An Inheritor's Price
Moving on.
xxx
The rest of the morning well into the late night - Alauna cared for the unconscious and shallow breathing Lydia in her infirmary. Her lips parted, raspy, strained breaths came from her torn throat. The ghoulish howl used to subdue Lezard in one fell blast took it's toll. Rags bathed in icy water were changed regularly, set to rest on her feverish forehead and to her sore throat. Her clothes removed, and a patient's gown in their stead, Merryweather and Alauna had the liberty to inspect Lydia's deceivingly kept together form. The skin may be untouched - save for dirt from sleeping in the woods, and the marks left by Lezard's hands - but the real damage lied within. Magic stolen directly from her spirit's epicenter, and her body's natural defense to replenish what was removed inflicted a tremendous strain. Literally atrophying her insides, working it's way out. On top of the rigorous hike, and the tests that followed, Lydia drove herself well past exhausting her fumes. By all appearances, it was a miracle she was able to stay awake. Fatigue would have forced a shutdown and driven her to sleep. The shutdown soon gripped her when she bested Lezard on Mistbow Mountain. While the ghoulish wail and ensnaring weeds ended Lezard's threat, Lydia marshalled magic when she had nothing left to give. And so her mind and body collapsed, leaving a breathing ragdoll to lie in the castle's infirmary.
Alauna and Gwen made beds beside Lydia. They wanted friendly faces to be there when she woke up. Ubos and Eezeyal gazed woefully upon the slumbering princess. Gwen and Alauna were sound asleep. Ubos and Eezeyal wouldn't be too long. A strong desire for her to open her eyes pulled at them. They begged and pleaded in their hearts for her to open her beautiful blue eyes. To smile at having exhausted herself, and laugh at how dumb she felt for making a foolish mistake. Then she'll just brush it off the next day, go about her business, and add this experience as a notch in her path to be a Royal Sorceress.
"I am to blame for this." Ubos moaned.
"Huh?"
Ubos bowed his head in shame. "I sensed something amiss from the mountain! I knew danger was afoot...instead I sat idly by!" Water gathered in his squeezed eyes. "I let that monster drain her! And then...I allowed her to battle when she was in no condition to-" Eezeyal pecked his spine. "OUCH! What in the world!"
"That's enough out of you!" Eezeyal reprimanded. His feathers ruffled by Ubos's decree. It's shameful for someone of his stature. "In case you've forgotten, I was traveling' right beside her! I never caught on! Never for a second!" Admitting it aloud embarrassed him. If anyone was to be kicking themselves, it should be him. "He's hugged her, kissed her, stood beside her - all the while I never saw he was killing her!" His sweet little Liddy. She was suffering right under his beak. And he attributed it to her characteristic folly. "I let this happen more than anyone." Another thought made him scoff cynically.
"What?"
"Cedric. He pegged Lezard for what he was the second the varmint spoke." He shook his head regretfully. "Lydia...and myself...we dismissed him."
"Where is Cedric?" Ubos hasn't seen him in hours.
"Lydia sent him packing." Ubos was astonished. Eezeyal filled Ubos in on the fight that transpired between Cedric and Lezard. Lydia broke them up...but blew up at Cedric. Blaming him as the cause for the dissolution amongst the team. Eezeyal's never seen Lydia so angry. She threatened to kill Cedric and leave his fate to Roland if he didn't leave Enchancia forthwith. When Ubos questioned why Lydia would behave so irrationally towards him, Eezeyal dropped the time bomb and told Ubos the secrets Wormwood divulged. All in a misguided effort to dissolve whatever bond Lydia and Cedric had forged. That it was Cedric posing as the monster back in Merroway Cove. That HE was the one who nearly drowned Lydia. And that he was fully aware of Ubos's existence. Wormwood admitted Cedric wanted to keep it quiet. But he grew sick of Cedric becoming a worm to please Lydia. So he ensured their split. "She couldn't bear the thought of Lezard bein' a snake. So she sent Cedric away."
Ubos was rooted by shock. It was so much to take in. The hardest to swallow...was Cedric and Lydia being ripped apart by an envious bird's ambitions. "I cannot believe this much happened." He murmured remorsefully. "Cedric...he must be outside of Enchancia by now." Eezeyal would remark on how fortunate that is. That he and Lydia have wanted him to leave. But...right now...he has a strong sense that Cedric would be the one to bring Lydia back to the land of the living. "I wonder...if it is her order for him to depart that keeps her in this state."
"Who knows…" Eezeyal hoped that isn't the case. Otherwise, Lydia's - no doubt - rising guilt would keep her asleep forever.
xxx
Meanwhile, in the castle Family Room, Baileywick set a large tray of hot chocolate topped with marshmallows and a plate of biscuits in the middle. Goodwin, Winifred, and the Fairies humbly accepted Roland's invitation to stay the night in his home. An offer that came with a price on its coattails. A price Miranda herself was not spared from paying. Roland, Miles, Baileywick, the children - the scene they witnessed earlier in the morning left them all breathless. And...possibly scared. Not of Lydia. No. Never. But...by what caused it.
"When is Lydia going to wake up?" James asked Roland. He hadn't the foggiest.
"In time." Winifred handed the boy his hot chocolate. "Fatigue has set well beyond just Lydia's body. Her whole being must be allowed to heal."
"How long does that take?" Amber asked fretfully. It sounded long.
"It varies." Winifred replied regretfully.
"Does the Princess being a Skipped Inheritor determine her recovery?" Constable Miles question sucked the air out of the room. Winifred, Goodwin, and the Fairies closed their eyes woefully. The source behind his question more than mere curiosity. Miranda wrapped her arms tightly to her stomach. Miles' remark sounded like a question. In truth, it was a podium for his real question. One that has everyone walking on eggshells to know. "To be honest - if I may speak frankly for everyone - I know nothing of magic, or what it means to be a Skipped Inheritor. Let alone what one is." The somber nods from the others prompted him to proceed. "But I saw in the Princess's eyes that it is not one of her boasted accomplishments. I ask you to stop me if I am trespassing on sacred grounds." His glance focused on Miranda who was the most uncomfortable.
Goodwin released a dismal breath. He shared a resigned stare with Winifred. She nodded reluctantly. They should have seen this topic hovering a mile away. "You are not, Constable Miles." Goodwin strongly reassured him. "Though I would be lying if I said we were hoping you'd forget the incident."
"But I am afraid our fairy friends will have to explain." Winifred contritely announced. The fairies stiffened anxiously. A shared weight draped to their shoulders. "Cedric has yet to return home, and we weren't able to find him on the mountain."
Now that Roland has had a chance to think about it, he hasn't seen or heard from Cedric in a while. "Lezard said, while he was posing as Lydia," Roland recalls with immense contempt and disgust, "That Cedric decided to leave." Chills scaled his skin. Lezard tried to do away with Lydia. Almost killed her and Eezeyal for the sake of an item. "Is it possible…" He trailed off, too fretful to say.
"Cedric is alive and well. Of that I am certain." Winifred voiced assuringly. If Cedric were in danger, she'd have known a long time ago. A mother's intuitions borders on clairvoyance. "Cedric is likely holding himself at one of his favorite locations. Possibly taking a breather." She noted the puzzled expressions of Roland and his twin children. Cedric's departure stroked their chords sourly. The assumption he became disinterested with the quest and decided to leave. But why not come back to the castle? Shame? Or..."His reasons for departing are mysterious. A mystery Princess Lydia can shed light on when she awakens." She emphasised Lydia's testimony, wishing for the King and his family to not make preconceptions based on previous experiences. "Now let us hurry and find Cedric. He must be informed of what's happened."
"Agreed." Goodwin stroked his beard with noted trouble. He wasn't imagining it. An impressive amount of magic was emanating from Mistbow Mountain's halfway point. A battle ensued before Cedric was reportedly dismissed. Then it stopped almost on a dime. Many questions about what transpired blossomed. Winifred and the Fairies shared his apprehension. The only one who can end that strife is unconscious. Goodwin possesses many methods of acquiring the answers. But out of respect for Lydia's condition, and her position, he will abstain until he's absolutely sure Cedric isn't anywhere to be seen. "Here…" Goodwin handed the G-Clef brooch to Roland. "Please give that to Lydia when she awakens."
"The Fantasia Brooch?" Roland cupped both hands beneath the Clef. He was caught off guard. Brushing his fingers along the ornate brooch, he was baffled by how sturdy it felt. "But...does that mean she's passed?"
"Not yet…" Goodwin cast a sly grin in the direction of Lydia's hospital room. The slumbering girl was unaware that she was still being tested. Incidentally, Fauna was holding the headband. "She will earn it in time. I trust you will bestow it upon her when she does." Goodwin bowed faithfully to The King.
"But...how will I know?" Roland ogled the Clef and Goodwin perplexed.
"You're her father. And a mentor." He winked impishly, "You of all people will know." Before Roland could pester him further, Goodwin and Winifred shrank to glowing orbs. Roland reached for the glittering trails left behind as they traveled out the window.
Roland let the hand drop to his side. The Clef in his hand weighed on his mind. The kingdom entrusted to him seemed minute compared to the ornament. "I would know…" He mumbled. How will I-
"HHHaaaAAAHHH..."
"WHAT'S THAT?!" Amber's heart skipped a beat at the agonized wailing. James hugged her tightly.
"AAAHH-HAAA..." Sofia gripped Miranda's dress, the two too startled to move.
"Is that...screaming…?" Baileywick fearfully grabbed his scarf.
"GYYYAAAAHHHH..." The screaming broke sound barriers climbing from a wail to a screech. The Fairies, Royals, and others stood rooted. Heads darted in random directions, desperately searching for who or whatever was screaming. "RRRRAAAAHHHH..."
"LYDIA!" Miranda burst into the hallway. Lydia? Roland gasped.
"WAIT! MOM!" Sofia chased after her. The Fairies were already behind her.
"COME ON!" James grabbed Amber by the wrist. Roland, Baileywick, and Miles lingered with troubled expressions. That horrid scream. Ice replaced their blood. Their legs knocked together. Roland's heart pounded fervently. The anguish in the cries. That was Lydia screaming?
xxx
Black and blue veins thinned dramatically to the width of fishing line showed past tanned skin. Muscles shredded to ribbons by digging jagged prickles. The skin scalding hot. Blistering boils inflating like bubbles, then fading away without leaving a mark. "AAAHHH! HAAA! NYAAAHHH..." Lydia thrashed and flailed in a violent fuss. The darkened infirmary was flooded by a vibrant white glow. The strobing light brightened and dimmed irregularly depending on the depth of the pain torturing her inside and out. "STOO-AAH-P!" She wailed. Her eyes flared open. Her pupils narrowed to dots. Tears trickled from her wide eyes. Her grounding teeth punctured her lips, drawing blood. "AAAAHHHH…!"
"LYDIA!" Gwen beckoned her, clamping her ears closed.
"PRINCESS!" Alauna cried, cringing under the crying.
The door burst open. Miranda and Sofia came charging in. "WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" Miranda jolted abruptly to the wall, gasping fearfully at Lydia's state.
"GGYYAAAHH…" Her cries were shrilly. A supersonic shriek piercing the skulls of those in the room. Lydia's hands slapped to her burning skull. Her nail dug and ripped her skin down her face. She tore at her nightgown, striking herself crazily. A failed attempt to nullify the torment ravaging her. "It hurts...IT HUURRRTTTSS…"
"LYDIA!" Sofia screamed. Lydia spasmed out of control, twisting and writhing side to side. Miranda and Sofia saw the state of her eyes. The agony she was enduring...the look on her face...it was unbearable. Amber, Roland, and the others charged into the room. They to stop in horror by what they were seeing. Miles and Baileywick tried to shield Sofia, Amber, and James. The trio couldn't take their eyes of their suffering sister.
"What happened?!" Miles bellowed at Gwen and Alauna.
"WE DON'T KNOW!" Gwen tensed.
"Lydia just woke up screaming!" Alauna sniffled. "We tried to calm her down!" Alauna and Gwen showed them their searing red hands. "But when we touched her, she burned us!"
"She what?!" Baileywick whispered.
Lydia's sensed eluded the agony enough to register the audience gaping at her. Her shaking head turned. Narrow, pain filled eyes falling to her family and friends who stood helpless to help her. Sofia, Amber, and James looked like they were ready to crumble crying. The fear in their eyes. The sorrow. "DON'T… … LOOK…" She implored them. Her falling tears broke their hearts. The pain, were it possible, escalated. The brightness of her glow increased tenfold. "HAAAAA-AAAAHHHH…" Wriggling blobs, almost gelatinous in structure, started sprouting in the outline. Lydia slapped her palms and clawed at the bed. She tensed her body. The blobs retracted, only making her scream louder. "MMOOMMYY…"
"LYDIA!" Miranda edged to her side. The Fairies materialized around Lydia. Their outstretched arms, and uncharacteristically serious expressions, stopped her. "What are you doing?! Why are you stopping me?! Please move!" Miranda's rational mind succumbed to panic. Her daughter was in agony. And the fairies are in her way.
"Please, Queen Miranda." Fauna's tender tone spoke past her swelling panic. She may not be a mother, but she understands Miranda's concerns. "We are the only ones who can help Lydia. You know this better than anyone." Miranda is fully aware. The Fairies...they've helped Lydia in the past. Even so...Miranda can't watch Lydia suffer. She wanted to comfort her, hold her hand, assure her it would be alright. There is nothing she can do. And it kills her to know it. "Miranda...please. We must act fast. You know what will happen if we allow this to ensue." Miranda went rigid.
Roland, Sofia, and the others exchanged shared confusion, and distress. What was - or will be - happening to Lydia, they all feared. Has something like this happened before? How do the fairies know exactly what to do? For that matter, one question clung to their minds. A universal one. What the Heck is going on? The Fairies, Miranda, Goodwin, Winifred, and Lydia - What are they hiding?
The questions would wait. Miranda wordlessly nodded. The Fairies received permission to do as they please. Tears dried on her flushed cheeks. As long as they would end her pain, Miranda would leave Lydia in their care for eternity. "Come…" Flora gently ushered, floating near Lydia's side. Miranda cupped her hands to her tearing heart. Roland wrapped hands to her shoulders, bringing her in close. Miranda curled to his chest, burying her watery face in his coat. Roland may want answers more than anyone. Especially with his daughter in so much pain. For now...he and the others were to watch.
Fauna positioned herself near Lydia's head, and Merryweather was at her feet. Merryweather swept her hand. Belts reached across Lydia shoulder to ankles, firmly restraining her to the bed. Her thrashing was decreased in violence, but he writhing was just as heated. The three fairies drew their wands. On her forehead, at her stomach, and by her toes - the wands stood erect. "All together now." Flora hovered her hands above her wand. Her sister's followed suit. They pressed down. The wands sunk into her. Sofia, Amber, and James twisted away. Lydia ground her teeth. The pressure was uncomfortable, but the worst of the pain seemed to evaporate on the spot. The three fairies breathed in. They swept their hands up. The glow resonating around Lydia pooled to the wands, flowing in a spiral up and wafting from the tips. Lydia's self inflicted wounds erased in seconds Her paling complexion recovered. The glow gathered in a mist above them, taking the form of Lydia's shadow. Lydia's scrunching face loosened, relaxing to exasperation. A hollow breath escaped her lips.
"What is that?" Gwen asked in awe.
"I have no idea." Alauna held her hands.
"It's the power within Lydia that was causing her so much pain." Miranda monotonously answered. She felt the attention fall on her. The coils of a secret she's locked deep inside of her starting to wrap to her neck and hands. "The Fairies are removing it momentarily to let her normal magic revitalize. Then they'll ease it back in and let them become one." She elucidated. The way she explained it, one would think Lydia was going to fall asleep for a hundred years.
"Normal magic?" Amber questioned.
"Become one?" James scratched his head. "Isn't...I mean...Lydia's magic is all the same...right?" James tripped over his tongue. Roland, Miles, and Baileywick looked upon Miranda with the same question. When Miranda lowered her head, it spoke volumes as to how wrong their assumptions were.
Lydia's raspy, heavy breathing gradually assuaged to a mild regularity. Fauna touched two fingers at the crook of her neck. Her heart rate and vitals seemed to go back to normal. She nodded. Merryweather, in turn, held a hand inches above Lydia. A steady flow circulated beneath it. She nodded next. "Right." Flora nodded. The fairies flourished their hands. Streams lengthened and coiled to the wands, seeping back inside of Lydia. Pressure inflated her, causing her to grunt in discomfort. The fairies tenderly plucked their wands from Lydia.
"F...u...a…" Fauna placed gentle hands to Lydia's cheeks. Void eyes as empty as the whisper to beckon her.
"Sleep, Dear. We will speak later." Fauna promised her. Lydia released one more breath before her body and mind fell to rest again. Her palms flipped open. Her body falling limp like a corpse.
"It is done." Flora declared. She tapped the belts, removing them from the unconscious girl.
"What's done?!" Roland barked out of the blue. Lydia looked like she just died. And they're naming this a success. "What's happened to Lydia?!" He demanded to know. He can't stand the secrecy anymore.
"The next phase of her recovery is underway." Fauna answered, putting on her bravest face to ease the distress of her friends. "It's taking quite a toll on her stamina, but she will be right as rain in time." In time! In time! What does that even mean? IN TIME! Is Lydia in danger? Was she in danger? What exactly is it fairies did? And why did they have to do it? Why was Lydia screaming? Questions, questions, and more questions! No answers remotely in sight! Roland...Roland was about to explode. "King Roland." Flora's voice forestalled his brash actions. "Because of Lezard's assault, Lydia's magic was too unstable to recover steadily on it's own. We merely separated the magic in halves, then returned it in a flow to help it regulate itself."
Roland's anger evaporated to idle steam. It was as if she read his mind. It claimed him a small ways. "She sounded like she was in so much pain." Roland remarked in dismay. He caressed Lydia's cheek. He was pleased by the warmth. He didn't ignore the flinch when he touched her. "She still looks like she's hurting.
"Because she is." Merryweather regretfully informed. There is no point in dancing around the situation. "The pain is derived from her reviving magic and body conflicting."
"Conflicting?" Miles tilted his head confusedly.
"Magic takes an unnoticeable, yet very drastic, toll on the body." Flora began. Lydia and Cedric have explained that basis once before. "Lezard was devouring her dry of her magic. In turn, her body fought to replenish what was being stolen." Hence her state of fatigue, and why she faltered during her test. "On top of that she ushered her reserve when she had barely any left to give in order to subdue Lezard. The result being an excruciating recovery. Anyone else would have gone mad by now." In other words, it's because of Lezard she's suffering. As if he hasn't done enough to her. "That madness can make the recovering magic retaliate in tandem."
"Had we not acted," Fauna fretfully shook her head, "That would have been the inevitable result."
"Why didn't it though?" Amber curled her fingers under her chin. They all heard the scream, and saw Lydia writhing. "And how did you know she was close to lashing out?"
"You all saw the glow coming from her body, correct?" Fauna quizzed. She earned nods. "The glow signified her magic's carnal desire to lash out in a rage. Erupt indiscriminately until the pain subsided." The glow was frighteningly bright. There was a brief spasming at one point. It vanished almost instantly. The glow intensified in return. "Had Lydia permitted it so, her pain would have been reduced tremendously. But then this room and everything in range would be decimated."
"Forget the room!" James stamped his feet. "Lydia should have just let it run rampant!" Keeping something like that bottled up? Screaming bloody murder? Does she have any idea how scared she made everyone? Knowing she could be so stupid infuriated him. "Why would she hold something like that in?"
"Gwen and Alauna!" Sofia gasped. The two girls stiffened at their names. Sofia ran to them, lifting their hands with a sense of victory. "Lydia knew they'd get hurt! She couldn't let it loose."
Alauna and Gwen gasped taken aback. "You mean…" That couldn't possibly have been the only reason. Then again, when they thought about it, there was a frequent seconds Lydia would glance at them. They thought it was a result of her fighting the pain. But...what if it was her reminding herself others were near. "Lydia...endured...for us?" Gwen felt tears welling in her eyes.
Alauna dropped to her knees. Honor and quilt hugged her. "Princess…" She whimpered.
Fauna nodded approvingly. She expected such strength from Lydia. She would never allow magic to rule her. In spite not having her headband. But it doesn't ease the sentimental sorrow. "Such is the price a Skipped Inheritor pays." The term summoned a newfound irk in the air. Roland, Miles, Baileywick - everyone glared at the Fairies and Miranda, demanding they finally lift the curtain on the secret they all were clearly hiding. Fauna sighed defeatedly. This incident put them in a pickle. While she'd love to respect Lydia's wishes, circumstances are twisting her arm. Her sisters and Miranda were in agreement. "Please. Let us return to the parlor. We shall explain there."
It sort of felt like the Fairies and Miranda were stalling. No one wanted to think so dubiously of them. But after what they've seen, Roland and the others weren't what was a truth or a charade to a lie. Thus far, Roland and Sofia don't recognize the girl sleeping on the table. Nevertheless, the group - including Gwen and Alauna, who are just as involved - adjourned for the parlor. Should the story be redacted, the smallest truth be obscured, or an equivocation to barr them, Roland will not hesitate to enact the full force of his position.
Ubos and Eezeyal descended from the ceiling as the others left. They would safeguard and watch Lydia for the time being. "Has she had episodes like this before?" Ubos asked.
"Liddy told me something like this happened years ago. Not sure when. She...doesn't like to talk about it."
"I am not surprised." Ubos respected Eezeyal's wish to not speak further. "The child pays enough just by wielding this power. I would never ask to bring to life her old nightmares."
xxx
The Fairies stood beside Miranda who sat to the chair where they were under the strict scrutiny of a glowering audience. Silence enveloped the parlor for what seemed like forever. Miranda and the Fairies mulled in their minds how to best explain Lydia's situation. They came to a woeful conclusion that no matter how they word it, a darkness would be shed over Lydia. And she's worked so hard to keep herself in the light. Miranda and the Fairies do not take this decision lightly. They will apologize to Lydia when she wakes up.
"Fives years ago, during one of Hexley Hall's Holidays," Miranda swallowed to moisten her drying throat, "Sofia and I went to visit Lydia at the school. As a surprise!" Sofia propped her head thoughtfully to her knuckles. She doesn't remember that. Then again...she would have been two at the time. "Lydia wasn't anywhere to be found. The library, the training hall, the lake side. I asked her teachers where I might find her. That's when they pointed me to The Fairies." She added them into the conversation. "They said they saw Lydia heading into the woods with someone."
"Who?" Miles leaned in interested.
"We don't know." Flora shook her head regretfully. "Lydia never told us who either." This raised greater suspicions. Even in The Fairies and Miranda. "Back to the story - Lydia was gone for a long while. We hadn't seen her or the stranger return. No one else around the school had seen them either."
"Queen Miranda was adamant about going to see her." Fauna continued to admire Miranda's persistence. Sofia and Lydia mirror her ambitious nature perfectly. "Who were we to deny a mother a chance to see her daughter?"
"Though...we wish she would have stayed behind." Merryweather somberly remarked, lowering her head. She shivered as the memories of that day flooded her mind. As if they happened yesterday, the chills covered her skin. "We saw a pillar of terrifying light sprout from the woods. The intensity of the pillar struck us hard. Nearly took our breath away."
"The pillar vanished and we felt a presence growing weak nearby." Flora continued to clarify.
"When we made it into the woods…" Miranda trailed off, gripping her biceps, "We saw Lydia lying on the ground. Just like on Mistbow, her magic was depleted to a dangerous low." Miranda need not comment on the thoughts that raged in her mind when that happened. She was on the verge of tears remembering. "During her recovery, the same excruciating pain tortured her. The Fairies hadn't acted soon enough…" Miranda can hear her screaming again. See the pain erupting in a blinding flash. "Her magic flared out of control. She destroyed the entire infirmary and the three hallways next to it. No one was hurt, but the damage was staggering."
Jaws in the room hit the floor. If The Fairies hadn't intervened, castle would have taken a heavy blow. "What caused her to do it was beyond us." Miranda informed them to save them the breath of asking. "Lydia claims to not remember. But I saw in her eyes that she knows full well."
"Why not press her?" Roland advised.
"Because she was scared she'd excite Lydia's power." Flora answered. "At the time, Lydia was in a very fragile state. The smallest thing would excite her wrath." Whatever that stranger did, he caused Lydia to exert herself to the brink of death. Forcing her to recall the experience was a dangerous gamble. "She didn't speak, eat, or move an inch for days. Anyone that got too close was met with a variety of hostility." Lydia sent a nurse flying out the window once. Luckily for the nurse children were toying with a trampoline that was delivered on accident. "At 13...sorcerers and their magic are immature. For Lydia...aggravating her too much had dire consequences."
"So we devised a means of helping her recovery when she is drained to this point." Fauna moved the conversation for its conclusion. They were digressing too much. "This way she and others will be spared from harm, and we can make her road to recovery go more smoothly."
"You mean to tell us…" Roland's fists balled at his shaking knees, "That Lydia has had to endure this sort of pain once before?" He squeezed his eyes closed, struggling to not roar like a lion at The Fairies or Miranda. In his heart, he knows this isn't their fault. He just despises that it happened at all. "And that she will have to endure this same sort of suffering again and again throughout her life."
"That is the price of being born a Skipped Inheritor, I am afraid." Was all Flora could respond with. She shares his distress. She wishes this sort of price would not have to be placed in Lydia's lap. Unfortunately, neither fairy is powerful enough to coerce fate's hand that it dealt. Roland was unsure where his swelling rage should be directed. The Fairies - who can virtually do nothing. Miranda - the keeper of Lydia's secret. Lezard and the mystery man - the two responsible for putting Lydia in this situation. Or...whatever force thought it would be funny to place this burden upon Lydia. Roland felt so helpless. He is responsible for the lives of hundreds of thousands. With a word he can save countless lives. But with all his militaristic power, he is helpless to save his own daughter. "The procedure we created is our only means of aiding her in times like this. In a way, it's our means of sympathizing with her and those like her."
"We've used this procedure on others before her." Merryweather announced with a note of pride. "We've been successful so far."
"Others? Those like her?" Baileywick tapped his chin. "Do you mean...other Skipped Inheritors?" In other words, Lydia wasn't the only one with this burden.
"We do." Merryweather nodded sternly. Their next question was apparent, "Including Lydia - and the one's we've met - there are 17 Skipped Inheritors across the world."
"14 or whom were our students, the rest are the children of friends." Fauna finished. Roland and the others were astonished by the number. A mutual assumption was drawn that there could possibly be more Skipped Inheritors out there. More sorcerers like Lydia were walking about the world. Whatever or whoever they might be in terms of beings. That much wasn't being clarified. Miranda and the fairies were still being very cryptic in that regard. What is it that they don't want to divulge?
xxx
The excitement took the wind out of Ubos and Eezeyal. The pair fell asleep on top of one another on the floor. Ubos's mouth widened and shrunk as he snored. Eezeyal's head was hanging off Ubos's edge. His leg twitched as he dreamt. Their unified snoring and murmuring was loud enough to wake the dead. Would have been a funny sight if anyone were around to see them. Warm orange and red glows blanketed the pair. They shifted a ways, nuzzling in the warmth. A good compatibility to complement the cold floor.
Unbeknownst to the them both the warming glows were emanating from Lydia herself. Profusely flowing streams of mist wafted elegantly, dancing side to side. Like blades of tall grass that would dance beneath the waves of the open ocean. Lydia groaned incoherently. The streams looped around Lydia's form, levitating her a foot off the bed. The nightgown she had torn faded away. Consumed by the streams, to be precise. Replaced by her usual attire of clothing. Save for her black coat and boots. The ominous looking streams finished scrolling her form, easing the wounds set by her rigorous journey. The streams guided her away from the bed, bringing her bare feet to the cool ground. They soon retreated to her nose and mouth, drawn in by a long breath. On the last trickle, Lydia exhaled. Her eyes flashed open. The pupils and colorful irises faded to abyssal white.
To be continued