Chapter 27 #3
“I vote you with your butter knives,” Sondar volunteers from behind me, and the snickers that follow force me to blow out a calming breath and try to force the heat gathering in my cheeks to go the fuck away.
“Cut it out, Ever,” Aeson snaps at me, and if it wasn’t for the Healer watching our every move, I really would shoot the bossy Scion. We’re already in the infirmary, so if I actually drew blood, he’d be right as rain in no time.
Instead, I drop my pistol and give Aeson and his Wing a bright smile that doesn’t meet my eyes. Aeson said he trusted Ramirez, but just in case he’s wrong, I’m not going to give the dukes anything else they can use against me. There’s no trouble in paradise here, we’re all right as rain.
“So, what does this mean?” I ask the Healer, focusing back on why we’re here. “Do we have to start all over? New scans, new tests, everything?”
The Healer’s face softens, and when she shakes her head, I don’t know if I’m relieved or panic-stricken.
“No, I wanted to show you the scans to help you understand what’s happening, but I know what’s causing your affinity to stall.”
Her words slowly sink in, but I’m no longer certain I’m still tethered to my body. I feel outside of myself as the Healer offers me a comforting smile.
“There are two factors that need to be addressed before your affinity will fully manifest,” she starts.
I find myself wishing I’d sat down when I had the chance. I have to work very hard to listen past the lightness in my head and the crash of my pulse filling my ears.
“The first issue is that you’re malnourished, and not just from the time you were held captive, but over a long period before that.
I’ve already sent over new dietary requirements to your cooks.
With your affinity sparking to life, I’m sure the combination of eating more and your healing ability will correct this in no time.
It’s the second factor at play here that is going to take a bit longer to address,” she tells me, and all at once, I can’t remember how to breathe.
She said my affinity will fully manifest. Which means I’m not doomed?.?.?. the Syphons are not doomed, and yet she said it could take time. A statement that might not be the death blow I feared, but it’s still a dagger to the kidneys, because how much more will we have to endure?
“You have very little Source magic flowing through you, Scioness, and absolutely no reserves. Source magic is the reason we exist, and without it, an affinity can never take root, let alone bloom. You’ve been starved of it, to a point I’ve never seen a dragon survive,” she explains, her saffron-colored eyes filled with both awe and empathy.
“And yet, according to your scans, your affinity is greedily gulping it down and your pathways are healing.”
An ember of something like hope flickers to life in my chest. I’m afraid to tend to it, and yet I don’t want it to go out either.
“You spent a few weeks here, near a Source, before your dragon mark appeared,” she points out. “Because of that, you had enough power accrued to activate your mark and your healing, but there wasn’t any more to tap into when you tried to push your affinity further.”
“Are you saying if I stay near a Source, I’ll eventually absorb enough magic to reveal?” I interrupt, simultaneously shocked and impatient.
“Yes,” Ramirez confirms.
Could it really be that simple? I want to believe her, but simple ranks right up there with easy , as far as I’m concerned.
“There’s a serum I can give you that will help strengthen your natural pathways. Beyond that, you’re metabolizing Source magic at a rate I’ve never seen before. It will be interesting to see what your follow-up scans reveal in a week.”
“Is there anything else we can do to help things along?” Aeson asks.
“There are other options available to help speed up the progress, but I don’t recommend them in your case, Scioness.
Accelerating things further would be dangerous and unnecessarily painful.
You’ve had enough of both to last several lifetimes.
My recommendation is to eat, rest, enjoy your bond often––”
I bark out a laugh and then quickly shut my mouth.
Healer Ramirez smiles, a new glint shining in her eyes.
“I know it sounds like the antithesis of resting, but your bond is blessed by the Source and an excellent way to siphon magic straight into your stores, no pun intended,” she giggles.
“Whatever you choose, give yourself time to heal, let your affinity bloom, and you’ll reveal when it’s time. ”
Healer Ramirez moves toward a long counter on the back wall and starts mixing what I assume is the serum she mentioned.
My mind is replaying everything she just said, searching for a we’ll see or a might not work , but I don’t find either.
She seems certain that eating and lying around while the Source works its literal magic is a surefire solution.
If that’s true, then I need to get Enslee and the others here as soon as possible, because it’s going to take all of us to reveal for the final part of our plan… phase three.