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He sighed. “And I’m grateful for that. But what if you weren’t a healer? I took you in there, and you could have died. Sometimes, our strength just isn’t enough. You have a strong seed, but even the strongest healers have limits. Real ones—not the false ones your father tried to impose on you. You’ve thrown off his limitations, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have any.”
I blinked, considering his words. I wanted to protest, but was it possible he was right? Did I think that by breaking free of my father, I could now do anything and save anyone?
If I truly accepted that nothing could save Josie’s leg, it changed everything. Esme’s face appeared in my mind, filled with desperation and grief as she knelt beside Josie. Unlike me, she knew this girl and her family. She clearly wanted to save her, and she had far more investment than I did. She also had far more experience as a healer—especially a healer far from a hospital. If she said this was the only option in the circumstances, I was sure she was right. No one was trying to manipulate or limit this girl. All they wanted was to save her life.
Guilt flooded me, followed by shame at my ridiculous behavior back in the village. I was a healer, and healers were supposed to help, not make an already tragic situation more difficult.
I jumped to my feet. “I have to go.”
Esme had been right—the sooner we completed the healing, the better it would be for everyone. I couldn’t dally out here in the fields. I had to get back quickly and help save that girl’s life. And then I would have to apologize to Esme, to Amara, and to Josie’s parents. At least Josie herself had been unconscious and oblivious to my outrageous response.
Nik stood as well, grabbing my arm.
“Delphine, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. I—”
I let him pull me toward him, smiling up at him. His words faded as he took in my expression.
“I’m not upset with you,” I said. “I’m upset with myself because you’re completely right. And that means I have to go back and face the mess I made.”
I swayed toward him, wanting to lean against his chest and soak in his strength and warmth. I was just pulling myself together and straightening when his arms swept around me and clasped me against him.
I melted into him. His chest and arms tightened, squeezing me closer, and my name escaped his mouth on a breath, as if he hadn’t meant to utter it. For one second, my eyes fluttered closed, and I allowed myself to relax and imagine staying here forever.
But then I forced my eyes back open and pushed against him. For a brief moment, he held on tightly, not letting me go. But with a quiet groan he released me.
“You have to go.” His eyes sparked in the gloom of dusk, and my heart quickened.
“I have to go,” I repeated, as much to myself as to him. But I hesitated for one last question. “How are you here, turning up just when I need you most?”
“I told you back at the inn that I would be waiting and ready to act. I’ve been with you since before you left Caltor.”
“You have?” I shook my head. “Amara said something like that. She was expecting to meet you somewhere on the road. You should have joined us instead of lurking behind.”
But even as I said it, I remembered why he couldn’t. We didn’t know what eyes Grey had watching us or what tales he might be receiving. Amara and my travels had to look natural.
I looked around, suddenly alert in the way I should have been all along. But I could see no one else in the rapidly gathering darkness.
“Go,” Nik said softly, giving me a light push in the right direction. “And don’t worry. I’ll be watching over you until you’re safely back in the village.”
I nodded, wanting to say too many things but not having time for any of them. Glancing at the setting sun, my feet took off of their own volition. Anything I had to say would have to wait. I was needed to save a life.
ChapterTen
“You need to rest.” Amara’s firm but gentle voice reached through the haze of my exhaustion.
“But I need to—” I looked at Josie, still unconscious in the bed, and realized there was nothing left to do.
Had I been working for hours, or did it only seem like hours? A glance at the window told me it was dark outside, but I didn’t know how late.
They had all been waiting for me when I returned, the anxious look on Esme’s face bringing back the uncomfortable feelings of shame. After my behavior, she hadn’t been sure I would return. But Amara’s expression told me she, at least, had never doubted me. And her confidence filled me with determination. I wouldn’t let her down again.
Her clasp on my shoulder told me she understood the remorse in my face, but I wasn’t selfish enough to start my apologies immediately. I had an important task to do, and seeking forgiveness would have to wait until no one’s life was in danger.
Josie’s parents had wanted to be present, but thankfully the healer had convinced them to leave with several of the villagers. Since Josie was still safely ensconced in assisted sleep, she had no need of their comfort, and once Esme removed the cloth covering her tools, I was grateful no family members were present.
If I hadn’t been fully prepared to squash my squeamish reaction, I would likely have collapsed myself just at the sight of them. And I had further reason to be grateful to Esme as she took me through the operation with a calm professionalism that grounded me. She talked me through everything she was doing as she removed the damaged limb, at the same time using her power to demonstrate what she needed me to do inside Josie’s body.
She didn’t have the strength to change anything inside Josie—not with the level of Josie’s resistance—but she went through the motions, her power guiding mine. Following her direction, I provided the strength to actually complete each step of the healing.
