by Tara Brown
His life was beautiful, pure. And when he had given most of it to Lenny, she placed a hand on Prince Landon, worming her fingers into his bedclothes and finding the skin of his naked chest. She held her hand over his heart but that wasn’t where the sickness was. It was in his lungs. She moved her hand until she felt it.
Then she saw him, his truths.
He was always in pain, always. He hadn’t known anything but. And yet he had pushed on. He read and learned and improved his mind. He studied everything, his eyes always to the seas and his mind expanding.
He loved his mother, adored his father, and tolerated his sisters. His true love was in books. And his best friend was his cousin, Ivor. He wished he were Ivor.
His last memories, though hazy and confusing for him, were of a cloud in the shape of a man. The man placed his face to Landon’s chest, breathing something dark and sinister into him.
The green healing coolness cut off. Lenny waved her hand, reaching. Nothing was there. She continued to pour life and healing into Landon, removing the darkness that had been placed there.
Commotion came from somewhere in the background.
Scar whimpered and another hand was placed in Lenny’s.
But her story was wrapped in Landon’s.
The man breathing into his chest lifted his face. He stared right at her and smiled.
The scar.
The same eyes.
The dark hair.
She knew this man.
He winked at her and vanished.
Lenny pushed the green healing light into Landon more, flooding him with it. A pain in her knee startled her but she kept going.
He didn’t want to be king.
Landon was like Ivor, in that he didn’t either.
But the strangest discovery she made was that the sickness wasn’t his.
Someone had put it there.
It was a cost.
A cost of magic that was done a long time ago.
It had been there when Landon was a baby surrounded by water and darkness, a fetus—no, before. He wasn’t in his mother when the magic was done.
His little heart ached, making Lenny’s heart ache.
She went backward in time with him to the moment of conception, a magical light from the darkness. Lenny paid his cost for him, paid for the magic done when he was nothing more than a thought.
Landon gasped, sitting up, coughing and startling Lenny. She staggered back, losing her footing and dragging down the other man, whom she was holding hands with, to the floor. She clung to him, sucking the green energy from him, filling herself up. Hearing his whispers.
The coughing made her want to open her eyes. It was so loud she couldn’t escape it, she couldn’t hear the story of the new man properly. But it didn’t matter, she was taking what she needed. She just didn’t know why she needed so much.
Chapter 9
Lenny woke to light flooding the room. She blinked and forced her eyes to find them, the hounds. Scar slept at her bedside and Ollie at the door, guarding it like her dragon.
She exhaled seeing them so content. She had to be alive if the dogs were there with her. And she felt rested for the first time in weeks. She had actually slept.
She tried to find her memories, but they were hazy.
A man blowing illness into Landon as he slept.
The queen creating a cost with dark magic and making the prince sick.
The cactus.
Brother Georgie.
The mystery man.
She lifted her hands, they were normal apart from the dark tips. It wasn’t the stain of murder, but it was bad.
The scar of the stone had faded even more.
The door handle rattled, forcing Ollie up. He stretched and moved normally as the door opened. Prince Landon walked into the room, upright and strong. He was thin still, but there was a difference to his gait. He was healed. She could see it.
“You saved my life,” he stated, sounding bewildered.
“I did.” She closed her hands into balls, hiding the darkened tips she couldn’t explain.
“How?” Landon sat on the edge of her bed. It was intrusive and yet he appeared comfortable.
“I’m a creature,” she whispered, not sure what else there was. What explanation should she offer? “A magical creature. I made a mistake and touched something I shouldn’t have, and it woke old magic inside me. And now I’m this.”
“You are fascinating, Lenny Ailling.” Landon smiled, his cheeks flushing with healthy color. “A fascinating creature.”
“Please don’t tell anyone—”
“Tell anyone? You saved my life. As far as I am concerned, it is you and I against the kingdom, the continent. I know of the sacrifice you have made, of the sacrifice the two men made dying to save me. I am forever in your debt.” He reached forward, taking her balled hand and opening it, ignoring the discoloration, and placed a soft kiss on the back of it. “Whatever you need, all you have to do is ask.”
“Two men?” Lenny blurted, realizing she was suddenly uncomfortable with them being alone and him kissing her hand while speaking of them against the world. “Who was the second man?”
“A guard. Brother Estevan said a second was required.” He shrugged. “Required,” he repeated the word, staring with a haunted expression. “I don’t know how to feel about that. I am baffled at how this is possible.” He took a deep breath, sounding completely different from the last time.
“Where is Brother Estevan?”
“Waiting in the hall. I asked to see you first before the onslaught arrives.” He smiled again, his eyes twinkling.
“Onslaught?”
“Your mother, mine, your miserable aunt, Hilde, my sisters.” He paused. “I nearly said my dad, but I suppose that isn’t possible. Unless you can heal that as well?” he joked but neither of them smiled.
“I don’t think so.”
“No.” His voice softened, “I will never see him again, will I?” He ran his fingers over Lenny’s darkened nails. “But thanks to you, Lenny, I will at least live to see tomorrow, and I am pain-free for the first time in my life.” He stood and walked to the door. “You have no idea what a gift you have given me, and I have no idea how I could’ve possibly deserved it.”
Lenny scowled at her hands but spoke to him, “You’re quite welcome, Prince Landon. And I’m truly glad you’ll live beyond tomorrow. And all the tomorrows after that.”
“I bet you are,” he said smugly, forcing Lenny to lift her face to see his. “Now Ivor won’t have to be king. To think, I was nearly free of it,” he spoke with a wide grin.
Lenny smiled back, shocked at the joking of his own death.
The silence of their stare lasted but a moment before Brother Estevan came rushing in, his face filled with worry. “Lenny! You’re awake!” He hurried to her side, taking her fingers in his, inspecting. “The dark mark, why?”
The answer popped into her mind. “The second man, the one I didn’t know we drained—I never got the chance to ask him. I took his life without asking.” Lenny winced. She had murdered an innocent.
“Permission?” Brother Estevan asked.
“Yes. I had an urge to ask permission the first time with the cactus. And with Brother Georgie.”
“But both men gave their lives, freely. It was consensual. You will have to cast a spell of light”—Brother Estevan wrinkled his nose—“before anyone sees that. I don’t think we want the kingdom knowing about your magical abilities just yet.”
“Do you have something I can protect? I know how to do that.”
“Him!” Brother Estevan pointed to the prince in the doorway. “For the love of all the gods, protect him.”
Lenny lifted her fingers, pointing at Landon. He didn’t flinch or shy away. He stared directly into her eyes as she mustered all the love and hope inside herself and wished for him to be protected and safe from the unknown man who had put the sickness into him. And from anyone who would wish him harm. She cast a pink gl
obe for love, a green light for health, and a silver ray of grace around him in the form of a bubble.
The darkness in her fingertips left as the bubble was complete.
“I felt that,” Prince Landon muttered, his eyes locked on hers. “It was warm and breezy, like you whispered a secret to me.”
“I did,” Lenny said with a smile, seeing Ollie sniff the prince cautiously.
Commotion in the hallway drew all their stares. Prince Landon cringed and Lenny knew, it was their families. Ollie and Scar backed away from the door, hurrying to Lenny’s side.
“Where is my son? What is the meaning of—Landon? Is that you?” the queen shrieked from the hallway. “Landon!” She rushed into the doorway, attacking him with hugs and kisses soaked in tears and pushing him further into the room. His sisters followed, shrieking and touching him in disbelief.
“Landon!” Hilde came in next, covering her mouth with her hands and staring at him in shock. She was shoved into the room more by Mildred who didn’t celebrate the prince. Instead, she narrowed her focus at Lenny but said nothing.
Elsie entered slowly, scanning the room and the occupants. When she found Lenny in bed, she rushed in, worry taking over her confused stare. “Lenny, what in the gods happened? Why are you here? I’ve looked everywhere for you.”
“Miss Lenny is recovering,” Brother Estevan spoke softly. “She did something remarkable.” His eyes darted to the left, to Landon who was being mauled by the group. “She saved the prince.”
“Lenny?” her mother whispered in a worry-laden tone.
“Mother, look at Ollie.”
Her mother’s sharp eyes darted to the dog earning pats from all the willing participants in the circle adoring Landon’s miraculous recovery. “You healed him?”
“And Landon.” Lenny winced recalling the cost.
“How?” Her mother gasped.
Lenny held her callused hands in the air.
Elsie glanced at Brother Estevan who continued, “She is a miracle and she’s saved the kingdom.” His words and defense of her ought to have warmed Lenny’s heart, but they didn’t. She was worried about the miracle she’d performed, or rather the cost of said miracle. Two lives lost and a dead plant.
She told herself she wouldn’t do it again, not unless it was for Hilde or her mother or father. Maybe Uncle Alek.
Lord Ivor strode into the room. Light from the window cast in on him, creating a warm glow. He stopped and stared at Landon in shock.
Slowly Lord Ivor’s eyes drifted Lenny’s way. He said nothing, just stared at her, his eyes questioning.
Finally, Landon was freed from the crowd of sobbing and laughing women. He attacked his stunned cousin, wrapping himself around him. His actions brought Ivor out of his trance. He hugged Landon back, nodding silently.
Landon’s lip quivered and for the first time since she had healed him, Lenny saw emotion she hadn’t expected. He wept just a little, laughing at the same time with his cousin. Ivor gripped his face, staring into his eyes.
“You’re healed.” He smiled and Lenny saw that same adoration she had received from Ivor. The men hugged again and Ivor nodded with his eyes closed and a relaxed expression. He breathed a deep sigh of relief.
“I’m healed.” Prince Landon wiped his eyes, pulling away from his cousin. “But I suppose we should let Lenny continue resting. She’s exhausted after performing such a miracle.”
“My darling girl.” The queen rushed over, her loose hair flowing behind her. She took Lenny’s hand, creating a spark Lenny hadn’t noticed before. She kissed the back of it, closing her eyes and smiling as tears rolled down her cheeks. “You saved him,” she whispered into Lenny’s skin. “You saved my boy. Thank you.”
A sensation washed over Lenny, a feeling of understanding.
The queen knew her misdeed before she was pregnant with her son. Her use of magic had cost the baby his health and eventually, the young man his life. Her guilt was palpable.
Lenny’s mother, steadfast at the other side of the bed, reached down and brushed her hand across Lenny’s forehead. “I think I always knew you would be more than I could handle.” She laughed weakly, Lenny joining her.
The queen beamed through her tears. “I did too.”
“As did I,” Mildred said with a tone that wasn’t complimentary in any way.
“Prince Landon is correct, we should leave Lenny to rest,” Brother Estevan interrupted the strange moment.
Elsie lowered her head, kissing Lenny’s clammy forehead with a whisper, “Try to behave.”
The queen squeezed her hand once more.
Mildred glared and followed Landon and Hilde from the room. Brother Estevan assisted the queen, offering his arm. She took it and Elsie followed, leaving only Lord Ivor in the room with Lenny and the hounds.
He closed the door, which was easily forbidden and yet he didn’t care. He leaned against it, taking in the last few minutes and the shock he had been given.
Lenny stared, wondering what he was thinking. Again, as she had many times, she worried about what he was thinking.
“It worked. I can’t believe it worked.” His words were distant, as was his body language.
“It did. You’re free from the throne and Hilde.” Lenny thought he might be happier with the news.
“Indeed.” He furrowed his brow but pushed off the door, walking to her bedside. “How did it work?”
“It’s a trade,” she answered, grasping exactly what he meant. “A cactus traded its life for Ollie’s wounds. And two men, a brother and a guard, traded for Landon’s life. Both older men so I believe neither had sufficient life force to save him.”
“A trade?” He was ashen at the thought. He sat at the end of the bed, staring at her but his eyes seemed to go right through her. “Like the gods, you can choose if a life is worth more than another?”
Lenny’s heart cracked a little from his tone. He was disgusted.
“What a curse, Lenny. What will you do if Landon or my aunt ask you to do it again?” He lowered his head. “As Hilde and I asked you to do this? We asked you to take two lives for the price of one. My hands are equally dirty in this and I don’t even know whose life I took.” His voice remained hollow.
Lenny flinched.
“I am so sorry.” He stared at the floor, shame dripping from him. “I never should have asked that of you.”
“Landon was about to die. You didn’t see him. It would have been his last night,” Lenny defended the choice made, though her voice was small. “The brother and the guard were older; they gave their lives for someone younger. They sacrificed. It wasn’t decided for them. They chose it.”
Lord Ivor lifted his face to hers, scowling. “I didn’t mean to make you feel bad for doing what was asked of you. I am responsible for their deaths, but I don’t want you to think you are. This isn’t your fault. It’s mine.” He stood, pacing at the end of her bed. “I didn’t want to be king or marry your sister and my selfishness has cost—”
“I have to tell you something else but you can’t tell anyone,” Lenny whispered, desperate to share the real burden she held secret.
“What?” He paused.
“Landon wasn’t sick.”
“Lenny, he has been sickly his entire life.” Lord Ivor scoffed.
“He wasn’t, he was cursed. Someone made him sick.” Lenny could hardly believe her own words. “It was magic. Dark magic.”
“How-how do you know?” He swallowed hard, his eyes wide as saucers.
“I saw it when we touched. When I healed him, I saw the origin of the sickness. It came before he did,” Lenny’s voice trailed off as she envisioned it again, the images of the queen. “It was in the queen already, before he was conceived.”
“What does that mean?”
“The queen did something, she wasn’t here in Dahleigh. She was somewhere else. An island. Maybe a place with magic. She was young and I have a feeling she got a spell from someone. The cost was sickness for her baby, bu
t I doubt she knew that would happen.” Lenny’s words were softly spoken, filled with worry, “The gods never meant for Landon to be sickly or for him to die early. She cursed him.”
“Impossible,” he whispered.
Lenny shook her head, staring him in the eyes, certain of what she said to be true.
“Does anyone else know?”
“You are the first and only person I have told.” She wanted to reach for him, to force him to touch her. “You are the only person I trust with something like this.”
“Good.” He walked to her, sitting closer and taking her small hand in his. “Tell no one else. Forget you told me.” He was worried. “Trust no one, Lenny. I told you that before and I meant it. No one.”
“Except you?” she asked, scared of his answer. Scared of what he thought of her now.
He smiled and squeezed her hand. “Rest now. Don’t worry about anything. The hounds and brothers and I will ensure you are not disturbed again.” He lifted her hand and kissed exactly where his aunt had. He lowered her hand gently and placed it back on the bed. He offered one last look before getting up and leaving the room.
Lenny didn’t know what to make of any of it.
Of him, or her.
But she had a bad feeling about it all.
Chapter 10
“Lenny?” Prince Landon poked his head in the doorway as she was getting ready to leave her room. She was finally rested after weeks of terrible sleep and recovery, ready to rejoin the world. “Sorry to come unannounced, but the servants seem to be busy. May I come in?”
“Your Highness, of course.” She smiled politely as Ollie rose from his bed and hurried to the prince. Lenny’s eyes drifted behind him, hoping Lord Ivor might be with him. But he was alone.
“I am to be your brother—Landon, please,” he said with a laugh as he ruffled Ollie’s fur. “How are you?”
“I’m well, thank you. The better question is, how are you?”
“Perfect. I’ve never felt better and that’s all thanks to you.” He paused. “The reason for my interruption, well, I was wondering if I could take you on a small tour of the grounds now that you’re mended and strong again,” he said cheerfully.
