26. Jaxus
TWENTY-SIX
JAXUS
K iera shifted slightly beside me, and I lifted my head to study her. Her eyes fluttered open.
“You’re back.” I smiled.
“Where did I go?” she asked, still confused from being unconscious for so long.
“I went to get your dad, and you were asleep when we returned. He says everything looks good and sleep is what you need.”
She turned her head and squinted.
“You’re in my bed again.”
“I’m just doing my part to get you well quickly. You can thank me later.”
“How long have I been sleeping?” she yawned and stretched, her arm coming out of the covers and extending above her head. It was a good sign. Hours ago, when she first woke, she could barely raise her head off the pillow.
“I brought you in about this time yesterday. You woke early this morning for a few minutes, but you’ve been sleeping since.”
I could see her mind turning over the events, but unlike this morning, I wasn’t receiving her thoughts. Also a good sign, although, I couldn’t lie, I was enjoying hearing some of them. A little too much, honestly. It was all I could do to keep her from feeling how much before I got out of bed.
I couldn’t think about how she felt in my arms all night, or I would be back in the same predicament.
“Would you like some water?” I offered to distract myself.
She nodded. “Please.”
I reached over to get the glass on the table and helped her take a few sips.
“Thank you.” She dabbed her lips.
“How are you feeling?”
“Exhausted. Weak. Sore.” She sighed in defeat.
“I’m so sorry I let this happen to you,” I admitted.
She frowned. “How did you let it happen?”
“I was so caught up with Nyx, I was too far away to scent the danger. I should have been with you, and this wouldn’t have happened.”
She considered my words. “Or you could have been beside me and we both could have been poisoned.” Her eyes flashed with horror, “Were you exposed?”
I shook my head. “No, I heard the cries of alarm and as soon as I smelled it, I shifted and carried you out as quickly as I could. We can withstand a brief exposure in dragon form. I’m fine.”
“And Nyx and Zaria?”
“Both fine. I’m just so sorry this happened to you. Nyx and I both are. We are determined to find out who was responsible and what their intent was. Nyx is getting the investigation under way, I’m not leaving you. ”
“You don’t have to hold a vigil. I’m awake now. You can go do what you need to do.”
I fixed her with a serious stare. “What I need to do is be here with you. There is nothing else that comes before ensuring you are okay and getting you back on your feet. Get used to it because I’m not arguing. It’s a hard fact.”
She swallowed, holding my determined gaze for a moment before looking away. “Well then, I’m sorry you have to put other things aside. I’m sure you’d rather be flying or something.”
“I should have been more clear. There is nothing else I want to do more than be here with you. Understand?”
She nodded.
“I want you to know that I’m sorry for what happened yesterday. Not just that you got hurt, but before that. I wasn’t myself, and I lost my temper.”
Her face showed a flicker of what looked like regret.
“I never let anger get the better of me like that, and I regret that you saw it. But those flyers will be dealt with. You have my word.”
“Oh,” she said. “I thought—” She paused, clamping her lips shut.
“You thought what?”
“I thought you were sorry for kissing me.”
“Should I be?”
“No,” she said hurriedly. “No, never.”
I smiled. “Good.”
She looked pensive, so I let her sit with her thoughts for a moment. She’d been through so much. She had a lot to process.
“How is Nyx doing?” she asked after long moments.
“He’s okay.”
“Are you two okay? I had to separate you at the festival.”
“Actually, yes. Seeing you close to death was a wake-up call for both of us. We talked last night. I think he has a long way to go, but he is starting to see the effect he’s having on those of us around him.”
“He needs our help if he is going to get better. I need to research everything we discussed, and now I’m stuck here,” she huffed, already frustrated with being laid up.
“You can’t do a thing to help anyone until you’re better, so focus on that first.”
“That’s easy for you to say. And it’s not just that. It’s everything else that will suffer, too. How can I just rest when there’s medicines to make and patients who need me? I’m going to be letting everyone down.”
“You are not the Goddess, Kiera. You are a fae who needs care as much as those you want to provide it for. You can’t give it if you don’t accept it first. Things can wait.”
“I’m honestly not sure if they can. We were already stretched to a breaking point. Things would never have gotten this bad if the Forest Kingdom council would allow more healers to come to the cities,” she lamented.
“Why won’t they allow it?” I frowned, puzzled. “Surely they train healers so that they can heal all fae, not just those in the Forest Kingdom?”
“They do, but they feel they lose their best to the rest of the realm if they don’t protect the bloodlines, so they only sent a quota. And the demands are much greater now than they used to be. The population has grown and we aren’t granted more healers in accordance with the growth. So each healer has more work than they can realistically handle and we are pulled in so many different directions. It’s exhausting.”
“That’s terrible.”
She saw the concern on my face and hers softened. “Sorry, I’m just complaining because I’m frustrated. I love my work, honestly.”
“Don’t be sorry. I like learning about your work. What kinds of things do you have to do other than treat patients? ”
“The core of our work is patient treatment, but that is comprised of constant learning and relearning, research to find new, more effective treatments, and then applying the knowledge using spells as well as mixing medicines. But it’s the other things that consume our time. Patient care is essential but takes away from our research time. Prep work for potions is time-consuming. Even gathering ingredients is a big time suck and can be extremely hazardous, hence why I’m laying here wasting my day.” she laughed without humor.
“So healers spend half their time doing essential work, which takes away from the even more essential work they should be doing?” I clarified.
“Exactly.”
“Something needs to change, it seems to me.”
“I don’t disagree, but without a whole lot more healers, nothing can.”
I pondered this for some time. I felt like everything in this realm was done the hard way, not the smart way, and I really wanted to shake it all up.
“Can’t other fae do some of that work?” I suggested, thinking it not for the first time.
“Not without healing magic.”
“Don’t we all have a little of that inside us?”
She looked at me quizzically. “We all have hints of a lot of things in us, but if it were that simple, we could all do anything. It doesn’t work that way. There is a reason the Forest Kingdom protects the healer bloodlines so fiercely. Only those with pure healing magic can do this job, just like only those with the bond can be flyers and ryders. The magic needs to be strong enough.”
I conceded that most aspects of both roles could only be fulfilled by those with enough magic, but there were roles within them I was sure could be given to any fae. I was already working on a plan to bring in other types of flyers to the military divisions for different roles. I hadn’t discussed it with anyone yet. There was enough to worry about right now. But when things were a bit easier, I intended to present my scheme to Nyx.
Flyers of other orders bonded with ryders and produced enough magic to serve the kingdoms. Not just dragons. Sure they weren’t as designed for battle as dragons, but messages had to be sent, the injured had to be returned to the cities for treatment. Units needed weaponry moved and let’s not forget scouting could be better done by any order other than huge conspicuous dragons.
And the ego of dragons to think they were the only acceptable battle force! I was certain all the flying orders could prove themselves in their own way. I was convinced we could be doing things smarter, not harder. And I was beginning to think that philosophy could be applied to other disciplines, such as healing.
If we had greater numbers doing the jobs that were essential to keeping the kingdom going, those with the vital magic could have time to breathe. Or even have the choice whether or not to give their lives in service to the King. That was the biggest issue for me when I took the time to observe the kingdom and its workings, watching young fae left with no choice as they were drafted for their duties.
What of those who didn’t want to fight? Surely, not every dragon desired this life. It was unjust. I hated to even imagine how many were unhappy with their lot. My thoughts went to the flyers I’d found harassing Kiera and Luka. As much as I wanted to see them put in their place, I didn’t know their stories. Perhaps their behavior is the result of being forced into a life they didn’t choose.
I was determined to put an end to their bullying. No dragons in my ranks were going to harass the fae they were meant to protect, regardless of their reason. But maybe if they felt more heard, they would become better fae?
“What are you thinking?” Kiera asked, breaking into my thoughts with a yawn .
My mind was racing, but I would not give her another reason to resist the rest she so desperately needed. “Nothing.” I shuffled down to lay beside her again, taking her in my arms. “Try and sleep. It will help you heal.”