Ajacii and Demons: The Ingenairii Series

by Jeffrey Quyle

  Caitlen’s hand shot above her head and waved at the couple, who immediately began to cross the traffic towards her and her escort. The man had a bushy beard, and a menacing power that caused Caitlen to step back closer to her guards.

  “Princess, I see now why our cousin is so smitten with you,” the woman said. “You are a lovely girl. Please take us inside,” her voice spoke through her veil.

  Despite her efforts, Caitlen had not yet developed the ability to farspeak with Bethany or Rahm or any others, so she spoke out loud. “We’re going to take these visitors to the gardens,” she said, and she disappeared from the public’s view as she stepped back into the palace grounds.

  “Who are you?” she asked the strange visitor as they followed a path around the main palace buildings.

  “My name is Bernadina. I owe my life to Alec’s heroics, and perhaps he owes some of his health to my efforts. I recognize what a great soul he is, and I want to save him. I heard your anguish and his, so Baltasar and I have brought a means to help him heal,” the woman replied.

  Caitlen studied her eyes, visible above the veil she wore. “Why are you hiding your face?” the princess asked.

  “I do not wish to be seen or recognized,” the woman said dismissively.

  “Are you really a cousin to Alec? He never said he had any family in our land,” Caitlen challenged.

  “The relationship is so remote that it scarcely can be recognized except for those who know how to study the minutest characteristics,” the woman said. “But the fact that we can speak to one another is evidence of the kinship.”

  “Will that building do?” Caitlen pointed to a large garden shed they were heading towards.

  “We will see,” Bernadina replied, large Baltasar remaining silent. They reached the shed and examined it. “Once we move the clutter around, there will be plenty of room. I’d like a large, clean tub brought out here,” she said. “We’ll use it to immerse Alec in the water I’ve brought from one of our springs.

  “Could you have one of your guards bring some refreshments for us as well?” she asked.

  “Would you like to come into the palace to rest?” Caitlen asked.

  “No, thank you,” Bernadina replied. “Please just bring us the things we asked for,” in a tone that clearly was dismissive. “And a pair of cots we can rest on.”

  “Rahm, you remain outside the cottage and keep guard,” Caitlen ordered. “Bethany, you go have a tub cleaned out and delivered. I’ll go talk to the doctors about moving Alec out here. How soon will you be ready for him?”

  “Within two hours if everything is delivered immediately,” Bernadina replied, and then she seemed to soften. “You may spend as much time with him here as you wish. Now please go, and allow all things to be done.”

  Bethany escorted Caitlen to the palace and turned her over to other guards, then went on her own duties, while Caitlen went to the kitchen and ordered a platter of food stuffs to be delivered to the cottage, before she took a bath to relax and calm her nerves. Alec still held onto life after nearly three weeks of his sleeping coma, but his condition had gotten no better despite all the attention the doctors had lavished on him. She had grown accustomed to her frequent visits to his slack-muscled body, painful as it was to look at with the many horrific wounds that would not heal.

  Caitlen left her rooms and returned to the infirmary, where Bethany found her sitting alone sometime later, her hand resting gently on top of Alec’s now bald and scarred scalp. “Have you delivered a tub?” the princess asked the guard.

  “I had a horse trough cleaned out and taken over from the stables,” Bethany replied.

  “Good idea; he likes horses so much,” Caitlen commented. “Would you please go get four strong guardsmen who can carry him?” she asked softly.

  Bethany left wordlessly, and returned shortly with the men she had selected, who carefully each picked up a corner of the cot that Alec rested on, as Caitlen covered him with a white sheet to hide his wounds from those he would pass by. Slowly the entourage passed through the back halls of the palace, and along the garden trails of the grounds until they came to the shed, and placed the cot in the spot where Bernadina directed, next to the trough.

  “You’re sure this will heal him?” Caitlen asked, feeling as though Alec were slipping away from her.

  “These waters have healed him twice before, both times after he was wounded or drained from trying to reach you,” Bernadina said in a no-nonsense tone. “You all are excused to go now,” she said, looking around at the full house.

  “Rahm, Bethany, you stay here with me,” Caitlen countermanded as the shed began to empty. “You’ve known him longer than I have,” she said as she gently reached over and removed his cover.

  Bernadina looked down at the badly wounded shell of a body, and began to weep softly. She pulled back her hood, and removed her veil at last, and Caitlen stared at her luminous beauty in wonder. “Baltasar, as gently as I know you can, please,” she said to her companion, and the giant man cautiously slid his arms beneath the brittle body and moved it into the trough. “That’s it,” Bernadina directed as she wiped away her tears. “Prop his head up a little more.”

  Baltasar did as asked, then removed the end of one cask and easily lifted it, so that he could pour its contents into the trough with Alec. The pouring water released a calming, fresh fragrance, that brought hope to Bethany’s heart.

  “I felt the grendal, the monster, emerge into our world, so close for the first time, and then I felt the fear that Alec broadcast as he prepared to fight the monster. That boy has such strength!” Bernadina said to Caitlen as the second keg of water began to pour into the trough.

  “Here, begin to empty this into the water,” she told the princess, handing her a canvas bag of herbs. Caitlen sat on a stool next to the trough and began to sprinkle the fragrant elements into the water. As she did she perceived a slight glow in the water, a radiance that seemed to hang near Alec’s flesh even as a new keg of water was poured in, creating roiling currents within the liquid.

  With three kegs of water, the trough was still less than half full. “Undress, and join him in the water,” Bernadina ordered Caitlen.

  “But what will it do to my baby?” Caitlen asked.

  “There will be no harm; in fact, you and the child will benefit. But Alec will be better off for having your energy and your presence, and we won’t need to pour in so much of the water to fill the tub,” Bernadina answered. “Would you rather that I join him in the tub?” she asked.

  “No!” Caitlen replied indignantly. “Rahm, turn around,” she ordered as Bethany helped her disrobe and enter the trough. “This is cold!” she squealed as she awkwardly lowered herself into the water at the other end of the trough, her legs spreading wide along the sides of Alec’s body, raising the water level within the container.

  “One more keg,” Bernadina told Baltasar, as she looked appraisingly at the loaded cart. “We’ll have enough water for at least two more baths,” she judged.

  “What happens next?” Caitlen asked as the last keg of water raised the level in the trough up to her chin.

  “Sit back and relax princess,” Bernadina replied. “We need to let him soak in this water for as long as possible; the longer the better. I’d like for him to have a week in the water,” she explained calmly. “More time if possible.”

  “A week?” Caitlen choked out the words. “I can’t sit in this tub for a week! I have to be able to attend to the needs of the empire.”

  “Could I sit in the tub with him?” Bethany asked. “Or Rahm? Could we add more water to make it last longer?” she asked, trying to find solutions to the problem.

  “Do you have any water available with powers or abilities?” Bernadina asked.

  “The fountain of strength!” Rahm spoke out loud.

  “And what is that?” Bernadina asked.

  “Alec created a fountain when he fought two traitors, people who had battle skills almost as good as his,�
�� Rahm explained. “The end of the battle was a great explosion that killed the other two, just vaporized them, and left a big stony fountain. They say that drinking the water from the fountain makes you stronger.”

  “Ah! That boy is so unpredictable! Bring me a jug of that water. I want to examine it,” the grendasteur told Rahm.

  “Yes, you love him enough I know you will energize the waters. You may rest in the waters with him too,” Bernadina told Bethany. “And the same goes for the man who just left.”

  And so their long siege on Alec’s injuries began. Around the clock Rahm, Bethany, Caitlen and Bernadina laid in the water with Alec for days, soaking in a mixture of the spring water Bernadina brought and the fountain water that she determined could aid his healing. “So he defeated two of the Ajacii,” Bernadina said softly as she listened to Caitlen explain the origins of the fountain late one night as they exchanged places in the tub. “That will cause ripples across the lands for years to come.”

  “Who are Ajacii?” Caitlen asked.

  “In a sense, they are one of the other groups of distant cousins of your beloved,” Bernadina answered. “I won’t say more than that.”

  Ten days after Bernadina’s arrival, Alec was looking remarkably better. The burns on his skin were forming scars nicely, his breathing was regular and strong, and a dark fuzz of hair was beginning to grow again on his scalp.

  “Today you should try to contact him,” Bernadina told Caitlen as she disrobed to enter the trough of water. “Lean your body against his as best you are able, and then use your heart to speak to him; see if he can be roused, but don’t be disappointed if he doesn’t respond. There is still a long way to go, depending on what he can do for himself.”

  Caitlen held onto Bernadina’s hands as she awkwardly positioned herself next to Alec, her arms wrapped around his neck and her hands clutching his head. Alec, my beloved, can you hear me? She sent a strong message.

  Alec, do you feel my love? She asked after a minute without a response.

  There was a stirring in his consciousness, and Bernadina reached down to stroke Caitlen’s back with encouragement.

  Alec, we’re alive. You beat the monster; you saved us all, Caitlen began to nervously send a stream of positive comments to him. You need to heal so that we can finish our wedding.

  Caitlen? Alec’s mind groped for her name.

  “Yes, Alec!” she said aloud, stretching up to kiss his lips. “It’s me, here with you. I’m in love with you. You need to heal so that we can finish our wedding, or are you afraid to go on a honeymoon with me now?” she began to cry tears of joy.

  “Is everything alright?” he asked. “Are we married?”

  “Almost. We just need to finish the last bit of the ceremony, and then we’ll be married,” Caitlen assured him. She looked up at Bernadina with a beatific smile.

  “You have a friend here,” Caitlen told him. “Your friend Bernadina came to see you, to help you heal.”

  Alec’s head moved slightly, and he opened his one good eye briefly. “The grendasteur is as glorious as ever,” he smiled at her, then closed his eye again and fell back into unconsciousness.

  “He’s alive!” Caitlen said. “Can you help me up? I want to go tell Bethany and Rahm,” she slowly rose, dried off, and put her clothes back on. “How fast will he recover now? What will happen next?”

  “He is made of sturdy stock,” Bernadina replied. “In just a few days I think he’ll be cured, and we can return to our home.”

  “You can stay as long as you want,” Caitlen told her. “You can have anything you desire as a reward for helping Alec heal.”

  “You don’t have the power to grant what we would want, and there’s virtually nothing we need,” Bernadina answered. “Don’t worry. Go spread good cheer among your friends,” she said as she began to undress and climb in the tub to help foster Alec’s healing.

  Alec, do you hear me? She asked as Caitlen scurried away.

  Bernadina, is that you? he asked in a dreamy tone.

  It is me; I’ve come to help heal you, wondrous one. You’re doing much better now, she told him.

  Is Caitlen here? He asked. Did I hear her before?

  She was here a moment ago. She has been here faithfully while you’ve healed, Bernadina replied. She is passionately in love with you. She’ll be back soon.

  You have been gravely injured, Bernadina said, and flashed to his mind a medley of images and observations. But you are slowly getting better. How can I help you?

  Did I kill the demon? Alec asked as he tried to digest the information about all the injuries he suffered from. I must have, or I wouldn’t be here right now, he answered his own question. I will be able to use my healer powers to repair much of this, he thought.

  “But injuries given by demons are devastating, especially if their blood makes contact with the victim’s flesh. I have scars that have never healed because of the wounds they came from, demon wounds,” he said out loud.

  Thank you for being here, he told Bernadina. Let me rest and recover for now, and he fell back asleep.

  Bernadina considered his words for a long time afterwards. “This may be more than we have the ability to set right,” she said to Baltasar, who sat silently in the corner as he usually did, watching and waiting patiently. “This one has suffered great evil inflicted on his body and his spirit, and even though his spirit is able to bounce back, his body may have met its match this time. Let us hope not, dear,” she said, and she snuggled her body against the armless side of Alec, her head on his shoulder, letting the water draw on her spirit and energy to continue to heal him.

  Bethany, Rahm and Caitlen returned to the cottage soon thereafter, and Bernadina gave a simple message that he had spoken and was aware of his injuries, then fallen back to sleep, glossing over some of the worries she had about his ability to totally re-heal.

  The next day Alec awoke and ate soup, the first substantial nourishment he had taken since the wedding day attack. “Stay in the water one more day,” Bernadina counseled, “and tomorrow you can arise.” Caitlen sat with him that day and they talked continually, holding hands.

  “Can your furniture maker fashion a peg leg for me?” Alec asked as Caitlen prepared to leave for the evening.

  “If that’s what is needed, that’s what we’ll do,” Caitlen agreed gently, and kissed him tenderly before she left.

  After her departure, Alec closed his eyes, and practiced the use of his ingenaire powers, checking to make sure they were all intact.

  “What are you planning?” Bernadina asked, sitting in a rocking chair nearby and knitting.

  “This water is a marvelous tool,” Alec answered. “And if my healing power is going to be able to repair these demon wounds, my best chance will be while I’m resting in this trough.”

  “Your best chance would be to come back to Warm Springs with me and recuperate in the waters in the spring itself, where they are most potent,” she answered.

  “I’ve got one eye, one leg, and one arm,” Alec sighed. “Which should I try to heal first?”

  “I’ll focus on the arm,” he answered himself.

  Closing his eye, he slid deeper down into the trough of water, took a deep breath, and focused his energy on the need to grow a bone from the stump of the joint that he had remaining. He attempted to stretch out the humerus, seeking to grow the bone down to the elbow first, so that he could then attach tendons and the bicep needed to make the upper arm complete. His energy slid away from the injury in a fashion he couldn’t comprehend or overcome though, despite repeated efforts.

  With a sigh he gave up the effort, then examined his ribs, and tried to knit them together, finishing the natural healing that had already begun. His powers worked perfectly, strengthening the ribs, and removing the last tenderness he felt.

  “I’ll just be a one armed, one legged, one eyed man, I suppose,” he said. “Maybe next year I will be able to journey up to Warm Springs to heal, I won’t be of much value here
,” he moaned.

  “Stop feeling sorry for yourself,” Bernadina spoke sharply. “You are alive. You defeated the most malignant thing I have ever known to walk on these lands. You saved the life of your beloved.”

  “You’re right, but I’ll never be able to fight another demon in this state,” Alec agreed. “And however this one managed to be conjured forth, I can’t help but fear there will be another sooner or later.”

  “Another one of those grendels?” Bernadina asked in horror.

  “I know,” Alec agreed. “They are foul, soul-sucking monsters. They changed my life forever. The battles I have fought with them have hollowed me out at times. If God were not with me, I would not have survived.”