The Black Blossom: A Young Adult Romantic Fantasy (The Healer Series Book 2)

by C. J. Anaya

  The following hour continued in much the same way. I assessed the severity of a person’s injuries, gave instructions to their ki and waited until I felt the body had accepted the healing taking place. Every single one of them had life threatening injuries, and every single one of them had been unconscious.

  “Here is the last soldier,” Akane said. She looked tired and worried, but I hoped my efforts had lightened her load a little.

  He was an older man, also unconscious.

  “Akane, I can understand why some of these men are not awake. The pain from their wounds was probably too much for some to bear, but not all of them should have fainted from pain or loss of blood.”

  Akane looked at me sheepishly. “I gave them all a sleeping draught. We must make certain that no one, other than the guards I assigned to you, have any idea who you are. If these soldiers witness your process for healing, they will begin to wonder about your identity, start asking questions, and eventually your involvement with our group will get back to your father.”

  “Perhaps we should let Musubi know who I am. I sense we can trust him.”

  Akane looked at the ground and shook her head. “I trust Musubi with my life, and I know that part of his heart is very good.” She looked up at me again. “But Mikomi, part of his heart is bad. There is something in his past that haunts him, and he won’t let it go, nor will he discuss the matter with me. And out of respect for him, I cannot press him further. I think it best, for safety’s sake, that we keep your identity a secret, from him especially.”

  What Akane said troubled me. I had also sensed that he held tightly to something dark and dangerous, and I wanted to know everything there was to know about the mysterious Musubi. I wanted him to know everything there was to know about me. It made me feel terribly uncomfortable, to have to lie to him or keep things from him, but I knew Akane understood the situation better than I did. I would respect her wishes and keep my name and title to myself.

  “How will you explain these miraculous healings to your soldiers, or to Musubi for that matter? Are there other kami that can do what I can?”

  “To some extent there are, and that is exactly the kind of story I will be telling. I have several kami who have joined the cause and are willing to help share a small part of their ki to heal our soldiers.”

  “They will believe this story?” I wondered.

  “They won’t have any reason not to.”

  “I fear that Musubi is not quite so gullible.” I placed a hand on Akane’s shoulder. “How will you keep him in the dark concerning my involvement?”

  “I will make sure he sees you treating some of our men with less serious injuries. Is it possible for you to help them heal slowly or does the healing take place immediately?”

  My eyes lit up at what she suggested.

  “You mean, I might instruct a bone to heal over a quicker period of time, but not all at once? If they don’t heal immediately he won’t become suspicious.”

  “Exactly, he’ll simply assume you have some miracle herbs and a healing touch, and the rest of my men will think that as well.”

  I pulled my hand back and began some nervous pacing. “That could work. I’ve certainly used this tactic before when healing patients at Daiki’s tavern. Are there men in your camp that need these types of services now?”

  “Yes, but it is several miles from here, and you have already been healing for over an hour. You are most likely exhausted, and I don’t want anyone at the palace to question your whereabouts.”

  I waved my hand dismissively. “Kenji received permission to tutor me for the rest of the afternoon and evening, and as you are well aware…I have already suffered through my veil training with Katsu.”

  A tired sadness passed over her face and her shoulders sagged. “How is Cho?”

  “She passed away in my arms, but she felt no pain in the end. I was able to take that from her.” Akane bent her head down and swallowed hard. I could tell that allowing Cho to come to me, knowing in the end that she would die, had not been an easy decision for her to make. I wondered if they had been close. “How did you know I wouldn’t be able to save her? How did you know to send her to me?”

  “There are many things I can tell you, Mikomi, but there are many things I cannot.”

  I understood her meaning and decided to let it go for now. At the moment, there were more pressing matters to attend to.

  “What will we do with all of these men?” I wondered.

  “I will stay here with them and feed them the story we just discussed while you travel on with Kenji and your guards to our camp. I can meet you there later.”

  I felt uncomfortable leaving Akane there alone with men who wouldn’t be aware enough to help protect her if she were found and attacked by my father’s soldiers, but she refused to leave her men behind, and I could only respect her for such a decision.

  Kenji and I traveled on with our faithful guards by our side. It occurred to me I didn’t know their names as our journey progressed and was about to ask them, but we arrived at the camp, and my intentions to get to know them were forgotten when I took in the scene before me.

  The camp had been ransacked. Men were running this way and that, gathering up the few supplies that had not been destroyed by my father’s soldiers and saddling them to the horses that stood surprisingly calm and still amidst the chaos. Other men were out attempting to gather the horses that had been lost during the scuffle. The guards led me to a point on the far right side of the camp to a large tent. I kept my eyes lowered as we passed soldier after soldier. I could feel their curious stares and heard them whispering, but nothing more happened, and I hoped to be forgotten as quickly as I passed.

  The tent flap opened suddenly and out stepped Musubi, looking worried and anxious. I felt my whole body come alive in his presence and tried to stop the silly grin that threatened to spread across my transparent face. The moment he realized I was there, he appeared relieved and reached his hand out as if to touch me, but then a different emotion crossed his features, one I couldn’t recognize, and he quickly pulled back.

  I tried using my empathic abilities to get a read on his emotional state, but found myself to be completely cut off. His emotional wall wouldn’t give way to my determined probing. He and Katsu seemed to be alike in that respect.

  “What in the world took you so long to get here? I thought you and Akane might have had some trouble with the emperor’s guards and planned on retrieving you myself.”

  My body glowed with happiness at the thought that he felt concern for my safety. I also hadn’t realized he’d been expecting me.

  “I am sorry. Some of the soldier’s wounds were more critical than Akane or I had anticipated. I had to be very thorough and careful in their treatment.”

  Musubi nodded. “How many will live?”

  “All of them, I think.” I hurried on at Musubi’s astonished look. “Akane had enlisted some kami to volunteer a little of their healing abilities to take care of what I couldn’t. They were there to help once I managed to do all that I could.”

  Musubi looked troubled. “That does not sound plausible or even possible. A kami, if they revert too much of their healing power to someone other than themselves is in very real danger of losing their immortality. I know of no kami willing to risk this, even if they divert their powers just once or twice.”

  “Well, maybe there are kami out there more concerned with others than their own immortality.”

  “You don’t understand, Mikomi. It isn’t that kami are unfeeling and don’t want to care for the pains and illnesses of others. It isn’t their calling. They only have enough healing power to keep themselves immortal. Healing a life-threatening injury could hold serious consequences for themselves and their real calling in life. They keep the Universe balanced and risk that balance when they risk themselves.”

  I hadn’t known much about the cause for a kami’s immortality, but I found it very interesting that Musubi seemed to be an expert
on the subject.

  “I don’t understand why Akane failed to inform me about these other kami. She never keeps information from me,” he mused.

  I tried not to look or feel guilty, knowing full well Akane and I were both keeping secret a very important bit of information concerning myself and my abilities.

  Musubi shook his head. “I suppose I will have to consult with her later. In the meantime, there are soldiers in there who are in need of your medicinal services.” He pointed toward the opening of the tent. “I will come and collect you within an hour for another training session.”

  He began to walk away, and without thinking I reached out to grasp his arm. He looked at my hand, and I retrieved it immediately. “Forgive me, I simply wanted to ask…why must we remain here when the emperor’s soldiers have already discovered this camp. Isn’t it important that we evacuate to a new location before he attacks again?”

  “We wounded many of his soldiers in the surprise attack. I do not think they had any idea how many forces we had at our disposal since this is one of the smaller camps. His intelligence, though accurate in our position, must have been lacking in detail. It may have been an ambush, but we killed almost every soldier he sent. I do not think he will attempt another attack today.”

  I felt saddened at the loss of so many men. Most of my father’s soldiers were most likely good men who had no choice but to fight to keep their families fed. It pained me to think so many of them had died for a cause they didn’t believe in. Musubi took his leave, and I felt colder without him. Squaring my shoulders, I entered the tent and breathed a sigh of relief. There were only a handful of men who needed my attention, and their wounds would not require quite as much energy as the last round of men had.

  Before I was able to enter any further I felt a warm hand on my shoulder and turned, coming face to face with Musubi. His full lips were so close to mine. It would have taken a single step on either of our parts to join our lips together. The abruptness of our close proximity must have startled him also. Whatever he had been about to say became lost as his eyes studied my face in open wonder. He looked at my lips and then back at my eyes. I swallowed hard and fought to keep my heavy breathing in check. He reached a hand up and grabbed a strand of hair near my face that had come loose during the journey over here.

  “Did you…want something?” I managed to stutter.

  He blinked twice and pulled his hand away as if a viper were trying to strike him. His face drew down an impenetrable mask of indifference.

  “Yes, I forgot to mention there are herbs and other medicinal supplies in the corner of the tent. You are to use them as you see fit.”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  He nodded, and then his look turned wicked. It was difficult for me to keep up with his different moods and emotions, especially when most of the time I didn’t have access to them.

  “I quite like this new dress of yours.” He drew his mouth closer to my ear, and I took in a sharp breath. “But I still think your undergarments suit you even more.”

  I placed my hands on my hips and stamped my foot in frustration.

  “You have no manners, Musubi. No sense of propriety.”

  Musubi gave a hearty laugh as he walked out the tent opening. I couldn’t help but let out a soft giggle after he vanished.

  Though my thoughts remained on Musubi’s peculiar behavior and the way he made me feel whenever he was near, I managed to dress several superficial wounds that needed cleaning, and mended broken bones by instructing some of the men’s ki to have them completely healed by the end of the week instead of immediately. With any luck, they would all assume their injuries had not been as severe as they might have thought, either that or they would think I was the most skilled physician they had ever come in contact with, and in a way, I guess that would have been accurate.

  I had to be stealthy in the way I connected to them. Cradling their head in my hands and closing my eyes would have given me away immediately. Instead, I simply touched their arm as I dressed a wound and connected to them in that way. It was a little more difficult to perform a different task while instructing their ki to heal several injured areas at the same time, but I managed it and secretly congratulated myself on my own ingenuity.

  I relieved some of their pain, but since I had slowed down the healing process for many of their injuries I left some of it there so they wouldn’t make the mistake of overexerting themselves and possibly causing more damage to their bodies.

  The men expressed their gratitude for the service I rendered, meeting my eyes with respect. I supposed if you were fighting alongside women in battle you tended to let go of the ridiculous notion that women weren’t worth anything other than birthing babies and looking pretty on your arm. It was refreshing to receive that kind of respect and deference instead of having them pretend I didn’t exist when standing right in front of them.

  And I was happy, happier and more satisfied with my life than I had ever been before. I had saved several lives today, eased their pain and discomfort. These were the activities my gifts should be used for, and what I was meant to do with my life. I was Mikomi, not some useless princess, and I was a healer, not The Healer. For me, that distinction meant everything.

  As I finished up with the very last soldier—a young man with a dislocated shoulder and broken wrist—he grabbed my hand with his good one, and held fast to it. I looked him in the eye as an equal, and he gave me a grateful smile.

  “Thank you. I’m not sure what you did, but the pain is bearable now.”

  “You are welcome. You will be feeling like yourself again in no time, I assure you.”

  He smiled and stood, one of the few men capable of getting on his own two feet considering most of the other men had wounds and breaks in their legs. He still held my hand tightly with his own. The small look of gratitude turned to one of interest as he studied me.

  “I am surprised that your husband would allow you to travel here, healing soldiers without him present.”

  I wasn’t sure how to respond to his comment.

  “Or perhaps, you haven’t a husband but are in need of a protector?” He gave me a shy smile.

  My confusion cleared as I realized the young man was interested in me on a more personal basis, hinting at a possible courtship. I might have told him I was flattered, but before I could utter a single word, I felt strong arms wrap around my waist.

  “Our little healer already has a protector at her disposal, soldier,” Musubi said from behind me. He pulled me back against his chest, leaving an unspoken challenge simmering below his words.

  The young man looked chagrined. “My apologies, sir. I wasn’t aware that this young lady belonged to you.”

  “She does.”

  I held my breath at how right those words sounded when spoken from Musubi’s lips. He rested his chin upon the top of my head and tightened his arms around me. I couldn’t help but allow myself to sink into his embrace. “And now that you know who her husband is, I would appreciate it if you would let any other interested parties aware of her marital status.”

  The young man nodded. “Of course.” He gave me a smile tainted with a hint of regret. “Thank you again for your help. I am glad to have met you.”

  “And I, you.”

  He then bowed and quickly made his way out of the tent.

  Musubi turned me around to face him the moment the young man had left. His look was stern. “You just had to be beautiful. Heaven forbid Akane find a healer suffering from warts, boils or baldness.”

  I raised my eyebrows at that. “You think I’m beautiful?”

  Musubi looked as if he’d just been caught doing something naughty. He took a step back and surveyed the room, refusing to make eye contact with me. “You are very good at this. Quite the little healer.” Clearly, he was looking to change the subject as fast as he possibly could. “How did a woman so young become such an expert in the art of medicine, especially one as wealthy and pampered as you?”

&
nbsp; I placed my hands on my hips, getting ready to defend myself. He leaned against one of the tent poles with his arms folded across his chest, eyeing me suspiciously.

  “Tell me, Musubi, are you capable of giving a compliment without making it sound like an insult?” It amazed me how easily he undermined my usually reserved responses.

  He lifted a finger and tapped his chin as if seriously pondering my question.

  “No, I can’t say that I am.” The taunting grin on his face was difficult to resist.

  I tried resisting it anyway. “You are one to talk, you know. I don’t think you are much older than I am. I’m willing to bet you are no older than three and twenty.”

  Musubi threw back his head and let out a mirthful laugh.

  “You are not much of a fighter, Mikomi, but you are highly entertaining.” He wiped a fake tear from his eye and made a great show of shaking it off his finger.

  No matter what, I couldn’t seem to verbally get the best of him, and for some reason I found that delightful.

  “Now that you have finished with your patients, it is time for more training. Are you certain you are not too tired from last evening’s exercises?”

  I quickly walked to where he leaned against the tent pole, folding my arms across my chest.

  “I am perfectly capable of handling another training session with you. You’re really not the taskmaster you seem to think you are. Are you going easy on me because I’m a woman, or are you simply too tired to make any real effort to teach me?”

  I knew perfectly well that I was challenging him and would most likely be in over my head because of it, but there was something about his manner and attitude toward me that made me want to prove to him I was much more than what his preconceived notions had painted me to be. I wanted to exceed his expectations. I wanted to impress him, but I also wanted to please him. It was going to get me into trouble, I was sure of it.

  Musubi’s smile grew wide and wicked. “If you feel I am going easy on you, I’d be only too happy to make our time together infinitely more intense.”