Chapter 91 Shattered Calm
Chapter 91
"Healer Firkley!"
My voice burst too loud before I could stop it. Too loud. Too frantic.
The words tore from my throat, loud and desperate.
His gaze snapped around, sweeping every empty space around him.
I inhaled hard and tried again.
“Healer Firkley!”
His body turned this time. He looked along the sandy road.
I waved both arms above my head as I leaped up and down on my toes. With every leap, dust accumulated around my feet.
Since the sun had already set, everything was painted in shades of orange and purple. My legs ached from being carried by them since dawn. The journey to Alpha Dominion pack and back had taken up the entire day.
With my feet pounding on the compacted earth, I hurried to the side of the road.
"Healer Firkley!"
He raised his chin. His gaze met mine.
A look of recognition appeared on his face. He raised his eyebrows. He made a tiny circle with his mouth.
"Oh!"
Healer Firkley ran in my direction. He pumped his arms at his sides. Little clouds of dust were raised by his steps. Like two people who had been torn apart and had at last found each other again, we moved like magnets drawn to one another.
"Hmmnn..." His palm pressed against his forehead. His fingers snapped once, twice. His face scrunched up as he tried to remember.
"Lyra." I pushed the word out quickly, saving him the struggle.
"Yes! Lyra, the savior of the universe. The one who vanished like smoke after helping us, poof, gone without a trace." His hands whooshed through the air, miming disappearance. "Finally, the goddess heard my prayers. Our paths have crossed again."
My finger wagged in the air between us. "Hold on there. I didn't vanish like smoke. I simply went where I was needed."
My shoulders lifted in a shrug. "I didn't think you needed me at the clinic anymore. You had your clue, so I…"
Pain.
Sharp. Sudden. Wrong.
It pierced my chest like if a hot dagger had been thrust between my ribs.
My knees gave way. They rattled like loose shutters during a hurricane, knocking against one another.
The eyes of Healer Firkley narrowed. Deep creases appeared on his brow. "Is everything okay?"
My body became immobile. My muscles became immobile. Like a lone tree in a desolate landscape, rooted and immobile, I stood transfixed. My thoughts had dispersed far away, searching for the origin of that awful sensation.
He stepped closer. His hand reached toward my arm. "Are you fine, Lyra? Is everything okay?"
The question yanked me back. My eyes refocused. My breath rushed back into my lungs.
I couldn't shift into my spirit form here, not with him watching. Not where I could check what had gone wrong.
I stretched my lips into a smile, even though it felt tight and fake. "Nothing."
My hand fluttered in the air, brushing away his concern. "Just something I think I didn't handle properly where I came from."
He nodded slowly. His shoulders relaxed. "Stuff like that happens sometimes."
"So where did we stop?" I asked.
"Yeah." A laugh bubbled from his throat. "I asked your Luna about you. Her friend too. But they kept their lips sealed tight, barely telling me anything. And the alpha king?" He paused.
"You mean Alpha Jax?"
"Yes... He was just not cooperating . I've been searching for you ever since, but it hasn't been possible."
We both chuckled. The sound was relaxed and casual, as if we had known each other for years rather than just a quick encounter.
I cut through the air with my hand. My cheeks began to get hot. "Well, here we are. Why did you come here?”
I didn't want to push too quickly or too hard.
"I'm here primarily because of you and my project." My eyes brightened. "I want to set up something like a clinic here.”
Clinic?
The word set me off balance.
Healer Firkley paused. His expression darkened. "But I heard that someone who was running something similar got attacked. They murdered her brutally, ganged up on her."
"Oh!" My hand flew to my mouth. "I haven't heard about that. What a brutal story."
We drifted closer to the roadside. His fingers found mine. They intertwined naturally, like we were old friends, comfortable companions. His skin felt warm against mine.
My feet stopped moving. I turned to face him fully. "I think I can help you with that."
"Wow!" His mouth dropped open. His eyes grew wide as moons. "You mean it?"
"Yes." My head bobbed up and down. "I'll talk to my Luna. She can speak with the king about letting you use the old facility."
I leaned in slightly. My voice dropped lower, sharing a secret. "There's hardly anything I ask that she won't give me."
"Healer Firkley, thank you so much, my heaven-sent angel."
His arms wrapped around me suddenly. My feet left the ground. He spun me in a circle right there in the middle of the dusty road. The world blurred around us.
"You helped me in Crimson pack. And now, not even an hour after we met, my purpose for coming here is already falling into place!"
The darkness had settled thick around us by then. Only a few people walked past, their faces hidden in shadows. No one would recognize me.
Eventually, Healer Firkley set me down. He pressed a folded paper into my palm, an address where we would be meeting.
The palace loomed ahead when I returned. Darkness had swallowed everything.
Then chaos erupted.
Workers at the palace fled in all directions. The floors were thundered by their feet.
There was intense yelling and pandemonium everywhere. One of the storehouses was caught up in fire. The orange flame from it leaked into the sky.
Atleast, three guards were not spared, they had completely burnt into ashes in the inferno.
Despite the confusion, I moved in the direction of Rosa's room.
Then I saw her. She coiled into a chair. She clenched her jaw.
Her countenance spoke louder than mere words that something was wrong.
My footsteps clicked against the floor.
Her head lifted. Her eyes found mine.
"You see what's happening out there?
" Her voice cracked. "That's Alpha Vexhood's work. He struck the pack. He said he needs you now."
My body turned toward the door.
"Where are you going?!" Rosa's barked