by Jen L. Grey
What in Knova? I know the king is cruel, but in front of all the guards? Our special time with him is one-on-one with no witnesses of his brutality. Is he trying to send a message to the other guards? And why is our bond not working now? I didn't feel anything alarming today. In fact, I didn't last night either. It seems as if the stronger my powers get, the less I can feel Logan.
He slides down the wall.
I grab his hand and pull his arm over my shoulder, supporting some of his weight. “Come on, let’s move you to the bed. We need to get your wounds tended to.”
He pulls away. “Wait, Ari, I don’t want to get blood all over the bed. Let me just jump in the shower.”
Logan moves around me, pressing me into the door as he makes his way to the shower. As soon as he's carrying his full weight, he topples over.
Without thinking, my power pulses inside me, and the air churns as it circles Logan. The wind helps him to stand, and I’m surprised to find that it’s connected to me. I guide it so that the air holds Logan upright. How am I doing this? The last time I even tried to do this years ago, everything blew around, and I broke some of our furniture. Snapping myself out of my daze, I reach out for Logan again and pull his arm over my shoulder. I release the wind, and it seems as if I’m missing something at the loss of the connection. I turn Logan toward his bedroom, and we walk to his bed.
I lay him down and rush to get some soap and water from the bathroom to clean his wounds. He needs pain ointment and ice, so I go to the kitchen to grab those things, as well. I walk back into his room and sit down on the bed beside him. “Logan, we need to get this ointment on your injuries.”
Logan whispers something but then passes out. I grab the soap and work on getting them all clean. We can’t risk infection, and he has already lost too much blood. Taking a calming breath and steadying my racing heart, I continue cleaning and putting on the pain ointment, hoping it relieves at least some of the pain. My hands tremble as I put clean bandages on him. What if he doesn’t stop bleeding soon?
I lay down beside him, needing to be close. What if he has internal bleeding? What if I can’t wake him? The thing that gives me comfort is listening to him breathe. As long as he’s breathing, he is still alive.
After a while, the sky is darkening and the time on the alarm clock confirms it’s evening. I get up and turn on one of the lamps by his bed. Oh, thank goodness.
His face isn’t stark white anymore. Some of his color has returned.
Now that some of the worry has been lifted from my shoulders, fatigue engulfs me. I want to sneak out to my favorite spot in the garden, so I can recharge. However, I won’t be leaving my brother’s side for the time being. For once, Logan is the one that needs someone to take care of him, and it tears my heart in two.
I walk out of his room and sit on the couch in the den. I never thought I’d ever see my big, strong brother weak and not able to stand on his own two feet. Even after the king’s beatings, Logan did not come home in such bad shape. The tears I have been holding back fall down my cheeks.
My brother is over six foot, with dark black hair like mine and eyes the color of emeralds. He has a strong jaw line and a serious expression most of the time. He’s lean and muscular, due to working in the barn, and that won’t be changing anytime soon now that he’s a guard.
I can’t help but notice that several girls watch him, even though they do not act on their attraction due to Logan being in such disfavor with the king. Much to my chagrin, even the awful Elizabeth pays attention to him, but only when her father’s back is turned.
Logan hates her guts because of her spoiled nature and how she treats me. Moments like this make me realize how different Nick is, compared to his father and sister.
Just thinking his name brings a grin to my face. I long to see Nick, but my brother needs me. He is much too important to leave for a few kisses.
A sudden, loud knock at the door startles me. I look at the clock in the den and note it’s not quite as late as I thought it was. I’m sure someone needs something from us. I rush to open the door before they can knock again. I don’t want them waking Logan.
I open the door and pause. Nick is standing there, worry lining his face. Well then. If thinking of Nick has him showing up at my door, I’m going to have to do this more.
His eyes fill with concern when he looks at me. “What the hell happened to you? Are you okay? Let me go get the healer for you.” He takes my hand, pulling me out into the hallway.
It takes me a second, but I look down and cringe when I see that I’m covered in my brother’s blood. “Shhh, calm down. Please, be quiet. This isn’t my blood. I’m okay. You aren’t supposed to be in this side of the palace, so hurry and come in.”
He pauses and then walks in the door. As soon as the door shuts, he turns to me, concern etched all over his face. “Okay. If it isn’t your blood, then whose is it?”
I exhale, not wanting to talk about this with him. Despite everything, I do not want to disrespect Nick’s father to his face, so I have to be careful. “It’s Logan. Today, he got distracted and lost focus. He was taught a lesson.”
Nick’s eyes widen. “What do you mean? When a guard gets distracted, they get to run an extra mile and do more pushups, depending on the severity. Why would he have such a harsh punishment?”
He waits for me to respond, and I have no idea what to say. How in Knova am I supposed to explain this to him without implicating his father? Despite everything, the king is still Nick’s father, and for that reason alone, I don’t want to tell him.
Nick is watching me, and asks, “Was my father involved in some capacity?”
Yeah, it is all your father’s fault, is how I want to respond. Just as I take a breath, Logan calls out for me. Our talking has woken Logan from his rest. That’s just how my luck has been today. As I’m about to answer him, banging noises come from his bedroom.
“Logan, I’m coming. Get back in bed.” I shake my head. What does he think he’s doing?
Logan ignores me and stumbles right through the door. He scowls at Nick.
Nick lets out a breath, in shock. He wasn’t expecting my brother to be in such bad shape, and Logan wasn’t expecting to find the prince in our quarters.
If the situation wasn’t so serious, I would find it hilarious.
Nick’s jaw drops. “Did a guard do this to you?”
The room goes quiet. Even if two guards fought each other, they still wouldn’t hurt each other like this, because they knew at the end of the day, there is a level of respect. When you have to trust someone in battle to watch your back, you tend to work things out between each other. Of course, when men ’work things out’, that means fists are involved.
Logan’s face hardens. “No, of course not. You should know better than that.” His eyes flicker to me. “Just because I’m beat up doesn’t mean I will allow anyone to be cruel to her. It’s me that your father has a problem with today. Leave her out of this.”
My brother stumbles in our direction, tucking me in behind him.
Of course, he would try to protect me, even when he’s near death. That’s what we do for each other. It goes beyond our bond. We love each other fiercely.
Nick’s face loses its color. “My father did this to you?” His tone is soft.
I want to go over and hold him but know this would escalate the situation even further.“You didn’t know? This is one of the activities he finds pleasure in,” Logan slurs.
Nick flinches, and my heart breaks for him.
At Logan’s slurred words, it becomes obvious that he’s done too much. I want to be there for Nick, but right now, my brother needs me more.
Logan stumbles, and somehow, I reach him before he hits the floor.
For what feels like the hundredth time today, I pull his arm over my shoulder and turn to walk him back to his room.
Nick moves toward us.
But I wave him away, not wanting to chance blood getting on his clothes. We already have enough things
to try to explain today. The last thing we need is people seeing blood on the prince’s clothes.
I shuffle Logan back to his room and lay him down on the bed.
As soon as his body hits the bed, he passes out.
Ugh! His wounds are bleeding again. I rewrap them quickly, not wanting him to lose much more blood. I can’t believe how this day has gone. I didn’t want Nick to realize what happened or, if he did, not to the extent. I didn’t want him to have to carry that burden.
After I finish tending to Logan, I sit a little longer, not wanting to face Nick. What if this changes his mind about us? Maybe this is all he needs to see in order to know things can’t work out between us.
After letting myself be a coward for a few more minutes, I drag myself back into the living room area. Much to my horror, the room is empty. Nick isn’t here anymore. I take a deep breath. This is a good thing. If he can’t handle this, it’s better to know now than later.
Needing time to myself, I make my way to my room. I pass by the mirror in my room and stop dead in my tracks. No wonder Nick left. My hair is in complete disarray, my clothes are drenched with blood, and my eyes are red from all the crying. The gray hue of my eyes contrasts with the red, making them even more spooky. To say I’m a hot mess would actually be a compliment at this point.
I need to get clean, and there is no saving these clothes. I take my clothes off, throwing them into the trash can, and go fetch a towel. My skin is itching, and I turn the shower on, hoping to scald off the day.
I drag myself out of the shower after washing all the blood away. I’m exhausted in every way and just need some sleep. However, there are noises coming from the den. Ugh, I bet it’s Mother, and she’s going to wake Logan. I quickly dress, then brush and braid my hair. I don’t want to freak her out, so I take a look at myself in the mirror, pleased that I look almost normal.
I walk into the living room. “Mother, please, be quiet. Logan got into an accident at his training today and…” Are my eyes playing tricks on me?
Nick is sitting on the couch and glances over with a naughty grin. “Well, I’m not digging being called Mother, Rave, but you look a lot better than you did just a little while ago.”
I stop dead in my tracks. Nick is here? He’d just left me when I was trying to take care of my brother. I’m so relieved that he’s here.
“Oh, come on. You were still gorgeous, but I’m not a fan of the ‘covered in blood’ look you had going on. I prefer the ‘freshly clean’ or ‘relaxing in the garden’ Raven.” He’s still grinning like the cat that ate the canary.
“You know I hate that nickname. Why are you here? You left.”
“You’re right, I’m sorry. Yes, I left to go fetch a healer. Your brother is in need of a professional. I’m impressed he was able to get up and come out here to threaten me. Overprotective brother? Check.” His trademark smirk is on full display.
What was he thinking? “Why would you get a healer? You know we aren't allowed to see the ones in the palace.”
He sighs. “Well, because your brother is hurt, and it seems my father played a large part in that role. The least I could do was get a healer I know, that is both good and discreet, to take care of him.”
As much as I want to be upset, I was worried about him making it through the night. Having someone check him out is a good thing. The slightest movements make his wounds open back up and bleed again.
I move toward the couch. “Mother will be home any second. You need to go. I don’t want her finding you here.”
He takes my hand, pulling me down to sit beside him. “Don't worry about your mother. I saw her trying to get access to your father today. She was visibly upset. It appeared that she’d found out about your brother’s recent assignment. I knew it would be bad if she made a scene, so I told her that the best thing she could do for you and Logan was to get some distance and calm down. I booked her a private cottage on the other side of the kingdom, so she won't be back for some time.”
Oh, thank goodness. A weight feels like it’s been removed from my shoulder, and I can breathe again. It’s crazy, because I didn’t realize how stressed I was. I can’t believe that Nick is trying to take care of our family. I open my mouth to thank him, but the healer comes out of Logan’s room.
He looks at me. “He is in bad shape but will make a full recovery. He needs his wounds stitched. I put some antibiotic ointment on them to prevent infection. He is going to be in immense pain but needs his wounds mended. Seeing as I'm not supposed to be here and providing care, I would recommend you take him to the village healer first thing in the morning. I know it will be rough getting him to the village, but he will need to be treated by the village healer. I also gave him a tincture to aid in his sleep tonight.”
Thank goodness. He’ll be okay. The hardest part will be getting him to the healer tomorrow. “Thank you so much. If there is anything I can do to help you in the future, please let me know. I am indebted to you.”
The healer nods at me, bows to Nick, and makes a quick exit.
Nick takes my hand and leads me to the door. “I'm so sorry this happened, Ariah, but your brother will be fine. I will do anything in my power to help you both. You've had a rough day, and I have no doubt that you'll be up all night checking on him, so I think it's best if I leave. Goodnight.” He kisses me on the lips before slipping out the door.
I stand there for a moment, bringing my fingertips up to brush my lips. I knew Nick wasn't like his father, but tonight he proved he is the complete opposite. In this moment, I’m falling for him. I just hope I don’t land right on my face.
Chapter Four
Did I get run over by a carriage last night? It sure seems like it. I just want to lay in bed all day, but we need to get moving. If we leave after daylight, the king would be alerted, and he would delay us.
I jump in the shower, hoping it makes me a feel a little more human. I look in the mirror while the water is warming and notice dark circles under my eyes. Last night was rough. Logan was crying out in pain, even while he slept. I had to go and crawl into bed with him, like I did when we were little kids. Being near him so I could listen to him breathe provided a small comfort.
Stepping under the hot water, I let it hit my back, hoping it loosens up the knots and kinks. I’ve aged a year in the past day. Needing to hurry, I force myself to get out of the shower, and it seemed to have helped clear the dark circles around my eyes. Wow, when did I become so conscious of my looks? Turning away from the mirror, disgusted with myself, I walk into my room to get dressed and ready for the day.
After getting dressed in a green shirt and pants, I head into the kitchen to gather some water and snacks for the trip into the village. Logan will need his energy, and the medicinal herbs settle hard on the stomach, so I need to find something for Logan to eat before we head out. I head down to the stables to round up some horses for the trip and pick one of the bigger, gentler mares for Logan. We would take this trip by foot, but the horses will be quicker.
I saddle up the horses and head back to our quarters. We need to hurry because dawn is approaching.
When I walk back into our den, I find that food was delivered while I was gone. Who would do something like this? Even my coffee maker is full of coffee on the counter. At this point, it’s confirmed that whoever sent us this breakfast and made my coffee must love me. Otherwise, they wouldn’t know about my caffeine addiction.
I grab two plates and start loading them up. At the table, there is a note addressed to me.
Ariah,
I am sorry that I can't help you with your trip today but figured I could at least send you breakfast.
Please, be careful, and if you can, meet me at the garden tonight after supper. I'll be there waiting.
You'll be on my mind all day.
Yours Truly,
Nick
My eyes moisten, and I reread the note several times. I can’t believe he was so thoughtful.
“What do we have here
?” Logan walks into the room. He’s stiff and pale.
I squeal. How did I not hear him enter the room?
He continues to look around, concern etched all over his face. “Why did one of the palace healers help me last night? And why do we have a buffet here in our kitchen? I know you can't cook, and Mother isn't around.”
Well, at least he’s aware. “It's from Prince Nicholas.” I set his plate down on a clear part of the table and take a deep breath. All right, here it goes. “He also brought a healer by, who said we are to go to the village healer and get you stitched, get more healing ointment, and get a note saying you are not to resume training until your stitches can be removed.”
He sits down at the table. “I will take a few days off training. I am in immense pain, but I'm sure you already know that.”
I sigh. “For the past couple of days, I haven’t been getting a read on your emotions.” I sit at the table across from him. Maybe, if I don’t act like it’s a big deal, he won’t notice.
Logan just grunts and picks his fork up to eat.
I want to help him, but I know it’s better not to try. I figure, right now, silence is best for the both of us. I take my last bite and realize that we need to get moving soon. “Logan, let’s head out. We need to beat the crowd and get you back here to rest.”
He gingerly gets up from the table.
When we reach the horses, I bring my powers forward and push it all out toward him. Once again, I am able to stir the air around him, even though I can feel spinning in my belly, like the air is moving inside me. I place him in the seat and try not to freak out at my abnormal control of the elements. Maybe Lydia will be able to help me and provide some guidance.
“Well, that’s new.” Logan’s eyes are wide. “But, right now, I am so thankful that you were able to do that. I wasn’t sure how I was going to pull myself up.”
I mount my horse, and we begin our slow gait to the village.