Chapter Ten

A Sickness

The doctor examined Riley carefully while the family waited outside the room, Della down the staircase a bit, separated from them. Trinity tried to comfort her sons but they didn't want it. Vaughn paced and Della rubbed a salve on her burns that the cook had given her.

Finally, the doctor came out of the room, his face grim. Trinity stood up and Vaughn turned to him, both eager for news.

"Well?" Vaughn prompted. "Did you fix him?"

"I'm sorry, Sir Vaughn, but your son cannot be healed," the doctor sighed. His wrinkled hands held the strap of a leather bag that held his healing tools and his light brown hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, tied with a red ribbon that matched his long black cloak.

"What do you mean?" Vaughn demanded, his anger beginning to take over.

"He's contracted the plague," the doctor explained. "He has a rash on his back and a fever. I'm sorry, but it's unlikely he'll live through the night."

Trinity clapped her hands to her mouth to stifle a sob. Avery's jaw dropped and Koby's eyes welled up with tears. Della staggered backwards, nearly falling down the stairs. The plague had traumatized her kingdom for years. She knew no one ever survived.

But Vaughn looked like he wanted to punch the doctor's eyes out.

"It would be wise if no one went into that room," the doctor advised. "I'll be back in the morning to….see him again." Della was grateful he didn't say 'to pick up the body.'

Then the doctor quickly trotted down the stairs, guilt hanging over him. Vaughn stormed down the stairs, flexing his fists, muttering something about going to train.

"Come along, boys," Trinity called to her sons as she started to follow her husband. "The servants till make up one of the guest rooms for you." Then she too left. Avery and Koby started to follow her but looked back to see if Della was coming. She wasn't.

"Della? What are you doing?" Avery asked as he watched her hand rest on the handle to the room that Riley lay in, all alone. "Aren't you coming?"

"You boys go," Della told them. "I'm going to keep Riley company for a bit."

"But what if you get sick?" Koby wondered, worried for his nanny.

"I can't leave Riley all alone. It's not right," Della explained. "Now go. I don't want you two getting sick as well."

"Alright," Avery sighed and he and Koby descended the staircase while Della went into the room where Riley was squirming in his crib. She placed a cool cloth on his forehead and tried to calm him with his favorite toys, not noticing that while she cared for the infant that the amulet around her neck was glowing once more.

"Sofia, Hugo, this is a surprise!" Vivian exclaimed as she walked down the halls of her castle, coming to where Sofia and Hugo stood in the front door. Vivian's black hair was pulled up in a half up-half-down style, a blue sapphire cocker around her neck. Her dress had a snug pink bodice tied up with blue ribbons and a full pink skirt that had diagonal lines in the white section down the front. Behind her was her husband, Desmond, whose ginger hair had grown out a bit since his childhood, sideburns lining his face and small scruff on his chin. A regal midnight blue coat and pants covered his body and tight black boots were on his feet.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"We're looking for someone," Hugo started.

"Your daughter?" Vivian cut him off. Sofia's eyes widened, wondering how on earth Vivian had known that. "Sofia, you must understand, gossip travels fast, especially amongst royals."

"True," Hugo agreed.

"So everyone knows….?" Sofia drifted off.

"That you adopted Tilda," Desmond guessed. "And that she's run away to find her parents."

"Sofia, why didn't you just tell us?" Vivian wondered. "We're your friends."

"We didn't lie," Sofia insisted. "She is our daughter, I just didn't give birth to her."

"But you were pregnant," Vivian remembered. "What happened?"

"Our first daughter, she….," Sofia tried to explain but her throat closed up with the memories.

"She died before she took a breath," Hugo finished.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Vivian said, taking Sofia's pale hands in hers. The two royal couples spent a moment in silence before they continued talking.

"We have reason to believe that our daughter is here, in Zumaria," Hugo finally said.

"Why?" Desmond asked. "Louis, Ida, and Camille aren't great friends with Tilda."

"Actually, she goes by her birth name, Celeste, now," Sofia put in.

"Her father is a knight from this kingdom," Hugo explained. "Sir Vaughn."

"He's retired," Desmond replied. "Lives about thirty miles from here, near Lake Riding."

"Thank you," Sofia replied and she and Hugo dashed out of the castle, to their flying horses so they could continue hunting for their daughter.

As the sun began to set, Della finally was able to get Riley to sleep. His rash had spread and now angry red and blue colors spread across his once soft skin. His blond hair was slick with sweat and his bleary gray eyes were closed as he slept. Della kept a careful eye on him, her brother, watching to make sure he kept breathing, though knowing nothing could save him. She'd heard about the plague when she'd lived in the palace but never seen it, nor cared. But now she was horrified and understood why the peasants feared it.

The door suddenly creaked open and Koby dashed, Avery at his heels. Koby ran forward and threw his arms around Della's legs while Avery hung back by the door, fearing the sickness.

"Hi, Della!" Koby greeted, his smile wide.

"What are you two doing here? I told you to stay away!" Della chastised. "Now get out!"

"We just wanted to see you," Koby whimpered, his grin falling.

"It was all his idea," Avery butt in. "All his fault. I only came to stop him."

"Nu-uh!" Koby protested. "You wanted to come too!"

"Well now you both have to…." Della drifted off as she caught sight of the side of Avery's forest green pants. They were cut and had been stitched together very badly with thick black thread. "What happened to your pants?"

"I stitched them up," Avery replied, arms crossed over his chest, guarded. Concerned, Della walked over and ran her hand over the stitches. They were clumsy and poorly done. It was clearly one of the first times Avery had stitched something.

"Why?" Della asked.

"Pa told me to," Avery answered.

Then Della noticed that dots of dark red were around the seams, staining the green pants. Curious, her nimble fingers working quickly, she undid the stitches. She gasped when she saw Avery's leg and looked into his sad gray eyes. He was clearly ashamed, for his leg had a deep red gash, the blood crusting. It looked fresh, as if he'd been cut this morning.

"Avery?" Della started. "Does your father use real swords when training you?"

"Yep," he said.

"And did he do this?"

"Yep. He said I didn't move fast enough. Said it was my fault."

Horrified, Della went back to looking at the wound. She didn't know much about medicine, but she knew Avery should clean it and put a bandage on it to stop infection. Thinking hard, Della's fingers traced the gash. And as they did, her fingertips shimmered with a golden light and the wound began to close. After a few moments it was completely healed, leaving only a pale scar.

"How did you….?" Koby gasped, seeing the whole thing.

"What did you do?" Avery inquired, looking down at his healed leg as Della stepped back, staring at her fingers.

"I….uh….," she stuttered. "You must be a really fast healer. Now, uh, run along. I don't want you to get sick."

And Della ushered them out the door though they protested, slamming it shut behind them. Then, staring at her fingers, she began to pace. How had she done that? It was clearly magic. Did she have some sort of healing power?

The answer struck her like lightening.

Her amulet must have given her the power. Della touched the ruby, smiling slightly. Though she wondered what she had done to earn such a power. Was it because she had shown love to three boys who didn't get any from their father? Was it because she insisted Avery and Koby stay away? Or was it because she had chosen to comfort Riley in his last moments?

Riley! She could heal Riley!

Curious and hoping it would work, she approached the crib.

Suddenly the door swung open and an angry Vaughn followed by Trinity stormed in.

"Get away from my son!" Vaughn yelled, his face red with anger. He stepped forward, fists raised. "You will not hurt this family any longer!"

"I don't understand," Della exclaimed, stepping away from Riley, towards one of the wide windows that was opened to let in a soft night breeze. "What are you talking about?"

"You put a curse on Riley and now you've used your Devil's art on Avery!" Vaughn shouted. "He told us exactly what you did!"

"No, please, it isn't what you think!" Della insisted, suddenly understanding. "I was just trying to help."

"But you haven't!" Trinity cried out, her blond bun bobbing on her head as she yelled. "You've brought ruin and woes to this house and this family!"

"I should have known you'd be just like your vile mother!" Vaughn yelled. "I should have never taken you in!"

"You're kicking me out?" Della gasped. "But I'm your daughter!"

"You are no daughter of mine!" Vaughn hollered. "You are nothing but a mistake!"

Then Vaughn took another step forward and pushed Della with all his might. The breath left her lungs and she stumbled back, out the open window and into the early night air, ten stories above the ground.