Prologue
It is a truth known by many that a Healers gift is also their weakness; for a Healer will walk themselves into their grave if that meant saving just one more life.
~Notes from the battlefield~
History Lessons
’Day by Day, what you choose, what you think and what you do is who you become.’
~Heraclitus~
“Stop reading!” The sharp command caused my shoulders to hunch as I flinched in preparation of the bamboo cane striking my left hand where it lay on the heavy old ledger, its many pages stained, faded and in places, torn. The words blearing together as my eyes watered with unshed tears as I fight the urge to shake the pain off my hand, I knew that if I showed any sign of hurt it would only lead to another red welt being added beside the five others I had already earned.
Sniffing softly, I pushed my small shoulders back, correcting my posture before Lady Everton could comment on it, I held off reminding her that I was only reading because she had commanded me to do so. That I had no desire to read the history of the kingdoms, about how people like me had been tortured and killed all because of the hatred Humans have for the Fae creatures that plague our world. I raised my head, looking up to see Lady Everton’s textbook sneer in place on her bright red lips, her pale face beginning to wrinkle, a single strand of grey breaking through her jet black hair piled into a harsh bun on top of her head.
Her beautiful dress telling of her wealth, much like the room around her, both were adorned in shades of silver and gold the colours of the household, her wedding ring glinting in the light shining through the open windows behind me, the emerald gemstone reflecting off the small glass of water I have been allowed since I started my history lesson three hours ago. I tried not to squirm in my seat, griping the edge of the wooden desk just so that I wouldn’t bolt from the room in an effort to be free from her stern expression.
“We have been studying this for weeks now, you should be able to repeat your history from memory,” Her nasally voice shuddered through me as she used her cane to slam the heavy text closed, “Impress me, show me what you have learnt.” She commanded, beckoning me with the bamboo cane to stand.
I stood on shaky legs, sending a quick prayer to whoever would listen that I remember enough information to free me from this room for the day. “Many years ago before the split of the kingdoms, Fay and Humans lived happily with each other, side by side it was considered the best of days” I recited, “but the Fay have always been a greedy and arrogant people, and soon began to take lands away from the Humans, destroying villages and killing as many as they could in order to claim land that they said was theirs by right. The first war raging for fifty years and endless battles raging after that as Fay fight for more of our land. Abandoning children that they had sired with the Human women they had once claimed to love,” I tried to keep my reaction neutral, even as tears began to well in my eyes under the stern gaze of Lady Everton. “These children were born with both Human and Fay blood within them, making them creatures of both worlds; outcasts. With the power of the Fae blood running through them, they had been sentenced to death by King Faro,” I swallowed nervously, “During one of the executions, as the children lined up ready for their time to die, a young boy-”
“His name!” Lady Everton slammed the cane down onto my right hand spots blaring my vision, “Remember your facts.” She instructed, a glint in her eye seeming to hope I had forgotten so that she could punish me again.
Wracking my brain for the right name, panic began to set in, my palms sweating, only when Lady Everton took a step towards me did the name come to me, “Wendle” I gasped, “His name was Wendle!” I said with certainty, the smile dropping from my face when I realised I must have looked too smug, as Lady Everton glared at me, dropping back a step and demanding that I continue reciting the history.
I cleared my throat awkwardly, “Wendle, noticed that a guard stood beside him was bleeding, he reached out without thinking and healed the cut on his arm.” Pausing to check I had everything right, Lady Everton gestured for me to go on, “The discovery that children with Fay and Human blood within them had the power to heal meant that they would be allowed to live, King Faro believing that they could be useful so long as they vowed to help save the Human race rather than the Fay.” I looked down at the desk, trying to hide the sadness on my face.
Lady Everton narrowed her dark green eyes in a glare, an expression I thought for sure was her favourite, “You do not sound as though you agree?” Also her favourite question, a way to make me say something I shouldn’t so that she can correct me.
Even knowing it was the wrong thing to say, I spoke the truth, “I believe that if I see someone bleeding I will heal them, that there will be no thought in my mind of whether they are Human, Fay or something else entirely.”
Lady Everton’s expression soften briefly, as if she truly understood and agreed with me, I blinked and the expression was gone, no punishment came for speaking my mind, she merely nodded slightly at the closed text in front of me, “What was the reaction to this declaration?”
My hands shook where I grasped them in front of me, “It was bad, the Healers were treated as slaves because no one wanted to trust anything associated with the Fay. It was only years later when it was discovered that Healers did not have the ability to heal a Fay that they were treated any differently.”
Lady Everton’s eyes narrowed at what I was sure was the disgust in mine, “You do not agree with way Healers were treated?” Again, a question to trip me up, to force me to show the side of me that wants to always speak my mind.
My gaze dropped to the desk in front of me, my mind thankfully warning me to keep my opinion to myself as I recited an answer I had learned long ago in order to appease her, “It is not my place to question the actions of others.”
Lady Everton hummed, and when I raised my gaze to hers I could see a slight smile on her features. “What happened after that discovery?” She prompted, her voice not as harsh as before, making me think for a moment that I might have pleased her.
“Healers were then thought of as valuable,” I told her, once again looking at the desk in front of me, ignoring the sadness I heard in my voice. “They are taken care of, living lives of luxury in return for their power.”
“Why are Healers thought of as valuable?” Lady Everton asked, using her cane to lift my chin so that my eyes met her Hazel ones.
“Because though the Fay are stronger and more powerful than Humans,” I began inwardly cringing at the thought of such evil power, “Healers can make sure our soldiers are fit and ready for another battle; they keep the Human race from extinction.” I finished quietly though I could not stop the following words from flooding out of my mouth, “It also makes them highly profitable for families wishing to marry into riches, tempting some women to venture into Fay lands in hopes that she will give birth to a half Human, half Fay child.”
I braced myself for the cane, for the slap, for any punishment for me speaking out of turn, as I’ve learnt in my ten short years on this earth comes whenever I attempt to speak my mind, but Lady Everton only smirked, her eyes gleaming as her hand reached out and brushed a stray brown curl out of my face.
She nodded, “And you my dear will be most profitable indeed.” She condemned as dread filled the empty pit of my stomach.
