Page 47 of Sky of Thorns

“The healing you have, regardless of how much knowledge you possess, is better than nothing.” Kela reassures me. “We have trained healers at the rebel camp that can assist you further.”

“Unicorn healers?” My voice cracks with hope. Could there be others like me? Long-lost cousins? I think of the tapestry in Queen Rose’s crypt. There were dozens of unicorns in the field of Shadowvale. I meet Kela’s stare and watch as her expression falls.

“Sybil, you’re the first unicorn healer my clan has heard of in over a hundred years. You might very well be the last unicorn. Unless you have family hiding somewhere you haven't told me about?” She raises an eyebrow and I see a spark of her infectious positive energy return.

“My father and mother died over ten years ago in an ambush. I have no other family that I’m aware of. We live for hundreds of years, but having offspring is rare.” I pause, sniffing the air as the crackling of animal fat hitting the fire draws my attention. “What are you cooking?”

“Well, while you were tending to your beauty sleep, I stayed busy preparing. You need to restore your strength and your magic, especially if we need to transform to reach the rebel camp. The storm will not let up for at least a few days until we can travel, so I stocked up.” She gestures to the new stack of wood piled by the fire, a bowl of freshly picked winter berries, and a few buckets of melting ice. “We can always melt snow for more water, but I collected what I could. As luck would have it, I snared a juicy, fat, wild boar that should last us for a couple of days, too.”

“So, what’s the plan while we are snowed in?” I muse, while picking up a book from the stand. I blow the dust off its cover.101 edible roots in Northern Province.With a frown, I place the book back on the table.

“Oh my dear Sybil, we are going to have so much fun!” Kela says with a sneaky grin, and I can’t help but worry a little bit. “I need to make sure you’re fit and strong enough to make the journey to the camp where you can meet the others and tell the elders all you know about Tricella. Your information is going to prove invaluable, Sybil.” I smile at her words. “Let's start off with some basics.” Kela turns towards me and I watch in awe as her canines elongate, the tips of her ears lengthen and her nails sharpen into claws. “You know that shifter’s have three phases?”

“Yes,” I say as I roll my eyes. “I’m not entirely daft. The goddess blessed us with the power to shift between our animal and humanoid forms. But, she bestowed the gift of a demi-form, a half-form, that would allow the shifter to maintain the ability of speech while being able to access the full potential of their powers. Some shifters are blessed with healing, others with speed or strength. My father made me learn about the shifters and their forms in order to know the best way to heal a body.”

“Good,” she says. “Then you also know that even with goddess granted gifts, we have to train and practice to hone these gifts, lest they go to waste.” Kela grins wickedly before poking me in the stomach. “How long did they keep you locked up in that castle? And how do you expect to help your people heal wounds and deliver babies when you’re so frail? You look brittle as a twig!” She pinches my left bicep.

“Ow! You don't have to pinch me.” I rub my hand against the pink flesh, but my lips are curled into a grin, knowing she’s right. I was lean before they kidnapped me, but the time spent imprisoned did not benefit my health, strength, and endurance.

“I know that as a unicorn, your purpose is to heal and save, but I still believe everyone should learn at least a little bit of self-defense. You never know when you want to punch someone in the face. I’ve had my fair share of occasions in all honesty.” Kieran’s face comes back to me. “With my help, no one should be able to get past your defenses. Unless you want them too.” She wiggles her eyebrows provocatively and I fall back onto the bed in a fit of giggles at her antics. As much as Kela and I differ from each other, these next few days are going to be lively—to say the least.

“How is a few days of training going to help me?” I ask exasperatedly as we quickly go to work, moving as many things up against the wall as possible, stacking what we can in the cramped room. I watch as Kela stretches her arms above her head, her back arching and her feet lifting onto their tiptoes. I stand, hands loose at my side, watching her.

“Even one day of training can put you in a better position than you were yesterday,” she says matter-of-factly.

“Warriors trainfor yearsbefore going into battle…” Just as healers train for years at Nova Esther, or as apprentices. But, look what I did for my village with the little training I had. Perhaps the wolf is right.

“It’s not about how much you know, but knowing enough that you can trust your body in time of need. Plus, they all had to start somewhere. The first lesson is about balance. Before you can learn to hone your body to move with grace, you need to learn how to listen to yourself.” She moves through a series of slow movements, her legs spread into a lunge, one arm in front and one pointing to the back. “This is the first step to move past your fears and delve into your inner power. Connecting body, mind, soul and power.”

“I know how to balance.” I chuckle, crossing my arms over my chest. “I thought you were going to show me how to defend myself.”

Kela swivels on her feet, my eyes barely registering her movements; she is like living water. My heart speeds in my chest as she moves faster and faster around me in the small space. A cold steel blade caresses my neck, and I bolt in panic as her other arm pins mine to my sides before I can blink.

“You were saying?” She lets me go with a small push and I stumble, rubbing at the phantom sensation of the metal against my skin. “It’s all about routine. Every day I start by practicing. It helps build mental focus, concentration, determination and perseverance.”

“When will we move onto more physical defense?” I rub my arms. The image of Aramis holding me in his tight grip as he takes me from my home and Kieran dragging me to the dungeon come back to me. I vow to never let another man take me against my will ever again.

“So eager for violence! Patience, my friend.” Kela laughs and helps me into position as she begins to instruct my movements, her hands gently guiding my left foot and arm forward with my right back. “Finding physical balance will also help you hone onto your magical balance. You need to be able to assess not just your physical limitations, but your magical limitations as well. And in this, you can push on those limits.”

This isn’t so bad.

“Now keep your knee over your ankle like this, and sink down, lengthening through the top of your head. Imagine you’re wearinga crown.” She winks at me as I make the slight adjustments.

As if I’d ever wear a crown atop my head. Balancing a book would have been a better analogy. “Who taught you?” I ask, curious to know more about Kela.

“My mama. She’s the most formidable fighter I have ever met. She can disarm opponents much bigger than her without a second thought! Being one of the leaders, I don’t see her often these days.” A glimpse of sadness crosses her gaze and my heart aches as I can feel her loneliness echo mine. “I’ve become a bit of a lone wolf since I started playing a bigger role in the rebellion. As a seer and shifter, they prefer I stay in hiding, as I’m too valuable to lose. I regularly send messages to the camp with updates, but I’m constantly on the move, from safe house to safe house, but that’s okay. We’re fighting the good fight and sacrifices have to be made. Perfect!” She claps her hands and a gleeful gleam shines in her eyes as I manage to hold the stance. “Now we will practice breathing.”

“I know how to breathe. I practice with patients all the time as I talk them through their pain.” I roll my eyes as I move to stand.

“Nope, back down in position. You’re going to practice breathing. Without breaking your balance.” Her lips curl back even further into a grin, her sharp canine teeth glinting in the firelight.

***

The days go by between training sessions, tasty meals and intriguing conversations, but when night falls, I am restless. My dreams have become incredibly vivid and most nights I run through the forest following a red thread, desperate to reach its end. Sometimes I see books of every color I can imagine hanging from the branches of trees, but every time I try to open them, someone whispers that it's not time yet. The ending of my dreams, however, has changed. I no longer hear Alapheia’s call but Aramis' whispering.Come back to me, Sybil,and I have to force myself not to run through the cabin’s doors.

The storm is gradually waning, its ferocity yielding to a more subdued force. At the same time, my magic is replenishing at a much quicker rate than it was at the castle, the lack of torture surely helping somewhat. Living with Kela so far has been like sharing the room with a ray of pure sunshine. She’s been taking care of me as if she’s known me her whole life, even if I’m nothing more than a stranger to her. Maybe we’ll be friends someday.

With her help, I finally feel myself again, but I am not the same Sybil that lived in Bellevue. I have changed, marked by the challenges life has thrown in my path, and I cannot wait to get to know this new version of myself better.

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