“Please,” I began, as we shuffled through the room. “There were creatures in the sea. I don’t know what they were?—”
Naomi cleared a table of medical supplies before Raek, and I lifted Aeriden to it.
“Sultiran,” Mother Eghan cut in. Her face snapped in my direction, but her narrowed eyes didn’t land on mine. She strode quickly to the side of our table, her staff sliding against the stone floor.
“Friends of Kellan’s,” Raek explained in a patient voice. “Please, Mother Eghan.”
She paused, her nostrils flaring, and her gray brows furrowed. “Infected already,” she murmured, ignoring me and turning to my brother.
“Seven thick lacerations extending from his knee to ankle, each a fingernail deep,” Naomi rattled off as she cut away the remaining tatters of Aeriden’s pants. “How long ago did this happen?” She turned to Raek, avoiding my gaze.
“It’s been a couple hours,” Raek answered, his face paling.
“Too long,” Mother Eghan muttered, pulling vials of various potions and powders from her pocket. She ran her thumb over the deep etchings on each before popping several open.
“There’s a greenish liquid oozing from some of them,” Naomi continued, pressing the tips of her fingers into the flesh around Aeriden’s leg. “Venom of some sort?—”
A long, pained moan escaped his lips, raising my blood pressure, and I took a step forward to grip his arm.
“We need the syringes, Naomi. I told you to prioritize them.” Mother Eghan shook her head, cutting the young healer off.
Naomi paled further. “The docks said the other islands refuse to trade until your?—”
“Enough,” Mother Eghan snapped, setting her staff down and mixing a handful of dried leaves and powder with a vial of liquid. She muttered something beneath her breath before a violet spark zapped just above the mixture.
“Needles? Can we get one somewhere else?” Raek asked, running a hand over his face.
“Not unless you have some aboard the ship,” Naomi cut in.
“Is it just a needle you need? For an injection?” I asked, scanning the bright healing quarters. Bowls or herbs and various tools lined the open cupboards, many I recognized from my limited studies with the Life Scholars, all neatly organized. Myeyes stopped at a wash basin, and I rushed to its edge, snagging a short, thin knife resting nearby.
“What are you—” Naomi began.
I hurried back. Mother Eghan swiftly added ingredients to the mixture in her wooden bowl.
My eyes closed, and I dove into the chasm of powers, taking a breath as the Transcindiel’s tune picked up. I led the transformative light to the surface. My mind raced through memories, searching those days onboard theEvecta, and the various tools Marian kept close at hand. Needles. Long, thin, and hollow. Like a quill.
I opened my eyes as I rolled up my sleeves, balancing the knife on the eight-pointed star on my palm and holding my other hand a few inches above. The darkness inside me lifted its head as its sibling rallied its strength, sparkly golden light floating down from my hand and wrapping itself around the thin knife.
The metal went molten before reforming itself into a long, thin needle, and the Transcindiel power siphoned back into my palm a moment later.
“Brother protect us,” Naomi gasped as she took a step back, placing her fingers to her lips.
Mother Eghan stilled, and her head cocked to the side, eyes staring past me.
“A needle,” I rasped, exhaustion stealing my breath as I took a cautious step forward and reached for the old woman.
“Don’t touch her, Demon!” Naomi spat, surging forward and spreading her arms wide in front of the healer.
My stomach pitched, and I paused as a strange mixture of guilt and fierce protectiveness swarmed to the surface.
“Take the needle,” Raek cut in, reaching for Naomi’s arm. “We’re here on Kellan’s orders. We need to heal him.”
Naomi snapped her head in Raek’s direction. A sneer stretched across her delicate face as she gently shook her head. “Who is this?”
I am transformation, and I am death,I wanted to say, but I reined in the unspoken threat.
“My name is Lyvia,” I explained, forcing the tremors from my voice. “I am his sister.Please.”
