Claiming The Remnant

Chapter 11

[ Taiya ]

"ZACH!!" Gace shouted.

I sat on the floor cradling my clearly broken arm with fat tears pouring down my face. After having screamed at everyone to stay away from me I could not bear to look any of them in the eye. Entirely embarrassed by both the fall and my subsequent behaviour I tried to keep the sobs to a minimum as not to further humiliate myself.

"Yes, Ms Grace?" A young and cheeky voice asked. I was a little confused at having not heard the door. I glanced up to see the green haired boy from the dungeon.

"Healer Asperonin is required urgently." Ms Doran told Zach, who was bouncing from one spot to another with bare feet.

"Umm… ok." He chirped before sliding into the floor. I'd heard of that sort of magic but it was rare. I couldn't recall ever having seen green hair before; not that I could recall much of anything.

The gown I was in was sleeveless and so my injured arm was clearly visible. My forearm was an angry shade of red and swelling more by the second. The bones appeared to be straining against the skin.

My poor, already tender, stomach was clenching at the sight. I could only be thankful that there was only a little tea swishing around in there - so far I was keeping that down.

"Ms Doran, Zachary informed me there was a situation that requires my attention." An almost melodic voice reached my ears. I had seen him briefly in the dungeon but there was an eerie ghost of a feeling, a nagging that we had met many times before.

"Yes Healer Asperonin, Lady Esther had a fall. It seems she may have broken her arm. I'm sorry that Zach dragged you up through the building." Grace finished with a scowl directed at the green haired lad. "I told him it was urgent, I did not tell him to drag you here."

"No matter Ms Doran, I'm here now. I was about to be on my way anyhow." Healer Asperonin told Grace kindly before turning to me. An unease settled over me. Despite his warm welcoming face and softly glowing gold eyes I felt a discomfort in this Healers presence. Phantom pains shuffled around my body as though it remembered something I didn't.

With a breath that caught in my chest and jarred my broken arm I put the thoughts aside. He was a Healer. He was here to help me. The King himself had apologised and recognised me as a Lady. There was nothing to fear. Raising my chin I met his gaze.

"Lady Esther, that is quite a nasty looking break. What happened?" He hovered in a crouch a few feet away. The red was turning to a very violent shade of purple. That he was asking questions instead of helping me had me a little perturbed.

"I fell." I said, pained.

"Yes, Grace said. How?" A soft smile that didn't quite reach his eyes floated on his face. I couldn't help but glance at the mirror but the thing I'd seen was no longer there. Telling Healer Asperonin seemed like a bad idea. I didn't want him to think me mad.

"I lost my balance." I sniffled. My arm was really throbbing now, lightheaded and more nauseous by the second I struggled to keep the Healers face in focus.

“I see.” Asperonin reached out with long elegant fingers and I adjusted my position so that my broken arm was more accessible to him.

“Aghhh!.” I screeched as pain darted through me. The shock of Healer Asperonin poking my severely broken arm had me move sharply away. What kind of Healer prods at someone like that? The sudden movement sent an unbearably intense wave of nausea over me and this time I couldn’t hold back. Thankfully I managed to turn my head just enough to vomit the tea over the floor and not down myself.

Once again Han was there with a hot cloth carefully wiping my lips and chin. How she managed that so quickly I couldn’t guess but I was grateful nonetheless. She grunted at Asperonin. I think she was annoyed at him but really I didn’t know anyone here well enough to infer such things.

My arm had ballooned grotesquely and dark spots were dancing in my vision.

“It appears the bone tore through an artery when it snapped. You could quite easily bleed to death.” There was an undercurrent to his words, an implication that even in my desperate state I couldn’t miss. I knew what was coming. He leant in. “Where is the Remnant?” He whispered.

“I don’t know.” I whimpered in a tiny voice.

“You are going to die.” He told me in a casual whisper. It almost sounded like polite conversation. The world was spinning now. Truly this day just kept getting worse. I swayed and the world turned. Saying which way was up and which was down was impossible. My thoughts felt thick and my tongue was like lead in my mouth.

‘I don’t know.’ I tried to repeat with lips that no longer felt like my own. No sound came out as far as I was aware. The Healer didn’t believe me. He still thought I was this ‘Taiya’, whoever she was. Tired and cold I gave in to the heaviness that had settled over me. The world turned to a fuzzy black. Muffled voices sounded off in the distance.

I was going to die but strangely I wasn’t afraid. It was easy actually; just letting everything fade away.