To be fair to Thea, it wasn’t really her that I was upset with; it was the emotions of that day that still stung. Part of me was also embarrassed that I hadn’t really thought much about why I had been allowed to roam as freely as I had. Everett was a skilled member of the Citrine Court Royal Guardians. He should have caught up to me seconds after I ran from the gardens.
As we made our way down the main thoroughfare, the large groups of people who had been milling about had all now begun parting for us as we passed. Wide eyes filled with confusion, fear, and curiosity followed.
I whispered to Thea, “Is there something going on that I need to know about?”
Thea laughed and pointed at the two giant mountain cats sauntering behind us. “When do you think any of these people have ever seen a mountain cat, never mind two of them?”
I immediately felt embarrassed. Why hadn’t I thought of that before bringing them? I turned around and proclaimed, “They’re friendly, I promise!”
The crowd continued to give us a wide berth as the people all went about their business.
I looked at the girls and made a sad, pouty face. “You both are just too menacing for your own good.”
Astra nudged up against me and gave me her goofy, toothy grin, while Nocturna stood stoic and expressionless. All right, so maybe it was only believable that one of them was friendly.
Trailing at a safe distance so as not to scare anyone further, Nocturna, Astra, and I watched Thea stop by shop after shop, buying up almost all the breads, buns, fruits, and cheeses.
I looked at her arms, loaded with baskets of goods. “Are you planning on eating that all yourself?” I joked.
Thea stuck her tongue out at me as we continued on our journey toward the healer’s shop. “This is for the healer. I understand it might not be the same where you are from, but here they are the heartbeat of this community. Anyone who needs anything, man, woman, or child, goes to them. They deserve as much help as they can get.”
Within a few minutes, we had reached the healer’s shop. It appeared much more inviting in the daylight than it had when I had last tried to approach it. During the short walk up to the shop, several women came and went. Not that I ever really doubted anything Thea said, but I hadn’t been expecting the healer’s shop to be as busy as it was. I felt angry and upset that this was what I had been missing back home. This sense of support and community had been ripped away from me and the women of my village because of the fanaticism of the Cult of Children. Had I been allowed to practise my craft freely, without restraint or prejudice, I, too, could have been the heartbeat of the village. A place anyone could come to for support.
We made our way up the uneven wooden steps and opened the door to the sagging brick shop.
I turned to Nocturna and Astra. “Maybe it’s better if you two wait outside. Preferably not by the door.”
Nocturna and Astra looked at me and whined.
“Please?”
With synchronized huffs, they sauntered over to the other side of the street, taking up post across from the healer’s shop.
A bell dinged overhead to announce our arrival. The faint smell of spearmint and eucalyptus welcomed us as we entered the shop. A threadbare rug lay across the entryway, lined by well-worn chairs occupied by waiting patrons. Pale blue linen curtains hung from ceiling to floor, separating the waiting area from the remainder of the healer’s shop.
Moments later a friendly voice called out, “Hello! How can I help you?”
An older woman with bronze skin and long, curly salt-and-pepper hair stepped out from behind the curtain, wiping her hands on her soiled, once white apron.
Thea held up her baskets of food. “We came by to drop off some goods for you and your patients, and to offer our services for the day.”
The healer looked at Thea skeptically. “And what services do you offer, may I ask?”
Thea placed the baskets of food on a nearby counter and pulled off her gloves, stuffing them in her cloak pocket. “My friend and I are healers from a small village in the Moonstone Court. We joined our lady on her journey here to celebrate the return of the Prince. We were given the morning off, so we thought we would come by and see if we could help. I know how busy we are in our tiny village. I can only imagine how busy you are.”
The woman walked over to inspect the food Thea had brought, grabbed an apple, and cleaned it off on her dirty apron. “I’m surprised your mistress let you go for the morning. The fae here aren’t exactly known for their benevolent behaviour.” She took a large bite of the apple. The crunching sound echoed through the now silent waiting area.
The patrons sat in their chairs, craning their necks to watch our conversation.
The woman pointed her finger at me. “You, go ahead and check in with the new arrivals. And then get them set up in whatever free space you find in the back,” she ordered between chews.
She turned to Thea. “And you. Grab this food and disperse it among the patients. A lot of them haven’t had a good, nutritious meal in days. They could use the pick-me-up.”
Thea reached out her hand. “I am Thea, and this is Aurelia. Thank you for letting us assist you today…”
The woman reached out her hand, accepting Thea’s welcoming gesture. “Maria. And thank you for your generous offer of help. It is much appreciated. Recent events involving the prince’s disappearance have caused quite a stir and unrest in our quarter. People have been targeted and roughed up or gone missing entirely, all because of the king’s delusion that dark arcana or the Obsidian Court is involved. And for reasons unknown to any of us, that means humans are involved.”
Thea’s brows furrowed as she listened to Maria talk about the toll the dark arcana hysteria brought about by King Julian was having on them.
