Crown of Blood

2.1|| Trix's Tale

The palace infirmary was empty save for Father Nathan, the last priest of Tyr Dorna called to tend to Trix. He stood the moment Cage walked in, rubbing his palms on his dark gray robe.

"Your Majesty." He sunk into a deep bow.

Cage gritted his teeth. "Raise, Father. I need you to tell me your assessment of the patient." His eyes darted to Trix who lay on the cot, his eyes closed, body tense. He'd lost so much weight, it was a wonder he was still alive.

"There are dark forces battling inside him," Father Nathan said. "I could not assess if he is still in there or has been overcome."

It was the same answer the other priests had given, so while disappointed, Cage wasn't surprised. The vague diagnosis was still confusing. Cage knew what Trix's powers did. His touch drained the powers of his victims and also gained their knowledge and memories. It was true that if he wasn't careful, he could kill his target and also take too much of their essence and be overwhelmed. But this time, Cage had seen what had happened. Trix had touched Kat for only a moment, draining some of her mad energy. And yet, he'd collapsed and hadn't awakened in over a month.

"What would you have me do?" Father Nathan asked.

"Nothing, Father. I think it is quite clear that there is nothing else you can do." He sat on the chair next to the cot. Even if he'd sounded so sure of himself, he knew he had to approach the situation differently than he had when he'd healed Jinx's burns.

"Excuse me, your Majesty, but what do you plan on doing?" Father Nathan hovered over his shoulder.

Cage found it incredibly annoying, but he was aware he couldn't be outright rude to members of the clergy. Whether he believed in the gods or not, his people did, and being known as a heretic was the last thing he needed.

"I am going to attempt to rouse him myself." He kept his voice as pleasant as possible.

"How?"

He hoped the question would not come. "This is what I'm trying to figure out." He turned back to Trix, focusing on the micro-muscles of his face, looking for a twitch or any other sign that there was a battle waging inside him. His face seemed completely impassive.

"No disrespect, but does your grace have chirurgical training?"

Because of course that the only other way to fix people was cutting them open. Cage didn't answer and continued to study Trix. It was obvious that he couldn't approach this like an open wound, because it wasn't. He had to consider what he would find once he touched his friend. What was it that he would have to heal? Could he even touch minds, search inside them? And if he found that he could, what could he find in there.

His heart began to beat in a sturdy rhythm. Would he find pieces of Kat in there? The possibility both intrigued and terrified him. Whatever it was in there, he had to face it.

Taking in a deep breath, he places his hands on Trix's temples. Nothing happened which meant that Trix's own magic was still incapacitated. He'd expected that, so he focused his magic and sent it to his hands, seeking access inside his friend's consciousness. Something solid blocked his progress, like a shield hidden deep within his consciousness.

Cage frowned and shut his eyes, intensifying his efforts. The resistance held so he pushed harder.

"Your Majesty?"

The resistance seemed to give and with a final thrust, Cage found himself floating in complete darkness. The silence inside the void pressed on his eardrums and all he could hear was his own labored breathing. Then came the howling wind.

Cage glanced around him, but he couldn't see anything through the void. He knew he was there, but... He wasn't. He forced his mind to acknowledge that he wasn't there. He was in the castle infirmary, sitting on a stool next to Trix's cot. Whatever was happening in the void was inside Trix's head, not his.