“But we just got here,” Amaya whines.
“I know, I know. Give me a couple of hours to look her over and make sure everything is all good. Once I’m done, I promise she’s all yours.”
“Ugghhh! Fine,” Amaya sighs dramatically.
“We’ll catch you up later.” Em gives me a kiss on the forehead and the three of them leave us to it.
“We haven’t formally met yet. I’m Henry, one of the healers here.”
“It’s nice to meet you. Have you been the one watching over me this whole time?”
He peers over his glasses. “Well, me along with your posse. They’ve been taking shifts next to your bedside ever since the king brought you here.”
“You mean Ryder?”
“Oh, yes. Sorry, I forget he’s the prince to you all.”
“And to you he’s not?”
“No. Here, he’s the king. Before him, the Shadow Lands were a wasteland of the forgotten. When he was banished years ago, he worked day and night to bring order to this place and trust me when I say it wasn’t easy. There was push back for a long time, but somehow, he found a way to unite everyone. He believed in a better future, and he built one here. Now, we live as one. There is community where there was once segregation. Hope where there was once despair. A home where there was once a graveyard. He single-handedly saved us from ourselves, and he expected nothing in return.” He feels around my forehead and arms as he continues. “Ryder told us to choose a ruler. Someone we believed in. Someone we trusted. In the end, we chose him. Not out of duty or fear, but out of respect. We would follow him to the ends of the earth and that is exactly what we plan to do when the time comes to take back the realms.”
“I had no idea.”
“I don’t suspect you would. He’s earned our allegiance, but he isn’t one to flaunt it. Unlike his father in that way I supposed.”
“Can I ask how you got here?” The question is a bit invasive, but not enough to stop me from asking.
“I trained at the Sector as everyone does. As you can tell, I’m not the most physically strong.” I take in his lanky physique that is made up of more bone than muscle. “Well, after First Year I was sent here as a Lesser. Unfortunate for them, though. Turns out I’m one hell of a healer. What I lack in physical skill, I make up for in here.” He taps his temple with his index finger.
“Their loss is our gain then,” I offer.
“It certainly is,” he agrees, adjusting his glasses. “Alright, Miss Calloway. Let’s see what we’re working with.”
“What do you say we break you out of here,” Artemus says as he peeks around the doorway to the infirmary.
What was supposed to be a couple of hours turned into a couple of days. I guess coming back from the dead called for more than just the usual tests. Though, something tells me that the extensive discharge process came more from Ryder than it did Henry.
“Always my hero,” I say, nearly jumping out of the bed my body has practically molded itself to the past month.
“Here, put these on.” He hands me a pair of fresh clothes and I quickly slip them on while he keeps watch. I doubt he’s really busting me out of here without Ryder’s permission, but I appreciate the show he’s putting on, so I play along.
“Is the coast clear?”
“Let’s move out.” He does a bunch of random military hand signals that I don’t know and the two of us creep out into the hallway. Once we seem to make it a safe enough distance, he drops the façade. “About damn time you joined us again.” He throws an arm over my shoulders and brings me in for a side hug as we walk.
“He sent you, didn’t he?” My question seems to surprise him, but he doesn’t try to come up with a lie. Instead, he says nothing, and his silence tells me I’m right. “I haven’t seen him since I first woke up. He’s avoiding me.”
“He’s just got a lot on his plate right now. It’s not easy ruling a kingdom, ya know.”
I stop walking and turn to him. “You and I both know it’s more than that.”
“You’re probably right,” he replies in a more serious tone. “But that’s for you two to talk about. He’s out right now, but he’ll be in the war room tonight around 8:00. It’s becoming a ritual for him, and he’ll be alone. I’ll show you where it is, but don’t rat me out.”
I zip my lips with my fingers and toss the imaginary key over my shoulder.
“Alright,” I begin as we head down the hallway again. “Where to first?”
“I promised Amaya and Emeric they could show you around the underground, so we’re going above.”
