Chapter 49 - Recovery

It was a potion unlike any I had seen before. It's not that I was an expert on them, but I could tell that this one was different. It wasn't a lot, just a small vial akin to the ones you usually had to break open and dump their contents in one go. It shimmered with a special, molten, silver glow as if it were starlight liquified and bottled. Beside it, a thick leather-bound book waited for me to take. Looking closer, I noticed that its title was embossed in gold and written in the local language, yet it felt a bit... old. It was as if it used a dialect that was no longer in use. Selene hadn't said anything while I examined the items, and she hadn't even spoken a word when she handed them over. She only gave me a long look—equal parts warning and curiosity, making me gulp.

"Read it very carefully," she said finally. "And don't you ever sell it or give it away. I would know... and I would take it back, along with interest."

"I may sell information," I countered, touching the book and looking into her eyes, "But not everything is up for sale. If I don't have leverage for myself, I won't go far."

"Mhm." She blinked her eyes slowly, leading me out of the building, visibly ending our short meeting and discourse. It seemed that during our meeting, the favor I had was used up...

In the end, she opened the door, and just like that, I was dismissed. When I stepped back out into the rain, it was no longer as heavy as before. Looking up towards the grey clouds, it had softened to a mist instead, and people were also back on the streets. I could hear the reopening of doors and reappearing figures coming out of their shelters.

Mira didn't have time to spare. This reminded me to start walking, hurrying back to Veren & Sons, hoping that I wasn't gone for long enough to be late. Otherwise, I would have used up a lifeline for nothing.

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Inside the small room where they put her, Mira lay in the middle of it all, not on a bed but on a table. Her clothes were changed into cleaner sheets as they wiped her body off, and when I uncovered her, I had the first actual close view of how badly her body was broken. It was a miracle that she managed to stay alive until now. I watched as her chest rose in short, uneven bursts, and her right arm remained twisted at a crooked angle... But her legs were worse. Even in my old life, I think the doctors would have suggested amputating them instead of trying to save them.

"So... what now?" Markus asked when I entered, while the others only looked on. I could tell that his brother, Willem, scrutinized me suspiciously while his son, Rellen, was simply curious. But I was kind of sure that none of the three present with me believed in Mira's survival. And I could understand why.

Taking a deep breath, I didn't answer him. Instead, I dropped the book onto the table beside Mira and pulled the vial from my coat.

"Is that... No... Is that Murian leather and text?" Willem asked, his eyes widening a little. I never heard that name, but... I will have to ask it subtly and not tell them I have no idea what they are talking about.

"..." Maybe my silence was thought to be confirmation because Willem fell silent, pulling back his hand before touching the book without my permission, subconsciously reaching out for it.

"What is that? Murian?" Rellen asked, but Willem just waved a hand, not answering.

"No... fucking... way..." Markus gasped when I pulled the potion out of my pocket, carefully holding it between my fingers. This time around, only Markus was shocked, while for the other two, the liquid in my hand seemed to mean nothing.

Maybe Mira sensed it as she whimpered once, tossing weakly before me. Her eyes fluttered open for half a second, meeting mine. Unlike before, they were dull and glassy and never really focused... and then they rolled back.

"Here goes nothing," I whispered, even though I knew she couldn't hear me. "You're not dying today, kiddo."

I slid an arm under her neck to lift her just enough... Her body felt so light and broken as if I was holding a bag filled with shattered porcelain, trying not to cause them to splinter into even more pieces.

Then I broke the top end of the vial, and the room suddenly smelled of sweetness. It was like... someone shoved a giant cotton candy under my nose. Without thinking why, I gently tipped it into her mouth, letting it flow onto her tongue and down her throat.

She swallowed reflexively, and when it was all gone, I let her lie back, watching and waiting.

"What was that smell?" Rellen asked, "Did it work? Doesn't seem––"

Then Mira's back arched violently, and she screamed like a banshee.

The sound tore through the room like scratching against a blackboard. All four of us flinched, taking a step back in shock. Then, without thinking, I leaned over the table, trying to hold her. Mira thrashed in my arms so violently that I had to pin her down, no longer caring about her shattered bones. Her limbs, the ones that had been broken and twisted, started moving, producing loud, hair-raising crunches. They were being realigned by force.

Her legs straightened with a horrible crunch, the skin around them reopening and then merging back to new, gaining a pinkish color as if something beneath it was knitting her muscles and flesh together. Not something... it was the potion flowing through her body. Her fingers spasmed, and her bruised skin flushed with sudden color as blood vessels beneath the surface seemed to thrum and twist before resetting themselves. I swear I could hear her heartbeat while it was happening... it was like actual drums.

Then, her jaw locked, and her teeth gnashed together before relaxing for another scream. It was even worse this time, raw and primal, making her voice sound like an animal and not a child. Then her ribs shifted, realigning with a sickening series of cracks as if tiny snakes wiggled under her thin body.

If not for my current state of mind... I think I may have looked sick just from watching it happen. Was this normal? I don't know, but this wasn't healing. This was rewriting the body... I was surprised at how much strength she had at that moment. I had to use both hands to keep her pushed down while sweat poured down Mira's face as her body jerked, seized, and then, finally, fell limp once again.

Seeing her unmoving once more, I leaned closer, putting my ears against her nose and watching her chest... It was moving, and she was breathing. It wasn't haphazard or irregular anymore. It was slow but perfectly steady. Yes, she was still unconscious, but... the sickly hue was gone from her skin, and instead, it became pinkish. Best of all, her limbs looked whole again. To make sure, I touched her forehead, and it was warm but no longer burning with fever.

"She pulled through," I exhaled, saying it more to myself than anyone else.

"What the fuck was that?" Willem asked suddenly, gasping, coming out of his shock, unbelieving of what he had seen.

I didn't answer... because I had no idea. Instead, I just pulled the blanket up over Mira's now-straightened frame and sat down on one of the chairs, letting out another long breath. Glancing at Markus, he was shocked not by what he saw but by what he knew he saw. Now... How do I extract all the information out of him without showing the man that I was also in the dark?

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Lord Valcroft of Korvar was not easily disturbed.

Not by political maneuvering but by the subtle, minor riots that the Crimson Ledger has been paying for here and there. Not even by the steady encroachment of their businesses on his personal interests. Yes, their mercantile claws had dug deeper into his city each year, but he was confident that if they tried to overstep their boundaries, he could stop them. For now... they still had a use, but their importance was waning... and waning fast. He was aware of the risks, but he believed that he played the game well, keeping the local nobles fat, keeping the coin flowing, and keeping the streets relatively clean.

But the sudden news he received when his spymaster slid a slim envelope across his desk, opening and reading its contents, Valcroft's chest tightened, and his back straightened.

"Silverhaven?" he asked.

"Yes," the pale man with blue eyes inclined his head, most of his features hidden behind wet, still dripping cloaks. "An individual entered and exited this morning. He was young, around his mid-twenties. I looked up the registries, and from what I gathered, his name is Auriel."

"Never heard of him..." Valcroft steepled his fingers. "Auriel. Not a noble, not a guild leader. Not one of ours. So... who is he? Why haven't I heard his name if he has a link to that place?!"

"I... We don't know, my lord. It seemed that he was just a lower-level figure, arriving in our city weeks ago. He did nothing major for us to take notice of. For now," he muttered, trying to find excuses, "What we know is that he is associated with a bakery in the southern district. Also recently seen in the company of Markus Veren... And the bakery was previously part of the Verens' property."

Now that got his attention... He sat back, eyes narrowing, already connecting it to the news of the elven artifact.

Markus Veren had been a valuable asset of late... And now someone tied to him had walked into Silverhaven? Coincidences? No. Not really. Not ever. It was evident that this new figure had a hand in everything that was happening under his nose. Thinking about his next step, Valcroft tapped the envelope thoughtfully.

"You're certain of everything?"

"What we could gather, yes." The spymaster nodded. "Witnesses confirm the guards acknowledged the boy's entrance. The man was not detained either, and after a short time, he exited carrying what appeared to be a sealed item, looking like a tome."

"Then he made an exchange inside." Vacroft grunted, squinting, biting his lower lip, "That could be good and bad, depending on whose side he is on."

While speaking, the room grew colder, or maybe it only felt that way, thanks to his tone. Even as City Lord, Valcroft didn't make demands of Silverhaven. No one did. They were independent and had their own law unto themselves. You can't force them to do anything, but luckily, they were sensible enough not to interfere with the city's work since they had been established... for the past few hundred years. In fact, Valcroft had also struck several advantageous agreements with them over the years. Yet his dealings were possible because he was the City Lord.

Still, if they'd moved in someone's favor—especially someone tied to someone so low-standing as Markus—that was not something to ignore. Well, he could easily deduce that it wasn't Markus who had introduced this newcomer... but the fact remained that it seemed accepting Veren & Sons into his fold was a big boon.

"Double the watch on Veren & Sons," Valcroft said softly. "Keep eyes on this, Auriel. No interference—not yet, at least. If Silverhaven has made a deal... I want to know why. I want to know who has just moved into my city!"

"It will be done, My Lord." The spymaster bowed and disappeared like a shadow as if he had never been there in the first place.

Grabbing a cigar, Valcroft rose and walked to the tall windows of his study, lighting it up. Watching while blowing smoke through his nose, his city stretched out below him, gray rooftops glistening with rain as the clouds finally parted and gave way to sunlight. Somewhere out there, a new piece had just entered the board... and maybe it was time to finish the game with the Crimson Ledger even if it was going to be... bloody.