“Or a clever adversary who is just trying to finish you off without a fight?”
“Don’t be so dramatic.”
“I might have to agree with him,” said Theodore as he entered the tent, holding two trenchers of food in his hands. “Queen Catherine is an astute, resourceful, and cunning woman. No one knows what is going on in her head. She is a devious one.”
Alicia raised her eyebrow. Theodore had never expounded on his opinions about any one woman ever before. He blushed.
“We’ll see how it goes,” she said. The trencher contained fresh goat’s cheese, apricots and hot loaves of oat bread. She dug in. “Tell us all that happened to you, Theodore. Did you give Seve’s message to King Amber? And what is Queen Catherine doing in his court?”
Theodore gave them his version of the events, including his account of his last encounter with Queen Catherine. “I don’t know what she is up to.”
Alicia dusted her hands. “We will find out soon enough.”
Soon, they were on their way. Queen Catherine escort’s consisted of six men, all of them dressed in official court livery. They set a hard pace, and by nightfall, Alicia’s head was pounding again. She took her medicine and went to sleep, aware that Kayleb was hovering close to her, monitoring her every move. The next day was the same, and by the time they reached the palace in Aba on the morning of the third day, Alicia’s condition had worsened. The headache was now a constant, excruciating pain, held in check by her medicines. She was unable to walk, and had to be led to her chambers by Kayleb who growled at anyone who attempted to speak to her.
She needed rest. But she had barely slept for a while when she was awakened by the sound of an argument that was going on right beside her bedside.
“I absolutely forbid you to wake her up,” whispered Kayleb in a harsh, grim voice. He seemed to be at the end of his diminishing patience.
“Don’t bore me with your pathetic threats. Kindly remember that I am a queen, and don’t take orders from the likes of you. When Princess Alicia wakes up, she will realize the gravity of this situation, and understand why I must disturb her slumber,” a woman’s cool voice countered him.
“Princess Alicia is awake.” Alicia opened the heavy, purple velvet curtain around her bed, and peered at the visitors in her room. Kayleb stood near her bed, his sword held steady at a lovely, young woman who looked absolutely breathtaking in a silk green dress. A gold crown sat atop her blonde hair. Four men stood behind her, holding their swords to attack Kayleb. Two mages stood by her side, each of them muttering incantations as they maintained the protection shield around her.
“Greetings.” Queen Alicia inclined her head, as if oblivious to the bizarre circumstances and the tense situation in the room. “I’m sorry to have awoken you.”
“No. You are not,” said Alicia as she swung her legs off the bed. A stabbing pain in her head nearly sent her back into the comfort of her mattress, but she stood. “You came here with the express purpose to do so, Your Majesty. Kindly ask your guards to leave the room. You’re safe amongst friends.”
“You have gone too far. First you summon the princess, and then you disturb her sleep.” Theodore burst into the room. “How dare you…?”
“Please, Theodore.” Alicia held her hand, aware that her room could turn into a battleground at a moment’s notice. Kayleb looked as if he was ready to commit cold-blooded murder, and the queen’s guards were at high alert. “We are having a serious discussion.”
Catherine and Theodore glared at each other. “Leave,” she ordered her entourage.
The mages refused to move. “Your Majesty, please allow us to stay.”
“I am safe here,” she said. “Please wait outside.”
Alicia recognized the queen’s gesture for what it was. Queen Catherine had no magic, and by putting herself at their mercy, she was displaying her trust—and perhaps also, diffusing the situation in a very subtle, clever way. Theodore’s assessment of her cleverness wasn’t that far off the mark.
“Please be seated,” said Alicia as she stood. Sleep had done little to dull her headache. Her body ached, and she wasn’t quite able to focus on her surroundings. The concussion had gotten worse due to the intense travel.
Queen Catherine remained standing. “I must insist that you come with me immediately. There has been an emergency in the palace. King Amber’s nine year old son, and the only boy amongst his seven children, fell off the roof of the palace four days ago. Despite their best efforts, the healers have failed to bring the boy out of the coma he slipped into two days ago. You must save the boy.”
“Alicia is in no condition to minister to anyone. She can barely walk herself,” said Kayleb.
To Alicia’s surprise, Catherine grabbed hold of her hand. “That boy is the king’s heir and the light of his life. If you save him, there is a great chance that he will grant you anything you desire. Anything at all! There can be a no greater chance to force Izba to ally with Iram. If you save the boy, King Amber will be in your debt forever.”
Alicia stared at their joined hands. She heard the earnestness behind the queen’s words. “Give me a moment,” she said. Hurrying to her pack, she took out the belt that contained all her pouches. Quickly, she wore it around her waist.
“I thought you didn’t want Izba to ally with Iram?” Theodore sounded puzzled.
“I doubt you will be able to understand the delicate balance and the maneuvering we have to do in court,” said the queen with a toss of her hair. “King Saud is firmly in favor of befriending Vindha. King Jibran is too old to make firm decisions and will go with the majority vote, whatever it is. King Amber still has not openly declared anything, but talks are on with Vindha. If I had shown that I believe our best chance at salvation lies with King Seve, I would’ve forced Amber to declare his position. In my opinion, he trusts the judgment of a man more and would have supported King Saud. My indecision gave him an excuse to ponder over this matter. I am afraid he is about to ally with Vindha, but if Alicia saves his son…”
“You are…very clever,” said Theodore. “Your Majesty,” he added belatedly.
Alicia suppressed a smile. It was so unlike Theodore to look so confounded. “I am ready.”
They all followed the queen as she led them past various chambers and halls and through winding corridors. Soon, they were in the far left wing of the palace. Everything was quiet, and the few servants they saw scurried about with their heads down. “They believe the boy will not survive the day,” explained the queen. “I had no choice but to force you to come here today. Tomorrow may be too late.”
The way to the chamber was barred by two royal guards. “Please tell the king that I have brought a new healer, one who is famous beyond words. Her name is Princess Alicia,” she declared.
The guards’ eyes flickered to Alicia, and one of them hurried to convey the message. He was back soon and opened the door. They entered. The chamber was decorated with colorful murals and contained toys and games. A middle-aged woman sat crying in one corner, while two younger girls tried to console her. The king was sitting by the bedside of his only son, a boy whose head was covered with tight, white bandages.
Queen Catherine’s assessment was not that far off the mark; the boy appeared to be at the brink of death. His lips were nearly blue, and his skin was as white as the sheet he was lying on. “Can you do something?” the king asked. He was a broken man. Grief had etched lines across his face, and his eyes were red and swollen. “We’ve heard about you, Princess Alicia. Is it true that you can do miracles?”
“Only the goddess has the power to perform miracles, Your Majesty. I am but her humble servant. I will try my best.” Alicia bent over the boy. Opening herself to his wounds, she took an inventory of his body. Loss of blood, low pulse, and pain. The boy was beyond the help of ordinary medicines. The healers had managed to stop his bleeding and close his wounds, but there was a lot of internal damage that was taking its toll. “Step aside, please,” she said, her f
ocus already on her patient.
Although all earth mages had an infinity with healing, Alicia had taken years to perfect her craft. Not only did she school herself in the ordinary healing powers of herbs and plants, but she delved deep into the study of magic, creating, perfecting and experimenting with new spells that could heal a human body. At thirteen years of age, she had managed to heal her broken wrist. Of course, the effort it took made her unconscious for three days, but from there onwards, she learnt more and more, until the people on her island began to call her the ‘miracle healer.’
It remained to be seen if she could work that magic once more.
Putting her hands on the boy’s wrist, she sat on the floor. After closing her eyes, she muttered an incantation. Ignoring the non-fatal injuries such as the broken leg, and the hairline fractures in the boy’s left hand, she concentrated on the internal organs that suffered the most damage. She could see the blood that pooled inside the child’s body, slowly draining the life force away. One of the kidneys was ruptured. Her spell pulsated around it, knitting, weaving and forcing the organ back to its previous shape and position.
Sweat dribbled down her face. The drain on her energy was enormous; her heart thumped wildly. With an effort, she forced the lightheadedness away. Once more, she searched her patient’s body; the liver was barely functioning. Her spell wove a bright web of energy around it, cocooning the organ in a life-giving shield. A further search revealed two broken ribs which could puncture the lungs, so she healed them as well.
Bit by bit, she mended, joined, and set the bones and organs that suffered the most injuries. With each new spell she released, Alicia found herself shivering. She was in no condition to do anymore. But if she wanted to save the boy, there was more to be done. His spine was cracked. If it wasn’t healed, he would not be able to walk. Her spell wove deep inside the vertebras, joining and melding them so as to make it as strong as it once was.
Exhausted, she dropped her head on the bed. Her whole body shivered. Someone put a blanket around her. With an effort, she opened her eyes and looked at her patient. Her hand was on his pulse, and she detected an improvement as the organs began functioning as before. The strain on his heart lifted, and it settled back into its normal rhythm. The boy opened his eyes. He looked around at the horde of people gathered around his room. His gaze settled on his father.
“Father,” he said. His voice was weak but steady.
King Amber fell to his knees beside the boy’s bed. He held his son’s hand and kissed it repeatedly. Tears escaped down his eyes. “Oh, my son!”
“I’m sorry, father. I should not have climbed up on the steep roof. My foot slipped,” said the boy.
The king shook his head, weeping. The queen came to hug her son.
King Amber looked at Alicia. “You’ve saved our family.”
“Please tell the healers to give him arnica three times a day. His leg should remain bandaged for three weeks,” she said and fainted. She would have fallen back, but Kayleb lifted her up before her head could hit the floor.
“I hope you’re satisfied.” He glared at King Amber and Queen Catherine before departing the room.
For three days and nights, Alicia battled with her own demons. She lapsed into a coma. Sapped of all energy, her body trembled constantly. Her fever shot up. Kayleb spent nights giving her cold sponge baths. The king sent the best healers, but everyone said that no herb or spell could help her. She would have to recover from the ordeals of the past week on her own strength. Many felt that she had put too much of her life force into the spells, and there wasn’t any power left inside of her now. Kayleb and Theodore snarled and glared at all visitors who dared to voice such morbid thoughts.
Alicia was oblivious to the mounting drama. Dreams, fragmented ideas and visions flitted across her mind. She was trapped in a black void, a place devoid of all coherent thought. Things that had happened years ago, things that happened two days ago, everything merged into one. In this world of no reason, time stopped. It seemed impossible to get out. With each passing moment, her life force dwindled until all she could do was breathe in and out.
Soon, she would stop breathing altogether and slip into a blissful, fatal sleep.
She might have given up on life sooner, but Kayleb refused to give her any peace. He talked to her constantly, reminding her of all that she needed to do. He repeated her mission over and over again; the need to destroy the temple where demon mages were being created. It was something only she could do. She was the only one who knew the spells that would knit the unholy gash over the face of earth. He told her he loved her and couldn’t survive with her. He yelled at her, cursed her, soothed her…and at times, cried for her.
His need wouldn’t let her slip into oblivion. And so, for him, she came back to the world of living.
On the morning of the fourth day as Kayleb spooned some water in her mouth, cajoling her to drink, she coughed and opened her eyes. His hand froze in mid-air. Carefully, he tipped the spoon, holding it to her lips so she could swallow the liquid down.
Alicia gulped the precious nectar. She drank a few more mouthfuls before turning her head away. “It’s enough,” she croaked out the words. Her voice was hoarse and weak, but at least she was able to talk.
Kayleb put the cup of water away. He bent to hug her, holding her in an iron grip. “Welcome back,” he said, his voice gruff with emotion.
Alicia smiled. “I hadn’t gone anywhere.”
He brushed back a strand of her hair. “I wasn’t able to reach you. It scared me.”
She held his hand. “I could hear you all this time. Some of the things you said…”
They stared into each other’s eyes, both of them not needing words to explain the feelings that pulsated deep within their hearts. So this was love. She had never known before how euphoric and strangely debilitating it could be to fall in love with someone.
It was as if apart from him, there was no one else who existed in this world.
Kayleb kissed her. It was a simple brush of his lips against hers, but it conveyed so much; love, hope, passion, and devotion. She kissed him, happy to be back with him, to share this world with him, and to have him to hold and love.
Theodore entered the room. Seeing them, he coughed. A wide grin split his face. “I will come back.” He turned, and then turned back. “It’s good to have you back, Princess.”
“Stay,” she ordered. Kayleb helped her sit. “Tell me all that has gone on.”
“Not much. King Amber has been visiting you every morning and evening. In fact, he has given his express orders that he is to be informed immediately if there is any change in your condition.”
Alicia cocked her eyebrow. “Really?”
Theodore shrugged. “Of course, I am not his subject so I don’t have to abide by his orders.”
Alicia snorted with amusement. “Give me some time to bathe and change, Theodore. Then you may inform whoever you feel needs to be told. Could you please arrange for a hot bath to be drawn into my room?”
He bowed. “Yes, Princess.”
After he left, she looked at Kayleb. “I suppose you’re mad at me for what I did.”
He kissed her again. She ran her hand over the stubble on his cheek, feeling the familiar, scratchy hair bristle under her fingers. “I am supremely angry. You risked your life when you should have known better.” He put his hand on her mouth as she attempted to interrupt. “But I love you for who you are, and I know that it was important for you to do what you felt was necessary. I don’t want to change you. I love you despite the fact that you can be impossibly stubborn and willful at times.”
“Really? What a lot you have to put up with?”
He sighed. “It’s my cross to bear.”
She laughed. “Oh, you poor thing!” Alicia stood, a bit dizzy, but otherwise feeling better. Kayleb gripped her hand. She turned to look at him. “What?”
“Promise me that you won’t ever change? No matter what happens, you will
remain the same.”
The intensity in his eyes scared her. There was something there, something elusive she couldn’t quite decipher. “I will,” she promised him.
“That’s good to know.” He let go of her hand. “Although I find it hard to believe that I’ve met a woman who isn’t fickle. Most women change their minds twice a day.”
“You rogue.” She slapped him on his shoulder.
A knock at the alerted them. Servants came in, carrying a tub of hot, steaming water, while two maids came in behind, carrying pots of cold water. The servants left while the maids mixed the water. Kayleb left the room, and Alicia took a long, overdue hot bath.
She changed into a fresh, new, buttery yellow gown that was sent as a gift by Queen Catherine. Afterwards, she brushed her hair, and while the maids cleaned up, and the tub was taken away, she ate her first meal in over three days. Refreshed and recharged, she awaited the visitors she was sure were bound to call upon her. She wasn’t mistaken. King Amber and Queen Catherine arrived almost simultaneously. Alicia was amused to notice that Theodore hovered next to Queen Catherine, almost daring her to say and do anything that would put Alicia into jeopardy again.
King Amber came and kissed her hand. “It’s a pleasure to see you awake, my dear. I have been praying for your quick recovery.”
She inclined her head and motioned for him to take a seat. “You are too kind, Your Majesty.”
“No, my dear. It’s you who has been kind to us. What you did for me, my family, and my son…” His voice broke. A tear escaped from his eye and rolled down his plump cheek. “For that, my wife and I, we are ever so grateful. If there is anything we can do, anything at all…”
From the corner of her eyes, Alicia saw Queen Catherine move forward one short step, her face beaming with suppressed excitement. Theodore put his hand on her wrist and stopped her.
The Warrior Mage Page 21