Page 9 of Healer
Agnes’ pale cheeks flushed pink. “Yeah. I am a bit hungry.”
The journey to the cave proved quick and easy. The small space, carved into a jagged rock face, blended seamlessly with the surrounding stone and vegetation. I wrapped a handful of dried grass around the end of a stick and used it as a torch. The flickering light revealed the cave’s spacious interior with enough room for us to spend the night comfortably. Carefully scanning the area for any potential threats, my eyes came across traces of small creatures who posed no danger to us. The faint scent of damp earth and moss hung in the air, heavy enough to drown out Agnes’ fresh, floral fragrance.
Working quickly, I built a small fire within the cave—it would serve to warm the area and keep smaller creatures at bay. I settled Agnes on a flat boulder just inside the cave’s entrance, pulling out a small knife that I offered to her.
“Do you think I’ll need this?” She swallowed hard as she took the blade from me.
“No. But I’d rather be safe than sorry.” I would not leave her for a second if I believed she might face danger.
Gray eyes regarded me with equal parts confidence and trepidation. “You won’t go far away, will you?”
As if following some unspoken command, I lifted my hand and let my fingers trace along the outer edge of Agnes’ cheek. Her skin felt like Ardesian silk, impossibly soft, and touching her stirred something inside me. A warmth spread through my body, igniting a feeling I couldn’t quite understand. It was as if every nerve had come alive from a single touch. Her beauty captivated me in a way that made it hard to peel my gaze from her, much less move from her side.
“I will be only a shout away,” I promised. I didn’t like leaving Agnes alone. My need for her safety was something so deep inside that I barely understood it. Still, without knowledge of the creatures possibly lurking in the foliage, it seemed the lesser of two evils. The fire should keep away anything curious enough to intrude, and I would not tarry long.
I found suitable prey quickly. Small multicolored fowl unable to fly more than a few feet high crowded near a grove of berry bushes. I captured three without making a sound.
The sun had dipped low on the horizon, and the two moons fought for dominance in the sky as I made my way back to the cave.
“Anges.” I called her name, proudly lifting our dinner as I entered the cave, wanting her to feel proud of me for some strange reason.
Nothing.
The boulder where I left her was empty, save the small knife lying in the center. I caught the whiff of her floral scent, even though the cavern stood empty. The fire burned low. Perhaps she ventured further into the cave to find fuel to stoke the flames. I dumped the birds on a nearby flat rock as I called out Agnes’ name again.
No answer.
I called again, raising the tone of my voice.
No answer.
Standing silent for a moment, I let my ears sift through the sounds from the recesses of the cave. A scurry of small feet, most likely a rodent, and the faint plop of dripping water. Nothing that sounded like Agnes.
Panic seized me, and I rushed outside, calling her name into the darkness. All manner of horrors traveled through my brain, from her recapture by the Ulkommanian to an attack from some unknown beast. All things I could have prevented if I hadn’t left her side.
After a few worrisome seconds, I spotted her standing on a precipice overlooking the river below.
Moonbeams danced off her blonde-brown locks, transforming them into a shimmering halo of silver. She gazed down into the cavern, her hair and dress billowing in the breeze. The moon’s soft glow bathed her delicate features, making her appear almost ethereal against the dark backdrop of the night sky, like a goddess suspended in time. As much as I felt mesmerized by her beauty, her nearness to the cliff’s edge stabbed a shiver of fear through my heart.
“Agnes, please step back. You are too close to the edge.”
She let out a deep, heavy sigh, as if my presence had inopportunely disrupted the moment. Agnes fidgeted, sling her arms about as though intending to move, but her delicate feetstood resolute at the cliff’s edge. In that fleeting moment, it almost seemed like she contemplated leaping into the unknown depths below. Perhaps in the growing darkness, she hadn’t gauged how close she’d come to disaster.
“Agnes,” I rasped, my voice growing gruff with concern. “If you fall, I’m afraid not even my medical technology can save you.”
A soft, melancholic smile curved her lips as she turned her head to look at me. My heart quickened, and I held out my hand, willing her to take it. After a second’s hesitation, her delicate fingers slid against mine. A wave of relief washed over me, followed by a powerful surge of protectiveness that threatened to weaken my knees. At that moment, I knew I would do anything to keep her safe.
Anything.
“Come,” I murmured, pulling her closer. “I found food.”
“What?” Agnes' voice sounded faraway, her mind dwelling on something other than dinner.
“Some type of fowl.” I pulled her closer still, something like worry nagging in my gut. A sudden horrible idea that Agnes might pull away from me only to rush back to the precipice and her death felt like the scrape of a sharp blade against my spine.
“Good.” Her smile seemed sincere. “I’m hungry.”
I led Agnes back to the cave, where we mired ourselves in preparing the food and settling in for the night. She talked little, her mind seeming bound to that faraway place held in her imagination.
