Chapter 31 #3
Maria looked at Thea and began to whisper.
“Maybe the Obsidian Court wasn’t the evil one.
What if this is all backward? I know that history says they enslaved humans, but what King Julian is doing to us is no different from what he accused the Obsidian Court of doing.
And he’s supposed to be the righteous one?
I’m not convinced that what King Julian claims about the dark high lady and lord is true.
” The energy in the room shifted at Maria’s words.
I was still figuring out the etiquette of this court, but I knew enough to know that this was a dangerous conversation to be having with someone I didn’t know. If the wrong person overheard and was desperate enough to gain the king’s favour, we would all be executed.
“Have you ever successfully healed anyone of the psychosis from long-term exposure to fae arcana?” I asked, hoping to change the subject.
Thea coughed as she swallowed the bite of her bun she had just taken. The look on her face was one of annoyance at the change of direction.
“There have been a few times when I thought I was close, but the line between bending and breaking the mind is a fine one. It is a battle I have yet to win.” Sadness filled Maria’s voice as she continued.
“I have watched the women of this village be used up with zero regard for their health, safety, or dignity. They may not matter to the fae, but they matter deeply to me. One day, I will figure it out. My only hope is that I can figure it out before I leave this plane of existence.”
Our talk was interrupted by a clamour at the front door. Someone burst in, shrieking as the bell over the door rang. Maria, Thea, and I all got up together and ran out past the blue curtains to see what the matter was.
“Please, someone, help my baby! He isn’t breathing!” the panic-stricken woman cried.
My skin grew cold and my chest tightened at the sight before me.
Immediately I was taken back to that emotional, stormy night in my cottage.
The sounds around me muffled, and all I could hear was a high-pitched ringing in my ears.
Everyone moved in slow motion as they ran to the woman and brought her to the back.
Thea’s face was right in front of mine seconds later.
“Aurelia! Aurelia! What’s wrong?” Thea’s small, cold hands were on either side of my face.
The shock was like a bucket of cold water. I shook my head, coming out of my trance. “A bad memory. That’s all. I’m fine.” I shook off Thea and headed into the back to assist Maria.
The small baby was swaddled in several blankets.
His lips were blue, and his skin was a light shade of purple.
Running on frantic energy and emotion, my arcana built within me like pressure that needed to be released.
My limbs were buzzing as I pushed Maria away from the baby and covered the child with my body, wrapping my arms around him.
I closed my eyes and let my arcana envelop me.
I could feel and see all the energies and auras around me.
Focusing on the baby beneath me, I could see a faint white aura surrounding a blurry black void.
As if the void were beckoning to me, I let myself fall into it.
The floor dropped out from underneath me, and I was slowly falling into a vast emptiness.
Within the void was a slight, shimmering figure.
I grabbed it, recognizing the feeling of tiny fingers.
My hand grasped the little hand and pulled the shimmering figure toward me.
I clutched the figure close to me. Its warmth and light thrummed against me.
A voice whispered into my ear, “Breathe.” Recognizing the voice from the essence testing, I let loose a deep breath I hadn’t realized I had been holding and opened my eyes.
Immediately I heard the sobbing sounds of the boy’s mother, followed by the ear-piercing wail from a small being beneath me.
I leaned back and saw a pink, wailing baby held in my arms. I looked around the room, beaming from ear to ear at having saved the baby.
I was taken aback when I was met with a room full of shocked, concerned, or outright scared faces.
I grabbed the baby and stood up straight.
I slowly walked over to the boy’s crying mother and passed him back to her.
“It was a close call, but he’s all right now. ”
The woman held her healthy baby in one arm and, with the other, reached out to hug me tightly. “I don’t care what you did. Thank you for bringing my baby back to me,” she whispered in my ear.
I hugged the woman back and gave the boy a small kiss on the forehead. “Be well,” I whispered to him.
The woman held her baby close as she looked at the still, silent crowd behind me. “I don’t care what she did! I have my baby back, and that is all that matters!”
From her pocket, the woman pulled out a few coins and left them on the treatment table beside me. Moments later she was past the blue curtain, the bell above the door announcing her departure.
Maria stood up, wiping her hands off on her dirty apron. “I appreciate all your help today, but I think it might be best for you both to leave,” she said, her eyes staring into me.
“I don’t understand. Did I do something wrong?” I asked, confused.
I had just saved that boy’s life. Why was I being asked to leave?
One of Maria’s helpers stepped up. “Please leave before you get us all killed.”
I looked at Thea, even more confused. “Thea, what is happening? I don’t understand.”
Thea took off her apron and handed it to Maria. “It’s all right, Aurelia. We should be going anyway.”
I took off the apron and placed it on the bed beside me. I looked at the group of women I had spent the morning bonding and working with, who were now all terrified of me. “I apologize if I did something wrong or offended you in any way. It wasn’t my intention.”
Thea brought over our cloaks and grabbed my hand to pull me toward the door with a sense of urgency I had not yet felt from her. “Thank you again, Maria, for your hospitality.” She whispered harshly to me, “We need to leave. Now, Aurelia.”
A familiar darkness encompassed me as I was forced through the door.