Page 33 of The Black Citadel

That was enough of that.

"No more questions."

"Fine."

The speed of his surrender made me suspicious.

Alex watched Ashter return with the stick, took it from him, and tossed it again before speaking with a level of casualness that fooled nobody. "So, biomancy."

I turned my head slowly.

"No."

Alex leaned his head against the tree and looked at me. "You don't even know what I was going to ask."

I didn't like the direction this had taken.

Most people's questions about my ability followed the same shape. How fast could I heal somebody? What injuries could I fix? Could I alter another person's body permanently? What happened if I pushed too far? How much concentration did it take?

Masters preferred demonstrations to questions.

Council members preferred both.

I'd answered enough versions over the years to know where conversations about biomancy usually went, and the loose, easy feeling I'd found under the tree started tightening before Alex even opened his mouth again.

He didn't seem to notice.

"Could you give me another arm?"

I blinked. "What?"

"Another arm." He lifted his right one and gestured at his ribs. "Maybe here."

For several seconds I couldn't tell if he was serious.

"Why?"

"I don't know. Seems useful."