The Shadow Kingdom

Chapter 21iii

Tiberius brings us back to Seven Hills. Adrian is delighted to see my safe return but disquieted when he notices the sick girl accompanying me. "I see you've brought us a guest." He eyes Maddelen suspiciously.

"I can explain, but first, this girl needs your help. She has cancer, chronic myeloid leukemia; it is very advanced. Can you heal her?"

Adrian lifts Maddelen's chin slightly to better examine her face. In Maddelen's despondent eyes, he might seem like the grim reaper. "Yes, I have healed this before. Bring her to the parlour." This place has so many rooms that I have to follow Adrian in order to tell exactly to which parlour he is referring. Maddelen sits down gently on the sofa, gasping for breath.

Adrian takes off his suit and slowly gathers his strength. For every cancer cell that he kills and tissue damage that he repairs, he will lose a small piece of himself. But he agreed without even asking who she was.

Adrian holds Maddelen's hands, and the white light gradually appears. It starts slowly as Adrian tries to identify where the colonies are. Once he has mapped out the damage, the healing begins. He and Maddelen both feel the strain as the light glows brighter. Every time that Adrian grows weaker, Maddelen appears more restored. When it is done, Maddelen gasps loudly and sucks in a massive breath as her body becomes rejuvenated with new life, and Adrian collapses lifelessly onto the floor.

"Oh my god, Adrian!" I rush to his side. This time, he's not just tired; he's unconscious. "Get him some help!" I shout to Tiberius.

Tiberius is a stone statue. "There's nothing we can do for him. I will put him in bed. His body will rejuvenate itself in time." Tiberius carries my selfless sweetheart upstairs, leaving me alone with Maddelen Keller.

She looks livelier with every passing second. Her complexion is more flush, and her skin and muscle look more natural. "How do you feel?" I ask.

"I feel better than I have my entire life!" She pulls her canella out of her nostrils, and her lungs fill up on their own. She stands up and relishes in being able to walk without aid. She pays no attention to me or to my crown prince whose life-force brought her back to life. Every breath she takes reminds me of another minute that Adrian has to lie in bed. She exists by his grace just as I do. "Where is Adrian?" She finally asks.

"He's upstairs, resting. It drains him every time he heals someone else."

Maddelen laughs, unable to contain the joy of her newfound lease on life. "I need to thank him. He needs to know how grateful I am!"

"He's unconscious." Her smile falters. "That's how much of his strength it took to save you." I try to hide my indignation, but my eyes betray me. "Did your mother tell you about her proposal?"

Maddelen's moment of jubilation passes. "Yes. She wants to negotiate a deal with House Shang. She wants me to marry their crown prince."

"The same man who just saved your life. The man that I'm in love with." I pity Maddelen. She is in a strange place, she just had her death sentence lifted, and she has to be a pawn in her mother's schemes. As if that's not enough, now she has to deal with the angry princess whose lover she's meant to steal.

"Ashcroft Highness, I..."

"Don't call me that." My voice slices through the air like a broad sword. "Just Scarlett will do." Maddelen is pulled back by my threatening demeanour as she should be. "Augustus Shang would have left you to die; I know this first hand. He would have demanded that you pay for his son's services. Your mother however, has the audacity to demand that Adrian heal you and marry you in exchange for helping us." I laugh, mocking Verina's absurdity. "Maddelen, does your mother love you?"

Anywhere else, it would be a ridiculous question but not here. "Yes. I mean... I think so."

"You think so?" It's such a preposterous answer.

Maddelen searches for the right thing to say. "My mother isn't exactly the loving type. My brother was born normal, and I was born sick, so she always seemed to like him more than me. I was always the broken one in her eyes."

That much was evident from the start. Any sane parent would trade their life savings for the chance to save their daughter's life. "If something bad were to happen to you though, do you think your mother would be hurt by that? Do you think you have that power over your mother?" Maddelen's eyes scan the room, perhaps looking for an escape route. I think she catches my drift.

"Here is what's going to happen. First of all, you are not going to marry my boyfriend." The iciness in my voice makes Maddelen shiver. "Instead, this is what I want you to do. You are going to contact your mother. You will tell her that you are cured and that you are being treated well. But that you will not be going home any time soon."

"What are you going to do to me?" I have no real intention of hurting a fifteen-year-old girl, but the terror in her voice is exactly what I want.

"That depends on how much your mother loves you. You are going to tell your mother that unless she meets our demands unconditionally, I will send your fingers to her in the mail one at a time. And you should know that Adrian has the power to make your fingers grow back."

"What?" She screams in terror. "Why would you do that?"

"Make the call Maddelen. And beg your mother to do what I have said. Your well-being depends on how much she loves you. I just gave you your life back. And I can just as easily take it away."