Page 249 of A University of Betrayal

Now he was lying on a cushion in my office, slowly waking up, which eased my concern that the dose might have overwhelmed his nervous system.

He raised his head with fatigue, his injured paw shaking.

I took off my glasses, rose and crossed the office to kneel down next to the little dog.

“Okay, I haven’t done this in a long time...” I sighed and reached for the bowl, took off the ring and dipped my fingertips into the water.

I could use Umbra, but I still needed that kind of energy for the experiments tonight, and I wouldn’t take more than one dose a day. So, for better or for worse, there was no alternative to this. Hopefully it would work, and I wouldn’t break the dog’s leg.

I carefully placed my fingers on the injured area and the dog began to squeak.

“It’s all right...” I tried to calm us both down and felt deep into my body.

I let the energy come, let it flow through my veins.

The dog squealed loudly, and I pulled my hand away. The paw was still trembling.

Cursing quietly, I ran my fingers through my hair.

What had I expected? The last time I had healed someone had been my first foster mother after she had cut her finger. She had been so disturbed that I had come to my next foster family a week later and had learned that humans knew nothing of our elemental magic.

I was lucky that the woman hadn’t reported anything to the youth welfare office, but had kept quiet, because every youth welfare office also had a Quatura who made sure that supernatural children were brought to the Councils immediately. And I don't just mean Quatura babies. By now, I was sure that they were also responsible for all the missing Senseque children.

I patted the puppy’s head, and it immediately snuggled against my arm. I forced myself to take his paw in both hands again, but this time I placed my fingertips and his leg in the bowl.

I closed my eyes, felt inside myself and tried to remember the feeling that my mother had taught me to manifest when she had taught me my element.

I narrowed my eyelids, because it was difficult for me to evoke these distant memories and not to overshadow them with emotions of sadness, because automatically I had images of Dylan in my head, watching Mama and me with a fascinated expression.

“You need to focus on the fluids. Your element and the fibers in the body of the one you want to heal.”

Mama had been so patient.

I pressed my lips together and breathed heavily.

The dog yelped, but this time I felt not only my magic, but also the dog’s blood.

“Come on...” I whispered tensely.

Energy flooded through my warming fingertips. Then I felt pure warmth.

I opened my eyes and looked down at the paw, carefully cleaned the blood off and searched under the wet fur for the wound.

It was almost completely closed.

Euphoria flooded through me, but didn’t last long, because the water in the bowl began to rise in uncontrolled drops, and suddenly it shot through the entire room.

I got splashed and immediately put the ring on, cursing.

To make matters worse, my phone started ringing.

“Yes?” I said quickly, trying to calm myself by running my hand through the soft dog fur.

“Quentin.”

When I recognized the voice of my boss, I rose and went to the window.

Comedy Funny Music

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