Eliona's War 2: Veiled Healer

Chapter 11

Without even thinking about it, Severance left Olen behind and dashed out of the room. Two big steps carried him from the doorway to the edge of the balcony, where he gripped the railing with both hands and leaned over.

Tayci and Mirren were both there, looking wide-eyed and frightened. It was to Severance's great relief that he saw no blood and no obvious injuries. Both children appeared fine, but their distress was obvious even to him. Something must have happened.

"I'm here," he called down. Both children's heads whipped towards him. The second Tayci saw him, she burst into tears and started blubbering incoherently. Mirren's little face maintained a stoic expression, though his dark eyes were suspiciously shiny.

Oh, Severance thought. What was he supposed to do with this? He wasn't good with kids. Whether they were playing, screaming, or doing exactly what they were told not to do, he had absolutely zero idea of how to deal with any of it.

He stood frozen on the balcony for all of two seconds, then the thought that someone had to be hurt struck him. Why else would they be screaming and crying so much? Before he knew what he was doing, he'd trotted down the length of the balcony to the stairs at the back of the Hall.

Bounding down two steps at a time, he reached the bottom and approached the two upset children. Tayci was a mess of snot and tears, and the way she was rubbing her eyes only smeared the mess across her face even more.

Gross, Severance grimaced. Should he try and wipe her face? A second look had him deciding that no, he wasn't going near that disaster with a ten-foot pole. Instead, he turned to Mirren, who seemed far more composed.

Severance paused. There was a suspicious lump under the boy's shirt, which he held carefully with both arms. How had he missed that before?

"Hey," he eyed it warily. "What's going on?"

"S'gonna die!" Tayci wailed. This was followed by a wet sniffle and a hiccough.

Mirren shifted, carefully lifting the hem of his shirt while holding the bundle with one arm. Something silver and furry was revealed, though what it was exactly, Severance couldn't tell.

"It's hurt," Mirren whispered. He looked up at Severance, eyes big and watery. "Can you help it? Please?"

Those pleading eyes were too much for Severance to bear. It was like being stabbed in the heart and shackled with the immense weight of responsibility. Here, he was the adult, holding the enormous hope of a tiny child in his hands. There was a choice; if he so desired, he could crush it with barely any effort by turning away, or he could touch that strange, probably diseased, bundle of fur and see if he could somehow save it.

It wasn't much of a choice. He reached out gingerly. "Let me see it."

With great care, Mirren deposited the furry bundle into Severance's hands. It was very small and very soft. He could have easily held it in one hand, but cradled it in both as if afraid it'd shatter at the slightest disturbance.

Four tiny paws poked out from the fur, though the toes seemed slightly longer than what he was used to seeing. There was a tiny snout too, topped with a shiny black nose. As he looked it over, he saw that its little side was heaving with shallow, weak breaths. He was no veterinarian, but he was pretty sure that was a sign of distress.

Well, time to see if I can Mend an animal.

Since he needed his hands for this, he carefully sank to his knees and sat on his heels. The tiny creature was placed on his lap. Both Tayci and Mirren gathered around, uncomfortably close as they watched, but he didn't have the heart to shoo them away.