Prince of Lies

Chapter 28

Two days later, and neither Eaan nor Rae were any better. In fact, they were rather near death.

For convenience, Rae had been moved and now switched places with Hanan so Ilya and Chaol could look after them both.

"What could it be?" Jerym asked, through the doorway, to stay isolated from his consort and nephew just in case the disease was contagious.

"I may have been wrong," Ilya admitted. "It's not pneumonia. It's something- viral. And as far as I can tell, only is affecting Rae and Eaan. I mean, Chaol and I have been caring for them for a few days now and feel nothing. Eaan's still coughing up blood, which makes me believe it to be either gastrointestinal or pulmonary. The only other explanation is internal bleeding, which I'm almost positive he doesn't have."

"Dya?" Chaol asked, from beside Rae's bed. Her fever was much higher than Eaan's, but it didn't matter that was her only symptom. If the fever stayed that high for much longer, her organs would begin to fail.

"Yes, Chaol?"

"I think I know what it is." Chaol announced.

On the other side of the large door, Jerym pressed his ear to the door to hear Chaol's explanation better. If anyone had anything to say about the king sitting outside the door like that, they certainly didn't voice it.

Haruto and Jace kept themselves and their daughter far away from the "quarantine room." With Haruto's fragile immune system, and Nyix needing to be kept healthy for her surgery soon, they weren't risking it.

"When we were children," Chaol continued, "and Haruto got sick... you insisted that all of us catch it too. To make our immune systems stronger."

"Gold fever." Ilya caught on quickly. "You're right, Chaol. They'd not been exposed, being from Horin. They probably picked it up from someone when they came here. It is that season."

"But wouldn't Eaan have been exposed? From Hanan?"

"Hanan had it before he met Eaan." Jerym recalled from the other side of the door. After a few moments of hesitation, Ilya opened it fully.

"What?"

"You've already had it." Ilya said. "You won't get it again. Which means the others are safe. Except for Nyix, but I would keep her away anyway."

"Right." Jerym nodded. "Of course. I'll go tell Hanan and the girls." On a second thought, he turned back to Ilya, "does that mean you know how to save them?"

"I should. It's a race against the clock, though. I need to get the vaccines with the Gold Fever antibodies and do a transfusion."

"No, no, that wouldn't work." Chaol protested. "It's too far gone, there wouldn't be enough antibodies in time, their bodies may not begin to produce more."

Ilya sighed. "I'm not promising to heal them, Chaol. I'm saying I can help them. Keep their fevers in check while I run to the Center Sector, okay? Jerym, I need-"

"It's yours. Take Blaze."

"I'd rather not." Ilya insisted, sarcastically, but he knew that the landing pad was far away and he needed to get there fast.

A few minutes later he was galloping across the way.

"Ha....Hanan?"

Chaol turned quickly to Eaan. "Hanan isn't here, Eaan."

"Hanan." Eaan insisted, and to Chaol's desperation he kicked off the covers and rolled off his bed, stumbling.

"Eaan-" Chaol jumped up quickly and ran to his side. "Eaan, you have a fever."