Chapter 18
DRAYA
Aweek had passed since I brought Hazel into the depths of the Talassian Capital, and I’d not seen her once since she’d been placed under the care of our highest ranked doctor.
Cordelia was a half-human, half-Talassi woman who’d spent most of her time with the Talassi, yet managed to stay in her human form for the four years she spent attending medical school.
Her knowledge had tremendously helped advance Talassian medical procedures, and she was held in high regard within our society.
The Queen had tasked her with determining whether Hazel was truly part Talassi, and I felt as if a week was ample time to come to an answer.
After assigning her to my care, the Queen and Commander Adri temporarily relieved me of my other duties as a warrior, which was quite irritating. I didn’t ask for the job of “prisoner-nanny” but here I was nonetheless.
The first time I tried to check on her, Cordelia had rudely sent me back home, informing me she needed at least a week to make any progress, and that my hovering would hinder her work.
Of course I was frustrated, but arguing with Cordelia was basically a death sentence, so I retreated and spent the next seven days twiddling my thumbs and cursing myself for getting into this predicament.
Finally, the week was up, and I made my way back to the area of the Queen’s residence where Hazel was being kept.
Checking in on her required me to shift into my human form, which I did not enjoy in the slightest, but I pushed my annoyance aside in hopes that I would soon be able to give her back to the Queen and return to my normal duties.
The room was quiet when I approached, and I knocked gently before entering. Cordelia stood over Hazel’s bed, her face scrunched into a scowl and her hands glowing with some sort of magic.
My eyes widened as I neared, guilt tightening my chest. Hazel looked awful.
Drops of sweat beaded over her skin, and dark hollows shadowed the sunken skin under her eyes. Her lips were cracked and dry, and her breathing slow and shallow. Of course, I didn’t fret for her, but seeing anyone in such a sickly state was bothersome.
“Is she well?” I demanded, not caring that I was interrupting Cordelia’s work.
“Enough,” was all she said, not looking up.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’m a bit busy, Draya,” Cordelia said, shaking her head.
“And I’m growing impatient,” I replied, moving out of her way. I sat in the chair across the room and waited until Cordelia had finished whatever she was doing to Hazel, whose skin grew paler by the second as sweat began pouring from her skin. What is she doing to her?
“May I assist you with something?” Cordelia said, moving to stand in front of me as she readjusted her linen dress and straightened her posture.
“I’d like an update,” I replied. “It’s been a week, and I can’t sit around forever waiting on Hazel Emerson’s condition. I’d like to know what you’ve learned.”
Cordelia motioned for me to stand, and we moved to hover over Hazel once again. That pang of guilt was growing stronger the longer I gazed upon her weakened body, but I pushed it away.
“She’s undoubtedly part Talassi,” Cordelia said, lifting one of Hazel’s hands. Her fingers were so thin and pallid that I could see the bones protruding from her knuckles, and I was positive my face showed exactly what I was thinking.
“She looks sickly,” I said, frowning.
“It is an unfortunate transition for her,” Cordelia said with a sigh.
“Her Talassian magic has been suppressed for her entire life, and it seems to be… frightened. For a woman of her age, I wouldn’t expect magic to be lying dormant still, which means something forced her to repress it subconsciously. ”
“She has not been given an easy life,” I said, wondering why I was feeling defensive of her. “Her father never would have accepted her having Talassi blood, and she spent two years in that torture chamber the humans call an asylum.”
“I fear that asylum made it worse,” Cordelia said. “My hope is to wake it enough to help her shift the parts necessary to exist underwater for extended periods of time, but I fear she may never be able to access her true Talassi form.”
“That is quite a shame.”
“It is,” she said.
“How much longer do you need before you can make the call?”
“Give me three more days. There is one last procedure I can try, but it’s going to be extremely painful for her. I’ve been giving her a sleeping draught for most of the week, but it may not be strong enough. She will undoubtedly wake up in a great deal of discomfort.”
I shook my head, bothered by the small ache growing in my chest. For some reason, I disliked the idea of Hazel being in pain, especially if it wasn’t inflicted by me. But she had no choice, and I needed something to be done with her.
“Do it,” I said. “Whatever it takes, try to wake this strange magic within her.”
“All right,” Cordelia agreed.
She left me in the room while she summoned her assistants, and I stared at the emaciated form before me, lost in my own thoughts.
It was useless to try and pretend I didn’t care at all, but these were not emotions I wanted to explore.
In truth, I was most likely just feeling basic compassion, as nobody in their right mind would want to see someone wasting away and suffering.
That drive I’d had to play with her, to provoke her, and to consume her was gone.
In its place was something akin to despair, and I placed my hand atop hers for just a moment.
What a sad thought, that our magic could be lost forever because people around you were too controlling and abusive to allow it to thrive.
“I hope you don’t hide that monster inside you forever,” I breathed.