A Promise of Fire (Kingmaker Chronicles, #1)(122)

She gasps. “I-I’m doing what you said.”

“You’re hurting her!”

“I know!” the girl cries.

“Keep going,” I croak. “You’re doing fine.”

She looks at me, wide brown eyes in a pale, oval face. I clench my fists until my nails sting my palms and nod in encouragement.

I suffer through the bite of magic and the misery of healing, so drained of blood I think my skin will collapse and mold to my bones, leaving bumps and hollows and sunken flesh. After a while, the feel of the girl’s magic changes. She’s drained her healing power. This is her life force.

“Stop,” I order sharply. “You’re giving too much.”

She pulls back, trembling with exhaustion.

I flop my head toward Egeria. “Wash her hands. She’s done everything she can without hurting herself.”

Egeria hurries over and half carries the healer child from the room.

I shift, wincing in pain but amazed I can move. The girl made a start at repairing the damage, although the gash is still open and oozing. “Rub the lemon rinds over it,” I say to anyone who’s listening.

Griffin leans over me, glowering. “There’s been too much blood already. Don’t hurt yourself for no reason.”

No reason? I’d cut off my own arm to keep Andromeda from finding me. I was going to be happy here. With Griffin. “Do it!” I grind out.

“No!”

I’m cursing at him when Flynn barrels through the door along with a stranger. “Met him at a tavern. Found him again,” he pants. “Not like the others. Supports the healing centers.”

Griffin sizes up the healer with a glance. So do I. His chest is heaving, and he’s so out of breath he looks like he’s about to throw up, but otherwise he doesn’t seem unwilling. He’s about thirty, so fully trained but not yet at the peak of his power. He has unpretentious eyes.

“Save her and you can have the new healing center in Ios,” Griffin says. “It’s yours.”

The healer’s gaze darts to his dead colleague, easily recognizable from the symbol of Asklepios tattooed on his mangled neck. He doesn’t hesitate. He drops down next to me and places his hands over my wound. “You’ve lost a lot of blood.” He presses firmly, and I suck in a sharp breath. “I’m surprised you’re still alive.”

“Strong constitution,” Kato says.

“Stubborn as a Cyclops,” Griffin mutters at the same time.

“Get on with it.” I grit my teeth. This is going to hurt.

Magic ignites, incinerating my insides as skin, muscle, and organs start knitting back together again, much faster than before. My back bows, and I scream, suddenly hating the healer girl for fixing me just enough to keep me conscious.

Griffin whirls and punches the wall. The marble wins that fight, and his hand comes away bloody.

“Don’t bleed!” I shout at him and then scream some more.

He strings together an impressive number of obscenities, grinding his bloody knuckles into an emptied-out lemon rind. When he’s done with that, he picks up a massive chair and pounds it against the wall until there’s nothing left. He glares in disgust at the shattered chunk of wood left in his hand and then hurls it out the window with a bellow.

His family stares at him in shock. Only Anatole looks like he understands and would do the same.

“If you don’t like it,” Griffin rages, “get out!”

No one moves. Jocasta goes back to stroking my hair.

The healer rocks back on his heels, lifting his hands from me and using his forearm to wipe the sweat from his brow.

Griffin pounces on him. “What are you doing? You’re not done yet!”

The healer tries not to cringe in the face of Griffin’s wrath, and succeeds—for the most part. “I have to rest, gather more magic. It’s impossible to keep going until it’s done. Using that much healing power that fast can have dire results.”

We’re well placed to know that’s true. With a frustrated curse, Griffin drops to my side.

I scowl at him. “I liked that chair.”

His lips jump up in surprise. “I’ll get you a new one.”

“I liked that one.”

Light returns to his eyes. He lifts my hand to his mouth, pressing my palm to his lips for a scorching kiss. “You must be feeling better. You’re arguing.”

Heat kindles where his breath whispers over my skin. I’m still cold, and there’s only one thing I’m certain of in my life. Only he can warm me.

“Cat’s not dying anymore, is she?” Kaia asks.

Griffin shakes his head, his eyes focused solely on me. “Everyone go back to bed. Cat needs quiet. And rest.”

Griffin’s family shuffles out, reluctantly, I think. Flynn and Kato plant themselves near the door, clearly with no intention of leaving.

I turn to the healer and ask his name.

“Eneas,” he answers.

“When can you finish?”

“Soon.” His face is pallid, his voice lacking vigor.

Eneas finishes the job as soon as he’s able. It doesn’t hurt like before, but it isn’t easy. Griffin paces furiously and looks like he wants to destroy anything within reach. I moan nonstop, sounding a lot like a coward.