Astraea - The Lost Crown - Book 1

Chapter 16

Her heart pounded madly as the town came into sight. The wooden entryway with a sign saying Welcome to Lunhaven, south pass to Hocking greeted her as her equin came to a skidding halt. To her surprise, some of the town members had already gathered to see the commotion.

"Please, someone help! My friend's been injured!" Two anthripes came forward to assist as she dismounted, and together they carried Alastor to a hut. Inside a woman was already busy brewing something, the scent of herbs thick in the air around her. They gently laid Alastor on a pelt covered bed on the floor, and Rae was left helplessly clutching his hand. The woman turned to assess his wounds, carefully untying the bandages Rae had made.

"It was good you got him here so quickly, and smart thinking with the bandages," She noted, seeing her ripped sleeve. "Tell me what happened."

"It was a boar attack. It must've got him with its tusks." The woman nodded.

"This is going to sting." She brought over a bowl of liquid and gently began washing the wounds. Alastor, who had been barely conscious, now winced at the pain. "Now miss, what's your name?"

"Rae."

"Okay, Rae, I need you to tell me, did the boar appear sick at all? Any discharge from the eyes or snout? Discoloration of the skin?"

"I- I don't believe so... I wasn't really focused on it..." I was just too worried about Alastor to notice...

"Alright, just to be safe I won't close the lacerations yet for risk of infection, but I can clot the bleeding." After rinsing his wounds, the healer began to apply a poultice, followed by fresh cotton bandages. As she worked, Rae finally took note of the woman's appearance. She had long graying hair that had been pulled into a braid and adorned with beads and feathers. Her eyes were a deep blue and her face had faint wrinkles, suggesting she was about 40 years of age.

"You're a warlock?" Rae asked when she finally noticed the signature markings on her arms and fingers.

"Yes, one of the few left in Ioshon..." She sighed. "We best leave him to rest now." She gestured for Rae to follow her out of the hut. She looked back hesitantly at her sleeping friend before agreeing to leave. The sky had darkened, the steadily rising waning gibbous moon, being one of the few sources of light. "Some of the townsmen went back to retrieve your things," She nodded toward the entryway where Rae now saw Alastor's equin, sword and-

"Syn!" She cried in surprise. She raced towards the equin where the raven was happily perched upon. Noticing her, the bird flew upwards with a delighted squawk and came to rest on her outstretched arm. "I thought you had left us!" She chuckled quietly, now stroking his glossy black plumage.

"That bird of yours flew in here before you arrived, squawking mad. It's a good thing he did, because it got our attention. He's a smart one." The warlock healer smiled at the scene and allowed Rae time to tie Alastor's equin alongside her own, before continuing on through the town.

"What brought you to these woods?" She finally asked as they walked.

"We were looking for someone in Lunhaven, actually. We're not sure if she's here though..." Rae eyed the woman contemplatively, wondering if she would have any information. "Do you know of anyone here by the name of Rosalva Forelyn..?" The woman stopped suddenly and stared at her with narrowed yet curious eyes.

"Where did you hear that name?"

"Um," Rae was taken aback by the warlock's directness. "It came up in some research I had done regarding a sensitive issue... Alastor- my injured friend, and I believe she could help us with said issue."

"Well I suppose you're in luck, but I don't know how much help I'll be." The woman shrugged. Rae's jaw dropped.

"Wait... You're Rosalva Forelyn?"