Page 78 of Façade

I scooted to the edge of my bed and struggled to stand, something rather difficult when my legs remained weak, the lingering effects of the curse. The moment I rose I lost my balance and stumbled. I clung to the wall in an effort to steady myself, fighting for breath, before slowly straightening. I initially struggled with each tentative step as I moved about the room, but gradually my strength increased.

Once I was certain I could remain steady without embarrassing myself by falling, I ventured into the corridor, where a guard awaited me. This was my first time at the monastery, so I had no knowledge of its layout, only that it contained a myriad of magical rooms whose purposes were to serve the surrounding kingdoms. Hopefully I’d find some guidance somewhere within these walls, for surely no one needed more help in this moment than I did.

I slowed when a young woman appeared at the end of a hallway, wearing robes similar to the healer who’d faithfully tended me. Her eyes brightened in recognition. “It’s the responsibility of even an apprentice healer to admonish you for being up and about so soon, but I assume your reason for doing so is greater than my well-meaning advice.”

My eyebrows rose. “Is it that obvious I have a purpose? Perhaps I’m just desperate to escape my room’s confining walls in order to stretch my legs.”

“Everyone who embarks on a pilgrimage to our monastery does so for a reason.” Her brows rose, a silent invitation to confess.

I didn’t have the strength to voice my motive out loud, especially when I desperately wanted to escape it. “If you’re a healer, then I must thank you for aiding in my recovery.”

She curtsied. “I appreciate your gratitude, but I’ve done very little to warrant it; my master is the one who saved you. I am merely an apprentice, Healer Jade.”

“Please don’t take my gratitude lightly; undoubtedly such a dangerous curse required the magic of every healer here.” Which reminded me of the mystery the priest had alluded to that I found myself desperate to solve. “The priest mentioned that someone other than the healers had performed healing on me. Do you know anything about that?”

Her brows drew together, as if something troubled her. “You’d been infected by enough of the curse that there shouldn’t have been time from your exposure to your arrival here to save you, and yet…” She said nothing more, but her nervous look revealed her desire to protect her secrets.

“To my knowledge, no one I traveled with possesses power of any kind.” I monitored her expression closely, but although she fidgeted, she made no other indiction she might know something.

“Perhaps thewhodoesn’t matter,” she eventually ventured, each word chosen with care. “Consider yourself fortunate that someone cared enough for you to do what needed to be done, else I’m certain you would not have survived.”

My stomach knotted. Until this moment I hadn’t fully realized how close I’d come. This relief was almost immediately followed by an errant thought: would Evie have cared if I’d died? She’dseemedsincere in her concerns for me after I’d awoken; how I desperately hoped her relief was genuine.

My expression must have reflected some semblance of these thoughts, for Healer Jade suddenly extended her hand…only to pause inches from my arm. “May I?”

I wasn’t entirely certain what she wanted to do, but I nodded in permission anyway. She stepped forward to rest a gentle hand on my arm. I idly wondered whether I’d respond to her touch in a similar way I did to each of Evie’s, anything to explain the madness for why my wife affected me so…but I felt nothing, confirming what I’d already suspected: that my relationship with my wife was special.

The healer tilted her head in concentration, as if listening to something I couldn’t hear. “I expected to feel physical pain, but while it’s there, it appears it’s an emotional one that currently ails you most.” She noticed my puzzled look and hastened to explain. “My powers allow me to feel the pain of anyone I touch.”

My eyes bulged. “Do all healers possess such a skill?”

She shook her head. “It’s a gift unique to me, one I treasure even in the moments it feels like a curse, for all magic comes at a cost…ah, there it is.” She winced as she pressed a hand to her heart, as if trying to stave off a sudden sharp pain. “So this is what troubles you: a broken heart, perhaps the worst pain of all, and yours is quite acute. You must really feel for the woman you love.”

There was that word again,love. At its mere mention, it immediately began its onslaught. I yearned to deny it, but doing so would be futile considering all my emotions were hers to examine.

My shoulders slumped with defeat. “I fear it’s doomed. But surely a solution exists, and until it’s too late, I will never stop searching for it.”

Suddenly it no longer mattered whether I hid my intentions from this healer; if she knew the workings of the monastery then she was my best hope to finding what I desperately sought, especially when time was of the essence.

“I’ve heard the monastery has the power to render help to those in need of it.”

She pressed her thumb to her lip in thought. “While it’s true the monastery does possess such power, like all magic it has its limits. Unfortunately, nothing within our walls is strong enough to stop the curse afflicting your kingdom, else we’d already have offered our assistance; we do not hoard magic when it can be a blessing to others.”

Her response, while disappointing, wasn’t surprising. I remained undeterred. “Perhaps the monastery can assist me in another way beyond your renowned healing powers.”

“You speak of the source of your heartache?” At my continued hesitation, she shook her head in disapproval. “How can you receive the help you require if you’re not even honest with yourself about what you truly want?”

My heart pounded rapidly at her pointed words. “I can’t allow myself to want it.” But oh, how I did. Speaking my desires out loud would make them all the more real, and thus more agonizing should this path lead to the dead end I so feared. Yet admitting it was a small price to pay for what I most wanted:Evie. This truth consumed me until I could think of nothing else.

I was tempted to continue denying it, but there was little point. After a moment’s hesitation I reluctantly nodded, an admission which earned me a smirk—not the best reward for putting my heart on the line, but if this was the cost required for the healer’s advice, I’d gladly pay it. I’d do anything to keep Evie.

Healer Jade’s smile softened. “You’ve taken the first step required to receiving the help you desire.” I tried to speak, but she lifted her hand to silence me. “You don’t need to admit your feelings out loud; the monastery’s magic will sense it within your heart. I hope you find what you’re looking for, and that you do so with as little strain as possible that would hinder your recovery.” She turned to leave but had only gone a few steps before she glanced back with a mischievous look. “Or perhaps youdowish to strain yourself in order to delay the reason you supposedly came here in the first place?” She lifted a coy eyebrow.

I couldn’t resist my own smile. “A commendable plan.” I’d gratefully seize any excuse to delay the annulment for as long as I could get away with. The longer I did, the higher chance I’d find another solution for my kingdom.Please let there be another.

As if attuned to these desires, the magic filling the monastery walls suddenly began to hum and a trail of light appeared for me to follow. I wasn’t sure where it led, but I hoped that wherever it was, it was a path that would guide me toher.

CHAPTER26

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