The Raven's Source

Chapter 23 - Extinguished Flames

Three days pass and as Cerno stood in front of his manor looking down the hillside at the hospital, he glanced up to see his mirror image walking down the path from Leena and Shej's home. He wasn't sure when Shej had passed the manor, but his blood boiled seeing him. He walked briskly up to Shej who had only just started to acknowledge his presence just as Cerno threw a right hook, connecting squarely with Shej's jaw, dropping him to the ground in an instant.

"Normally I wouldn't hit a girl let alone my sister, but right now you're my brother and this is how I dare show you my anger for your recklessness!"

Shej reeled as he sat up, placing his hand to his jaw and feeling blood trickling from his lip. It had been a long time since anyone had slugged him that hard.

"Where have you been!" Cerno yelled.

"Where is my wife?" Shej asked quietly and much more calmly than Cerno expected.

"Answer me!"

"Where is Leena?" Shej asked again, getting to his feet. "Is she in the manor?"

"Why have you stayed away for so long without a word!"

"Where the fuck is my wife, Cer?" Shej asked a third time, this time danger in his voice as Shej and Cerno got face to face.

"You can't see her," Cerno answered, glaring.

"The hell I can't," he said, pushing Cerno backward and spitting blood on the ground.

"Yeah, tell that to the Healers at the hospital. I'm sure they'll accept that reasoning."

Shej froze. "Hospital?"

"Severe pneumonia or some kind of serious virus," he began as Shej turned toward the hospital. "And she might have lost the baby."

Shej looked like he had just been hit in the back with a bag of bricks, the words causing him to topple to his hands and knees, his eyes wide as he stared blankly at the ground. He couldn't feel his own heart beating as it laid shattered in his chest, everything suddenly feeling lost as the words swirled in his head.

"I understand your fears, Sheja, but you should have stayed and trusted your own brother. I'm not the one trying to kill you," Cerno spoke softly, the anger in his voice replaced by sadness. "Come inside, the Healers won't let anyone in to see her, not even me." He turned and walked away, leaving Shej alone in the driveway.

It was almost 20 minutes before Shej came walking in the door to the manor. He looked ragged and thanks to Cerno's right hook and hard news, he also looked broken.

"How?" he asked silently, not looking up at his brother.

"She went out in the rainstorm looking for you. She got sick almost instantly overnight," Cerno replied calmly. "At first, I thought I couldn't feel the baby because of how cold and weak she was, but then morning came. Her body was finally warm, too warm actually...but I still couldn't feel it. I rushed her down because I couldn't help her myself."

"But you can heal, why couldn't you help her?"

"I can heal wounds and sources, not illness and miscarriages," Cerno said, trying not to yell out in the irritation he still felt.

Shej stood still, still just staring straight at the floor. It was obvious he was about to break down. "And they confirmed the baby is gone?"

Cerno sighed before continuing, "They've told me they have her stable and she's been slowly showing improvement. They still haven't given me any word about the baby though, no matter how many times I've asked."

"I need to see her," Shej said.

"And I told you, you can't. The word of a Healer supersedes mine."

"Cer, I have to..." his voice broke, "...I have to tell her I'm sorry."