Thea came over and rubbed soothing circles on my back. “Don’t let his words bother you too much, my dear. He is a troubled being who is incapable of feeling anything other than misery. The sooner you let go of him in your heart, the happier you’ll be.”
I smiled weakly at Thea. “Believe me, I’m trying. I want nothing more than to be free from the feelings I have for who he used to be.”
Thea pulled me in for a deep, warm hug. Moments later she pulled away, holding my arms and looking intently into my eyes. “You were lucky today that you had that medallion, and it was able to protect you from being detected by Prince Sterling’s untrained eyes. I recommend that you keep that on while you’re here and allow it to continue to keep you safe.”
My eyes widened as I remembered what I had seen in the mirror when I was not wearing my medallion. I pushed away from Thea, scared. “The arcana master mentioned something about this during our last session, stating that I had a void within me. Sterling knows about that and told me that meant I had darkness in me. I’m not safe at all.” My mind spiralled as I thought of the ruby platform and how I would look up there, waiting for Thalos’s quick, brutal hand of justice.
“Aurelia, if the prince truly thought you were capable of dark arcana, you would not be standing here. You would have been dead hours ago,” Thea assured me as she went to retrieve the chair Sterling had occupied and placed it back beside the desk.
“They’ve executed others for far less,” I replied. “That’s not exactly reassuring to me.”
“Then let my words reassure you. What I report to King Julian is what he will base his decision on. The arcana master did not keep in touch with the king regarding your progress, and regardless of what Prince Sterling says, he hasn’t been asked to check in on you. That is the excuse he’s using to keep tabs on you.” Thea laughed as my shock must have become evident on my face.
“I have only ever met a handful of humans capable of using arcana,” she continued, “which means I am quite interested to see how this progresses. I will only share what is necessary, which means excluding anything about darkness or dark arcana. I know that you have no reason to trust me, but I will work hard to earn your trust, and hopefully, one day soon I’ll be able to break through that tough exterior of yours.”
Thea walked over to the basin and began putting away the crystal bowls. “I think tomorrow we should focus on your strengths. I’m told you are a healer, and from what you’ve mentioned, you had success with earth and water arcana. Go back to your suite. Get some good food in you, and rest up. Tomorrow will be an even more exhausting day for you.”
Chapter 29
“Aurelia, darling, you are thinking way too hard about this,” “
Thea gently chided as I opened my eyes in frustration.
Thea and I had spent all morning going over the written theory of basic and advanced forms of fae healing. The fae believed that the root of any illness was an imbalance within their aura or energies. Their healing methods predominantly focused on repairing disruptions to their auras and energies in addition to physical injuries, which required a lot of visualizing and summoning of the essences. Healing humans was done in the literal sense of fixing what was broken, usually with the assistance of one elixir or another. By using my arcana in conjunction with some incantations, I was able to create elixirs that could heal most human ailments without much difficulty. Fae healing was another, far more complicated story. I didn’t have a problem with summoning my arcanal abilities. That part I seemed to have a decent handle on. It was the visualization of auras and energies I was struggling with. Thankfully, Thea was patient as they came and, for the most part, unbothered by my lack of progress.
“How am I not supposed to?” I cried. “This is so different from what I’m used to. Not to mention, these texts don’t really tell you how you’re supposed to see an aura. Like, how do I do that?”
Thea laughed and then sighed. She adjusted herself in her seat, leaning on the armrest of the chair. “You are supposed to envision it. Just like you did when you thought about the small bloom or thewater. Take a deep breath; close your eyes, and let your body feel me and my energy, and then tell me what you see.”
I grabbed the glass of water resting on the desk beside me and took a quick sip. After placing it back down on the desk, I took a deep breath and put my hands on my lap. I closed my eyes and thought of Thea. I imagined her sitting in her chair, looking back at me and smiling. The buzzing sensation of arcana surfaced as I imagined the same aura around Thea as I had seen days prior in the aura mirror. Hanging my head, I squeezed my eyes shut and focused on the faint pulsing sensation around me. Looking up, I saw the palest shade of blue light ripple around Thea’s body. I concentrated on the surging energy around me, and Thea’s aura brightened. Then it swelled and intensified. The air around me felt lighter. The energy around her felt warm and inviting. It was like being hugged by an old friend.
I opened my eyes and smiled. “I did it! I mean, I think I did!” I cried out, so excited that I might have made some progress.
“Tell me about it. What did it look like, and what did it feel like?” Thea inquired. She stood up and walked behind her chair to lean over the back of it.
“Well, it was light blue but bright. But not at first, though. At first it was very faint, but then it got brighter. The brighter it got, the more intense it became. It also felt warm and familiar, if that makes any sense.”
Thea stood up tall. “It absolutely does. Now, tell me, how did my energy make you feel? Did my energy give you any hints as to my mental or physical health?”
Running my hand through my hair, I tried to think about any feelings that translated to diagnosing someone’s health. “If there was something off, I would have felt something cold and heavy. All I felt was warmth and lightness. My uneducated guess would be that everything is all right with you.”
Thea clapped and jumped up and down. “Good! That’s so good, Aurelia! All right, now let’s get you healing something … or more specifically, someone.” A mischievous smirk spread across her face. “You need a test subject!”
I raised my eyebrow at her, slightly concerned. “What do you mean by ‘test subject’?”
“Well, someone needs to be sick for you to heal them. I can give myself an innocent little plague, and then you work your arcana on me to cure it.”
I shook my head at her. “No, you cannot do that.”
“Well, either it’s me, or I go and ask Prince Sterling or Guardian Thorne for their assistance.”
I immediately interjected. “Nope. No. That’s all right. You will suffice.”
Thea walked over to the wall of glass jars and grabbed a small black one from the top shelf. She popped the cap off and quickly threw back the contents of the jar, grimacing as she swallowed the mysterious liquid. “In a few moments, I am going to start retching all over the place. Grab me that basin from over there, will you?”
I ran over to the other side of the chamber and grabbed a large basin, along with a small hand towel. I brought them back to Thea’s chair and sat while she made her way back. We both sat in silence, staring at each other, while we waited for the plague to come on. Moments later Thea’s face turned a ghastly shade of pale green. Her beautiful porcelain skin erupted with small pustules, and she clutched her stomach tightly. A loud belch exited her mouth, and her skin started to glisten from sweat. Whatever this plague was, it was coming on quick.
“Get ready, Aurelia!” Thea picked up the basin and then began retching profusely into it.
