Free Chartile: Prophecy by Cassandra Morgan Page A

and Leo expected.
    A short woman looked up from her work at a
small counter by the herb shelves. Her hair was pulled back into
many tiny braids, each intricately laced through with jewels and
stone beads. She wiped her hands on a towel and pointed to the bed
to her right.
    “ Elf. Vampire,” panted
Dimitri, setting Piper gently on the bed. The woman nodded and
hurried back to the shelf of herbs.
    From the doorway behind Leo, Jack and
Jayson, four more guards joined the growing throng of people in the
hall. They ushered in three more women, their hair also beautifully
braided and decorated with jewels and beads, but far fewer than the
healer. They were otherwise plainly clothed, which surprised the
boys as they suspected this was the Empress and Queen Dimitri had
called for.
    “ Hello, Dimitri,” sighed
the eldest woman. She held out her arms and embraced him. Though
her skin was smooth and glowing, her eyes looked old and worn. “How
is she?” she asked. Dimitri shook his head.
    The healer bustled back to Piper with a
poultice, a blanket and a cold compress. Her fingers worked the
greenish-gray mess into Piper’s wound. Quite unexpectedly, she gave
a loud cry and jumped back. No one needed ask why. The lightning
that had appeared during their battle with the vampire had
returned. It snaked its way around Piper’s body again, wrapping her
in a protective prism.
    “ Magic?” whispered one of
the guards. The boys had nearly forgotten magic was forbidden and
feared throughout Chartile. They had become so used to Piper’s
magic, or at least the idea of it. They hadn’t seen her use it
since their first night in Chartile. It had not occurred to them
what might happen if others encountered it.
    “ Out,” said the older
woman. Her voice turned strong and commanding. “Everyone out. Not
you three,” she pointed to Jack, Leo and Jayson. Dimitri had not
moved. He appeared determined not to leave Piper’s side and needed
no encouragement to stay.
    “ Empress, I—” began the
healer.
    “ No. No one is to speak a
word about this,” the woman said sharply.
    Everyone nodded, and turned to leave. The
Empress sighed once the door had been closed behind them and rolled
up her sleeves. She laid a hand on Dimitri’s shoulder. He turned to
her, and the once strong, young man looked entirely lost and
helpless.
    “ She does not know she is
doing this. She cannot help it. She’s—”
    “ I know,” said the Empress
kindly. She reached for Dimitri’s hands, and carefully removed the
orenite cuffs from his wrists. Dimitri looked at her, fear
spreading more fiercely across his face. “It’s going to take all of
us to bring her back.” The Empress said.
    “ Back from where? What’s
going on?” Jayson asked, his voice shaking.
    “ Her mind has turned
inward, hibernating if you will. To protect her. What she does not
know is her magic will soon drain her of all her energy, and she
will slowly die.”
    “ What?” exclaimed Leo,
“She can’t die!”
    “ She’s not going to,” the
Empress said calmly. “I need you all to do exactly as I say. Even
you, Jayson. I have no magic, but I can pray to Rashiri to guide
us, to guide her.”
    Jayson, who had been staring grimly at
Piper, jerked around at the mention of his name. “How do you know
who I am?”
    “ I have been consulting
with the oracle much lately. I will explain more at a later time.
Please, we must all join hands around her.”
    The humming of the lightning that continued
to envelope Piper sent the air into a buzzing, static frenzy. The
boys could feel the hairs on their bodies standing up. The Empress
began to chant in a strange, growling language, and everyone’s
palms tingled.
    “ Dimitri, I need you to
call her,” she said, her eyes still closed in concentration. “Bring
her back to us. Now, everyone, place a hand on her. And whatever
happens, do not break the connection. Rashiri…”
    They all placed their hands on Piper’s arms.
The Empress stood