Warrior's Heart (Book 1 of The Warrior Chronicles)

Chapter 43

You didn't need to cross dimensions to find a place where people were leading completely different lives. While the average day in the Warrior Kingdom began and ended with training your body, the Healing people were fixated on what they could use to heal it.

Gardens were built on the canopy of the Giant Trees where plants and herbs were grown in long pots for to make medicines. Dozens of huts were used for the drying herbs, dozens more for grinding and yet more for making tinctures. Just before sunrise, Leyla watched from her window as women in green dresses removed earth-covered crystals from little pockets inside the tree trunks. Each crystal had its own function and they were often used in tandem to relieve pain.

"Its fascinating," Michael smiled beside her. He had claimed kinship again and stayed in her hut, to protect her. The arrangement suited her since it made it easier for her to protect him. "They seem to have discovered a new use for Sectorinium."

Leyla wouldn't ask. She knew the Book Keepers of the Land of Light kept meticulous notes of all information generated by the other Kingdoms. Since yesterday, Michael had been going around the Healers settlement with his eyes wide in fascination.

As a Prince of the Land of Light, Michael was treated with respect and not a little amount of fascination and weariness by the Helaers. The Land of Light was the only Kingdom that did not need their medicines and rarely used their talents. Although it was easy to see that many of the females wanted to gain his favour, all medicine making processes stopped whenever Michael came near. They must think he, unlike the Warriors, would understand and replicate what he saw. Little did they know that Light Spies had probably already gotten their hands on all the information they were trying to hide.

"When are you going to tell me how your spies get around undetected?" Regretting that she had no weapons to train with, Leyla raised her hands and pulled her focus together to start practicing Rik Ruv; a martial art she had learned on Asch.

"You know I can't, La-la." Michael said, looking genuinely unhappy. "It isn't because I don't trust you..."

Leyla stopped mid-movement and raised her brows at her companion. "Relax. I was just messing with you."

"Yeah," he crossed his arms over his chest. "Talking about messing with people. Lady Delphine was very upset when she woke up at the outpost. She cried for hours because she thought you were dead and would only stop every so often to tell me she was never going to leave my side. Care to explain?"

Leyla groaned, remembering her last words to the girl. "At least she is back in the Land of Light now. She will feel more at ease."

Michael shrugged and walked back to take his early position at the window. "If you aren't giving me an explanation for that, how about telling me why the General has suddenly taken an intense dislike to me?"

Alec? Leyla stepped up beside Michael and saw the Warrior coming across the bridge that led to their hut. She hadn't told Michael that Alec discovered who she was, it would serve no purpose other than complicating matters. Why was Alec angry? Was it because Michael lied to him about not knowing Leyla? But Alec would have realised that he couldn't tell him the truth, just as she couldn't. "He must just be preoccupied. He thinks it's his fault that they made such a strange demand in exchange for saving his cousin's life."

"It is his fault." Michael frowned. "Which gives me reason to be angry at him, not the other way around. It's annoying me that I can't seem to figure him out."

Alec stepped onto their platform, the sunshine spinning his hair into pure gold. Every time he took a step, the material of his blue uniform stretched across his muscles and the sheath of his sword tapped his leg. She knew he could fight a dozen men and not break a sweat and yet, he had been so gentle...Leyla pushed away from the window before she became fixated on that kiss again.