42. Chapter Forty-Two #2
Again, with no smoke or visible signs, heat flows from my palm resting on Hendrix’s leg, and I sense muscles and tendons knitting back together, veins sealing, nerves regenerating, and lost blood replenishing before the skin grafts, closing over entirely until even the shiny scar fades then disappears altogether, leaving perfectly smooth skin and not one trace of the wound.
Gleefully, he leaps to his feet, dragging me up with him with a loud whoop. His arms wrap around my waist, twirling me in a circle, and I'm torn between laughing and begging him to put me down so my head stops spinning.
"You might want to put your clothes back on before doing that." Zenn's tone is harsh, but he looks faintly amused.
Chuckling, Hendrix grabs his pants, hurrying up the path to catch the end of training while I stir the porridge and check on Willa. When I get the courage to look at Zenn, he's frozen, staring down at me, jaw clenched so tight, it looks painful. "So, it was you? You healed my hand?"
I hold his stare and lift my chin. "I think so, yes."
"You…think so? What does that even mean? You didn't do it on purpose? Despite what I just saw?”
He crosses his arms over his chest, ready for a fight I'm not about to give him. The last thing I need is tension between us before I tell him about going to Orz.
I shift my weight, wishing I had an explanation.
As much as part of me wants to tell him about Varistia, there's no way I can without explaining the failed Ritual too.
Plus, she told me not to say anything, and it's not like he'd believe me anyway.
"Something like that. I didn't know it was me, or that it was even possible until now. "
"Because it shouldn't be possible. You know as well as I do, there's no such thing as true healing."
"Just like there's no such thing as a five-star Wielder?
" I shoot back. "Do you know why you have more power than anyone else in our realm, maybe the entire island?
Or is it just accepted as an unexpected gift?
Can't we just say the same about this?" Zenn scoffs lightly, looking away no doubt to hide the hint of a smile I glimpse.
"Maybe it's to do with what you said about magic being unstable.
I don't know. What I do know is I'd rather be healing your sister than standing here, arguing about the impossibility of it all. "
He meets my eyes again, voice softening at that. "Fair point, well made."
"I swear, I didn't knowingly lie to you about this. After you asked if I healed you, it made me wonder if I could've had something to do with it. And it turns out, you were right." All completely true, just with most of the details omitted.
He glances at his sleeping sister before stepping into my space, forcing me to tip my head back or stop looking at him. “I think I need to hear you say that at least one more time.”
Rolling my eyes, I stretch up onto my tiptoes and flatten my palms against his chest, giving him my most sincere fake smile while batting my eyelashes. “Zenn, you were right.”
He smirks and drops a kiss at the corner of my exaggerated pout. “I could get used to hearing those words from that mouth.” I laugh and take the probably ruined porridge off the fire as he adds, "You’re something else, you know that?" He has no idea how true that statement is.
It turns out, healing Willa is a lot more complex than Hendrix.
Lira rushed back as soon as he told her what happened, and I'm grateful to have her calming presence at my side as I guide the magic into Willa's body.
Wincing, I try to hide my shock at the extensive internal damage and blood loss, along with tremors of pain I think are from both of us.
No wonder she's mostly been unconscious since it happened.
And this is after Lira's been healing her.
The Goddess must have been watching over Willa, or I don't think she would've survived.
It takes me longer to connect to the pulse of power this time, and after learning from healing Hendrix, I go slower once my shaky hands are pressed to Willa's skin.
Far too quickly, it feels as if there's nothing to draw from. Not possible—the river of power at the base of that trench looked infinite. Sweat beads on my forehead and neck, the spasms crushing my insides intensifying with every attempted pull.
"Aly, you're too pale. You need to stop." Zenn's voice sounds so far away with this buzzing in my ears. I can't stop; there are so many injuries, and I've only healed the worst of it. Digging deeper, I work on the damage around her organs, sensing the tissue regenerate.
A tremor rocks through me, and I send a bigger surge of power into Willa than I mean to.
Guilt gnaws at me when her body jolts in response.
Fuck, I'm too impatient. I need to slow down.
Blinking away the darkness creeping in at the edges of my vision, I reach again, but Zenn's cool hands grip mine, pulling them away from his sister.
"Enough. You both need a break. I can tell you're right on the edge.
" I shake my head. I can do a little more.
"Look at her." His voice is gentle and firm, with an edge of something heightened.
When I look at Willa, I see why. Oh gods, what have I done? Her once blazing red hair is completely white, her golden brown skin covered in a sheen of sweat, and her fingernails look blue. "Is she ok?" I gasp, pitching forward onto my hands and knees like I'm about to be sick.
Lira quickly checks Willa’s pulse before scanning with her magic. "She's fine. You did a great job."
"A great job? Look at her hair."
The healer pulls back her soft green light from Willa's body, nodding reassuringly.
"Take a breath. You didn't hurt her. You healed a lot of the internal damage.
" Her eyes flick to Zenn. "She's still weak from the bruising and blood loss.
No chance she's walking out of here any time soon, but she'll definitely live. "
Those words crack the wall I've had tightly wrapped around my terror.
Hiding my face in my hands, I tune out the rest of their conversation and let myself sob in relief, soothing the hollow ache of pushing too hard.
It doesn't matter—Willa's going to be ok.
I, on the other hand, might not be. The realization hits as the world blurs, light splinters, and everything spins.