A Healer's Destiny Read online

  Chapter 2

  Jabin and River walked into the kitchen to find Ebele listening to the three boys tell her about the events of the day. They told her that they heard Elah screaming and had run over to find her kneeling beside River with what appeared to be a gentle light coming from her hands and blood pouring from River’s head.

  Ebele sat in silence taking in their accounts of what had happened until each of them had finished their own version of the story. “Are you sure the light was not coming from River?” she asked the boys.

  Talib pondered this question for a few moments, trying to recall if he knew the answer. “That is possible, I can’t be sure” he finally said, looking at the other boys inquisitively. They both shrugged their shoulders as they looked between each other and Talib.

  “I think it would be best to keep this to ourselves, until we have some actual answers for what had happened today” Jabin said, after listening in silence. He hoped with time they would forget but knew if they ever saw another healer at work they would realise what Elah was.

  After they finished eating dinner, Talib went up to the bedroom he shared with River and started reading. He flipped through half a dozen books before he found what he was looking for. It was an old book bound in faded brown leather. Talib carefully read through the book before stopping with a knowing smiling on his face as River walked in.

  “What are you smiling at?” River asked, frowning at Talib.

  “I found something” Talib answered, continuing to smile even though he knew it annoyed River.

  “What is that suppose to mean?” River asked, trying to see what Talib was reading.

  “How do you feel River?”

  “Fine, why do you ask?”

  “Are you in the least bit intrigued about what happened?” Talib asked, raising his eyebrows at Rivet. “Somehow you went from laying unconscious with you head split open, to walking around and looking like nothing happened.”

  “Of course I am intrigued” River answered, in a hushed tone. “Why, have you found something?”

  “Yes, read this” Talib said, handing River the open book.

  River took the book and sat next to Talib. His face became more and more surprised as he read. “Are you trying to say that Elah or I could be a healer?” River asked, giving Talib the book.

  “No, not you, Elah. Healers cannot heal themselves, so it would be impossible for you to be a healer. Although, you could be and you don’t know it yet” Talib answered.

  “Do you think dad knows?” River asked.

  “Yes but I think he wants to confirm it or is trying to keep it a secret” Talib answered, looking back at the book. “This book said that healers became rare when a king long ago went mad and killed many healers because he didn’t want them healing his enemies but I’m sure the truth is much more complicated.”

  They both sat on the bed taking in the new information. Talib stared at the open pages of the book while River looked out the window at the dark sky, feeling his head for any marks or scars but found none. River broke the silence with a loud sigh and got up and walked across the room to his bed. He flopped down on his bed in a huff and stared at the ceiling.

  “I’ll ask Elah tomorrow how she did it, so we can all have a go. The book did say that it is hereditary” River told his brother, pulling his blanket over himself. “It might even help us figure out what our gifts are.”

  “That's if she wakes up tomorrow” Talib sighed, putting his book under his pillow and pulling his own blanket up. “But I can't wait to see her, I have so many questions.”

  "I'm sure she'll get up with us in the morning, as she usually does” River mumbled. “Now get some rest, I'm sure tomorrow is going to be a busy day.”

  Jabin and Ebele sat in the kitchen waiting for the children to go to sleep. Ebele sat on a chair in a corner mending clothes, while Jabin went through his training methods, he had papers all over the table but in truth, he wasn't paying much attention to them.

  They sat for quite sometime before they were satisfied the children were asleep. Jabin put his papers in a neat pile on the kitchen table but Ebele continued stitching.

  "I know you know what is going on Jabin" Ebele told her husband, without looking at him. 

  He looked at her trying to figure out what she already knew. She was perceptive especially when it came to her family. She would do anything in her power for her family and for him. He thought his wife was so beautiful, that she still made his heart flutter every time she looked at him but she knew when he was hiding something.

  “Yes, I think I know what’s going on” he sighed, not being able to keep anything from her for long, especially when when all she had to do was push him a little.

  He took a chair from the table and sat in front of her. Looking into her beautiful green eyes, the same colour as Talib had inherited but he was not entirely sure since his eyes were also green, not that it really mattered. “I have seen what Elah did once before. I believe she might be a healer” Jabin told her, sighing loudly.

  “Oh dear, we must keep this a secret. We don’t what her life to be like my mothers” Ebele gasped, looking into her husbands eyes. She didn’t think she could worry more than what she was but more concern flooded through her slim body.

  “I will contact my parents tomorrow and make sure they can take her if we need them to” Jabin said, knowing the type of life Ebele’s mother lived.

  It wasn’t long after Ebele’s birth when the King Ceawlin found out that her mother was a seer. She could clearly see events before they happened, sometimes only minutes before they occurred and other times it could be months or years before the events. The king saw the value in this gift and ordered her to stay with him at the castle, as a result Ebele grew up without her mother. Ebele’s father was told that her gift would benefit the entire kingdom but he knew he would never see her again.

  After Ebele’s mother was taken, her father did the best he could but he was never the same. He missed his wife more and more everyday and as a result, he closed himself off from the world. Ebele’s father told her in detail what had happened, so that she knew their mistakes and could protect her own family if they needed to one day.

  “That would be a good idea. Take River with you, we can tell the other children you are taking River out for training” Ebele suggested, knowing Elah would not want to be shipped off to her grandparents no matter what. “They will prob River for answers and I'm not sure how good he is at keeping secrets.”

  Nodding in agreement, Jabin stood up and waited for Ebele to join him before following his wife up to their large four post bed. Their bed had also been hand made by River, who beautifully carved intricate vine patterns in it, with small animals hidden within the pattern. The bed linen had been sewn together by Ebele in a patchwork showing scenes of the forest they lived in. It was made mostly with different shades of greens but had splashes of different colours throughout it, where she had placed flowers and brightly coloured birds in the trees.

  Ebele slid in next to her husband truly worried for the first time since they had moved to the forest. She wondered if her family would remain hole unlike her own growing up. It took her hours of staring at the ceiling before she finally closed her eyes and fell asleep.