Chapter 35 Burned
Brody ran alongside them. He was definitely making a point to Chelsie that he also had some speed at his disposal, though there was no way he could keep up with her at full speed.
A large shadow passed overhead. Reiya glanced up to see a large green dragon flying above them.
It was Reese, who was keeping a watchful eye on her as he effortlessly kept up with their pace.
It was such a freeing sensation to feel the wind whip against your skin.
This gave her an idea. She wondered if Lee would take her for a ride.
It must feel amazing to fly. To be so free.
Lately, she had felt anything but freedom.
She felt like she was always being caged or leashed.
Maybe that was why she had this new obsession with feeling free.
The view was splendid. The mountainous area had so many wonderful, scenic areas that she greedily took in. It was beautiful up here. No wonder the dragons claimed it for themselves.
They heard a slight commotion coming from under a canopy of trees in the distance, and Reiya could make out some shouting.
“Chelsie, let’s go check it out.” She watched the horse nod her head as she raced forward in a sprint. Once under the canopy of trees, she heard a small screech from Reese as he lost sight of them.
Chelsie made her way through the thick forest. It was a struggle at times, but she managed to fight her way through.
Brody was having a bit more trouble keeping up with them in the dense woods.
They heard a loud, airy grunt and a couple of children shouting.
The forest had become so thick that Chelsie had slowed down considerably.
Reiya slid off Chelsie and ducked under the trees, heading toward the noise.
She heard her friend whinny in protest. Reiya had started running toward the sounds when she heard Chelsie’s voice yelling at her to wait.
She knew she should, but she was afraid that the children were in trouble.
Reiya was beginning to see a bit more light.
She came to a small clearing in the middle of the forest, and as she drew near, she saw two children.
One of them she recognized as Todd, the boy she had rescued from the river, and he was guarding the other child from something large.
Reiya hopped into the clearing to see the creature snorting and stomping at the children.
Reiya’s eyes widened as she looked at the large minotaur that was starting to charge at the children.
Reiya jumped in front of the kids and held her hand up to stop the creature that was advancing quickly.
What she didn’t realize was that the moment she did, Todd had launched a spiraling flame toward the minotaur.
The flame met with Reiya’s arm, and she winced from the pain.
She held her stance steadfast as the minotaur approached.
Her arm was throbbing, the burn almost nauseating.
She pushed the pain back, though, keeping her focus on the beast as it slowed before her.
Reiya smiled at him and held out her hand. He snorted at her and gently stomped at the ground. “Why are you so angry?” she cooed to the animal, her voice gentle. She then turned an accusing eye to the two children behind her.
Chelsie and Brody crashed into the clearing. They looked over the situation and both of their gazes landed on the angry red mark on Reiya’s arm.
“Who did it?!” Chelsie hissed as she directed a dark gaze at the two children. Being a child meant nothing to the overprotective kelpie.
“It was an accident. I didn’t mean to burn her,” Todd whimpered out.
Chelsie felt a firm hand land on her shoulder. She looked up at Brody. He looked angry as well, but he was telling her to calm down, since they were just children.
“What happened here?” Brody growled as he tugged Chelsie with him up to Reiya and the minotaur.
Reiya turned back to the creature. She could see a few singe marks on him as well, and she put the pieces together. “Were you children tormenting him with your fire?!” Her voice was raised in stern agitation.
“He dared me to do it.” Todd pointed to the other child beside him.
“Hey Brody, how about daring me to give those kids some underwater lessons?” Chelsie’s eyes flicked angrily between the two boys.
Brody chuckled and lifted up Reiya’s arm to inspect it closer. The burn was deep and pretty bad, and her skin was bubbling up. “We need to get this treated.”
“I’m okay,” Reiya insisted, turning back to the minotaur.
He didn’t speak like the centaurs did, but he was still akin to them, and an ally of the fairies.
“I’m sorry for what these two troublemakers did.
” She reached up and scratched his forehead, feeling the large animal relax under her touch.
It was amazing how easily they recognized the fairy princess.
They instantly knew who she was by her aura.
A large shadow appeared above them, and Reese descended into the small clearing. He glanced from the minotaur to the children, and then at Reiya, his eyes widening as he caught a glimpse of her arm.
“What happened here?!” his dragon growled out. Dragons were one of the few creatures who could speak in their animal form.
“Pfft, what do you think happened? Your young whelps over here were picking on this poor minotaur, and they ended up burning MY princess!” Chelsie snorted out angrily. This time, Brody didn’t try to calm her rage. He was too busy looking over Reiya with worry.
“Both of you are to go home and remain there. You will both be punished,” Reese snarled as he watched the two children scurry away. He turned back to Reiya. “Let me give you a lift back. I can get you there faster and have that arm looked at.”
“Nuh uh! You’re not touching my princess. I’ll get her home.” Chelsie furrowed her brows and stood between Reiya and the dragon. This was all their disgusting species’ fault.
“It’s okay,” Reiya lied. “It really isn’t that bad.
” Her arm felt like it was sizzling, her stomach queasy from the burning sensation.
The constant stinging was almost unbearable, and it looked very irritated and inflamed.
Okay, it was that bad, and she didn’t have her mother here to heal her.
Damn it, she needed her wolf and its healing abilities.
“Brody, clear a path for me so I can get her through faster.” Chelsie didn’t need to ask twice. He immediately shifted into his bear and began to take his anger out on the trees and shrubs as he cleared the way for Chelsie’s horse. She shifted and snorted at the dragon, telling him to go.
“I’ll let Xander know you’ve been injured.” Reese started to flap his wings to take flight.
“No no no, that isn’t necessary. We don’t need to cause a panic over a minor burn,” Reiya pleaded, not wanting to make a big deal out of the situation.
“Sorry, but if I don’t report this, I won’t live to see the next sunrise.” And with that, Reese was off.
Reiya watched him go and sighed. She heard an urgent whinny beside her, and Reiya turned to see Chelsie kneeling, waiting for her to get on.
“Okay, Chelsie. I’m coming. Honestly, the lot of you act like I‘m bleeding to death. It’s just a burn.
” Reiya gave Chelsie a crooked smile as she climbed on.
“Hey Chels, don’t run as fast, okay? I don’t think I can use my other arm,” Reiya said quietly, noticing how severe her injury was.
There was no way she could grip anything.
It would be up to her legs to hold on tight.
Chelsie gently carried her out of the woods, picking up speed once they reached the clearing. Brody ran alongside them, watching Reiya intently.
Reiya winced in pain as her arm throbbed.
Her mother and grandmother were healers.
Healing ran in the family. It was a skill that had to be developed, though, and it looked like she was going to be stronger with premonitions than healing.
It might be a skill that developed later.
Her mother developed healing first, and later she was able to pick up minor things and feelings related to premonitions.
Since Reiya used a lot of power yesterday to help Mason, she wasn’t sure if she had it in her to unlock her healing power.
As they approached the castle, she could see Xander, Reese, and Lee already standing outside, waiting for them.
She had to focus on keeping her eyes off Lee and pretend that Xander was her mate.
Chelsie came to a stop, and Xander was immediately at the dark horse’s side, helping her down.
His eyes flicked to her exposed upper thigh and then managed to look at her burn.
“Not exactly riding attire ... not that I’m complaining. Personally, I love the view, but I don’t like sharing it.” Xander flashed a side eye back toward Reese, who looked away in guilt.
Reiya grinned. Xander was playing his part beautifully.
That’s what happens when you flirt for a living.
“Well, someone left me without any clothes this morning. Beggars can’t be choosers.
I had to borrow something from Chelsie. So this .
..” Reiya motioned to her short skirt, “is not my fault.” She winced a bit as she forgot and moved her burned arm abruptly.
Xander's eyes softened and he held up her injured arm, so delicately and tenderly, genuinely concerned about her. “This looks pretty painful.” He frowned and gently put an arm around her while he continued to gently cradle her arm.
Brody and Chelsie shifted back into their human selves. “What do you think? Should we get mom to heal it?” Brody asked, looking at Reiya.
“No. We aren’t going to bother her over something like this. Just let me sit somewhere quietly for a bit. Maybe I can muster up my own healing ...”
“No. It’s too dangerous for you in your current state to experiment with your magic, especially without having a guide to help you.” Lee immediately shot her down.
“No one guided me when I helped Mason.” Reiya looked at him with minor annoyance. Was he seriously going to tell her she couldn’t use her own magic?
“Which could have easily ended very badly for the both of you.” Lee’s eyes locked onto hers without backing down.
“Alright ... no more. I’m not going to have Reiya getting upset. Let’s get her inside and see what Gramps has for burns. Reese ... I want you to see to the discipline of those boys.” Xander’s eyes flashed with anger.
“They were just being children. Don’t be too hard on them.” Reiya pleaded their case. They weren’t bad kids, and it was an accident.
“You are too kind, my dear. I want the punishment to be as such that they will never pull a stunt like this again.” And with that, Xander nodded once again to Reese who swiftly left, following his orders. Xander looked her over. “Let me carry you.”
Reiya giggled and shook her head. “Xander, there’s nothing wrong with my legs. Besides, with the skirt I’m wearing, you’d be touching my bare bottom if you carried me.”
Xander smirked at her as he led her into the castle. “Now that’s a tempting offer you should save for the bedroom.” Lee followed closely behind them, deadly silent, while Brody and Chelsie nervously kept up.
Xander played his part well ... too well. She could almost feel Lee seething in anger over what he had just said, and she knew Xander was relishing it.