Page 15 of Grave Situation

Who is Jaimin Kahwyn? Let’s start with the facts. He’s a healer.Thehealer, some would say. Objectively, he’s the strongest healer alive—capable of anything short of resurrection.I’ve heard that in some alehouses, people bet whether or not he could do even that, but they’re destined to never find out. Everyone with an ounce of Talent and training knows that resurrection is a biiiiiig mistake. Zombies weren’t always just a tale to scare children with.

So… Jaimin is strong. He’s also young—only forty-ish. He’s the youngest ever healer to have achieved mastery, at the age of twenty-nine, when he cured a fucking plague. Cured. A. Whole. Ass. Plague. There aresongswritten about him. Like most healers, he’s fairly reclusive, and from what I’ve heard, he was offered a position on the Council of Healers but turned it down. But that’s an unconfirmed rumor.

He’s… attractive. Since I’m stating facts, I can’t leave that out. His nose is on the big side, though. But his eyes… dammit. They’re so light a brown, they’re almost golden, and his smooth, dusky skin makes them seem to glow. And people say he has a nice smile.

Not that I’ve seen it. I’ve only ever seen him in person once before… well, twice, but I was unconscious the first time. And mostly dead. It was my third year at the academy, and I’d been drinking some kind of spirits the guards smuggled in for me. I still don’t know what it was, exactly, but I’d told them I wanted something cheap and potent, and they definitely delivered. I don’t remember all the details of my thought processes that night, but we’d been working a lot with air in class, and I felt certain I could master flight. My dormmates, who were as drunk as I was, later presented a sheet of scribblings that I’d apparently been sure proved my theory. It’s hard to say whether I was right and just lacked the necessary sobriety to make it happen, since my handwriting was completely illegible.

Long story short, I did not master flight. While a certain amount of levitation is possible for mages, flight has yet to be achieved. What I did manage to do was plummet five stories tothe ground, bounce, and then tumble even farther down the side of the mountain. I suppose I’m lucky I didn’t choose one of the windows on the chasm side of the building.

The healer in the infirmary that night sent for Jaimin immediately. My list of injuries was… long. Both legs and arms broken in multiple places, six cracked ribs, collapsed lung, perforated diaphragm, shattered collarbone, skull fractures… and those are just the major ones. When I woke up the next afternoon—still achy and sore, not to mention exhausted from the healing—I was told in no uncertain terms that if Jaimin hadn’t been so close by, I wouldn’t have survived. I was lambasted and yelled at and thoroughly berated by the dean, my house master, my magic professor, Tia, and the healer on duty.

So when Jaimin walked in, I was smarting, furious with myself, and ready to lash out. I didn’t know who he was—thought perhaps he was there to visit with the infirmary healer. In fact, I was comforting myself with the idea that at least I could admire the pretty man while I licked my emotional wounds and recovered from the stress of the healing.

Then he introduced himself and tore strips off me.

Everything he said was true: I was irresponsible, reckless, and shortsighted. I did take a stupid risk. I did almost die. I did owe my life to pure chance, to the dumb luck that he had the strength and skill to save me.

But I wasn’t feeling particularly mature at that moment, so instead of apologizing and thanking him, what I said was “Suck my dick.”

To which he gave me a thoroughly disgusted look and replied, “Petulant children don’t interest me,” before walking out, thus completing my humiliation.

I haven’t seen him since, not for more than six years. I’ve been glad of that—there are a lot of moments in my life that Ikind of regret, but that’s at the top of the list. So of course it makes sense that today, of all days, I’d run into him.

I’m just wondering if I can escape without being noticed when he looks up from the desk and smiles. Those gorgeous eyes are warm. “Hello. That’s a nasty headache you have.”

“Uh…” That particular ability of healers has always taken me off-guard—that they don’t need me to tell them what the problem is. Most of themdoneed to touch the patient to make a diagnosis, though. Only the really strong ones can do it without physical contact.

“Come on over here and I’ll get it sorted out.” He gestures me forward, and my feet obey.

Does he… Does he not remember me? I can’t imagine why else he’d still be smiling. Not that I want to be remembered as the idiot who jumped off a building because he thought he could fly, but it’s a little offensive that I’m so unmemorable.

What’s he even doing here, anyway? Infirmary duty in the Academy of Mages is waaaaaay below his pay grade.

“Just a light touch,” he’s saying. “It won’t take a moment.” His fingertips rise to rest on my temples, and the headache ebbs within literal seconds. I take a breath, only now realizing how bad the pain had truly been.

“There you go. You’re a little dehydrated, too, and you need to eat. Make sure to get plenty of rest—even a light healing can be taxing for the body.”

I mumble an agreement and wonder if I can just bolt for the door. “Thank you,” I manage. I don’t just mean for healing me today, but if he doesn’t remember me, I’m not going to explain. It’s balm enough to my conscience that I’ve said the words.

“You’re very welcome.” I didn’t notice back then how nice his voice is, probably because he was furious at the time. But it’s so mellow and inviting. He could make a living just smiling at people and saying lovely things to them in that voice.

I stand and turn toward the door, and a healer I recognize comes flying in. “Master Kahwyn, thank you! We’re so grateful for you filling in this afternoon. I don’t know what happened with the schedule, but I got here as fast as I could. I hope there weren’t any problems.”

“None at all,” he assures her smoothly, and I take advantage of the distraction to slip away.

I’m literally two steps from the door when Jaimin says, “Nice to see you again, Talon. You’re looking much better than last time.”

I freeze.

Then I peer over my shoulder. He’s smiling at me still, but this time, it’s a touch mocking. The other healer is studying the floor and trying not to smirk.

“Uh. Yeah. I… grew my hair longer.”

The staff healer snorts, and Jaimin’s smile widens. Holy gods’ turds, did I really just say that?

Since the floor is clearly not going to open up and swallow me, there’s only one thing I can do: brazen it out.

“If you ever change your mind about the offer I made back then, just let me know.” I muster a smirk of my own. “I’m all grown up now.”

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