Empire of Man

Lan tensed in preparation for the fight. Killing Caleb would make things difficult for him… and complicate caring for Lyla…but it was doable. Living in the wild on the run. That was doable.

Already his mind was flashing past the fight he anticipated in the next few minutes to what he would do after. How long could he hide the fact that he’d murdered a fellow soldier and a nobleman of The Empire before he was found out? How would he keep the village healer silent until Lyla was well enough to run?

Would Lyla even be willing to run with him? Of course, it was a given that she would have to run. He couldn’t leave her here to the mercies of whatever was going on. She didn’t have to stay with him. He could…could…take her…somewhere she wanted to go…

Just the briefest thought of being without Lyla had his breath coming in short fits as his chest tightened up. He could let her go. He could…?

All he had to do was kill Caleb first and then…

“Oh, stop it you two.” The healer’s voice cut clearly through the fog that had been hazing up Lan’s thoughts and the deafening march of his heart quieted. His thoughts focused on the here and now again. He calmed.

“How did you – ” The prince began only to cut himself off as Caleb started

“You said – ” The noble silenced and cocked his head quizzically at Lan. He watched Lan’s surprise as the prince turned toward the healer whose back was still towards them, humming as she worked. Caleb never took his eyes off Lan. When it was clear that the healer wasn’t going to keep speaking, Caleb continued.

“You said that he was ‘charmed into madness’.” His hand snuck a little closer to his sword as he watched to make sure Lan was still distracted with the healer.

“I did.” Finished with her preparations, the healer poured her ground herbs into a bowl and wandered over to the bed. “Gave her the Kiss of Life before checking her magical orientation now, didn’t you?”

The healer gestured for Lan to scooch over and make room beside the bed before she knelt next to the prone Lyla. She set the bowl down and closed her eyes as she began a magical assessment.

Holding her hands over Lyla moved them slowly, sensing the ebb and flow of her life and the substances within her making her ill.

“I bet you just felt a need to heal her? To be near her? Almost a compulsion to touch your lips to hers?” As she spoke, her voice was sweet, clear, and warm, and it was then that both young men noticed that the healer wasn’t nearly as old as either of them had originally thought she was. Her words rang so true, and Lan remembered.

“I… I thought it would be so easy. Just a touch of magic was all it would take to heal her.” The healer nodded her face sagely.

“Just couldn’t help yourself, could you?” Her words seemed compassionate but there was an unpleasant undertone to them.

“No. I should have known better. I should have taken the most basic precaution of checking her magical alignment.” His shoulders hunched in on themselves as his mind fell back into the cycle of recrimination it had been in since the moment he’d realized what he’d done. Since the moment he realized that he’d magically connected himself in some way to the girl he’d saved.

“Okay, that’s not entirely fair.” Both were startled by Caleb’s protest from right behind them. “What?” He shrugged at their surprise. They looked pointedly between his innocent wide eyes and the sword he had drawn as he snuck up on the pair held casually in one hand. “Oh, I wasn’t…well, I was…but never mind that.” He stuck the hand holding the weapon behind his back. The unsheathed sword was not successfully hidden.

“Uh-huh. We’ll just pretend we don’t see the long pointy thing you intended to kill me with sticking out from behind your back.” A shadow of the jovial mirth Lan possessed before he had come to this province quirked the prince’s lips.

“Screw you, Lan. I was coming to your defense.” Caleb’s quick retort also belied the seriousness of the situation they had just found themselves in. “Anyways, the whole reason we are even here is because of all the people who have been dying because the Magistrate hasn’t been sending patrols or guards out with the trade caravans. Do you remember how you found out about Lyla? You had gone out for a walk through Balast to calm down because we had found all the covered-up records of the people who had died over the years.”

“That’s true. I was about to commit homicide.” Lan thought back on it. When he’d seen Lyla, it was almost like providence. He could almost believe that the Absent Gods had returned and made sure that there was a mage present to save the girl.

“Like you were going to hold back on saving even one life if you could make that difference.” Caleb placed his empty hand on Lan’s shoulder. “Even if you’d known, you would have risked it.”

“Maybe.” The words mollified Lan somewhat. It had been stupid to not check her magical alignment first. Really stupid. But at least he hadn’t been entirely driven by the effects of their magical alignments pulling on one another. He’d had reasons for his actions. Good and pure reasons.

“Does this mean that you two aren’t going to throw down in my living room?” The healer interrupted Lan’s musings.

“Oh, sorry.” Caleb put away his sword. “What do we do about you?” His question was directed at Lan.

“Wroth knows. He’s watching me.” Once again, Lan went silent.

“Ah…Wroth the Prince Killer.” Both men were quiet then Caleb laughed self-consciously. “Do you think it’s too late for us to get in on the pool of why you were assigned to Wroth’s command?”

“Oh, fu – ”

“Gentlemen.” The healer grabbed their attention before they could get distracted. One of you go put on some water to boil. I’ll have to pull the poison out of her, but she’ll need a vapor from these herbs to help reduce inflammation if we want her to wake up before morning.” She gestured to the bowl on the floor beside her and Caleb sprang up to do her bidding.

Lan returned his attention to Lyla, anxiety, and concern for her brewing in his chest. He’d been analyzing her injuries with the healers as best as he could with his limited training.

“I recognize this.” He told the healer quietly.

“Yes, I suppose a prince would be familiar with poisons.” Her distracted reply came as a thin stream of green liquid began floating out of Lyla. “Grab an empty bowl from the kitchen to put this in.” She instructed. Lan stood but before he left the room, he stopped.

“It was in the knife wound she had when she reached Balast.” The healer sighed wearily when she heard his words.

“I’m not surprised.” Her words were sad. “Get the bowl. My arms are growing weary.”