Ajacii and Demons: The Ingenairii Series (21 page)

With three kegs of water, the trough was still less than half full. “Undress, and join him in the water,” Bernadina ordered Caitlen.

“
But what will it do to my baby?” Caitlen asked.

“
There will be no harm; in fact, you and the child will benefit. But Alec will be better off for having your energy and your presence, and we won’t need to pour in so much of the water to fill the tub,” Bernadina answered. “Would you rather that I join him in the tub?” she asked.

“
No!” Caitlen replied indignantly. “Rahm, turn around,” she ordered as Bethany helped her disrobe and enter the trough. “This is cold!” she squealed as she awkwardly lowered herself into the water at the other end of the trough, her legs spreading wide along the sides of Alec’s body, raising the water level within the container.

“
One more keg,” Bernadina told Baltasar, as she looked appraisingly at the loaded cart. “We’ll have enough water for at least two more baths,” she judged.

“
What happens next?” Caitlen asked as the last keg of water raised the level in the trough up to her chin.

“
Sit back and relax princess,” Bernadina replied. “We need to let him soak in this water for as long as possible; the longer the better. I’d like for him to have a week in the water,” she explained calmly. “More time if possible.”

“
A week?” Caitlen choked out the words. “I can’t sit in this tub for a week! I have to be able to attend to the needs of the empire.”

“
Could I sit in the tub with him?” Bethany asked. “Or Rahm? Could we add more water to make it last longer?” she asked, trying to find solutions to the problem.

“
Do you have any water available with powers or abilities?” Bernadina asked.

“
The fountain of strength!” Rahm spoke out loud.

“
And what is that?” Bernadina asked.

“
Alec created a fountain when he fought two traitors, people who had battle skills almost as good as his,” Rahm explained. “The end of the battle was a great explosion that killed the other two, just vaporized them, and left a big stony fountain. They say that drinking the water from the fountain makes you stronger.”

“
Ah! That boy is so unpredictable! Bring me a jug of that water. I want to examine it,” the grendasteur told Rahm.

“
Yes, you love him enough I know you will energize the waters. You may rest in the waters with him too,” Bernadina told Bethany. “And the same goes for the man who just left.”

And so their long siege on Alec’s injuries began. Around the clock Rahm, Bethany, Caitlen and Bernadina laid in the water with Alec for days, soaking in a mixture of the spring water Bernadina brought and the fountain water that she determined could aid his healing. “So he defeated two of the Ajacii,” Bernadina said softly as she listened to Caitlen explain the origins of the fountain late one night as they exchanged places in the tub. “That will cause ripples across the lands for years to come.”

“
Who are Ajacii?” Caitlen asked.

“
In a sense, they are one of the other groups of distant cousins of your beloved,” Bernadina answered. “I won’t say more than that.”

Ten days after Bernadina’s arrival, Alec was looking remarkably better. The burns on his skin were forming scars nicely, his breathing was regular and strong, and a dark fuzz of hair was beginning to grow again on his scalp.

“
Today you should try to contact him,” Bernadina told Caitlen as she disrobed to enter the trough of water. “Lean your body against his as best you are able, and then use your heart to speak to him; see if he can be roused, but don’t be disappointed if he doesn’t respond. There is still a long way to go, depending on what he can do for himself.”

Caitlen held onto Bernadina’s hands as she awkwardly positioned herself next to Alec, her arms wrapped around his neck and her hands clutching his head.
Alec, my beloved, can you hear me?
She sent a strong message.

Alec, do you feel my love?
She asked after a minute without a response.

There was a stirring in his consciousness, and Bernadina reached down to stroke Caitlen’s back with encouragement.

A
lec, we’re alive. You beat the monster; you saved us all,
Caitlen began to nervously send a stream of positive comments to him.
You need to heal so that we can finish our wedding
.

Caitlen?
Alec’s mind groped for her name.

“
Yes, Alec!” she said aloud, stretching up to kiss his lips. “It’s me, here with you. I’m in love with you. You need to heal so that we can finish our wedding, or are you afraid to go on a honeymoon with me now?” she began to cry tears of joy.

“
Is everything alright?” he asked. “Are we married?”

“
Almost. We just need to finish the last bit of the ceremony, and then we’ll be married,” Caitlen assured him. She looked up at Bernadina with a beatific smile.

“
You have a friend here,” Caitlen told him. “Your friend Bernadina came to see you, to help you heal.”

Alec’s head moved slightly, and he opened his one good eye briefly. “The grendasteur is as glorious as ever,” he smiled at her, then closed his eye again and fell back into unconsciousness.

“
He’s alive!” Caitlen said. “Can you help me up? I want to go tell Bethany and Rahm,” she slowly rose, dried off, and put her clothes back on. “How fast will he recover now? What will happen next?”

“
He is made of sturdy stock,” Bernadina replied. “In just a few days I think he’ll be cured, and we can return to our home.”

“
You can stay as long as you want,” Caitlen told her. “You can have anything you desire as a reward for helping Alec heal.”

“
You don’t have the power to grant what we would want, and there’s virtually nothing we need,” Bernadina answered. “Don’t worry. Go spread good cheer among your friends,” she said as she began to undress and climb in the tub to help foster Alec’s healing.

Alec, do you hear me?
She asked as Caitlen scurried away.

Bernadina, is that you?
he asked in a dreamy tone.

It is me; I’ve come to help heal you, wondrous one. You’re doing much better now,
she told him.

Is Caitlen here?
He asked.
Did I hear her before?

She was here a moment ago. She has been here faithfully while you’ve healed,
Bernadina replied
. She is passionately in love with you. She’ll be back soon.

You have been gravely injured,
Bernadina said, and flashed to his mind a medley of images and observations.
But you are slowly getting better. How can I help you?

Did I kill the demon?
Alec asked as he tried to digest the information about all the injuries he suffered from.
I must have, or I wouldn’t be here right now,
he answered his own question.
I will be able to use my healer powers to repair much of this,
he thought.

“
But injuries given by demons are devastating, especially if their blood makes contact with the victim’s flesh. I have scars that have never healed because of the wounds they came from, demon wounds,” he said out loud.

Thank you for being here,
he told Bernadina.
Let me rest and recover for now
, and he fell back asleep.

Bernadina considered his words for a long time afterwards. “This may be more than we have the ability to set right,” she said to Baltasar, who sat silently in the corner as he usually did, watching and waiting patiently. “This one has suffered great evil inflicted on his body and his spirit, and even though his spirit is able to bounce back, his body may have met its match this time. Let us hope not, dear,” she said, and she snuggled her body against the armless side of Alec, her head on his shoulder, letting the water draw on her spirit and energy to continue to heal him.

Bethany, Rahm and Caitlen returned to the cottage soon thereafter, and Bernadina gave a simple message that he had spoken and was aware of his injuries, then fallen back to sleep, glossing over some of the worries she had about his ability to totally re-heal.

The next day Alec awoke and ate soup, the first substantial nourishment he had taken since the wedding day attack. “Stay in the water one more day,” Bernadina counseled, “and tomorrow you can arise.” Caitlen sat with him that day and they talked continually, holding hands.

“
Can your furniture maker fashion a peg leg for me?” Alec asked as Caitlen prepared to leave for the evening.

“
If that’s what is needed, that’s what we’ll do,” Caitlen agreed gently, and kissed him tenderly before she left.

After her departure, Alec closed his eyes, and practiced the use of his ingenaire powers, checking to make sure they were all intact.

“
What are you planning?” Bernadina asked, sitting in a rocking chair nearby and knitting.

“
This water is a marvelous tool,” Alec answered. “And if my healing power is going to be able to repair these demon wounds, my best chance will be while I’m resting in this trough.”

“
Your best chance would be to come back to Warm Springs with me and recuperate in the waters in the spring itself, where they are most potent,” she answered.

“
I’ve got one eye, one leg, and one arm,” Alec sighed. “Which should I try to heal first?”

“
I’ll focus on the arm,” he answered himself.

Closing his eye, he slid deeper down into the trough of water, took a deep breath, and focused his energy on the need to grow a bone from the stump of the joint that he had remaining. He attempted to stretch out the humerus, seeking to grow the bone down to the elbow first, so that he could then attach tendons and the bicep needed to make the upper arm complete. His energy slid away from the injury in a fashion he couldn’t comprehend or overcome though, despite repeated efforts.

With a sigh he gave up the effort, then examined his ribs, and tried to knit them together, finishing the natural healing that had already begun. His powers worked perfectly, strengthening the ribs, and removing the last tenderness he felt.

“
I’ll just be a one armed, one legged, one eyed man, I suppose,” he said. “Maybe next year I will be able to journey up to Warm Springs to heal, I won’t be of much value here,” he moaned.

“
Stop feeling sorry for yourself,” Bernadina spoke sharply. “You are alive. You defeated the most malignant thing I have ever known to walk on these lands. You saved the life of your beloved.”

“
You’re right, but I’ll never be able to fight another demon in this state,” Alec agreed. “And however this one managed to be conjured forth, I can’t help but fear there will be another sooner or later.”

“
Another one of those grendels?” Bernadina asked in horror.

“
I know,” Alec agreed. “They are foul, soul-sucking monsters. They changed my life forever. The battles I have fought with them have hollowed me out at times. If God were not with me, I would not have survived.”

“
Then pray to your God again, and thank him for your life, and we will find a way to make the best of what you have been given,” Bernadina rose from her chair and came over to cradle Alec’s head against her bosom. “You are a blessing to this princess who loves you Alec. Don’t lose sight of that before you worry about all the other things.”

Feeling consoled by Bernadina, Alec closed his eyes and fell swiftly asleep for his last night in the trough of water.

The next morning Caitlen arrived bright and early. “Are you ready to return to the palace?” she asked, holding his hand.

“
He is ready,” Bernadina confirmed. “There is little more this water can accomplish. He has on-going pain; it is the nature of the wounds he carries. He knows where we live, and he can come to us someday if he wishes to soak in the spring itself.

“
As for us, let us depart before you bring others to see him. We want to remain discreet,” she said, holding Baltasar’s hand. Alec rose awkwardly and hugged both of his friends from Warm Springs, wishing them safe travels in the mountains as winter loomed, and watched them leave the shed he had healed in.

“
Are you ready to return to a palace of just ordinary people, without your mysterious companions and their inexplicable abilities?” Caitlen asked. “Here, lean on me,” she instructed as he stood balancing on one leg.