TheHealers

by Lynsie Buchanan

  “The threat on her life has become an all out chase. I believe it’s time to start going on the offense instead of always on the defense.” The determination in Alexander’s voice was hard to argue with.

  “We follow the rules set in place by the Conservatory. What else can we do?” Trevor’s tone suggested this conversation was going to be long winded.

  “I intend to seek authority to fight back. We are trained and many of us are willing. I think this is the time for change.” Alexander grabbed his glass of wine for a sip and then put his hand on my leg. My whole body ignited to his touch.

  “What do you mean fight back?” My words were laced with concern. I was not going to advocate for anything that would endanger Alexander.

  “For centuries, we have always hidden from the Hunters. We do not fight back. There are many of us that believe hunting them would put an end to their tyranny.”

  “I can feel that your shields are up now, Layna. Good work.” Trevor’s praise felt nice.

  “Do you not fight at all?” I was confused, because there was no denying Alexander’s physical strength to take someone down.

  “We fight in defense and to protect, but we do not seek out their Hunters and attack. I believe if we were to seek them out the way they do us, they might stop picking us off like flies.” Such strong conviction. He was most definitely a protector. My protector.

  “She’s a natural. Not that it surprises me a bit.” Alexander’s hand continued to stroke the very essence of my soul just by his touch on my leg.

  “Well, our most important responsibility right now is to keep Layna with us. You are a very important part of The Order. How soon can you get her out to the Conservatory? I know they’re waiting for her.” Trevor looked up to meet my gaze.

  Irena spoke softly, “Layna, why don’t you help me get the dessert?” Even though I was curious about the turn of the conversation, I jumped right up to help her because she was someone I didn’t think you argued with.

  Dirty plates started to fill her hands so I mimicked the movement by grabbing Alexander’s plate along with my own. There was comfort in that simple act. Here was a man I would pick up dirty dishes for. I practically mirrored a domesticated house wife. Wouldn’t all my friends have a good laugh at me now?

  I copied Irena’s movement and placed the dishes to the left of the sink. I was about to offer to rinse and place them in the dishwasher when she turned around.

  “Layna, you are so very special and important to our people. It is of the utmost importance that you keep yourself safe. Do you understand?” The plea in her words did not match the commanding aura of her presence.

  “I don’t understand what you mean. Aren’t we all Healers?” Now my confusion hit an all time high.

  “I will let Alexander explain the rest to you. Take good care of him. He belongs to you now.” Warmth crossed her face in affection at this man that I had grown attached to. She grabbed me into a motherly embrace that left me speechless for a few moments. Irena must be a great mother.

  “Belongs to me?” There were hope and questions in my voice all at once. I wanted him to belong to me forever, but how did she know?

  “My blood line is mixed with seers. They are magic people that have a large range of gifts. My grandmother had the ability to see emotions and connections between people. I can see the unbreakable bond that ties the two of you together.” Her hands reached up to run through my hair in a nurturing caress.

  “Is it real? I feel it, but I’m scared. My mind tells me that it’s not possible.” It was so natural to open up to the woman I had just met. She was full of love and goodness. My senses could feel it and I started to trust them.

  “Oh, glykia mou.” Her voice warmed my heart.

  “What does that mean? You speak Greek, too?” I had heard those words before. I was pretty sure it was from Alexander. He was the only hunky Greek man I knew.

  “It means my sweet. Yes, Alexander and I are both Greek.” The smile that crossed her face now was full of pride. It hurt me a little because I still wished I knew who I was and where my family had come from.

  She put her hand in mine and started to speak to me more. “You two have an unending connection. You will always belong to each other on a spiritual level. On a physical level you will have to choose it. Commitment to someone like that, it’s hard. You both have to work for it, but the reward is worth it.” She continued to hold our fingers together and I squeezed back. I would fight for it, live and die for it. This belonging to someone, it soothed my soul.

  “I know it’s worth it.” The tears filled up my eyes as they came close to splashing over my face, but I held onto them. Irena needed to see strength in me. The air tasted of her need for me to be filled with unbending strength and I would not disappoint her.

  We spent the night at the cottage and savored a long lazy loving all night. It seemed as though we would wake up in the middle of the night and need each other. His physical presence inside of me soothed parts of my soul that I didn’t even realize had been damaged or hungry. In all of my life I had been the one helping others. Being more aware of my gift, I wondered how many times I had healed others and had not been fully aware of it because it had been in small doses. Always helping and healing others. Now, I had this presence in my life healing me. I was so touched by this gift I was being given. Alexander was truly a gift. This binding that was occurring between us felt so pre destined. It was impossible to wrap my mind around the powerful push to draw us together. Did I believe now in the idea that two souls could be aligned for each other?

  The hand that made my legs quiver all night began to brush through my hair as we drove away from our safe haven. A deep breath provided an overload to my senses as I smelled him all over me, mountains and waterfalls. The scent of him still lingered on me. I hoped it would never go away.

  “Where exactly are we heading? Are you sure we had to leave the cottage so soon?” Leaving had been painful to my mind and soul. This place had awakened parts of myself I had been unaware of. Mostly, because of this tantalizing man beside me.

  “The Conservatory. It’s a school and a home for Healers.” His hand reached down to bring my hand to his lips and kiss. We had been driving for at least thirty minutes and my mind had wandered silent. Either that, or he had sated every need imaginable in the last twelve hours so that I didn’t feel the need to speak. I wondered if husbands had ever contemplated that as a strategy for arguing less with their wives. When I started my therapy sessions again I would suggest it. Snickers came from my throat as I imagined the scene.

  Brooding husband states, ”I can’t get my wife to stop complaining. All she does is bitch at me. Everything I do is wrong and stupid.”

  The all knowing therapist replies, “Have you ever thought of fucking the fight out of her? I suggest you please her over and over again until she has nothing else to say.” Wouldn’t the world be a wonderful place…?

  “What is going on in that pretty mind of yours?” The pleasure dripped off of his words. We were both experiencing such highs. The world could be a lot more effective if everyone had more sex. I thought I might start a campaign. Now, I doubled over in laughter.

  “I was just imagining the world if we had a daily sex quota for everyone. No more need for constant drugs to help our moods. I think it would be magnificent.” I had succeeded in making Alexander laugh, too.

  “I whole heartedly agree with you. In fact, it’s been a few hours. Should we pull over?” I knew he would totally take me on if I said yes. Just then his cell phone began to go off, interrupting the moment.

  I turned my head to stare out of the window while he carried on his encrypted conversation. It consisted of more than a few murmurs of agreement or disagreement and then a consensus about where we were going. I guess he didn’t feel like phone lines were safe enough. The nice chill outside the window was visible on the passing trees. There were still hills and a few glimpses of river water. Not many cars were out and the pl
aces we passed seemed to be still closed—except for the churches. Sundays were an entity all to themselves in the South.

  Alexander clicked off of the phone and began to turn the truck off of the freeway down a long unfinished road. There were no signs that illuminated our way so I figured he had been here before.

  “When you say school, do you mean with children?” Nervousness started to travel through my veins as I contemplated all these other Healers that had trained all of their lives. Would I be sent off with the children to learn?

  “Our schools are filled with a large number of children, but there are also adult classes. This is to help the older lost ones we find.” The words reassured.

  “The Conservatory is divided into sections, much like a university. They have classes for our young. Training for the lost and continuing health classes for our seasoned Healers.” The road got a little bumpy and I checked to make sure my seatbelt was securely fastened. The truck now turned into the woods. Literally.

  “This is not a road.”

  “It’s how we keep our Conservatory hidden to everyone.” I trusted him completely so my nervousness subsided. I figured I now knew why we were in a vehicle that looked like it belonged on an African safari. My hand reached down to grab onto his leg. He was my anchor. Always.

  We climbed over rocks and through the thick brush coverage from the trees until we saw a gate. The wrought iron sculptures that were intertwined hinted subtlety at its misplacement in the backwoods of this small Texas town. The gate appeared locked, but suddenly opened to our vehicle. I’m not sure what caused more shock, the gate or the fact that it had a sensor to open when we approached.

  “When are we going to have a chance to talk more about the discussion last night at dinner? What is my significance to everyone?”

  “There are magic people that have helped to hide us over the time since Asclepius was lost to us. They have become forgotten in the world. Their ability to see things that we cannot has predicted someone like you. Someone to heal the mental and physical realms.” My quiet must have alarmed him suddenly because he stopped the vehicle and grabbed me close. The smell of him put a rest to any fear and allowed me to calm. “You have special gifts, Layna. Our Healers are specialized. Some are physical Healers and some are mental. The field you have chosen to work in leads me to believe that you can heal both.” A kiss to my forehead and more reassurances from Alexander.

  “You will discover so many things about yourself here. It’s a place of learning and growth. I’ll be with you.” That last sentence made it bearable. I felt like I could do anything with him by my side.

  He put the car back into drive and we descended into the unknown. At least for me, it was. I looked around expecting something to pop out at us. The horizon came into view and I saw little wooden cottages scattered around with what I would call grass skirt roofs. Not durable, but very peaceful looking. A few people walked around and they looked normal. I’m not sure what I expected. I was a Healer and so was Alexander, but somehow, I just expected some kind of college toga party. Actually, disappointment flaked across my face for a moment because the toga party thing would have been fun. No vehicles were in view so I knew we would go somewhere else to park.

  “This is where the adults and families live. We’re going to the Think Tank area. This is a central spot where we eat and hang out. This is also where our Prime Minister works along with various other leading officials in The Order.”

  “Is it like its own government?” I was entranced by the idea that there was an entire government for The Order. This was bigger than I realized.

  “Yes. It’s a democracy. Our people vote and decide on new ideas together.”

  “How many Conservatories are out there?” Hair blew around my shoulder as my head spun in a different direction to take in the scenery. There was an open courtyard up ahead that appeared to be almost an acre in size. It had a cover, for inclement weather I assumed. In Texas, the summer months are a part of the inclement weather. No one needs sunshine that much, too much of a good thing and all that.

  “One on every continent. This is much bigger than it looks.” Alexander continued to have one hand on the steering wheel and the other on my leg. Sparks traveled all over my skin with our combined gifts. A thudding sound in my chest escaped from my heart.

  “Wow. Why Texas?”

  “They have the best laws for homeschoolers. We educate all of our children privately within our conservatory. The home school umbrella is easier to fall under rather than the invasion and constant supervision of a charter school.”

  Our vehicle slowly crawled to an area shielded by a forest of trees and bushes. As we stopped I noticed other vehicles hidden off in this area. We stopped and Alexander turned toward me and leaned over to touch my lips to his. My insides went to mush instantly. Then he backed up.

  “Are you ready?”

  “I think so. Does anyone bite?”

  “Some people do. I’m the only one allowed to bite you, though.” He sealed those words with a provocative nibble on my neck. Goose bumps rippled across my legs. That possessiveness he wanted to claim left me breathless. I would give him anything.

  We exited the vehicle, without our bags, and began to walk to the Think Tank area. Alexander told me we could come back and get them later when we checked into our room. The cool breeze was wonderful, since our little walk was actually a hike. I silently thanked my Zumba instructor for being able to hike this far. The constant jumping around in that class had given me more endurance than normal.

  Other people started to come into our view as we got closer. Murmurs of conversation touched my ears. Quite a few waves and smiles came our way, but they seemed to be towards the man that shadowed over me. The women noticed him—probably knew him, too. A pang struck in my stomach as I realized some of them might know him intimately. My jaw tightened in response to those thoughts and as if he could sense my discomfort, Alexander linked his hand with mine.

  He was claiming me.

  The Think Tank area was centered on a small river. The water in the river coruscated off the rocks so that you could see clearly under the water, even from the distance we were at. Small tipi huts were scattered around. People meditated in some, doing yoga, and others were filled with tables for meal times. The peacefulness in this serene environment brought on a sense of rightness in my body. These people were mine. I belonged here.

  “You feel it, don’t you?” His warm eyes were focused on me solely.

  “Do you always save all of the lost?” It absolutely ripped up my heart to imagine our kind that never got to be in this place. Never knew that they belonged somewhere.

  “We try our best. No. Not always.” His words burned and his eyes were lost in memory for the ones he never found. We still walked, but at a slower pace.

  “You saved me. I’ll always remember that.” The strong devotion in my heart shined in my face as well. He brought his face to mine and his lips grazed the tip of my nose.

  Alexander brought me over to one of the small buildings that were scattered through this area. The building itself looked more modern than the little covered huts. It did have a rustic look that belonged in this region. A domed roof protruded out into the sky while the rest of the building had straight edges and windows. Different textures created a design on the flat cement exterior. A columned entry gave the building a regal touch that made me certain this was where the Prime Minister was housed.

  A gentle touch slid over my shoulder as Alexander opened the door for me. Hesitantly, I walked in.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Can I get you some water?”the dark skinned exotic woman asked me. Her beauty glowed from all over. It was almost painful for me to be surrounded by all of these Healers with so much power.

  “No, thank you. Thanks for asking.” My southern politeness tended to escalate in situations that made me nervous. This was most assuredly one of those.

  “I’m Harika. It’s very nice to make your acqu
aintance. Iostus will be with you soon. We’re so delighted to have you back home.” Compassion filled her tone. The immediate acceptance into this place was beyond real.

  My hands continued to fumble on my legs and the chair. Alexander had gone in ahead of me for briefing reasons and I had been instructed to wait. Calming colors filled my view as I glanced around the room. It was a small room, nothing like a waiting room at a doctor’s office. Soft leather chairs were scattered around in an effort to almost mimic a den. The presence of others in the room had not escaped my notice, but the fireworks going off in my head prevented me from clearly seeing any of them. I could feel that this was a place of peace, but there was a little sense of discourse.

  “I’m not psychic or anything, but you look a little wet behind the ears.” A soft chuckle came from the right side of the room.

  “Wow. You must be a genius.” I met deep malachite eyes from across the room. My tone came across ruder than usual, but I was being picked on by a stranger. He chuckled at my comment and continued to stare.

  “I’ve heard about redheads, but I’ve never been able to light a fire in one up close before.”

  Was this man for real?

  “Can I call you Red?” He stood probably close to six feet tall, and walked over to shake my hand. “I’m Madden.”

  My jaw fell open. Did he really expect a nice disposition to come out from me now? Not sure of what else to do, I burst into giggles. Then I shook his hand.

  “I’m Layna.” It was just a hunch, but I went ahead and asked. “How long have you been here?”

  “Oh, on and off most of my life.” The chuckle was still in his eyes. He sat down in the chair next to me. It did not escape my notice that his features were quite complementary. The lean muscle was visible on his arms and I could see the flat line where his casual golf shirt splayed across his chest. “Who are you waiting for?” He looked to be close to my age or maybe a little younger. His brown hair was cut short, not really to my taste since I preferred the longer length, but he was handsome. I definitely noticed that.