Chapter 68

Chapter 68 Who’s the healer

CA SSANDRA

My heart sk ipped a beat.

Was Kaleb being serious?

I searched my mind for the right thing to say, but nothing was coming to me. Meanwhile, I could feel heat spreading through my cheeks.

Before I could suffer for too long, the king of Yurene began to laugh.

“I’m joking, Ca ssandra,” he said with a brilliant smile. “I simply wanted to lighten the air a little bit. But in all seriousness… are you alright?”

I nodded as I rubbed my wrist. The guards had been really rough with me, and I could feel the kind of tenderness on my arm that usually meant a bruise was forming.

Kaleb suddenly noticed the bandage on my wrist and his deep blue eyes widened in surprise.

“What happened to you?” he asked as his eyebrows knitted together in

concern.

I quickly tucked my arm behind my back to keep from alarming him further.

“It was an accident in the lab,” I explained off-handedly, but Kaleb didn’t seem convinced by my words.

“I heard there was an accident yesterday and Lady Adalyn was severely burnt,” he mentioned. For a moment, I considered fessing up, but I didn’t want to get into it with him. The subject was still a little sore and I didn’t want to rehash the drama that had led to my confinement and almost kidnapping by Margaret.

So, I just nodded to my savior and kept it simple. “I heard that as well.”

The king of Yurene studied me for a moment. If he knew the entire story, he hid it well. He ran a hand through his long golden brown hair, and shifted the subject again. “You know, I brought some supplies with me from my country. I have a salve that should be useful and help cure that burn.”

I glanced at him in surprise.

“Oh,” I remarked. “That’s very kind of you, but-”

“No buts,” he interrupted me, and then he crossed over to the doorway, stuck his head out, and called to his guards. “Please go to my chambers and retrieve the medical supplies from the case. And make haste.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” I heard the guards reply in unison, and then their heavy footsteps rang out. Once they were gone, Kaleb closed the door again.

“It will be just a moment,” he addressed me and then he pointed to the table. “Please, take a seat while we wait. You look exhausted, Ca ssandra.”

I nodded and then walked over and sat down at the dining table.

Beyond us, Erika and Finnick were in the corner. Erika stared at me with concern in her kind eyes, but I shook my head just enough to indicate they should remain where they were. The maid nodded back at me and continued distracting my son with a toy.

I wanted to run to them and a*sure them…

all was fine, but my head was still spinning from the fever, and I didn’t know how to handle everything with Kaleb in the room. Though we were on friendly terms, he was still a king and I needed to behave respectfully.

A guard returned a little while later and handed Kaleb a dark blue gla*s container.

“Here you go, Your Majesty,” he said in a gruff, heavily accented voice.

“Thank you,” Kaleb replied and then he gestured to the door. “Leave us.”

“Yes, sir,” the guard said obediently, and then he left the room. Once we were alone, Kaleb undid the cap on the bottle. A pleasant smell radiated from the container but I couldn’t place what it was.

Before I could say anything, Kaleb expertly shifted my bandage and began to apply the salve. I winced at the coldness of the balm and slight discomfort rose within me at the king’s touch, but I didn’t fight it. Kaleb applied it to my wound as skillfully as a healer.

“I learned from battle,” he explained as if he had read my mind.

I remembered what Erika had mentioned about Yurene. Surely Kaleb was no stranger to battle..

As he finished applying the salve, I smiled at him.

“Thank you,” I said gratefully. “This feels much better.”

“Good,” Kaleb replied with a smirk of his own. “I’m glad it has helped.”

“If you don’t mind me asking…” I trailed off for a moment, and then I took a breath and continued my thought. “What brought you here? I appreciate you saving me from Margaret’s guards, but why were you outside of my chamber?”

“Truth be told, I wanted to speak with you,” Kaleb explained, and then he glanced over at Finnick and Erika. “I have some questions, but they require privacy.”

I nodded and then followed his gaze. As much as I didn’t want them to leave, I owed Kaleb an audience.

“Erika, could you take Finnick for a walk?” I asked gently. The maid nodded with no hesitation and helped Finnick to his feet. As they walked toward the door, my son’s gray eyes met mine. They were full of concern, not that I could blame him. I waved him over and then k*ssed his cheek.

“I’ll be okay,” I whispered. “I promise.”

Finnick didn’t seem convinced, but he nodded.

“Okay, Mommy,” he said, and then he turned to Kaleb and straightened his posture like a little soldier. “Thank you for saving her.”

The king of Yurene smiled at the boy. “Of course. Thank you, young man. You’re quite the gentleman. Your mother raised you well.”

Finnick smiled and then rejoined Erika. Once they were gone and the door was closed, Kaleb began to speak.

“Ca ssandra, I know I was quite blunt at the banquet,” he began. “My offer was made suddenly, but I wanted to explain my reasoning. You see, I’ve been looking for an experienced healer from the South, and from what I’ve gathered, you appear to be a great one.”

“There are many others here in Wegalla that are much better than me-” I tried to protest, but Kaleb raised his hand.

“Let me continue,” he said. “Ca ssandra, my father was infected with a disease. many years ago. It was difficult to cure and no healers in my country knew how to treat it. My father spent far too long in utter agony.”

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered and Kaleb nodded. He leaned forward and took a

breath.

“Just when we thought all was lost, a healer from the South came to visit our lands,” he said with a strange glimmer in his deep blue eyes. “He didn’t know how to cure the disease, but he knew how to control the symptoms and ease the pain it brought him. He gave my father some medicine and told him how to slow the progress of the disease. Soon after, the healer said he had to leave but would visit Yurene again once he found the cure.”

He stopped and then stared deeply at me.

“What happened next?” I asked, and my eyebrows creased together.

“The healer never visited again,” Kaleb replied in a melancholic tone. “And my

father’s condition quickly deteriorated. Unfortunately, the medicine the healer left is running out, and I fear he won’t last much longer.”

I shook my head slowly. This was so awful to hear. As a healer, nothing hurts more than losing a patient. I knew the feeling all too well.

Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.

“Who was the healer?” I wondered. “They were someone from Wegalla?”

“That’s just the thing,” Kaleb replied, and his gaze intensified. “The healer said his name was Emmett Keller and he was from the Wild Crawler Pack.”