Healer (3 page)

Chanté missed his cozy
nest within the treetops. He missed the gentle swaying at night when the wind
blew. Here, the trees of Trully were too short to gain much movement and did
not hold much satisfaction to rebuild another nest. He thought about his
family, a clan of White Wings under the leadership of his father, Rusha. At the
time he had left the valley, Rusha had been called by the leader of
Lo-ans’rel
to act against humans. It was no hidden fact that humans used harpies for
servitude. It was even present in the current realm, for he had seen Alexander
bring some of his servants below Chanté’s hiding spot.

Within the thick
branches of the trees, Chanté’s array of patterned feathers across his face
helped disguise his appearance within the deep shadows. With wings folded in a
fade to avoid catching on limbs, he shifted positions to a comfortable crouch
and waited for the crowd below to disperse.

Nothing new here,
a voice rang through his thoughts.
Just
another demonstration of control.

Chanté checked the
next branch over to spy Wisdom’s albino half-brother, Shy. The Healer returned
the greeting with a grin. At a ripe age of fifteen winters, this was no mere
child. If the brothers had stood side by side, none would be able to
distinguish a difference in age…or power, for that matter.

“How come you’re not
down there?” Chanté leaned over to whisper. “Thought you wanted to get to know
humans more?”

Shy leaned his head
back until it rested against the wide trunk. An emerald gaze flicked to the
harpy. “I am – by studying them from a distance.”

Chanté puffed up his
chest feathers, glad to be free of the clothing given to him to look the part
of a servant.
Itchy stuff!
He could not fathom having to wear it longer
than a few hours.

Shy must have noticed,
for he motioned to its absence.

“Maybe
if I were human, or
Lo-ans’rel!”
A throaty chirp managed to
escape, and he quickly shut his mouth to avoid detection from below.

Shy merely shrugged.
He repositioned himself along the limb. When he did, waist-length silver-white
hair spilled over one shoulder. The group below was starting to break up.

“Have you told your
brother about Chronicles yet?”

“Only enough to not
draw attention to the real reason he sent me,” Shy said.

“You didn’t tell
him?!” The harpy muffled another chirp. “How long do you expect Chronicles to
wait before he sends both our kinds against humans?”

He heard the Healer
sigh before softly answering, “I don’t.”

A green aura engulfed
the Healer’s body and pushed off from the branch. By the time the light had
faded, a sparrow’s form took shape and flitted from the wooded area.
My
father sent me to mark human settlements,
came a thought.
I plan to do
so, but I’ll be looking for those with the strength to fight back!

CHAPTER
2

How disappointing
. Wisdom thought back to Glory’s pouting face.
Still no word from her father.
As he headed
into the small town of Trully, he began to wonder if Glory’s former fiancé had
found another way to detain the family’s letters. He had once before, even
going as far as threatening to close down the port of Lexington to prevent
travel to the southern borders.
And with that storm…could it affect sea
travel as well?
 

His mood slightly
shifted as he entered town just down the road from the Eastern Clan. A few of
the shop owners greeted him when he passed. This was a change. Before, streets
were empty for fear of the Schevolsky boys. Now, as Wisdom approached a group
of young men hoisting up a new sign for one of the shops, he recognized them
as
those boys.

“Try shortening the
chain a bit! It’s crooked!” Lorens Schevolsky, their father, directed from
ground level. The boys, scattered over different parts of a ladder, with two on
the roof, struggled to get the sign hooked in place. “Where’s Peter? He was
supposed to make the holes even!”

The man let out a loud
swear and told the boys to come back down with the sign. When he saw the prince
heading his way, he waved a hand in greeting.

“Looks
nice so far.”
Wisdom eyed several
new signs already hanging down one side of the street. The smell of fresh cut
wood permeated the air. Toward the end of the street, new siding freshened some
of the older buildings.

“I’d be done sooner if
my youngest would get his act together.” Lorens’ dark eyebrows lowered in
disappointment. He wiped a hand across his brow,
then
pointed to the holes cut into the sign. “I put him in charge, and this is what
I get.”

Wisdom examined the
sign as the boys set it on the ground. Three holes had been cut near the top.
Yet all were uneven.

Lorens just shook his
head. “How many times must I explain this?”

“Probably because me,”
the prince said. “I
did
embarrass him when…” He nodded to the band of
nearly grown youth standing around him. Peter had been ring leader the day
Wisdom first came to Trully. In a show of childish bullying, the youth had his
brothers greet the new prince by trying to steal from him. Now the family
worked for the prince due to money troubles.

Lorens only nodded in
understanding. “I’ll have another talk with him.”

Wisdom crossed his
arms. “You could get your…
mistress
to have a little chat with him as
well.”

Lorens cracked a
smile. His so-called mistress happened to be a dark ‘
Keyarx,
one of the
infamous Black Wings that preyed on smaller kin. Wisdom could already attest to
that, having nearly made her menu on first introductions. The only thing that
saved him was
Osha
, the unicorn whose soul now resided
within his own body.
That,
and knowing the whereabouts
of her son, who was currently a prisoner in Sapphire.

“Don’t suppose any of
that magic could help, could it?” one of the boys asked.

In response, Wisdom
knelt by the sign. Closing his eyes, he opened his mind to sight-read. Present
thoughts on how Lorens planned to improve the remaining buildings flooded his
mind. To guide the illusion, he lifted his hand across multiple facades lining
either side of the street. An ear twitched to gasps of surprise. When the
Healer reopened his eyes, the town was transformed. Even the sign before him
had been fixed of uneven cutting.

“Well, I would like to
say this was permanent,” Wisdom said as the illusion slowly faded. “But I’m afraid
magic can’t fix everything.”

“But you saw it
exactly as I did!” Fascinated, Lorens watched the buildings return to their
normal appearance.

The prince tapped the
side of his head.
“Heard your thoughts.”

He
rose
,
the call of his name pricking his ears toward a path leading down to the
harbor. From there came a young man donning a deep blue vest over a crimson
shirt. Yet upon recognizing the Schevolsky group, he jerked to a halt in fright
and let out a girlish scream. Staggering back around the side of a building,
there
came
a thud when he collided into something.

The boys burst into
wild laughter and slapped each other on the backs. Years of tormenting the
people had left some of the locals with an undying dislike for the family.
While Wisdom rolled his eyes and went to check on his friend, he could hear
their father commanding them to be silent and get back to work.

The prince rounded the
corner to a stutter of apologies. A band of merchants hauling cartloads from
the dockyard halted their course for the young man to gather himself together
after bumping into their leader.
 

“Blackavar!”
Excitement hurried his steps to the indistinguishable
Master Thief. As guild leader to an underground home of thieves in Lexington,
the raven-haired man carried himself with pride. A set of pouches strapped
around the belt led to wonder what new items the Master Thief carried with him.

“Ain’t a bad little
location for a
starter
prince!
” Blackavar’s
tease received a wide grin. He jerked a thump in the direction of the apologetic
young man.
“Bit jumpy, this one.”

“He’ll be fine, won’t
you Josephine?” Wisdom flashed a warm smile while Blackavar motioned for the
group to continue up the hill.

“The old man by the shipyard
said that’s how he got his name,” one of the men said.

Josephine’s face
slightly reddened. “Well, if the last name wasn’t
Phine
. It’s hard
enough to believe I can just walk up here and not have to worry about being
chased, or stoned, or what-have-you!”
 

Wisdom chuckled. “Good
thing. Now your grandfather can get his supplies from town in a timely manner!”

“Speaking of which,”
the young man started down the hill. “I’d better get back. Just showing these
gents where to go, but no telling what the old man is saying while I’m gone.
Oh, and someone took my pie again!”

Probably Peter.
Wisdom let out a sigh. “Thanks! I’ll take it from
here.” The two said their farewells, and Wisdom took over as guide toward the
Eastern Clan. “I’m glad you received my message, Blackavar. Were you able to
bring everything I asked?”

They peered down the
slope at the caravan of people hauling carts and carrying bundles from Harbor’s
Point.

“And then some.”
Blackavar opened the flap to one of his pouches and dug around inside. “Ah!
Here we are.” He handed the prince a letter.
“Came from a
messenger just before boarding.
Said it was
important.”

Wisdom turned the
envelope over to inspect its seal. The emblem was marked from Central Valley
Clan, a signature of Master Roland Elite – Glory’s father. His fingers itched
to tear open a corner, if just to glimpse a word or two. Instead, he swallowed
his impatience and stuffed it in an inner pocket for later.

“Thank you. This has
been long overdue.”

As the group filed
through the center of town, Wisdom pointed out places still in need of
attention. “Might take a few more weeks, but
it’s
coming along.”

“We’ve a few hands to
spare if ye need it,” Blackavar said. “
Us
thieves, ye
know, ain’t quick for no reason.” He wriggled his fingers on both hands when he
held them up to emphasize his point.

At the edge of town,
the road began to narrow. Trees lined on either side as the path cut through a
wooded area. As the prince lead the way, he halfway pulled the letter from his
pocket and whispered, “I’m hoping to obtain approval from a young lady’s
family.”

Blackavar’s eyes
widened. “Engaged, are we?”

The prince made a
motion to show his doubt. “I…haven’t asked yet.”

“Our Master Mage has a
lady friend!” the thief teased in a sing-song voice.

Wisdom stuffed the
letter back in his pocket. “So how’re things in Lexington?”

“Never
better!”
His flowing bell sleeves
flapped to the pace of his cheerful stride. Black – it was the color of choice,
which Wisdom always saw him in: black shirt, black patched vest, black pants
and black boots. It was surprising the thief did not wear color-matching
pouches, which were a dark mahogany.

“This isn’t the normal
crowd.” Wisdom eyed the line of unfamiliar faces.

“Well, according to
yer message, ye need merchants to man the stands once it’s up and running.
Ain’t want a thief gettin’ too carried away with, em…” he lowered his voice,
“pickpocketing the customer.”

“In
my
town?”

Blackavar waved a
hand. “What ye need is
storytellers
, someone who gets
a buyer pulling out coins before they realize they’re doing it.
Best in the land right here!”

“Should
have brought Jasper.
He was always
good at that.”

The trees acted as a
natural divider between town and clan. A ten minute hike brought them to the
Eastern Clan’s border where the road began to widen. Woods continued to line
the edge of the property as the road wrapped around to lead on to Western Clan
territory. Blackavar marveled at the gated entrance and trimmed front yard. A
stonewall contained a variety of flowering bushes that draped alongside the
road.

Wisdom led the group
through freshly painted green gates. On either side of the stone columns was
the letter W engraved by Josephine’s grandfather. The prince remembered when it
used to be the letter S, when the Schevolsky family owned the clan.

As they drew closer,
the prince mentally sent word to Eclipse, a Simpleton who resided in the tower
room. It took a few moments for the fuzzy-haired young-man to appear. No longer
did he don his usual ragged clothing. At the prince’s persuasion, Eclipse had
changed into a gray and brown belted tunic.

Me
Prince?
Eclipse let his thoughts be heard by all as he
approached.

Blackavar seemed used
to the mental interruption, having indulged in conversations solely through
thought when Wisdom had stayed at the guild. A few others fidgeted nervously.
Magic was simply not something they were accustomed to.

“Eclipse, I would like
you to meet a very good friend of mine.” He gestured to the Master Thief. “This
is Blackavar. He’s come from Lexington to sell in town, and has also brought
some requested items for the clan. Would you mind bringing some of the things
inside?”

With pleasure!
The young man took a swift bow.

There was a strong
link between the young man and the rest of the Simpletons. Their presence could
be sensed every time Eclipse opened his thoughts to him.

“Is everything
separated between merchant wares and household items?” The prince turned to
Blackavar, who nodded. “We can go ahead and start bringing things in. As for
the rest, there’s a stable on the other side of the mansion.
Might
be a good place for storage until the town renovations are complete.”

There were many large
crates holding a variety of dishes, clothing, and other essentials. As the men
pulled up wooden lids to reveal its contents, the prince mentally directed the
Simpleton where each should be taken. A few smaller bins contained goods for
market, so Wisdom led the way to the stable. A path wrapped around a new
addition to the main building, which Wisdom referred to as The Gathering. It
was a decent sized meeting room started by the Schevolskys, and was completed
when Wisdom took over the clan. As he passed, he peered down a walkway through
the opened double doors. A deep blue carpet led to a raised platform toward the
back of the room. Lining either side of the long carpet were pews set at an
angle. It made for a perfect spot to conduct meetings, so the prince had placed
two high-backed chairs on either side of an engraved Redwood throne.

Or else I’ll look
like I’m about to sit in judgement,
Wisdom thought with a chuckle.

The stable was located
just across from The Gathering. Although void of animals at the moment, the
prince hoped to eventually obtain some once the town started attracting
business. As he entered the structure, he mentally sent a message for Glory to
come. Currently, she resided with Western Clan members until their home was
fully furnished. Now, with the current imports at his doorstep, Wisdom was sure
Glory would want a few things arranged to her liking.

There’s something
else you might want to see,
he
thought to her. He was immediately overcome with her excitement as thoughts
flooded in with questions regarding word from her father. Smiling inwardly,
Wisdom made no promises and closed the mental link. He looked over the stalls
to make sure they were empty. Besides some straw littering the floor, it seemed
the perfect place for storing merchant wares.