Reborn, Its Time To Save My Family And.. My Enemy!
Chapter 228: Living In Shadow

Chapter 228: Living In Shadow

Rhistel’s hand hovered over the saddle as his breath hitched. He didn’t speak for a long moment, then finally nodded.

"Fine," he muttered. "Do it quickly."

He dismounted from the horse and sat on a boulder. The witch walked closer and stood in front of him.

The witch stepped closer, eyes scanning the blood that soaked through the fabric of his shirt, the long gashes and punctures still leaking. Her fingers trembled as she reached out and placed her palm gently on his side. The warmth of her magic stirred immediately. Golden glow emmated from her hands where she touched his wounds.

He didn’t flinch, but his eyes never left her face.

The worst wounds began to close first. The gruesome wound on his stomach started to heal enough that bleeding stopped.

The magic worked slowly, deliberately, leaving behind dark bruises but sealing the bleeding. His breathing eased with every breath. Still, Rhistel watched her like a man bracing for betrayal, as if even her kindness was a trick waiting to be undone.

Her brow furrowed in concentration. Beads of sweat formed on her temple. She did not look like she wanted to harm him.

"Why are you supporting Clondoire?" The woman was stunned. She looked at him with a dark flier in her eyes then she looked back at his wounds.

"We have lived in the shadows for centuries," she said slowly, her hand still glowing where it hovered over a deep wound. "We have healed many and helped many. Yet Every time we were discovered, we were burned. We were dragged from our homes like animals and those who survived, they have watched their families beg and die."

"I have never let a woman die as a witch since I have been a lord." he frowned, sure that there was no such case. But the woman just laughed and shook her head.

"You did not know the reality from the tall walls of your tower my lord. You have been ignorant more than you know." he paused, stunned. He had taken continuous rounds in his territory. How could he miss such a thing?

"They promised us peace," she said finally, her voice hardening with a mix of bitterness and hope. "Clondiore is the first person to extend his hands toward us. He offered us a place where we can live freely, without being worried about using our powers or hiding in front of humans. Our children wouldn’t be hunted anymore."

Her voice shook now, barely audible.

"He told us we could live as people... not monsters."

Rhistel’s jaw tightened. "And so you kneel for a tyrant? You would burn the human world just to save your own?"

"No." Her eyes flashed as she looked up at him. "We didn’t want war. We wanted a future."

Rhistel exhaled sharply through his nose, the lines on his face deepening.

"By killing innocents!" his voice was mocking and it infuriated her deeply.

"It only happened because our leaders had betrayed us. Three decades ago when the first blood witch was created after centuries of waiting, she was supposed to help us start a new life. But she ran away! She told us she lived as a human and she could not support her. Do you know how the betrayal tasted? It tasted like ashes! Ashes of our people! And now that her daughter had returned, she did not want to help us either. What are we supposed to do?" her voice trembled but he could see fire in her eyes.

Rhistel sighed, his voice softening. "I know you have suffered. But that did not mean you would kill the innocents." this time, she laughed with no humor in her voice.

"There were no innocents. We have chosen daughters of the men who had killed us in the past or took our innocence. Most of us can only heal. A few have elements but we have never harmed others. We were unjustly killed. We are the innocents here." she spat with fury dancing on her face.

The magic under her hands began to dim. The worst of his wounds were closed. His skin was married but whole.

She lowered her hands. "I can only do this much. Your life is not endangered anymore. You can move again. But the bruises will linger for a few days."

Rhistel shifted, testing his arm, his leg. The muscles screamed with pain but it was bearable. He gave her a nod.

"You could’ve let me bleed out," he said after a long pause. "But you didn’t. The curse did not force you to help me."

She looked away gulping. Her eyes lingering at the sky before she met his eyes. "You saved me first."

They stared at each other for a long time.

"Thank you!" he said, surprising even himself.

The witch blinked, as if unsure she’d heard him right. She didn’t reply but watched as he mounted the horse again.

Rhistel reached down and offered her his hand once more. This time, she didn’t hesitate.

As she settled behind him, her voice came soft beside his ear. "The lake is half a day from here... if you can still ride."

"I can." His voice was like steel making her sigh.

"They would not kill her." she confirmed but he shook his head.

"The power did not belong to her. If she was forced into it, it would be worse than death. And she would still die slowly." the woman frowned, not believing him but at the same time not able to refute him at once like before.

"Who told you about the ritual?" he asked instead in a calm voice as he rode the horse.

"It is in our holy book. We have done it before! The girl had not died."

"Was it Oriana;s mother?" the witch did not try to hide it this time since he already knew way too much.

"If she did not suffer any issues from the ritual. Why did she leave all of you?" she frowned at his words as if she had been wounded.

"Because she was a traitor!"