Page 44 of Crown of Slumber

“Aurelia, does this mean—” he said.

A loud knock sounded at the door, and I took a step away from Fenn.

“It’s the healer, Your Highness,” came an old, wiry voice on the other side of the door.

“You may enter,” I replied.

The door opened, and a tall, thin man with wide-set eyes and a full beard of wispy white hair entered. He wore long, emerald robes that reminded me of the wizards I’d read about in storybooks. He glanced between us, his gray eyes impassive. After a moment, he gestured to me. “Greetings. My name is Healer Warren. Lie on the bed please, Your Highness.”

“You really should tend to the prince first,” I objected. “The arrow?—”

“I was told that the Summer Princess was the priority,” Healer Warren said, his voice low and soft. He had a soothing tone, which I imagined was quite helpful in his line of work.

Before I could argue, Fenn said loudly, “That’s absolutely correct. Please tend to my fiancée first.”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as he flashed me a roguish grin. I made my way to the bed, then sank onto it.

“On your stomach, please,” instructed Healer Warren.

With a nod, I rolled face-down into the sheets, wincing when the movement tore at the gash in my shoulder.

Healer Warren hummed with interest as he drew closer. “I will need to cut through your dress, Your Highness.”

I thought of Fenn standing behind me, and my face burned. I was grateful to hide my blush in the pillows. “That’s fine,” I said, my voice slightly muffled.

Fabric ripped, and cool air tickled my upper back as the cotton was swept away. I closed my eyes, willing my stomach to stop coiling with anxiety. I’d just been attacked by goblins—one of them had taken a large bite out of my shoulder—and I was worried about being half naked in front of the prince? It was absolutely ridiculous. I forced the thought from my mind and focused on keeping my breathing steady.

“This will need stitches,” the healer said.

I frowned. “You won’t be using magic?”

“I will. But my magic only speeds up the healing process. I must do the mending by hand.”

“All right.”

I waited for Fenn to say something witty or sarcastic, but he remained silent. My eyes stayed shut as Healer Warren did his work. A numbing agent spread across my shoulder blade, and the slight tug of my skin as he knitted it back together was jarring, but not painful. Whatever ointment he’d applied was truly miraculous.

After he was finished, he pressed his hand into my injury. I hissed in pain, but after a moment, the wound began to burn, and warmth spread through my body. I gasped, my body stiffening in response as his magic washed over me.

“It’s done,” he said.

I sat up, then reached over my shoulder to touch the wound. The stitches were there, but there was no longer a gaping hole in my shoulder. Now, it was nothing more than a puckered ridge, still held together by the stitches.

“Now, your face,” Healer Warren said, his expression still as stoic as ever, as if he was merely reading a mildly interesting book.

I scooted to the edge of the bed, and he dabbed some ointment on the cuts along my face, then pressed his fingers into it to infusehis magic. Each cut burned, like before, and the same warm flood of awareness shot through my body, making my blood sing and my bones rattle.

When he was finished, he gestured for me to rise, and I stepped around him. Fenn stood in my path, still leaning against the wardrobe, his face a touch paler than before. His green eyes were dark with an unreadable emotion, his jaw taut and his nostrils flared.

Before I could ask him what was wrong, the healer said, “Your turn, prince.”

Fenn pushed off the wardrobe, his steps steady despite the arrow still lodged in his flesh.

“Lie on your good side, please,” said Healer Warren.

Fenn nodded, his gaze steely with determination. With a grunt, he eased himself onto the bed, his right side up. Blood gushed from the wound, staining the sheets.

I swallowed hard, unease churning in my gut. But I forced myself to watch. If he could witness my healing, then I could do the same.

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