"Arabian Nights"
Part 63
by Mel
When Viggo had opened his eyes he’d been surprised. He never let his room get this dark during the day. It was day, he could tell, though only the light of a single candle shone in the room. Years of hunting and fighting had taught him the difference between day and night by simple feel. He also knew he’d been sleeping a lot recently, but Orli had always been with him. Now though the bed was curiously empty.
Though the bed was empty, the room was not. It was alive with more sound than he had heard in there for a long time. It was happy, relieved. The sort of relief that made you feel as though you might just cry from knowing it was all over. Everyone was there. Well, almost everyone. The Kittens were all there, and Sean. The new boy was there as well.
He tried to work out what they were all doing in a dark room in the middle of the day. He felt as though he had woken from a dream where he was falling. The kind of dream you always wake up from before you hit the bottom. But it felt as though he’d been very, very close to impact. He wondered what would have happened if he had died in that dream.
Shaking his head Viggo felt a little light headed, a little queasy, but otherwise he felt fine. He wasn’t even tired anymore. The Prince couldn’t help but smile as the Kittens appeared to be trying to pile on top of Billy. He watched them for a moment, as Dom clung half to Billy and Elijah. Watched how Jared was curled around all of them, his awe on his face. Watched how one of Sean’s hands was threaded into Jared’s hair, his forehead pressed to that of their newest addition, as if he was thanking him for something.
Viggo got the feeling he had slept through something important.
"Could someone explain to me why you are all trying to squeeze that poor boy to death and why my mouth tastes as though a rat has died in it?"
The moment the words left his lips the focus of attention in the room returned to him. Viggo barely had a moment to brace himself before Orli disentangled himself from the pile and propelled his body at him. He was half way towards reprimanding the boy when there was a choked gasping sob in his ear.
“Oh Viggo, Viggo, Viggo.”
Orli clung to him with all his might, arms wrapped tightly around his neck. The boy trembled so violently that the only thing Viggo could do was hold him. The rest of the Kittens were standing, swarming around him anxiously, waiting for their chance to hug him. Sean stood behind them, a beautiful smile on his lips.
Carefully Viggo pulled back from Orli, looking at the young man’s hopeful face. He wiped the tear tracks from his cheeks, kissing him gently, reassuring him. The bright smile that bloomed across Orli’s face was worth it.
“What happened, love?” he asked gently, dismayed when Orli's eyes brimmed with fresh tears.
“You were going to die.”
That was not what Viggo had been expecting. He blinked, there was no lie in Orli’s eyes, he didn’t think the boy was capable of lying. Dying?
“You’ve been riddled with fever for three days,” Orli stroked his face, as if trying to convince himself that Viggo was really there. “Liv couldn’t break it. You...” Orli took a shaky breath, “you stopped breathing for a moment. You were going to leave us all.”
Viggo held the boy’s hands, looking around at the sad, yet relieved, faces around him. It was true, he had almost died. He opened his arms, letting the other boys crawl onto the bed. There was no hesitation, even Dominic and Jared came straight into his arms. Viggo held them tight. To think illness would have forced him to leave this he thought as he closed his eyes, burying his face in Elijah’s sweet hair.
“Fever?”
Billy’s soft timbre cut through the gentle silence in the bedroom. Viggo got his first real look at the boy who was clearly now free from the drugs he had been given. He was slight and small, possibly only a little taller than Elijah, with tousled strawberry blond hair. He still wore the green leggings he’d been wearing when the captain had brought him, but the shirt was gone. His green eyes, Viggo was delighted to see, were wide and awake, taking in his surroundings.
“But it was a curse I broke, not a fever.”
The whole room froze.
Billy looked distinctly uncomfortable, shifting under their gaze.
“Are you sure?” Sean managed from beside the boy.
Billy appeared thoughtful before nodding firmly. “If it had been a natural fever I wouldn’t have been much help. My, uh, healing skills leave much to be desired.”
There was a small lopsided grin, Viggo got the feeling that Billy had heard the comment often.
“The fever could have been an affect brought on by the curse, I suppose, I did not get much time to study it before I unraveled it.” The way they all looked at him made him uncomfortable. “Was I not supposed to?”
“No,” Viggo smiled, the boy returned it.
At least Billy didn’t appear nearly as shy as Jared. The twinkle in his eyes looked like something to keep an eye on though.
“Thank you for saving my life.”
“You have just saved a much loved Prince,” Sean whispered in the boy’s ear, chuckling when the boy jumped in surprise, “there are many people who will be in your debt.” Sean paused, smiling as Billy’s ears went pink. It was adorable. “Would you be able to tell me who cast the curse?”
Billy shook his head.
"Only if they cast a similar curse in front of me. The styles would have to be an almost perfect match.” The boy sighed. “Back at home I knew almost every Druid’s and witch's magical signatures. Here I know nothing.”
Sean wrapped an arm around Billy’s shoulder, smiling gently. “Then you have ended up in the right place, my young friend, the Prince will ask nothing more from you than yourself. You could not ask for a better place to be that isn't home.”
Billy looked up at the tall blonde man who was watching the boys on the bed with a fond smile. Billy could tell the man spoke from personal experience. He turned to watch those who would likely become the new people in his life. He knew things could be a lot worse, and perhaps, with the help of a prince who was indebted to him, he could learn what had become of his home.
Karl stared at the bedroom archway, relief coursing through him as he could hear Orli’s laughter, followed by Viggo’s rich, healthy, voice.
Allah be praised, the child sorcerer had saved the life of their Prince.
Karl pressed his forehead to the stones. He sent a silent prayer of thanks to the heavens before standing and moving slowly away to spread the news.
If you enjoyed this story, please send feedback to: Mel
go to PART 64