‘I’m Ava,’ I said to the weak man. His eyes met mine, and although fear flashed through them for a second, he soon relaxed. Surrounded by allies, he must have realised I wasn’t a threat. His blonde hair was matted, his skin pale, as if death waited at the door. ‘I could try to heal you if you let me.’
Pupils widening, he tried to lift his head to look at the gash in his stomach. It bled so freely that it pooled beneathhis bed, soaking my boots. His voice was weak and trembling. ‘It’s too late for me. Heal the others.’
He gripped my hand, squeezing as though to beg me to move on.
River watched intently from across the infirmary, using his fire to aid the other wounded. It wouldn’t heal them, but it would provide them strength to fight.
Lines of worry marred his forehead as I hovered over the dying warrior.
The wound had to be dealt with immediately; there was no time to argue. ‘If you allow me, I’d like to try. The others are being taken care of.’
‘Let her, Albert. She’s his; it’s worth a shot.’ A soldier on the floor pleaded, clutching the torn muscle of his nearly severed arm.
Albert’s gaze flicked around the room, jumping between who needed help most.
I squeezed his hand tighter. ‘You might still survive. Their injuries aren’t as grave.’
He lay motionless as River stepped beside me to assess the wound. He placed a hand on Albert’s cheek and sighed, but his fire did nothing to close the crater.
Turning to me, he whispered, ‘Do it.’
Ignoring the surrounding chaos, I cleared my mind completely and rallied all of my green essence into my palms before placing them on his stomach, right beside the source of the bleeding.
Time seemed to still as I willed the veins and arteries to repair. My witchcraft coiled through the injury, causing him to twitch from pain, but it was the price he had to pay.
It worked deeper, knitting torn cartilage, bone, and muscle back into a cohesive unity that resembled a stomach once more. Still damaged, but no longer bleeding out.
Tearing my hands away, I released a deep breath I hadn’t realised I was holding. Healing demanded too much. Myhands had already begun to spasm, warning me not to push further. There would be consequences.
I checked Albert’s face. His expression had softened, and River used the clean part of his sleeve to wipe sweat from my forehead. The healing had drained me so completely that I barely noticed the fever creeping in.
‘Thank you.’ The soldier’s eyes glistened, tears spilling as he addressed me with a reverence that left me speechless.
But I wasn’t done.
The unconscious man on the next bed lay straightened by some plastic brace holding his neck in place. He wouldn’t heal on his own either; his breathing had grown shallower since I began with Albert.
‘What’s wrong with him?’ I asked the medic tending another soldier. She eyed me suspiciously but finally answered when she saw Albert’s colour return.
‘They froze his spine. Tore it apart.’
Gods. When had my people become so cruel? This wasn’t battle, it was torture.
I gathered what power I had left, though it came reluctantly. My sisters could have healed this whole room twice over, but fate hadn’t been as generous with me.
Focusing the energy on his neck, I traced the devastation one of my kind had left. Several of his vertebrae weren’t just disconnected; some had been crushed and frozen into solid blocks I couldn’t thaw alone.
‘River!’ I called before I could stop myself. Numerous heads snapped in my direction, shock clear on their faces.
I cursed silently for forgetting formality, but he didn’t seem to mind and was at my side instantly.
There was hope in his voice. ‘Do you need my help?’
‘My fire isn’t strong enough to defrost his spine. You’ll have to connect with me and track where my witchcraft goes. Only defrost what I’m healing, or we’ll kill him. The ice is the only thing keeping him alive right now.’
He didn’t hesitate. Our fingers interlaced, and his flames surged through me, filling my chest with enough warmth to self-combust.
I forced my reluctant green energy to entwine with his, guiding them towards the shattered pieces of the man lying before us.
