Indira stepped into the sprawling hospital ward situated at the edge of the central marketplace of Tamera. The cavernous chamber bustled with activity, with scores of injured and sick people being treated by Healers and Stalwarts of several different orders.

Indira wove through the crowded aisles, past cots with patients tended by nurses while they waited for their turn to be healed. The diminutive archer Adalia followed close behind.

Indira smiled. This was her domain. Here she could do so much good. The suffering of the sick and injured tore at her heart and she thanked the creator daily for blessing her with such a powerful gift of healing.

"There be a lot of sick folk here," Adalia commented a little uneasily. "There be no plague here, be there?"

"No. Tamera is a big city. There are always sick and injured."

She sighted a group of Pallian Stalwarts near the back of the huge room and moved in their direction. She had developed a deep love for most of the Pallians. "With so many orders of Stalwarts residing in the city, and with the Healers' College located here, we all take turns providing free access to healing services."

"All this be free?" Adalia scanned the huge room again, eyes wide with the wonder of it.

Indira smiled and twisted her long midnight hair into a simple braid in preparation for getting to work. "It's one of the benefits of living near so many Stalwarts."

Adalia nodded. "I never seen a Stalwart or a Healer till I was twelve."

The Pallian Stalwarts greeted Indira warmly, particularly Edana, a broad-faced woman with many laugh lines. She was Indira's regular partner in the popular Sickle and Wheel card game they held weekly.

Edana gave her a hug. "I'm so glad you're back! We've been on a terrible losing streak since you left."

"I'm sure we'll set it to right," Indira said.

"Are you kidding?" Edana laughed. "We're positioned for a huge win! They're giving me a ten-to-one rating for tonight's game. With you as a ringer, we can recover triple what I've lost."

Indira loved the game, but she didn't play for the money like Edana did. She always felt a little bad taking coins from Stalwarts, although she did enjoy raking the professional gamblers.

"What about the patients?" Indira asked.

Right now, she just wanted to heal. Embracing her gift centered her mind and brought peace, which she had enjoyed less and less in recent days. She still felt irritated with Kevlin, and longed to think of nothing but helping others.

"We're a little short on the rotation today, with Styra Leander sending so many into the streets to hunt that Shadeleech," Edana admitted.

"Shush." A blocky Stalwart standing nearby glanced around to make sure none of the patients overheard. Indira didn't know his name. "No one's supposed to know about that."

Indira hoped Leander would be careful. He was such a good man, and her heart ached to think of the loss of his family. During their recent adventures in Hallvarr, she'd finally come to understand how he could justify striking down men like Tanathos. She wished people didn't have to fight. It caused too much suffering.

"Looks like more patients than normal," Indira said, scanning the rows of patients again.

"There sure are," Edana said. "People are restless."

"What do you expect?" the blocky fellow said. "Battles in Hallvarr, rumors of the emperor being sick, and now some kind of assassination attempt. It's got folks jittery."

Edana nodded. "And with the ball tonight, free ale is being distributed to the commoners. They're already getting drunk and starting to fight, and it's barely noon."

"Well, let's get to work." Indira wished people didn't get hurt so much, but she was happy to immerse herself in her work.

Adalia hovered nearby as Indira moved to the first patient, a pretty young woman with terrible bruises on her face. Her lips were split and her eyes almost swollen shut. She sat patiently despite obvious pain.

Indira gently touched the woman's tangled brown hair as she embraced her healing gift. It filled her immediately, shining through her soul like bright sunlight that filled her with warmth and peace. She focused on the injured woman and began the soft chant that helped her direct that power into her patients.

The strength of her gift vibrated through her like living music that rose in counterpoint to her chant and intensified as it connected her to the woman. Her healing sight focused on the woman's injuries, and their extent shocked Indira.

The young woman bore a patchwork of bruises across most of her body, and in some places newer bruises were piled on top of old ones still unhealed. Indira's hands shook with sorrow as she felt the woman's terrible pain.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Indira directed her gift to flow through the woman's mind to grant her peace. Then she attacked each bruise, draining away the hurt and restoring the damaged flesh.

Nearly fifteen minutes later, she opened her eyes and removed her hands from the young woman's head. A wave of weariness set her legs trembling, and she dropped onto the cot beside the woman. In some ways, healing consumed as much energy as pitched battle.

The young woman stared at her with eyes filled with wonder. "You're an angel come to life."

"Nothing so grand as that," Indira said.

Adalia crouched nearby, frowning. "What took ye so long with this one, Indira? Getting rusty?"

Indira took the young woman's hand. "What happened to you? You've been beaten many times."

The young woman looked down, and her hair slid across her face. "It's nothing."

"But it is," Indira insisted. "Who did this to you?" She gently pushed the young woman's hair out of her face. The girl was crying softly.

Adalia leaned forward. "Tell us and we can help."

"My boyfriend thought I was seeing another man. He got angry."

Adalia snorted. "That's a lot of elk droppings. Indira said ye've been beat lots a times."

"He's a suspicious type," she whispered.

"Coward," Adalia snarled. "I wish I knew where to find him."

The young woman pointed a shaky finger. "He's right over there. This time, some men caught him beating me and they beat him in turn."

Halfway across the room a big, heavily-muscled man with short, black hair was just rising from a cot. A Pemburu Stalwart had been attending him. He noticed the young woman pointing at him and shoulded past the Stalwart, movingin their direction.

"You're gonna need more healing than that, girl!" he shouted.

The man's audacity amazed Indira. It angered her too. She rarely allowed herself to feel anger, for it interfered with her healing.

Not today. As the trembling young woman tried to flee, Indira pushed her back down. "Don't move."

She stepped into the man's path. "You will not harm this girl."

Nearby, the stocky Stalwart reached for his hammer, but Edana held him back and whispered something to him.

The burly boyfriend closed on Indira without slowing. He shouted, "Get outta my way." When Indira didn't move, he tried to drive his shoulder into her.

The fool.

He collided with her shield of Faith and rebounded as if he'd run into a brick wall. He tripped and crashed onto a cot, which buckled under the sudden weight.

Adalia moved to Indira's side, arrow already knocked. "Nice move, that. Now it's my turn."

As the man surged to his feet, Adalia said, "I'll give ye three seconds ta git outta here afore I shoot ye."

He barked a laugh. "I'm gonna take that bow outta your hands, little lady, and spank you with it."

Adalia fired. The arrow punched through the man's hand and drove into his thigh, pinning his hand to his leg.

He screamed and staggered, his expression shocked. Adalia knocked another arrow in single, fluid motion. Silence descended on the rest of the hospital as all eyes turned to watch the spectacle.

"Two seconds left," Adalia said coldly.

"You can't do this!"

"One second." She drew the string back.

He bolted, crying out for help, moving awkwardly with his hand pinned to his leg.

"Too slow." Adalia fired again. The twang of the bow sounded loud in the silent room. The arrow drove deep into the man's meaty backside.

He screamed and collapsed in a heap. He held up his free hand and begged for mercy, for help, and finally for the city guard.

A Fire Stalwart moved toward the man and shouted at Adalia. "Enough. You made your point."

Adalia shouted back. "If'n I hear bout you laying a finger on this woman again, my next bolt’s gonna hurt ye a lot more than them little pricks I just gave ye."

She reached for another arrow, but the man shouted, "I won't touch her, I promise."

Adalia spat on the floor and turned her back on the fellow as the Fire Stalwart moved to help him. "Coward."

Indira hugged Adalia. "That was well done."

Adalia raised an eyebrow. "Not gonna cry that he got hurt?"

"Not this time."

The young woman was staring from the tiny archer to her huge boyfriend. Adalia said, "Find yerself a different man. That one's no good."

"I will." She hugged Adalia and strode from the room with a grin on her face.

The nearby Pallian Stalwarts congratulated Adalia. One of them commented to Indira, "I'm surprised you stepped in front of that guy. You don't usually take sides."

"In Hallvarr I learned a few things. I saw the face of evil and learned it has to be confronted sometimes."

"I heard you learned more than that," Edana said. "Tell us how you shield others when you're not healing them."

Indira blushed. She didn't like all the attention, but she was eager to share the wondrous ability she'd discovered with Kevlin's help. Thinking of him brought to mind the few times she'd kissed him.

Part of her wished they'd had more time to explore their relationship, but part of her was happy she had a little distance. Kevlin affected her deeply, and the intensity of her feelings scared her. She was glad Ceren was around to help him figure out the terrible Trembling Madness.

"How about a demonstration?" Indira asked. When they all agreed, she asked Adalia, "Will you help me?"

Adalia shrugged. "Sure. Whatever ye need, Indira."

Indira said to the stocky Stalwart, "Hit her with your hammer."

"Remind me to ask what ye want first next time," Adalia muttered as the Stalwart advanced.

Indira embraced her gift again. It soared into her heart, filling her with glorious joy. As the Stalwart raised his hammer to strike, Indira extended her gift to wrap Adalia in its protective embrace.

She couldn't reach Adalia.

In Hallvarr, she'd managed for the first time to extend her shield of Faith beyond herself. She'd saved Ceren's life. Now her Faith wavered and didn't flow out to cover Adalia.

The Stalwart's hammer swung in a deadly arc.

"Stop!" she shouted.

He tried to check his swing, but had already committed to the blow. The hammer slammed into Adalia's side and, with an audible crack of breaking ribs, knocked her from her feet.

Indira rushed to the fallen archer, who moaned with pain, barely conscious. She laid hands on her tiny friend, and this time her gift flowed out without hesitation. Indira poured everything she had into the healing. With desperate speed, she drained away Adalia's pain, knit the bones, and restored the battered flesh.

After several minutes, she removed her hands and sank to the floor, exhausted.

Edana helped Adalia sit up, and Indira clutched the tiny woman's hands. "I'm so very sorry."

"Have a care next time," Adalia said, tone sharp. "I kin get paid to get hit, you know."

Indira sighed with relief. At least Adalia's indomitable spirit hadn't been damaged.

Edana asked, "What happened?"

"I don't know," Indira said with a frown. "I couldn't do it."