Zhiyi cursed under her breath as they continued their march to wherever it was they were being taken. She had no idea where they were headed, and even if she had asked, she suspected the answer would not have made much difference anyway. They had left the capital when they were still children, barely ten years old, and their memories of the place were blurred by time and distance. Almost ten full years had passed since then. While some parts of the capital must have remained familiar, many others had changed beyond recognition. And even if they had not changed, she knew her recollections were far too faint for her to confidently navigate the city herself.
Only two places remained clear in her mind: the Renoff Manor and the Healers' Nest. Those locations had been her world for a time. Still, it shocked her how easily they walked through that same Healer's Nest without anyone recognising them. Then again, most of the healers she saw looked new, freshly recruited and far younger than she expected. That explained at least part of it. If the grand healer had been present, she would certainly have recognised Zhiyi in an instant. But the grand healer had been nowhere in sight. Instead, they were met by the new vice grand healer.
The new vice was a complete mystery. Zhiyi had never seen her before, not even once in her childhood, and she could not help wondering what had happened to everyone who had been next in line for succession. What had happened to the former vice? Why was everything suddenly different? The questions gathered in her mind like restless flies. But this was not the moment to ask. They were on a mission to heal someone apparently very important, and those involved were too secretive to risk interrupting.
The new vice grand healer, however, had seemed genuinely excited to meet them. That in itself was refreshing. Zhiyi had not received that kind of warmth anywhere else in the capital. But something about the woman was odd. She looked far too young to be in such a position. Most vice grand healers were seasoned elders, often beyond the age of forty. Yet this woman barely looked thirty. In truth, she was only twenty-eight. Far too young, yet unmistakably gifted. Her only flaw, in Zhiyi's opinion, was her bright and cheerful nature. Cheerfulness was a disease, and this woman carried a severe case of it.
Everyone at the Healers' Nest looked young as well. It was as if the entire place had shed its past and grown a new skin. Zhiyi found herself wondering what had become of all the older healers who used to fill the halls. Had they been dismissed? Exiled? Forced into retirement? The king was eccentric enough to do something drastic. Zhiyi knew that well. Still, she dared not say such a thing aloud. Renoff or not, treason was treason, and she had no desire to meet her end at the gallows.
Unlike Aroha, Zhiyi had no true understanding of what the problem was, but she could sense that this was not the moment to pry. The last thing she wanted was to look incompetent. Aroha had given her a subtle nudge earlier when she tried to ask at the Healers' Nest. Play along, that gesture had said. Was Aroha bluffing, too? Was she pretending to know what was going on? Curse you, Aroha, Zhiyi thought bitterly. Why must everything be so difficult the moment we arrive?
Aroha, on the other hand, walked with an unsettling calm. She had said nothing about what she sensed from the prince, reading the atmosphere with more care than Zhiyi ever could. These people wanted secrecy. The prince himself had come along, and that alone was suspicious. If they simply wanted to cover up an incident, he would not need to be here in person. Someone involved in this must be important. The prince was not here to lead them. He was here to supervise. To ensure they did not make mistakes.
But if secrecy mattered so much, why were they moving as a group that attracted so much attention? The prince, the vice grand healer, and a full escort of royal guards were walking in broad daylight for everyone to see. How was that supposed to be discreet? If anything, it screamed trouble. Aroha did not understand it, and the more she thought about it, the more it bothered her.
"If you are trying to keep a secret, should you not be a little more discreet?" Aroha said at last. "Walking together in plain sight feels too much like calling a bad omen to yourself."
The prince shot her a teasing look that only reminded Aroha of why she disliked most people.
"So you are a dreamer too? What gave you the idea that we were trying to be discreet at all?"
She shrugged lightly. "I just assumed. It looked that way." In truth, she had volunteered to help because the suggestion of a hidden mission had excited her. She had let her imagination run ahead of her common sense.
"You are not wrong," the prince continued, "but you are not entirely right either. It is something of an open secret. We are dealing with something important, but it has begun to spiral out of control. We need the healers to assist us. There was unrest, so we had no choice but to subdue them."
"Chimaeras?" Zhiyi asked quickly.
Aroha froze for a moment. She had never heard the word in her life. She never involved herself in social conversations. The only information she ever received came through Zhiyi.
"Yes, the intelligent but less angry one," the prince replied with a smirk. He was clearly taking a jab at Aroha. She ignored him with practised ease. Insults had become a kind of routine back at Juza. She had learned long ago that reacting only encouraged people. She never hated Zhiyi for it either, even when Zhiyi had picked up certain habits. Deep beneath her hard exterior, Aroha carried a gentle and beautiful heart, but it was one she refused to show to the world.
People exploit weakness. That was an idea she had clung to since childhood, one even her parents, Gero and Miya, could never understand. She had grown up believing it, and it had shaped her into the tough person she was now.
"So if you did not know anything about the chimaeras," the prince asked, "what exactly did you sense that made you want to help? Because it is clear from your face that you had no idea. You really are terrible at hiding your expressions."
"I never try to hide anything," Aroha answered. "I have no reason to." She looked him directly in the eye. "I sensed Lycan venom. I can smell it on you. Since you are still walking, I assume you are not the one who was injured."
Zhiyi blinked in shock. She had not smelled anything at all.
The prince looked genuinely impressed. "Interesting. The Lycan was one of the few who refused to obey my command, which is unusual for him. In my attempt to calm him, he bit me. So now I need to heal him."