She frowned as she stared at me, sadness in her eyes. “You’re a healer now, Fallon. You’ll have your chance to help, but only after the fighting has stopped.”
I hated this. I hated feeling so helpless.
Hayes joined us then, and the three of us split the meager number of healers we had into three teams. It was nothing like the hundreds of warriors we had training at this school. There were almost twenty warriors for every healer, and it didn’t seem fair. Now that we were preparing to go heal the wounded, it was clear how many would have to wait for relief with so few of us able to help.
“Now gather around,” Mrs. Reebus whispered.
The students pressed in but were respectful of my space so that I wasn’t touched.
Suddenly a scream and then a thud came from above us, and a first year next to me whimpered. Mrs. Reebus swallowed hard, ignoring the noise. “We must prepare for the fact that there will be more wounded than the queen’s healers can tend to, and in that case, we will be needed.”
Everyone stood a little taller then, pride showing on their faces. It felt better to patch up a man after he was injured than cut him down. I felt in my soul that being a healer was something I would love to do long-term, but I knew it was only temporary—and truthfully, I would miss being able to fight.
“Nightlings drain their victims of blood to the point of death, and if not, they drink from them until their victim is very weak. No healer can regenerate a person’s blood, but we can put them in an energetic statis until they generate it themselves,” Mrs. Reebus said. “If you feel you are equipped to do this, stand over here.” She pointed to her right.
Hayes and a handful of third and fourth years moved to her right.
Then she addressed the rest of us. “Nightlings can also inflict severe burns, cause wounds from weapons or shock waves, and even create mental torment.” She glanced at me quickly, and I looked away, ashamed.
Mental torment?
‘Don’t look away from her. You haven’t done anything wrong, and we aren’t Nightlings yet!’Yanric snapped, giving her a glare as smoke lifted off from his wings.
‘Calm down. You’re so emotional,’I snapped at him, but his words made me feel better. I had nothing to be ashamed of. I wasn’t mentally tormenting anyone.
“If you feel you can help stop a bleeding wound or help heal a burn, please step over here.” She pointed to her left, and nearly all the rest of the students including me walked to that side. She caught my covered upper arm as I started to walk away and pulled me back to her side.
Then she looked at the two terrified students who were left. “You two can shadow Fallon and me, who will be taking the worst cases. Anyone near death should be reported to us immediately.”
My mouth popped open a little as she turned to me.
“You have Ariyon’s power. Your knowledge is new, but your magic is not. I need you with me for any serious cases.”
I nodded enthusiastically. I wanted to help in any way I could.
Another muffled shriek came from above, and my anxiety ratcheted up a notch.
‘Yan, I want to get out there.’I started to rock on my heels, feeling utterly helpless.
‘I know, but you can’t. Ariyon’s protective magic only works against the living.’
I knew this because I’d fought next to him during one attack and also because he’d used it on me the day he and I had met, when I’d pulled a knife on him and it felt like he’d liquefied my brain out my nose. Oh, how I wished I could liquify Marissa’s brain.
The blue wards that Madame Mondpoint had erected shook and stretched as black shadows attempted to infiltrate them. It looked like a creature was trying to erupt through a plastic bag, bending and pulling it as they tried to push through.
The entire basement erupted into pandemonium, first years screaming and backing away from the walls.
Mr. Whitlock called out to his warrior students. “Put the healers in the center and protect the perimeter. Grab your weapons from the trapdoor in the floor.”
We, the healers, were shuffled to the center of the room, and I held my breath a few times when two people bumped into me, but luckily I was fully covered.
The blue shield distorted and wobbled as shadows attempted to enter and Yanric burst from my shoulder and flew to Eden’s.
‘I still have fighting magic,’he told us both, and Eden nodded.
Mr. Whitlock looked at Yanric on Eden’s shoulder and frowned.
“He’s with me. He can fight,” Eden said, and he gave her a curt nod.
