Truth, Lies, and Silver Eyes (A Sequel to STRQ) [Book 2]

Chapter 71: Raven

I was quiet as Summer held her side. She winced every time she took a step.

"You doing okay?" I asked her.

She nodded. "Yeah. It's just painful. I'll be happy when we make it to the hospital so I can get stitched up. So, do you have any idea where the maiden powers went?"

I glared at her. "Not so loud! And I don't care where the maiden powers Aleya had went. All that matters is that she's gone. You don't ever have to worry about her again."

Summer smiled. "Thank you."

"And... I'm sorry I hurt you. I wasn't in my right mind."

"Raven, it's okay. You were being manipulated and controlled."

We were quiet as we walked into the hospital. A nurse walked up to us.
"Hello. Welcome to Vacuo's Health Clinic. How can I...?"

Then her eyes fell upon Summer's wound.
"Oh my. That looks pretty deep. I'll see if I can get you some assistance."

Summer did her best to smile.
"Thank you," she told the nurse.

"It's no problem. Do you mind sharing your name for me so I can check you in?"

"Violet Solstice."

"Okay. Feel free to wait in our waiting area. It could take several minutes," the nurse said.

I followed Summer to the waiting room and sat next to her.
"How are you holding up?" I asked her.

She winced. "I still hurt."

"Don't worry. I'm sure the wait won't be that long."

We waited for what seemed like hours. Then the same nurse from earlier walked into the waiting room.

"Violet Solstice? The doctor is ready for you now," she said.

Summer and I both stood to our feet.
"Is it okay if my friend Raven comes back with me?" Summer asked.

The nurse nodded. "Sure. Come on back you two."

We followed the nurse to one of the back rooms. The nurse instructed Summer to sit in a chair so she could get her blood pressure checked.

After it was done, the nurse left to go get the doctor, leaving  me and Summer alone.
"How was your blood pressure?" I asked her.

"It was pretty normal," she said, still holding her bleeding side.

"That's a relief."

A few seconds later, the doctor cane in. He was a middle aged man who looked to be in his late fifties to early sixties. He shook both of our hands and introduced himself.

"Hello. My name is Doctor Hahn. How can I assist you today?"

Summer was the first to speak.
"I got into a... scuffle with someone and they got me pretty good. I was hoping to get the cut stitched up."

Doctor Hahn looked over the wound carefully before he spoke again.

"Well, it's not as deep as it looks. I should be able to stitch this up fairly quickly."

He soon got to work on stitching Summer's wound. He was done about ten minutes later.

"...And that should do it," he said. "Is there anything else you need today, ma'am?"

Summer shook her head. "Not that I'm aware of. Thanks for helping, Doctor."

Summer and I both shook his hand before we left the clinic and headed back to the hotel.

"Feeling any better?" I asked her.

She nodded. "Yeah. I'm happy I got stitched up."

"Yeah. I am too. Listen... there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about. But I'll wait until we get back to the hotel. I don't want anyone else to hear."

Summer nodded. "Okay. I don't mind that."

It was evening when we made it back to the hotel. Aleya's body was still laying on the floor.

"Oh. I almost forgot about her," I said.

"What are we going to do?" Summer asked.

"Don't worry. I'll dispose of her in a bit. I need to talk to you about something first."

Summer took a seat on her bed.
"Okay. What is it?"

"Have you ever head of... Blood Magic?"

Summer looked thoughtful or s moment.
"Hm... now that you mention it, I think I remember my mother reading me a story about it when I was little. I don't remember much of the details, though. Why are you asking me about this?"

I sighed. "I'm asking because Jinn happened to mention it. She said it was Blood Magic that corrupted Salem. I was hoping you knew a thing or two about it. Looks like I'll have to look in the library."

Summer stood to her feet.
"Can I come?" she asked.

"You want to come with me?"

"Yeah. Doing some research about Blood Magic seems really interesting. I can't wait to see what we find!"

I rolled my eyes.
"Don't get too excited. Blood Magic sounds dangerous. We better be cautious."

"Why do you have to be so serious all the time? Nothing is going to happen. Blood Magic was outlawed years ago," Summer said. "No one practices it anymore. Well... except for Salem and her followers probably."

"Exactly! I want to learn as much as I can about this so I can protect you. It's my job."

Summer smiled. "Then let's get going. Where is the library?"

"It's to the west of town. We better hurry. They close in about an hour," I said.

Summer nodded and followed me to the door.
"Let's get some research done," she said.