Page 30 of Red Dragon
“Let my aunt in if she comes, please,” Syla asked as Fel reached to close the door.
“Shealsobarks a lot.”
“Mostly at you because you destroyed her tractor.”
“It was trying tokillme at the time.” Fel closed the door.
“It was a magical tractor,” Syla explained at Teyla’s confused expression.
“Does that make it more or less alarming that it was trying to kill your bodyguard?”
“I’m not sure. Is the lump on your head your only major wound?” Syla waved to indicate the cut, but it wasn’t deep.
“I think it’s the only big one. I suppose I should be grateful, but I’m mostly chagrined that they knocked me out so easily. You may recall that I’ve had combat training.”
“I remember bandaging your arm after a fencing incident involving antique cutlasses in the museum.”
“I was just a kid then. I’m a lot better now. Usually, I cause theotherperson to need bandaging. But the stormers… Well, I think those wereriders. Maybe bonded.” Teyla looked hopeful, like it would be embarrassing to have been outfought by lesser combatants.
“Two against one is difficult to deal with under any circumstances.” Syla lifted her fingers toward Teyla’s head but hesitated, remembering how she’d used her power to attack the stormer, to cut off his air and render him unconscious. Her gods-gift had come so easily for that. It would have let herkillthe man; she was certain.
She’d never heard of anyone in her family with the ability to use his or her gift to kill. Usually, the power lent itself most easily to assisting with one’s passions. Like engineering, for Aunt Tibby, and deciphering puzzles and forgotten languages for Teyla, who adored history and archaeology. Another cousin was a woodworker and made beautiful furniture. An uncle was a shipwright and embedded magic in the vessels he crafted.
Syla had always used her gift for healing. How dreadful to think that defending herself against enemies—killing people—might have become herpassion.
No, she hadn’t killed anyone yet, and she didn’t intend to. Though… she admitted that the scrolls might not have been stolen if she’d finished off the stormer. Would she come to regret that she hadn’t?
“It’s right here.” Teyla pointed a couple of inches above her ear. “Go ahead. I give you permission to heal me.”
“Thank you,” Syla said with a smile, though that wasn’t why she’d hesitated.
Reminded that her cousin was in pain, she pushed aside her self-doubts and rested her hand on the side of Teyla’s head. Her healing magic came readily to her, the moon-mark on her hand warming almost cheerfully as she sent a trickle of her power into the contusion to repair blood vessels and lower the inflammation. Teyla closed her eyes, slumping back with a sigh as Syla healed the damage, and the swelling went down.
“I practice my sword work with a couple of the guards an hour in the evenings several times a week,” Teyla said. “I’mnotinept.”
Was that something Relvin had said? Probably.
“I’m certain you’re not,” Syla said.
“When that odious Lord Verrinmark came to court me and couldn’t accept that I wasn’t interested, I practiced onhim.”
“Were bandages involved?”
“I believe so. I feel no guilt. Relvin set that up, saying a woman not married and birthing babies by twenty-five is a waste on society. As ifthat’sthe only way one might contribute. I’ve had papers published in the leading scholarly journals on archaeology and had a theology publisher recruit me for a well-researched article on what prompted the storm god to go mad and think creatingdragonswas a good idea.”
“What was your conclusion on that?” Syla finished healing the contusion and leaned back, thinking of Wreylith flying about, looking for someplace to drop her haunch of meat.
“There’s evidence that when he spent time in the mortal world, he ate mukroog root for its supposed brain-boosting effects.”
“Mukroog root is a hallucinogenic and, at higher quantities, a poison.”
“Exactly. Slow-acting. It makes you sharp before it gives you kooky visions, but it also builds up in the brain and ends up being deleterious. The records show that he either voluntarily took it, because he liked the visions, or some human underling who sought to get rid of him was putting it in his food. This was more than a thousand years ago, so it’s hard to findrealevidence. There are supposedly paintings on ancient ruins in the rainforests of Froha.” Teyla looked wistfully toward the room’s high window. “I’d love to visit the continents one day, but Mom… never came back. I’ve always been hesitant.”
“It’s dangerous out there.”
“Danger is everywhere these days. Even in the streets of our capital.”
“Unfortunately true. You’d better increase your sword-fighting practices to two hours a night.”
