My mother came out of her stupor and walked on, as if nothing had happened and the woman no longer existed. I gave her one last glance before following my mother.
“Randi. Astrid,” someone called out.
We turned to see several warriors from our village approaching.
“King Geir requests your presence.”
We followed the warriors to the hall. My pulse picked up the closer we got, and by the time we arrived, it was racing. There were more people here than I expected, and their eyes all turned to us when we entered.
My father and Jarl Rune stood near a raised dais where a tall, broad-shouldered man in his late thirties to early forties with scarred, sun-tanned skin and golden hair sat in a fur-lined throne. He sat in a relaxed, lounging posture, and even when his eyes lit up upon seeing us, he didn’t adjust himself.
“Völva Randi, it’s good to see you again,” the man said in a low, rolling voice. His pale eyes shifted to me. “And this must be Völva Astrid that I’ve heard a great deal about.”
My mother and I both bowed respectfully. It was then I noticed how tense my mother was. She never had anything bad to say about the king when she’d been around him in the past, and she hadn’t warned me to be careful, beyond being on my best behavior.
Something didn’t feel right.
“I am told you have the power to heal anything,” the king said.
“I’m afraid I can’t confirm everything is in my power to heal, King Geir. I only just came into my abilities last summer. I am still learning what I can do, and thus far, I’ve only been capable of healing certain injuries.”
His piercing gaze watched me. “How old of injuries?”
“I have not been capable of healing scars, but old bone injuries that did not heal properly have mended under my power in some circumstances.” My lips pressed into a thin line. “I can’t say it would be a pleasant experience, either. Many of those for whom I fixed old bone injuries experienced a great deal of pain.”
King Geir gestured to his left. Others parted, revealing a woman around my age with dark brown hair lying awkwardly on a bench. Her leg was propped up and… didn’t look right.
“My daughter, Estrid. As a child, her leg was damaged and didn’t heal right. I want you to fix it.”
I swallowed hard. That was a large request, especially on the King’s daughter. And if I fail…
My mother subtly nodded. She knew my limits and trusted me to handle this. Even if that meant admitting when I couldn’t perform this task. I would play it safe, but I couldn’t outright refuse to try.
Taking a quiet breath, I padded over to the woman. She smiled pleasantly, and I introduced myself before sitting down with her. I didn’t check her leg immediately. I needed to understand her overall health first to determine if I could risk trying.
She had a minor problem in her hand, which was an easy fix and a good test to see how she’d handle the pain for her leg. Estrid didn’t utter a single complaint and was more in awe when she flexed her healed hand. I never tired of that look. It brought warmth to my chest.
When I was ready to attempt the leg healing, I had her moved to the floor, where she’d be more comfortable. My mother also came over to assist, along with a few others I’d need to hold Estrid down when she started thrashing, because I knew the pain would cause that.
Her damaged leg was like nothing I’d seen in a person from a wealthy family. A farmer, yes, I’d seen a number of nasty injuries from their livestock that reminded me of this, but I would have never guessed the king’s daughter would obtain such an injury. I would have expected they’d have gotten her a healer with the ability to set this far better, long before it healed.
Once Estrid had a strip of leather in her mouth, and was as relaxed as possible anticipating what came next, I gave her a quick warning we were about to begin, and then hovered my hand over the woman’s leg. Magic built up in my chest before the tingling sensation spread through me and into my hands.
Estrid twitched almost immediately, and those holding her down braced for the inevitable. The healing worked slowly, seeping into her skin and then her bones. She whimpered when the pressure of the magic penetrated fully.
This was the tricky part. I would have to ignore her agony to focus. If I pushed too quickly, I’d harm her, but if I didn’t push enough, she’d suffer longer than needed, and it might result in her passing out, or worse, the healing to fail.
Her screaming came soon into the healing, and it took everyone involved to hold Estrid still. I sensed even the King rose to his feet. I blocked it all out.
There was a moment I thought to stop, when it seemed the pain was too much for her, but I sensed we were almost done, and pushed on. She’d have to be strong and fight this.
And Estrid did. No matter how agonizing the pain was, she fought to remain awake and see the end of this.
I let out a tired breath and my magic slipped away. “It is done.”
Collective sighs filled the room. Estrid panted, and her eyes threatened to shut, exhaustion calling to her. Sweat trickled along and pooled on her skin and hair. Most of those who helped me stepped away. My mother remained, cleaning the woman with a rag. Estrid’s brother also remained to monitor her.
I assisted my mother and gave Estrid instructions. “You mustn’t walk on this leg until tomorrow. When tomorrow comes, do not put your full weight on it. Your body has not walked properly in some time and will need time to adjust. Take it slow over the next few days. If you push too quickly, you’ll re-injure yourself.”
