Claiming The Remnant

Chapter 53

[ Taiya ]

“Good afternoon, Lady Esther.” Asperonin greeted me again, pretending nothing had happened. “Healer Poflorin and I have come today to start your healing. Now I’m sure you have some grand ideas about how this will work but this isn’t an instantaneous process nor an immaculate one.”

“We can repair most of the damage but your body will still need time to recover some aspects.” The younger Healer added as they both moved closer.

“I don’t understand what changed… why now and not before?” My miserable voice rang out.

“There were numerous factors that prevented the healing magic from being effective, but the two main issues were that the inflammation couldn’t be reduced and the magical infection outstripped our healing rate.” Healer Asperonin informed me while folding back the covers.

“We were able to create an imbued bracelet, three pieces syphoning the magical infection to an indiscernible level. This one.” Healer Poflorin lightly touched my arm, giving me a victorious smile. “As soon as the magic was contained the inflammation subsided. We would have tended to you sooner but the last three months of continuous healing had drained both our wells to the edge of burnout.”

“Indeed. Shall we begin?” Asperonin held a palm out to his Son.

“I-is it going to hurt?” I gulped not feeling very brave.

“There may be some discomfort in places. Nothing like what you have previously experienced.” Healer Poflorin put his palm to his Father’s.

“What are you doing?” I shivered.

“We are creating an arch so that we can share our magic. Not in the same way as the twins as we stay as our own source but it entangles our power making it stronger.” It surprised me that the Head Healer actually answered me.

“Not just stronger but more sensitive and synchronised.” Poflorin added. His beautiful hair was braided again. The complexity of the design, woven with ribbons and beads, brought me joy. Zach’s loving hands must have worked for hours. In contrast Asperonin’s hair was hanging straight, golden blond, tickling my arm as he bent over my weak and gaunt form.

My lips parted to ask yet another question but Poflorin’s knowing eyes and Asperonin’s sterner ones had me closing them without an utterance.

“First we will follow the chakra line branching off at each energy flow and coming back to the main line so that a starting point can be identified.” The Head Healer advised with a bored tone. Both of their free hands came to rest at the top of my head.

“The crown chakra, everything is as it should be.” Poflorin confirmed, they then moved in tandem, a hand down each side of my head to the temple and onto my forehead. “Third Eye, calm. Is there any tenderness?”

“No, it doesn’t hurt.” The words came with shy honesty. The duo moved on, gentle magic flowing over my throat chakra, heart chakra and my solar chakra where a pained noise bubbled in my throat.

“Ahh, it would be a safe bet to say that hurts, yes?” Asperonin announced, observing my obvious discomfort.

“Umm.” I nodded, unwilling to say anything else; fearful I would embarrass myself.

“Two more to check, but this is likely the starting point.” His words directed a Poflorin. “Sacral chakra, how does that feel?” I felt a pang of relief as he spoke to me. For some reason it plagued me, this discomfort, this fear of being overlooked; treated like an object.

“Ok.” Sighing I rubbed my feet together as they were starting to feel cold. No doubt it was simply that they were bare and not the affliction I faced before.

“Now we are going to check the final point, there are seven chakras but previously we only checked the central five. The root chakra is located right at the base of your spine, therefore we will be sliding our hands underneath you, one either side.” Asperonin’s golden eyes were on my face, he was searching for something but what I didn’t know. Something about that look though, the way it was tinged with pity made me think he knew something about me that I did not know myself.

“Ye Gods! Stop, STOP.” A pained screech exploded from my lips.

“What is it, Lady Esther?” Poflorin sounded panicked but Asperonin looked at me like it was expected. They let their hands part and the healing magic ceased to flow.

“It hurts.” My pathetic, miserable crying began again.

“What kind of pain? Describe it.” He coaxed tenderly while his Father looked on.

“H-hot a-and sharp.” I stammered. Helpless I looked at them both. Poflorin seemed to ponder my words but the Head Healers eyes widened a little as if a realisation occurred to him.

“My Lady, chakras have layers of energy flow that expand out into the body. At present we are following the deepest current. What I’d like to do is start on the outer layer and work down to the point where the pain is too much. That will help pinpoint the reason for such sensitivity at this chakra and act to heal it appropriately.” His face was neutral bar his ever glowing eyes which were expectant.

“You want to poke it…” I said slowly.

“In essence - yes.” He watched me carefully as I glared at him. He wanted to poke it like he poked my broken arm. He wanted to poke it until I couldn’t take the pain but this time he was asking and this time Poflorin was here.

“What if I don’t want to?” Gulping I tried to sink into the bed.

“It can be left for today if you desire but it will continue to get worse and, considering the intensity, shortly manifest on a physical level.” Poflorin nodded at his Father’s words; a reassuring action.

“But… you won’t be able to heal it completely today?” Fear was winding itself around my chest, making it tight.

“No. Doing so would sap too much of everything - your energy, our magic.” Poflorin placed a comforting hand on my arm. “If you wish to be out of bed anytime soon then the best course of action would be to do a little of everything, like building a house - you can’t start with the roof.” The young Healer smiling down at me had the fear uncoiling enough that there was room for me to be brave.

“Please, Lady Esther, I implore you to lay your trust in our hands.” Asperonin placed his own hand on my other arm. “I know I have caused you much pain.” I waited but no apology came. I supposed I shouldn’t have expected something so basic from such a prideful man.

“Be gentle, please.” The quiver in my voice disgusted me. Here I was begging, the words came so easily but felt so wrong. Was I really so weak? Had I always been as such?

After speaking quietly between themselves the two Healers started with my heart. The magic was warm inside me, healing and soothing the damaged organ. Its beat became stronger in my chest, my breath deepened and every limb felt revitalised as blood flowed with vigour. Next they focused on the tender chakra in my middle; the solar chakra. Whatever they did with their magic lifted a pressure that I hadn’t realised was even there.

The whole time that the Father and Son duo were healing they kept an arch. It seemed ridiculous to me that so much magic was required to heal someone like me; magicless and without Fae traits. I supposed that if I did have some insanely rare magic infection as they said I did that it would actually make sense. How I had come to be infected with such a thing was a question I may never know the answer to. My memories were not very forthcoming.

Perhaps once I was well they would begin to return; for now though I could only speculate on everything. Who I was. Why I was here. What had happened at my home and to my family. The circumstance that had led to my illness. Were they before or after my home had been burned to the ground?

If I had been ill for sometime, suffering from memory loss and those terrifying apparitions in every reflection, could it have been me? Could I have set the fire? Perhaps that was why the King was having me watched so closely, because I was going mad. Perhaps I was paranoid that I was being watched because I was going mad. My thoughts were an aching mess as the Healers’ hands traversed the entirety of my body healing everywhere they journeyed.

“Lady Esther, how are you doing? Are you ready to work on the root chakra?” Asperonin’s questions brought me from my thoughts.

“Yes.” My answer was short and simple. There was nothing else to be said.

“Just as there are seven chakras, there are seven levels of energy flow layers to each one consisting of; aura, nerves, blood, lymphatic, muscular, bone and soul.” The Head Healer explained slowly. “How about we take it easy today and we just work on the first layer that feels sore?” He wore his friendliest smile.

“No.” The word surprised no one more than me. “I will endure. I want to get better.” Gritting my teeth in determination I nodded for them to continue. They wasted no time getting started.

“We’re going to put you on your front and tell you as we reach each layer.” Healer Poflorin informed me as he helped turn me over. “The control is yours, just say if we should continue or stop.”

“Aura.” Asperonin stated.

“Next.” I am in control. At least that’s what I told myself.

“Nerves.” He asked and the tenderness began.

“Next.” I can do this.

“Blood.” My breath hitched.

“Next.” I hissed.

“Lady Esther, you don’t have to push yourself.” Healer Poflorin told me with genuine feeling at the same time as Asperonin called out the next layer. Sweat formed on my brow and dripped down my temples.

“N-next.” The regrettable sound fire on my lips.

“Muscular.” His Father called.

“Nh, Nnh Nh-eEXT.” The word spiralled into a scream.

“Don’t be silly, Lady Esther.” Poflorin scolded but Asperonin pushed once more.

“Bone.” The announcement came. The pain was bad, crushing but nothing like what I had to endure each time that Asperonin had filled my necklace. He told me that he had to take over doing it because Poflorin was trying to keep my pain at bay at the same time as doing the refill. He was being nice instead of putting the reality of the task first. It was impossible to layer the magic correctly doing both, which had resulted in the magic running out too quickly and Poflorin almost burning himself out.

“NNNH.” I tried to push the Healers to delve into the last layer but the word wouldn’t form and they had started arguing anyway.

“Father, stop. It is too much.”

“She said next.”

“But that doesn’t mean we should!!”

“This is your doing, you told her she had control. This is why we treat charges, we do not serve them. See what you have done.” The Head Healer spat at his Son. “Tell her. Don’t ask her. All your hesitating is leaving her in pain and wasting magic Poflorin.”

“FINE.” Poflorin relented. “Move back up by one.”

The pain decreased and I sucked in a big breath. Tears were mingling with sweat as I stayed face down on the bed. I wanted to tell them to stop, to get out, that I wasn’t a ‘teaching moment’ but it didn’t sit right with me to be some pathetic, whining damsel. All the crying and blushing was that really me? They were gone now, three months of staring at the inside of the Turquoise Suite as I slowly died had seen to that, but there had been calluses on my hands. I was tougher than I thought.

Yes, I had stood up for myself before but that had been different. I hadn’t asked for that. I had asked for this.

“Three layers, open each layer by one third but with a third of the opening as overlap, leaving one third unlocked.” The decision was quick and confident from Poflorin.

“Your math is off or I misunderstand. That would leave two 9ths, not one third.” His voice calmer. “Overlap two 9ths of muscle with bone. One 9th of bone with soul. That will leave one third. Rotate the flow into position before unlocking to ensure alignment and prevent a flare.”

“Then we align and unlock all the other layers?” Poflorin seemed unsure.

“Yes, but not today. It would be best to let the foundation settle and our magic recover as the layout might need adjusting before exposing the chakra spiral we create.” I couldn’t help but roll my eyes despite the pain I was in. Could they not have taken the time to fully discuss everything earlier. “On the count of three, to the left. One, two, three…”

The world went black.