Anemone gave up her search inside Aron’s room shortly after. Then she called out to anyone who was still awake.

  “BACCATA! HIBERNICA! WHERE ARE THE SALIX BARKS!”

  Baccata kicked the door, wearing only one boot. His gut was hanging out of his half-buttoned gambeson. He had just returned from his nightly round. Sweat ran down his brow, and his plump, square cheeks flushed red. His dark eyes darted around to see the commotion. A groan let his lips, as he pinched his brow between his broad, chubby fingers. As he had his head outside the door, his voice resonated in their arboreal home.

  “Feck mi, Heat-Haze again!? HIBERNICA!!! GRAB DA WILLOW TREE BARK OUT ME TRUNK! Nin, get ready to cast a Leigheas-Ars to ease his pain.”

  Hibernica rushed through the door. Her white scarf, the same color as her nightgown, loosely covered long, rusty-red hair. Hibernica’s arms were full of bark, and a large bowl of water that made her pale ivory arms look like twigs. Before she got to Aron, Hibernica turned to Baccata with a glare.

  "No, it wasn't. And if you were here more, you would know that."

  Baccata grabbed the bowl from Hibernica, pulling two wet rags from the bowl. Then he placed one on Aron’s head and the other on his chest. Anemone held her right hand above his face; the cool rag's vapor quickly warmed. Meanwhile, Hibernica placed a piece of the bark on Aron’s chest and took a deep breath to focus.

  “Nin! This is the last of the bark, don't synthesize all of it as you cast a Leigheas-Ars. I will be casting a Burn-Heal Ars! Hopefully, our Analeptic-Ars will be enough.”

  They both began chanting as they gripped the salix bark.

  “Arcane-Uni: 1st Tier: Leigheas- (Aron).”

  “Vulcan-Uni: 1st Tier: Burn-Heal- (Aron).”

  Two rings of magical energy floated above Aron’s body. One deep purple light and another of burning crimson. Particles of gleaming red and plum gathered into the magic circles and poured into Aron’s tattered body. His straightened stiff with glowing eyes. As those glowing eyes slowed to Anemone, he smiled faintly. Anemone returned a nod with a weak smile. From just that smile, the tension in Anemone’s shoulders eased.

  _____________________________________________

  Almost twenty minutes had passed. Both Anemone and Hibernica continued to cast their healing Ars on Aron. First her, then Hibernica. They began rotating after the first ten minutes. And that time was spent just calming Aron down. Throughout the ordeal, he groaned and screamed, "bloody murderer." The gag Hibernica had placed in his mouth was practically soiled with blood. Aron had probably crushed a tooth from how hard he bit into it. Baccata had to restrain Aron from flailing around. And even with his size, Aron still ended up hitting one of them in the jaw. Anemone held her breath the entire time. Only when Aron stopped moving did she remember to breathe. Her arms trembled from the force of pushing her whole weight into his body. The throbbing in her head began to silence everything else. A tightness strained her chest, lower right abdomen, and arms. Powerful exhales were about the only thing calm; her body never eased. Darkness began to cover her eyes as she blinked, nearly blinding her.

  “To heal was to share the state of being healed.”

  That was the mantra Anemone repeated internally. It also did not help that Hibernica kept continuously muttering. Holding a healing Ars took a toll on the body. Even the toughest medics would cave after a few heals. Most only held it for a few seconds to patch up a quick wound, but this was like surgery. She had to keep her mind sharp, focusing on what it felt like to have a normal body. All Synergist and Analeptic users put their bodies through extreme trauma. Then they heal themselves right after. That way, they could retain that focus of healing and calm from their bodies to their patients. Learning to heal wounds was one of the worst experiences Anemone ever had. And hearing Aron scream brought it all back. But Anemone held strong even as her body heated. She continued to focus on her breath, drawing in the cool air around her. The rise and fall of her chest brought every sense back to life. From her toes to the ends of her hair, everything felt how hot her body was becoming. Sweat dripped from her brow, and she could see Aron’s breathing slow. It was for a moment, but a golden sparkle caught her gaze.

  “That light—it looks like L’wah’s flames.”

  Aronia’s birthmark flickered momentarily, but before she could get a closer look, Baccata’s arm blocked her vision. He switched the bone-dry rags to wet rags, rubbing Aron down. Slowly, Aron stopped squirming and shifted back into Aronia. After nearly an hour, the moment had subsided. Hibernica stroked her brow as Baccata paced around the foot of Aronia’s bed in distress. Anemone began biting her cheek as she helped Hibernica to keep Aronia cool with feathered fans. Soon, Aronia was fast asleep. They all sat back, letting out a sigh of relief.

  “Some handlin’! These flashes have me frizzled.” Baccata huffed. “I dinnae kno how much more she’ll be able to take.”

  “Hibernica, when are they importing more of the Vulcan-ease from Albion? What about the hydro-aloe coming from the Inermis?” Anemone asked.

  Hibernica nodded negatively. “I have not the slightest clue. Ever since your mother—Queen Titania, left…there have been many issues with the Council of Nine.”

  “Law and order mi arse. They just control and shift the blame!”

  Just hearing about the Council of Nine made her eyes roll. They are Tir-no-Nog’s highest-ranked officials. Each represents different branches of government within the kingdom’s walls. From food and agriculture to service and goods. Each maintained governance over a specific hemisphere. And Titania established order throughout the kingdom using them and her sheer presence. Spriggan once had a seat on the Council of Nine. Before he left his seat, Spriggan oversaw international affairs and trade. As Titania’s vasal and Anemone’s mentor, he found himself overworked. Meanwhile, Hibernica represented the medicinal branch of Apothecaries.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  For law and order, the Council of Nine voted on all major changes and issues for the entirety of Tir-noNog. With each having the power of one vote only, the Monarch’s vote was worth two tallies. And the embargo had a full-house favor vote. There was more than enough of the Salix bark a month ago, but Aron’s experience was not uncommon. Many Aos-Si or anyone who used Vulcan-Ars might get hit by Heat-Haze. Those who could control fire came down with feverishly high temperatures. It made even casting the simplest fire-based Ars too intense for comfort. Some even spontaneously combusted and died. But medicine for Heat Haze was not the only thing affected by the embargo.

  Baccata cut in. “Thanks to these additional Armada searches after the Four Winds, the outposts are backed up with goods!”

  Anemone shook her head. “More Arbor Magna searches after the festival? What do you mean???”

  Anemone’s mind jumped straight to her grimoire. Everyone knew that grimoires were priority number one. No matter where it came from or if it was produced here in Tir-noNog, eyes locked onto them. For years, the kingdom had been particular towards them. Be they Phloem Guard or Anthers as Tir-noNog’s Arbor Magna Armada, finding a rogue grimoire would snag you a high reward. She had overheard some say that the lumenopal in the books messed with the power of the barrier. Others claimed every grimoire bore a natural curse. That’s why the night she received it was even more surprising. Spriggan apparently had one for her this whole time, but never mentioned it, until recently.

  “I mean, those High Brow arseholes are having us look for something. Why else block out essentials?”

  With a deep sigh, Hibernica scowled. “There’s a reason! I’m sure of it.”

  “Come on, Hi. You and Florentina are next to the top brass. There must be somethin’ yoo can tell us.” Baccata snapped.

  “I wish I could. But. Their seniority on the Council allows them to call partial meetings without everyone present. Even Mom and I are out of their inner circle.” Hibernica pinched her brows. “But don’t you work for the Phloem Guard, Baccata? Shouldn’t you oversee all the records of what comes in and out?” she snarled.

  Her words made Anemone flinch as much as they made Baccata flinch. The venom in that sentence made Anemone shudder for multiple reasons. One, she already had doubts about Tir-noNog's security since she had left the barrier unnoticed before. Two, Spriggan snuck that grimoire in. And three? Well, the kingdom was in absolute distress after the Gallu attack. It was only a few days ago, right after the Four Winds festival.

  The festival was the only time Tir-noNog had its borders open to foreigners. Even though it makes sense to be wary, she knew the council would blame anything. All of them were superstitious. The thought of the embargo and their judgmental words made her skin as hot as before. It would be more likely that the barrier was just fickle or got overwhelmed. Anemone raised her brows. From the corner of her eye, her grimoire glared back.

  “How did you and Quarz get that inside when everyone is on high alert!?”

  The guards carefully checked anything entering Tir-noNog, especially Elven items. Unbeknownst to Anemone, both Titania and Spriggan had agreed to the embargo. Despite the embargo, Spriggan had arranged for Quarz to get it for her. He was Spriggan’s old comrade. He was also the one who snuck her grimoire into the kingdom. Although Anemone did not know how they had gotten it inside, she had no complaints. An Arbor Magna soldier had already scanned it and passed clearance. It read as if it had been present in Tir-noNog the whole time, yet there were few like hers available.

  Only a few grimoires could store both elemental and non-elemental Ars. And Anemone had the rarest of all grimoires. The Five-Ring Tome. Only dozens of Five-Ring Tomes were ever crafted. Fortune had either shone upon her or cursed. As Baccata turned away and threw up his hands, Anemone refocused her attention on the conversation.

  “Where da Muspell is Titania!? It has been a clatter of days since her last Whisper-Ars. She was our only connection above them. Thanks to that bloody embargo, the bloody Council and those bloody gallu! Everything’s a mess.”

  “It doesn’t matter whether she’s here,” Anemone hushed. “We still have to fulfill our duties to Tir-noNog in her stead.”

  Her skin crawled as she said those words, leaving her paralyzed. Prior to enrolling at Arbor Magna Academy, Anemone was already involved with officials. Thanks to Spriggan her time was spent on trade logistics or analeptic duties. When she was not training, that is. Before he stepped down from the Council, Spriggan also managed resource distribution. His major goal was to ensure the needs of all Tir-noNog’s citizens, regardless of class or race. It was something she admired about him. Aiding citizens and the kingdom was always good. However, sometimes a pit in her stomach would form. And with every passing day, her body and spirit became heavier.

  “Spoken like a royal blood, but even with the da aid of our soldiers, we cannae keep the peace forever.” Baccata huffed. “Those monsters come back for more like a dragon of a glipe! We’re struggling to keep ‘em at bay, and Aro’s not the only one who needs medicine.”

  “If only Spriggan were here, he could help.” Hibernica huffed.

  Everything was a mess. The Council had put the Trials on hiatus to focus on repairs for the kingdom post gallu attack. Both Titania and Spriggan had disappeared yet again. Meanwhile, the rest of her team was off in the background, fulfilling their civil duties. Anemone drew her eyes to the window yet again. Even without seeing the sky, she could feel it. Its presence loomed over the upper canopy of Tir-noNog’s woods. So close yet so far out of her reach. Behind the walls of her kingdom, she would remain until the trials began. Normalcy had returned to Anemone’s life.

  Like everyone else, Anemone spent the past five days helping the reconstruction crews. Their primary job was to clean up the debris in the city to make room for repairs. Having soldiers aid in the kingdom’s repairs was a method Arbor Magna used to keep the relationship between citizens and the military in good graces. It often helped ease the tension from collateral damage during the gallu assaults.

  As Anemone’s focus returned, she looked at Baccata and Hibernica. Both continued arguing with each other as they paced out of the room. Anemone could hear their usual disagreement. Whose fault it was and why Baccata was always late to help was the usual tempo. Then, Anemone looked back at Aronia, who once again was dead to the world—unbothered by the commotion.

  “Never a dull moment, huh, destiny?” Anemone groaned.

  Anemone huffed as she looked at her hands. They were still on fire, but the pain was bearable. It was not the first time Aronia’s body had heated to incinerating temperatures. Although she had panicked, Anemone had been around long enough to know what to do to calm Heat-Haze down. However, it did not make the moment any less frightening. Once Anemone noticed Aronia had calmed down, she sat near the bedside on the floor. She stared longingly out of the window. The faint moonlight made the undersides of the silhouetted clouds glow. It was as if the sky swallowed the light, blending back into a deep indigo of night. Her eyes closed with a deep, clear breath.

  “Now I wanna re-read V’s stories.”

  There was a book that kept her heart afloat before she had her grimoire. It was hidden on her bookshelf. The story of V and her adventures across the land made her heart sing. Lush grasslands with rivers of green, perilous tundra, scorching lands; V had seen it all. Even monsters that fell at her feet, all of that was thanks to her prowess. Those stories of V and the idea of adventures across land kept Anemone’s spirit ablaze. Even now, she dreamed of doing the same. She could hop out the window, flying into the distance of the night. As she flew across the darkened skies, the winter wind kissed her cheek. Even though there was nothing beyond the horizon, she flew forward. Hoping to disappear into the world.