The Last Healer

Chapter 57: Alexander

Chapter 57 Alexander

My hand tightened around my cane as I hobbled into the Healer's Tower. There was still a small part of me that didn't want to believe that such a thing was possible, that this could happen, that this was happening. Ariella didn't deserve this, she didn't deserve any of this. It wasn't fair. Not to her, not to anyone.

I limped over to the stairs and slowly made my way up towards Ariella's home. I remembered the looks on her family's faces when they realized the situation we were in. The understood the seriousness and the horror that we all have to face with this news. None of us can understand what those bastards were thinking or why they hated Ariella so much. There were no answers to the millions of questions that we had and all we could do was to learn each horror that Ariella endured and do what we can to fix it.

"Alexander." It was Thomas who opened the door. Irritation filled his eyes as he stepped back to allow me through.

"Thomas." I nodded my head towards him in a sense of respect and walked inside. My eyes fell on Ariella. She was sitting at the table, picking at the food in front of her, her feet tucked beneath. I limped forward and sat next to her, my hand reaching out to caress hers. "I'm here, Ariella."

"I'm scared." Her voice was soft and her eyes stared down at the plate filled with food.

I was too, but I couldn't tell her that. I couldn't let her know that I was afraid too. "Don't worry." I told her, my hand squeezing hers. "When this is over with, we'll go to the garden, just the two of us."

Ariella glanced up at me, her eyes filled with hope and I smiled. I forced myself to smile. It was going to be alright. I knew it would be. It had to be.

A knock sounded on the door and I turned to see Thomas go and open it. I watched as the Elder walked in, her brown hair shifting slightly as her head turned towards Ariella.

"It is good to see you again, Lady Ariella." The woman smiled and stepped towards us. "I just wish it was under better circumstances."

"As do we." Captain Mathews stated as he walked closer, his hand resting on Ariella's shoulder. "You can do this?"

"There's only one was to find out, sir." She tilted her head in respect, her eyes half closed as if she didn't want to see the world as it was. "Did you drink what I sent you, child?"

"Yes, ma'am." Ariella whispered and I turned to her in surprise. She gave me a small smile when I looked at her in confusion. "She wanted me to drink a pain reliever she had made."

"It is possible for there to be some pain when a Seal is broken." The Elder explained as she motioned for Ariella to get up and follow her. "This is the only way I can imagine to inhibit her from feeling the pain."

"Will it work?" I demanded, my hand reaching out towards Ariella's hand, clinging to it as tightly as I could.

"I can only hope." The woman sighed and I glanced up at Ariella.

"We'll take a picnic to the garden too." Her voice was soft as her hand slipped from mine and the two of them disappeared down the hall and into Ariella's room.

"With things as crowded as it is down stairs, Madam Lillian believed it best to do it here." Natalie explained to me as she took the seat that Ariella was just in.

"She doesn't want us in there until after the Seal is broken." Brittney added, her shoulder pressing against the wall across from me. "Apparently she thinks we'll get in the way."

"We probably would." Dimitri grumbled as he stumbled over to the couches and collapsed on the one nearest to the fire.

We would. Or, at least, I would. I'd want to be there, holding her hand. She needed me and, yet, I couldn't be there. My right fist clenched angrily, shaking slightly as my nails dug into my skin.

This had to go well. The Seal would be broken, she would recover, and everything would be fine.

It had to be.

And then my world stopped.

A scream tore through the room. The high-pitched, blood curling scream that pierced my mind. My shoulders tensed and my eyes fell on Brittney, tears falling from her eyes as she looked down the hall in horror.

Ariella.

My cane clattered to the floor as I shoved the chair back and ran towards her room. Pain flooded my body and I pushed it to the back of my mind as my hand latched onto the handle, fear exploding inside of me. The door gave way and my eyes fell on her.

Her hair sprawled around her, her right arm hanging uselessly off the edge of the bed, and her eyes barely open.

"Ariella!" Her name tore through my lips as I rushed forward, my hand clenching onto hers as my other hand caressed her cheek. "Ariella."

"She isn't dead." The Elder told me, her hand resting on my shoulder. "The Seal broke, but then years of her unused Power exploded inside of her. She wasn't ready."

"Do something."

"All we can do is to wait for her to wake up."

My hand squeezed harder as I stared down at her. How much Power was inside of her? Would it wait until she awakes or will it destroy her before she even has a chance? "What if she doesn't?"

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