The Offering

Chapter Fifty Two - Alvaryn

I had left Aeris with a promise to return with food and as I make my way through the halls at this late hour on my way to the kitchen I decide to check on Father first.

Guards are stationed more frequently than before which is only to be expected. They nod in acknowledgement as I pass and make my way to Father's rooms.

The guards open the doors and I walk in, low light fills the dark space and I see the healer near his bed.

"Your Highness," He bows.

"Oenus," I nod in return. "How is he?" I ask, walking further into the room.

"He is the same Your Highness, he is in no pain and resting as comfortably as I am able to allow. His mind will take some time to recover from the attack." He answers with a small bow. Oenus, our Head healer is older than my father and has started showing signs of aging, but no one would be able to guess he was over 700 years old. His dark blue robe falls to the floor as he stands back from the bed and turns towards me.

"Thank you Oenus, I just wanted to check on him." I say looking at my Father. I knew there was nothing I could do for him, that Oenus would do everything within his power to make sure my Father was comfortable, that it would just take time.

"Of course Your Highness, I have also checked on the Queen, she is still sleeping, the massive release of magic has drained her, but I expect she will wake up much sooner than the King." He nods slowly as he makes his way to the door.

"Thank you again, Oenus." I wait until he has left and move closer to my father. He looks like he is sleeping and I suppose he is, only it was induced. If he was awake he would probably be screaming in pain right now. My Mothers dark magic wreaking havoc on is body as he lie paralysed in pain.

I can still see my Mother, her arms turning to black, as her face remained impassive. I had never seen her use her magic before, she had stopped before I was born. Demwyn said he had seen it but never spoke of it. I knew it was a dark magic, as was custom in her family line. But she chose to restrict herself, going against her very self, her own magic that lived in her blood and flooded her veins. It was slowly killing her, to restrict her own abilities, but it was a price she had accepted. And after all of it, all of the years she had refused to use her own magic, for this to happen, for her to attack her own husband. It was nonsensical. Impossible. Unimaginable. She wouldn't attack anyone let alone her own husband.

And the words she had said, they were not her own.

In the hours I had sat by Dae's side I had thought over and over of what had happened. Every moment replayed in my mind, it had come without warning, just the sudden scream of pain, mother gripping her hair before her eyes turned black and she attacked.

And then Dae had screamed and my heart had stopped. When she had collapsed to the floor and started fitting I could barely breathe.

And now, now three of the people I loved most in this world were unconscious and I knew there was only one person to blame. Arden.

I grit my teeth as I make my way out of Father's room's, seeing Arden's smiling arrogant expression in my mind over and over was making it difficult to keep my anger in check. I walk towards mothers rooms, wanting to check on her before heading to the kitchens.

I walk into the low lit room, I see her form under her covers on the bed, her white blonde hair spilling out on the pillow.

There is a chair close to the bed and I pull it to her side sitting down I let out a heavy sigh.

"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner, but, you weren't the only one attacked, and I knew you would be okay, that you just needed time to rest. Dae, Dae is different, we are waiting, waiting to see if she wakes up, she has to, right?" I say softly, wanting to talk to my mother as if she was awake.