Page 118 of Unbound

Beck and Ambrose are leaning in, staring at the wound. We’ve all seen plenty of wounds by now, and we’re relatively desensitized. But this cut is bleeding heavily, and it looks pretty deep. I may need stitches and be forced to chew the horrible herbs they give at the healers to prevent infection. If I’m truly unlucky, they’ll make me chew up the herbs and stuff them into the wound.

"We're going to have to start making you practice with Uther instead, Beck," Mireen says, moving closer to inspect my wound. As she bends down, something small and gray peeks out from her pocket, whiskers twitching. She casually tucks it back in with practiced ease, not missing a beat. "I think you've drawn enough blood for one day."

Ollie dips closer to my wound, his liquid body rippling with concern.

Beck looks genuinely distraught, his sandy hair falling across his eyes as he shakes his head. His massive bear elemental Uther materializes behind him, mimicking Beck's posture of contrition. "Fucking hell, I'm sorry, Nessa. You're so damn slippery and fast. I think I was swinging harder than I realized just trying to catch you before you could dodge, and?—"

"It's not as bad as it looks," I lie. The pain screams otherwise.

Ambrose adjusts his glasses with a professorial air. "Technically, practice blades can develop burrs if they're used enough. You probably caught her with a worn edge."

His water hawk Akaron perches on his shoulder, head tilted as if examining my wound from a distance. Like many of the elementals, Akaron has grown more substantial over the months, his watery form more detailed, more predatory. The temperament matches Ambrose's increasingly analytical approach to everything around him.

"Hmm," Ambrose continues, suddenly intrigued. He takes my arm gently, turning it to examine the cut. "The blade created a perfect bisection of the dermal layer, but the subdermal tissues remain largely intact. That's good."

I pull my arm back. "Glad my pain is academically stimulating."

"Sorry," he mumbles. "I've been doing some extra studying on anatomy and your wound is more informative than the sketches in my books." He takes a step back, but his eyes don't leave my wound.

A burning sensation spreads through my arm. Not just pain—something else. Heat flowing beneath my skin, gathering at the injury site.

"Interesting, angry human,"Typhon's voice rumbles through my mind.

"What?" I wince as the burning intensifies. It feels like someone is holding dozens of candle flames just beneath my arm and they're inching closer. It's nearly unbearable, but...

"Look at your arm."

I pull my hand away from the cut. Instead of a gaping wound, I see the edges of my skin knitting together before my eyes. The blood flow slows, then stops. Within seconds, the only evidence of the injury is a thin white line and the blood already spilled.

"What the..." My voice trails off as I stare at my arm in disbelief.

My friends fall silent, all eyes locked on the miracle happening before them. Even their elementals freeze, sensing the significance of what they're witnessing.

"Did you just..." Mireen's voice is barely above a whisper. "Did Typhon do that? You said he healed Raith during Confluence day, right?”

I touch the newly healed skin, the phantom pain already fading. "I don't know."

"She is bound to an ancient," Ambrose notes. "I guess it would be disappointing if that didn’t come with some perks.”

"Typhon can heal her?" Beck whispers, voice laced with awe.

“Was that you, Typhon?”I ask him, even though I already feel like I know the answer.

“No. That was you. It means your unbound power has finally manifested,”Typhon's mental voice carries a weight of significance."The ability to mend. To heal. This is rare and valuable beyond measure. I suppose it is no surprise, as the four-eyed one states. I, too, have some ability to heal, as you saw on Confluence Day."

"How rare?"I ask in my mind, unable to tear my eyes from the seamless skin where a bleeding wound had been seconds before.

"Among the four base affinities? It is unheard of. True healing—not just accelerating natural processes but actually remaking that which is broken—it is a power that even kings would kill to possess. It is sought after more than the ability to call down pillars of fire or raise mountains."

My mouth goes dry. Just what I need—one more reason for people to come after me. One more target painted on my back.

Beck leans closer. “So… can Typhon heal me, too? Because I’ve got this thing on my back I think might be infected. Maybe he could take a look.”

“Shut up, Beck,” Mireen says.

My heart races with anxiety. This is dangerous—too many people seeing something they shouldn't, asking questions I can't answer. They are all my friends, but ever since my conversation with Voss, I can't ever fully shake the fear that anybody could be a siphon in disguise.

"Typhon, what do I do? They can't know what I am."

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