I took a step towards him, only to be stopped immediately by Eli’s firm grip on my arm. I glanced back up at him in surprise, his expression bewildered and concerned, before I met Mira’s gaze again. “How reliable is that enhanced antidote?” I asked her seriously. “Has anyone ever died after getting it?”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “Well, no…”
I looked back up at Eli.
‘Please let me go.’
His eyes widened slightly, before narrowing. “Are you sure?” He finally whispered.
I nodded. I didn’t trust Alabast, but I didn’t see how she could lead me to my death with this if she had been required to protect me against her own kindred. Eli finally let go of my arm and I took a few steps away before kneeling down to be on the boy’s level.
Tentatively, I held out my open palm. “Can I see your hand?” I whispered to him.
His mother’s expression was wary, but she didn’t say anything.
Miles spoke up behind me. “What are you guys doing?” He hissed, sounding like he was directing his question towards Eli.
Eli didn’t respond though. I could feel his uneasiness through our bond, his anxiety increasing as the boy slowly raised his hand and rested it in my palm.
Chapter 20: Curse
Instantly, it felt like someone had electrocuted me, though I didn’t budge. Instead, the world around my eyes disappeared and I was standing up, completely alone. Eli, Risa, Mira, Miles, Madeline, the boy, his mother – all gone. I looked around urgently at the unexpected darkness, before I realized where I was. I turned around in a rush to see the enormous set of doors pulled wide open, with a massive crimson Alabast looking down at me.
She wasn’t smirking for once. Instead, her gaze was intent, looking over my head.
I bolted around again to see what she was examining so intently.
I gasped when I saw a black darkness creeping towards me. It was somehow darker than the darkness around us. More absolute. I took a step back automatically, but it was too late. The darkness snagged around my ankles, causing me to fall back on my rear as it began climbing up my body.
“No!” I exclaimed, fear gripping my chest. Alabast was trying to kill me after all!
My back arced as it crawled over my skin, pressing into me as if searching for a way inside my body. I looked up in horror at Alabast standing over me, her expression surprisingly reserved.
“Help me!” I shouted at her.
Unexpectedly her eyes narrowed. “Help yourself,” she scoffed. She wasn’t mocking me though. She was serious.
My eyes widened in surprise as I realized the black void appeared to be weakening its grip on me now. I looked down at my body to see that I was completely covered below my chest. And I was glowing faintly in a blue hue.
Magic.
My magic, purifying the curse. Purifying me.
“How is this possible?” I asked seriously, watching the void slowly dissipate, revealing my unharmed body underneath.
Alabast was quiet for a moment, before speaking as if she were talking to herself. “I may have to keep you alive after all,” she admitted quietly.
I looked at her in shock.
Her crimson cat-eyes narrowed. “There are three magical races in the world,” she hissed, sounding almost annoyed. “The elves, dragons, and demons…” She paused then for a moment. “Whatever this poison is, it doesn’t seem like it can harm a member of a magical race. The magic imbued in your lifeforce purified and eliminated it from affecting you.”
I gawked at her in confusion. “The magic…in my lifeforce? Don’t you mean your magic?” I asked seriously. “Because you’re a demon,” I added when she looked at me blankly.
She laughed humorlessly at that. “I’m no demon, child!” She scoffed. “I’m an ancient elderfel spirit who sought out immortality and achieved a form of it.” She shook her head. “No, this curse might even have been capable of harming me if you weren’t my vessel.”
I gasped. “But how is that possible? I’m half-human.”
“A quarter-human,” she corrected me. “Your mother was half-elf.”
I felt like someone punched me in the stomach, and the lifeless world around me began to spin.
My mother was half-elf. I was a quarter-elf.
I gasped.
Who were my grandparents? Was it possible that my godmother was actually my grandmother? Had that been the real reason the elves had offered me sanctuary? The real reason she had given me her surname, Akema? Was I truly an Akema? Not just by adoption?
And if that was true, had any of the other elves known?
Suddenly, I had so many unanswered questions.
I almost expected Alabast to laugh at my expression, but she didn’t. It appeared she was considering her own potential mortality at the realization that this disease might be able to touch her if she were in another host – a host who wasn’t at least part dragon, elf, or…demon? What was a demon if not for her? Was there a race I didn’t know about?
I wanted to know more, but I didn’t have time to focus on that.
With the void completely gone, I stood back up and faced the large red cat, crossing my arms. I was still shocked, but I needed to deal with her first. “No more trying to get me killed,” I said seriously. “I think you can see that’s in your best interest.”
Alabast’s eyes narrowed, before she sat down and began licking one of her red ethereal paws. “You should return,” she finally purred after a moment.
I was about to continue speaking, but suddenly the world reappeared before my eyes. The boy’s expression was exactly the same as before, as if no time had passed. I stood up abruptly and backed away.
“Are you okay?” Eli asked urgently when he saw my expression.
I glanced up at him before nodding hesitantly, speaking to Mira. “Who exactly does this disease affect?” I asked seriously.
“What?” She wondered in confusion.
I finally met her gaze. “Who does this disease affect?” I repeated. “Because it doesn’t spread to everyone, right?”
Mira looked at Miles for a moment before responding. “I d-don’t know,” she admitted. “We aren’t sure why it infects some people, but not others.”
I nodded hesitantly as I considered that.
I considered what Alabast had told me, as well as what I knew about those who had been sick, including the pantherian children I had met at their farm. “I think I know,” I finally admitted, looking up at them. “The children at your home weren’t capable of using magic,” I said vaguely, being careful not to refer to them as pantherians or slaves, “but they did have traces of magic in their body.” I then looked at the mother, before looking down at the boy. “And this boy has traces of magic inside his body too, though his mother does not.”
“But that can’t be the reason,” Eli countered, his expression reserved. “Because my mother became ill whereas I did not.”
“No,” I agreed. “But there’s a reason for that.” I then tried telling him the rest silently. ‘Because you’re half-dragon – a magical race.’
“So then, are you going to get sick?” Eli asked seriously out loud, causing everyone else to give him a confused look at the jump in conversation.
I shook my head, turning towards him. “Apparently the elves can’t get this disease either…” I bit my lip. “And it seems that my mother was actually only half-human.”
Eli’s eyes widened, and Mira gasped.
On the other hand, Miles scoffed. “Are you saying you’re part-elf?” He asked in disbelief. “Elves don’t even exist.”
I immediately placed my hands on my hips and glared at him. “I was raised by the elves my whole life,” I snapped. “Don’t tell me they don’t exist.”
His eyes widened too. “You can’t be serious!”
Mira abruptly reached up then and rested her hand on his arm to get his attention. “It’s true,” she admitted. “We saw three of them with our own eyes just the other day. Land
on and my dad saw them too if you don’t believe me.”
Miles shook his head in disbelief, but he didn’t say anything else.
I hadn’t realized that Madeline and Lyla had disappeared, but Tobias and Finn were suddenly coming through the back doorway with the girls just behind them.
“What’s going on here?” Finn asked just as firmly as his son had earlier. However, before anyone could respond, he cringed when he saw the boy and his mother. “If you can’t pay for the antidote then there is nothing for you here,” he retorted.
I gawked at their callousness. “Is there really nothing that can be done?” I asked seriously, looking at Mira again.
Finn immediately eyed me suspiciously. “You seem pretty outspoken for a slave,” he sneered.
Eli held up his hand before I could retort. “She’s a powerful mage, and I treat her as such.” He replied simply. “I value her opinion.”
Finn looked him over for a moment before scoffing. “Well, we can’t offer anything to non-paying customers. The entire slum would show up here if we did, even just once.”
“I won’t tell anyone,” the woman promised desperately.
“You won’t have to,” Finn snapped at her. “All it will take is for people to see that he’s better, and they’ll know you didn’t pay for it.”
“Can’t you put her to work or something?” I wondered seriously.
Finn gawked at me in disbelief. “Give her a job?!” He exclaimed. “She would scare all the customers away!”
“I’m sure she cleans up just fine!” I retorted.
Finn crossed his arms. “And what? Give her a place to stay too? She lives in the slums! She probably doesn’t have a way to clean up at all!”
Tobias finally chimed in. “Okay, now settle down everyone.” He looked at me seriously. “I can understand your concern Magus Riella…” He paused as he considered his next words. I was shocked he used that title for me, but then realized he was probably trying to show me respect before Finn began traveling down the path of disrespecting me as a slave. After a moment, he continued, “…but we can’t cause problems like this for our associates. It will put him out of business if a bunch of people from the slums start showing up expecting to be healed for free.” He then looked at me meaningfully. “And we can’t help people if we put our partners out of business.”
I felt my ears droop as I considered that. I didn’t like this situation at all. Let a boy die for the greater good? Why couldn’t we just heal everyone? I met Mira’s gaze again, seeing the pain in her eyes. She understood the situation perfectly – she couldn’t fix everyone, and if she tried then it could prevent her from doing as much as she was already doing behind the scenes. I also knew it was extremely taxing on her, currently being the only source of the cure.
I felt Eli’s warm hand rest on my shoulder, but I couldn’t look at him. I glanced at the woman to see tears in the corners of her eyes. And the little boy just stood there like a doll, as if he had seen more in his life than any kid should have to.
Unexpectedly Lyla spoke up. “What if I let them stay with me for a while?” She asked Finn. “Would you consider letting her work here then?”
Finn looked at her in surprise, before scratching his chin. After a moment, he spoke to the woman. “Have you ever even worked before?” He asked seriously.
My ears perked up as she nodded. “Yes,” she exclaimed. “We’ve only lived in the slums for a little over a year, after…” Her voice trailed off. “But I’ve had a job before,” she continued.
“After what?” He demanded firmly.
Her head dropped a little. “My son…his father was in an accident…” She finally looked up and met his gaze. “We were going to get married, but we hadn’t done it yet. His family hated me because I wasn’t as highly born as him. When he passed, they left us with nothing – left their grandson with nothing.”
Finn sighed heavily. “Lyla, take the rest of the day off to get them settled. I want to see her work for a day before I give out a loan large enough to cover the antidote.” His expression darkened as he stuck out his finger. “But no stealing or else you and your son are out of here – same with Lyla’s place.”
“I would never!” The woman promised.
Finn crossed his arms again. “Do you owe any debts?” He snapped.
Her eyes widened in surprise, before she nodded hesitantly.
“How much?” He demanded.
“A lot,” she admitted quietly.
“Will the loaner let you pay it off? Or is he basically trying to enslave you with the debt?”
She shook her head. “He just wants his money,” she whispered. “So yes, he should let me pay it off.”
“How much?” He repeated again.
“Six silver,” she admitted.
Finn laughed at that. “Six silver?” He scoffed. “That’s not very much money.”
“It is in the slums!” She retorted in surprise.
“And how much do you think the antidote is worth?” Finn countered. When she shook her head to indicate she didn’t know, he continued. “A gold,” he replied simply.
Her hand flew up to her mouth as her eyes widened in shock. “How long will it take me to repay you?” She finally asked after a moment.
Finn stood up straighter. “If you work hard, then I’ll pay you four silver a week here.” Her eyes widened in shock, which I didn’t understand since that made sense given many people were only paid about thirty to forty bronze a day. He ignored her reaction though, as he continued. “So probably at least half a year, assuming you use some of your money for regular living expenses along the way, like food and paying Lyla rent.”
“Thank you,” she replied breathlessly, before standing up straighter as well. “I’ll do it,” she said more firmly. “I’ll work hard, and I won’t disappoint you.”
Finn nodded and shooed her with his hand. “Now go along with Lyla before you scare any more of my customers away.”
“Wait,” Mira spoke up, looking at Finn. “Let me go ahead and heal the boy now. That way if she takes off, you haven’t lost any money.” She paused. “You can still charge her for the service though – view it as a courtesy for your generosity.”
Finn scoffed. “Very well. I certainly can’t stop you from doing it.”
Tobias took a step towards Mira. “Are you sure honey?” He asked seriously. “Don’t forget we still need to visit the Count tonight.”
Mira nodded confidently. “I’m sure.” She then turned her attention to the woman. “I’ll heal your son now, but you need to keep up your end of the bargain and work to pay off this debt. Understood?” She asked firmly.
The woman inclined her chin. “Of course. This will give me the opportunity to get us out of the slums – of course I’m not going to mess it up.”
“Good,” Mira replied, crouching down to get on the little boy’s level. “Then let’s heal your son.”
Chapter 21: Territorial
Mira definitely needed a nap after she had spent a few hours enhancing the potions. She slept in the wagon while the rest of us socialized for a few hours. The loud sounds of the city around us didn’t prevent her from passing out from exhaustion. People talking, car horns honking, horse hooves clomping, wagons rhythmically squeaking – it was really loud.
We had left the potions shop and traveled to a nearby park, which was a place that had some nature inside the city, including tall trees. Granted, the grass was patchy from so many people walking over it. But it was nice to hear some sounds of nature among the noises of the city. The insects and birds chirping in the trees were the loudest. Being in a nicer portion of the city, there was a large fountain towards the middle, as well as stone walkways.
Landon and Tobias took off to grab everyone lunch, coming back with two brown paper bags full of meat on wooden sticks, along with boxes of vegetables I’d never seen before. Eli stood petting one of the horses while socializing with the men. That left Risa and me in the shade of the wa
gon’s canopy next to a sleeping Mira.
Having eaten the meat off one of the sticks, Risa was chewing absentmindedly on the wood. It felt like everyone had been a little uneasy around me ever since earlier. I wasn’t sure if it was because I divulged I was actually part elf, or if it was just my outburst in general. I wasn’t about to apologize for insisting that boy’s life be saved though. It didn’t seem right to just let him die – and a horrible death at that, considering how it ended.
Risa was sitting next to me, staring out at the people in the streets. Her gold eyes seemed slightly hesitant, but overall she appeared to be relaxed.
I decided to be playful, nudging her with my shoulder. “Do you play fetch?” I teased.
Her head snapped in my direction as she gawked at me, before a smile slowly crept on her lips. “I don’t know,” she replied playfully. “Do you like catnip?”
I tilted my head in confusion. “What’s catnip?” I asked seriously.
Her eyes widened in surprise. “It’s an herb that makes cats go crazy,” she explained. “Although they get really sleepy if they actually eat it.” Her lips then twisted into a mischievous grin. “Now that I have money, I’m going to have to buy some and see what happens.”
I laughed at that. “You finally have money, and you’re going to use it on that?” I asked in disbelief.
She shrugged, still gnawing on the skewer. “I can’t think of a better reason. I mean, I don’t know what else I’d buy.” She paused then as she glanced at the street again. Her voice was low now. “The only thing I’ve ever wanted besides a friend is to be free,” she whispered. “And being here with you right now,” she met my gaze again, her gold eyes slightly cloudy with tears. “There’s nothing I’d want more in the world.”
I tried to swallow the sudden lump in my throat. She was going to make me cry if she kept looking at me like that. I glanced away. “Umm, well, I’m glad,” I replied. I then sighed. “Although, I’m not sure why you feel that way,” I admitted. “I haven’t done anything special for you. Certainly not like Mira has.”
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