Healer (19 page)

The prince suddenly
pitched the necklace far over the treetops, letting a burst of magic carry it
from the immediate area.

If Ashpin finds it,
at least it won’t have come from me.

*****

Opal eyes shone from
within nearby shadows. Drawn to the glint of gold chain dangling on a low
branch, the raven hopped down for a closer inspection.

What a shame it
would be if the boy discovered the charm in his current state of mind,
the voice in his head suggested.
That
feeling of betrayal.

At this, Jangus pecked
at the chain until it came loose. With the prize secured in his beak, he flew
off in the direction of the clan.

*****

Ashpin was sure he had
heard the prince come down the hall. Any others staying on the same floor would
have left earlier for market, and the servants were busy with chores. He
glanced out the window to see several harpies scurry by. It was not unusual for
a flash of white to pass his window, as they preferred the quick access of
flight to get where they needed.

It was a different
feel than what he was accustomed to. This was not the secluded hut in the woods
he lived in with his mother several months ago. People came and went at all
hours. Even at night he could still hear the rustle of feathers settling if a
harpy happened to be outside. In some ways it was comforting. He was never far
from anyone, and the prince’s room was just down the hall from his own.

Ashpin scoured the
empty hallway. Pulling his bedroom door shut, he slipped down to the prince’s
room. For a moment, he waited with an ear against the woodgrain for any signs
of movement. When no sound came from within, he knocked.

The door was partially
opened, so he called the prince’s name.

Still,
no answer.

“Hello?” He pushed it
open to peer inside. When he saw the two open balcony doors, he decided to
investigate to see if anyone was out back.

“Shift-wizards,”
his mother used to call them.
“They can change in
a blink!”

“Yeah, well, I need to
know something in a blink,” Ashpin breathed. He had been pondering the Grand
Master’s answer ever since they had left Luxor.

“The Agecroft name is carried only with you now,”
he had said.

“But he never actually
confirmed my father’s death.” Ashpin walked out onto the balcony, hoping to
spot the prince on the lawn below. A couple of servants waved to him, but no
sign of their master.

Ashpin briefly waved
back, not wanting to intrude too long on the prince’s personal space. He turned
to head back inside when his foot clinked against something. Gold glinted in
the afternoon sun as he bent to see what he had kicked.

“What’s this?” He
picked up the gold chain, the heart-shaped pendent matching his own as he held
both up to compare.

A raspy caw from above
lifted his gaze to the silhouette of a raven perched upon the extended rooftop.
Its head cocked to one side, taking in the boy’s questioning stare with an
eerie opal gaze. Then it took off, leaving a pale dropping behind that caused
Ashpin to sidestep its decent.

Unsure what to make of
the strange bird, he backtracked through the prince’s bedroom. Anxiety churned
his stomach as his head filled with questions.
Why is this here?

His gate quickened as
he reached the stairs leading to the second and first levels. He was literally
running across the landings, nearly bumping into several servants until he
reached the main floor. Laughter spilled from the dining area, and he found the
prince in full conversation with Glory.

“Where did this come from?”
Ashpin interrupted.

He had not meant the
tone of his voice to change, but its eagerness held the prince’s full
attention. All conversation ceased as he saw Wisdom’s gaze focus on the chain dangling
between his fingers. His jaw opened to speak, but nothing came out.

It was in that moment
that Ashpin’s view seemed to darken, as though someone had purposely dimmed the
lighting to fit his mood. But it was not the room’s atmosphere that had changed.

It was the boy’s.

In that moment,
everything else held little meaning but the cold truth to his answers. When
next he spoke, a menacing tone replaced innocence. Child he was no longer, but
a threat.

“You knew.”

CHAPTER
6

Wisdom was speechless.
Beside him, he could feel Glory’s prying gaze of, “What’s going on?” Their cook
had been taking back a few trays left from lunch, but halted at the boy’s
sudden mood swing. From the corner of his eye, he caught Eclipse fidgeting
nervously from the hallway. The Simpleton stayed back, no doubt communicating
with his own clan about the situation.

That’s all I need
right now – another situation.

 
“How long have you known about this?” Ashpin
demanded.

“Until you arrived, I knew
nothing of it,” Wisdom kept his tone in check. He needed to calm the boy before
his mind became a target for the storm, though he doubted it could affect him
from such a distance. Still, he picked his next set of words carefully. “I did
find the necklace on a traveler; that part is true. However, when Lord Gracie
said you were the only one carrying the Agecroft name, he wasn’t wrong. The man
who had that,” he gestured to the necklace, “wasn’t even remotely the same
person you probably remember.”

“You could have still
told me.” Ashpin clamped the chain tightly between his fingers. “Where did he
go? Where can I find him? I need to know things! I need to know why he left
us!”

Wisdom felt his
stomach tighten. “Ashpin, I seriously doubt he could have answered your
questions, let alone any of my
mine
concerning the
death of
my
family, which was done by his own hand.”

“What are you saying?”

“I didn’t come here to
be Prince because that’s what I wanted to do with my life. No, I was forced to
come here due to a set of circumstances that have affected right many
individuals.” He pointed to the boy, then at himself.
“You.
Me.
Your father.
We’ve
all
been affected by
what’s going on in Sapphire. You’ve seen the storm. You just don’t know who’s
behind it, or what it can do to people.”

“Wisdom,” Glory’s
concerned voice directed their attention. “When you went into town earlier, did
something happen? I know you’ve mentioned the storm was growing. But what does
that have to do with his father?”

“Nathan Agecroft
changed his name to Nathaniel Woodston,” Wisdom said. “He became an assassin
under Jenario Onyx, the very one who resides within the Realm of Sapphire at
this moment. Jenario is the one responsible for the storm. He’s also
responsible for using Nathaniel to carry out assignments, one of them being my
own
family.” He took a deep breath. “That being said, who’s to say he wasn’t
carrying out these deeds even back when
your
mother was alive?”

He caught and held
Ashpin’s surprised gaze with a stern look. He knew the next question would be
where his father was located. It was unavoidable.

“I couldn’t be certain
in his current state of mind whether he would do the same to you, Ashpin. So
don’t ask where to look for him. You won’t find him.”

For several minutes
the boy remained silent. He studied the prince, as though trying to see a
deeper meaning to his words. Slowly, his gaze trailed to the necklace still
clenched between his fingers.

“You killed him,”
Ashpin breathed.

“You didn’t!” Glory
checked her financé’s expression.
“Wisdom!”

“He killed himself. I
never even touched him.”

“But you
let
him die.”

Wisdom winced at the
boy’s coldness. “I—”

“You’re a Healer!
Isn’t that what you said your purpose was for coming back? When my mother
really needed one, you weren’t there for her. But now you’re here. You had a
chance to heal the one person I needed
most,
and you
let
him die!”

Wisdom lifted an arm
to shield himself as Ashpin flung the necklace at him.

“Ashpin!”

But the boy was too
angry. Instead, he turned and ran.

*****

Betrayal.
The thought would not rest. It was as though a knife
had slashed right through him. Ashpin almost wished it had. Then, at least, he
would be with his family
–
dead. He already felt that way inside. As he
flung back the bedroom door, letting it slam against wall, he stood in the
opening to the room with vacant stare. It was not until he rubbed a hand over
his face did he realize whose room he had entered.

“Why?”

Ashpin blinked. His
reflection in the mirror copied his actions. He recalled the mirror facing the
bed when he entered earlier. Now it faced the door, capturing those red cheeks
dappled with the shine of fresh tears smearing down one side. His sandy hair
was a tussled mess, having not bothered to straighten it back from flying up
and down stairs in his mad dash for answers.

“I’m done with this.”

He turned to leave
when a soft snicker came from the mirror.

Ashpin ignored it and
stayed his course for the door. When it suddenly shut, he turned in swift
anger.
“Haven’t you done enough?!”

Anger was quick to
change to surprise, as his reflection revealed a dark-headed youth with opal
eyes grinning from ear to ear.

“What’s funny,” the
other said, “is you throwing away a perfect opportunity here.”
A shrug.
“Why leave...when you could show how you truly
feel?”

Ashpin backed away. He
tried the door again, but it would not budge. “You think this is funny?
This...this....”

“Magic?” he heard the
other continue. “Surely, you don’t think it would stop if you leave.”

Ashpin’s shoulders
heaved, breathless in his attempts to free himself. Yet in the moment he gave
his attention to the mirror, the door silently opened.

“I’ll leave the choice
up to you. You can run. Or…you can do yourself a favor. The prince ruined your
family. You know that. How ‘bout you ruin a piece of him in exchange?”

Ashpin narrowed his
eyes in suspicion.

“Who are you?”

The dark-haired youth
crossed his arms with a sudden frown.

“What’s the point of
that when you’ve been given an opportunity to redeem yourself?”

Ashpin balked.
“Redeem? It’s not me who needs redeeming.”

“I would think it is
when you’re walking away from someone who’s responsible for your
family’s
,” here, the stranger gave a crooked smile,
“passing.”

“There’s nothing I can
do to bring them back,” Ashpin said with disgust. “Nothing you can do, either.”

That smile grew, and
as it did, the stranger passed a hand over the surface of the mirror. His opal
eyes took on a hint of fiery crimson, and when the pass was complete, Ashpin
felt compelled to listen further. Like a puppet, he felt something take hold of
his thoughts, tugging the strings of his inner mind to do as the stranger bid.

“This mirror is the
key to the prince’s disposal. Bring it to the nearby woods.” The image slowly
faded, leaving only the whisper of his words when Ashpin’s true reflection
returned.
“I’ll be waiting.”

Ashpin felt
lightheaded. When he moved, he was not sure whether he was in control or
something else. He noticed how his hands were on either side, pulling the
structure toward the balcony. The wood itself was thick, a polished Redwood
piece that towered over the boy’s head. Yet it moved so easily that Ashpin
began to believe it was somehow tied to the prince’s magic.

He checked the
balcony.
No way.
Below, servants crossed the lawn multiple times as they
tended to their chores.
This is crazy! Anyone could see me climbing down.

To his surprise, a
side door opened to his left. He had seen it before, thinking it only as a
storage room. For a moment it was just that, a space no bigger for a person to
stand.

Or
a mirror?
He wondered how the thing would even fit until the
back wall moved, sliding open to reveal a hidden passage. There was no light to
guide him, yet his feet stepped in place as though he had walked it a hundred
times. He could feel the floor sloping down, still unable to see. When he
started down some steps, Ashpin was relieved the mirror floated evenly down
beside him.
What happens after I reach the woods? What if I can’t stop
myself?

Why would you want
to?
A secondary thought answered.

Part of Ashpin wanted
to give in. He needed this, to see the prince experience the same hurt. It was
this part that allowed control, but the closer he came to delivering his prize,
his steps became faulty. Once or twice he scraped against the walls while his mind
fought against
–
what?
The one in the mirror?
The mirror itself?

Once Ashpin was
outside, that feeling of beckoning from within seemed to drain. He blinked
several times. Dismissing cuts along his arms from brushing up against some
thorns, Ashpin released the mirror in disbelief.

He tested his
movements, making sure he was still in control. That once bitter hate toward
the prince was soon replaced with worry.
Where am I?
His gaze darted
around until he caught sight of the clan just through the trees. He started to
push the mirror back when something tripped his foot.

“Look
who’s
breaking rules now,” someone said from behind.

Ashpin attempted to
turn, but received a slam of fist that knocked him from his feet. Eyes
fluttered in spurts of consciousness. A hint of blond dotted his vision.

Then…darkness.

*****

Although Peter knew
Ashpin was unconscious, he could not resist the urge to kick him squarely in
the stomach a couple of times. When he was satisfied, Peter simply stepped over
the boy to examine the large oval mirror sitting lopsided in the leaves.

He admired his
reflection, flashing a confident grin that he had won.

A dead limb partially
covered in leaves gave him an idea, and he bent to give a tug. When it proved a
little too heavy, he brushed through the dried leaves until he found a rock.

“Mirrors like this
shouldn’t be out in the woods.”
A grin.
“Something
might happen.” Just as his arm
raised
for the pitch,
he felt something grab hold. It was not a hand that he felt, but something
thinner that kept his arm from releasing the rock. A tingle to this pants-leg
made him look down to see what was crawling on him.

Eyes widened in shock.
With a yelp, he dropped the stone and kicked out at several lime-green vines
snaking up his legs. His wrist hurt where another had wrapped, and continued to
snake up his shoulder.

It was a mistake to
step back. Vines sprang across his path, and he tripped. With so many around
his feet, he could do little but yank and kick at them.

“Well, I didn’t go
through all that trouble just to have you break it.” A rather snarky Jangus
stepped from the shadows to watch the creep of vines ensnare the boy. When he
tried to call for help, the vines tightened around his throat.

“Betrayal only leads
to another, I’m afraid. Be that a lesson learned.”
A sneer.
“‘Course, looks like you won’t be around long to learn much else.”

Turning his attention
to the mirror, Jangus tested its weight. His opal eyes glowed with inner
laughter when it easily slid across ground.

“Bet I could fly this
over the border in any form!”

The crunch of dry
leaves grew louder with each struggle. Annoyed, the Healer’s ears lay flat
until it dawned on him that the sound followed a pattern of footsteps more so
than flopping from side to side.

 
He quickly turned, and his chin met Ashpin’s
fist.

A thin trickle of
blood ran from Ashpin’s nose. His insides felt tight from Peter’s kicks but
considered himself lucky. Seeing Peter’s situation demanded all attention to
the magic-user who had cast it first. Once the raven-haired youth was on the
ground, he dived to Peter’s aid and desperately tried to detangle the vines
from around his throat.

“I don’t go down
easily!” Jangus snarled, rolling to his side and extending a hand toward both
boys to draw more vines.

Ashpin grabbed the
same rock Peter had picked up earlier. It was his only defense against Jangus’
rush as a black wolf. He swung the same moment the wolf hit. Still, the force
of it flung Ashpin against the mirror.

Bracing himself for
impact, he was surprised when his body sailed straight through its center. A
patch of dry leaves was his landing spot instead, with the
mirror’s
glass wavering like rolling water. In the shuffle of withered leaves, the rock
was lost. Sure he had struck the
animal,
he tried to
locate it when a growl directed his attention toward the still wavering glass.