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Home / Fantasy / THE HEALER WHO COULD NOT SAVE HER BROTHER / THE SERPENT RING
THE SERPENT RING
Author: Unwana Akpe
last update2026-06-11 15:03:18

No one said a word.

The silence in Rowan's office was really uncomfortable.

Aria's eyes were fixed on him.

Nyra's eyes were fixed on him too.

Rowan let out a sigh.

He knew he could not take back what he had already told them.

Aria said "you know where the serpent symbol comes from".

It was not a question.

Rowan nodded.

Aria said "I know where I've seen it".

Then she said "start talking".

Nyra raised her finger.

She said "I would also like to know how people have conversations".

Aria and Rowan did not even look at her.

Nyra crossed her arms. Made a big show of it.

She said "one day I will stop helping you two".

Aria finally looked at her.

Aria said "that day is not today".

Nyra let out a sigh.

She said "unfortunately".

For the time that afternoon Rowan's mouth twitched into a small smile.

The smile went away really fast.

He walked over to a cabinet and unlocked the bottom drawer.

He dug through a lot of papers and pulled out a thick folder that was covered in dust.

Arias stomach felt tight.

Old files usually meant mistakes that nobody wanted to talk about.

Rowan put the folder on the desk.

He said "the serpent ring is not a family crest".

He said "it is not a symbol".

He said "it is not connected to the Crown".

Aria asked "then what is it".

Rowan hesitated.

He said "it is a symbol".

Aria asked "of whom".

He said "of a group".

Nyra leaned in closer.

She asked "a group of criminals".

Rowan said "no".

She asked "spies".

He said "no".

Aria looked confused.

She asked "then why are you being so quiet about it".

Rowan slowly opened the folder.

He said "because they were not people".

He said "they were healers".

Aria looked surprised.

She said "that is it".

Rowan said "it is not that simple".

Nothing ever is.

He said "they believed that healing knowledge should be available to everyone".

He said "they shared their discoveries with others, they taught people outside of groups and they tried new treatments that the Council had forbidden".

Nyra tilted her head.

She said "that does not sound bad".

Rowan said "it was not".

Aria asked "then why did you investigate them".

He said "because some of their experiments were not right".

He slid a paper across the desk.

He said "some healers said they were trying to cure illnesses that nobody else could".

Aria's attention was caught.

She asked "the silver sickness".

Rowan said "I do not know".

Aria did not like the uncertainty in his voice.

She said "the timing matches".

Rowan kept turning pages.

He said "they worked in secret, they kept their records and eventually...".

He stopped.

He said "they disappeared".

Aria looked at Nyra.

She asked "what does 'disappeared' mean".

He said "some quit their jobs".

He said "some died".

He said "others just vanished, no bodies, no explanations".

He said "the organization fell apart overnight".

There was silence again.

Aria looked at the drawing of the serpent emblem.

Its body looked like it was moving on the page.

She said "if they vanished years ago...".

She looked at Rowan.

She said "why is someone using their symbol now".

Rowan did not answer away.

When he finally spoke his voice was quieter.

He said "that is exactly what worries me".

Aria felt a knot in her chest.

If the serpent ring had come back...

Then whatever Liam had gotten into years ago...

Had never really ended.

The room was silent.

Aria looked down at the folder that was open on the desk.

Page after page had names, investigation notes and sketches from a case that should have been forgotten.

Most of the names meant nothing to her.

Until one did.

Voss.

Her breath caught.

She looked again.

The name was still there.

Not Liam.

Not Aria.

Elias Voss.

Her fathers name.

The blood went out of her face.

She said "Rowan...".

He looked up.

She pointed at the page with shaking fingers.

She said "what is this".

Nyra leaned over the desk.

Her eyes got wide.

She said "that is your father".

Rowan slowly closed the folder.

Not because he was angry. Because he was being careful.

He said "Aria...".

She said "no".

She stood up.

She said "I want the truth".

Her voice was steady. Just barely.

Her mother had told her that her father died serving the kingdom.

He had nothing to do with healer groups.

He had nothing to do with investigations.

So why was his name in this file?

Rowan rubbed his forehead.

For a time he said nothing.

Aria's patience ran out.

She said "stop protecting me".

He said "I am not".

She said " answer me".

He finally looked up at her.

He said "your father was not a member of the group".

Aria felt a little better.

Just a little.

Rowan said "he reported them to the Council".

The words hit her like a hammer.

Aria stared at him.

She said "what".

He said "your father thought some of their research was getting out of control".

He said "he thought innocent people would get hurt if it kept going".

Aria shook her head.

She said "no".

Her father had taught her everything she knew about healing.

He had taught Liam how to grind herbs when he was a little boy.

He had always said that every life mattered.

How could he betray healers?

Unless...

Unless he was trying to stop something worse.

Nyra spoke softly.

She said "do you think Liam knew".

The question made the room feel frozen.

Aria's thoughts were all over the place.

What if Liam had found out about their fathers connection.

What if the secrets about his illness had started years before he got sick.

What if this was never about the silver sickness.

There was a knock.

It broke the silence.

Rowan frowned.

He said "come in".

The door burst open.

A young guard ran in breathing hard.

He was sweating.

Something was very wrong.

He said "Captain...".

Rowan stood up.

He said "what happened".

The guard looked at Aria before answering.

He said "we found the missing patient".

Daren.

Aria felt hope.

Just for a second.

She said "where is he".

The guard swallowed.

His face turned pale.

He said "that is... The problem".

Rowan took a step forward.

He said "what problem".

The guard looked down.

He said "we found his body".

The words were like ice.

Aria stopped breathing.

He said "he was dead when we got there".

The guard's voice was shaking.

He looked at Rowan.

He said "someone carved a serpent into the stone wall beside him".

The office was silent again.

The serpent ring was not an old symbol, from a forgotten investigation.

It had taken another life.

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