“Probably
sooner than I want.”

“That sounds
promising.” Sarcasm slipped into his tone. “Will Chanté be traveling with you
as well?”

A
sigh.
“No, I think he should stay.
It would give him a chance to get used to humans.”

“Really?
More so than yourself?”
Wisdom raised an eyebrow, but Shy focused his attention elsewhere.
“Fine.
Keep your secrets, then. He’ll be safe with me.”

The glow of shifting
light replaced conversation. Soft green, it shrunk to the size of its chosen
form and lifted into flight. When the light dimmed, a hawk glided into the
nearly woods.

I know he
will
,
came a
thought.

Wisdom watched the
shadows of leaves playing over its boughs, his brother no longer in sight.
Below,
a stonewall
separated woods from garden
pathways and spacious backyard. A few tall trees planted around the flowerbeds
provided adequate shade for sultry days.

Why keep Chanté? Is
he not involved enough with humans now?
Shy’s lack of response to his earlier question was puzzling.
Just like
Chronicles,
he noted with souring doubt.

A harpy’s startling
screech perked his ears toward the woods at the back of the mansion. White
feathers flashed in between canopy foliage before Chanté swooped down,
clutching his arm in one taloned hand.

Wisdom immediately
shifted to his side, transforming from a sparrow once on the ground.

“What happened?”

Chanté shook out his
hand, testing his fingers to make sure they still worked.

“Not sure.” He pointed
to the treetops. “Something took a swipe at me up there. Didn’t see what it
was, but it sure wasn’t human!”

“Not a Black Wing, I
hope.” The Healer eyed the top boughs, heavy with greenery. Memory brought back
his encounter with the large, carnivorous
‘Keyarx
. If one was in Trully,
no one would be safe.
That’s just as bad as Jenario’s storm coming here!

A few others paused
from outdoor chores to seek guidance from the prince, who waved them all
inside.

“Keep everyone in for
a while,” he said.

“What are you doing?”

“Taking
precautions.”

“I meant
you!”
Chanté chirped, but Wisdom had already shifted into his own harpy form.

The wings that
extended from a faint blue aura were dark, taken by accident a few years ago
from a Black Wing. His own talons could rip the flesh clean off a human with
little effort, though they were not nearly as long as a full-blooded Wing.

Corrigan would be
proud,
he thought as he scoped out the
area before diving into the forest. Shadows quivered over his form and toyed
with his vision. He tried to pinpoint where exactly the harpy’s cry had come
from, and used his claws to climb after latching onto one of the trees.

It was a brilliant
view of the clan. Blue banners wavered gently in the breeze, its embroidered
leaf symbols marking the Eastern Clan as a place for healing.

A scrape of bark and
quick tap as it hit branches below was enough to hint at something amiss.

“Watch it!”
Shy’s hawk cry came too late as Wisdom felt something
pounce upon his back.

Talons clamped down on
either side of him, keeping his wings from unfurling. It was a tactic he
recognized with harpies, but was it a Black Wing that attacked? Beneath them,
the branch groaned under the extra weight.
 

There came a
high-pitched scream that rang through Wisdom’s head. In desperation, he rammed
it against the thick trunk. Feathers stuck to the bark. Something sharp nipped
at his neck, causing a yelp of pain.

Suddenly,
Shy
thwacked into its side, biting and clawing until its
grip loosened.

Crack!
The entire branch plummeted with the two toppling over
limbs several feet below. Wisdom raked his claws down a trunk, ripping off
pieces of bark in the process. He was finally able to catch a limb and stop his
fall. Further down, he heard his attacker thrash against several branches.

The release of his
harpy form allowed healing to commence. Leaves on the branch withered away to
close his wounds. He was still healing when an enraged shriek drew his
attention below.

“Lsahr’ken!”
Its voice took on various throaty chirps and
whistles. A clawed foot dug into the rough texture of the tree in attempts to
climb back up.

Minds linked. It was brief,
but gave enough reason behind its behavior. Wisdom inhaled sharply when the
vision was over.
It’s not a Black Wing, but it thinks I’m one!
He peered
down to catch it in the act of climbing – and nearly gagged. While its wings
were still intact, all the feathers had been ripped completely off. The bare
arm-like muscles flapped as if to take flight, but only upset its balance. Its
face was a mass of cut marks. One eye was swollen shut. The other looked no
better. It was blood-filled and oozing from each corner. Half its facial
feathers were missing. So was a chunk of hair from the top of its head.

Like a snarling dog,
the Wing pounced, only to catch Shy’s hawk form hurling into its side again.
Talons swiped at thin air as it missed its landing mark. Limbs split under its
weight when it fell back, followed by a loud thud against ground.

It called me ‘Black
Wing,’
Wisdom let his mind open to
his brother, who had followed the Wing’s descent.

Well, it’s raging
mad like one!
Shy landed beside the
backyard wall. Shifting to his true form, he gestured for vines to ensure its
body until there was little else it could do except shriek in frustration.
We
should end its suffering!

Wait!
Wisdom dropped down. He landed hard. Pain seared up
his legs as he caught his brother’s arm. From the corner of his eye, he could
just make out Chanté and other clan members peering behind some of the backyard
trees. Too curious to stay indoors, Wisdom knew he could not allow them to see
such an act. “He’s only upset because of his condition. We can still heal him.”

“
Only
upset?”
Shy narrowed his eyes. “Healing him would make matters worse! At full strength,
those vines won’t be strong enough to hold. He could kill us both!”

Wisdom remained silent
as he thought over his options.

“Are you willing to
risk your life...for
this?”

With laid back ears,
Wisdom approached the bound creature. Exhaustion had closed its good eye. There
was a slight quiver to its exhales, and the prince knew it was afraid.

“Be on your guard,” he
whispered, and lifted a hand to request Nature’s healing energy. He directed
where the life-force would drain from, and a tree in front of them answered.
Leaves began to drop from above, curling as their energy spent. With each
death, new life sprung into the
‘Keyarx
. Each crimp of green extended a
feather from a barren limb. By the time both wings were complete, the yard
around the two was scattered with dry foliage.

Wisdom pushed his
magic further, calling forth the ensnaring vines to offer their energies as
well. Fine feathering mixed within returning hair. Scars upon the face
retracted. Swelling went down, and both eyes opened to see clearly for the
first time.

The process complete,
Wisdom needed time to withdraw from Nature. The harpy, however, was on its feet
far faster.

“Vistom!”
Shy could not react fast enough, for a wing shot
around and snapped Wisdom’s extended arm. The impact sent the prince staggering
back into his brother’s protective grip.

“Vernam ‘dem!”
the voice of Chanté joined the fray. He and others flew
to the scene to keep their winged companion from attacking again. “He’s on your
side!” Placing
himself
between
‘Ken
and
Healers, he puffed out his feathers in a sign of friendship before slowly
drawing them back in.

The display of
affection drew attention to its own wings. For the first time, it brought them
around for inspection and quick
preen
. The wings
themselves were a beautiful attraction.
Though not as long,
the feathers provided a full, round look.
Cream underside faded to white
as it extended from the body. Long, adjustable feathers closer in helped with
flight patterns, and he tested this by quickly flicking them from side to side.

Facial feathers
responded to his emotions, and he dropped his wings in a sign of defeat.

“I’m…so sorrrrry,” he
spoke with a rounded accent. “I sot I’d neverrr fly again.” His gaze flicked to
the wounded Healer attended by Shy. “I didn’t sink Healerrrs came dis farrr.”

Wisdom met the harpy’s
gaze with a tired smile. He quickly flinched when his brother tried to move his
arm.

“It’s broken,” he
said.

“A
minor setback.”
Wisdom sighed.
“Give it a couple of days—”

“You’re lucky to be
alive!” Shy cut him off.
“Then what?
What am I
supposed to do about the clan?
About Chronicles!”

Wisdom lowered his
eyebrows. Carefully clutching his arm, he stepped away while Chanté and others
watched his expression sour.