As the chaos of the battle raged around her, Casey's eyes were fixed on Lane. She watched in horror as one of the goblins crept up behind him, its sharp claws poised to leech the life force from his body.
With a fierce cry, Casey unleashed a blinding burst of lightning, sending the goblin flying across the field. The force of her attack was so powerful that the goblin's body disintegrated in midair, leaving nothing but a cloud of dust in its wake.
The other goblins recoiled in fear as Casey continued channeling her energy, her eyes blazing with an intensity they had never seen before. With another blast of lightning, she sent them scattering in all directions, their cackles of laughter replaced with panicked screams.
Lane lay on the ground, gasping for breath as the last of the goblins fled out of the field, lost in the dust. As Casey rushed to his side, he looked up at her in amazement.
"Casey...I didn't know you could do that," he breathed.
Neither did Casey. But at that moment, as she gazed out over the battlefield, she knew one thing for certain - she was no longer just a helpless girl with dangerous powers. She was a force to be reckoned with.
"Well, I have been smart since birth," she gulped looking at her brother. For a second she thought she had lost him. The only family she had here was, she gave him her hand, "Come on up, you aren't hurt are you?"
Lane pushed himself up, shaking his head. "Yeah, I am okay!" He assured them with a smile. But before he could even take a step, his vision blurred, and he stumbled forward, collapsing to the ground. It was then that they noticed the blood soaking through his shirt, pooling around his hands.
"Lane!!!" Casey gasped as she tried to hold him, but couldn't.
At first, they thought it was the goblin's blood. But as they frantically tried to assess his injuries, they saw that the scratches on his hands and chest were deep and infected. Poisonous nails from the goblins who had attacked him earlier had left their mark, and Lane's body was struggling to fight off the venom coursing through his veins.
"Gosh, we need to get him out of here," Lucius said urgently. "This is serious!"
Casey felt her stomach lurch as she saw her brother's pale face, his body wracked with pain.
Tears streamed down her face as she cradled her brother's head in her lap, blaming herself for not being able to protect him. "I'm sorry, Lane," she whispered. Her voice choked with emotion. "This is all my fault. If only I had been stronger, if only I had controlled my powers better..."
Serenya and Lucius stood nearby, their faces grim with worry, but they knew that now was not the time for recriminations. They needed to act fast to save Lane's life.
"Casey!" Serenya said firmly, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "If you don't want it to be worse, let's move fast. It might not be that bad, maybe Elder could help us."
Lucius nodded in agreement as he knelt beside Lane.
Serenya rushed towards the other side, gently lifting him up with care. Casey's hands trembled as she struggled to support her brother's weight. Lane's body felt heavy and limp in their arms, his skin cold to the touch.
They carefully carried him through the forest, their steps slow and deliberate, as they made their way to Elder Ivor's house. The weight of Lane's body seemed to grow heavier with each step, and Casey felt her heart sink in worry and fear. Lucius and Serenya struggled to carry Lane's limp body, his blood staining their clothes and the ground beneath them. Casey followed closely supporting them, her heart racing with fear and guilt.
"Lane, hold on...just..." she sniffed, "a bit longer..." Casey couldn't shake the guilt that have been downed on her, the few minutes felt like an eternity to her.
The door to Elder Ivor's hut creaked open, the group entering with Lane's body between them. The old man looked up from his work. Surprise and concern etched onto his face as he saw the severity of Lane's wounds.
"Your Highness!" he cried as he jumped from his stool. "What in the world is this, Lucius?" he asked, his voice showing the anger building up slowly.
Lucius looked away. "I failed to protect his highness."
Casey gulped her saliva, calming herself. Her throat ran dry, her tears flowing as she kept wiping them but it was of no use. "Elder, it's nothing like..." she sniffed hard. "Let me explain..."
The elder held his hand, not saying anything. They could sense the anger burning inside him, and without wasting time he went to Lane's side. With trembling hands, they gently laid Lane on the bed as Elder Ivor examined him. The old man shook his head gravely, his voice low and urgent.
"I'm afraid it's beyond my knowledge," he said. "Only Isadora can heal him now."
"Elder, don't say like that" she looked at Lane, "You can do something for now right? And who is Isadora? Where can I find her?" Casey got on her knees and dug her hand into her brother's palm. "What should I do now, Lane?" she whispered through her tears, her voice cracking.
"Her Highness," Elder Ivor said in a stern and deep voice, "please move aside, let me do whatever I can." Hugo sighed, dragging a stool and gesturing to his men to bring the necessary things.
Elder Ivor began by carefully removing Lane's shirt to assess the extent of his injuries. He saw that Lane had deep scratches on his chest and hands, which were still bleeding profusely. He immediately grabbed a cloth and applied pressure to the wounds to stop the bleeding.
Once the bleeding had subsided, Elder Ivor carefully cleaned the wounds with a mixture of warm water and a mild medicinal herbs solution. He gently used a piece of gauze to wipe away any dirt or debris that may have gotten into the wounds.
Next, he applied a salve made from a mixture of medicinal herbs to soothe the pain and promote healing. He carefully spread the salve over the wound using a clean piece of gauze.
Despite his efforts, Lane's breathing remained shallow and his face was still contorted in pain. Elder Ivor knew that Lane needed more than just his basic knowledge of medicine.
Hugo shook his head, "No matter what I do, I can't heal him completely."
Lucius stepped forward. "How about my son's healing magic?" Lucius' brow furrowed deeply. His eyes flickered back and forth between his highness and the elder, a deep sense of worry etched across his features. He desperately wanted to help, to do something to ease Lane's pain. "Would elves' magic work?"
Elder Ivor sighed heavily and looked up at Lucius. "I'm afraid my dear boy, as powerful as elf magic is, it may not be enough to heal his highness's wounds. Elves' magic is more focused on nature and life, while his wounds may require more specialized and advanced healing. You see, the goblins who attacked him were wielding poison-tipped weapons, and the venom has seeped too deeply into his wounds. It has already spread throughout his body, causing fever and making it difficult for him to breathe."
Lucius' face paled at the news. Looking down at his feet, his mind slowly went blank.
Casey's eyes widened in shock. "You said Isadora could help him. Who is that?" Her voice trembled.
The elder's voice softened. "Isadora Le Doux, the Great Snow Witch. She has powers beyond even our understanding, and her knowledge of magic and healing is unparalleled."
Casey's eyes lit up with hope and fire. "Then that's where we will go! Where can I-" she was cut in between with a loud yell.
"No, Your Highness!" Lucius stood up and walked towards her. "You can't go to her!"
Casey's brows came together slowly as she shook and took a step ahead, "What might you mean by that?" she said in a deep voice, "My brother's life is at stake and you are telling me not to go?" her voice was pitched high. Anger flowed like a river. She couldn't contain herself.
Serenya's face paled. "But she lives in the most treacherous and unforgiving part of the snow mountain, where no one dares to go, and moreover it's pretty far from here."
Casey shoved past Lucius and strode in front of Serenya. "Come on, I didn't think you would say something like this. I don't care how far it is, how dangerous it is. I am going and that's final. My brother's life is more precious than anything in this world."
She grabbed a bag from the chair. "No one will try to stop me" she turned around. Casey's serious voice commanded, "That's an order," her eyes devoid of emotion. Casey walked towards the door, her eyes fixed straight ahead. She didn't look back at Lane, who lay on the bed, his breathing shallow and ragged. She knew that she had to leave, that she had to find the Great Snow Witch if there was any hope of saving him.
As she reached the door, she paused for a moment, glancing back at her brother. His eyes were closed, his face drawn in pain. She swallowed hard, feeling a lump form in her throat. Then, with a determined look, she turned and strode out of the hut, her footsteps echoing loudly in the silent afternoon.
"I will be back soon, Brother!"