Shandry flushed slightly at the rebuke, her gaze shifting.
The exchange allowed Kira to regain the last of her composure. She settled in her chair and fixed Graydon and Silas with a cool stare. "Can you really fix what's wrong with me?"
For so long, Kira had lived with the knowledge that using her powers was slowly killing her. She was afraid to let herself hope.
What she'd told Jace had been true. The life of a Cur was dangerous. You risked death anytime you left for battle on a hoverboard.
In that situation, it had been easy to ignore how her body was slowly killing her. She'd done what she needed to do like any good soldier, never really expecting to survive the war.
When she lived, and so many others didn't, she'd had to find a new way forward. It had lengthened her life expectancy, but she knew it was only a matter of time. She could feel the broken bits bleeding her out slowly.
"We can," Graydon promised.
Kira closed her eyes. It was harder than she thought to let them try. Death had been a familiar stalker since she could remember.
So why was she hesitant to take their help now?
"Take the hand they're offering you, Kira," Jace urged.
There was no choice, she realized. Even if Jin hadn't thrown his ultimatum, she would have had to take this road. She was stubborn, not stupid. No matter how much she wanted to knock Graydon and the rest of the arrogant Tuann down a peg or two, she wouldn't kill herself to do it.
"How are you going to fix me?" she asked.
Silas and Quillon exchanged a look. This time Quillon was the one to answer her. "Our species rarely spend extended time away from our planets. The Mea'Ave provides something vital so we can live. Those who have not had contact with it weaken. If enough time goes by, they eventually die."
"With enough time, the planet will heal me," Kira guessed.
"That is an oversimplification. A healer will need to guide the process, but yes. We are familiar with this ailment. It is something we can fix," Quillon said.
Easily, it sounded like.
"Looks like this round goes to you," Kira told Graydon. "Don't think you’ll always get your way."
Graydon watched her for several seconds. Kira could see the thoughts moving behind his eyes, the plots, the schemes. Graydon wasn't the sort to let life happen around him. He prodded and guided until he got the outcome he wanted.
She didn't know why he'd fixated on her, but she had no doubt he would try to figure out a way to make her stay. She looked forward to the battle.
"Good enough. There will be time later to change your mind," he promised.
She snorted. "Not likely, but you're welcome to try."
His smile was wicked as it curved his lips. "I look forward to it."
Shandry sat forward. "I have a healing regimen that should help things along."
Kira's glance was cutting. "You're not touching me."
Shandry's mouth dropped open, shocked disbelief on her face. "You can't mean that."
"I do exactly mean that. I don't trust you. It'll be a cold day in hell before I let you close to me." The tone of Kira's voice made the depth of her resolve unmistakable.
Quillon's nod was sharp, his expression understanding. "This is acceptable. House Roake has many skilled healers, including myself."
The tight ball in Kira's stomach loosened. Her history with doctors and the like was a complicated one. They were a necessary evil in her mind. She needed them; her life had been too dangerous not to. But they reminded her of a childhood spent being poked and prodded, experimented on like a common lab rat.
"Fine," Kira finally said, sweeping her gaze over the room. This wasn't what she would have chosen, but it was a path forward. Sometimes that was all you could ask for.
Adapting was one of the first tenets of warfare. She'd gotten good at that. The Tuann were about to learn how good.
