Page 29 of The Healing Dragon
“And you have?” I ask.
The question comes out before I can help it. I don’t flinch away as my father raises his hand on me. He has never hit me before, but the mental torture he has subjected me to is far worse. He stops when someone calls for him.
“Sir,” Oliver calls from the doorway. “Your men are waiting in the dining room for further instructions about tonight.”
“That’s great.” My father turns in his direction. “Would you look at that?” My father points at the changed light bulb. “Janelle has completed most of her tasks without help once again and it's not even lunch time.”
My father moves quickly to my side and takes my hand in his. “Yet these hands remain unblemished. One would think manual labor leaves its mark.”
It’s only been a few days, but he is already suspicious of me. Then his words dawn on me with the accusation. Everytime I found Oli these past couple of days he had been working hard but also in a rush.
I meet my father’s eyes. “A true Duelo is tougher than that,” I say between clenched teeth.
I might be suicidal. I cannot help but remind my father the royal blood of the family name does not run in his veins. Before he can answer, we hear a loud fight down the hall. A few of the soldiers with him rush out of the room.
“You can’t expect them to stand in one place for too long before fighting like toddlers,” Oli says, shaking his head in disgust.
My father straightens his collar. “This is all we have to work with, I’m afraid.” He moves out of the room quickly after his men.
“You have been completing part of my daily tasks, haven't you?”
The list I was given is already extensive. I can only imagine how many things were in the actual list.
Oli does not deny or confirm my statement. He gives me a gentle smile that is tight at the edges.
“Whatever you are planning, make sure it happens soon. He’s getting dangerously paranoid,” Oli says, then leaves after my father.
I don't say out loud, but my father is paranoid for a good reason. I’m planning his dismay. He’s right to feel danger coming.
There’s a light knock on the door, but no one is standing there. A light touch on my shoulder raises goosebumps up my arm.
“Are you okay?” Jesse asks.
I had no clue he was around, but I’m not surprised. I expected him to find me later in the day or meet me in my room.
“Of course.” I gulp.
I can’t see his face, so I don’t know if he believes me, but after a pause he says, “I will go see what your father tells his men in the meeting. I will meet you later in the room to debrief.”
“That’s fine,” I say and move to fold the ladder. “I want to visit Matias.”
I haven't seen him today, and a part of me wants to confirm with my own eyes that he is still there. Whatever remains ofhim.
The hallways are quiet with only a handful of guards on duty. The remainder of my father's men are meeting with him, allowing me to make my way down stairs without intrusive eyes.
I notice something is different the moment I reach the bottom of the stairs. The heaviness in the air is suffocating. The space isn't filled with the soft murmurs of the prisoners. Their complete silence scratches at my skin with awareness. I look around and watch how their gazes are fixed to the opposite side of the cell.
Matias is on the floor. It's not until I take a step closer that I finally see it. His skin is covered in blisters. The burns are running down his arms with a mixture of red and blue marks. There are more wounds on him than unblemished skin. Despite the agony he must be in, he remains unmoving.
This is why he retreats into his own head. It's clear as day.If my father’s attempts to uncap his magic don't kill him, the pain should. But he is alive. He is a fighter.
The rage inside my veins rises. I can feel the impotence and frustration underneath my skin vibrating with the urge to do something.
I look at my shaky hands. “If I do it they will know someone helped him,” I say to myself in a near whisper. “But not doing it will allow his suffering to continue.”
The stakes are much higher now. If I do this it will only be a matter of time before a soldier finds out and my father is notified.Knowledge is power, and no one keeps secrets for free.
I risk jeopardizing the mission, but at what cost? Being a silent ally stops with me taking action.
