His nose wrinkled. “Of course not. Oliver had enough energy to lusceler himself back, and he could’ve found another member of your squad to come help you.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but he cut me off.
“If you use up all your energy, you’ll die. I’m sure you felt some signs of degradation. Those are warning signals—telling you to stop.”
He sighed, shaking his head, as if he could tell I was only taking half of what he said to heart.
“I’ve healed you as much as possible, but something is not allowing me to heal you fully. Every time I try to replenish your energy reserves, it doesn’t stay filled like it should. Have you run into this problem before?”
“A problem with my energy? No, I don’t…” I trailed off as my shoulders dropped.
My mother. How could I have forgotten?
“Say someone was draining your energy… what happens to them if you use too much of your power?”
He scrutinized me, placing his crystal back around his neck. “That depends?—”
“Would it hurt them?”
“In most cases, no. Usually, it’s more harmful to the person being drained,” he said slowly, his eyes narrowing. “Why, is someone draining your energy?”
I hesitated. “No, just a hypothetical question.”
He studied me. He didn’t believe me. “I don’t normally do this, and it’s not a solution, but it will help.”
He reached into his pocket, pulling out something small and gripping it tightly. Yellow light gleamed through his knuckles before settling. A small yellow crystal rested in his palm when he opened his hand.
“Here.” He handed it to me. “Squeeze it only if you absolutely need to. It probably only has about two uses, but it’ll replenish your energy when it gets toolow.”
“Thanks.” The crystal hummed faintly as I grasped it, a comforting sensation swirling through my palm. I tucked it away in my pocket with a grateful smile.
The tightness in his pursed lips told me he wanted to press further, but he didn’t. After a long pause, he cleared us to leave on the condition that we rest and refrain from going back outside. I forced a tight smile. I could appreciate the order, but a part of me still boiled with frustration at our failed run.
Once he left, I gave Oliver a questioning look. “And that joyful male was?”
Oliver gazed after the healer with a peculiar expression. “His name’s Sam. A Virtue, like the rest of the healers here. Or at least like the rest of the ones wearing an amulet.”
I assumed they all wore a necklace, but I’d found some healers without them.
“Is it a rank of some sort?”
Oliver shrugged, turning back to me. “Maybe. Sam used his when he healed us. So it channels their powers, but I’m not sure why the different colors. I’m assuming the healers who don’t have them either don’t need them, aren’t Virtues, or aren’t qualified for them.”
Shifting to the side of the bed, my sweatpants bunched at my waist and pooled past my feet. They were huge.
“What am I wearing?” I plucked at the thick, black long-sleeve swallowing my small form, smelling of crisp winter air, balsam, and a sharp note of cloves. My eyes fluttered, and a genuine smile lifted my lips as I brought the shirt to my nose.
Home.
The scent reminded me of the rare times my mom and I felt free—when our burdens fell away, and even Earth’s suffocating homes didn’t feel so stifling. Every winter, soft snow blanketed the evergreens and carpeted the grass in a sparkly white sheen. My mom would light a balsam candle, and we’d string up lights and fresh greenery while her terrible jazz music played in the background. And on the nights snow fell thick, she’d pull me from bed before sunrise, and we’d bundle up, make snow angels, and giggle under the twinkling stars. The hot chocolate afterward sealed it as one of my favorite traditions.
This scent was all that—but also spicy and sharp. Toe-curling.
Oliver smelled his own shirt, nodding. “I mean, yeah, the general smells great, but I didn’t think it was moan-worthy.”
Instantly, I let go of the shirt, giving Oliver raised, incredulous brows.
“Sam suggested warmer clothing instead of the thin, papery gowns they give patients, and the general complied by donating a couple of shirts. That semi-kind gesture happened before I fell asleep and woke up to him flipping his shit.”
