My emotions were finally starting to steady, and my mind was beginning to clear. ‘Time to focus on what’s most important. Magic.’
“You said my father had a plan for fixing my gate… He tends to act without explaining things… I always trusted him blindly in the past, but I’m not going to do that anymore. I want to know what’s going on and why.”
Catherine grimaced. “Your father is a good man. But I've never met anyone worse with words. You should know, he's changed over these past few years. There is nothing he values more than his family…”
Her last statement should have been comforting, after all, I was a part of his family. The way she said it made it sound like a threat though. After a moment, I slowly connected the dots. “So what about things that threaten his family…” ‘things like me…’
“He will crush them without mercy…”
Her face and expression only confirmed my own thoughts. Although as far as I was concerned none of that mattered. Nothing had changed. I would get stronger or I would day, same old story. “Whatever, where is he then? I’m awake, a broken arm might not be good for fighting, but I’m sure I can start learning magic.”
“Your father is out with your brother. They're out hunting I think. Until they get back, you're not allowed to leave this bed. Also, try not to move too much, if your blood pressure rises it will hurt a lot more than you think, as your vessels are still recovering from the strain you put on them.
“I can't… Leave this bed?”
She nodded. “Since you don't actually know how to use magic, whatever magic you used strained your body past its limit, your blood vessels couldn't handle it, and most of them were damaged. That's why your body feels so sore.
I let out a loud groan. “When I see Bhaltair again I should kill him.”
She let out a nervous chuckle. “You're starting to sound scary again.”
I rested my head in my hand. “You’re right, really this is my father's fault too. Sense He’s stronger, it would make the most sense to take him out first. I mean that’s just basic tactics.”
“That's not at all what I said!”
I started laughing at her slightly panicked face.
This time it was her that let out a groan. “Your sense of Humor is getting worse…”
I just ignored her comment, finally feeling better having let out a good laugh. ‘If I can’t learn about magic, then I should focus on healing.’ “Can you bring me some food? To be honest, I don't really feel like eating, but the more I eat the more magic you’ll be able to use, and the faster I’ll heal right?”
She rolled her eyes, letting out an exasperated sigh. “Yeah, I’ll get you something small.”
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“Right. Thanks, Cathy.” I felt my smile getting bigger as I continued to think about it. ‘Magic has the power to heal injuries and create a holographic projection of a multilayered structure. I can use it to stop time and sense my surroundings. I wonder what else I’ll be able to do.’
I had expected Catherine to leave and bring back food, but instead, she just stared at me with a dumbfounded look on her face. “Is there something else?”
She shook her head. “Your smile was just so big and bright I guess I got a little lost in it.” She chuckled. “Sorry, I’ll get going now.”
‘Got lost in my smile? What’s that supposed to mean…’ I shrugged it off, my thoughts drifting back to the endless possibilities I had with magic.
Of course… Being stuck in bed, it was only a matter of time before my own imagination began to get tired. The idea of future possibilities was only exciting for so long after all. What I really wanted was something I could do to work towards the goal.
For the first time, it was something attainable. I wanted to work towards it… Instead… Bedrest… Hours passed, and she never returned.
“I’m bored…” ‘I thought Catherine said she’d bring me some food…’
For once I wasn’t stuck in bed because I was sick, or almost dead. I actually felt mostly fine. Supposedly I was being kept in bed to stop my blood pressure from rising, to try and make sure I let my body heal properly from all the magic stuff, but that honestly felt like an excuse to me.
‘I mean, it's been almost four days now counting the time I was unconscious. Is it really that dangerous for me to stand up… I can’t even leave the bed, really? Maybe just one step… to stretch my legs.’
As if waiting for the perfect time, Catherine walked in holding a massive book in one hand and a plate with honey sweets in the other. The book was old and dusty, the kind of thing that felt more appropriate to call a tome.
Closing the door behind her to keep the warm air in, she paused giving me a distrustful glare. “What were you thinking just now?”
I pulled my feet underneath me instead of swinging them over the side to stand up. Feeling a sense of relief that she didn’t walk in a few moments later. “I was thinking how board I was, and how it took you over two hours to find me some food…”
Without a second thought, she dropped it, clearly having her suspicions. As she brought the book closer I ended up having to sneeze. A thick layer of dust and an ancient scent wafting through the air from its pages.
She dropped it on the bed with a plop, kicking up even more dust from the cover making me groan again. “If I get sick from this thing and die I’m blaming you.”
She started to laugh, but after thinking about it for a moment quickly moved the tome to the desk nearby. “Sorry, I should have cleaned it up more.”
I coughed waving my hand to try and shoo away the cloud. “Please don’t act like a little bit of dust could actually kill me… I’m not that weak…”
She cleared her throat using a burst of magic wind to brush off the book before setting it down next to me again. “This is a book on magic. Your father is still out hunting with Bhaltair, but I thought you would like to get a headstart.”
I stared down at it. “The Omnia… Prismire?” I turned back to Catherine. “Cool…”
“No need to thank me or anything…”
I looked back at the massive tome. It was half the size I was. Honestly, I probably couldn't have moved it if I tried. “Sorry, it's just…” I looked down at my good hand. “You said my gate was broken or whatever right? So I can’t even use magic.”
She slapped the book's cover. “Of course, that is true. However, that doesn't mean you can’t learn about magic theory, which will be important eventually regardless. I thought you were a bookworm anyway, haven't you read every book in this house?”
‘Well yeah but do you have any idea how few books we have?’ I sighed. “I mean, It’s not like I have anything better to do right.”
She paused for a moment. “Still have a lot on your mind?”
I looked over to the window. ‘I think I’m mostly done sorting through everything, but that doesn’t mean it's so easy to not think about it. “I mean. I get it right. He had to poison me, and he had to put me through all sorts of other tests to make sure I was strong or whatever… Honestly, that stuff doesn’t even bother me anymore… But I mean. Bhaltair broke my arm, if Mara didn’t show up when she did who knows if he would have stopped there.”
The sunshine broke through the clouds in rays of bright gold, only furthering my melancholy. “Then my father leaves me to take him hunting. I’m a little pissed, not gonna lie.”
She paused again, searching for the right words, but drawing a blank.
I grabbed the book and opened the first page, eating a few of the snacks she brought with her. “Well, I guess it doesn’t matter anyway. It’s not like him being here would have made me heal any faster.”
“Siya…”
Just like Mara, it seemed like she didn’t know what to say either, only able to mutter my name.