Page 54 of Heart of the High King
“Are you going to explain that?”
“No, Fate, I am not. You’ll see for yourself once these medical people call my Chander. You should be focusing your energy on finding out who allowed Rafferty to wind up beaten and tortured.”
Fate narrowed her eyes. “I have every intention of finding out, and when I do, the punishment will be swift and severe. There are rules we must all respect, and while bending them is quite common, there’s no excuse for what Rafferty has been through.”
“His poor soul,” Innocence said softly. “Even should he survive this day, it might not endure.”
“I know. We may wind up keeping him alive today, but his shell is so broken, I may still wind up with him on my side of the veil. The damage is grave even with this temporary fix. I will find Life and make sure she’s willing to rebirth him right away. Aleksander’s path was intended to be much different,” Death commented.
“We are likely only delaying the inevitable. A bond to a wolf is not nearly the same as the strong blood of Aleksander’s dragon,” Courage remarked sadly.
“I will need to see if I can find Rafferty’s dragon. He must have slipped over without fuss, but he must be distraught at the loss of his mate. If that damn family of his hadn’t wrecked his bond with his beast, this wouldn’t be so dire,” Death said, flexing her fingers and throwing more magic into the wolf still stalking around Rafferty’s bed.
“Rafferty and his dragon were not well-connected,” Fate responded. “That was one of the many reasons Rafferty was not yet ready to meet Aleksander. Man and beast must be fully united for a successful matebond.”
“I know that, little sister. Ah, there’s my Chander now with the lovely Alaric at his side.” Death threw a thick ball of magic at the wolf and lowered her arms to her side. “Come on Fate, I will help you find out who hurt the High King. And I must find Life. I have touched Rafferty’s soul and while his will is strong, it is very likely that even with the wolf tied to him, his body is too far gone. We need to rebirth him as soon as possible. I think considering the circumstances, we can grant him further gifts when we give him a new vessel. None of this is fair to either him or Aleksander. I am beyond furious that it might be some time before either one of them is happy again. Someone is going topay.”
