by Billy Wong
"What happened?" Lina asked. "Are you struggling again?"
"No, watch out, the rope-" It was too late to say or do anything more as it snapped at the weakened point. Lina shouted while all tension disappeared from the length Celia held, and she ran forward with her heart racing. She pictured the healer lying with a broken leg at the bottom, or dead with blood pooling around her head. Almost forgetting to stop herself, she skidded to a halt before the edge. She peered down, already wincing at what she prepared to see-
Lina stood beside the set of magelike gear, frowning up at her with annoyance. "You could have warned me before the sudden drop."
"S-sorry, the rope broke. Are you okay? I thought you might've been... hurt."
"What do you take me for, an old lady? There wasn't too far left to go, so since I'm young and limber, I landed on my feet." Celia wouldn't have thought she had made it halfway down yet, but then she must just be a faster climber than one might guess.
Amid the ancient robes, Lina found two of the desired stone fragments. "Should I try healing your head injury again?" she offered after Celia helped her up using another segment of rope.
"Do you know how much of the stone that'll use up?"
"Not really."
"Then save it in case Jed needs all we've found, or someone else in need you meet later. It was just a punch like you said, I can walk that off on my own."
Lina took on a concerned look. "I've actually seen a man die from a less vicious looking punch, a while after the fact. You got flattened."
"Really? And you were mocking me for it! Still, I'll take the chance. If I started getting worse, then you can heal me."
They returned to the house where they'd left Edge, Celia hoping desperately it wouldn't be too late. Her pulse slowed with relief when upon opening the door, the mother of the family told them he yet lived. They entered the small room where he lay gray-faced in a cot—perhaps close to the point of no return—and Lina set her staff carefully down. She placed glowing hands over his wound with the stone between them. He let out a euphoric sigh as if being relieved of great pain, and color returned to his features. Despite her own suffering, Celia's spirits rose. When had she come to care so much about the man she'd considered murdering in his sleep? Slowly he opened his eyes.
"Thank God, E-Jed! I'm so glad-"
He sat up and punched her in the teeth. She staggered backward in surprise, bumping into a dresser and knocking things to the floor with a clattering noise. Lina hugged him around the waist as to hold him down. "Hey, no fighting! We shouldn't damage this generous family's belongings, plus while I'm here this is a place of healing." She frowned in confusion, apparently remembering something. "Besides, aren't you her guide? What kind of guide punches his client in the face?"
Celia wiped blood from her split lip, then put a finger to her mouth reminding him not to give away their secrets. "We're closer than you'd expect from our business relationship. What's a light punch between friends?"
"That would normally apply to male friends. But I suppose you're tall and mannish enough."
"Hey..."
Apparently Edge was really furious, since he didn't seem to care about revealing information to the healer still a stranger to him. Nostrils flaring, he snarled, "You killed him, you fucking bitch!"
It took a moment for her to recall who he must be referring to. "Your m—I mean, Dino?"
"Yes, you cunt." He swung a fist angrily, though he couldn't reach her. "Whore. Bitch."
"Who in the world is Dino?" Lina asked.
Not trusting herself to come up with a convincing story right now, Celia ignored her in favor of addressing Edge. "He was trying to kill us! After he killed me, it seemed like he would've done the same to you."
"But he was already beaten, he was running away. You didn't have to finish him."
She couldn't deny there was an argument to be made for that. Yet... "I was lucky to beat him, catching him off guard when he thought me defeated. If he came back for me, I doubt I could have repeated that feat."
His irate frown softened a bit. "I would've helped you."
"While you were lying here on your deathbed? If he'd caught up to me and Lina, that could have ended poorly for us girls."
"Or I would have sent him straight to hell," Lina said, "whoever you're talking about."
Celia couldn't help a chuckle. "Or that."
Edge didn't appear amused, as he spat over the side of his bed and Lina quickly rubbed it out with her foot. "You stabbed him in the stomach. It's unlikely he would recover so fast—he could even have died just from that like I almost did."
"I wasn't sure how deep I got him, or even if he has easier access to healing than us. Why do you care so much about him, anyway? He made it clear you weren't that important to him."
She expected him to say Dino had raised him, shaped him as a man or something to that end. But he had calmed somewhat, and replied instead, "I knew him. We used to be friends."
Lina looked curiously from Edge to her and back. "So his former friend attacked you two, almost killed Jed, and then you killed him? That's not something you see every day. What was your guide's friend anyway, to be trying to murder you?" She cupped her chin. "He wouldn't happen to be... an assassin, would he?"
Celia practically jumped, as did Edge. She picked her jaw off the floor and breathed, "How did she..."
"Just a wild guess. But I mean, how many people attack and try to kill others on the road while being alone as I assume? Unless he had a vendetta against one of you, which it didn't sound like, my intuition is that it was for professional reasons. You were also attacked by that necromancer assassin. I'll take another leap. Your names aren't Leia and Jed and you aren't a church knight, are you?"
Edge and Celia exchanged looks. "Uh..." he began.
"She saved your life," she replied to the question she expected, Can we trust her? "Other than that, I have a good feeling about her, and besides it's a little late to keep denying it." He dipped his head.
"You have a good feeling about me?" Lina said with a smirk. "I'd thought I might be too hard on you."
"You are a little blunt, but you're brave and your heart seems in the right place. I'm Celia, and this is Edge. Short for Edward Gene, before you ask. How did you figure out the church knight thing?"
"You don't act like a normal church knight. You're more open and chattier than most I've met, and your reactions to the supernatural are... really untrained seeming."
"That obvious, huh?" She raised her brow. "If I may be equally blunt, you don't act like a normal healer."
Lina put a hand on her hip. "That I think is more of an overgeneralization. Healers are a diverse lot, and I'm pretty new too."
Celia supposed that might be so. She had mostly met healers who'd settled into their professions before. "By the way, was it you who visited that plague town? People were griping about a failed healer."
She gave a bashful laugh. "That's what happens when a novice gets in over her head."
"Well, thank you for everything. I'm glad to have met you, and Edge should be doubly glad."
"Thanks," he said. "Sorry I probably bruised you trying to escape your grasp to get to Celia before."
She shrugged. "Healers aren't that fragile. We sometimes have to move patients, you know. What are you going to do now? Maybe I could come with you."
Celia found herself shocked once more. "Where did this come from? Aren't you on a journey to help people?"
"Yes, I'm supposed to travel around helping people in need. Aren't you two people? And given how much I've seen you both hurt in the short time since meeting you, I wouldn't be surprised if you were in need again soon."
Edge looked flabbergasted. "This is still really out of the blue."
"You're being hunted by assassins, right? You could probably use a healer to patch you up if you get more injuries, not to mention guidance from a more venerable person."
"You call yourself venerable?"
"Relatively s
peaking."
"I'll have you know I've been... fighting for years," he said in an indignant tone, "and she seems a fairly hardened killer too."
"I haven't killed that much. I guess I just naturally handle it well."
"Just because you've killed a lot," Lina said, "doesn't make you wise."
That was a good line. "What do you think?" Celia asked Edge.
He spread his arms indecisively. "She seems alright. If she really wants to go with us, I don't see why we have to deny her."
She turned to Lina. "Fine, you can come. But I'm going home to my family, so we won't be traveling or probably even together for much longer. Do you still want to?"
"It feels about time I move on from this town anyway. So for whatever time you're still on the road, I might as well spend it with you while getting a change in scenery."
#
Elly returned to her room to find her mother waiting in the chair by her dresser. "I'm glad you're all right," the slender queen said, worry deepening the lines of her visage. "You should be careful around those men. Those who speak so openly against the crown, I fear to think what they might do if given the chance."
Though she sympathized with her mother's feelings, she waved a carefree hand. "We just had a pleasant afternoon tea together, that's all. It was fun." She had done most of her talking with words, though she did have to crush Duke Hode's wrist at one point when he got overly enthusiastic about waving his fist around in her face. She trusted his pride wouldn't let him talk about it outside his inner circle, in any case.
The queen looked down. "I hate to put a damper on your good mood, but things have changed. Your father is sick."
"S-sick?" She had known he wasn't feeling the best lately, but the way she said it sounded grim. "He'll get better, won't he?"
"We don't know yet. He is an older man, and his health not great. While I wish as you do for him to recover, you should ready yourself for the eventuality you must rule in his stead."
All of a sudden, her mouth was very dry and she needed to sit down. "But Mother, I..."
"I know. It isn't ideal. But at this point, what would you have me do, have another man's child and pass them off as your father's?"
She hugged her mother, eyes misting up. "You know I would never make or want you to do that. Besides, that wouldn't really solve anything, would it? We'll just have to pray, and hope with all our hearts that God sees fit to grant him a full recovery."
The queen touched her face. "If we are not so blessed, are you prepared to take the reins?" Unable to answer, she swallowed. "Eleanor my beloved, who could I trust in your position if not you?"
Elly gave a small nod, hoping it would be enough to get her to drop the subject. But in her head, she asked, Why must there be someone in my position at all?
Her mother left, and she sat moping on her bed. She couldn't let this news stop her life in its tracks, especially since it wasn't a certainty her father would die, but to hear it weighed on her so much she could hardly think about anything else at all. She'd miss him dearly if he was gone, and pictured herself on her knees weeping before his body in repose, but beyond that what would she do after? Though it made her feel bad, she couldn't help a twinge of annoyance at him. Why couldn't he have sired a sibling for her in all these years? It wasn't as if he had been infirm before now. Or maybe the weakness was on her mother's side. Either way, she knew herself wrong to blame them. Yet how could she not feel some anger about her situation? It shouldn't be this way... on the other hand, perhaps she had been unrealistic and should have accepted the possibility of this happening earlier. Please live, Father, I'll be a better daughter if you just live!
A short time later, someone knocked on the door. She wiped her probably red eyes and said, "Come in."
It was the guard leader, Marcus. "Princess, is this a bad time? If it is, I'll come back later."
"No, it's fine. I called for you after all, it would be rude of me to send you off just because I'm not at my best."
"What do you need of me?"
She had to take a second to remember what she wanted him for. "You might have heard about some murders and murder attempts lately on various businessmen around the country. There are already people investigating this of course, but it seems like things aren't going very efficiently on the government end for some reason. I thought with your military connections, you might be able to make some headway on this. Would you be willing to help?"
"Of course, Princess." He bit his lip. "Although, when you mention things not going efficiently on the government end, is there anything more I should know?"
"I don't have any concrete insight... but yes, the unusually poor performance of the official investigators makes me wary. Don't assume anyone is above suspicion, and be careful."
Chapter 7
Celia and the others finally reached the bustling city of Throwal, built where two boat-clogged rivers met, where she had grown up. From a distance, the multitude of colorful sails resembled a field of flowers drifting in the wind. The running water made for pleasant background noise to one accustomed to it, soothing her. She led Edge and Lina through packed, chatter-rich streets to the large two story dwelling she called home. "Nice house," Edge said. "Could practically call it a manor."
She knocked on the door, but there was no answer. After waiting for a minute and knocking again, she produced the keys from her belt pouch and unlocked it. They entered to find the front dining room empty, and the whole place silent. Lina looked around. "Seems like nobody's home."
Worry gnawed at Celia, but she did her best to take in the situation objectively. "There aren't any signs of violence. Let me see if Dad left me any messages in the agreed upon place." She reached inside a tall vase by the stairs, found the secret panel on the side and opened it. Sure enough, she found a fresh note. "My dad says, meet us at the old farmhouse. You know where it is." She wiped her forehead with relief. "Well, unless someone found them there, my family's probably safe." For now.
Lina asked, "What do you think happened? Did the assassins come after your father as well?"
"Most likely. I would've been real surprised if they were specifically targeting me only, anyway."
They headed through the outskirts of the city to a burned out farmhouse, the cellar of which Celia knew remained well maintained and livable thanks to her father's savvy. He had long been aware enemies might someday threaten them with violence, and prepared a few hiding places around the country to fall back to. Instead of going straight for the trapdoor and eating a faceful of crossbow bolts like whoever foolishly tried would, she went over to the fireplace and spoke into it. "Dad, are you there? It's me, Celia!"
She walked closer to the trapdoor and listened to clicking sounds as the trap under it was disarmed. The wooden panel rose up, and the gray top of her father's head ascended into view followed by his face. He was in his mid forties, but his sharp features remained youthful looking and alert despite his graying hair and goatee. "Thank God you're all right," he said in a gentle tone that belied his fierce appearance. His gaze shifted to Edge and Lina. "Who are those two?"
"I'm her bodyguard."
Celia elbowed Edge. "Cut it out! They're, uh, my new friends."
Lina gave a shy smile. "I'm Lina, just a humble apprentice healer accompanying your daughter until I find something else to do. The young man is Edge, an assassin who befriended Celia after fighting her."
"Lina, what in the name of?!"
"Hey, he was going to find out sooner or later."
Dad looked Edge over suspiciously, but said, "If you trust them enough to bring them here, I'll defer to your judgment." He turned to Lina. "A healer, eh? Hmm..."
Celia was glad for his display of trust in her, but asked, "Hmm what?"
"Never mind. Anyway, come down and we can continue talking there, where we're less likely to catch a stray eye."
They followed him down into the cellar, where Celia saw her mother and ten year old brother Ted sitting on their beds
. "Celia!" Ted cried, big eyes lighting up with happiness. She ran to him and wrapped him in a tight hug, so glad to see him all right. "Your face is all beat up, did somebody hit you?"
"A few guys did, but your big sis doesn't sweat punches." She started to release him, then felt an urge to embrace him again. Having been away for so long, she couldn't contain herself, and tears sprang from her eyes to run down her face. She wiped at them while out of his line of sight, but he could probably hear her choked up voice as she said, "I hope everything was okay with you while I was away."
"It was a little scary when Dad made us leave home, but I wasn't scared! I stayed alert and ready to protect Mom, just like you and Dad taught me."
She patted his head. "I'm sure you did a fine job of it." She turned to her heavyset mother and hugged her, not as fiercely since she knew she preferred a softer touch. Feeling her warmth made her so happy, she sniffed and had to hold back the waterworks again. "Glad to see you safe too, Mom. And sorry I worried you taking so long to get back. Just business complications."
Her mother gently touched her bruised face. "Were you attacked by assassins too? That isn't exactly a normal business issue."
Celia might have lied not wanting her to worry, except she didn't think she would get away with it. "We'll figure out how to get through this. Dad's too smart to be outmatched by a bunch of brutish killers, and I've seen to a half dozen of them myself."
"You have? Oh, my."
She kind of regretted blurting that out. "I mean, one has to defend themselves..."
"You killed assassins?" Ted pumped his fist. "Big sister is so strong, I hope I can grow up to be like you!"
Edge whistled and Lina fidgeted awkwardly while her mother cringed. "Your sister sure is strong," Lina said in her attempt to shift the topic away from killing. "She even carried Edge on her back across town, though she looked all tuckered out from doing so."