Chapter 20: Healings

“How is he doing?” Krissa walked with Tasan as they talked in muffled voices.1

Since Nathan’s return from destroying Zoreon and returning the mages’ magic it had seemed he wouldn’t leave Larissa’s side. Tasan had to force him into a chair which he never left, reading out loud hoping, wishing that she was only under a deep sleep soon to wake from her trance. No one dared to even speak to him nor would he have replied. Only Krissa spoke to him even though he wouldn’t reply. She visited him every chance she got telling him stories whether he was listening to her or not.2

They walked up and down the dimly lit corridors passing a few palace servants, but no one else stirred. A deathly silence suffocated the air, fading within the two women’s strides only to reappear behind them. Its nudnik presences sent chills through Krissa’s body. 3

Tasan shook her head, “devastation is crushing him.”4

“I wish I could do something,” Krissa whispered under her breath.5

“I wish it too my dear,” the Queen replied gravely, “all we can do is hope and pray it passes and soon.”6

“What baffles me is he’s lost all his senses, his interest in learning have ceased, and when I talk to him he’s like a stranger to me. I just don’t understand…”7

“Denial,” Tasan blew the word out to her, “he doesn’t want to accept the fact that she is gone.” 8

“I can’t believe it either,” Krissa said more to herself in a hushed whisper then to the Queen, looking down at her feat.9

Tasan didn’t reply, but walked in silence. The strange current of air that passed the two women drifted down the corridor, checking doors until it came to a half open door. The current pushed it all the way open and studied its surroundings. Rows of beds with sick or injured humans lined perpendicular to the wall. The smell of the sick swamped the room giving off an egregious sense of anathemas creating pictures of a fusty battle field.10

It drifted down pausing in front of a small box like room in the far left hand corner. A big wave of air lightly pressed an invisible hand to the small window that was covered with a light tan shade. As if it had a mind of its own, it changed and grabbed more air as if it wanted to get in. Still it pressed its invisible hand to the stone wall, but it never could get through. Giving up it turned its invisible eyes following the line of beds until one in particular bed on the left hand side back down the rows caught its eyes.11

A teenage girl with long curly brunet lay under a thin cotton blanket. Her face was white from suffering of some sort, but this individual wasn’t what drew its gaze. On the far side of the bed was a long figure, dozing in a chair, with brown tumbled hair that looked curly on top. His clothes couldn’t be seen under the vibrant colored blanket someone had laid on top of him.12

The current of air sat there looking at his familiar person for a while a long sensation increasing its temperature before all of a sudden it lashed out flying though the short distance between the dozing human and where the current was literally standing knocking itself against the human’s armored abs.13

Nathan felt something crash against his chest with a sharp thud, but didn’t wake. He was too interested in the tantalizing dream shifting before him. In his dream he dreamed he was walking through a thick fog until a bright light shone through to him, clearing his path, but all that was there was an empty space of nothing. Where am I? He thought to himself. He was about to pinch himself awake before he realized something or someone was walking toward him. Nate forced himself to rub his eyes making sure he wasn’t seeing things.14

When his eyes cleared, he recognized the figure and sighed with relief.15

“Larissa!” his heart was racing at the speed of light. “I thought you were….”16

“Nathan,” she said shaking her head as she still continued to approach him, “I am dead.”17

His spirit sagged in his chest. A few minutes passed with silence, but still he didn’t know what to say. She waited for him to say something, but when he didn’t she softly called out to him, “Nathan, it’s time to let me go. Don’t throw your life away because you can’t seem to move on without me.”18

He shook his head, “I can’t.”19

“I thought you would mature about my death,” she put a hand up to his face, but it just went right through.20

“You shouldn’t have tried to help me,” his sad eyes fell to the floor. He shook his head, “I wish I could have reached you sooner.”21

“You tried that’s all that matters,” her voice was still its sweet and soft lullaby. This time it was her turn to shake her head as a invisible tear slid down her cheek, “I just wish I wasn’t so blind. You cared so much for me and I blew it back in your face.”22

“No,” Nathan said shaking his head, “I was the blind one. I should have trusted my heart to know you wouldn’t turn on me.”23

She started, “You knew…but how?”24

“Moranna,” he said.25

“Figured,” Larissa blew the word out softly. She sighed, “I wish I could change what had happened.”26

“Larissa, you and I had no idea what he was planning,” stated Nathan, “we underestimated his power.”27

She pounded a transparent fist against her fading forehead, “I should have got to you sooner.”28

“Larissa, you have to stop beating yourself up about it,” Nathan tried to comfort her, “it wasn’t your fault.”29

She shook her head, “Its too late to change anything anyway.”30

He really wished he could hold her in his arms and kiss her all over again, but he knew that would be impossible.31

A few minutes had gone by before she brushed her lips against his check. Even though her lips went right through his face he could still feel the cool and gentle breeze behind it. All of a sudden she drew back and whispered, “Goodbye Nathan, I will always love you,” and she faded from his view.32

Nate opened his eyes and smiled lightly to himself, but his eyes still held the same sadness. Knowing what he needed to do, he got to his feet looking one last time at his favorite student and love.33

He sighed then reached for Larissa’s trinket around her neck. What amazed him was it unclipped itself from her neck, and flew around his head. A wave of shock sent chills down his spine until he relaxed realizing what was happening.34

“Larissa,” he shook his head smiling, “knock it off.” I’m insane he thought to himself. I’m talking to a ghost surely I am insane!35

The air shimmered in to a foggy faded light shaping arms, and legs into a phantom figure who he recognized as Larissa herself. Larissa’s new form moved away from him and up toward the back of the hospital and rolled her head to her right indicating that he should follow her then disappeared around the corner of Tasan’s office. 36

“Come on, Larissa,” Nathan tried to make his voice irritated, but since the sleepless nights by Larissa’s side he just didn’t have the energy. “Give it back!”37

She didn’t answer so he had to follow her. When they had reached the last row of beds, Larissa turned left drifting into a wall. “I don’t understand,” he replied looking around.38

Larissa poked her head back through the wall to make sure he was coming shaking her head realizing what the problem was. She stepped all the way back through putting a hand on the wall she had just came through and automatically the wall surface began to slide to the right revealing a large box like stone chamber. Nathan watched with interest then poked his head through the opening.39

Inside the air was warm and dry, lit candles on the walls flickered to life as he entered with a confused look on his face. He had never been in this part of the Hospital; he didn’t even know there were still chambers he still hadn’t explored.40

Larissa waited while Nate looked around. More beds with sick people lined the stone walls. There must have been at least ten beds per side with about three to five in the middle of the room. Only a handful of sick occupied the beds most were empty. No one seemed to move as if they were statues instead of people.41

Nate looked at Larissa, but her head was turned away from him before he realized what she was looking at. Asleep in the bed before Larissa was a girl about ten with black hair. Her face was pale with silvery skin that flaked in some areas. Breathing seemed to be difficult as she gasped in her sleep, squinting even though her eyes were shut. The blankets all around her were soaked with sweat; the symptoms of unicorn fever. He recognized her as Moranna, William and Tasan’s daughter and heir to the throne.42

The first time Nathan saw Moranna she was a delight to be around. She had the right amount of self discipline, but also an enjoyable sense of humor to please anyone in a sour mood. When he had started training Larissa, he saw her only briefly as he had predicted that she became envious of Larissa.43

One day he had asked her about it, but she refused to answer her jealousness shadowing her face. From then on he never really saw her again it had seemed that she had vanished, but when he asked Tasan about it all she said was that her daughter was really sick and needed special treatment. Nathan never expected her to have unicorn fever.44

He looked back at Larissa who was watching him, “so what do you want me to do? Heal her?”45

She nodded.46

“I can’t heal her; I don’t have the gift of healing.”47

Without say anything he could feel a gentle coolness sink into his hands as if they were floating through the air and he knew it was Larissa trying to move his hands. Lifting them palm up she placed the trinket in his left hand and closed it. Larissa nodded her head toward the sick girl as is she wanted him to make a move.48

Nathan shook his head, “I told you I don’t have the….”49

His voice trailed as he realized that she was ignoring him, but continued to hold his hands leading him to the side of Moranna’s bed. She tugged on the hand that wasn’t holding the medallion then let it fall to land on the child’s forehead.50

He was about pull his hand back when a stream of gold fire trickled from his hand into Moranna’s body. Nathan felt himself almost pass out before he let the trinket slide from his other hand onto the girl’s chest. She was slowly healing, but it wasn’t enough until Nathan got an idea. He removed his hands from her face and rubbed them together to create some heat then place both hands back over her eyes drawing on his own magic. 51

Moranna was getting better within each minute. Nathan’s hands burned and itched as he worked, but the pain never distracted him from his concentration. To speed up the magic he ran his hands up and down her body from head to toe until her symptoms began to fade.52

Her face retained its color even the skin that had peeled off was replaced with fresh tan skin streaked with dark shades of light brown. She no longer gasped for breath as breathing became easier and the pain in her face seemed to ease.53

He put the finishing touches to his work then backed away quickly picking up the fallen trinket and putting it in his pocket.54

Nathan looked up at Larissa, but she was no where to be seen.55

Moranna blinked her eyes open, “hello princess,” he greeted eyes dancing mischievously understanding the task before him.56

“Mater Nathan, I… I don’t understand, how?” Moranna asked with great confusion not even lifting her head from her pillow.57

He shook his head, “shhh, don’t worry everything is just fine.” He scratched his head with a strangled laugh, “in fact I don’t really know how myself.”58

All if a sudden he understood and he got another idea, “I have a gift for you.” He pulled out the trinket and clipped it around her neck.59

She looking at it she also understand that her world was about to change yet she didn’t know what to say but, “thank you,” came out in a whisper as her eyes began to close again, falling back asleep against her warm pillow.60

“No,” he whispered back even though she was already asleep, “thank you.”