Chapter 113

Chapter 113 New clinic

CAS SANDRA

As I looked around at the two-story building that would soon be my new clinic, it took all of my effort to keep from dropping my jaw.

I’d been escorted to the building by one of Asher’s councilors, and I was completely taken aback by the size of it. It was far more sp acious than the clinic back in Wild Crawler, and even more impressive. The place had tall ceilings, crea my ivory walls, and the most gorgeous white wood floors I’d ever seen. The floor plan was perfectly suited for a clinic, and it was a gorgeous building, but I was a little intimidated.

“What do you think of it, Healer Cas sandra?” the councilor prompted me.

“It’s very nice, councilor,” I replied politely. “Though, I wonder if it’s a little too large for a clinic.”

“You can call me, Jacoby,” he said with a smile, and then he turned back to the building. “This location was hand-chosen by the Alpha King himself. The king thought it would be the best choice considering its location and condition. I could escort you to a few other places if you wanted to take a look, but I promise you, this is the best pick.”

Just as I opened my mouth to speak, Finnick came barreling down the stairs. The moment we’d arrived, my son had rushed to the second floor excitedly and proclaimed he was going to check the place out.

Mommy, this is so cool!” he announced as he reached my side. “I like it here!! ld see the carousel in the market’s square from the window! I was so pretty. I want to live here.”

I smiled at Finnick and ran my hand through his dark hair.

“I think that answers that,” I laughed, and then I turned to Jacoby. “We’ll take

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this place then. Thank you for going to all of this trouble.”

The councilor gave me a kind smile. “The pleasure is all mine, Healer Cas sandra.”

After we gave the building one more inspection, Jacoby departed back to Merliscire and I was preparing to follow suit when Finnick tugged on the sleeve of my white sweater.

“Mommy, could we ride the carousel?” he asked quietly, his gray eyes wide with innocence as they peered up at me. “Please? We didn’t get to last time.”

As much as I didn’t want to go to the market, Finnick was right. We had planned on riding the carousel the last time we were in Anemond’s busy market, but the kidnappers in the pet store had derailed us and ruined Finnick’s first outing.

I pushed my sleeve up, glanced down at my gold watch, and checked the time. I still had a good deal of time before I needed to return to the lab.

Becky was going to be leaving for her short holiday this afternoon. With the help of the imposter from Dark Abyss that Asher had apprehended, we had created the cure for all of the venoms. It’d been a painstaking process that cost me more. than a few sleepless nights and countless hours in the lab, but we’d conducted enough analysis and research to make the medicines possible.

The man hadn’t necessarily wanted to cooperate, but Asher had intervened enough behind the scenes to get him to comply. I wasn’t sure what methods or tactics the Alpha King had used to make it happen, but I didn’t really want to know. All that mattered was that we were prepared for any and all viper attacks that could happen in the future.

Furthermore, I’d spoken with Asher about Marley coming to Anemond, and the king had agreed to let her visit. My friend was set to arrive at the palace next week nd she was bringing the forensic report from the recently deceased man in Wild Crawler with her, along with the rest of the research she’d been conducting on her

own.

Hopefully, her information could help us find the right path to curing the

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mysterious disease and save countless lives all over Wegalla.

I was thrilled by the idea of furthering my research, but I was even more excited about the idea of reuniting with my friend. Our visit wasn’t going to be long,

but

With all of that in mind, the pressures of recent events were lessened quite a bit, so the least I could do was spend a little bit of extra time with my son. He’d been through so much lately that he deserved some fun.

“Okay,” I agreed with a smile. “Let’s go to the carousel.”

“Yay!” Finnick exclaimed. “Thank you, Mommy!”

I took my son’s hand and together, we made our way down to the market.

It was just as busy as ever, but I wasn’t nearly as terrified as I’d been last time. Of course, I remained vigilant and kept an eye out for any danger, but the weight had been lifted slightly from my shoulders now that there was a location for a new clinic. Getting away from the palace, even just a short distance, would do great things for us and help life feel at least a little more normal.

As we walked down the streets, I considered visiting the pet store to see if the old woman was doing alright. I’d asked Asher about the investigation report that had been made that day and found out that the poor lady wasn’t doing all that well. She’d been so scared from the encounter that she couldn’t recall many details about that day. Not that I could blame her, of course. It had been a traumatizing day, to say the least.

The old woman had always been so kind, even when I was a child. It made me sad to know that she wasn’t doing well.

We pa*sed by the store on our way to the carousel, and I was surprised to see hat the place was closed. A sign on the front door stated that the place was under construction.

As I stared at the building, my heart ached. It was an awful sight to see. I hoped. that the woman could find peace and get her shop back in working order.

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“Mommy?” Finnick prompted me. “Is that the pet store?”

“Yes, baby,” I replied as I stared on. I half-expected Finnick to grow upset at the memory, but instead, his expression was thoughtful.

“I hope all of the animals are okay,” he said quietly.

“I’m sure they are,” I a*sured him. “They’re in good hands. It was a scary day, but everyone’s going to be okay.”

Finnick wrapped his arms around me and gave me a big hug. We stood like that for a moment, and the feeling in my

-h eased a little. Finnick was such a kind

and compa*sionate soul and I was lucky to have him.

Once he pulled away, we started to walk back toward the carousel in silence.

“Cas sandra!” A strange, familiar voice called out to me.

I lifted my head immediately and turned to see Kaleb. The king of Yurene was flanked by a trio of his tall, muscular guards, and he flashed me a brilliant smile as he approached. The breeze made his golden brown hair sway, and his cheeks were flushed a little from the cold.

“What a surprise to see you here,” Kaleb said once he reached my side.

“I could say the same thing,” I said with a smile.

“I haven’t seen you around the palace much these days,” the king remarked with a slight tilt of his head. “It’s a shame, I’ve missed you.”

Hea spread to my cheeks and my eyes dropped to the ground. Before I could er a response, Finnick spoke up.

“I know you!” he declared, and he excitedly pointed at Kaleb. “You’re the hero who saved me and my Mommy!”

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