The Twilight Star

by Laura E. Collins

  ∞

  Magic? What utter nonsense, I thought to myself as I walked back to the clinic. There is no such thing. My apparent transcendence into their world had to be some sort of scientific phenomenon. That’s all there is to it, I affirmed to myself. My beliefs are what they are and while the prince is extremely handsome, I will never allow myself to follow their beliefs.

  As I passed by the blacksmith shop on the way back to the clinic, I heard raised voices and caught a glimpse of Sarah arguing with Sean. She threw up her hands and marched off while he stood with his hands on his hips. I wondered what that was about. I continued to walk on, it was none of my business.

  “How was your visit with Princess Emeley?” Dr. Thorpe asked as I returned and donned my apron.

  “The same. She introduced me to Prince Eythan today.”

  “The prince . . . really? I’ve only interacted with him a few times in person since my arrival here. What did you think of him?”

  “He was very cordial, I guess. He behaves so maturely for someone so young.” I remarked.

  “Young!” Dr. Thorpe choked out in surprise.

  “Yes . . . I mean, what is he? Like twenty-five or twenty-six?” I guessed. I really did want to know.

  “Evie, the prince is older than I am. He’s seventy-four years old. I heard they will be planning a big celebration next year when he turns seventy-five.”

  What? I had a crush on a man that was old enough to be my grandfather? Once that realization sunk in, it left me stunned for a few moments.

  “You have to remember he is a half-vampire. They can live to be well over a hundred.”

  “I guess I forgot . . . they seem so human to me.”

  “What else happened at your visit?”

  “We had an interesting conversation,” I divulged. I didn’t see the harm in talking about some of what we discussed, as long as I didn’t mention anything specific.

  “Oh?”

  “Yes. They asked me if I knew anything about magic.”

  “Magic, eh?”

  “Uh huh. I couldn’t believe they seemed serious. There is no such thing.”

  “In our world perhaps. But here . . . I’m not so sure. Since I’ve been here I have seen things that I have no logical explanation for.”

  “Not you too!” I protested.

  “Believe me Evie, . . . I understand how you feel. The royals have a big problem to contend with and I assume they questioned you to see if there is any way you could help them.”

  “What kind of problem do they have?” I asked, puzzled. The kingdom seemed safe and secure enough to me.

  “The war that just ended will likely begin again. Queen Hadreah is not so easily defeated.”

  “Who is Queen Hadreah?”

  “She is the evil witch who rules Shadowlea. Seems to me she wants to take over the world.”

  “An evil witch?” Another witch besides Rosalind?

  “We have vampires. Did you think they were the only mythical creatures living here?”

  “This is getting to be too much,” I said as I ground my herbs while clenching my teeth. I didn’t want to hear any more.

  After we cleaned up shop, Samantha and I headed to the cookhouse for supper. We sat with our usual group, save for Josh and Sarah, who didn’t show, and Sean, who sat at a nearby table looking cozy with one of the women I knew worked in the tavern down the road from us. I wondered just how close they were.

  I remembered my not so distant past where I would sit in the break room of the unit at the hospital I worked at. I remember people watching and observing the employees engrossed in looking at whatever was on their phone. It was so isolating. But here, meals were a time for socializing. People actually engaged one another with conversation and it was pleasant to witness. I felt that our group fell somewhere in between. Wanting to connect but not fully going for it. I pondered how things would be once we could figure out how to get back home.

  I looked around for Doctor Thorpe, but he was nowhere to be seen. It was always this way when Ms. Bettina had the night off. The usual stew seemed more herbal than usual. As our group finished up, we rose to deposit our wooden dishes in the wash tubs and meandered back towards the village. I walked ahead of everyone else until I heard Matthew begin to wheeze. It came on so suddenly and so severely that I stopped in my tracks and turned around, as did everyone else.

  “Matthew, are you okay?” I questioned.

  He started coughing and gasping for breath. “No!” he choked out. “I think . . .,” he gasped, “that I’m allergic . . .,” he croaked out before he started coughing again.

  The stew. I wondered if he reacted to the different herbs we had tasted in it.

  “Quickly! Let’s get him back to the clinic! Sam, go and find Doctor Thorpe!” I ordered. I looked back for Sean, but he was long gone. I raced to Matthew and pulled his arm over my shoulder along with Kennedy and together we hauled him towards the clinic. The sound of his constricted airways worried me more with each passing step. Breathing heavy myself, we stumbled through the door and propped Matthew up on a cot. Kennedy stayed with him while I set to work on preparing the ephedra decoction that we used on him last time. Where was Doctor Thorpe? Matthew’s breaths dragged in and out slowing a little in tempo. In the dim firelight he seemed pale; his lips had turned a slight shade of blue.

  “Keep breathing, Matthew! I’m hurrying!” I called, trying to steady my hands so I wouldn’t spill the steaming bowl of water.

  “Help me, Evie!” he pleaded.

  I ran over to him and Kennedy held the bowl under his face while I poured the decoction in with one hand and with the other, tried to hold him steady. If only we had epinephrine and some steroids. If only I had anything else. Matthew’s breathing started to slow but he was still struggling and he showed signs of tiring. Panic ignited within me.

  “Don’t give up, Matthew! Keep breathing, nice and steady and slow. You can do this, the medicine will start to work . . .” I coached.

  “I . . . hate . . . this place!” he rasped as he closed his eyes. He started to lean back onto the pillow.

  “Matthew, we need you to sit up and breathe this!” I ordered, referring to the steaming bowl of ephedra. He lashed out an arm and knocked the bowl out of Kennedy’s hands and onto the floor. It would have shattered had it not been made out of metal. Kennedy and I shared a look with each other.

  “No use . . .,” he whispered as he closed his eyes and leaned back onto the cot.

  “Stay with us, Matthew . . . we will find a way home,” I pleaded, trying to fight back the tears in my eyes. Kennedy got up and walked away towards the other end of the room, wiping her eyes.

  Nothing else was said. All I could do was continue to squeeze his hand until he could no longer squeeze back and his breathing stopped. I don’t know how long I knelt there until I heard the door open and two sets of footsteps rushed towards me. I looked up at Doctor Thorpe and then at Samantha as they quietly assessed Matthew’s body. Doctor Thorpe laid a sheet over him and helped me up. My legs tingled from being in that position for so long.

  “I couldn’t help him,” I cried, wringing my hands.

  “You did your best, Evie. You did nothing wrong,” Doctor Thorpe said in a calm voice, laying a hand on my shoulder. Samantha gave me a hug. First Hannah, and now Matthew. I wondered which one of us would be next to die.

  Chapter 12

  The chilly air in an overcast sky bit at me, making me shiver as Dr. Thorpe, Sam, and I trudged home from the West Village. The thin leather of my boots was not much of a barrier between my cold toes and the chilly rain pelting the ground. I could hardly wait to warm them by the fire back at the clinic. So many villagers had fallen ill and we had been called upon to tend to the patients from some of the other villages. I hoped the West Village would find another healer soon. I started to dread the trip on foot between our clinic and the fledgling one over there. Maybe Sir William could arrange for some sort of transportation or bring the ill peop
le to us. We could treat them better if we were in our own clinic, using our own herbs. But, that was a selfish thing for me to want. These people worked hard for a living and the last thing they needed was to travel when they were ill. I shifted my medical messenger bag I had constructed with Sam’s help to my other shoulder to give the sore one a rest. Sam remained quiet as she walked next to me. At least she wasn’t too cold, I thought, envying the fancy new warm cloak that had arrived at our clinic recently. A gift from Sir William, no doubt.

  Dr. Thorpe’s sudden coughing fit pulled me from my thoughts. His episodes were getting worse and worse over the last few weeks. He even seemed more tired than usual, not his jolly, upbeat self. His pace slowed and I caught up to him, hurrying to face him to see if he was okay. He started coughing violently again and stopped walking to hunch over and lean on his knees as he did so, trying to suck in breath after breath. It had never been this bad. “Dr. Thorpe!” I exclaimed as I put a hand on his shoulder. “What can I do to help you? Perhaps we should stop and rest,” I said quickly.

  Between heaving breaths he replied, “there’s nothing to be done, Evie,” before coughing again.

  “Sam! Run to the village and get help, we need to get him back to the clinic!” I ordered. Sam took off running without hesitation.

  “Are you sick? What can we get you?” I inquired with a feeling of dread rising within me. We weren’t inside the village gates yet and nobody else was around. He dropped his satchel and lowered himself down.

  “There’s nothing we can do, . . .” he gasped as he sat down on the damp ground. He lifted up his long cloak so that I could see the swelling in his legs. “My heart just can’t take it anymore without modern medication.”

  “Don’t say that!” I persisted. “Here, lean back against me and rest. Take some deep breaths. We will get you inside and warmed up. We have to have something at the clinic that can help,” I continued. He leaned on me as I supported him. I grew alarmed when his breathing started to slow and I saw how pale he had become. My eyes assessed him keenly and for the first time, I saw just how much he had aged in the short time we had been with him.

  “Remember . . . remember all that I taught you, Evie,” he rasped as he grabbed my hand. Tears escaped down my cheeks as I realized he was dying. “Take care of yourself. You may be here until the end of your days like me . . . make the most of it . . .” Dr. Thorpe barely breathed in and out as he spoke.

  “Thank you, Dr. Thorpe . . . for your kindness, . . . for everything,” I choked out, not knowing what else to say to him.

  Making a slight nodding motion, he closed his eyes. I wrapped my arms around him as he took his last few breaths. His body went slack and still and I didn’t have to check his pulse to know that he was gone. I shut my eyes and let myself cry. Dr. Thorpe was my friend and my mentor since arriving here. Without him, none of us would have survived very long.

  I sat supporting him in the cold rain for about fifteen minutes by my estimate before I heard the distant sound of hoof beats. The sound was quickly followed by the appearance of Sir William and his men on horseback, then a carriage, and finally a horse drawn wagon. Sir William quickly dismounted along with one of his fellow lords and hurried to me, crouching down. I looked up at him and shook my head. He glanced down at Dr. Thorpe’s body and then at me and nodded solemnly.

  Sam emerged from the carriage and ran to us, her mouth dropping open when she realized that Dr. Thorpe had died. She covered her mouth with her hands and looked away, tears starting to fall. Sir William looked up at her sympathetically.

  A few more men arrived. They lifted the body up and away from me, taking it to the empty cart where they respectfully placed it and covered it with a canvas sheet. I stood and watched, shaking the numbness and pins and needles out of my legs. Sam wrapped a blanket around my shoulders, hugging me in the process.

  “Come, let us get you into the carriage. It is cold out here,” Sir William said gently, placing a hand on each of our shoulders. “My men will take him to the morgue at the monastery until we bury him.”

  “Thank you, Sir William,” I said softly as I let him lead us away. His kindness at this time was touching, although I knew it was mostly because he had a thing for Samantha. For that, I was grateful.

  ∞

  The next afternoon, we laid Dr. Thorpe to rest. Sam, Sarah, Paul, and I were the only ones from our group to attend. The rest of the people who paid their respects were the villagers whom he had taken care of during his time here. Ms. Bettina, our cook, attended as well with tears in her eyes. I wondered how his death would change things for me now. As we walked away from the funeral, Sir William approached us.

  “Princess Emeley requests a visit from you both,” he said in the business-like tone I was used to, gesturing to me and Sam. I had been expecting this and speculated that it was to discuss our situation now. We bid Sarah and Paul good-bye and followed Sir William to Silverstone castle.

  “Dr. Thorpe was a good man, I am sorry for his loss,” Princess Emeley began as Sam, Sir William, and I stood before her in the warm study. Lady Aryn sat to her right and Lady Celina sat to her left, as usual. For the first time, I noticed that Lady Aryn appeared pregnant. We nodded at the princess and remained silent, waiting for her to continue.

  “This is a harsh time of year to be without healing care to our villagers, Sir William,” she continued. “It is my understanding that Miss Evelyn and Miss Samantha have been well trained by him.”

  “Yes, this is true, Your Highness,” he replied.

  “With the shortage of doctors for the villagers, what do you suggest, Sir William? Should these two women be allowed to continue their work and remain in the East Village?” she asked. I could have sworn Lady Celina’s eyes bugged out slightly at the mention of the possibility of a clinic being run by two women, but she kept her mouth shut for once. Lady Aryn smiled wryly.

  He did not hesitate to reply. “Absolutely, Your Highness! They are quite competent and I can oversee them personally if it pleases you.”

  Of course he would say that. He would say anything to keep from being separated from Sam, I thought to myself. At least I would be included in this deal.

  “Miss Evelyn,” the princess said kindly, turning her attention back to me. “Do you feel up to carrying on Dr. Thorpe’s work in the East Village?”

  “I believe that I can, Your Highness,” I said respectfully. The thought of taking over for him felt slightly scary, but the thought of being uprooted from my home and routine here in this world frightened me even more.

  “Then it is settled. You will assume leadership of the East Village clinic and I will keep an eye out for a suitable replacement for Dr. Thorpe, . . . if one turns up,” she said with a smile. “Sir William, who is to inherit Dr. Thorpe’s possessions?”

  A slight look of distaste crossed his face. “He had no kin here, Your Highness.”

  “Then it is only fitting that Miss Evelyn shall inherit his belongings and do with them what she sees fit.”

  “Agreed,” he said with a bow.

  The princess smiled pleasantly and motioned for us to be dismissed. I could have sworn I saw Sam look up at Sir William and flash him a shy smile as he led us back to the village.

  ∞

  Going through someone else’s belongings after they depart was something I’ve never had to do before. Somehow, even though Dr. Thorpe was gone, it felt like an invasion of privacy. I decided to start with the armoire. As I sorted through his clothes, I put the garments I could sell or give away in a pile. I decided to keep his long coat, even though it was big on me. You never knew when you would need one and it would be easier to keep this one than try to buy my own. After that was done, I moved on to his chest of drawers with his wash basin. I would scrub that out and use it myself. He even had a small mirror. After rummaging through the drawers, I removed anything that I didn’t want and placed them in a sack to see if Drew or Ms. Bettina wanted them. To my surprise, I found some modern day firewor
ks in the bottom drawer with an old lighter. He had bottle rockets, fire crackers, and even some Roman candles. I wonder where he found them and what he was saving them for. I decided to leave them where they were. I moved to the side of the chest nearest the window and I felt a board push up from under my step. The sensation startled me and I knelt down to check it out.

  Thinking I would need to repair the floor, I lifted up a board and found a small compartment next to the chest, out of sight from the doorway. After making sure I was alone, I reached down and pulled out a small pouch. The jingle inside told me there was some money in it. I opened it and counted eight crowns. It wasn’t that much, but at least I would have something in an emergency. I felt around again and lifted out a snorkeling mask. Dr. Thorpe mentioned he had been snorkeling at the time he was sucked in to this world. Sadness began to spread through me at the thought that he was gone and would never see his family again. The thump of a door being opened and shut signaled that Sam was home. Quickly, I put everything back and slid the board back into place.

  ∞

  Things slowly settled down after Dr. Thorpe’s death as I took over the entire duties of running the clinic with Sam and Drew’s help. Unfortunately now that we were a party of three, we had one less income to supplement our needs. Since we still needed Drew’s help with the chores of running our house and clinic, I ended up shouldering that expense. Sam’s relationship with Sir William seemed to blossom with each passing day. I moved into Dr. Thorpe’s room so that we could each have our own space, like we used to back home. There is nothing like having your own privacy, even if it might be temporary until a replacement doctor was hired; but no one knew if or when that would happen.