144 The east forest mission (part 1)
The moment prince Jason mentioned Justice, Anne immediately walk in front of the prince, asking for the welfare of the crown prince.
“What? I am sorry, your majesty, what happened to Justice?” Anne was worried and demanding answers by prince Jason. Even forgot to use formality in Justice’s name.
“Look, let us sit for now, and I will explain everything.” Prince Jason ushered Anne onto the sofa. His hand touched the back of our heroine, making Vale and Henry shoot a dagger at the prince.
“Now, can you tell us what exactly happened? Because Kirara went all vague on me.” Said Vale, who switch his place to be closer to Anne.
“Kirara told me that they have ten suspects of the new variant of the moskeet fever inside the guard’s encampment. One of them was Bernard.” Said prince Jason to everyone in the room.
All of them were surprised to hear the information, especially chief Hale. They have been friends for a long time, since the day they have become silver pass recipients together. Looking so distressed, and even though he wanted to know more about Bernard’s condition, chief Hale let prince Jason continue to explain the situation in the east forest.
“Justice knew, sending the mailman will be a risk of an infection and probably will be too late, so he sent his trusted familiar to me and to his best friends.” Said, Jason. He was fidgeting, nervous, and he should be, because what he was about to say will make the others nervous as well. “He asked for healers that could contain the infected inside the encampment, and knights, before… before one of the guards lose from the isolation order.”
“Oh no! they were rioting, probably panicking after they know about the infection.” Vale rustled his hair, he cut it short but still makes the wavy hair become disheveled, his eyes goes to Anne, “This is concerning, I don’t think bringing Anne… err, I mean miss Anne into an agitated person who has physical prowess would be a good idea.”
Anne shakes her head. “No, I need to go there. If it’s the case, the new variant, I need to handle it immediately, and I have the experience of isolating the infected from a healthy crowd.”
.....
“She was right, you need to bring her there,” Said chief Hale, agreeing with Anne’s statement, he turned his attention to Anne and gave her some instructions, “I will be asked all the rest of Nathan’s team to go with you, after all, you’re under his team now. Now, go make some preparation after you checked on your patients, and I will give you the assignment permits.”
Anne stands up from her seat and nodded at the chief of the main hospital. “Thank you, chief Hale. I’ll go and make my preparation.” She look around the room and excused herself, “Gentleman, see you soon.”
When Anne goes outside, Henry gave an annoyed look at Vale, clearly annoyed by him. “Why don’t you prevent her from going?”
Vale, who doesn’t want to be the one to be blamed, glared at Henry. “Why don’t you do it yourself? She is an adult, Henry. We can’t treat her like a child!”
“Gentleman! Please, could both of you be civilized for now!” Jason massages his temple while shouting at the two bickering men.
The two gentlemen finally stopped talking to each other entirely, giving prince Jason the opportunity to ask the chief the good plan to be used in the encampment. “How many healers we could bring from the main hospital?”
“Only Nathan’s team, that’s included miss Anne, so six of them, and six other helpers.” Chief Hale looked at prince Jason with a bittered smile. The main hospital does have a shortage of healers. Chief Hale reluctantly needs to tell them that he had already lost three healers because of the new variant.
Prince Jason senses the hesitation in chief Hale’s behavior. “Something that you wanted to tell me, chief Hale?”
Hiding his face, chief Hale look so fragile in his old days, his eyes then stare at the three of them, “I need to tell the three of you this, but please do not reveal it to the people out there, we don’t want a mass hysteria right now.”
Jason, Vale, and Henry shared glances at each other. “What happened?” Asked Jason to chief Hale.
“We’ve lost three healers, they… they got infected.” The chief took a deep breath and close his eyes.
Vale had a frown on his face, looking so confused at chief Hale. “But I thought the healers use protective gear? How was that possible?”
“We don’t know, that’s why we can’t spare more than one team, I’m afraid,” Muttered chief Hale, with his tired face, “Don’t worry, I’ll send one team from the nearest town to help as well, I think it will suffice for now, although they don’t have the same experience as the healers on the main hospital.”
“That would be enough,” Said Prince Jason to chief Hale, he then turned to Vale and Henry, “Prepare your man, we need four teams of a knight to be on patrol outside the encampment, to prevent a runner, and maybe two teams of healers.”
“I will round them immediately,” Henry said to Jason as he walks outside. “Don’t forget the assignment permit for us.”
“Will do. How about you, Vale?” Prince Jason turns his attention to the primary captain of the magi. “You don’t have to go, you know.”
Vale shakes his head. “Not in a chance. I will go.” He also exited the room. “I’ll see you at the east gate in three hours?”
“Make it two hours. You need to go as fast as you can. I will wait for the healers here and go together at the east gate.” Jason warned him, and when Vale has finally gone, he took a sighed and rest his head on the sofa.
Two and a half hours later, the team was ready to go to the east forest. Anne tried to avoid Henry and Vale by sitting inside the carriage with all of her fellow teammates. Unbeknown to her, the carriage is big that could be carried on dozen people inside. Safe to say, Anne now sitting inside the carriage with two men that she actually tried to avoid.
Leo was yawning so hard and then looking at Anne, who sat beside him. “Let’s take a good rest. The journey will be half a day.”
Nodding her head to Leo. Anne agreed with his offer, “You’re right, But I need to wait for my familiar, get some rest before me.”
Henry looks at her interaction with Leo, he gruntled and asked Anne out of his curiosity, “Just three days and you already have a guy friend. Good on you.” His insinuating remark makes Vale shake his head and scoffed at him.
On the other hand, Anne just rolled her eyes and said to Henry, “Yes, Henry, I do have the penchant to befriend with the opposite gender, or maybe this is another case of a bewitched spell.”
Hearing it from Anne’s mouth, Vale just couldn’t control his laughter until a pair of large eyes appear from inside Anne’s shadow. Chikara look into his master and gave her a message that he clearly waiting for a while now.
‘Master, the woman agreed on the full test.’
Anne tried to avoid the stares that came from Henry and Vale, and muttered some words to her familiar, “Thank you, Chikara, you can get some rest now.” As soon as Chikara goes away, Anne closed her eyes immediately to prevent the two of them from asking her further.
As for now, she will never be told the four of them about the pregnancy test for Yasmine. She just hopes what she will be doing will never get any consequences later on.