Chapter 17
ELARA’S POV
Mia and I dove right in. I slipped out a small, sharp blade I’d tucked away. With a swift slice across my palm, a warm pulse throbbed through the cut. I held my hand over a large wooden bowl, watching my blood drip in, shimmering like liquid fire.
Next to me, Mia added a mix of dried and fresh herbs, stirring them in with a wooden spoon as my blood flowed.
Over the past two weeks, while recovering in the Mountain Dew Pack, I’d experimented with a new approach: blending my blood with certain herbs. It worked, though not as strong or quick as pure blood, but it had advantages—faster healing than ordinary herbs or remedies.
This way stretched my abilities, letting me produce more medicine. Martha and a few others had been my guinea pigs, and the outcomes were impressive. It mimicked my blood’s effects, just with minor tweaks and a shorter timeline.
It took a full hour to prepare enough for everyone. My palm throbbed even after the wound sealed, the room heavy with the metallic tang of blood mixed with the sweet, grounding scent of herbs.
When we stepped out, the infirmary had turned into a desperate crowd, faces pleading for relief.
My shoulders sagged.
“This is going to drag on forever,” I whispered, sinking onto a stool as Mia went to the other healers. They jumped into action right away. I wanted to pitch in, but my legs wobbled, and my head spun.
From the blood loss? It figured.
“You okay?” A stranger’s voice pulled me back. I looked up to meet Orion’s gaze, his face a blank slate, impossible to read.
What was it with guys and these inscrutable looks?
“Yeah,” I said, my voice steadying. “Thanks for checking.”
“Sure.” He turned and walked off without another word. A few minutes later, I got up and joined Mia and the healers.
“Here,” I said, grabbing the bowl from Mia. “I’ll take this. You go prep more herbs.” By that, I meant mixing in the stored blood I’d set aside.
She nodded and headed out, leaving me with the team to tend to patients. This batch wouldn’t cover everything, but it would help, no matter how dire things looked.
By the time the sky turned a deep indigo, most patients had headed home with pouches of the herbal blend. The day’s first round was over. Only a handful stayed in the infirmary. They were still sick, but their breaths came easier, their pained cries now just tired sighs in sleep.
“Hey,” a gentle voice broke my reverie. Eliza, one of the young healers, approached. “That was brutal, Elara.”
“It really was,” I agreed, slumping against the cool stone wall, my body begging for rest.
“Thanks for all of it,” she said, her eyes drifting to the sleeping patients. “For the first time in ages, they’re actually resting peacefully, not writhing in pain. It’s like a miracle.”
I let out a quiet sigh. The day had worn us all down, body and soul, but seeing the results made it worth it.
“If you don’t mind me asking,” I said, straightening up, unable to hold back my questions anymore, “what’s really going on here? I’ve never come across anything like this. The symptoms are bizarre. When did it start?”
Her expression hardened, her eyes flicking around like she was checking for listeners. “Honestly, I’m not sure. It hit out of nowhere. Maybe three or four months ago? It started small—sniffles, a cough here and there—then it exploded.”
“How?”
“It spread like wildfire, hitting everyone from kids to the toughest warriors, even guards. The royal family too, though they’re quarantined now.” She pressed her lips together, leaning in with a whisper. “It’s suspicious. Like…”
“Like what?” I whispered back, inching closer.
“What if someone planned this?”
Before I could respond, a overly sweet voice interrupted. “What are you girls chatting about?” Orion’s mother asked, her smile wide but cold, not touching her eyes. She glanced between us, a weird spark in her gaze.
Eliza went rigid, her openness vanishing behind a wall.
“Nothing,” she said sharply. “I’m heading out—it’s late.” She grabbed a battered bag from the table, avoiding the woman’s eyes. “Night, Elara.”
“Night, Eliza.” I watched her slip out toward the town.
“Poor thing,” Orion’s mother sighed, shaking her head with fake sorrow.
“Huh?” I turned, confused.
“Her dad was the head healer, a real wise guy,” she said, her tone dripping with pity. “But he caught the same bug, only worse. Now she’s handling his duties here and caring for him at home. Tough load for a kid like her.”
My heart sank, real sympathy hitting me. “That sounds rough. No wonder she seems so worn out.”
“It is,” she agreed, then perked up suddenly. “But with you here, maybe it’ll turn around. The patients improved like I’ve never seen! It’s miraculous… almost magical.”
I swallowed a chuckle. Magical? If she only knew it was me draining blood into a bowl. “Just herbs,” I said hastily, keeping it casual. “Nothing fancy, really.”
“Hmm,” she said, tilting her head, her eyes sharpening like she was trying to see right through me. “Well, whatever it is, Elara, it could save us all.”
She squeezed my arm firmly and walked off, her steps light for someone her size. I stood there, bone-tired. Eliza’s warning and the woman’s odd intensity stirred up a storm of uneasy feelings. My gut twisted with warning, a deep instinct urging caution. This pack, the Moon White territory, felt off. Especially… my gaze followed Orion’s mother, now tending a patient with her back to me, her actions too smooth, too precise.
“No, I’m just here to treat them,” I muttered, shaking my head, telling myself whatever rot was in this pack wasn’t my problem. But I couldn’t ignore the dark possibilities swirling in my mind.