Page 119 of In Her Own Rite

Seb shrugs. “Fine. We saw one we kind of liked, but it wasn’t exactly what we’re looking for. But there’s another we’re going to tomorrow that looks promising. It’s close to the salt plant, and there’s a shed in the back you could use for woodworking, and a garden for Em. It’s out of our original budget, but with how well things are going…”

I nod, glancing over at Gabe again. He's glowering at his mother, and the energy in the kitchen is palpably tense. If both our businesses are thriving, at least it means we can get out of here soon.

“Sounds good. Let me know how it is,” I say.

“You guys’ll be back in time for the vote though, right?” Gabe asks tersely.

Seb nods, and behind me, Saga comes over and sets the pitcher on the table.

“For Emerson,” she says, her voice tight.

I nod and get up.Takkagaayu—anything to get out of here.

I grab the pitcher and an empty glass from one of the cabinets, then head back up stairs. When I near the top, I can see Em in bed, half sitting up against a nest of pillows.

“Heij,” I say, walking in. “You’re up. That’s great.”

“I feel awful,” she says, her voice still hoarse.

“You’ve been through a lot.”

She nods, and I set the pitcher and glass down on the bedside table next to her, on top of her healer’s textbook. I pour her a glass, and she picks it up, gagging after she takes a sip.

“Yeah, sorry, I should have mentioned. Saga added salt and sugar for rehydration.”

I take a seat on the bed beside her, and Em forces the rest of the glass down, then looks up at me.

“Is my dad…?” she asks.

“He’s waking up, I heard. I don’t know how lucid he is. But he made it. I saw how sick he was when you brought him down. I don’t think he’d still be alive if it weren’t for you.”

She nods, eyeing the glass in her hands.

“How did he make it?” I ask. “After we saw the caves, I was convinced it couldn’t have been him.”

“I saw some of his memories when I healed him,” she says. “They barely had enough food to make it. The other man, the younger one, stole a bag of nuts towards the end, and my dad had to leave. The fire was his last act, before he made it to the cliffs.”

“You saw all that?” I ask, and she nods.

“When I heal a bone break, I can see how it happened. I saw him slip on ice when he tried to leave the ring, during the week of the frost. That’s how he hurt his back, and why he had to stay up there. I saw other stuff, too. Deeper wounds...”

I nod, waiting, but she doesn’t elaborate, and I don’t ask.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the bone healing,” she says finally. “I was still trying to figure it out. Still am.”

“No,” I say, shaking my head. “I get it. I mean, yeah… it’s huge. How did you figure it out?”

She tells me about her weeks without me on Halluk, and the way she built up her healing skill with Gabe.

“I think it all kind of flowed into each other,” she says. “FMA training with Quinn, my shifter practice with Seb, healing with Gabe. It’s like it all kind of came together and helped me navigate this when the ancestors made it possible.”

“So it’s not you doing it?” I ask. “You think it’s the ancestors?”

She hesitates. “I don’t know. I don’t think I’m the first healer in generations to do this because I figured out mindfulness, if that’s what you’re asking.” She cracks a weak smile. “It’s something I’m doing, but I’m only doing it because they let me.”

“Maybe it’s both,” I say. “Maybe they’re making it possible, but it alsohadto be you.”

“Why me, though? What did I do?”

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