Defender of Mirago

Chapter 16

The next morning Rayble woke up to the sun shining in his room. The instant his eyes opened worry flushed through his body. He rushed out the door without getting ready, hoping that Kessa was still in town. When he stepped out of the door of the inn he was surprised to find the snow-covered city from last night was now warm and bright, the snow had nearly completely melted with only a few patches left scattered about in shadowed places. Even more surprising was the city was filled with floating cubes and their blonde owners below them, the Marians. Could it be Kessa's pack? He thought he recognized some faces but wasn't sure. Mixed in with the Marians were the brown-haired and brown-winged Lucems.

Rayble walked through the busy city looking for Kessa. He noticed a crowd gathered around something. Curious, he pushed through to see what everyone was looking at. In the middle of the circle he found Kessa holding her father who was laid on the street. He struggled to stay awake.

"He pushed himself too far from his cube trying to find you." Rayble heard a Marian man say.

Kessa didn't reply. She kept her head down but Rayble could see the water in her eyes. Rayble wanted to comfort her or help somehow but he felt stuck. He couldn't figure out what to say or do to make the situation better.

A winged doctor came through to check on Kessa's father. After checking some things and conducting a few tests with his purse of strange instruments he concluded that he lacked nutrition and water.

"That's what we were afraid of," said a Marian. "He can't reconnect with his cube."

"It's right there, why won't it give him what he needs?" asked Kessa. But she knew this kind of thing happened to those who strayed too far for too long from their cubes.

"Just give him some food," said a Lucem observer.

"We don't eat the same way you do, we have no digestive system. We are sustained by being in close proximity with our cubes," explained a Marian.

The doctor looked puzzled. He shook his head in displeasure, "I'm afraid there's nothing I can do."

Rayble thought of the healer. Surely, the healer that he met last night could heal Kessa's father. He'd only seen or heard of him healing the sickness, but Rayble held on to hope that he'd be able to help Kessa's father.

He began to run around in different directions, staying relatively close in the vicinity of Kessa and her father to not lose them. In desperation, he asked strangers if they had seen the healer. They all shook their heads. After a while of searching Rayble returned to make sure the father was still conscious. He didn't look any better.

What could Rayble do? What did the healer say to Rayble last night? He said that Rayble was not only a defender but also a healer. Could it be possible that the man saw something in Rayble that he did not see himself? Now was the moment to try, but Rayble hesitated, not wanting to look like a fool, or give Kessa false hope that he could actually do something.

But then her father became unconscious and she cried out.

Rayble fought his way to kneel by them. He put his hands on the father and prayed. "Please God, I am no healer. But I know that You are. You can do anything God. I pray that you heal Kessa's father. Please, reconnect him with his cube."

In an instant he opened his eyes again and was healed.