A KINGDOM OF DEAD HEARTS [COMPLETED]

CHAPTER 45: THE BLOOD OF A HALF-GOD

Xander had decided to leave a meeting he was having with some of the battalion commanders on defense after war with Myrana. The meeting was outside the city wall where he was also inspecting the battle damages.

He got up on his horse and raced it back to the palace.

Elisthia had sent a message about Airin. She did not mention what it was exactly, the message written on a piece of paper, the ink smeared by what he guessed was tears, carried by a messenger to him. The message itself was short: We have to talk. It is about Airin.

Xander did not feel good about it.

He arrived back at the palace by nightfall, left his horse at the courtyard just like that, and started running, almost bumping into some palace staff, but he kept running like a madman to Airin's room.

Airin, please stay. Please do not die. Please. Those repeated in his head as he cursed the various alleys and corridors he had to go through to get to Airin.

When he got to Airin's room, Elisthia and Rovan were there.

The room was dim with three candles burning on the oak table. Rovan looked pale but he stood solid next to Elisthia, he held a walking cane next to him.

Elisthia's eyes were puffy and her face wet from tears, those were obvious even in the dim light.

Xander stood composing his own thought. Airin laid pale as ever. Her face had not been covered with white handkerchief, a sign of death in Halgard. She was still alive.

"It is not .... well ... with Airin," Elisthia stammered. "A few minutes, or at most hours ... then she ... she ..." Elisthia sobbed gently.

Xander did not seem to hear her, he walked close to Airin, took Airin's hand and held it close to his chest.

"Tell Xander about the way to heal Airin!" Rovan tapped Elisthia's shoulder. "He may know how to get it!"

That got Xander's interest. "Elisthia?" he looked up to Elisthia, put Airin's hand back on top the blanket, and stood straight waiting for answer.

Elisthia wiped her tears, took a deep breath to calm herself down. "I did my oracle session to ask for guidance to heal Airin. One god answered ..."

Xander tilted his head in curiosity.

"Asclepius, the son of Apollo ..." Elisthia answered.

"He is the god of medicine," Rovan added just in case his brother forgot which one was Asclepius in the array of gods in Olympus.

"Apollo may have tasked him to help us, to avoid getting himself directly involved in this whole debacle and ruffle some feathers in Olympus. What did he say?" Xander walked closer to Elisthia and Rovan.

Elisthia stared at Airin, bit her lips, and nodded to strengthen herself. "Airin could only be healed if her poison was absorbed by another. Since the poison came from a pure evil sorceress like Leidra, a human could never be able to survive it let alone absorb it. Airin is now in worse shape than even this morning, my lord. I do not know what to do."

"We need a god to agree to do it for Airin! It is impossible!" Rovan now spoke. He looked visibly shaken now because he was also still on his way to heal from being under Leidra's influence.

Xander froze. I would do anything, anything at all, to help you survive, Airin. Anything at all.

"I will do it," he took a deep breath and the sentence just flowed out of his mouth. No doubt whatsoever.

"That is madness, Xander. You are a human! You will die from it!" Rovan rushed closer to him. Worry framed his pale face.

Elisthia was behind Rovan, shaking her head.