Behind His Weary Eyes (Novella) ✔️

11 ✙ Betting with Gambled Trust

Two of the three suns illuminated the winding path to Renvir's home. A chilled breeze teased at her gray overcoat. After a few days of taking the Wycit, his pain had subsided though it didn't do much else. Asa then prescribed him something for his digestive tract. But that didn't work either.

The medic sighed. In the full Celestial week, she'd been treating him, whenever she made progress in one area, another would flare. The Wycit calmed the tingling in his legs but heightened his nausea. Now, of course, his digestive medication was causing skin problems.

She had run out of ideas. Because of this, she hadn't brought any new treatments today. She should've been here earlier. Instead, she had stayed up last night making a concoction of medications and slept through a good portion of the morning.

Approaching the house, she could hear talking coming from inside. Strange, Renvir didn't usually have guests. She went to knock on the door, but a voice stopped her.

"You let her become your medic?"

"Sandor, I do not have time for this."

Asa's heart skipped a beat. She knew the gravelly voice sounded familiar. With curiosity, she leaned closer to the door.

"You will make time for this."

"Not now. She will be here soon."

"Renvir, she does not care about us, about you. If it is true Zienna sent her, then she is just using you to get in her good graces!"

"And what of it!" Her patient's voice boomed, settling the area into a thick silence. Asa's breathing hitched. The moaning of the pieced together homes sent a shiver down her spine.

"What of-," Sandor said, stumbling over his words, "Once she gets what she wants, she will leave you. She will not care what happens to you."

"At least I have a medic."

"You could get another-"

"No. You could get another medic." Renvir's voice hissed through his teeth. "My friends erased my name from Eulia's records and pulled my information from Concordia's filing system. To anyone besides you and Zienna, I am dead!"

Light seeped from the cracks in between the door and the wall. But he didn't have any gem tech inside that could give off light. Apprehension rising, Asa pressed her recessed ear closer.

"Renvir, your arm! You need to calm down."

Something was wrong. Without thinking, the medic flung the door open. Sandor's eyes bored into her, stopping her from moving any further. Her patient, on the other hand, stood unwavering. With his hands clenched into fists, his eyes didn't move from his friend.

A dingy white aura surrounded him. Unlike the cloud which covered him, this was a glow that emanated from his body. Asa gulped. An aura meant that her patient was tapping into his vein of the Celestial Energies.

Before she could send a prayer to the Two, she saw it. Gray spots seeped from Renvir's shoulder down to his elbow. The gray miasma pulsed around the area, darkening the longer Asa looked. His symptoms were starting to flare.

She needed to do something and fast. Asa took off her necklace. Even though it was a less refined white gem holding only minimal healing Energies, it could do minor healing. Renvir, snapping out of his trance, began to object. But she didn't stop. She didn't have time for her patient's suspicions.

Pressing the gem to his hide, the Celest yelped in pain. He pulled his arms next to his chest and shot her a pained look. Instead of disappearing, the dots grew. Sandor roughly shoved her back. She stumbled, falling onto her bottom. A low growl came from his friend as he stiffened his posture and curled his lips.