Seeing their father that way had struck the boys with fear. They felt lost and were confused. Pulling themselves together, the brothers realized he had to be taken to the healer.
Kiyan took hold of his arms and Raten, his legs. Getting him off the bed, they lifted him out of the room. It proved more difficult than they imagined, and with more time spent, the more his chances of survival grew slim. They kept him on one of the chairs in their living room and went out in search of help.
"Mr. Malum! Mr. Malum please we need your help." Raten called out to one of their neighbours who just stepped out of his house.
"Get away from here!" He snarled, chasing the boys away. "Oh, how unlucky I am to see you two as soon as I leave the house. I am definitely cursed."
"Sir, please don't chase us away." Raten begged.
"Mr. Malum, our father is dying. Please help us." Kiyan fell to his knees, with tears in his eyes, he begged.
"Of what use is he alive?" Malum spat. Pushing them out of his way, he left.
They went from house to house, but no one was willing to lend a helping hand.
"What do we do now ?" Kiyan asked his brother deeply concerned for their father.
"Go stay with father, I will be back." Raten hurried off.
"Where are you going ?!" Kiyan asked but got no response. So he did as he was told.
Walking back home he caught sight of a boy who looked about his age.
"Torrance!" He called out to the young boy, running in his direction. "Please, Torrance, your parents, are they home?"
"How dare you speak to me?" Torrance spat. "Need I remind you of your place again?"
"Torrance please listen to me. My Father, he's dying. I am begging for your help. If you can help my brother and I take him to the healer. Or better still your parents, they could help. Please Torrance." Kiyan clasped his hands together in front of Torrance begging.
"I will never do anything to help your family." Torrance said but Kiyan suddenly ran past him. "Huh ?"
"Mr. Carmichael!" Kiyan fell to his knees in front of the man he ran up to. "My father is dying, Sir. Please, come help us."
"You must be crazy to think..."
"Please sir, you are our last hope. No one has agreed to help. We just need to take him to a healer. That's all I ask." He placed his head at the man's feet.
"Get away from my father!" Was all he heard before being kicked away. Getting up, he saw Torrance standing next to the man.
The kick had hurt, but not as much as the words the people told them, not as much as the thought of losing his father.
"Listen kid." Mr. Carmichael started. "Your family is nothing but a curse, you bring bad luck. Getting myself involved in your matters will only make things hard for me and I wouldn't want that."
"I am not so wicked to wish death on a man. But, in this case, if your family is wiped out, the kingdom will be clean, it will be free from evil." He smiled and turned to leave.
"How cruel..." Kiyan said stopping him.
"How cruel can you be ?!" Kiyan spat. "To wish death upon a family who did nothing wrong. To deliberately make people suffer. You all, you all will someday get what you deserve!"
"Kiyan? Kiyan!" Raten called out to him. "What are you doing here, come help me." He said and ran in the direction of their home, Kiyan followed.
Getting there, Kiyan saw a hand cart just outside their doorstep. This was what Raten had gone to find. Wherever he got it, didn't matter at the moment, Kiyan was glad they had a way of moving their father.
"Don't just stand there, come help me." Raten said and Kiyan ran inside. They both lifted their father and carried him outside. Not letting him fall, they gently placed him on the cart. His arms and legs fell at the sides.
Raten stood in front. With his two hands, he held onto the handle and began pulling it while Kiyan pushed from behind to support and also boost speed. At intervals, they would switch places. Kiyan would pull while Raten pushed.
They did this till they got to the healers place. He was a white wizard who practiced the healing arts. The kingdom had many of his kind, but he was the only one in their village.
Knocking on the door, the boys called out the healer. Stepping out of the door was a tall bald man, named Levi, also known as the village's healer. Looking down at the ones who sought him, he was filled with empathy. Their eyes now red from crying. How tired they looked dragging their father all this way.
Although he lived in the same village as them, his place was away from the people. So, he knew they must be tired. In the cart was a man he had come to know well and wondered why the villagers treated him badly.
"Healer! Our father, he's, he's..." Raten tried to speak but failed.
The man hurriedly took Agnar off the cart and into his home. He placed him on one of the beds in his home.
Placing his hands over Agnar's head, white light began to appear. Slowly moving his hands down, he searched for them cause of his current state. Immediately he pulled his hands away. A look of concern could be seen on his face.
"What's wrong?" Kiyan asked, with worry.
"How do I put this ?" He placed his hand on his chin. "I don't understand fully what's going on with him. He doesn't seem to have any illnesses."
"That can't be possible." Kiyan spoke clearly not believing Levi's words.
"He is not sick. But, it seems his life force has weakened drastically. He's almost dead." Levi said.
"His life force?" Raten asked.
"Yes. The energy that resides in every living thing keeping them alive." Levi explained. "There is something else that bothers me though. I don't know if you know this, but it seems your father has a curse placed on him. I don't know how, but I think it is the cause of the state he's in."
The twins were beyond shocked to hear that their father was indeed cursed.
"We did not know about the curse." Said Kiyan. "We do want to know, can you save him ?" He asked deciding to put the 'curse' aside, saving his life was important.
"There is something I can do. I am just not certain it will work." Levi replied.
"You don't have to be certain to try it. We need to save our father. So please, do anything." Kiyan pleaded.
"As long as it doesn't have death as something that could go wrong, we can give it a try." Raten added urging him to go ahead.
"Alright then, I'll give it a try. But, I can't do it here." He said and placed his hand on Agnar. "Levitate." He whispered.
Before their very eyes, their father's body floated in the air, few inches away from the bed.
"Come with me." Levi said to the boys and they followed. Not just them, but Agnar's floating body as well. The twins couldn't help but stare at it.
Not once have they ever seen someone move things, let alone people in this manner. They were stunned. More than anything amazed by it. They wanted so bad to ask Levi how he did it, but knew it was not the time for such things. So they kept quiet.
Walking to the back of his house, Levi led them to a garden, his garden to be precise. The flowers in the field, the trees and everything looked beautiful.
Slowly, Agnar's body descended on the field.
"Was it herbs you talked about earlier?" Kiyan asked wondering why they were in a garden.
"I don't plan on using that." Levi spoke. "I spoke of life force to you. Herbs can certainly not fix that."
"Look at this garden, what do you see ?"
The boys looked around and answered,
"It is very beautiful." Said Kiyan.
"It is full of life." Raten replied.
"Life, yes. That is why we are here." Levi acknowledged Raten's answer. "What I want to do is to transfer the life force in this garden to your father."
"That would kill the garden, correct ?"
"Indeed, it will. But, I don't plan on using it all. You see, I said the most likely reason for your father's predicament is this 'curse' placed on him. Even if I do help him regain himself fully, it will all vanish eventually."
"If it leaves, he dies." Kiyan said in a surly tone.
"Don't look so down, if the curse is broken, he will be fine."
"Can you break the curse?"
"If I could, I would. I am just a healer. I know little or nothing when it comes to curses." Levi spoke. "To keep him alive, I will do the best I can. Actually, we will do our best. I won't be doing it alone."
"You need our help ?" Raten asked to which Levi replied,
"To save your father, yes."
"What do we have to do ?" Kiyan asked kneeling next to his father.
"I hear from your father the both of you dabble in magic. He claimed you were strong, so just do what I do." Levi spoke kneeling as well and Raten followed. "With utmost focus." He added.
"Restēurär vitoblígûr." He placed one hand on the field and the other on Agnar's chest. Beneath both arms, a golden yellow light shown bright.
Looking at him, the boys did the same.
"Restēurär vitoblígûr!" They yelled in unison. Though the light shimmered as well, though not as bright as Levi's.
They had their eyes closed as they felt a wave of energy from the plants enter them through one arm and leave into Agnar through the other.
"Don't lose focus." Levi whispered. "Don't let it spread in you, move it to where it should be." He instructed.
After a while, Levi yelled, "Let go, now!"
"Is everything okay?" They asked simultaneously.
"Everything is fine." He replied. "I would have loved to do more, but the curse interfered." Levi explained.
Looking at the garden which was once radiating with colour, now mostly dead. He spoke again.
"Worry not. I think we did just enough to sustain him for a while."
Looking at their father, colour seemed to return to his face. He was breathing normally once more. The twins fell on the almost dead land.
Seeing he was well reduced their worries and reminded them how tired they truly were.