Identity (Editing)

Chapter 23

The two of them finally return after a while. In reality, they couldn't have been gone more than an hour, but it felt like days. The sun is high in the sky, way past window line so most of the room is in shadows. The shade stretches across Duke's face, making the bags under his eyes more prevalent and deepening the worry lines permanently etched into his forehead. I instantly feel the pang of guilt because I am the one who created those lines. His expression is as calm as ever, but I can see panic slowly filling his rustic eyes. For a while, he refuses to meet my gaze, looking to the healers instead.

"How is she?" He asks, his voice wavering for a second before he clears his throat.

"We have found the source of the problem..." One said, trailing off and letting another healer pick up where he left off.

"But removing it would prove... Difficult." The female one slowly lifts my wrist. The blackness is gone, but my skin is practically translucent. Embedded into the centre, just under the base of my palm is a shimmering violet jewel. I gasp at the same moment Duke sucks in a sharp breath of air. His fingers move over the stone and I feel a small vibration as it starts to glow. He jerks back, sighing softly as Irsa finally speaks up.

"Amethyst... Of course he would use something like this on her." I slowly tilt my head, gathering the energy and mental strength to look up at her. Irsa's face is solemn and fierce. Hatred burns in her eyes as she stares at my wrist.

"An amethyst stone can be used to draw out one's power, but I have never seen it used to this extent and definitely not on another person. It explains why her condition has only been getting worse." I glance back at Duke and notice that his hands are slightly trembling at his sides. My arm seems to move on its own, breaking free from the healer's light hold and reaching out to him. He shakes his hand and takes my hand in his.

"Don't strain yourself, Kylee." He murmurs softly and lays my arm back down by my side. Now that I know of the stone, it feels cold and cumbersome. The same icy feeling is in my other wrist as well. Dread begins to swell up inside the pit of my stomach.

"What do you mean by difficult to remove?" I demand, glad my voice sounds more stable than I currently feel. The three healers look among one another before the male speaks up, his violet eyes shimmering with worry.

"The stone has been completely linked to you. Mandala is using it to slowly draw out the remainder of your life force. If we were to remove it..."

"My life force would leave with it... I would die..." The words come out emotionless despite the flurry of fear and angst swirling around inside my chest. "Is there any way?" The blonde healer to the left of him shakes her head.

"I'm sorry... There is nothing more we can do." She lookes away quickly and my eyes narrow at her guilty expression. She's lying.

"Tell me the truth." I demand with a little more coldness in my voice than I intended. It works well enough, though. The healer flinches and bows her head, her small shoulders raising with a soft sigh.

"The only way to stop the power flow is to disrput it. Since we cannot do that on this end the only way would be to stop him." The queen shakes her head, her eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"Mandala is the source. We would have to kill him." I look at her incrediously. It feels as if I have just been asked to jump out of a plane with no parachute.

"It's impossible." I whisper, voicing my thoughts. Both the Queen and Duke look down at me with solemn expressions and I close my eyes, not wanting to see the hopelessness of the situation.

"So that's it then..." I whisper, not wanting my voice to crack. I feel a warm hand resting over mine and I look up at Duke. His emotional mask is slowly cracking and a bittersweet feeling of sympathy seeps through his touch.