Page 56 of Last Gift: Supernatural Battle

“Here goes,” I said calmly and extended my apothecary magic to her again. This job required battle, too, because of the manner in which the injury had been sustained. “This part will hurt the most,” I murmured. “Emotionally.” I had to draw out the torture so to speak.

I latched on to the horror and darkness in her canal and didn’t fuck around trying to ease it out. I ripped it out in one burst.

Basilia screamed. Not in physical pain. She screamed out the brutality of what they’d done to her. There was fear in her scream, and hopelessness, regret. The sound trailed off into acceptance, and it was easy to put together that Basilia had believed she’d die the day this happened.

She’d fallen to her hands and knees on the ground, and Kyros was crouched over her.

He snarled up at me, and I didn’t move and had the sudden inkling not to look him directly in the eyes.

“It’s already fading,” Basilia panted, grabbing his arm. To stop him attacking me? She wiped at her brow and pushed back up onto the couch. “Please tell me that was the only time that happens?”

“It is,” I answered. “I could not heal you physically without removing that.”

“I think you pulled the PTSD out of my ear or something.” She shook her head. “It feels different. Keep going.”

I glanced at Kyros, who straightened and returned to his post behind Basilia.

“This next part will hurt physically.”

“Can’t wait,” she answered. “Don’t hold back.”

I sent my apothecary magic alone this time and started at the outer ear, whispering new beginnings to the scar tissue encountered. In some areas, I had to shove with force to reshape her inner ear to what it had once been. With most of my mind on smoothing out the progressively more stubborn scar tissue, the rest of me was marveling at how little magic I was using.

Wild’s awe reached me too.

This was… the power was insane. We hadn’t tested this part of our connection since Wild helped me to force the demons back through their gate. I was negotiating this alliance with Vissimo and Luthers, and wouldn’t stop negotiating magus help, either, but I’d underestimated our importance in the battle. We were a queen on a chessboard.

I centered my thoughts on the healing, pausing at intervals to give Basilia a chance to recover before the next round.

The eardrum was a pulpy mess, and once I’d pushed and stretched and whispered it back to smoothness, then called my magic back, fury filled me.

I opened my eyes. “I hope they died very painfully.”

Kyros replied with a slight purr, “They did.”

“Basil? You okay?” Andie asked.

Basil. The princess didn’t react strangely to it, so it had to be a nickname. One that suited her not a bit, and so suited her perfectly.

The female Vissimo tilted her head left and right. “This will take a while to get used to.”

“Your balance may be off in the meantime,” I said.

She nodded. “I can feel that.”

Basilia got up and wavered. Kyros hooked his arm around hers as she wobbled over to me. The Vissimo leaned down and hugged me with one arm. “Thank you.”

I returned her hug, feeling an odd connection to the woman. I felt it with Andie, too, for different reasons. “You’re welcome. I hope you are without pain now.”

On all levels.

Her gray eyes were solemn. “I think I will be. And I think it’s best for me to turn in for the night also. Kyros, we planned to return to Bluff City, but perhaps we could stay the night here?”

I had a feeling Kyros would be up all night expecting attack. I didn’t take it personally—the guy just always seemed to expect it. Not a bad quality in an ally.

“Yes, my beauty,” he said.

“We will too,” Andie announced, standing and setting her glass down. “That drink was incredible. Your cousin is talented.”

---