His body shook under the mental and physical stress. There was no controlling it anymore. The pain returned stronger than before. He dry-heaved for a few moments. The entire room began to shake around him. He couldn’t keep his balance, even sitting down.
Suddenly, the edge of the bed was above him, and his whole world went dark.
Nikali opened his eyes. The sunlight came in from the window, warming his arm. He was in his bed. His blanket was drenched in sweat and thrown to his feet. Across the room was Alexus. He was lying in bed his leg still suspended above him.
“Nikali, you’re awake,” said Alexus. “You were having such a fit last night. You look better.”
Nikali tried to shake off the drowsiness from his sleep. He couldn’t take his eyes off of Alexus. He did not know what to make of the previous night.
“Where did you go last night, Alexus?” Nikali asked.
“I didn’t go anywhere? I’ve been here in bed. I can’t really go anywhere,” said Alexus. He gestured to his suspended leg.
“No, you were gone. I woke up. I was in pain. I needed help, and you were not there.”
“Nikali, you were dreaming. You were having a fit the entire time. I wish I could have helped you, but I couldn’t get up. You kept mumbling my name.”
“I was not dreaming.”
“Yes, you were. I watched you sleep all night. Nikali, I need to ask you. Have you drunk any more Tamor Blood?”
“No.”
“Don’t lie to me,” said Alexus. “I’ve seen what withdrawal from Tamor Blood can do to people, including you. You said you were out.”
“I am out. I have not had any since the trip.”
“Then what was that last night? You’re nearly swimming in sweat, you’re hallucinating, apparently, and then there are the fits.”
“Alexus, I haven’t had any,” said Nikali. “You have to believe me.”
“I know what I saw last night.”
“What you saw? You weren’t even... there,” Nikali said with hesitation. He couldn’t completely put the pieces back together from the night before.
“When Heric and Forman come, I’m going to have them check your stuff. Nobody can find you with Tamor Blood. Why do you not understand this?”
“I do understand. I haven’t had any since we arrived. I do not abuse it.”
“Then what do you call our trip? I’ve never seen anybody drink like that.”
“I needed to do something. I was useless out there.”
“Feeling inadequate about yourself without Tamor Blood is a trend in addicts,” said Alexus. “I can’t believe that you would just give it up like that.”
“Well, it’s true,” said Nikali. “I am not the scum that peddle rocks for money in the streets. I am not desperate.”
“I’ll believe that when they don’t find anything,” said Alexus.
“No, you won’t,” snarled Nikali. “You’re just like the rest of them. You think nothing of me.”
They did not speak after that. The remaining tension was enough for them both.
As soon as Heric and Forman arrived, Alexus had them search through Nikali’s baggage. Neither of them hesitated. Heric held Nikali back while Forman looked through his bags that were in the room with them.
It did not take long. Nikali had traveled light. Once the two bags that Nikali had with him were turned upside down, Forman was left with nothing. The search continued in Nikali’s bed and the garbs he was wearing. It was futile. They had not found any Tamor Blood in Nikali’s possession.
“Are you satisfied now?” Nikali scolded.
“I know what I saw,” said Alexus. “You were going through arcan withdrawal.”
“And I know what I saw,” argued Nikali. “You were not in your bed last night. I was not dreaming.”
“Enough,” shouted Heric. He glared at both Alexus and Nikali. “We cannot have this kind of bickering between you two. I’ve got enough to worry about with the King. You are my allies. You need to start getting along.”
Heric walked over to Alexus. He began to examine his injured leg. The wound underneath the bandage was still healing.
“Nikali,” said Heric, calmly. “There is no way Alexus was walking on this leg. It’s still injured.”
Nikali rolled his eyes. “You’re taking his side then? You think I had some more Tamor Blood while I was here.”
“I didn’t say that. I’m just saying you were probably dreaming last night. We found no Tamor Blood with your stuff. They don’t make it here. It serves to reason you did not have any.”
“Then what caused his fit?” asked Forman.
“Stress probably,” answered Heric. “You’ve seen men on the battlefield. Most of them can’t sleep at night. The ones that do toss and turn the entire time. Nikali is under a lot of stress.”
“Clearly,” Nikali snarked.
“Please, let’s all just calm down. You two need to rest. This feud you’ve developed is not helping in any way. When you’re feeling ready to move, Nikali, you can head to the tower where the rest of us are staying. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” said Nikali.
A young lady quietly walked into the room. She kept her head down as if it made her less intrusive. There were two cups in her hands.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” she said. “I have the medicine for these two. The doctors readied it this morning.”
“Come on in,” said Heric. The aide handed a cup to both Nikali and Alexus. Under Heric’s watch, both men chugged their cups of medicine. Once Heric was satisfied that the arguing was over he left them alone. He had other matters to attend to.
Abigail looked out her window at the view of the Louson Kingdom. The tower was the tallest building in the entire city. She was waiting for Heric’s return. They were going to visit the gardens later in the day.
Then a knocking came at the door. Abigail jumped up from her seat to answer it. She beamed with joy to see Heric, but she opened the door to disappointment. It was a young squire.
“I present to you, Princess Marina Arraw,” said the young man. Princess Marina walked directly into the room with no hesitation. Abigail had to back up to get out of her way.
“I trust you are comfortable here,” said Marina. “My brother always did know how to treat a lady.”
“Yes, the room is lovely,” answered Abigail. “Thank you.”
“How have you been enjoying your visit to our Kingdom?”
“It’s magnificent. I’ve walked around every day and there is still more to see.”
“I would recommend the House of Millar. He does wonderful paintings. He keeps them hung up in his great hall.”
“Then of course I will have to go there,” said Abigail.
Marina looked her up and down, sizing her up. “You’re not intimidated by me.”
“Should I be?” Abigail asked, concerned.
“No,” said Marina. “I like it. I’m the Princess. I have the power to send a man to his death. Most people step carefully around me. It makes for dreadful conversation.”
“I’ve been around royalty most my life,” said Abigail. “The kind of power you have can be intimidating, but my actions never warrant that kind of retaliation.”
“Are you not royalty yourself?” asked Princess Marina. There was a hint of surprise in the way she asked.
“Not directly,” said Abigail. “Alexus is my caretaker. He took me in when I was very young. He is a member of the Royal Council. Through him I am present in the daily lives of the royal class. He is like a father to me.”
“I see,” said Marina. “You’re just close to royalty.” When she said that, a smile crept on to her face.
“Yes,” Abigail said softly. Her voice trailed off, not wanting to complete the unfortunate conversation. It always changed things between her and others when she had to explain her social status. They never looked at her quite the same afterward.
“How well do you know the Heir Caning?”
Abigail f
ought back her smile. She did not want to give anything away to Marina about her feelings towards him. All the talk about royalty and the royal class was making her nervous.
“I’ve known him since I came to live with Alexus. He was Heric’s tutor.”
“What’s he like?” Marina asked.
“Heric? He’s great. He’ll protect anything he cares for. He listens to what other people have to say. He’s always concerned about the future. He is a soldier- always making plans and counter plans. He can’t help it.”
“You sound infatuated with him.”
“He’s just been a great friend. He’s never been bothered with my lower status.”
“He sounds like he’ll be a great leader in the future.”
“There is no doubt about that.”
Heric knelt before King Edmund Arraw. Given Heric’s status he did not have to, but it was a sign of respect that Heric was not going to neglect. It was just the two of them in the King’s own personal chambers. His throne looked much bigger with the walls closer in.
“I’m glad you could come on such short notice,” said the King.
“I have enjoyed visiting your Kingdom, but my duties with you are always my priority. Creating a diplomatic alliance between the Louson Kingdom and the Eluan Empire is important to us all,” said Heric.
“I appreciate that. It makes what I am about to say much easier.”
Heric stood up straighter. His own confidence was holding him up.
“I have confidence in you,” began King Arraw. “I believe you can lead. Your choice of allies is a little flawed, but friends never measure up to one’s true self, I have always found.”
Heric thought back to Nikali and his actions from the past few days. He did not apologize for it though.
The King continued, “The alliance between the Louson Kingdom and the Eluan Empire will be made official. Your bridge across the canyon can be opened for trade.”
Heric smiled. He bowed his head in agreement. “Thank you, King Arraw. This union will be very beneficial to us all.”
“I would imagine so. I’ll make the announcement at the Season’s Closing. We’ll introduce you and your friends.”
“I’m sure it will go over well. If your people are anything like the Eluans they will be excited to see a new world.”
“More than you can imagine,” laughed the King.
Chapter 19
The next few days went by in a haze for Nikali. His energy was gone. He hadn’t felt pain since the first day. He just couldn’t move his body. Whenever he tried to get out of bed he grew exhausted. His head would begin spinning again. Every morning he would wake up feeling better. Then as the day went on he would find himself stuck in bed- feeling worse as ever. He tried to fight it. He tried eating more. He tried eating less the next day. Nothing changed. By nighttime he was sleeping like a baby. It was torture for Nikali.
The next day, Nikali woke up feeling better once again. He was growing desperate in his attempts at getting better. No matter what anybody said, he knew he should not have been feeling this way still. He should have been getting better. He wanted to change a new variable. It was the only way to narrow down what was causing his ailments.
When the aide came into the room in the morning, she had her usual mugs of medicine. She gave the first one to Nikali then the other to Alexus. They raised their cups to each other like they had been doing for the past couple of days.
“To our health,” said Alexus.
“To our health,” repeated Nikali.
Then they drank. Alexus finished his drink in a couple of gulps. Nikali drank quickly, but he held back. This was going to be his variable for the day. He did not want Alexus to know. It would have only caused a fight. Instead, Nikali put the drink in his mouth, but held it there. He did not swallow.
With a closed mouth, he smiled at the nurse and handed her his empty mug. She said her good-byes and left the two of them with their own thoughts. Nikali turned away from Alexus. He acted as if he was tired, and going back to sleep. When his head was turned, Nikali spit out the drink onto his bed. He covered up the spill with his pillow. Alexus was none the wiser.
The pain had returned. It was not as bad as before, but it was a significant difference from the past few days. Nikali was beginning to regret having not taken his medicine. He hid his discomfort from Alexus. As the day drew on, Nikali lay in bed. He only moved to get comfortable. He would peak over to watch Alexus.
Alexus spent the day reading. The books were from the Louson library. Nikali read the titles of the books over and over again. He made up a story for each one. He didn’t want to ask Alexus what they were about.
Not taking his medicine was keeping him awake. He felt okay for the first time since arriving back at the medical ward. Nikali did not want to risk saying anything though, not yet. He wanted to risk the day without it, possibly the next one as well.
He was growing bored, but it was worth it. He had hope, and with hope Nikali could pull himself through anything. Eventually, Nikali looked out the window, and never looked back. The outside air mesmerized him.
He wanted to get back out there. He daydreamed of walking through the streets of Louson again. It was exciting to be in an unknown part of the world. Unfortunately, he was missing it. This would be the last time, Nikali promised to himself. As Nikali looked out the window, day slipped into night, and he finally fell asleep.
A thump in the night woke Nikali from his slumber. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the darkness. He heard shuffling from across the room. There was movement in the shadows, but Nikali could not make out what was causing it.
Then he heard the sound near the doorway. Nikali quietly changed positions to follow the noise. He watched as a shadowy figure left the room.
Nikali jumped out of bed. The pain was still there, but his adrenaline could mask it. He ran over to Alexus’ bed to check on him. He was not surprised to find Alexus missing.
He was right the other night. Alexus had been gone. Nikali’s thoughts were racing. He knew he was not going through withdrawal- not tonight. He was thinking with a clear head. This was no dream.
Quickly, Nikali ran to the doorway. He stuck his head out. Down the hall was Alexus. It was clearly him standing in the light of the torches along the wall. He was walking like he had suffered no wound on his foot. Nikali couldn’t believe it, but there was no doubt about what he was seeing.
He let Alexus get a little farther away. Then Nikali crept into the shadows. He was going to follow Alexus, find out where he was going. He walked down the hall quietly, sticking to the shadows. Alexus was not trying to hide his movements. Then it dawned on Nikali.
Alexus did not fear anything, because nobody should be following him. Nikali should have been knocked out due to the medicine. It was all making sense in Nikali’s head. He just couldn’t understand why.
Alexus lead him out of the building. He walked through the streets with no problem. Nikali was baffled. Heric had looked at the wound. There was no way to fake the injury.
They continued on. Alexus had walked past the buildings in the city. They were now on the outskirts, and it wasn’t before long they were beyond the city walls. Nikali could keep low out in the fields with little trouble. There were plenty of bushes and long enough grass to hide. There was a military compound nearby. Their path avoided going through its perimeter. There was nothing, but open spaces past it.
Alexus continued on his journey. He was on a straight path to the woods beyond the Louson Kingdom. Nikali started to hang back more. He could watch Alexus from a good distance now, because of the open field.
There was no sign of any kind of civilization out this far. There was no path going into the woods. It looked like it was barely maintained or cared for at all.
Finally, Alexus stopped. Nikali took that moment to gain a bit of ground. He debated whether to follow Alexus into the woods if it came to that. He was not prepared for a hike through the forest.
I
t did not matter because Alexus did not go in. After a few minutes, he turned around. He was leaving the way he came. Nikali ducked down. Alexus had not seen him. After several minutes, Alexus was out of sight, returning to within the Louson city walls. Nikali stayed where he was. He was curious to find out what Alexus had been looking at.
Nikali went over to the spot where Alexus had stopped. There was nothing significant about the spot. It was just bushes. They were everywhere on the outskirts of the woods. Nikali did not see anything special about the spot.
He rummaged around the bush looking for any kind of clue. There was nothing left behind. Alexus was not carrying anything when he returned. It was infuriating for Nikali. Alexus had to have come out here for something. He looked at the bush one more time. He tried to calm himself down, and look at everything with a cool head. The moonlight gave him plenty of visibility.
He saw on the ground a number of broken branches. They had been snapped off and deleaved. Nikali did a quick look. The other bushes did not have any branches on the ground like that one.
That’s what Alexus was doing. He was gathering leaves. Nikali took hold of a branch from the bush. He pulled off a leaf to look it over. It did not appear to be impressive. He smelled it. The smell brought back memories of Eluan. He thought of Cassandra.
Then he put the leaf in his mouth. He filled up with saliva. Without thinking he swallowed the leaf. His blood warmed up. He felt good, better than any time before. He knew this feeling. It was the feeling of Tamor Blood. His eyes grew in amazement. He had found a bush that grew the minerals for Tamor Blood.
Then it all hit him at once. Maybe it was all the evidence finally coming to him, maybe it was his mind being free of the pain, but he had figured it out. Alexus was his uncle’s arcan master.
Alexus knew arcan, and he knew it well. That was how Emperor Cyrus was walking. That was how Alexus was walking now. He was doing the doll-hold on himself. It was magnificent. Nikali did not detect it.
He was using it under everyone’s noses. It angered Nikali. Why had he told Nikali to stop drinking Tamor Blood, when he was clearly doing it himself? Why was he drugging Nikali to keep him bed-ridden these past few days?
Eluan Falls: The Inheritors of the World Page 11
