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“Then we’ll need a volunteer.”
The three of us looked at Quain.
Quain put his hands up. “Hold on. I’ve already gone through it.”
“Which makes you the expert,” Loren said. “You can tell us if Flea did it right or not.”
“It’s the ‘or not’ that I’m worried about,” Quain said.
“Sepp said he can’t take a life like Tohon could, but he can freeze life in a fake death,” I explained.
“But how do I do that? When Quain was frozen, I had this weird compulsion to touch him. And when I did—” he grimaced at the memory “—it felt like my stomach turned inside out. It was the same when you were in trouble. I got this...sour feeling. But right now, I’ve got nothing.”
“Maybe you need to concentrate on it,” I suggested. “Think about pausing his life.”
“Uh, I don’t like the sound of that.” Quain scooted away from Flea.
“It doesn’t hurt, you big baby,” Loren said.
“Then why don’t you volunteer?”
“That’s enough,” I said to the monkeys. “This is important. If he’s able to do it, it’ll save lives.”
“I’ll try.” Flea closed his eyes. He twisted his shirt in his hands. After a minute, he opened them. “Nothing. Sorry.”
“Try again, but this time, put your hand on Quain’s arm,” I said. “Quain, push your sleeve up.”
Frowning, Quain exposed a muscular forearm. His loose shirt hid his powerful build, but the muscles on his neck bulged with tension. Flea rested his fingers on Quain’s arm, closed his eyes again and pressed his lips together.
We waited.
Flea gasped and jerked his hand away. He stared at Quain in horror.
Quain looked confused. “Did he pause me?”
“No,” Loren said.
“What’s wrong?” I asked Flea.
“I—I think...I’m going to be sick.” Flea dashed out of the cave.
I chased after him. He bent over a bush, vomiting. When he finished, he sank to the ground. Kneeling next to him, I put my hand on his sweaty forehead. My magic didn’t stir. At least he wasn’t truly sick.
The monkeys hovered by the cave’s entrance. When Flea spotted Quain, he squeaked in alarm. I gestured to them, waving them back inside. Sitting back on my heels, I dropped my hand.
“What happened, Flea? Talk to me, please.”
He drew in a deep breath, then met my gaze. I almost glanced away. His light green eyes shone with pain and grief. His haunted expression looked straight through me for a moment. “You can’t tell Quain. Promise me.”
Uh-oh. “I promise.”
“I saw his death. When, where, how. All the gory details.”
“Oh, no. I’m so sorry, Flea.”
He shook his head. “Not your fault. I need to learn... But I’m not going to tell him or anyone else. Not now. Okay?”
“Yes. We’ll stop experimenting. Ryne has that book—”
“No. I need to know what else I can do. It’s too important.” He took my hand and relaxed a bit. “Touch is still okay.” He gave me a half smile. “Guess I need to concentrate in order to see. And, truthfully, I never want to do it again.”
“You don’t have to.” And at the moment, I couldn’t think of a reason he’d need to. Except... “Uh, Flea. Can you at least tell me...”
“Not soon. He’ll be annoying us for a while.”
I sagged against Flea. “Good. I don’t think I’d survive if I lost another friend.”
“Me, either.”
We sat together for a while. When we returned to the cave, the monkeys hustled over. Flea took a step back, but then recovered.
“What happened?” Loren asked.
“Flea threw up, but he’s okay,” I said.
“Why did you get sick?” Quain asked.
Flea shrugged, but wouldn’t meet Quain’s gaze. “I guess when I try to use my magic, it makes me sick.”
A lame excuse and Loren was too smart to fall for it. But I gave him a pointed look and he dropped the subject.
Flea accompanied me during my afternoon rounds.
“Another aspect of Sepp’s magic is he could tell if an injured or sick man would die from his injuries,” I said.
“Isn’t that what I just did with Quain?” Flea hugged his arms to his chest.
“Not quite. Quain’s healthy. Sepp called death a threshold. He said he could see what caused a person to cross over the threshold and also sense if they’re close to crossing. He never mentioned being able to see into a person’s future. And knowing Sepp, he would have bragged about it and used it to his advantage.”
“Oh.”
I checked on Private Davin. Color had returned to his face. In fact, a little too much color and his breathing was ragged. Probably a fever.
“Flea, touch his hand, but don’t concentrate on anything. Just see if you get a...feeling.”
He hesitated then placed his fingertips on Davin’s knuckles. Flea snatched his hand away as if burned. “Something...” He tapped his chest. “In here. A clot? It’s not good.”
Surprised, I took Davin’s hand. My magic flowed into him. This time, I waited, letting it seep in, ignoring the obvious injuries. I detected a small blockage in his lungs. If left untreated, it would grow and be fatal.
“What’s wrong?” Flea asked.
“It’s a pulmonary embolism. You just saved his life.”
“Me? No, you. You’re the healer. You would have figured it out.”
“I was going to give him fever powder. If you hadn’t spotted it, he would have died tonight.”
Flea stared at me a moment as if he couldn’t quite believe what he’d heard. “You mean, this...magic might be a good thing?”
“I know he can be annoying, but don’t you think waking Quain was a good thing?”
“Yeah, I did, but...that was more a onetime deal. And after seeing Quain’s...” He spread his hands. “Just seemed more like a curse.”
“It’s a gift from the Peace Lily. But I understand what you’re saying. Having magic is a mixed blessing. Yes, we have power and can do things others can’t, but we also have a duty to use them to help others and a responsibility not to abuse the gift.”
Flea groaned. “Why does everything have to be so complicated?”
“I wish I knew. And if I could, I’d change it in heartbeat, trust me.”
Before I healed Davin, I continued checking the rest of my patients. Growing bolder, Flea touched each one, reporting what he felt. Glad there hadn’t been any other medical surprises, I returned to Davin.
This time after my magic flooded him, I pulled it back into me, assuming the clot and his cracked ribs to make him more comfortable. Wheezing with the effort to draw breath, I walked gingerly to my cavern. Pain ringed my chest with every step. I almost passed out from taking off my boots.
“Avry, wait.” Flea carried a cot. He set it down next to the fire. “You shouldn’t be lying on the cold stone ground tonight.” He helped me lie on it, put my pillow under my head, and covered me with a blanket. Flea paused when he spotted Kerrick’s shirt on the floor. Then he scooped it up and tucked it next to me.
“Thanks, Flea.”
“You’d do it for me.”
“Yeah, but you’d complain I was fussing over you too much.”
He shot me his lopsided grin. “You are overprotective, but I’d be...sad if you weren’t. Good night, Avry.”
“Night.”
When he reached the exit, I called his name. He turned.
“I’d like you and the guys to bring your bedrolls back. It’s way too quiet in here.”
“Will do.” He saluted and left.
I drifted into a deep healing sleep. Dreams mixed with memories.
I stood in the garden in Sogra with Kerrick behind me. He traced the scars on my back as Tohon called my name. Instead of running away this time, I turned to embrace him. But he’d disappeared. A thorny bush grew in his place.
Tohon laughed. “You can’t escape me, my dear. I’m always with you. Unlike Kerrick, who has a nasty tendency to leave you when you most need him. Who’s going to save you now?”
“I can take care of myself.”
“You’re sick and injured.”
“I’m safe inside the cave.”
“Are you sure about that, my dear?”
A shuffling noise woke me. I peeked through slitted eyelids. Messy bedrolls surrounded the fire pit. The guys had been here, but by the tossed blankets and scattered pillows, I guessed they’d left in a hurry. Unease swelled. Drawing in a deep breath, I tested my ribs and lungs. Still very sore, limiting any extended physical activity.
More shuffling sounded nearby. I murmured and rolled over as if still asleep, managing to free my hands from the blanket. If I touched skin, I could defend myself. Too bad I’d left my stiletto in my pack.
After several minutes the slide step of boots resumed. Fear churned in my stomach, but I resisted the urge to tense my muscles. Two, maybe three people approached. Risking another peek, I spotted a black figure nearby.
I counted the steps. One. Two. Three. I surged to my feet and lunged for the closest figure, wrapping my hands around my attacker’s thick neck. A good idea, except he wore a hood that also protected his throat. In fact, the man was completely covered. Other than a thin slit for his eyes, no skin showed.
Not that it mattered now that I’d lost the element of surprise. His companions pulled me off him. I struggled and shouted for help until one of them pressed a sweet-smelling cloth over my face.
The cave spun as the sticky odor invaded my nose. My muscles turned to liquid and I giggled.
“Take her out,” the man said. “I’ll make sure no one follows.”
Scary words, but I didn’t care. Instead, I marveled as I floated over the floor. If only they’d release me, I’d fly to the ceiling. We left the cavern and snaked through the cave. Lanterns hung along the walls, casting a sickly yellow glow.
“Wow, good thinking,” I said to my captors. “Using the back entrance. Did Wynn tell you to do that?”
They ignored me.
I tsked. “Didn’t your mothers teach you any manners?”
We kept moving.
“Phew! What stinks?”
They shushed me, which just made me shout louder. Finally a gloved hand clamped over my mouth. My head cleared by the time we neared the back exit. Fear returned full force. Even though I dragged my feet and fought, our pace never slowed.
Panicked, I increased my efforts despite the pain in my ribs.
Nothing worked. They had me in a firm grip and weren’t letting go.
CHAPTER 4
Fresh air brushed my sweaty forehead and cleared the stink of the privy from my nostrils. Normally welcomed, fresh air in this case meant my chances of rescue decreased. Still held tight, I’d stopped struggling as the two men dragged me out the back entrance of the cave. My efforts to escape hadn’t made any difference, so I’d decided to save my strength for later. If there was a later. Fear pulsed through me.
They halted to let their eyes adjust in the predawn light. Four others waited for us. All wearing black clothing and hoods that exposed no skin, like my captors. The three soldiers who had been stationed to guard the cave lay on the ground. Knocked unconscious and not dead, I hoped.
“This way,” one said, gesturing. “Quickly.”
We followed. After a few steps, the trees rustled. Thuds followed curses and yells. The two holding me fell forward, pushing me down as something heavy landed on top of us. Pain ringed my chest and all my breath whooshed out.
More cries sounded before the weight lifted off my back. I curled into a ball, gasping for air. Once my noisy inhalations eased, other noises of a scuffle reached me.
