Reliths

Chapter 33

Liam's POV

She couldn't possibly mean Chloe, right? 

"It would be wise of you to show yourself now instead of hiding from us. I can and will find you using force so please co-operate with me," she said.

I cursed under my breath. What was I supposed to do now? Keep us hidden or show ourselves? Either way, I had to make a decision soon, Chloe's health was just worsening and she didn't have much time left. 

I took a deep breath and lifted the illusion from myself. I kept Chloe illusioned, just in case they wanted to harm her. I stood, meeting her gaze. Her face remained blank while the man beside her gasped in surprise.

I paid him no attention and fixated my stare on her. 

"Do you intend any harm to me?" I demanded. 

The woman's eyes widened a bit before she responded. 

"I think we should be the one asking that question but to ease your mind, no, we don't intend to do anything harmful."

I breathed out a sigh of relief but I still remained guarded. She could be lying for all I know. 

The woman continued, "Although, I am curious as to how you survived despite facing many of our guards. I can see that you don't have any violent intent so, please enlighten us, why are you here?" 

I avoided her question, my mind on Chloe. "If I asked you to heal me, would you?" 

I could see her hesitate before placing a smile on her face, "Of course but I don't see any injuries on you." That was when realisation set in. There was a slight pause before she spoke again. "There's another person with you?" 

I nodded grimly. "I need your help." 

"Alright, where is she?" 

With slight hesitation, I lifted my illusion off Chloe. She gasped loudly before rushing to Chloe and kneeling beside her. I did the same, kneeling opposite her. She placed her hands on Chloe and the same shimmering blue light burst out from her hands. 

I watched, entranced by her ability. Seeing it up close was even more mesmerising, the way the tiny particles seemed to glimmer in the light. The man had walked closer to where we were and I could tell that he was just as captivated as I was.

"She is gravely injured, healing her might take some time and she still needs plenty of rest after healing. Her brain needs to handle everything that has happened to her body especially with the sudden injury and healing, if not her brain might be damaged." 

I stilled when I heard her say those words. Chloe couldn't possibly be permanently injured after this. I clenched my fists. This wouldn't have happened if I hadn't insisted that we enter the portal. I squeezed my eyes, if only I had listened to her. This wouldn't have happened and she would still be in perfect condition, by my side. 

I took her hand in mine, holding it tight. 

Please just come back to me, I silently begged. I promise that after this, I'll never leave you. I'll be by your side always.

After a few hours, the sun was well above us, casting dark shadows all around us. The men that we had attacked the previous day had already returned to consciousness and now I was just waiting for Chloe. 

"She'll make it, won't she?" I asked with desperation. 

"Of course she will, don't underestimate my ability young man," she chuckled.

That did nothing to soothe the turmoil in my head. 

After the woman had healed Chloe, she offered us sanctuary in her home to which the previous man with her had immediately protested to. Annoyed, I sent him a glare, silently telling him that if he tried to get in our way, I would make sure that he would suffer. 

I was certain that he got my message because he quickly shut his mouth after that and didn't look at me once. He was tall, but not as tall as I was which meant that I was more intimidating. He did glance at Chloe every now and then, which made me practically growl at him and I clutched her closer to me.

Not long after, we reached upon what looked like a small settlement. The dirt path turned to a gravel pavement and clustered small cottages appeared before us. The cottages were not very  big, the biggest was probably a four storey cottage while the others mostly had two floors. 

The cottages all seemed to be made out of wood and were brightly lit with torches that were hung on the front doors. 

What century are they living in? I wondered. No one used torches anymore, this settlement would probably date back many centuries. The woman led us to the biggest cottage that I mentioned earlier which was situated somewhere in the middle of all the other cottages. 

I speculated that this woman probably had some high status of a sort to be living in the largest cottage of them all. I doubt I could even call it a cottage. She waved a hand at the men that were following us and they all bowed before her and they disappeared within a few seconds. 

"Come on in, welcome to my humble abode," she said while holding the door open for us. I muttered a quick thanks before entering her house, making sure not to knock Chloe into any furniture lying around. 

The woman fumbled around a bit, making space on the couches in front of us. 

"Here, place her on this couch."

I headed to where she was and laid Chloe down carefully. Placing a blanket that the woman had passed me on Chloe, I took a seat at Chloe's feet, wanting to be as close to her as I possibly could.

"Let us introduce ourselves alright? I'm Celeste Lily, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."