The Prophecy (The Goddess Game Book 1)

Chapter 2

Amelia grabbed the clipboard hanging on the door and turned the knob. "Hello, Mr...." Her eyes flew up, not trusting the name on the page, no matter how neatly it had been written. "Osric." The name came out in a breathless whisper. Recovering, she quickly willed her face into a cool mask of indifference, but her heart beat against her ribs.

His smile faltered for a split second before growing wider. "Amelia!" He drew out her name as if they were old friends who hadn't had the pleasure of seeing each other in a long while as opposed to what they really were—old friends who now hated one another. "Look at you! You're a healer now?" He studied her for a moment, no doubt taking in her spotted apron and the dirt under her nails. "I have to say, I am a little surprised. I would have thought you'd become an apothocarist or herbologist. But this uniform suits you."  

She tried not to narrow her eyes at his jab. And despite her dreams of becoming an apothocarist, his comment about her profession had to be a jab. He always knew how to get under her skin and he knew that her proficiency with plants and potions was seen as a deficiency by the rest of her class. Earth mages were supposed to be as strong and unmoveable as the rocks they wielded. Her powers had manifested differently than most. Instead of manipulating rocks and metals, she was able to manipulate plant life. Her skills were seen as weak by others in her class—she was seen as weak. And despite not being an earth mage himself, he never let her forget it growing up.

"I see you're as charming as ever, Osric." Her voice dripped with sarcasm as she looked him over, her expression full of disdain. He looked different from the last time she had seen him. His once thin, scrawny body was now filled out with lean muscle that she could see, even under his white guard's uniform. She hated to admit it, but the muscle suited him. He'd been adorable when he was young and scrawny, but she'd bet that now, outside of that guard's uniform, he'd be devastating. She tried not to let her mind linger on the image of his tanned bare chest, but the image seemed to be locking itself away in her memory. Moving up to his face, she saw the familiar light brown hair now cut short on his head. She wondered if the sunlight still brought out streaks of red and gold. Probably. His eyes were still the same deep shade of blue, but instead of looking at her with kindness as they had in their childhood or spearing her with the anger that had filled him in his teenage years, they looked at her with confusion.

She scowled. Of course the Goddess would make him handsome as an adult. It simply wouldn't be cruel enough to match his face with his personality.

"I meant that as a compliment, Amelia. I always thought your abilities with plants were amazing."

"Well, you sure had a funny way of showing it." Sighing at the bite in her words, she took a deep breath. She would not let Osric's presence turn her into the hurt teenage girl she used to be. She hadn't interacted with him in over 7 years. She was a woman now, a professional, and he was her patient.

She looked at his chart. She needed to get this over with and send him on his way. "It says here that you are experiencing some pain in your left ankle. When did the pain start?"

"About 30 minutes ago. I was out with a friend in the mist. Things got a little heated and I fell and twisted my ankle. It's nothing serious, but my friend insisted I see a healer."

She looked up from the chart. "Is your friend injured as well?"

"Not that I'm aware of. I think she's more concerned with having hurt a member of the guard." He chuckled, shaking his head.

She. So that's why he hadn't gone to see one of the guard's personal healers. He probably wasn't even supposed to be out there, especially not with a woman. "Were you on duty during this 'heated moment'?"