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Kei had been taught them but as he had once had a good degree of natural
control, his gift had rarely troubled him and so he was rather lax about
carrying them out. He hadn t been able to stay for the full course of training in
Darshek as news had come of first his father s death, and then a month later,
the suicide of his mother, which meant he had to come home and take up the
role of healer before he was quite ready or fully trained in his gift.
He d known his emotions had been badly battered after his return from
Darshek after his mother died, but he had accepted this as normal. He hadn t
realised how he had let things slip, how he had exposed himself repeatedly to
greater and greater insults.
The parting from Myka and the others had just been the last blow. Jena
was right, he d been careless. I m sorry. Can anything be done? Everything
hurts now, Jena. I ve been hurting for weeks.
Yes, I can see, she said kindly. Of course I can help you. For tonight, sleep
where you are, away from the others. I ll warn them to leave you alone. Rest,
get some proper food, regain your physical well-being. Then we ll begin your
exercises again. We need you well, Kei. We two are the only healers our
people will have while in the hands of the Prij, and I dread to think what will
happen if a Prij physician has to treat any of them for something serious.
Their idea of a good dressing for a burn is roasted snake fat.
Kei shuddered in disgust. Yes, I know. Jena, why doesn t your voice hurt
my head?
Because I am making it so, and buffering your gift. I can only do it when I m
touching you.
Are you a mind-mover too?
He felt her surprise. No, of course not. Are you saying that you are?
Um, yes.
Kei, don t you know how rare it is for someone to have two gifts? Do the
people at the academy know?
Um. No. Ma knew but she never said it was special, so I didn t think
anything of it. The instructors were only interested in training soul-touchers
and mind-speakers. If you don t have a true Gift, they don t really much care
what else you can do. I don t talk about it much because no one understands
it, and I can t do anything really spectacular with it. I just...you know, move
small things in the body. Broken bones, bleeding, that kind of thing, I can deal
with a little easier than most. It helps but it s not all there is to my healer craft.
She took the cloth from his forehead, and he heard her wetting it out. She
presumably wrung it again and then put it back on his face, which also helped
the throbbing in his head a good deal. Well, you re full of surprises, aren t
you? she said fondly. Rest now, Kei. Everyone s safe for now. Since none of
us are oracles, we don t know what the future holds, but we can only do what
we can do.
Kei agreed wordlessly. He was just so damn tired. There was one more
thing before he could rest, though. Jena, have you sent word of our arrival to
Darshek?
I will as soon as you re asleep.
Could you...just this once, send a message to my sister, Myka? Just say I
am safe and well and missing them all. He hesitated to ask since he was sure
all the hostages would want personal messages sent in this manner, but the
network of mind-speakers was thinly stretched. To cover such great
distances, each of them had to work very hard to send and receive the
thoughts of the others.
Jena didn t seem at all disturbed at his request. I ll do that, Kei. I ll collect all
the messages from your people and send them at the same time. We all know
how hard this is for everyone. We mind-speakers have to do our best for you
all.
Kei squeezed her hand in gratitude. It eased his mind greatly to know Myka
would have direct word of his welfare. And Reji and Banji too. Even though
they would not hear from Ai-Albon itself, it would help them a little, he hoped.
Jena covered him with a blanket and changed the cloth again. I m going to
send you to sleep, Kei, for your own good. Please, just stop fighting your need
to rest.
He opened his mouth to argue, and shut it. She was right.
He let her touch send tendrils of relaxation through his painful head, and as
the pain disappeared, he felt able to let go, slipping gently into oblivion.
His head was much clearer when he woke to dim sunlight coming in
through the high windows, and he felt calmer. He still had a bit of a headache,
but nothing he couldn t handle easily, and the need to piss outweighed the
desire to lie still for a little longer. Throwing the blanket back, and turning over,
he found he was on a pallet in a far corner of the room, away from where his
fellows apparently had spent the night. There were only two other people in
the barracks one of them was Urki. She saw him standing up and she came
over to him with a worried, apologetic look on her face. Kei? Are you better
now?
He noticed she was keeping her distance Jena must have really
impressed them with the need to give him space. I m much better, Urki. I m
sorry to have worried you all.
She bit her lip. No, I m sorry. I was just so happy that my sister was safe, I
didn t think....
It s normally fine, Urchichi, I ve just...it s my own fault, really. Where is
everyone?
Bathing, washing clothes. They said it gets too stuffy in here to stay all
day. When the sun s actually shining, everyone tries to get out in it,
apparently. Myri and I stayed in to make sure you were better.
He didn t recognise the other woman stirring the stew pot at all, but he
smiled reassuringly at her. Well, I m fine, Urki, so let me use the latrines,
point me at the food and tell me where I can find you all. A wash sounds like a
good idea.
She sniffed. It seems to be the only thing the Prij are good at, plumbing.
Kei grinned at her disdainful tone. They have to be good at something
other than invasion, I suppose.
She told him there was bread being kept warm in the bottom shelf of the
oven, and he could eat as much of that and the stew as he liked. Food, at
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