ARCHIE

I received a memo from the healing council at the break of dawn summoning me for questioning. Another patient of mine was found dead in his room. His family claimed he died shortly after taking his medicines. This is the fifth death in the last two weeks, it's getting worrisome. I have always prided myself with been a pretty good healer, so what in the world was going on now?

At the council, I was informed that a panel will be set up to investigate the cause of death of my most recent diseased client. He was a royal from a very prominent family, and someone needed to be held accountable for his demise. After five deaths in a row, they needed to confirm the deaths weren't as a result of negligence on my path.

I was ordered me to submit all prescriptions and drug samples used during the treatment of my patients to the 1st healer for examination, as well as answer the questions that would be asked by the panel when it was set up. I wasn't the only suspect, just the prime suspect.

This was two Royals and 3 Electrics dying on my watch. After this mess, would a Royal ever be assigned to me again?

For the past couple of days, Eve has been trying to make me feel better, but I just couldn't stop worrying. It's been about 2 weeks since she started treating Prince Luke, and there were already great signs of improvement. I was at his residence yesterday after Lady Vivian called saying her son was gaining consciousness and I had to see the good news for myself. Surprisingly, she had been right. My apprentice was doing a good job. I knew she was special right after the very first time I read her source. She was like nothing I had ever seen before. Even she didn't seem to realise how gifted she was, probably because there were no other fellow apprentices in my household she could compare her gifts with. But I had worked with young healers before and could recognize great potential when I saw one.

The Royals were watching her like a hawk ever since I assigned her a Royal patient, so were the Healers. With everything that had been going on with her, she already has enough on her plate.

Not that being gifted was bad, I just didn't want Megan justifying her reading of the girl. When Eve turns out to be the amazing healer which I know she would, Megan would beat her chest boasting about how she had been right about her source reading.

Yes, she has amazing healing abilities, but there are also royal traits in the kid. I have been watching her closely for the past three years, deliberately not administering any drugs to her, especially the Zeluxe pill, but she has shown no signs of decay. Even I couldn't stay so long without the pill without a spike in my readings. I could do two years, but that was it. Her decay process should have started two years ago but it still hasn't. The most surprising is that, she has stopped physically aging.

She reminded me so much of my wife, Lily. Those were the times love had made me feel like nothing else mattered, but I have since woken up from that dream after Lily was taken away from me.

I would never be able to forgive Megan f she played in all of these. I respected her as 1st healer, but that was all there was to it. Lily was everything to me. When she died, there were no words to describe the emptiness I felt.

I wished she had died at childbirth as I had been told. I mourn her death and the death of my unborn child but it would have been way easier to move on if I had never found out that I had been lied to about the circumstances surrounding her death.

I lost Lily and my parents within the same year. My parents died much earlier within the year while Lily died later within the year. Although I missed them dearly, I rose to the responsibility as the heir to the family title and served selflessly. I mourned their loss for 20 years before I discovered that my wife was still alive. They had kept her in the breeding hall and turned her into a breeder

I still remember that day like it was yesterday. It all began when Tory ran to my office that evening, telling me that she had been to the breeding hall and had seen Lily. If anybody else had told me that, I would have demanded for their head. But this was Tori, Lily's handmaid for over fifty years, she knew how much I loved Lily and wouldn't joke about something like that. Without thinking about the implication of what I was told, I ran to the breeding hall demanding that Lily be brought out. It took Megan three days to admit Lily was there and another two weeks before Lily was finally brought to me.

I didn't know what to feel at the time. Those people had used my wife as a breeder for the past twenty years against her will. I had no idea of how many children she had birthed as a breeder or how many men had been forced on her.

She wasn't coherent at the time we found her, she had lost her mind to her misery, becoming an empty shell. I took her home and tried my possible best to heal her, but she died shortly after.

Megan insisted that she did what she did for the greater good. She defended her actions in the general council by saying that only a few females could conceive and that it was selfish of me to monopolise that ability. She also claimed that her intentions had only been to serve the Uranian citizens who were desperately seeking children and that with the help of women like my wife, they were children in the halls for adoption. Unfortunately for me, the council ruled in her favour.

I was too weak at the time to demand justice for what was done to my wife. It was true that our women rarely conceived. Child birth was a very rare occasion, which was why we protected the babies until they came off age. But the real issue was that Lily wasn't a slave or criminal who no longer had any rights, she was a healer from a very prestigious family, but against her will, and without the consent of her husband, she was subjected to an unfair treatment just because of her ability to bear children. Megan had no right to forcefully detain her, but I had been too much of a coward to insist on that.

I took depressants for ten years after that to numb my mind. I chose not to deal with the situation. When I came to my senses, I applied again to the council, seeking their permission to reopen the case, but they rejected my plea. They said that her parent made no complaints to the council and had been aware of their daughter's situation the entire time.

I confronted my in-laws, but they sent me away saying that their daughter had died long ago and they didn't want to revisit sad memories. I lost all trust in the government ever since.

3 months into my wife's pregnancy, my parents died. The coroner declared that their death was a suicide. The night before they were found dead in their chambers, we were planning our family vacation trip. Mom already had possible names for her unborn grandchild, so believing that they killed themselves was very difficult for me. Lily had the hardest time accepting it and kept insisting that the council hand over their bodies to us so we could perform another autopsy, but they refused. I was worried about her health and the health of our unborn child, so I convinced her to let it go. The council declared that their bodies would be used for research purposes. Painfully, we signed the agreement papers. Suicide was a taboo, and because of it, they would not be getting the traditional burial that they deserved.

Throughout this entire ordeal, I kept reminding myself that the council was fair. It had always been fair. That thought kept me sane. But ever since I saw what was done to my wife, my life has been filled with regret. I loathed myself for not fighting for them. Sometimes, when I was alone, I entertained thoughts of killing myself, but never pulled if off mainly because of cowardice. I felt like a complete failure.

Each time I attended an outing ceremony all I could think of was, this might be Lily's child. She was in that hall for 20 years. That thought hunted me until I stopped attending the events altogether.

I thought of adopting a child a couple of times. A lot of well to do families did, but I discouraged myself each time. I knew that the reason I wanted a child was because of my guilt and guilt was no reason to have a child.

When I began investigating if similar things happened to other families, I realized that Lily wasn't the only one with a similar end. There were a lot of other families who claimed that their daughters or wives never returned after being admitted to the birthing hall, not even their bodies were returned to them for a proper burial, a few said that they found out much later that they had been turned to breeders.

This experience opened my eyes to a very painful truth, and it was that this system was built on falsehood. The council was a colossal fraud and no one was bold enough to do anything about it. In simple terms, we were all slaves to the council Parasite or not. The only difference between us and parasites is that we were not aware it.

* * *

"My lord! My lord!" Tory ran into my chambers, screaming. She was a parasite who had sold herself to my parents. When they died, I inherited her. I released her a long time ago, but she begged to stay. She had been Lilian's handmaid when she was alive. Now, she was the chief maid my household.

"What is it, Tory?"

"A few members of the sect council are here. The 1st healer is with them. What do I do?"

"Have them wait in the waiting room. I would be there in a minute," I replied.

I quickly changed into a more presentable outfit, and walk down to the waiting room. Five members of the sect council sat in my waiting room just as Tory had said. I did not know why they were here, but I was certain it wasn't for anything good. I took the farthest seat away from them and plastered a neutral expression on my face.

"How may I help you?" I asked.

Megan sighed. "Shouldn't you invite us in, 10th healer?"

She was right. I should. But I only invited welcomed guests into my home and these people weren't welcomed. Instead of giving her a response, I ordered for some tea to be served. It wasn't lost on me that they hadn't been offered any, and I had taken at least 30 minutes before coming out. Tory was the best. The tea was served quickly and the tension in the room dissipated a little.

"Two royals died under your care Archie, what do you have to say about it?" Megan asked, finally breaking the silence in the room. She completely ignored the cup of tea that was placed before her while her companions helped themselves to their cups as she spoke.

What kind of answer is she expecting from me? I have turned over my prescriptions and drug samples to her already. I have also been to 4 different panel investigations led by her and answered all their questions. What else did she want from me?

"I have cooperated with the ongoing investigation, you know that very well. Why are you here?"

"It has been confirmed that the cause of death of your patients is poisoning. What I want to know is why you did it,"

I looked over at her companions to gauge their reaction. They had none. They just silently continued sipping their tea. So they were all in on this madness. At first, it was negligence. Now they had upgraded my charges to murder.

"Are you accusing me of murdering my patients? I asked in disbelief.

Her accusation took me off guard, and I panicked. Naturally, she noticed.

She chuckled at my reaction and took a sip of her tea. I watched as she gulped down the content of her cup very slowly with a satisfied smile on her face.

"Bring him in!" She ordered.

A man was dragged in by her guards, and a trail of blood followed behind them. His cloth was torn and completely drenched with blood. The exposed part of his flesh was covered with deep and painful-looking cuts. He had obviously been tortured.

I sprang up immediately, enraged. "What nonsense is this? Megan, explain yourself?"

"He is a member of your staff. He claims that on multiple occasions he received orders from you to purchase type A poison. Coincidentally, it is the same type of poison found in your patient's source. Interesting isn't it?"

I shook my head in disbelief. This couldn't be happening to me. This woman was sitting so confidently on my couch, accusing me of murdering my patients. By law, the punishment for the offence was death. As healers, we are obligated to give life, not take. Even if I wasn't killed, my reputation would be ruined.

Walking over to the wounded man, I pulled up his chin. He was indeed a staff of mine, my doorman for ten years. How had she gotten him to tell such a blatant lie? Slowly, I walk back to my seat.

"I'm innocent of this accusations, Megan, and you know it. I would prove my innocence to the general council." I said, breaking the silence in the room.

She chuckled. "Don't be an idiot. If I wanted to summon you to the council, I would not be in your house. Believe it or not, am here to help you."

She ordered a refill of her cup of tea and quietly watched me. I knew she was stalling so her last statement could sink in. This wasn't about my innocence, she knew I was. This was all a game, a game she was more than ready to play. She has already gone as far as manufacturing a witness. If we went to council, she would do whatever needed to be done to prove her claims. Finding a witness was just the beginning.

I turned over to her companion. They too had requested a refill of tea their cup of tea and were drinking nonchalantly amidst all of this. None of them had said a word the entire time.

Did she bring them here just to infuriate me?

I was losing control of the situation. What did she mean by 'she wants to help me'? Can I even trust her?

"Megan you…"

"Archie!"

Slowly, I turned to the source of the sound. It was Eve. My mind had been in such turmoil, I hadn't even recognised her voice. She stood by the doorway dressed in her usual outfit, T-shirt and pants.

"What is going on?" she asked

No one replied.

After quietly observing the scene for a few seconds, she walked over and leaned on my chair with a neutral expression on her face.

It was completely rude of her to intrude on our conversation, especially when she knew exactly who the guests were, but I was grateful for it. I had been 5 seconds away from accepting defeat. Megan certainly wanted something from me. This was all just a trap to force me into playing along.

"1st Healer," Eve said, breaking the silence. She bowed slightly, paying her respects. "Did I interrupt anything?"

A murderous look appeared on Megan's face. She knew she had almost had me. She reached down to adjust her dress completely ignoring Eve, then rose to her feet. With slow strides, she walked to the door, paused for a second at the doorway and turned back to me.

"I will defend myself in council," I said, quickly interrupting her before she spoke. If Eve hadn't shown up, only the gods knew what I could have agreed to. I wasn't about to give her another chance to play any more mind games with me.

She smiled. "Don't insult my help Archie, I'll see you around."

With that closing remark, she left with her sidekicks following right behind her.

* * *

I stared out my window replaying the events of the day in my mind as I lay on my bed. As soon as Megan left, Eve had retired to her room without uttering a word. Her silence was very much appreciated. I hadn't been in the right frame of mind to speak to anyone, but right now, I was tired of hosting this pity party in my mind.

I walked to her door and knocked twice before entering. She lay on her bed, seemingly engrossed in the book she held in her hands.

"How was your day today?" I asked.

"Not bad," she replied

I leaned against the door frame, fidgeting with my fingers.

"Are you going to keep standing there?" she asked after I had stood by the doorway for a couple of seconds.

I walked into the room and sat by the reading table bedside her bed.

"Aren't you going to ask about what happened today?" I asked.

"Are you asking if I want to know why a half-dead man was lying on the floor of the waiting room this morning? Do you even want to talk about it?"

I did. I just didn't know where to start. A lot had happened already.

"I'm been accused of murder," I replied, and narrated the entire incident that had occurred. She listened to my story with a very sceptical expression on her face.

"Why do you have that expression on your face?

"I haven't said a word," she replied defensively

"You don't need to. Your expression speaks volumes."

"I'm trying to think objectively."

Was she being serious right now? What kind of man did she think I was?

I sighed sadly, robbed my palms over my thighs, and

stood up to leave.

"If you say you had nothing to do with it, I would believe you."

"I had nothing to do with it," I replied vehemently. "I can't believe you would even entertain the thought that I was capable of such a thing." I felt so heartbroken.

She smiled. "I wouldn't care even if you said you did. It makes no difference to me."

I returned to my chambers more depressed than I was when I left, even though I left to find some encouragement. Her last words kept replaying in my mind far into the night.

Did she not really care if I went about murdering people? What kind of man would that make me and what kind of person those this make her? More importantly, what kind of man does she think I am?

She must have witnessed way too many deaths to be this insensitive about this whole situation. If she didn't believe I was innocent, I had no hope at the council.