Wake Up Call

  Rei woke to the sound of footsteps marching through the palace. 

  She was about to see what was going on when there was a knock on her door. Although calling it a knock would be too generous, it was more like someone was banging on the door.

  “Come in already.”

  The door opened to reveal a small girl in a maid outfit. Her hair was cut short and her expression was unreadable.

  “My apologies miss, but his majesty has requested your presence in the throne room immediately.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “His majesty will explain himself. Please make yourself presentable. I’ll be waiting outside.”

  Rei had forgotten she’d slept in the nude. After getting dressed, she left her room and followed the maid to the throne room.

   As they walked through the hallways, Rei spotted more of the golden statues from before. It was creepy knowing that at one point these statues were real women before Midas chose to turn them into art to decorate his palace halls.

  “Do you ever get creeped out by all these statues around you?”

  The maid didn’t seem to hear the question. That or she was just choosing to ignore it. Either way, Rei found herself avoiding the golden women’s gazes. 

  “Here we are, the throne room is just through those doors.”

  “Thanks.”

  “And my answer is no, I don’t get creeped out.”

  Before Rei could respond the doors opened to what looked like every royal guard in the kingdom crammed into the throne room. 

  “Perhaps they’d fit if it wasn’t for all these statues” thought Rei.

  The guards seemed to be surrendering something in the center of the room. Rei could hear voices of shock and confusion at whatever they were looking at.

  “Move aside all of you! His majesty has arrived. Move aside I say!”

  King Midas appeared looking as if he had just awoken with his feet bare and only a silk robe to cover his bare chest.

  “Where is that companion of Maximus? I requested her presence immediately!”

  “I’m here, your highness.”

  The king turned to glare at Rei. “Good, I’ll need you to explain this.”

  The royal guards dispersed allowing Rei to finally see what was causing all the distress. Immediately she’d wished she had ignored the king’s summon and stayed in bed.

  The first body that caught her eye was Buros. His eyes were glazed over and his mouth was wide open, giving the flies someplace to call home while his body rooted.

  “What in the hells is the meaning of this!?”

  “My apologies your majesty, we found them this morning on the edge of the capital.”

  It took Rei a moment to pull her attention away from Buros. Just the other day he’d seemed so full of life, a bit of a prick, but alive. Now he was reduced to nothing more than rotten flesh fit only to feed the maggots.

  “No one deserves that” thought Rei.

  After shutting her eyes and saying a silent prayer for Buros, Rei noticed the second body.

  “Maximus!”

  She ran forward to get a better look at her companion. At first he seemed just as lifeless as Buros but after putting her ear to his chest she could hear the slightest beat of his heart.

  “He’s alive! Quickly, fetch a healer!”

  Every guard raced to be the first one to reach the royal healer. The idea that one of them could play a part in saving the great hero, Maximus Luminose was an honor they would cherish for the rest of their lives. 

  Rei remained by Maxwell’s side. She knew no magic, no spells or sorcery. A healer was the only thing that could save Maxwell now.

  The royal healer emerged from her chambers still wearing her nightgown. Rei was surprised to see the short girl with glasses from the other day. She had assumed the girl was just a member of the royal family and yet she appeared to also be the royal healer.

  “Please move aside.”

  “Of course.”

  The girl ran a hand over Maxwells body as if searching for something, something that could not be seen with the naked eye. After a moment of feeling, the girl seemed to have found what she was searching for. She retrieved a vile from her pocket and poured its contents on Maxwell’s chest.

  After the vile was emptied, the girl clapped her hands together and began to speak in words that were beyond Rei’s understanding. Rei had met many healers in her life and not a single one was identical to another. 

  They all had their own methods of healing. Some relied on potions and serums while others spoke incantations. Rei had tried to learn a few. A simple spell to cure a bellyache or perhaps one to heal small cuts and bruises. It wasn’t until a friend of hers told her that in order to learn even the simplest of healing magic she’d have to devote herself to becoming a healer.

  When the girl had finished speaking, the fluid she had poured on Maxwell began to glow a brilliant gold. The fluid began to move as if it were alive, spreading itself all over Maxwell’s body. 

  Where ever the fluid traveled seemed to be healed. Cuts and bruises vanished while bones snapped back into place. Color began to return to Maxwell’s face just as the fluid turned to mist and evaporated.

  The girl yawned. “He should be fine now, if there is nothing else, may I go back to sleep?”

  “Very well, Pamela.”

  Rei returned to Maxwell’s side and once again put her ear to his chest. His heart beat had returned to normal.

  “Thank goodness.”

  Maxwell began to awake. “Rei? What’s going on?”

  King Midas answered for her. “That’s what we’d like to ask you Maximus.”

  Maxwell turned to see Buros’s body lying beside him. “No, no, no, no. It wasn’t a dream.”

  Maxwell pulled himself closer to Buros. 

  “Carful Maximus, you were just healed.”

  “You were right your majesty, they were like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”

  “What were like nothing you’d ever seen before?”

  “The goblins Rei, it was the goblins. They killed Buros.”