The Last Healer

Chapter 25 Ariella

Chapter 25 Ariella

"May I help you?" A giant, muscular kind of man asked me. His dark brown eyes stared sleepily at me, a quill frozen in mid-stroke and a tensing hand that showed his irritation. He sat at one of the few desks in the giant room that I walked into. People were coming to and fro, men and women would walk out sweaty and looking exhausted. Swords and knives strapped to their waists or legs and the women's hair tied tightly to the top of their head. The cold, stone walls held no sense of comfort or art, nothing but shelves of weapons bolted to the walls.

"I-I'm here to see Captain Mathews." My cheeks warmed slightly as his eyebrow lifted, quizzingly at me. Father had told me that he would make time for me today and I really hoped that he meant it. I missed speaking with them. Seeing them.

"And you are?" His voice was bored, exhausted, like he wasn't even interested in what I had to say.

"Ariella Mathews." I smiled softly and took a small step forward. "He's my father and I brought lunch for him and my siblings."

"Very well." He nodded and leaned back in his seat, waving his hand at someone. A man about Dimitri's age walked towards me and nodded his head in a sort of greeting. "Timothy, please take Miss. Mathews here to see Captain Mathews. He's in his office."

"Very well." The boy bowed slightly and motioned for me to follow him. We walked around the desk and through a small wooden door behind it. I found myself in a long hall with wooden doors merely feet apart on both sides. Some of the doors had names on them like Stevenson, Peters, and Woodmen; other doors had signs of do not disturb or not in hanging from the doorknobs.

At the far end of the hall was a door with a sign, carved into it was the name Mathews. This was the door that the boy, Timothy, knocked on. Barely a second had passed when my father's gruff voice grunted out for us to enter. Following the boy inside, I saw that my father was sitting behind a giant wooden desk filled with books and papers. On the right side was a bookshelf filled to the brim and on the left was a fireplace with a crackling fire.

"Sir, your daughter is here to see you." Timothy bowed before walking out.

Father smiled at me, a soft smile, and waved for me to walk towards him. He leaned forward and removed some of the books from the desk so that I could place the basket there.

"I see you found your way." He chuckled as he stood up and stepped around so he could pull me into a hug.

"Did I come at a bad time?" I asked nervously and a sense of relief flooded my body as he shook his head and stretched.

"Actually, you came at an excellent time." He winked and patted my head softly. "Your mother and siblings should be back any minute and I think we could all use a break."

"Well I brought lunch for all of us." I motioned towards the basket and he chuckled. "And it's a really beautiful day out, maybe we could eat outside?"

"Well, I think that's possible." Father said before walking around his desk again. "Robert told me that he found a book for you at the library, have you looked at it yet?"

"I haven't. I was going to today." My cheeks flushed slightly and he nodded.

"You'll have to let me know if it helps you. If not, I'm sure I can find someone who'd be willing to find other ones that may help." He told me as he ducked down to pick something off the ground. "Of course, he's not the only one who thought you would like a new book. Though, I'm not sure how educational this one will be." He chuckled as he offered a small book to me.

It was one of the smallest books that I have seen so far, it looked like it was maybe a pinky thick and about two hands-width long. The brown leather was light and faded from the years of its existence. Flipping it open, I saw multiple chapters with different, almost kiddish like names. "What is it?"