THE HEALER WHO COULD NOT SAVE HER BROTHER

THE SERPENT RING

 Nobody said anything for a moment. Aria's gaze was glued to Rowan. So was Nyra's. Even Rowan felt the weight of his choice to speak. Regrettably for him, it was too late. "You know where the symbol comes from." Aria said. Not a question, a statement. "I know where I’ve seen it." He said, sighing. "Then start talking." Nyra said, with a nod of approval. "Yes, please start talking. That's how conversations work." In reply, they both continued to ignore her. Again. Nyra sat back with her arms crossed. "One day I will stop helping you both." "That day is not today." Aria responded. "No. Sadly." For the first time that afternoon, Rowan's lips twitched with a smile, but it faded quickly. He opened a drawer and pulled out a folder, with layers of dust on the edges. Not a good sign. Old documents meant old problems and old problems meant they had never been resolved. He placed it on the desk. "The serpent ring isn't a family crest." Aria continued to listen, "Is it military?" He continued flipping through the pages. "No." He said, "And it isn't royal." "Then what is it?" Nyra asked. Rowan hesitated, as if he didn't like what he had to say next. "Years ago, there was a private group operating outside the official healing circles." Aria was frowning. "A criminal organization?" "No." "Then what?" It was a long pause and the answer was as frustrating as the length of the pause. "A group of healers." Aria just Blinked. "That's it?" "It isn't that simple." "Of course not" Nothing had been simple since Daren appeared. "They believed healing knowledge should belong to everyone." Rowan said.

"That doesn't sound dangerous." "It wasn't." "Then why the investigation?" "They didn't follow the rules." Credible. Rowan continued. "They did research. Shared secret research. Drafted up design plans for unverified methods." The room went quiet. Aria understood the reason for the concern. Just because the group had good intentions didn't mean they would avoid a catastrophe. Especially in the field of medicine. "What happened to them?" "They just disappeared." "Disappeared?" Nyra asked incredulously. "Some of them left," Rowan said with a shrug. "Some of them died. Some of them just vanished. The rest of the group totally dissolved." Aria focused on the serpent again. A bad feeling had settled in. "If they disappeared so long ago..." and then she asked, "Why is their symbol showing up again?" Rowan took quite a long time to respond. That in itself was terrifying. Especially since he was the only one who had any response. Even if it was a bad one. He said, "That's what concerns me." The silence that fell over the room was unbearable as Aria looked through the old file. Row after row of faded names and investigation notes, most of them totally inconsequential to her at the time, until there was one that was not so inconsequential. Voss. Her heart skipped a beat. For one brief moment she thought her eyes were deceiving her, but no. Still there. Voss. Her heart raced. She reached for the file. "Rowan." There were no more secrets. She had seen it. "What is this?" Nyra gasped and leaned over. The name was neither Liam's nor Aria's. It belonged to someone else entirely

She hadn't heard that name in years. Her father's name was Elias Voss. The memories crashed around her. "No." Rowan slowly closed the folder. Not out of anger. More so like he was closing a glass case. "Aria” "No." This time, she pushed the chair to the side and stood. "I want a real explanation." It was common knowledge that he died when she was young. As far as her mother told her. He had nothing to do with hidden healer circles. He had nothing to do with investigations. He had nothing to do with any of this. Here he was, however. Like a ghost.»Why was he here?«

Rowan rubbed his temple. »He’s not a member, right?«

»Then why was his name in the file?«

More hesitation. More silence. More frustration. Luckily, due to a series of unfortunate events, it seemed like every person in this kingdom took an oath to speak in half sentences.

Finally, he replied.

»He reported them.«

That hit like a stone.

Aria stared.

»What?«

»Your father reported their activities.«

Aria’s mind scrambled.

Reported them.

Her father.

That same father who had taught her the fundamentals of healing.

That same father who was Liam’s idol.

That same father whose portrait still sat in a box beneath her bed.

»No.«

It was involuntary.

Rowan didn’t contest.

That made it worse.

»He thought some of their research was dangerous. «

Aria looked away.

She had to think.

She had to breathe.

Everything feels more and more like chaos.

The serpent symbol.

The notes.

The investigation.

Liam.

Her father.

How were they all connected and why was this all a secret?

Nyra spoke softly.

»Do you think Liam knew?«

That hit harder than all of the rest.

Aria froze.

For the first time, she was considering it.

What if Liam knew?

What if the secrets started before his illness?

What if the secrets started with their father?

Knock. Sharp. Urgent.

Rowan scowled.

»Come in. «

The door opened.

A guard stepped in.

Panting and glistening with sweat.

Not good. Definitely not good.

"Captain."

"What is it?" Aria shot back, not even bothering to spare a glance for the guard.

A shift in Aria's line of sight confirmed the guard's attention was on her.

"We found the missing patient."

Daren.

Aria's heart jumped.

"Inform me."

The guard attempted to swallow but rapidly began to turn pale.

"That's... the problem."

The room continued to hold its silence, weighty and bleak.

"What problem?" Rowan finally broke the silence.

The guard hesitated once more.

"We found him dead."

The silence grew heavy and oppressive almost instantly.

"Someone carved a serpent next to the body in the wall."