His Mate: Prince Asher

Chapter eighteen

Edward appeared in the palace with Asher in his arms, making the women in the drawing room to scream on seeing the sight. Aliyah was on her feet immediately as she rushed her husband, “What happened to him?” she asked, her voice composed despite the fact that she was breaking down inside and she signaled for the servants to get a blanket.
“I met him like this in the human woods, quickly, summon Hephzibah, Irene is too far to hear us,” he commanded as he quickly laid the nearly unconscious Asher on the chaise longue. Aliyah did as told and called for Hephzibah, using the witch council calling code. Scarlet, Monica and Vanessa, Steven’s mate, circled Asher, each wanting to know what they could do to help. Aliyah was fighting back tears as she stared at her son, just yesterday, he had told her to trust him and have fate in him and just twenty-four hours later, he had to be rescued by his father. What could possibly have happened?
They were still waiting for Hephzibah when the warriors in the woods arrived and soon after them, Anita and the rest showed up as well. They all went into a room to get into some clothes before approaching the King, Queen and Lunas. Anita went to check on Asher, he was unconscious and the black lines on his body made it look like someone had covered him in black paint. She glanced at her mother, silently asking what happened but Scarlet shook her head, she also couldn’t possibly tell what could have happened.
Finally, a bright light shone in the room and Hephzibah with her white hair and worried face quickly addressed them, “You majesty, Queen Aliyah and my dear Lunas, I came as soon as I was told.”
“Quickly, have a look on him, he is not responding,” Edward ordered immediately and Hephzibah obliged, going to Asher and feeling his head.
“He is burning,” she said and placed her palm on his forehead, her eyes closed. “I think he ingested something, something that reacted with the power in him.” She frowned, leaning over Asher then and inhaling him. “I don’t know what, but do not fret my Queen for it is still treatable,” she said and Aliyah finally breathed in relief. Hephzibah stood erect and rubbed her hands together, “I am going to force him to vomit whatever he had taken within the last two hours, hopefully, whatever made him like this would be part of it.” And with that, she started muttering a spell and with increase in the tempo of her spell, Asher started shaking on the chaise longue.
Aliyah wanted to hold him but Edward stopped her, the best thing would be to let Hephzibah to do what she does best. In a few short seconds, Asher’s eyes snapped opened and he threw up all over the blanket covering him. There wasn’t much thing he had eaten as everything was slimy with nothing solid and with a very offensive odor. Anita covered her nose and forced the vomit in her throat back into her stomach while the warriors and Micah and his people kept a straight face even though they were having it just as bad.
Hephzibah opened her eyes then and inspected the vomit and Edward and Aliyah watched her facial expression, waiting to know when she had seen what could have happened to their son. “Get a new blanket,” Hephzibah ordered and Micah immediately left to do the task, taking the moment to have a breather from the awful smell. “He doesn’t seem to have taken anything solid within the last two hours. All I can perceive here is the scent of alcohol and that awful smell, what is that?” she frowned, searching through the vomit and Anita squinted her eyes, trying so hard not to feel disgusted. “Whatever that has this odor is obviously what went wrong in his body but I can’t see it and the smell is too bad to be recognized.”
Micah arrived with the blanket then and Anita and the Lunas turned around while he changed the blanket on Asher. With the ruined blanket out of the room, the smell gradually disappeared. Hephzibah placed her palm on Asher’s forehead and muttered a spell and they all watched as the black lines on his body started disappearing and soon, his skin was as smooth and fair as always.
Seeing the crisis evaded, everyone left the drawing room to give Asher the peace and quiet to recuperate. As they stepped out to the living room, Hephzibah turned to Edward. “The dreamcatcher doesn’t seem to be working anymore.”
Aliyah frowned at that, “why would you say that, Asher has never complained about having nightmares again.”
Hephzibah smiled at that, “when I touched him, I could easily tell that he has been plagued with nightmares of recent. Perhaps he didn’t tell you, knowing how you would worry but I do not lie when I say that his sleeps is being disturbed these days. If it has gotten to this then I fear that the moment we fear might be around the corner.”
Aliyah nodded, digesting what she had heard then she turned to the warriors, “leave us,” she said and they all bowed. Scarlet glanced at Aliyah and touched the two Lunas with her and they left with the warriors, she knows that her daughter would tell her what happened in her own time and she doesn’t want to force it out of her by being there. When they were alone, Aliyah glanced at Hephzibah, “you are saying she would show up soon?”
“I don’t know but the power is fighting to get out, if my dreamcatcher is not keeping the nightmares away, then it means it would only be a matter of time before it burst out of him. And not just that,” she sighed, glancing at the couple.
Edward frowned, “what else did you notice?”
“I sensed the unrest in him, I guess his three powers would be fighting for dominance soon. Asher seemed to have been using all three at a time and, one is going to try to rule the other two. King Edward, you definitely know what I am talking about, you have experienced it.”
Edward shuddered thinking of that time right after he had became the demon king and had awoken his nightwalker’s part, the fight he had to go through and how weak he was which made him almost lose in the battle with Catherine and forcing him to go into a slumber. “It won’t be as bad as mine, don’t you think?”
Hephzibah smiled softly, “it might be worse. He is going to try to merge the three powers and learn to live in peace with them like you do with yours now. But I trust Asher, he is a strong man and I don’t think he would let his powers control him. This is not a fight you can help him with, he would have to control them on his own, just like you did. I just hope,” she paused.
“Just hope what?” Aliyah asked.
Hephzibah glanced at her and sighed before looking at Edward, “I just hope that the dark power won’t take that chance to sprang to surface, if it does, then I don’t think that Asher could control it because at that time, it would be the dominant power in him and the rest would just be it’s subordinate. I have every reason to believe that if that happens, then we would be seeing our old friend again.”
Aliyah gasped and staggard back while Edward quickly caught her and held her in his arms. With a stern look, he said to Hephzibah, “then if that happens, we would be ready.”
Hephzibah nodded, “I only hope Irene would be back by then. I am getting on with age and not as strong in strength as I used to be, we would need a young blood if we ever plan on taking her. Try as I may, I still can’t tell what she is, I just hope we would figure it all out before then because if we know what we are up against, the better we can strategize how to take her.”
“Don’t worry, Hephzibah, I believe in you,” Edward said.
Hephzibah smiled at that, “thank you, your Majesty, my Queen,” and with a bow, she disappeared from their sight.
Aliyah glanced up at Edward with tear filled eyes, “are we going to lose him to her like she had said when he was five?”
“He is our son, Aliyah, and nobody is going to take him away from us, not even a world-famous healer.” He kissed her forehead, “when that time comes, I will be sure to bring your son back to you, come what may.”
Aliyah nodded and hugged him, “I trust you.”
Edward hugged her back and his face revealed a stern look, he meant what he said and when that time comes, he would be sure to carry it out, no matter the sacrifice, he just won’t tell her that now, till that time comes.