Chapter 135: Surface
Their robes were pale, without the silver she remembered. Their bodies were not covered with sigils either. It only took Lucrezia a moment to realize that the healers didn’t have those markings.
Both bowed respectfully.
"Lady Anastasia," the older healer greeted her. "It is a pleasure to see you out of bed."
Despite the calmness in her tone, it didn’t sound entirely genuine to the woman before her. Lucrezia could tell her presence didn’t settle well with them, but she ignored it.
Lucrezia offered a polite smile. "I am feeling better."
"So we have been told," She said. "Nevertheless, we must be certain your recovery is proceeding as it should."
She nodded. "Of course."
The older woman set her case on the table and began arranging her instruments. The younger healer remained near the door, waiting for instructions.
"Have you experienced any fever since our last visit, my lady?" the woman asked.
"No."
"Any dizziness? Weakness? Difficulty breathing?"
"No."
"And your sleep?"
Lucrezia paused. It had not been particularly restful. The strange warmth beneath her skin had returned on occasion, and the faint tremors she had felt the previous night still troubled her.
But she had no intention of explaining those things. "My sleep has improved."
The healer nodded and gestured towards the chair. "Then let us begin."
Lucrezia sat down, folding her hands in her lap as the woman approached.
The examination began with the usual questions and measurements. The healer checked her pulse, examined her eyes, and asked her to describe the lingering weakness she had experienced after the attack at the fair.
Lucrezia answered carefully, offering nothing beyond what she believed necessary.
When the older woman finally stepped back, she exchanged a glance with her assistant.
"Well?" Lucrezia asked.
"You are recovering, my lady," the healer replied. "Your strength is returning, and there is no indication that the fever has persisted."
Lucrezia felt some of the tension leave her shoulders. "Does that mean I may resume my usual activities?"
"Gradually," She said. "You must still avoid exhausting yourself, and I would prefer that you continue taking the prescribed remedies for a little while longer."
"Of course."
The healer began packing her instruments. "There is, however, one matter you should be aware of."
Lucrezia’s relief faded. "What matter?"
"Your recovery has progressed sufficiently that the council may now proceed with its plans to question you."
For a moment, the room seemed to grow very quiet.
Lucrezia kept her expression still, though her fingers had begun to press tightly against one another.
"I see."
The healer regarded her with a measured look. "I imagine you were already aware that such a meeting would eventually take place."
"Yes," Lucrezia answered. It was the only response she could manage.
The older woman closed her case. "Then I would advise you to rest until you are summoned. There is no need to trouble yourself before the time comes."
Lucrezia lowered her gaze. No need to trouble herself, she thought.
If only it were that simple.
She thanked the healers as they departed, maintaining the same polite composure until the door had closed behind them. Only then did she allow herself to sink back into the chair.
The council would summon her soon.
And when they did, she would have to stand before them and answer questions about a world she barely understood, while concealing the one truth that could destroy the fragile place she had managed to secure for herself in Blackvale.
"Would you care for anything else, my lady," Nalia’s voice brought her back to reality.
She stared at the woman. Then she shook her head. "No, that would be all," She said. "Thank you."
Nalia nodded. "I’d be a few distances away. Don’t hesitate to send for me if you need anything."
"I will," She said.
And with that, the brown-skinned girl left, closing the door gently behind her.
Lucrezia released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. A lot had happened in the past few days.
And now, basking in the silence, she couldn’t help the thoughts and memories that surged at once. From the attack at the fair to the recent knowledge she’d discovered about the Sins.
But that was interrupted when she heard distant voices, and a faint pang of headache followed.
No, not now... she thought.
Lucrezia rose from the seat, walking to the place she’d stored the vial Madame Eldriselle had given her. When she reached the tall wardrobe, she knelt, her fingers slipping beneath the lowest drawer that pressed against a loose panel behind folded linens that shifted with a faint scrape.
She pulled the drawer open, moving chemises and ribbons aside, until her fingers brushed against a small vial tucked deep into the corner.
For a moment, she simply stared at it. The pills looked ordinary to the eye, but only she knew the effect they had on her.
She pried the lid open and placed one pill on her tongue. Then she reached for the pitcher nearby, pouring water into the glass. The swallow felt loud in her ears as she closed her eyes and waited for it to settle.
The moment she felt those lingering noises disappear, her eyes opened. A quiet sigh escaped her lips.
She walked towards the tall windows. The thick panes of smoke glass filtered the outside light into perpetual twilight, and beyond them, a shadow of distant spires defining Blackvale could be seen.
Her mind returned to the attack at the fair. But right before that, she thought of the nightmare she had before it.
Did they correlate?
The possibility was greater. She felt the familiarity from the creature layered in black, his eyes burning with a consuming glow. A part of her recognized his presence way before she saw him.
She knew the hindrance was his doing. She felt it also. How Vespera’s power was useless to him. How the Phantoms seemed to move on his accord.
Her eyes fell to her hands, before searching her body. For one brief moment, Lucrezia thought they belonged to someone else.
She remembered the power that surged through her... the light that surged through this body. And now she thought of it; it felt totally unreal.
She could remember the pain that came with it, the energy it consumed. She could remember how it scorched her raw, the heat that seared through her veins and the cold that sank into her bones—the abrupt strength that was too much to consume, like water being forced into her mouth.
She turned.
For a moment, she remained still. Without a second thought, Lucrezia shoved her hands from the angle of her chest to the air. At first trial, it seemed ridiculous.
She mimicked her actions that day, in hopes the same blast would resurface, but there was nothing. For a good ten minutes of shoving and thrusting and grunting, her strength finally wore thin.
With a tired sigh, her hands fell to her sides.
Lucrezia approached the massive bed, her body falling gently on its surface. At once, exhaustion crushed her bones, and the dizziness from the earlier pills lingered at the corner of her eyes.
For a moment, she stared at the artistically pleasing ceiling before her, until her lashes fluttered. This time, she didn’t try to fight it. It was only a matter of time before she finally succumbed to darkness.