Chapter 108: Scolding...
Anaria left her room.
Her legs were heavy. The walk to the hall felt longer than it should have. The sun was too bright. She kept her eyes on the ground and kept moving.
She reached the hall. Her mates were waiting inside. She could see them through the doorway. Kenai was holding Ana. Kai was standing near the window. Rylan was speaking to them.
She stepped forward.
Her foot caught on something. She did not know what. The ground moved. Her vision blurred.
Then next BOOM!!!, She dropped to the ground.
The sound of her body hitting the ground was loud, very loud.
She heard shouting. Footsteps. Someone calling her name. She could not tell who.
"Anaria!"
"Little fox"
Hands touched her. Someone lifted her head. Someone else grabbed her hand.
She tried to open her eyes. She could not.
She heard a voice. One of them. She did not know which one.
"Call a healer! Now!"
Another voice. Farther away.
"Move. Give her space."
She wanted to speak. She wanted to tell them she was fine. But her mouth would not move.
The voices blurred together. Panic. Fear. She could hear it in their tones. They were scared. For her.
She tried to focus on one voice. One sound. Something solid.
Then her mind shut out, Everything went dark.
A chime rang.
[I told you so.]
Time passed so quickly.
Anaria did not know how much.
She was moving. Someone was carrying her. She could feel arms around her. Strong. Careful. She wanted to open her eyes but she could not.
Voices floated around her. She could not understand the words. They were muffled. Distant. Like she was underwater.
Then she was on something soft. Her bed. She knew the feel of it. The familiar dip of the mattress. The blanket beneath her.
More voices. Someone was touching her wrist. Checking her pulse. Then a hand on her forehead. It was cool. Rough.
She heard an old voice. Male. Rough.
"Has she been under a lot of stress lately?"
Silence, none of them spoke for a while
Then Kenai spoke. "Yes."
"How much?"
"She has been healing the sick. Traveling. Taking care of the baby. She has not rested properly in weeks."
The old healer made a sound. Not a good sound. A grunt of disapproval.
"You are her mates right?"
"Yes."
"All three of you?"
"Yes."
The old man was quiet for a moment. Then he spoke again. His voice was sharper now.
"Then you should be ashamed of yourselves."
No one answered.
"She recently gave birth. Do you understand what that means? Her body is still healing. She should be resting. Not running around settlements. Not healing other people. Not stressing herself until she collapses."
Still no one answered, their faces were all facing the ground.
"I do not know what you were thinking. But her condition is not good. If she keeps going like this, she will not recover. Do you understand me?"
"Yes," Rylan said quietly.
"Then act like it. She needs rest. She needs care. She needs all three of you to stop being useless and start paying attention."
Anaria heard movement. She imagined them looking down. She imagined their faces. Guilt. Shame. She wanted to tell them it was not their fault. But she could not speak now could she even open her eyes
The old man sighed.
"I will give you medicine. It will help her sleep and it will help her body recover. But it will not fix everything. That is up to you."
"Thank you," Kenai said.
"Who will follow me to get it?"
"I will," all three of them said at once.
The old man made a sound. Almost a laugh.
"You. The quiet one. Come with me." He said pointing at Kenai, whom nodded almost immediately.
Anaria heard footsteps. Two sets. One heavy. One lighter. They moved toward the door.
"One more thing," the old man said. He stopped at the doorway. "The two of you. Get a cool cloth. Put it on her head. Change it every few minutes until we return. It will help with the fever."
"Yes," Rylan said.
"Good."
The footsteps faded and the door closed.
Then there was silence.
Rylan and Kai moved immediately.
They went to the kitchen. They found a clean cloth and a basin. They filled the basin with cool water. Then they returned to the room.
Anaria was still on the bed. Her face was pale. Her breathing was shallow.
Rylan dipped the cloth in the water. He wrung it out. Then he placed it on her forehead.
Kai stood beside the bed. He watched her face. She did not move.
They took turns.
When Rylan changed the cloth, Kai massaged her legs. When Kai changed the cloth, Rylan massaged her legs. They did not speak. There was nothing to say.
The room was quiet. Only the sound of water dripping from the cloth broke the silence.
Time passed.
Kenai returned. He was carrying a small bundle of herbs. He went straight to the kitchen. He did not let any servants help. He prepared the medicine himself. He measured each ingredient carefully. He stirred it slowly.
Then he came back to the room.
He walked to the bed. He looked at Anaria. Then he looked at Rylan and Kai. Neither of them spoke.
Kenai sat on the edge of the bed. He lifted Anaria’s head gently. He brought the cup to her lips. He tilted it slowly.
She did not move.
He waited for sometime
She still did not move.
His hands began to shake. He set the cup down. He looked at her face. Pale. Still.
Rylan stepped closer. "She will wake up."
Kenai did not answer.
Kai looked away. His jaw was tight.
They stood there. None of them spoke. None of them moved.
The silence was heavy, they were all conflicted by their inner thoughts.
"Why didn’t I look after her"
"She did all these by herself "
"I hope nothing happens to her"
As they were still conflicted, Anaria moved.
Just a little. A small shift of her head.
Kai noticed first. He stepped forward. He bent down "Anaria?"
She moved again. Her fingers twitched.
Then she coughed. Once. Twice. Her body shook.
Kenai grabbed her hand. Rylan leaned closer.
Anaria coughed again. Then her eyes opened.
Slowly. Gently.
She looked up. She saw them. All three of them. Standing over her.
She blinked.
Her voice was weak.
"What is wrong?"