Chapter 8

The meeting in Randen's sick room the next morning was an eclectic one. Pell, Anya, Keli and Kyminn all attended, as did Anden and Merell. A guardsman waited outside the door in case they needed a runner.

Pell spoke first. "We," he indicated the healers, "think we have a plan for the next stage of Randen's treatment."

Merell blanched a bit, "Hold there, Healer! I don't want to know all the details of people's inside bits, thank you very much! If it's all the same to you, I'd just as soon you discussed that after I leave!"

Pell laughed. "Not to worry Merell, no 'inside bits' for you today. All I meant to say was that today Anya, Keli and I will work on Randen's shoulder, and then later in the day, Kyminn and Keli will work on Derris's. Anya and I will help if needed, but Kyminn and I both feel that he and Keli can do most of it."

Kyminn nodded in agreement. Bathed, rested and with a hot meal inside him, he was starting to look a bit less ragged.

"What do you need from the Guard?" Anden was direct.

It was Merell who answered that one. "I can't speak for the Healers, but I was hoping to ask if some of your men could stay a day or so until we get everyone moved back to town. There's a fair bit of what-not to be moved back and the extra hands would be a real help to us." He nodded to Anden and went on, "I know that last night your men helped a lot with getting folks sorted and with getting things ready for Derris and all, and it was sorely appreciated. If you could see to doing the same for a few more days, we'd sure be grateful."

"I think we can certainly manage that headman Merell. Once Kyminn here, "a nod towards the boy, "told us Derris was out of danger, I sent a messenger off to Knowles Crossing. He should be there by mid-day tomorrow. He'll be able to change horses there and make his way over to Langenfeld. They'll know where the next closest Herald is expected to be and make sure the message gets delivered. With any luck, and if they find a mind speaking Herald, the message should be in Haven in a sennight or so. Until we hear back, I'll leave you three guardsmen under the command of a corporal. They can help care for Herald Randen here and anything that Derris needs."

Merell smiled gratefully. "Much appreciated captain. I promise you we won't abuse the privilege."

A laugh and Anden clapped Merell on the shoulder. "I didn't think you would Merell. And even if you were inclined, I'd say that the people of Oakden have earned a bit of privilege. If the Healers don't need us?" All four shook their heads. "Then Merell and I will get started with putting the village back to rights." Anden gestured for Merell to proceed him from the room. "And, we'll leave the healers to discuss the 'inside bits' with Herald Randen there."

"So," Randen said cautiously, "what do you plan on doing with my inside bits?"

Anya spoke for the healers. "Not so much in inside bits, Herald Randen, but I'm afraid you might find the next part of your healing a bit difficult to contemplate." She carefully unwrapped a leather case, displaying the odd pins and wires within. She glanced at Pell and then back at Randen. "Herald, how much do you about how healing is accomplished?"

Randen gave that some thought. "From what I understand, it is like most Gifts. For some people, there is a part of their mind that is…open. It lets them do things that others can't. It's neither good nor evil in and of itself, it's simply a talent one is born with, like music or painting." A small shrug with his good shoulder. "As for how they work, well, I'm not sure anyone really knows. Most of the time people describe their gift as like having an extra limb or skill. I have a bit of mindspeech and some Farsight. Farsight is like…being able to use a viewing glass, but you can do it at a great distance and through a wall or mountain. As for Healing…I'm not as sure what that is like."

Anya was nodding in agreement at his words. "You've described it very well. For most people, a gift is much like that, an extra limb or a sense. Healing is the same. It is like an extra sense in that we can 'feel' how a body lives, the energy that binds life together. There really isn't a good way to explain it. Imagine…imagine you saw a beautiful sculpture, intricate pieces fitting together in balance. Now imagine that you could sense all the places that it was in balance, all the glue and forces holding it together. Now imagine that you could manipulate that balance, that glue and force, that you could sense when it was out of balance and act to correct it. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, yes it does. And I imagine that it's one of the reasons that the laws of Valdemar insist that people with the Healing gift be trained. If a person can push those forces back into balance to heal, they could also push them out of balance, to harm." Randen was sober.

"Exactly. That's why I undertook to train Kyminn as soon as we realized he had gifts. At the Healer's Collegium, we studied what happens when a gift goes rogue. It was not a risk worth taking for my grandson, or for anyone.

"Which brings us to your shoulder. My own gift is considered to be a very weak one. Where Pell could Heal you if you cut your finger while slicing vegetables, I could Heal you if you were scratched a bit by a kitten. The ability is the same, but what I can do directly – my "strength" if you will – is much reduced. At first, I – and the Healer's Collegium – saw my gift as something less, as not really useful. It was…not easy." There was a flash of regret, quickly smoothed away.

"Over time though, I came to realize that while I may not be able to use my Gift the way other Healers do, it is, in fact, extremely useful. If you were to compare my Gift to Kyminn's, or Pell's what you would find is that Kyminn's gift is very strong, a waterfall of force. Pell's is less strong, but is a sturdy, flowing stream. Mine, on the other hand, is more like mist on the water than water itself."

Randen blinked. "Mist? I'm sorry, but I don't understand how you use a Gift you describe as being 'like mist'".

A mischievous smile. "Don't feel bad. It took me years to figure it out. Picture this. You are walking through a meadow and you step into a puddle. The water pushes against you, you can feel it's force and resistance. Also, your feet are wet, but everything else is dry, yes?"

Randen nodded and Anya went on. "Same meadow, but this time you are walking through…"

"A mist!" Randen exclaimed. "A mist is everywhere, touches everything! It…permeates…in ways that water doesn't. Is that what you mean?"

"It is indeed." A shrug. "Of course, water permeates too, but in a different way. My gift doesn't have nearly as much 'force' as Pell's does, but mine goes deeper, in ways his does not. I spent years trying to make my gift be a spray of water when it was actually something else." She lightly touched his injured shoulder. "I used my gift on your shoulder, not to Heal, but to create a shield between the pieces of bone, to prevent them from binding together."

Randen gaped. "To…keep them from healing? But…why?" He felt an irrational flash of betrayal. First his leg, and now this?

Pell must have known what he was feeling, because he spoke up. "Randen, you are badly injured and our healing strength is limited. You broke your shoulder six days ago. In the field as we were, it wasn't possible to set it properly. It's almost a given that the bones would have shifted when we moved you back here. And if, by some chance, they didn't, it's likely we would have had to break them again, this time to set them properly." He gave a deep sigh. "Randen, we want you to have the most use out of that shoulder that you possibly can. You're going to need it. That means doing the best possible job knitting those bones back together. We couldn't do that in the field. We can do it here. That means having clean bone, with no new bone or scarring. Blocking those bones from healing gave you the best chance of a nearly full recovery. Honest."

Randen frowned as he thought that over for a long moment. Finally, grudgingly, he nodded. "Alright, I guess I can see that. So what happens now?"

It was Anya's turn again. "Now we put you back together." She gestured at the assortment of pins. "Because I can't use 'force' to heal, I've had to find other ways. This was one of them."

Keli, silent until now, broke in. "She got the idea watching my father make furniture."

A smile of memory from Anya. "I was fascinated with how he made the dove tails and joints line up, with how he slipped pegs into to hidden holes to strengthen the piece. Then, during gluing, a clamp on the outside to hold it together until it was strong."

"I think," said Randen faintly, "that I'm beginning to see what you meant by this being difficult to contemplate."

"Yes Randen. We're going to stick these pins into the bones of your shoulder and then clamp them together on the outside. At least until the bone has set."

"I was afraid you were going to say that."