Path Of The Broken

11. Ryan's Injury-4

Aaron sat back, a wave of exhaustion hitting him. He looked down at the boy Alex had brought to him and he placed his hand on his shoulder as he tried to get up.

“Relax, Ryan. I healed your body, but you still need to rest. You did quite a bit of damage to yourself.” Aaron smiled reassuringly at the panicked boy.

“Thank you, healer, but I can’t pay and this looks too fine for the likes of me. I’ll mess your bed up.” Ryan looked around in panic.

“It’s fine, Ryan. His father already paid.” Aaron’s lips twitched in amusement and his head jerked in Alex’s direction.

“I don’t understand why his friends didn’t just take him to the local healer. What they were trying to do was barbaric.” Alex looked unhappy with what he’d seen.

Aaron sighed, wishing he was not familiar with the problem.

“Alex, there just aren’t enough of us. Healing can be exhausting, particularly if the village only has a journeyman who might not even be in the village when problems occur.” Aaron paused, sending a mental suggestion to his patient to sleep.

“Your Highness, it’s a practice the Healers’ Guild is aware of.” Jocelyn looked sad, but not outraged. “Those who are less fortunate resort to these types of measures trying to stay alive long enough to heal or for a healer to see them.”

“We have at least three healers at Master level here in the palace at all times, Your Highness, plus all the journeymen. The smaller villages share a journeyman.” Aaron grimaced. “Still, if they’d taken the lad to the local healer, he would have been treated. We struggle to convince the poor that they can come to us. They see the more fortunate pay—it helps with food and upkeep so the healer can concentrate on that instead of where their next meal is coming from. Unfortunately, many of the poor think they have to pay, so they don’t show up when they should.”

Jocelyn nodded. “You may not be aware, but it’s also why we help as many as we can during the Royal Procession. The locals all know they can come into the Healers’ Pavilion to receive treatment.” Jocelyn shrugged. “Our journeymen and trainees also run a clinic twice a week in the village either here or at the Winter Palace, depending on the season.”

Alex looked a little pale. “How could I not know before now that people are forced to resort to this kind of practice?”

Aaron shook his head. “I could wish I didn’t. He must stay with us for a few days, Your Highness. I’ll have him transferred to a bed in the recovery wing.” Aaron paused and said hesitantly. “You recognise the power in him?”

Alex nodded. “I’ll make arrangements. He’s strong enough for transition to be a risk.”

Aaron raised his hand as Alex drew the power. “Alex, how are you coping?”

Alex shook his head and disappeared into the veil. That wasn’t something he wanted to ask himself right now, particularly when he felt more than a little responsible for the mess that the boy had ended up in.