PART III MANIAC

Chapter 18: Day 24

The day after Rainbow met her grandfather, the healers had informed that they had done their preparation and ready to move. With two dragons on the front and one from the back, they carried Turtle using a seaweed web and swam towards the deserted island.

It didn't take them long until they have reached the island. First thing she noticed after she broke surface was there were figures moving around the island. They must be the healers who came here in advance to make this island hospitable. Some were busy building make-shift huts using coconut leaves, while the others were holding pestle and mortar in their talons, grinding what must be possible remedies for Turtle's illness.

Rainbow made herself busy by having to build her own makeshift hut. Even though some healers offered to help, but she could feel the uneasy atmosphere surrounding her. No doubt the healers must be suspicious of her because she had let on that Turtle's illness was nothing more than food poisoning. Still, No one had relieved her of her job yet, and she was not about to leave him in such a state.

Turtle was carried into one of the huts and laid on a seaweed bed. The huts were mostly made out of coconuts leaves for its roof and wall, with sturdy branches to hold its structure. There, Turtle rolled and grunted against his stomach pain. There was not much she could do but to say a few comforting words to him and asked if he wanted anything.

One time, when all the healers had left the hut. Turtle tugged on her talon and whispered to her.

"Why did you tell the healers I had food poisoning?" He asked.

"The healers need to know why you're sick, or else they will not able to cure you. Besides, your blanket couldn't heal sickness, so you need their help." She said.

Then again, she didn't know he had animus magic before. If his sickness worsen, he probably could just heal himself, stand up, walk across the beach, and head home. But she couldn't say that. She had a promise to keep.

Turtle seemed to have accepted her reasoning and settled back down.

Since then, she had been helping out the healers in any way she could while keeping Turtle company. She helped the healers hunt their food. Brought some scrolls from the Summer Palace's library and read to him. As days gone by, she thought Turtle's sickness was gradually getting better, as he no longer grunted as often as he used to. With only a mild fever left.

Yesterday, when she returned from the Summer Palace with a new scroll in her talon, she heard a muffled sound just beyond the hut entrance.

"Turtle?" She said as she entered the hut.

There was no one else except him, but something about him was off. He was covering his head with seaweeds and sobbing into it. Rainbow placed the scroll aside and sat beside him.

"They never came." He sobbed.

Rainbow knew what she meant. She was expecting someone too. But no one came.

"I'm sorry, Turtle." She laid a wing around him. "I'm sure if it wasn't the punishment, they would have come here in an instant."

"My mom doesn't care about us. My dad too busy to notice. And my brothers-" He sniffed. "They're just a bunch of selfish dragons that care more about their own scales than any other things."

Oh, Turtle. If only he knew about his brothers had actually risked themselves to see you. Though, He was right about they did care about themselves enough not to openly defy their elder brother. But they still worried about him enough to sneak around to take a peak at him. To her, that was enough to show that they actually cared.

But he did not know, and she could not tell him. So she just let him cried under her wing, cried until he, once again, fell asleep.

The next morning, Rainbow went fishing for the healers on the island. Turtle was making good progress of recovering. The healer said that just a few more days, and he would be back in the palace in no time.

But the same couldn't be said for her grandfather. Ever since Turtle was sick, her mind often reminded her of her grandfather. In her eyes, every cough and heave from the prince would mirror themselves onto her grandfather, as if her grandfather was the one in pain. But now that Turtle was recovering, she thought that maybe her grandfather can be recovered from his illness too.

She swatted away that silly thought and hauled a web filled with fished onto the beach. She was just about to get someone to help her with the fishes when she noticed something was off. Everyone was staring. Not her but across the beach, at the group of healers who had gathered near the remedy-making tent. Among dragons in the group, she would never have missed that dull green dragon from the council walking towards Turtle's tent.

Whirlpool. Of all the dragons that could have chosen to visit. Him?

Whirlpool wore something around his neck. Some sort of bag filled with slates. Beside him were the healers who were trying to explain Turtle's situation to him.

"So you're saying that he is truly sick and isn't faking it?" Whirlpool said.

"Yes sir. He is, but he is recovering right now." Said the healer beside him. "I would advise not to visit him at the moment as we believe that his disease might be contagious-"

"But didn't the servant said it wasn't? He was just having a bad stomachache, that's all. We cured him according to her description and he's getting better now." Another healer chimed in.

Whirlpool's eyes scanned the area and landed on her. She quickly pretended she had trouble hauling the fishes up on the shore. After a while, she could hear he said. "Where is the dragonet, I shall visit him now."

The healer led him to the hut and said. "He's still recovering from his sickness, so please-" But Whirlpool had already moved away the coconuts leaves at the entrance and entered the hut. Rainbow dragged the sack of fishes from the shore, past it to a dragon nearby, and hurried to the side of the hut. Lucky for her, huts made out of leaves and branches were not exactly sound-proof. She settled down under a shade, pretending to be busy with her satchel and listen.

"…I heard that you're getting better. Shame that you had missed the 'Talons of Power' though. It was such a disappointment that none of the noble or your other brother show any sign of animus power." Said the slimy-oily voice. Whose voice must be Whirlpool. "Besides, it's for the good of others as well as your own. We don't want any wild animus magic running amok, yes?"

On the other hand, Turtle only grunted in response. But that did not discourage Whirlpool to speak.

"Don't you want to know whether you're the next animus dragon? With all the power in your talons, you could have everything. All those admirations and wealth. You can become anything. You can do great deeds. Even-" He emphasized again. "Even becoming a hero."

Turtle became very quiet all of a sudden. Being a member of the council, Whirlpool sure knew how to push the buttons of others.

"Yes. A hero. The hero who stopped this terrible war that have been going on for more than ten years now. No, only you will go down in the history as hero of the Kingdom of the Sea. But also as the hero of Pyrrhia." He said. "So what do you say? We can perform the test. Right here, right now. If you wish to."

For a moment, there was only silence. It was unbearable, even for her. Then, Turtle suddenly burst out, groaning in pain.

"This is your answer, then? Fine. It doesn't matter. There is always next year. And the next one after that. So on and so forth." Whirlpool muttered something she couldn't hear and said. "How sad it was that if an animus dragon had not been discovered in our kingdom yet. It would have been a terrible- Terrible shame that we, SeaWing, had lost the war because of it. Hundreds- no, thousands of us subjugated to the rules and dominance of other dragons. Years of slavery and oppression. And the things they made us do. I can't even begin to imagine."

He paused, letting the words sunk in, and said.

"Although, I figure that even if you are indeed an animus dragon. You might just be the most useless animus dragon the whole history had ever seen. What self-respecting animus dragon would ever let their own kingdom continue to fight on such a fruitless war while they themselves flapping their wings and swimming around like a jellyfish. Leeching off fruits of labour from those loyal and hard-working soldiers. Who had given their lives defending-"

"Turtle is not useless!"

Rainbow found herself barged into the hut and stood by the entrance. Those words left her snout before she thought twice. Too late for regrets now.

"You! And what made you think you have any say in this? A servant like you-" Whirlpool stopped himself and chuckled. "Look me getting all worked up over a lowly opinion. As for you, aren't you awfully close to this little prince? Hadn't someone warned you to set your boundary? You wouldn't want to have Princess Hammerhead closing up on you, do you?"

"Why do you even care?" She said.

"I see there is still have a little fighting spirit. Well, I wonder what happened if Prince Hammerhead knew of this." He said.

"It doesn't matter. My had my orders from the butler. I'm to take care of Prince Turtle. Until I was told otherwise." She said.

Whirlpool grinned, the same way a shark could grin when it cornered its prey.

"Prince Turtle. The cat is out. What did I say? She is just like all other servants in the palace. Greedy for treasure and power. Every one last of them. She only 'takes care' of you only due to an order from above. But when even after the order of the prince, she wouldn't even leave you. You do know what's this mean?"

"Was it true?" Turtle croaked weakly.

Rainbow wanted to explain, but Whirlpool was quicker to interrupt.

"Say no more, you lowly servant. Leave him be. Can you not see that he needs rest? Or had your greediness had clouded even your judgement that you can't even do your job properly." Whirlpool waved a talon and said. "I shall be going now. The queen needs me for her writing. Goodbye."

With one motion, Whirlpool spun around and left the hut.

"Turtle." She went besides him and said. "Don't believe the words he said. I was trying to help you. Yes, I started taking care of you because Tidal had told me to do so. I didn't want to disappoint him, so I accept it. But-"

"Go away."

"You must understand that my job was the only reason why my grandpa was accepted into The Garden of Wounded. Please Turtle."

She tried to grabbed Turtle's talon, but he yanked away his talon in surprise that caused her to stumble to her side. When she picked herself up, Turtle had already turned his back to her and vomit on the other side. When he settled down, he gave her the same 'cold shoulder' that Whirlpool received when he first entered.

"I'm sorry." Was all she could say before she left the hut. Perhaps she could try explaining again after he had cool down a bit. Or perhaps, maintain distance like this would lead to a better outcome for both of them.

In anyhow, it was alright. She could still do her job. She could still watch over him. So long, she kept her distance, both of them would alright. Once his punishment was lifted, everything would back to normal.

Soon. She thought. She took one last glance back at Turtle before moving the coconut leaf back at the doorway.

Rainbow spent the rest of her day busy herself helping the healers. It helped keep her mind off what just happened. She had already instructed other healers to help take care of Turtle's basic needs while she could pretend to be busy on other things.

She was carrying medicine ingredients around when something hard stubbed at her claw. She winced as she pick up the object. A writing slate. A quick glance a few sentences made her heart beat wildly. Once she delivered the ingredients, she walked along the beach until she was out of sight from the healers and began reading it. It was written in point form in a hastily manner.

…

- Maddened by the death of her daughters, the queen had order the execution of the guards who protected the eggs.

- The King trying to search the assassin behind the murders were fruitless.

- The noble who planned the murder by hiring an assassin, will now asked the councillor for the payment he had promised.

- The prince was falsely blamed for the murder now fallen into a depressed state unable to function properly in life.

- The councillor then tried to orchestrate a plan to prolong the war. In favour of getting better position among the council. Maybe even be the King.

…

Her mind was racing now. All sort of possibilities running through her mind. But there was one most likely explanation for this.

Was this a murder diary? Who could have kept it? Whirlpool? Did Whirlpool plan to be a King? He did have some pretty suspicious conversation in the dining hall once before. She wondered.

Then she thought of something. A plan. If she managed to catch the culprit, then maybe, maybe they would finally free Turtle from his punishment. And he probably would forgive her for it.

But what about not interfering with the royalty and the council? Her grandfather's advice came ringing behind her back. To that, she promised this would be the last one, and everything would return to normal.

Rainbow took one last look back at the direction of the healers. Then, slid the slate into her satchel as her mind began to work out a plan for tomorrow.