Page 69 of Enchanted Heir
The doctor spun back to face him.
“This is not something that needs to be whispered about in Nerede. Should word of this spread in Nerede, it will spread to Rallis. Then to Savaryn. Eventually up to Kavan Keep. And to my father.” He paused as his eyes landed on me. “Jorah is valuable to me in more ways than one. I know enough of Nerede to know they take care of their own. So I am begging you, as both your prince and also just a man, please keep this information safe. Jorah assured me if there was anyone we could trust, it would be a doctor from Nerede, but I am far more skeptical.”
The doctor gave him a nod. “You have my word, Your Grace.” His eyes went to Owen and back to Krew. “There are many of us here rooting for her. She is one of us. And we will not doanythingto jeopardize her shot.”
Knowing I had no real desire to don a crown, I felt a little guilty using the doctor in this way, but I supposed at least it added a small layer of trust between the doctor and Krew.
The doctor gave Krew a bow, “I will return.”
Krew looked at Owen and gestured with his head toward the door. “I hope you don’t mind my second keeping you company.”
The doctor gave him a nod. “Of course not.”
“He will stay with you until you have everything you need, and then he will burn those blood samples,” Krew commanded.
The doctor looked at him a long moment. “You have really thought this through.”
“I will doeverythingin my power to protect Jorah, Doctor.”
The doctor gave him a nod and bow together. “Your resolve is endearing, Your Grace.”
As soon as they departed, my mother headed back over to the stove. “Tea, Your Grace?”
“Please,” Krew said on a sigh.
He took a seat next to me and moved my hand so that he could hold the cotton to my arm instead.
“We aren’t going to get any answers today, are we?” I asked quietly.
He snorted. “It’s usually never that easy. And though I still hate this, I will say that you were right to use the doctor here.”
I leaned in and whispered, “I know.”
He smirked. “And now we wait.”
I inhaled deeply. “He told me it would take more blood than was in my body to heal the forest. All this time I was holding onto hope that I could somehow unlock the forest before you kicked me out of the castle. And though I am helping, I might not be enough.”
My mother set down a cup of tea and a plate with cookies before Krew and took a seat opposite us, listening.
Krew gave his head a shake and took a sip of his tea with one hand, the other still holding the cotton to my arm. “On the contrary, I have never been as convinced your blood was the key to that forest. It obviously plays a part, I just do not know how large.”
“What do you mean?”
He paused to quickly explain what a sound barrier was to my mother and get her blessing to put one up. I was certain it was the first time she had ever been this close to magic, but she seemed in awe of it, not horrified like I had been the first few times. Then again, Krew had explained it far better than Owen had to me.
Krew continued, “I found it less about the iron, more about the will. It is as if you are willing that forest to heal, Jorah. You truly want to see it healthy and healed and have only the purest motives for it. And though I know that sounds insane, do realize I also grew up right next to that forest. Strange things happen in and around that forest and always have. That is why so many people now avoid it, almost as if it is cursed.” He paused. “You don’t find it odd the first person without magic who has given a damn about that forest is able to heal even a part of it? More so than some of the most powerful Enchanted in Wylan ever could? Your blood might play a part here, but it is also your stubborn, stubborn will, Jorah. You were willing to bleed for the forest.”
I thought back to the time Renna explained to me that the forest didn’t have magic but was a living, breathing thing of its own. “So maybe the forest does have magic then?”
Krew considered that, pulling back the cotton to make sure I wasn’t still bleeding. “If it does, it doesn’t play by the rules of ours.”
Quite honestly, that only made me love the forest more.
Krew turned his attention to my mother as he stood to throw the cotton in the trash and also let his sound barrier fall. I was left wondering if what he had to say was truly that important or if he had just wanted to use some magic around my mother. “I’m sorry, Ms. Demir, for the somber trip. Hopefully our next one will be more fun. Tell me, what time will we need to arrive for the Harvest Festival and where is it?”
For the next hour, my mother took Krew’s questions about the Harvest Festival, and I listened to their chatter, but my head kept going back to the forest. I had helped Rafe and caused a bloom. I truly cared for that forest. But was my will alone enough to bring it back?
CHAPTER18
