Essence

Disoriented, Aurora opened her eyes. The last thing she remembered was being carried toward the infirmary when the pain of her injuries and her exhaustion finally overcame her adrenaline.

The room she found herself in now was a decent size, but had no windows. She recognized it as the sleeping quarters of the Doctor.

Since her own quarters were not usable and the Empress needed to be monitored carefully, the physician had offered his room for Aurora's use.

The old doctor sat nearby on a chair, waiting for his ruler to awaken. But he is not what had woken her. The gentle rustlings of a child had brought her from her sleep.

Colvyr sat playing with toys on a blanket next to the bed with a servant. Seeing his mother move, the child stood up and toddled over to the bed. "Mama!" he called.

"The Emperor thought your would like to have the young prince near you, Your Majesty," the doctor told her.

"Devrim was right. Colvyr's presence is soothing." Aurora reached for her child and groaned. Her entire left side, which had sustained most of the damage, protested at the sudden movement.

"Careful!" The doctor rushed to stop his ruler. "You will pull out the stitches." He looked up and raised his eyebrows at the wide-eyed servant. "Could you please inform the Emperor that his wife is awake?"

Realizing she had been staring, the girl stood, curtsied and hurried off to fetch the Emperor. The doctor returned his attention to the writhing Empress. The pain made her jerk which only caused more pain. It was a vicious cycle. Sympathizing, the doctor prepared a draught for the pain and tilted her head up so she could drink.

With much effort, Colvyr climbed up next to his mother on the freshly changed bed. He curled up into Aurora's right side and played with the fingers of her right hand. The combination of her child's snuggles and the pain reliever helped calm her restlessness.

"May I examine you now, Your Majesty, or would you like to have a healer be present?" the doctor asked gently.

Aurora laughed dryly. "After all we have been through, I don't think this is the time for fake modesty." She rolled onto her right side toward her baby boy.

The doctor lifted up the hem of her gown, which had been changed at some point while she was sleeping, and examined her leg first. It was probably the worst of her wounds, the Empress reasoned, since it was the only hit the wolf had been able to land. The scratches on her arm and face were mere glances in comparison.

Aurora tried not to flinch as the old gentleman removed the cloth on her calf. It was stained with blood and medicine. "Easy now," he cooed gently. "I will try not to touch it more than necessary."

Pressing gently around the wound, the physician grunted with concern. Although the injury was hidden from Aurora's view, she could see the man was unhappy with what he saw.

The woman swallowed and craned her neck. "What is it?"

Carefully, the doctor examined the four deep gashes in her calf. "I am not sure. It could be nothing, but—"

Devrim burst into the room, relief etched on his face. "You're awake! I came as soon as I could. The Council and I were meeting…What in the world is that?"

He had made his way through the door and close to the bed when his eyes fell on the injured leg. They grew enormously wide as did his gaping mouth.

The doctor shrugged, equally stumped. "I wish I knew. It could be an infection. I will try a different plaster to treat it."

"What is going on?!" Careful to keep Colvyr from falling, Aurora propped herself up so she could see what the men did. She felt instantly sick.

Along with the dried red and tinge of green of the wound and the black of the stitches, there was a strange dark purple ooze pooling along the edge of the gash.

"I don't think that is normal," the Empress said as calmly as she could. She turned her face away and inhaled deeply through her nose. "You say it is an infection?"

"It could be. Or it could be a poison. I will consult my medical books. I will also contact the University. Maybe someone there can shed some light on this." The doctor was already making a list of those he might consult.

"Could it be magic?" Aurora peeked at the wound again and regretted it.

"Very possibly. I will also talk to Fate Hanna." The doctor set about cleaning the purple ooze out of the wound and setting it into a sealed container. Aurora hugged her baby tightly until the procedure was complete.

The mention of the Fate belatedly caught the woman's attention. Aurora remembered the strange shimmery sand that had poured out of wounds on the Fate's bluish skin. "Is Hanna alright?"

Devrim pulled his lips to one side. "She is up and walking around. Hanna seems to be doing better than you."

"That's good. Ouch!" Aurora complained as the doctor looked at the wound on her arm. It contained the same purple liquid.

"Does the wound hurt? More than usual, I mean, or in a different way?" The physician asked, hoping to focus her gaze on him and away from her arm.

The fiery-haired woman arched her brow. "No more or different than any other time I have been attacked by a deranged wolf."

"Fair enough," the doctor chuckled. He checked the woman's cheek. The results were the same.

There was a commotion outside before Hanna was admitted into the room. "Sorry, Your Majesty," a servant bowed quickly and shut the door. Hanna walked angrily—not using her normal floating glide—as she crossed the floor in a huff.

"Imagine them trying to keep me out just because I wanted to enter through the door and not portal! The nerve!" The Fate brushed her hands at the closed door, washing her hands of the matter.

"Hanna! I am glad to see you up and…walking?" Aurora pulled her face away from the doctor as she noticed the Fate's strange behavior.

Hanna saw the dark purple goo on Aurora's face before the doctor covered it with a bandage. She pressed her lips together tightly before answering the Empress. "Yes, I forget how tiresome actual walking is. But I will not use my magic until my wounds are healed."

The physician made the Fate's symbol in the air respectfully as he bowed his head. "May I take a look?" He asked gently.

"You already had one peek! What good will another one be? I am already healing, I assure you." Hanna sounded like an old woman as she fussed. "If anything changes I shall let you know."

"No offense, Hanna," Devrim tried to choose his words carefully, "But how did that thing get a jump on you?"

Arching her back indignantly—and immediately regretting it—Hanna answered him, "As I said before, I did not realize the creatures were here until they attacked. Then I had to make a choice. You do not want to know how close I came to not saving the little one."

The gashes on the Fate's back attested to the truth of her words. If she had had time, Hanna could have whisked the child away to a safe location. Instead, her back was torn.

Hanna had then used her magic to dispatch the wolf over the balcony, but the toll for that action had nearly caused her to pass out. Rather than risk portaling to some other place and causing further damage, the Fate had taken shelter with Colvyr in the safe room.

Aurora hugged her child as her eyes welled with tears. "We are most thankful for your sacrifice, Hanna." Her brow furrowed. "But…can you not use your magic anymore?"

Hanna shook her head. "Fates are not typical creatures. We have immense power within us. It is why others revere us and why we can draw from the various types of magic without extra cost. However when some of my…essence… spilled, it seems to have created an imbalance. Until I heal, it is best that I do not use magic."

"If you would let me examine you, perhaps I could…" The doctor reached toward the Fate and she batted his hand away.

"I will not be some experiment for you to use in your discussions at the University. Keep your hands to yourself."

"Of course," the physician backed up and bowed. He left the room and returned with a pitcher of healing water from the land of magic. He poured a glass for Dervim to help Aurora drink and another he held out to Hanna. "Since you cannot get it yourself, please take this with my compliments. It is not directly from the Mystic Spires, but it still has healing properties."

Hanna took the cup. "Thank you," she said, her usual smile returning at last.

There was a lessening of tension in the room as the two ladies drank the water. Aurora could feel the water slide down her throat and begin its work.

"We need to get more of that, I think," she informed the doctor. He made a note.

Seeing Colvyr become restless, Devrim picked up the little prince from the bed and held him in his arms. Aurora gave him a grateful look.

"Now," she said, assuming the air of a leader, "You said, my husband, that you were in a Council meeting. Care to tell me what you discussed?"

Devrim's answer was overshadowed by a hysterical scream from the infirmary, "Doctor! Come quickly!"