"This is Healer Morah," Thoran said. "She's our resident herbalist and expert in shamanic healing."
"Kailin Strom," Morah said, setting her basket down. "It's a particular pleasure to meet you. I served with your grandmother back in the day."
That surprised me because she looked younger than my grandmother. Besides, Gran had never mentioned having a friend serving in the Citadel. "She would be glad to hear that I've met you."
"I hope so. What is she up to these days? How is she?"
"She's well. It became difficult for her to run the apothecary after Granddad died, so we moved in with her, and my parents are helping her run it. I apprenticed with her for a while."
Morah's eyes widened. "You did? How exciting. Perhaps if you fail the tests and can't become a rider, you could join our team here in the medical wing."
I had no intention of failing, but my health might impede my chances.
"Well then." Thoran gestured to the examination table. "Let's start with the basics."
The next hour was a blur of routine tests. I'd lost fifteen pounds since arriving at the Citadel, and that measurement had been taken right after the three-day pilgrimage, which I had done fasting. All together, I was down twenty-two pounds, which was almost one-sixth of my pre-pilgrimage weight. Next, my blood pressure was measured and deemed a little too low but not worrisome, and my heart rate a little too fast, but not troubling either. Blood was drawn from my arm and labeled for analysis. Thoran listened to my heart and lungs, checked my reflexes, and examined my eyes and throat.
Throughout the examination, Morah watched with those sharp eyes of hers and asked questions about my ability and what I had done during the night of the attack on Podana.
Ravel nodded from his chair, encouraging me to share those details with the healers. It felt strange telling these people thingsI rarely talked about, but if I wanted to get better, they needed to know how and why I was feeling the way I was.
Finally, Thoran stepped back. "Physically, you're relatively healthy. Underweight, certainly, but no signs of disease or infection. Your vitals are good."
"Then why am I so exhausted all the time?"
"That's where Healer Morah comes in." He gestured to the older woman. "I have a feeling your condition isn't purely physical."
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
Morah came closer, her sharp eyes studying me with unnerving intensity. "May I?"
I nodded, not sure what I was agreeing to.
She pressed her fingers to my temples, and I felt a strange warmth spreading through my skull. It wasn't unpleasant, but it was foreign, like someone else's presence brushing against my mind.
"Fascinating," Morah murmured. "Your channels are wide open. No wonder you're exhausted."
"Channels?"
She stepped back. "Energy channels. The pathways through which shamanic power flows. Most people's are narrow, barely functional. Yours are like rivers in flood season."
"Is that bad?"
"It's extraordinary. And exhausting." Morah exchanged a look with Thoran. "She's bleeding energy constantly. Every time she uses her abilities, she's draining herself with nothing to replenish what she loses."
"The prophetic dream," Ravel said from his chair. "That's what depleted her."
"It's not just the dream," Morah said. "She's been forming connections with simple animals and with dragons, projecting her consciousness into other minds. Each time, she pours outmore energy than she takes back in. It's like running a marathon every night and never eating enough to recover."
The analogy made horrible sense. No wonder I felt hollow.
"Can you fix it?" I asked.
"I can't, but I can teach you to manage it." Morah pulled a vial from her basket. "This is a restorative tonic. It won't solve the underlying problem, but it will help your body recover faster. Three drops in water, morning and evening."
I accepted the vial, studying the amber liquid inside. I hadn't seen anything like that in my grandmother's store, and I was a little suspicious of it.
"The real solution is the dragon bond," Thoran said. "Once you're bonded, the dragon will act as a reservoir. Their energy will flow into you, sustaining you through the depletion. It's why bonded shamans can do things that would kill unbonded ones."
