The First Legendary Beast Healer

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Tiffine remained crouched beside the fox, her hand resting against its back. She looked at Elias, then towards her companion, who was watching her as closely as everyone else.

For a while, she couldn’t find anything to say. The fox nudged her fingers, and she lowered her eyes towards it before getting to her feet.

“He must have guessed it,” she stammered. “That’s all it was. There’s no way he could have known those things. That's the only explanation.”

Her companion glanced at Elias, then nodded fiercely. Almost knocking her head off.

“That has to be it. People guess things like that all the time.”

“You see what I mean?” Tiffine asked, her voice growing steadier now that someone had agreed with her. “Anyone could have come up with those symptoms.”

The man leaning against the counter gave a short laugh.

“Or perhaps he’s been looking through records he had no business touching. His brother has been here long enough for him to learn his way around.”

“That makes more sense,” someone behind him said. “He probably stole the diagnosis and came here pretending he knew everything.”

Elias stood beside the counter while the comments continued around him. Rachael was looking at Tiffine, and he let her listen.

The nurse’s companion shook her head.

“That’s disgusting. You’d go that far just to deceive someone who wants to help you?”

“People like him shouldn’t even be allowed in places like this,” the man added. “They’ll do anything if they think there’s something to gain.”

He looked towards Elias as though expecting an argument, but Elias’s attention had moved to the fox. It had followed Tiffine when she stood, keeping close to her feet.

“You hear that?” Tiffine asked him. “Nobody here believes those tricks of yours.”

Elias finally turned towards her.

“If I was guessing, it was a pretty good guess.”

The man’s smile faded, and Tiffine drew herself up.

“That doesn’t prove anything.”

“Then you should have chosen a better test.”

Her companion looked away before Tiffine could turn towards her. The nurse’s fingers curled against her uniform, and she faced Rachael instead.

“You aren’t going to fall for his cheap lies just because of that little trick, are you? Miss Rachael, you can see what he’s doing.”

Rachael raised a hand, and the voices around the counter began to fall away. Tiffine stopped speaking, although her mouth remained open as she waited.

“You call that a cheap trick?” Rachael asked. “You speak as though I wasn’t standing here when it happened.”

Tiffine’s expression shifted.

“Miss Rachael, I was only trying to—”

“You brought forward your beast and asked him to tell you its symptoms. The question didn’t come from…”

Her gaze moved towards Elias.

“Elias,” he supplied.

“It wasn’t Elias who offered that test,” she continued, looking back at Tiffine. “That was your idea. Now that he’s answered, you’re accusing him of playing tricks.”

The man at the counter straightened and pulled his arm away from it. Rachael glanced towards him, and he lowered his eyes before she returned her attention to the nurse.

“Was any of what he told you wrong?”

Tiffine’s eyes dropped towards the fox.

“That isn’t the point, miss. Knowing a few symptoms doesn’t mean he can heal anything.”

“Then we’ll find out whether he can.”

Rachael looked towards Elias briefly. He gave a slight nod, and she returned her attention to Tiffine. The nurse drew a breath, but Rachael continued before she could begin another explanation.

“First, you said he guessed. Then someone suggested he stole a diagnosis, and you were quite happy to let them accuse him of that as well.”

“I didn’t say he stole anything.”

“Did you correct them?”

Tiffine’s lips pressed together. Her companion moved farther behind the counter, drawing the open register towards herself.

Rachael waited, giving Tiffine enough time to answer, but the nurse only looked towards Elias.

He met her gaze without speaking.

“I’m asking you a question,” Rachael reminded her.

“No, miss, but you have to understand that I was thinking about your beast. I wouldn’t want you to put it in the wrong hands.”

“And I’m capable of deciding whose hands I put it in.”

Tiffine lowered her head, the colour returning to her face in uneven patches.

“Of course you are, miss. I only meant—”

Rachael raised her hand again, and the rest of the words died before Tiffine could finish.

“Get your team to prepare a room.”

The nurse stared at her. She glanced towards the corridor, then back at Rachael, as though waiting for her to add something that would change the instruction.

Rachael’s expression remained calm.

Tiffine finally turned towards her companion.

“You heard her. Get the room ready.”

The woman hurried out from behind the counter, nearly catching her sleeve on the open register. She pulled it free and went towards the corridor without looking at Elias.

Tiffine followed, but she slowed beside him.

“She’s going to regret this,” she whispered. “And you’re going to be dead.”

Elias looked at her. She glared at him for a moment before walking after her companion, the fox following closely behind her.

The people near the counter began moving aside, suddenly finding reasons to return to whatever had brought them to the hospital. The man who had accused Elias of stealing a diagnosis stayed where he was until Rachael looked in his direction.

He stepped away from the counter without another comment.

When Elias turned back, Rachael was watching him. The faint amusement he had noticed earlier was gone, and her eyes remained on his face long enough to send a chill down his spine.

He held her gaze, his hand still resting against the counter.

She waited until Tiffine and her companion were farther down the corridor and stepped a little closer before speaking, her voice quiet enough that the people behind them could no longer hear.

“I hope you know what you’re doing, Elias. I’m slow to turn on people, but when I do, I don’t hold back.”