Prologue- or so they say 2

Phsy has issues...

After returning to the house Skye pursues his sister as she does chores, allowing only enough space for her to not question him. Gradually noticing the extra attention, Phsy whispers, “I’ll be alright, Skye.” Her voice trails off as the boy steps in front of the doorway, “What are you-” a knock on the door informs her Dr. Heidrich is there. Rubbing at her temples she mutters, “Let him in, please.” Her words sink into his head without effect and he jams his eyes shut. Mere moments later another knock shifts the rickety door and he finally shoves past Phsy, sprinting out the back door. “Skye!” She rails after him, but he refuses to stop. Fighting to compose herself she opens the door to invite the doctor in.

Skye sprints out into the forest stopping only once he's tripped into a massive patch of moss and old crinkled leaves. Three shaky breaths later he raises his head from the mess of old forest decay and sighs, brushing the squiggles of moss from his cheek. Skye knew what the doctor was going to do, he didn't have to be there to see. He would present her with a vial of golden liquid- scented most sinisterly- that will leave her bedridden for at least a day. The moment she brings the substance to her lips the coughing will begin; it had to taste just as bad as it smelled. Doctor Heidrich will race to get her water from a nearby basin before she passes out...and she would thank him.

Nothing the doctor did really seemed to help in the long run. Any supposed cure there was to be had only hurt Phsy all the more. Recollection of times she would be left so ill the ability of speech would fail her comes to the fore in his mind. Even the simple task of raising her arm could become nearly impossible. After the coughing was over she will fall gradually asleep from the effects of the medication; the doctor monitoring her breathing all the while. Even without the scene before him it still seems as if it were.

The pale-skinned boy lies here, breathing in the forest, for a time, trying to erase the memory of gold liquid and men bearing needles. He wraps his arms about his head, defending the tips of his sloping, pointed ears from the growing cold. He can almost see the shore from here- in fact he spies that what he tripped on is part of one of the area's many ruins. It used to be a wall. He pauses at this thought, gazing out from under the crook of his arm. Mother brought him here once to sit on the wall and watch the sunrise; she was telling him stories here, stories about his father. He'd fallen asleep, curled up on her lap, limbs sprawling and spilling off onto the stones of the wall. He snaps his gaze away from the wall, burying his face in his arm. 

When his heart sinks down into the pit of his stomach he rises to his feet, dusting the leaves and moss from his clothing. Taking special care not to trip on the crumbling wall again he begins trudging for home, casting one silent glance, with his hazed ice-blue eyes, he takes in the smokey ocean coastline. If he is lucky the doctor will have gone by the time of his return. 

Glancing outside the window for a brief moment, Heidrich recognizes the raven hair of Skye amid the dying leaves of the trees and holds up his hand in a routine greeting. Skye makes no gesture in return, nor does he affirm that he’s been seen; he remains sitting perfectly still as would a statue, forever frozen in time. Shrugging to himself, the man runs his fingers through his hair, muttering something about good health. He does not question Skye, he knows it is not his place, and just as suddenly as he came, he leaves. Walking from the home, he puts on his faded straw hat and overcoat before mounting his horse and vanishing down the forest path. Phsy was only one of his many elven patients- he was the only doctor in the area who would treat them- and he had many more that still needed treating. His kindness was one of the few things Skye respected about the man.

Moving his sight from the forest, Skye’s eyes mirror the atmosphere as he feels a droplet of rain grace the back of his hand. Clouds have been gathering for the last few hours and seem to have finally reached a point where they cannot contain themselves any longer. Lighting moves silently through the clouds for a time, the thunder catching up with it near to twenty seconds later. He had heard the low rumbling minutes before, but this was considerably louder. For a moment he thinks of what Heidrich would be doing to get out of the ensuing storm, but hurriedly decides to get himself out of the tree and inside instead of sit and wait to be struck dead. The moment his feet touch the earth a thunderclap sounds, shattering the peace of the forest. 

Spinning to face the heavens, he stares awestricken as a dark wave washes over the valley. The temperature drops rapidly and the rain comes pouring down in icy sheets. Immediately he shields his eyes, letting the freezing rain flow across his body, watching it drip from his pale fingers. Cupping his hands he lets the liquid pool, until he throws it up in the air around him with a childish smile.

At that moment, had anyone been looking, they would have seen the boy’s smile- but no one was looking, and so the expression would go on unknown. That smile radiated from somewhere deep within, the place where no others could reach. It would not be seen again for a very, very long time. 

Author's Note

Again, comments are appreciated.