Page 61 of The Sacred and the Tormented

“We’ll take you up on that,” Talon answered.

Cara smiled but Arianna noted a female figure crossing the field. She veered toward them, keeping her head down. Rion’s magic rose and Arianna’s heart beat with it.

Everyone paused then Cara stepped forward. “Maya?” she questioned. “What’s wrong?” Fear drifted off both females.

The new one, Maya, addressed Arianna first. “My Queen.” Her voice was shaking. “I know I have no right to ask anything from you—” She choked on the words and tears rolled down her face. “My daughter. The Weaver has tried but—”

Arianna didn’t hesitate. “Take me to her.”

The female’s face lit up. Rion almost looked ready to protest again, but he followed instead, his magic swirling around his feet as they neared the line of houses.

Rion leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Are you up for this?”

Arianna couldn’t deny her overwhelming exhaustion, but she wasn’t about to let a child suffer either. “It’s fine. My magic needs an outlet anyway.”

Rion nodded as if he could sense it too.

They walked farther and farther down the dirt street with many dropping to their knees as the pair passed. The children just stared, watching Rion’s magic with a certain delight on their faces that their parents didn’t seem to share.

The dwellings were simple, made of carved wood with mud caked between the slates and stones at their base for support. Gardens surrounded the entrance of each structure, with yellow flowers already in full bloom.

Tracks lined the main stretch of road, indented from wagons and people alike. Trees dotted the landscape, casting their shade over homes and storage buildings.

Piles of wood were stacked against homes, though many looked depleted, likely from the brutality of the past winter. She noticed other bags too, along with hay for the animals.

Arianna wondered if parts of the village expanded into the forest. Maybe more animals dwelled there, soaking in the rays that filtered through the canopy.

Maya gestured them inside a small cabin.

Saoirse entered first and held the door open for her and Rion. Rion tilted his body to carry her inside where a number of people conversed in hushed whispers. Their voices slowly died until all stood in shocked silence. One by one, those who were able sank to their knees.

An infirmary. A small one with beds lining the floor.

Arianna tapped Rion’s chest and he carefully set her on her feet. The male outside squeezed his way in, following Maya as she crossed the room and reached for a small bundle being cradled by another female. Maya turned and stared at the tiny infant as if it were the most important creature in the world. She cooed to the youngling, tapping its back gently with her other hand before her gaze rose to meet Arianna’s.

Arianna could hear the child’s labored breathing. Every inhale was a struggled rasp while the exhale made Arianna fearful that it would be the infant’s last.

Arianna limped forward and the female who’d been sitting rose and gestured her to the rocking chair. Rion remained by the door, watching each of them. She could feel his pensive stare from here, but the space was too small for him to follow on her heels. That didn’t stop his magic. It remained circling beneath her feet. She did her best to ignore it.

Once she’d settled, Arianna held her arms out for the youngling. The infant didn’t cry or stir. Arianna held her close, feeling as if she’d never held anything so fragile in all her life. She rocked the chair slightly, ignoring the slight tinges of pain that lanced through her core. Arianna placed one hand on the child’s chest before closing her eyes.

The infant’s lungs were weighed down with fluid and the tissues were so swollen, Arianna marveled that the child could still draw breath.

Arianna recalled the time she’d had to remove fluid from Rion’s body. She also remembered the agony it’d caused him. But she didn’t have to rush this time and she certainly wouldn’t do anything that would cause the child harm.

Arianna began with the irritated tissues, letting her magic guide her as she soothed the inflamed airways. Then she began working on the liquid. Arianna pulled a few tiny particles together and brought them up through the youngling’s airways before they exited through her mouth. The child didn’t stir and the particles were so small that no one else even seemed to notice as she let them roll to the floor.

No one spoke. They simply listened to the infant’s breathing and watched the slight glow of Arianna’s hands.

If the youngling had been older and stronger, Arianna likely could have healed her much faster. But she was so tiny. So frail.

Hours ticked by slow and steady. Arianna didn’t stop. Someone brought her a steaming cup of tea. Rion didn’t protest. Neither did anyone else.

Saoirse settled herself against the far wall beside her brother. There was a pause when the infant required nourishment from its mother. It drank greedily and with enough enthusiasm that Maya had tears rolling down her face once again.

Then the child was back in Arianna’s arms.

Every minute, Arianna could feel a bit more tension leave the youngling’s body.

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