The Last of the Wilds

:It is true. I am not the person I was.

:I was probably the source of all that uncertainty, she continued sadly. Perhaps we should not talk of it.

:Perhaps. Perhaps not, he answered. It could do as much harm as good.

:True. She fell silent, then before he could think of a way to change the subject she spoke again.

:I forgave you, she told him. I was angry, but not any more. Not since we worked together at the North River. I would like it if we could befriends.

:I would like that too, he told her, perhaps with too much feeling.

:Do not fear that it will bring you or your people any trouble. The gods know where my heart lies now.

Mirar felt a twinge of surprise. She had found another lover? He struggled to hold back a feeling of jealousy. No, he told himself. Accept it. He examined the feeling then pushed it aside. Better that she is happy. Better that I am not making her miserable, anyway.

Then he realized that she might not have been referring to a lover at all. She might simply have meant her heart was for the gods. There was one way to find out...

:I hope he is worthy of you, he said.

A wave of embarrassment came from her. He smiled; he had guessed correctly.

He was only sensing embarrassment, however. She ought to be betraying some feeling of happiness or joy. She wasn’t. It won’t last, he found himself thinking with satisfaction. This time he did quash his feelings. It was time to direct their attention elsewhere.

:Magic can be used in healing in many ways, he told her. Dreamweavers divide these into three levels of difficulty. The first level is the simplest: the use of magic to hold or heat or move. The second uses the same Gifts but in more challenging situations as well as using magic to boost a body’s strength. The third is so difficult it requires great concentration and a sure knowledge and experience of all processes of the body. It enables a Dreamweaver to influence tissue within a body to a degree of detail where flesh and bone may be realigned and persuaded to heal immediately.

Mirar paused. No feeling of confusion came from Auraya, so he continued on.

:What I will try to teach you is a step beyond the third level. It does not require drawing a great deal of magic, or even gaining a great knowledge and experience of bodily systems. What it requires is a mind capable of sensing and understanding the body from the finest detail to the greater whole. Once you understand, you can influence.

He guided one of her hands down to the Siyee, setting it upon the man’s chest.

:Watch.

To show her he had to lower the shield around his mind that prevented her seeing his thoughts. He took care to let it fall only while he was concentrating on healing, opening and closing the shield like a shutter and passing what he saw and did to Auraya in images and ideas.

The man’s body filled his awareness. The damage within it, and the effect it was having on the whole, was obvious. He detected something out of place - the tiny but dangerous life that should not be there, and he communicated all that he sensed to her.

:Now you.

She did not send what she was perceiving to him. For a long time she was silent, then he felt a thrill of excitement from her.

:I see it! I can see the disease! Show me how to kill it.

He concentrated on the man again, showing her how to focus magic in a way that killed the intruding malaise but did not harm the body. Now he saw her actions by watching the effect she had on the Siyee. He was surprised and pleased to see that she had understood everything he had told her.

Her attack was not ordered, however, and he found himself demonstrating how to work systematically through the body so she left no trace of the disease alive. They began working together, each responding to complement or support the other’s actions. It was like a dance. It was exhilarating.

She does this naturally, he thought suddenly. It is like an innate Gift. She must be Gifted enough to become immortal without the gods’ assistance. The thought of what they could have been sent a thrill through him. Immortal lovers... But that’s not going to happen. It would make her an enemy of the gods she loves. And I am the hated Mirar. Even if she could forgive the deception...

She was engrossed in the healing. He let her continue alone while he watched. Since this healing method was new to her, she could not be using it to stop herself aging. Perhaps the gods, through the ring she wore, were keeping her from aging without her being conscious of how it was done.

I wonder how long it will be before she makes the connection, he wondered. Is that why the gods do not teach the White to heat?

:The disease is gone! she said.

He examined the Siyee closely.

:Yes, he told her.

:That was... easier than I thought. This way you have of sensing the body is... amazing. And logical. I cannot understand why I have never done this before. But... this man is still dying.

Yes, there is more to do.

He led her attention back into the Siyee’s body. Taking energy from stores of fat, he used them to help speed the regrowth of lung tissue. She followed suit. With the lungs restored, the blood began to improve and then the strength of the heart. Circulation enlivened, the fingers, toes and other extremities warmed. He could sense Auraya’s amazement and joy.

Finally he moved to the man’s hand. A finger had been broken and badly set long ago. Mirar carefully straightened it, shuffling the fibers of the bone into new positions. The amazement he sensed from Auraya changed into a bright excitement.

:You could heal anything this way, she said. You could give sight to a man who had been blind all his life. You could restore a cripple. You could revive a dead man.

:Yes, but with the last it must be immediate. Memory deteriorates within minutes of death and cannot be restored.

:Can I heal myself the same way?

:Of course, he told her. He needed to steer her away from this chain of thought. You’ve learned exceptionally fast and well.

:You thought this would take longer.

:I did. As always, you’ve exceeded expectations. If only all my students learned so quickly.

:If that is all I need to know, then I should return to the Temple Mountain tribe immediately. There are many there who may die tonight if I do not bring them this healing.

Then I won’t delay you any longer.

Their hands parted and the sense of her presence vanished. Opening his eyes, he found her looking at him, smiling broadly. He felt his heart skip a beat and quickly looked down at the Siyee.

“Thank you, Leiard. Every life I save with this Gift will be a life you have saved.”

He glanced up at her. “Don’t go telling the gods that. They can be unpleasant to be around when jealous.”

She opened her mouth to reply, then her eyes dropped to the Siyee.

“He’s awake.”

Mirar looked down at the man, who was regarding them curiously.

“Good evening,” he said. “Auraya and I have cured you, but you will have to live in the first bower until the rest of the village is well. You will be tired for a day or two. Sleep and regain your strength.”

The man nodded weakly and closed his eyes again.