Chapter 9
*
The year group was much smaller than was usual - Liara was the fifth member, and Kirstie was the only other girl. The other three members were Daven, a merchant's son, Geral, an innkeeper's nephew, and Herreld, an arrogant highborn.
They talked during dinner. Kirstie already knew about Herreld's arrogant jibes, and Daven and Geral generally reflected his arrogance with jokes of their own - but Liara was a commoner and a stranger, and thus fair game.
"Liara," Herreld said, in an amiable tone that fooled no one, "Do you wear that glove while you sleep?"
If Herreld was expecting snickers about this unusual eccentricity, or an embaressed blush from Liara, he was very dissapointed.
"Yes." Liara replied shortly, taking another bite of food.
Herreld looked completely nonplussed, and Kirstie laughed openly at his blank face.
"Let that be a lesson to you, not to make fun." Said Daven. "But, Liara - why?"
At this, Liara stopped eating, and leaned back in her chair, before carefully peeling off the glove. Even to herself, the skin felt hot. She held out the hand for inspection.
Herreld recoiled from the gruesome wound. It was a deep cut, and the skin around the hole was burnt by the bloodfire in her hand. Kirstie looked shocked. She wondered how Liara had gotten this - and why on earth hadn't she been to a healer?
Geral showed no wish to examine her hand, but Daven leaned forward, and reached towards her hand. Immediately she curled her fingers. If he touched her hand, he would end up with blistered fingertips.
"It's hot." Liara warned. "You'd singe your fingers." She pulled the glove back on.
Daven looked perplexed. "Why didn't you go to a healer?" He asked, echoing Kirstie's mental question.
Liara only shrugged. She had already told them more than she planned to about herself. "It wouldn't help." She replied, hoping to deter the inevitable questions. "No healer can ever do anything with me - and in any case, that cut never could heal. It's there until I die."
Now the faces around the table were sceptical - all except Kirstie, who looked thoughtful - but nothing was said, so Liara finished her dinner and went to her room.
*
Daven left soon after Liara, but he went to the healer's colegium. He knew a journeyman there who might be able to help Liara's hand, but keep it off the record.
Daven dismissed out of hand her assertion that nothing would heal it - that was plainly ignorance. Even Robern, though not as skilled as a full healer, would be able to do something.
*
A knock on her door startled Liara, and she was even more startled when she opened it. Daven stood there, with a boy, a little older than him, dressed in lime green.
Daven spoke without preamble. "Liara, this is Robern. He's a Healer journeyman. I thought he could help your hand."
Liara supressed a flash of annoyance. Daven was only trying to help her. "I told you; Healers can't work on me, and my hand will never heal anyway."
"That is ignorance." Commented Robern loftily. "A good Healer can fix anything."
This time Liara did not bother to repress her irritation. She could accept - barely - arrogance in a Heraldic trainee, but from anyone else, arrogance deserved to be punctured. This fool would soon learn the truth.
She peeled off the glove again, and extended her hand towards Robern, ready to break contact when his fingers started to hurt. Robern reached out and touched her palm. He pulled away fingers already starting to blister, and stared at her in wide eyed astonishment.
"Convinced now?" Liara asked the pair wearily. She wanted to sleep.
Daven looked extremely convinced, but Robern looked stubborn.
"I can do this." He approached her again, but this time he placed both hands, nervously, on her wrist. When he found no heat in her skin, he began to concentrate, sifting his energy into her.
What he found was a maelstrom of alien power that wove itself into the physical as well as the mental. It was dizzying, bright beyond brightness, and it blinded, overstimulating his senses . . .
*
Robern collapsed on the floor, to Daven's horrified surprise and Liara's exasperated resignation.
"Idiot." She muttered, kneeling beside himand calling a strand of healing energy. She used it to rouse Robern from his unconscious state, but did nothing to releive the reaction headache he would soon feel. She felt that he deserved that, as a warning against arrogant stupidity. Liara stood, and helped Robern to stand.
"What was that?" he asked her incredulously. "That power you have?" He shook his head as if to clear it. "And - it's not just a power - you're half made of the stuff! No wonder I couldn't heal you."
Liara ground her teeth together. He had learned far more about her elemental gifts than she'd thought he would. Now she would have to explain.
"There is something called Elemental magic." She told the stunned pair. "It isn't the same thing as mind magic or mage gift, but it's even more effective. I have elemental magic, and that is the power you felt." They looked shellshocked. "Now please, go away; I'm tired."
The pair stumbled away. She bolted the door, and went to bed. But, exhausted though she was, she did not sleep for a while. She was thinking about a pair of soft brown eyes, and gold-brown hair.
She smiled to herself as she drifted of to sleep. She was falling for Daven's handsome face, like any silly chit.
I thought I was better than that. She thought as she finally slept.
A masculine chuckle sounded in her head, and she was too tired to shut Deilan out. :No one's better than that, Chosen.:
*
The year group was much smaller than was usual - Liara was the fifth member, and Kirstie was the only other girl. The other three members were Daven, a merchant's son, Geral, an innkeeper's nephew, and Herreld, an arrogant highborn.
They talked during dinner. Kirstie already knew about Herreld's arrogant jibes, and Daven and Geral generally reflected his arrogance with jokes of their own - but Liara was a commoner and a stranger, and thus fair game.
"Liara," Herreld said, in an amiable tone that fooled no one, "Do you wear that glove while you sleep?"
If Herreld was expecting snickers about this unusual eccentricity, or an embaressed blush from Liara, he was very dissapointed.
"Yes." Liara replied shortly, taking another bite of food.
Herreld looked completely nonplussed, and Kirstie laughed openly at his blank face.
"Let that be a lesson to you, not to make fun." Said Daven. "But, Liara - why?"
At this, Liara stopped eating, and leaned back in her chair, before carefully peeling off the glove. Even to herself, the skin felt hot. She held out the hand for inspection.
Herreld recoiled from the gruesome wound. It was a deep cut, and the skin around the hole was burnt by the bloodfire in her hand. Kirstie looked shocked. She wondered how Liara had gotten this - and why on earth hadn't she been to a healer?
Geral showed no wish to examine her hand, but Daven leaned forward, and reached towards her hand. Immediately she curled her fingers. If he touched her hand, he would end up with blistered fingertips.
"It's hot." Liara warned. "You'd singe your fingers." She pulled the glove back on.
Daven looked perplexed. "Why didn't you go to a healer?" He asked, echoing Kirstie's mental question.
Liara only shrugged. She had already told them more than she planned to about herself. "It wouldn't help." She replied, hoping to deter the inevitable questions. "No healer can ever do anything with me - and in any case, that cut never could heal. It's there until I die."
Now the faces around the table were sceptical - all except Kirstie, who looked thoughtful - but nothing was said, so Liara finished her dinner and went to her room.
*
Daven left soon after Liara, but he went to the healer's colegium. He knew a journeyman there who might be able to help Liara's hand, but keep it off the record.
Daven dismissed out of hand her assertion that nothing would heal it - that was plainly ignorance. Even Robern, though not as skilled as a full healer, would be able to do something.
*
A knock on her door startled Liara, and she was even more startled when she opened it. Daven stood there, with a boy, a little older than him, dressed in lime green.
Daven spoke without preamble. "Liara, this is Robern. He's a Healer journeyman. I thought he could help your hand."
Liara supressed a flash of annoyance. Daven was only trying to help her. "I told you; Healers can't work on me, and my hand will never heal anyway."
"That is ignorance." Commented Robern loftily. "A good Healer can fix anything."
This time Liara did not bother to repress her irritation. She could accept - barely - arrogance in a Heraldic trainee, but from anyone else, arrogance deserved to be punctured. This fool would soon learn the truth.
She peeled off the glove again, and extended her hand towards Robern, ready to break contact when his fingers started to hurt. Robern reached out and touched her palm. He pulled away fingers already starting to blister, and stared at her in wide eyed astonishment.
"Convinced now?" Liara asked the pair wearily. She wanted to sleep.
Daven looked extremely convinced, but Robern looked stubborn.
"I can do this." He approached her again, but this time he placed both hands, nervously, on her wrist. When he found no heat in her skin, he began to concentrate, sifting his energy into her.
What he found was a maelstrom of alien power that wove itself into the physical as well as the mental. It was dizzying, bright beyond brightness, and it blinded, overstimulating his senses . . .
*
Robern collapsed on the floor, to Daven's horrified surprise and Liara's exasperated resignation.
"Idiot." She muttered, kneeling beside himand calling a strand of healing energy. She used it to rouse Robern from his unconscious state, but did nothing to releive the reaction headache he would soon feel. She felt that he deserved that, as a warning against arrogant stupidity. Liara stood, and helped Robern to stand.
"What was that?" he asked her incredulously. "That power you have?" He shook his head as if to clear it. "And - it's not just a power - you're half made of the stuff! No wonder I couldn't heal you."
Liara ground her teeth together. He had learned far more about her elemental gifts than she'd thought he would. Now she would have to explain.
"There is something called Elemental magic." She told the stunned pair. "It isn't the same thing as mind magic or mage gift, but it's even more effective. I have elemental magic, and that is the power you felt." They looked shellshocked. "Now please, go away; I'm tired."
The pair stumbled away. She bolted the door, and went to bed. But, exhausted though she was, she did not sleep for a while. She was thinking about a pair of soft brown eyes, and gold-brown hair.
She smiled to herself as she drifted of to sleep. She was falling for Daven's handsome face, like any silly chit.
I thought I was better than that. She thought as she finally slept.
A masculine chuckle sounded in her head, and she was too tired to shut Deilan out. :No one's better than that, Chosen.: