“The Fionaveir have nothing to do with the Nightblades,” Charm objected, his tone indignant.
“Would you bet your life on that? Because, I don’t think I’ll bet mine on it again,” Shade replied and turned his attention back to the ship’s modifications. “Especially if anyone of them figures out what I’ve done here,” he added, motioning toward the ship.
“I don’t think there is anyone else foolish enough to attach Barllen to a magic based ship, Shade, I wouldn’t worry,” Charm assured him dryly.
Shade paused again and smiled at Charm. “Are you sure, Charm? What if they realized the same as I have that you could fly straight through the Barrier with this ship. Think about it. I could be the first prisoner to escape,” he whispered. He could feel Charm’s gaze locked on him and didn’t need to see the rogue’s expression to know it was concerned. There were certain prisoners on Sanctuary that would kill for a way out of the Barrier and in the past thousand years no way had been found, until now.
“Fine line between genius and insanity and I’m dancing on the line. That’s what you are so fond of saying right?” Shade asked with a wide grin and chuckled. “How’s my dancing now Charm?” he asked with a smirk.
Chapter 16
Sanctuary
Jala watched in sympathy as the young man writhed on the table. He looked to be near her age and would have been handsome had his features not been twisted with agony.
“This is a bad one, and as you can see the patient is in a good deal of pain. So our first step is to make him more comfortable,” Rose explained as she moved to stand at the front of the table by the young man’s head. With practiced hands she placed fingers on both of his temples and closed her eyes. A warm golden glow enveloped her hands and the man’s face eased, his eyes fluttering and at last closing in an expression of peace.
“What happened to him?” Jala asked, her attention riveted on his mangled leg.
“His horse fell on him at jousting practice this morning. He arrived here moments before you did,” Rose explained and moved back down the table to stand at the man’s hip. Withdrawing a slender knife from her belt she carefully sliced the side of his pants down the injured leg and pulled the fabric back to reveal the extent of the damage. Nodding slowly she looked at Jala and raised an eyebrow. “Feel up to it? This is a big one. You have bruising, abrasions, torn muscles, and shattered bones.” Leaning over, Rose poked at the swollen knee and made a clicking sound with her tongue. “That will be the most difficult part, the knee cap is shattered and joints can be tricky.”
Moving closer, Jala examined the wounds and nodded slowly at Rose. “I can do it,” she replied with only a slight hesitation. “I’m not sure about the joint, but I will examine his other leg first to make sure I know exactly what goes where,” she added with a smile.
“Well, we are fortunate he has two,” Rose said with a chuckle and waved for her to begin.
Carefully Jala laid her hands on the young man’s wounded leg and closed her eyes. Slowly she drew on her power and sent it into his body, mapping the tears and breaks as she found them. Her healing on Finn had been blind fumbling, but over the past few weeks, Rose had taken that fumbling and transformed it into an efficient tool. She had assisted with burns and fractures as well as infections and sickness in the commons. This, however, was the most challenging case she had seen, let alone been asked to heal. Her forehead creased with her concentration as she tallied the total damage. This would be pushing her skills and she knew it.
“You look concerned, Jala. If this is too much, tell me now. Do not let this young man suffer for your pride. If you heal him poorly, he will bear the marks of it for the rest of his life,” Rose warned in a low voice.
She is testing my wisdom as well as my knowledge then, Jala surmised. Opening her eyes slowly she moved her hands from the leg and looked over to see Rose watching her with a knowing smile. Jala suppressed her own smile. The expression on Rose’s face fairly screamed You are out of your league just admit it. Jala looked back down at the young man sleeping so peacefully and took a deep breath. Closing her eyes again, she searched inside herself for the honest truth. Was this out of her league? No, she decided, it hovered near it, but it wasn’t out of her grasp. She could do this, but it would leave her drained. She had come to realize during her training with Rose that it was much easier to damage a body than it was to heal one, at least for her anyway. Rose seemed to find healing as easy as breathing.
Opening her eyes once more, she met Rose’s gaze levelly and placed her hands once more on the wounded man. Inhaling deeply, she called on the magic and sent it into the bone first, calling all of the fragments back together. Piece by piece she fused them as if working an incredibly complex puzzle. She knew all too well from her talks with Rose that if she missed a piece it could breed infection or if she healed it crooked the young man would bear a limp for the rest of his life. Rose stirred beside her, and for a moment her concentration lapsed. With another deep breath, she pushed herself further into the healing trance and let the rest of the world fade. Time lost all meaning for her as she knitted bone and then the rest of the leg piece by tattered piece.
“It’s just bruising now, Jala. You can stop.” Rose’s voice came distantly to her as she was finishing the last of the torn veins. “Jala, can you hear me?” Again the distant call, and a pressure against her arm. Pulling herself back from the trance, Jala became more aware of the discomfort in Rose’s grip and looked down to find the woman squeezing her arm so tight the flesh had gone white. “You have definitely mastered the trance,” Rose said with a shake of her head.
Jala smiled faintly as dizziness washed over her and she closed her eyes again. Her magic was utterly drained and she still had a full day at the Academy ahead. Bracing herself better against the table, she opened her eyes again and watched Rose examine her work with a detached caring. She had no doubts the man was fully healed. Even the bruising would fade soon.
Rose nodded slowly and moved her hand back from the man’s leg and gave Jala a look of respect. “Very well done. I am truly impressed. Are you all right Jala? You didn’t push yourself too far did you?” she asked, concern creeping into her voice.
Shaking her head, Jala smiled and tried to find the will to summon words. With an effort of will, she blinked her eyes and cleared her throat. “I’m fine, just low on energy. I wish I could heal as effortlessly as you do, Rose, but for me it’s like swimming with lead weights. I can heal complex things but it comes with a heavy price.” Her voice sounded odd to her as she spoke, almost echoing in her ears.
Rose nodded again, her expression growing parental. “I think you should sit down now, Jala. It was wrong of me to offer this healing to you and foolish of you to accept, I think.”
“Are you not satisfied with my work, then?” Jala asked as she moved to a chair and carefully lowered herself. The feeling of vertigo would fade soon she knew. It was the same thing each night as she filled the mage stones. This was nothing serious, as Rose seemed to believe.
“I’m quite satisfied with your work, young lady, and you know it. What I’m not satisfied with is the condition you’ve left yourself in,” Rose said, her tone definitely parental now.
“I’m fine, Rose. This is a condition I’m used to. I fill stones every night and I have this dizziness every night,” she assured her with another faint smile. “I don’t understand why healing is so difficult for me. I thought if I practiced more it would get easier,” she said, trying to keep her words from sounding like whining.
“It should be, honestly, I don’t understand it either, Jala. I’ve tried to teach you the most efficient ways of doing things. It seems to me that healing costs you double the strength it does others. It’s strange, considering your gift for it, skill-wise,” Rose said with her own heartfelt sigh. Frowning in thought, she shook her head slightly and then regarded Jala with a raised eyebrow. “Perhaps it’s no fault of yours, Jala, but a quirk of your Bloodline,” she suggested.
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“My Bloodline?” Jala pressed, unsure as to whether she should be happy that she had something to blame for her troubles or depressed at the thought that this might be something she couldn’t overcome.
Rose nodded eagerly, her mind racing down the path she had formed. “Yes, you know such as the Firym difficulty with elemental magics outside that of flames, or the Shifter’s tendency to druidic arts. You know most of the Shifter’s cannot even grasp the basics of arcane magic. I’m not exactly sure what the Merrodin gift was.” She looked to Jala as her voice trailed off, as if expecting her to supply the answer.
“I don’t know what my family gift is,” Jala admitted quietly and shrugged at the Healer. “No one has ever told me and I have never thought to ask. There has been so much to learn already that, well, I just never thought to ask.” She shook her head slightly as she spoke, amazed that the thought had never crossed her mind.
“It’s likely that Sovann would know,” Rose offered and studied Jala carefully. “I have heard rumors about the Merrodin magics, but they are all rather dark. I’m afraid I never actually knew much about them while they were ruling.”
Jala suppressed a snort of laughter and grinned at Rose. “Everything about the Merrodin is rather dark. Every story, every rumor, every piece of history I’ve dug up has been dark. Why should their magic be any different,” she said, her tone touched with traces of bitterness and disgust. Inhaling deeply she closed her eyes and opened them again, reassuring herself that the moments of dizziness were past. “I should likely go. I’m not sure how long I spent healing that poor man but it’s no doubt getting close to time for my other classes.” She stood slowly and smiled at Rose’s look of concern. “I’ll be fine,” she assured her.
“I’m afraid I agree with Wisp on your life, Jala. You push yourself too hard and too fast. Be careful about how much you ask from yourself, child.” Rose pushed off from the table she had been leaning against and gave Jala a light hug. “I’ll walk you to the door,” she said and motioned for Jala to lead off.
“You don’t have to, Rose. I know the way well enough now and I know you have things to attend to,” Jala protested but began moving toward the door none the less.
“I know quite well that I don’t have to,” Rose said and followed along on Jala’s heels. “You know, I’m not from any of the houses. I’m not noble by any means. The fortune that I exist on was made by my father. He was a horseman of rare talent,” Rose began as they walked, her voice perfectly neutral.
“Truly, well then, I’m surprised you don’t practice your arts on animals,” Jala replied with a smile to the taller woman. She wasn’t sure where this conversation was headed, but it was undoubtedly one of Rose’s pearls of wisdom.
“I did for a time, actually, that’s where I developed my love of healing. I would mend that which others had broken. My father raised and trained race horses, you see, and they are started very young by most. My father was often mocked for leaving his to age before running, but he swore by it. You see, a young horse is full of energy and vigor and will run it’s heart out. So many see youth as a merit when running. My father, however, knew better. He knew that if you trained slowly and allowed the horse time to develop you would have an animal that would run just as hard with a chance of winning as well as thriving after it’s career. A young horse’s bones are weak and they do not see their limits. I’ve seen a young horse win a race only to die at the finish line from a burst heart.” She spoke soothingly and regarded Jala with the last of her words.
Jala nodded once and smiled. “I promise not to run till my heart bursts Rose. Thank you for the warning. I push myself, I admit that freely, but I don’t ask more of myself than I see others demand of themselves. Every morning, Finn trains with his swords as Valor does with his lances. Neph and Sovann practice daily with their magics and Wisp is always working to improve her archery. With the exception of Sovann, all of them attend the Academy as well. The only difference between them and me is that my training is more diverse.”
“And that they are older horses,” Rose added with an ironic smile. “They have run this race for years, Jala. Do not believe for a minute that the rest of them left the gate with the speed you are running. They gradually built themselves up to the routine they now follow.”
Jala sighed and nodded her reluctant agreement. “Well said. Rose. I’ll try to pace myself better. It’s just …” She trailed off and shrugged, looking to Rose and wondering if the woman would understand.
“It’s just that you have so much weight on your shoulders now and no idea of knowing how much time you have been given, Lady Merrodin,” Rose finished for her with a slight frown. “I do understand, Jala, but I still worry.”
Jala smiled and gave the woman another light hug. “I will never be able to thank Sovann enough for arranging these lessons with you, Rose. Between the wisdom you offer and the healing you’ve taught me this time has been invaluable to me.” She spoke quietly with sincerity thick in her voice.
“May we have many more lessons, but for now, you had best go. If I’m not mistaken, that’s your husband I see waiting below on the street,” Rose said, motioning toward the window.
Jala’s eyes immediately flew to the window and Rose chuckled in response to her speed. It took her only a moment to pick Finn out in the crowded street below. He was seated at a bench across the street, arms folded across his stomach and legs stretched out comfortably before him. Her first thought had been that something was wrong and that Finn had come to fetch her, but he didn’t look upset or agitated. Still watching him closely, she focused on the link between them and received only patience and contentment back from him.
“Nothing says true love like a smile such as yours,” Rose said, her tone a bit wistful.
Jala flicked her gaze back to the healer and shook her head, her grin widening. “I hadn’t even realized I was smiling,” she admitted.
“That’s what makes it magical, Jala,” Rose said and motioned her once again toward the door. “I’ll see you two days from now. Try to find out more about the Merrodin gifts before then if you can. Perhaps if we both work at research we can determine why healing is so draining on you.”
“I’ll speak with Sovann tomorrow,” Jala promised and quickly pushed out the door. As usual, Marrow waited on the roof above and dropped down lightly beside her on the stairs as she exited. “How long has Finn been here?” she asked as she began to make her way down the stairs a bit quicker than normal.
“Twenty minutes or so,” Emily answered, her voice barely above a whisper. The Blight child’s voice was different to her ears and Jala flicked a glance in the direction of it.
“Are you well, Emily?” she asked, unsure what it was about the voice that had sounded off. Perhaps the child was simply tired. Her nightly hunting might be catching up with her.
“I’m well. Worry about why he is here, not me,” Emily replied quietly.
Jala nodded to herself, deciding to let the issue rest for now. In truth, she was rather curious of Finn’s appearance. She reached the bottom of the stairs as he was crossing the street and leaned back against the rail, watching him approach. Even when he wasn’t fighting, Finn moved with a fluid grace. She felt the smile returning to her face and let out a sigh. It still amazed her how just the sight of him could lift her spirits so much.
“Must have been a good session, you look pleased,” he said, stopping beside her. He returned her smile and she felt a surge of affection through their link. Leaning over he gave her a light kiss and nodded toward the Academy. “If we don’t start walking now you are going to be late to first hour,” he warned.
Nodding slightly, she took his arm and began walking toward the Academy. She glanced up at him with open curiosity and raised an eyebrow. “Is there a special occasion?” she asked.
He shrugged, pursed his lips, and slowly shook his head. “No, that is if you mean am I here for a special reason.” He shrugged and returned her look with another charming
smile. “I hardly get to see you, so I changed things a bit to see you more. That, and I have a duel tonight so I won’t see you until late, most likely. If I’m lucky it will be done before you are finished training with Neph, but I’m not going to count on it.”
She frowned at his words and sighed. “What are you dueling for?” she asked, hoping it wasn’t another insult to her. It was nerve wracking to have Finn constantly risking his life to protect her reputation. He didn’t seem to realize that he meant far more to her than her reputation did.
“There was a get together last night in the Rivasa district. At some point in the night a couple people got together closer than they should have and now I’m fighting on the behalf of one of their betrothed,” he looked at her and smirked. “Now ask me the best part,” he urged.
“What’s the best part?” she asked cautiously.
“I’m dueling for the honor of an Avanti lady against our friend Devron Rivasa. I get to kill the little bastard again,” he grinned at her like a gleeful child.
“Not Cassia?” she gasped, trying desperately to think of another Avanti lady.
“Oh gods, no,” he laughed, shaking his head at her. “No, Cassia, as far as I know is still in Avanti. This one is a lesser lady of one of the smaller houses. Her name is Mevana. I knew her when I was a child. She isn’t my sort but she isn’t a Cassia,” he explained, still seeming highly amused.
“I didn’t think you would defend Cassia’s …”She paused and cleared her throat. “Uhh, honor, if she actually does have honor.”
“She doesn’t, and no, I wouldn’t. Not that she would ask me to, though. While she may not have honor, she certainly has pride and she would rather fight the duel herself than ask me to fight for her,” Finn replied.
Nodding, Jala walked on silent for a few moments, trying to rationally accept that this was what Finn did for a living, while the irrational side of her screamed in frustration that he was risking his life over Avanti and Rivasan squabbles. “Is it the black coin then? I suppose it is since you said you get to kill him again.”
The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 2 Blood Honor and Dreams Page 25
