by Todd, E. L.
Aleco was even more confused. They were cornered in the street like pigs ready to be slaughtered. They were outnumbered and exhausted. Aleco didn’t think they were going to survive the siege at all. The only reason he hadn’t retreated was because he wasn’t going to leave without Accacia. Now the soldiers were surrendering to them?
“We’re missing something,” Zyle said. He shared the same thoughts with Aleco. Their behavior was inexplicable.
The soldier with the horn shouted over the shouts of the confusion. “The leader of your organization needs to speak to the commander in the palace. He has requested your presence.” Zyle looked at Aleco, and Aleco nodded. Both men followed behind the soldier toward the palace in the distance. Now that the battle was over they knew Accacia was safe—if she was still alive. If she wasn’t, then it didn’t matter. Instead of looking for her, they knew they should wait for her to come to them. They were never going to find her in this province.
They came to the grounds of the palace and entered the doorway. The soldiers were attending to their wounded and tossing the corpses into piles near the wall, making a pyre to convert their bodies to ash.
“You’ll find the commander upstairs.” The soldier walked away and disappeared into the crowd. Zyle walked through the door first and Aleco followed behind. The palace was dark with dim lighting. The torches along the walls burned low, like a great wind had almost extinguished them. When they walked up the stairs they looked around, unsure where to do. Zyle spotted Accacia first.
“ACCACIA!” He sprinted to her and fell to his knees, grabbing her face in his hands. Aleco dashed over as soon as he heard her name. He fell to the floor and looked at Accacia. She looked dead. Her blood had soiled the bandage on her arm and her head had smeared blood on the tile. Her pale face was white and lifeless. Even her lips were fair. Neither of them noticed the unconscious man tied to the railing.
Aleco grabbed her wrist and felt the faint pulse beneath the skin. “She’s alive—but barely.” Her breathing was deep and shallow, like she couldn’t expand her lungs to their full potential. Aleco knew there was something wrong. He took off her cloak and saw the armor embedded into her chest. It had been crushed inwards. “We need to get this off her—now.”
Zyle unclasped the locks on the armor and unhinged the breast plate, pulling it from her sternum. Zyle’s eyes flooded with tears at the sight. Her chest was black and blue. It looked like her chest had caved in, impaling her body. Now Aleco knew why she couldn’t breathe. Aleco forced himself to remain calm and not give into the emotion of the moment. Unless he got his act together and focused, she was going to die. Aleco blinked back the tears. “This is beyond my skills. She needs blood and her sternum needs to be reconstructed—we need a healer.”
“There has to be one in the city,” Zyle said.
Aleco nodded. Neither one of the men wanted to move from her side, waiting for the other man to make the first move. Aleco sighed and rose to his feet. “Don’t let her die.”
“Go to Mirron in the southern part of the district,” the man whispered from the rail. “He is the best healer we have. You can find him next to Robles Pub.” Mitan breathed through the pain spreading through his limbs. The medication Accacia gave him had worn off. “I am in need of his assistance as well.”
Aleco stared at him. “If you’re the one who did this to her, Mirron won’t be able to help you.” Aleco pulled down his hood and locked his threatening gaze onto the commander. “Healers can’t bring men back from the dead.” Mitan met his gaze but said nothing. Aleco ran down the stairs and dashed into the street, sprinting through the city until he found the man he sought. He returned a few minutes later with the elderly healer.
Zyle was holding her in his arms, burying his face into her neck as he let himself become overcome with grief. He couldn’t go on if she didn’t survive. Mirron looked at Accacia’s body and studied her injuries. “Let’s take her into a bedroom where she will be more comfortable.” Zyle grabbed her body before Aleco could even touch her. He carried her into the nearest bedchamber, not checking who was in it or who it belonged to. Zyle undressed her and tucked her into the sheets before he let Mirron and Aleco enter the room. Aleco was annoyed by his protection of her privacy. Aleco had already seen her naked—plenty of times. And Mirron was going to have to see her as well in order to treat her. Aleco walked to the opposite side of the bed, and Zyle stood next to Mirron.
“Please save her,” Zyle said through his tears. “I’ll give you whatever you want in return.”
Mirron stared at him. “I can’t promise that I can, but I vow I will do everything I can to save her.” The healer felt the broken sternum of her chest and assessed the color of the bruises. He listened to her heart beat under her chest and monitored the limited expansion of his lungs. “I may need your assistance.”
Zyle hovered over him, wanting to do something to help. “I am completely at your disposal.”
Aleco spoke from the other side of the room. “As am I.”
Mirron looked at both of the men in confusion. He decided not to question it. He opened his bag on the bed and removed a small vial that contained a clear liquid. It looked like water but more viscous. “I need a sample of your blood—both of you.”
Without hesitation, Aleco removed his dagger and cut his hand while he walked to the healer. Zyle cut his own hand and held it out. The elderly man poured a drop of clear liquid onto each cut, which burned both men painfully. Aleco’s blood turned green while Zyle’s remained unaffected. The man sprinkled the liquid into Accacia’s cut and it also turned green.
Mirron turned to Aleco. “You blood is compatible.”
“Take whatever you need—take it all if you must. I don’t care if it kills me.”
Mirron took a tube from his back and slid it into Accacia’s vein. He inserted the other end into Aleco’s arm. “That won’t be necessary.” The healer turned to Zyle. “I’m going to have to open her chest to flatten out her sternum. The reason why she is having difficulty breathing is because the bone is pressing against her lungs, inhibiting their expansion.” Zyle nodded at his words. “She may die during the surgery but there is no other option. I don’t know what her relationship is to both of you but I would like to have the permission of her family before I continue.”
“We are both her family,” Aleco said before Zyle could speak.
Mirron nodded. “Very well,” he said. “May I proceed?”
Zyle and Aleco were silent for a moment. They both knew what Accacia would want. Zyle nodded. “Do it,” he said. “Is there anything I can do?”
Mirren rolled up his sleeves and pulled down the covers, revealing her bruised chest that was slightly caved in. “Actually, there is,” he said. “But I understand if you choose not to do it.”
“If he won’t, I will,” Aleco said. “I don’t care what it is.”
Mirron turned to him. “You are already saving her life by doing that,” he said as he looked at the blood draining from his body. “You can’t do both.”
“Yes,” Zyle said. “Of course I will. What is it?”
Mirron pulled his blade and other tools from his pack and set them on the bed. “It isn’t necessary but it will help her.”
“He’ll do it,” Aleco said. “Now get on with it.”
Mirron ignored him. “I can transfer some of the pain to you, not the infliction, and you can carry it yourself. She will be unaware of the pain, but the agony itself can inhibit the healing process. You would relieve a lot of stress on her body.”
“Can you transfer all of it?”
Mirron was quiet for a moment. “Yes, but I don’t recommend it. Splitting it between the two of you should be sufficient.”
“Why don’t you recommend it?”
Mirron looked at her wounds then looked back at Zyle. “The pain will be agonizing. You may not be able to concentrate on anything but the pain. It could even make you bed-ridden.”
Zyle shook his head. “Give me al
l of it.”
Mirron sighed. “Are you sure?”
“Do it.” His eyes were clear blue. Mirron could see the absence of any hesitation or doubt. Zyle turned to Aleco. “I may be indisposed. Will you lead the Asquithians along with your own men?”
“Yes.”
Zyle nodded his gratitude then turned back to the healer. “I’m ready.”
Mirron nodded. “After I attend to her, I will attend to the commander. He looks like he needs more attention than Accacia does.”
“You will not touch him,” Aleco said. “If you heal him without my consent, I will kill you, Mirron.” The threat in his voice was deadly.
“Tis’ not very wise to threaten the man who is healing the woman you love.”
Aleco said nothing.
“We think he is the one responsible for her injuries,” Zyle said.
“I have no doubt that he is.”
Mirron grabbed his blade from the bed and began the procedure. “I suggest the pair of you look away. The sight can make even the strongest man faint.”
Zyle took a seat and looked toward the door, avoiding the sight of Accacia’s broken body and Aleco’s cloaked face. Zyle recognized the sound of Laura’s voice in the hallway.
“We’re in here,” he called to her.
Laura walked into the room and her gaze fell on Accacia’s fragile state. She covered her face with her hands and immediately began to cry. Zyle stood and hugged her. “She’s alive,” he whispered. “It’s okay.”
“Is she going to stay that way?”
Zyle nodded. “I hope so. We are doing everything we can for her. Aleco is giving her his blood and I am burdening the pain of her recovery.
“Is there anything I can do?”
“Yes,” he said. “I need to stay here with her. I need both you and Aleco to continue with the plans. Gather the slaves and prepare them in the wagons. We need to leave as soon as possible.”
“What of my niece?”
“We will let her recover as long as we can,” he said. “We can lay her in one of the wagons so she can rest on the way back.”
Laura walked to the bedside and held Accacia’s hand. She didn’t look at what the healer was doing. Instead, she concentrated her sight on Accacia’s face. Laura leaned in and kissed her brow. “You’re going to be alright,” she whispered. Laura kneeled at the bedside and said nothing for several moments, crying to herself quietly. Zyle felt himself lose his hold on his emotions. He had never felt worse—not even when Cassandra died. Aleco said nothing as he felt the blood leave his body and drain into Accacia, weakening him with every beat of his heart.
Mirron nodded to Aleco. “That’s plenty,” he said. “Take the tube out of your skin and wrap up the wound.”
Laura walked over to Aleco and helped him wrap a cloth snugly around his arm. “Thank you so much,” she said through her tears. “Thank you.”
Aleco sat forward. “You don’t need to thank me, Laura. I would have ripped out my heart and given it to her if that’s what she needed—this was nothing. I wish I could do more.” Aleco looked at Accacia’s face and noticed the color had increased in her cheeks. He felt happy knowing a part of his essence was circulating within her. That his body was healing hers with every beat of her heart. “We need to prepare for the departure,” he said to Laura. “I wish I could stay by Accacia’s side but preparations need to be made.” Laura nodded at his words. “I am certain Zyle will look after her.”
Zyle nodded.
“I will return with every spare moment that I have.” Aleco stood up and walked from the room, taking Laura with him. Zyle sat beside Accacia and waited for the healer to finish the procedure. He heard the audible crack of bone and felt his body flinch at the sound. He cracked her sternum back into place. Zyle felt the tears fall from his eyes. If he had protected her, then none of this would have happened. He was the worst husband ever.
An hour later, the healer leaned away from Accacia and put his instruments away. Accacia’s chest was tied together with tiny strings of thread, holding her chest in place. The skin was just as black and blue as it had been before. “I have these tonics for her,” Mirron said. “They will decrease the swelling and the intensity of the bruises.” He placed his pack at the end of the bed and turned to Zyle. “Are you ready?”
Zyle nodded. “Yes.”
“Place your hand over Accacia’s heart—but don’t push on it.” Zyle leaned over her and felt the skin. He could feel her pulse beating under his hand, slow and steady. “Focus your mind on taking the pain into you—completely.” Zyle nodded. The healing of the creatures was very similar, but in this case you didn’t harvest the injury, just the pain. He closed his eyes and begged for the pain to come to him. He didn’t want Accacia to feel any agony. After several minutes, the pain rushed into him, bursting like a ruptured damn, and it flooded to every corner of his body. Zyle removed his hand from Accacia and leaned back. The pain was excruciating. He couldn’t bear it if Accacia had to suffer through this. It hurt his chest just to breathe, and he had a throbbing headache behind his eyes. His limbs were strained beyond belief. He hadn’t realized how badly injured she was. He had only concentrated on her chest. Mirron steadied him. “Are you alright?”
Zyle couldn’t speak. He only nodded.
“I suggest you lie down.”
“I’m not leaving her.”
“Then lie down beside her,” he suggested. “This bed can accommodate both of you.” Mirron helped Zyle to his feet and assisted him to the other side of the bed. Zyle lied down and felt his chest heave with pain.
“Can I have something for the pain?” he asked.
Mirron shook his head. “No,” he said. ‘That’s how the healing spell works, I’m afraid. It works on love alone—the unconditional love to bear the weight of someone else’s suffering. If you ease the pain by other means, you aren’t truly accepting it.”
Zyle nodded.
“I’ll check on her hourly—and you as well.”
Zyle closed his eyes and said nothing. He heard Mirron leave the room and shut the door behind him, leaving Zyle lying beside Accacia in the darkness. Zyle could think of nothing besides the all-consuming pain. He felt helpless and unable to move, but he was thankful Accacia would never feel the agony. It was the least he could do. He promised he would protect her but he failed her. She was on the brink of death because of him. This never would have happened if he had guarded her as her king and husband. Zyle deserved to be killed for what he had done. He grabbed her hand and held it within his own. “I’m so sorry.”
Paso Robles
28
Most of the slaves were ecstatic about their newfound freedom from Paso Robles, others were simply frightened. The king had shipped them to Paso Robles as a free people to start their new lives in a beautiful province, but they had been lied to. Were they being lied to now?
Aleco and Laura tried to convince the few hesitant people that they had no such intentions. It took a while for the slaves to trust Aleco. But most of the other citizens were elated at their breakout. Women hugged Aleco when he told them the news and even the men did as well. They were so happy to escape. When Aleco asked for their allegiance in the coming war they agreed without hesitation. The slaves knew they wouldn’t be free for long or for always. They had to ensure it wouldn’t happen again. Aleco convinced them that the only way to do that was by killing the king.
Not everyone agreed, of course. Others wanted nothing to do with the war. They wanted to return to their families they had lived without for so long. Aleco respected their decision and didn’t try to convince them otherwise. They had the right to do what they wished.
Aleco and Laura prepared for the exodus from the city for the next two days. Roxian aided in their efforts as well and assisted them with the plans. She looked at Aleco in the way she always did when she wanted him, but he just shook his head. He was too depressed at the moment. They stripped the soldier barracks and handed shields and armor to the peo
ple who wanted to fight in the upcoming war, both men and women. Aleco would take anyone at this point.
Accacia hadn’t woken up in the intervening time. She lied in the same position they had put her in, never stirring for any reason. Aleco was in her room every chance he got, holding her hand while Zyle held the other, and waited for her to improve. Zyle and Aleco dropped their mutual hatred of each other in light of Accacia’s condition. It was irrelevant.
Aleco sat in her bedroom the night before they left. Zyle lied beside her in bed, holding her hand under the sheets. Aleco handed him a bag of fruits and nuts to eat. He suspected he hadn’t eaten much. “I need you to stay strong for the battle—you are one of my best fighters.”
Zyle smiled as he ate the walnuts and almonds Aleco had brought him. It was the first compliment he had ever received from the Nature Priest. “How’s the pain?” Aleco asked.
Zyle stared at him in disbelief. “Since when did you are start caring?”
“I haven’t, you idiot. I asked for Accacia. If the pain has diminished, then she’s getting better. If it’s gotten worse, then perhaps there’s something we haven’t treated.”
Zyle nodded. “That sounds more like you,” he said. “It has decreased—but it’s still very painful.”
Aleco nodded. “We need to leave tomorrow. She can lie on some pillows and blankets in the cart. I rubbed the tonic on her chest and the cut along her arm. The bruises have almost disappeared.” Aleco caressed the skin of her hand gently. “I have a healing lotion I invented myself that will remove any scar—her skin will be as flawless as it was.”
Zyle was annoyed that Aleco had stared at her chest without his permission—but he let it go. He knew Aleco was only trying to help her. Besides, he already admitted he fantasized about her so it didn’t matter. Aleco had to imagine being with her—Zyle got to experience it every night.
They sat in silence, neither one having anything worth saying to the other. Aleco felt the guilt swell in his mind when he thought about what had befallen Accacia. If he had protected her better, this wouldn’t have happened. He blamed Zyle as well. Aleco heard Zyle’s breaths become louder and more relaxed so Aleco knew he had fallen asleep. He took that as a good sign. The pain wasn’t unbearable if he could sleep through it. Aleco felt the pressure on his fingers and he stared at Accacia, wondering if she had awoken. He stared at her for a moment but she didn’t open her eyes.