The Last Healer

Chapter 78: Ariella

Chapter 78: Ariella

"He's no where to be found." Father grumbled angrily as he paced around, frustration rolling off his shoulders. I sat next to Shanae, my left hand slightly pressing against her shoulder and dabbing alcohol against the wound as her face contorted in pain.

"He had to have known Shanae saw him which was why he attacked her." Alexander explained as he stepped closer, his hand resting on my shoulder. I glanced up at him and smiled for a moment before turning back to Shanae.

"Aye, but the other arrow that hit the wall wasn't aimed at her." Robert voiced from where he leaned against the wall, his eyes darting back and forth between the two. "He was trying to kill you too, Alexander."

"I figured as much." Alexander shrugged slightly before releasing a sigh. "I'd be surprised if he didn't try to kill me with how much he obviously hates me."

"Don't take it personal, Alex." Mother smiled softly at hi which caused him to snort.

"The only thing that I take personal is the fact that he's after Ariella." Alexander chuckled darkly, causing me to glance up at him in confusion. He shook his head slightly as if telling me that now wasn't the right time and motioned for me to go back to Shanae.

"None the less, we'll have to go through all of his paperwork and his home, try and see if there's something else we're missing." Father explained as he continued his pacing, his fingers tapping against his legs impatiently.

The last few hours had been like this, them worrying and planning what was going to happen next. The idea of a Captain being a traitor was a grim idea that had impacted each of them, and not just physically. I smiled softly at my friend as I slipped the cloth on the bed beside me and allowing my hand to hover over to the bowl of water in her lap. Darkness followed as my eyes shut as I called for my Power and felt it dance inside of me as it shot its way through my fingers and into the water below. Together, the Power and water lifted towards the arrow wound in Shanae's arm, pulling together the skin and mending it.

"Thanks." Shanae muttered as I pulled away. She rolled her shoulder, her other hand pressing down on it, as she clambered out of the bed. "As for looking through all of those papers and his home, that could take weeks if not months to get everything figured out."

"And by then, it's possible that, whatever his plans were will already be carried out." Father sighed and shook his head before turning to Alexander. "I hope your ready for some long nights."

"Oh, I live for them." Alexander replied, sarcasm rolling around in his voice as he turned to Shanae. "Remind me the next time you give me crap for getting hurt to remind you about today." He chuckled at her, amusement dancing in his eyes.

Her eyes glinted with anger before she turned and stepped closer to me, her arms wrapping around me and hugging me tightly. "Thank you, Ariella." She told me, her hand stroking the top of my head. I pulled away from her and glanced upwards, staring into her grateful eyes. I smiled up at her slightly before turning back to my father.

"So what's going to happen next?" I questioned and he shrugged.

"For now, we'll just have to play it safe." He gave me a sad smile as he faced me. "Until we know how much he knows, I want to up the guard on you and, as a precaution until things are figured out, I'd appreciate it if you would attempt to stay indoors as much as possible."

"So you're putting her under house arrest?" Shanae demanded, irritation and disgust filled her voice as she stepped in front of me.

"That is not what I said." Father let out an exasperated sigh as he turned to her, his eyes narrowing slightly. "What I said was to stay inside as much as possible. Whether it's a friend's house, the temple place, or here, I don't really care. So long as she's not out in the open for long periods of time."

"I can do that, Papa." I told him quickly, my hand resting on Shanae's shoulder in attempts to calm her. "Nimiane told me before you all came that it wouldn't be a good idea for me to come back for a few weeks anyway. She just told me to keep practicing in the hospital and developing my skills so it really won't be a problem."

"Good. Then, hopefully, this'll all be figured out within the month." Father mumbled something quietly to himself before turning to Mother. "Maranda, why don't you and the kids take Ariella upstairs. Alexander and I will be busy for the rest of the day and won't be done until late."

"Alright." Mother sighed before turning to me, her hand held out for me to grab. "Come on, my dear. Isabella and Shanae are welcome too."

"Actually, I'd like the two of you to remain with Ariella for the next few days." Father interrupted as he stared down at my friends. "The two of you will be targets as well and I don't want to endanger your families if need be."

"We understand." Isabella curtsied slightly and turned to give me a wink. "We'll just sleep on your floor and talk all night." She and Shanae exchanged glances and I heard Thomas groan behind me.

My feet hit the floor with a small thud as I slipped out of bed and tiptoed around Shanae and Isabella, hoping that I wouldn't wake them. I slipped out of the room as quietly as I could and managed my way down the dimly lit hall.

It wasn't the first time that I had woken up around dawn and I was sure it wouldn't be the last either. What with everything going on, I wasn't sure I would be able to sleep well for a long time.

Slowly walking over to the couches by the fire, my eyes settled on the book that I left on the table last night.

"Morning." A soft, low voice sounded in silence and I turned and stared, startled, at Alexander who stared up at me rather sleepily.

"I didn't mean to wake you." I whispered and he shrugged as he pushed himself up off the couch and patted the spot next to him.

"It's fine. These couches aren't the best to sleep on." He grumbled softly as a yawn tore through his body.

"How was work?" I asked him as I stepped around his legs and propped myself next to him.

"Terrible." Alexander answered me as his eyes glanced down at me, a sad smile on his lips. "He left the City through the Northern gates. Apparently the Trackers he assigned there are useless when it comes to keeping an eye out for things which explains all the surprise attacks from the Hunters."

"So what happens now?" I questioned as I scooted closer, pressing my head against his chest.

"Now we try to fix everything and hope it all goes back to normal."

"Will it ever be normal again?" I asked him and I felt him shrug beneath me.

"With us, it will." He whispered, his hand mindlessly toying with my hair. "The City, however, has a lot of healing to do and your father and I have to play our part in it."

"And what do I do?"

"You keep being you." Alexander chuckled softly as his arms wrapped around me, holding me close to him. "If we have any luck, this was the worst of it and there's nothing else we need to worry about."

"Perhaps." I mumbled to myself as my eyes slid to the window. There was just something inside of me that made me believe that this wasn't the end.