Her hand started to drop when a small feeling rippled through her. She hesitated, her eyes pulled to a sapphire stone, one dwarfed by the rest.
She picked the stone up. “What does this one mean?”
Elodie frowned and took it from Kira. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone pull this one before. Quillon?”
His gaze lifted from the stone to Kira’s, his expression neutral. “It denotes a rare affinity, one that is not much seen anymore.”
Kira waited, hoping he’d expand.
His forehead creased, and he gave a slight shake of his hand. “I’m afraid the test will be inconclusive with the inhibitor still on. Any results you get are likely to be faulty.”
Elodie’s expression dropped as disappointment crossed her face. “I should have considered that. Sorry, Kira; I wasn’t thinking.”
Kira rolled the stone in her hand, the odd attachment she’d had to it fading. “I learned something, and that was what I came for.”
She set the stone on the table. She still had questions, but after Elodie had gone to so much trouble, she didn’t feel right about asking the healer to leave again.
She’d have to wait until next time.
“How about I see you out?” Quillon offered. He stepped aside and gestured for the door.
Kira stepped toward it then hesitated. “Thank you, Elodie. You were very helpful.”
Elodie’s head lifted, her expression momentarily surprised before pleasure washed through her expression.
Kira dipped her chin before heading out of the room, Quillon keeping pace beside her as Finn trailed them.
They walked for several minutes in silence before Quillon spoke. “I sense there was more you wanted to ask, but that you wanted privacy for it.”
Kira slid him a hard look. “How observant of you.”
His lips lifted the barest bit in a faint smile. “I have my moments.”
They walked several more feet before Kira lifted the wrist with the inhibitor. “This is supposed to block myki, yet I was able to create a small shield. Why?”
If something was wrong with her treatments, she needed to know—even if it was bad news. Especially if it was bad news.
If her gamble of coming here didn’t work, she’d need to make other arrangements. Put into motion plans that would see that Jin and others were taken care of if her disease ran its course.
Quillon’s head tilted. “You misunderstand the inhibitor's purpose. Yes, it is to block yourkito give you a chance to heal, but as your channels strengthen, so will your access to your soul’s breath.”
Kira stopped and faced him. “What does that mean?”
Patience filled Quillon’s expression. “It means you’re healing. Thekipoisoning is slowly reversing. The stronger your channels get, the more of the soul’s breath you will be able to access.”
Kira’s breath stuttered in her chest, a desperate hope fluttering through her.
“You still have a long way to go, but this is a positive step,” Quillon explained.
Kira started moving again, her thoughts churning. As welcome as Quillon’s words were, it didn’t change the fact that the inhibitor was a glaring weakness.
“I need to know how to get it off in the case of an emergency.”
Quillon blinked at her. “Absolutely not. You’ll undo all the progress you’ve made.”
Kira scowled at him. “Progress that will be meaningless if I die first.”
This time it was Quillon who stopped. “If you’d known how to remove the inhibitor when facing Devon, you would have, and you’d be in the same state you’d arrived in, only worse. I won’t help you commit suicide.”
