The World As We Know It

Chapter Twenty

Electricity surged through my body. Grimacing, I tightened my grip on Sebastian's hand. This was more painful than I remembered. Allison, the young Cleric who healed me before, squinted in concentration. My injuries were more severe than before, and would take more magic to heal. There was a slight tingling sensation all over my body, but I didn't feel anything shift back into place. That wasn't a good sign. Allison removed her hands looking concerned. She left my bedside to whisper something to Damion. Alarmed, he whispered back, but she only shook her head. I might be outside the window of time to be healed. I shifted more comfortably against my pillows. That was fine. I'm sure I could manage.

"Taylor, we have a problem."

"If I'm outside the healing window, it's okay," I replied.

Damion hesitated.

"It's not...that."

I sat up.

"What's wrong?"

Allison whispered in his ear, and he sighed.

"She healed you the best she could, but there's too much damage. Even a master Cleric would struggle to heal you at this point."

Seeing my face, he reassured me.

"No, no! You're not in danger! You'll just be a little sore for a while."

Giving Damion a look, Allison returned to my side. She put her lips to my ear, whispering in a barely audible voice.

"You will not have children again. There is too much damage."

Blanched, I looked to Sebastian to see if he had heard her. His lips were drawn into a thin line, his eyes pools of lava. He was going to make Kane pay. I squeezed his hand, trying to grab his attention. He kissed my forehead.

"It's fine. I have you."

"Is there anything that can be done?" I asked Allison.

She looked thoughtful, then leaned in to speak.

"Miracle. You may heal naturally. Maybe find someone stronger than Cleric to heal you. Angel, maybe. True Angel."

My heart sang. There was hope! I just needed to capture an Angel! I mean, it was no easy feat, but I was planning on fighting the impossible with Kane. What was a tussle with an Angel compared to that? Grinning I nudged Sebastian.

"You wanna hunt an Angel?"

He chuckled.

"Let's wait until you've healed, my love."

Hey, who knows? Maybe Kane had an Angel in his back pocket. He had to be getting those weird artifacts from somewhere. Actually, that reminded me.

"Damion?"

"Hm?"

"I think Kane has a base in the woods."

"In the Viridi Silva?" he looked confused. "What makes you think that?"

"Well, the camo he was wearing helped him blend in. He also wasn't walking on the path when I ran into him. He was off to the side. That means he knew his way around the forest. The Viridi Silva is also huge! It wouldn't be impossible for him to be hiding in there without anyone knowing."