Page 28 of The Healing Dragon
“No,” he whispers. His hand traces my lips. “But I can see them make the sound of the numbers.”
He snaps his hand back like my skin burned him.
I lick my lips, and I rise to my feet. “I will go find us food.”
“Actually, I will,” Jesse says.
Before I can object, his cape is over his head, and the door is shutting after him. I look back at the bed and decide this is where I’ll be spending the rest of my day.
CHAPTER NINE
JANELLE
The following morning, I woke up earlier than usual. My nightmare was just starting when a hand shook me awake. Jesse didn't say anything and even pretended to sleep as he lay down looking away from me.
Once I am up and ready, I waste no time in looking for Oli. With renewed energy, I navigate through the house. Our ancestral home is significantly different from this house. The Duelo home has been passed down from generation to generation. Over the years, the structure has seen additions and renovations, but it has always been an impressive building. I can only imagine my father’s dismay at this home lacking the luxury he has grown accustomed to, regardless of the amount of magic he has put into expanding it.
I find Oli on a ladder changing a light bulb in the middle of my father’s office.
I hate how my father pushes Oli to do things like this. He could easily ask a younger soldier. Ernesto could do it, but he asks Oliver, who is thirty years older. There’s a trail of sweat coming down his forehead, dripping to his chin.
“Isn’t there someone else that can do this?” I ask.
Oli looks down at me and shakes his head. His focus is on tightening up that light bulb. Once he’s satisfied with the number of turns, he brings his hands down to the top of the ladder. He pulls a rag from his back pocket and wipes his face. A heavy breath huffs out of his chest before he climbs down slowly.
“Oli,” I say, as he reaches the landing. “One day, I will make things right. I will get my magic back and I’ll take you home.”
The smile on his face is sad. “You don’t need to do anything for me.”
“Of course I need to take care of you. I didn’t forget about our deal.”
“What deal?” he asks.
I cannot believe he forgot our deal. Even when I ran away and grabbed onto my freedom, I remembered Oli and our deal every day. My plan was always to return for him and my mother. I wanted freedom. I wanted to taste it and know what it felt like, but there was no doubt that running away from who I am was a momentary thing. There’s no avoiding fate. The Fates have made it known to me.
“I’ll take care of you when you are old like you took care of me when I was little. It was our deal,” I remind him.
He sighs and takes a step closer to me. “Janelle, I only told you that because your little girl's mind couldn’t understand why I was nice to you without reason. Being raised by your father always made you suspicious of people. From a young age, you never believed that anything would come without a cost. The deal was my impromptu solution.”
I don’t let his words choke me up. My heart warms at the explanation. I met Oli very young, and even if I don't recall feeling suspicious of him, I do remember promising one day that I would care for him like he has done for me.
“I’m keeping my promise, Oli,” I say.
He doesn’t argue with me, instead the smile that spreads on his lips is gentle. “That is something to look forward to,” he says.
We hear a group of steps approaching from down the hallway. Oli looks up to the ladder.
“I left my rag on the top.” He points at it. “Can you get it quickly?”
I’m not sure why we’re rushing, but I don’t question him. I climb up the ladder for the rag. As I reach the top, the footsteps stop at the doorway. My father and a couple of his new favorite soldiers enter the room. I look down for Oli, but he is gone. The handle on the bathroom door rotates slowly, alerting me to where he went. I cleaned that bathroom before, and there was another door that connects it to the hallway.
“There you are,” my father says as he circles the ladder.
I follow him with my eyes while clutching tightly to the wood.
“I wondered how you manage to get so much done in a day.” He watches me closely as I climb down. “I suppose you cannot blame me for wondering. You have never done real work before. Who would’ve thought you have work ethic?”
The irony.
