Chapter 5 The Witch Boy and The Ring.
Something stirred. Not much, a small flicker of energy, but it was enough. The Force flowed into the body, claiming it with its essence. New life surged through the form and it took a weak breath, but that was all that was needed.
The boy sunk into the chair in exhaustion. Since his mother had been lost in the recent attacks, he was the only one left who knew anything about healing. Without his mother's extra help and guidance it had been touch and go for the last few days.
He'd found the victim in the clearing where the rebels had been. They had obviously thought the slave was dead and had left her. Well he hoped that, at least. After all, he was rooting for them to win this war. If they just abandoned their people, maybe they weren't the best to take over from the Empire...
"Abner... Abner! Where are you boy?" the gruff voice echoed into the room, shattering the peace. Abner frowned at the door as the noise caused his patient to stir. Why couldn't it have been his step-father who'd been shot? The loud-mouthed brute wasn't going to be very helpful in the mood he was in. Sith, when was he ever helpful?!
"In here, Zeph. Please quieten down; you're going to reverse everything I've done for the slave."
Zeph bundled in to the room, not overly bothered by the boy. But when the comment registered into his brain, he was not happy. How dare the brat order him about in his own home! Standing there like some Imperial peacock. Hells of Korriban, the whelp was just fifteen years!
He reached out, intending to slap the boy across the room. The brat's mother wasn't here to protect him now! Stepping up to Abner, he viciously back-handed him across the face, grinning as he felt blood wet his knuckles. The boy crumpled to the floor, whimpering as his step-father kicked him heavily in the ribs.
"I will do as I want, boy! I've had enough of your games with this one. I want you out tonight, selling those talents you got from your witch mother. You hear me!? Don't bother coming back till you got money!"
Without a backwards glance, Zeph stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Abner picked himself up, wincing at the new bruises on his face. His ribs were tender as well. How Zeph thought he'd sell anything tonight when he looked like he couldn't even keep himself well, he didn't know. He just prayed to the gods that he wouldn't have to dishonour his mother and steal again.
Setting up what he needed, the boy was about to leave the room when a moan of pain came from the bed. Hurrying over, he checked the Alderaanian's statistics again. Realising she was overheating, he applied more of the ointment to the burns running across her face. How she'd got them he didn't know. He guessed she must have been too close to the ship as it took off.
The other burn was obvious. Those burns only came from blaster fire. It had been difficult to treat, being so close to her heart and lungs. Several times he'd almost given up, but she would somehow fight it on her own until his hopes rose and he would start healing her again.
Shaking his head, Abner put aside the burn gel and prayed she would be okay while he was gone. He had no doubt that if she got worse or made any fuss, Zeph would just finish the job the slavers had started.
He slid her ring into his pocket, not trusting his step-father to leave it alone if he saw it. The ring. That was strange. He'd thought that the slavers would have taken that off of her. But here she was with a wedding ring, engraved with delicate writing in native Corellian.
Maybe that explained who her 'Luke' was. Could it have been her husband's name she kept mumbling? Shaking his head again in confusion, he made sure she was comfortable and quietly left the room. As he locked the door behind him, she started to mumble again. He was tempted to stay and listen, but if Zeph saw he was still here he'd have his hide.
He left the house in search of someone who was willing to pay a witch-boy to heal them of illness. And with the service lately, this would be a long night!
------
She'd woken up several times now, but it had been too painful to open her eyes, let alone move about. The blaster burn was agony, but nothing compared to the burns down her side. She could just about remember how she got them. A ship.
But there was something else. An agony telling her to get up and find the source, she felt as though half her soul was slowly dying. She kept calling out to it, to him, but he refused to listen.
The small, green Jedi had told her what to do. Showed her how important it was. 'On this, all depends,' he had said. And it was true. She knew to her core that, if she lost him, she was lost herself!
"Luke! Hear me!"
A.N ooohh! please tell me what you think, even if you hate it! seeya soon!
A. Jade
xxx