Every hut in the village seemed to buzz at the news of their arrival. Mira confidently strode through towards the hut Delpho led them to. Soon, light came from the open windows as candles flickered to life. He held the door open for them to enter.

“This is what remains of a few nomadic tribes from the north, remote regions of Saceida,” Mira said as Jonen surveyed the home, “Most of them only know the one dialect of humanin –which has devolved from the main one due to hundreds of years of isolation. It’s closer to orcin if anything.”

It surprised Jonen at how densely packed the rooms were with trinkets and furniture. The living space was small, but well loved.

“Why are they here, then?” Jonen looked towards the kitchen to see a plump woman stirring a pot furiously.

“Enthrallments in Agrowl are easier to force than anywhere else,” Mira traveled along a wall lined with shelves, “Slavers get their people from weak areas of Saceida. Their tiny villages were raided. Those who did not accept enthrallment were killed. Their purchaser wanted a farming community to make use of the empty lands of Zrud.”

“They bear no marks, though,” Jonen looked over the openly shown skin, “Unless, they’re hidden.”

“I killed their master,” Mira stated, “No master means the enthrallment is terminated.”

She grabbed a bone resting on the shelf and examined it in her hands. He waited patiently for her to explain but watched the family around them. Pallik lit another match and placed the flame to another candle. Tella pulled on the plump woman’s apron and spoke sheepishly when Jonen looked at her. Delpho chuckled and grabbed at whatever was on the stove before the woman swatted his hand away with her spoon.

“What happened?” Jonen asked.

“He treated them cruelly. I stopped by on behalf of my master to negotiate trade,” Mira moved towards the table, “I saw him doing vile things to some of the women here. Many can no longer carry children. That’s why the population is small.”

“By the Goddess,” Jonen whispered as he took a seat nearby.

“My master told me that I was to make sure the man agreed to my terms or kill him,” She smirked slightly, “My terms included releasing his thralls, on top of what my master requested.”

“And he didn’t agree?” Jonen quirked an eyebrow.

He watched her face recount the memory. As she twisted the bone in her hands, he saw a flash of white before she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. No indication of any emotion crossed her stoic face.

“Correct,” She paused, “He did not. My master did not need him alive to conduct business. So, I killed the man. Delpho became de facto leader and agreed to my master’s terms. They give us money and crops. For his loyalty, I stop by and ensure they are safe.”

“No often enough,” Tella and Pallik complained.

“Merawl,” Relya, the plump woman in the kitchen pointed to her, “Foods?”

“Yes,” She turned to Jonen, “Are you hungry?”

He nodded and the woman brought over two bowls. She sat them in front of him and Mira. She played with the bone in her hand before snapping it and handing it to Tella.

“Mira!” The girl yipped, “Why would you do that?”

“I expect you to fix it,” She patted the girls head before turning to the teen, “Bring Jonen’s bags to your room. He’ll be sleeping in there.”

Her quick transformation into the commanding voice of the house amazed Jonen. It made sense because of her and the village’s background, but it didn’t feel like anyone else’s home. From how she spoke and how the villagers interacted with her, she seemed like their folk hero. Mira stretched before she sat in the chair at the head of the table. He had never seen her so relaxed, but of course he hadn’t known her for long.

Pallik cleared his throat to get Jonen’s attention and show him to the smallest room on the right side of the tiny home. He caned behind him into the room. The teen hurriedly made a small cot of blankets and pillows on the ground then pointed at the bed.

“Mira says you’re sleeping there tonight,” Pallik looked to the half elf for a response.

Jonen half-heartedly grinned, “Thanks.”

The teen rolled his eyes and walked back to sit at the table next to Mira. Jonen took in the warmth of the small home. It was well loved, well worn, and fully occupied that night. There were only a few steps between the central table of the home and any room. It reminded him of his mother’s cottage. Jonen moved to stand near Mira while he leaned on the staff.

“Why don’t you visit more?” Jonen leaned over to whisper, “You seem to like it here.”

“I am not allowed more than my master deems it suitable to hold his end of their contract,” Her fingers rubbed against the ceramic bowl in front of her, “I provide their safety. That is enough for me.”

Jonen didn’t respond. Delpho grabbed another nearby chair and offered it to him. When he declined, the older man sat in it and chatted with Mira. He watched her usual frigid demeanor thaw. He couldn’t pretend to understand what they were saying, but she seemed so casual. In the little shack in an unnamed village, he could have believed her just another villager joining this family at the table. The amber eyed mage could have been another commonfolk, tending to the fields and animals.

When Pallik offered to take Mira’s cloak, Jonen blinked in surprise.

Mira stood and unclasped the button of her cloak. It fell unceremoniously from her shoulders to his hands. The leather bodice she donned caught Jonen’s wonderous eye –not because of how well it fit her body, but because of how densely armed it was. The bodice did not cover any of her arms but did conceal up to the base of her throat. The intricately woven leather braids tied enough weapons on her that he wouldn’t have imagined. Handles of throwing daggers peaked from unseen pockets. Metal decals on the corset blended curved knives into the design for easy concealment. Jonen had only seen two types of people wear elegantly crafted armor designed for the body of the wearer: assassins and royalty.

Her eyes met his as he analyzed the new situation. Before Jonen could say anything, Mira looked away. He sensed sorrow in the glance, but realized some things were better left unsaid and unquestioned.

“Tella,” Mira placed two elbows on the table and leaned against her hands, “Jonen has some wounds better suited for your natural talents. If you practice on the bone, I’ll allow you to attempt healing him.”

Jonen’s eyes widened as he understood what Mira said. The thought of an uncontrollable mini mage ‘healing’ him horrified him.

“You would let me? I can heal him if he can take it!” The girl’s clapped giddily, “Daddy has let me try on some of the men in the village but they’re not as strong as you!”

She stood over her before crouching down to her height. She placed a hand on Tella’s shoulder and took a deep breath. The girl looked at the floor, already expecting what Mira would say.

“I told you,” Mira kept a steady gaze and lowered her voice, “You are not stable enough to practice on just anyone. You’re the only one in the village with a touch of magic. If you don’t cast your spells correctly, someone will die.”

“I just want to get better,” The girl’s eyes watered at her stern tone.

“I know,” She sighed and shook her head, “But what happens if you can’t control the spell? You are over a day’s ride to the temple with healers. What happens if you didn’t do it correctly and the person does not heal?”

“You don’t think I’m good enough?”

“No, I don’t,” Mira patted her head, “Not yet. If you need to help someone and can’t do it with mundane means, then you need to get them to the temple. Do we understand?”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Yes, Mira,” Tella nodded, “Can I still practice on him?”

“Didn’t you just explain how dangerous this is to just try on someone?” Jonen gave them both a skeptical look, “Why am I being volunteered then?”

Mira smirked diabolically, “You have a touch of magic, do you not? Besides, Tella can heal deep cuts very well. She’s practiced on me enough.”

He forced himself to avoid searching over her exposed skin to find any gnarly scars that the little girl could have caused. As he looked over to the young healer, Tella clamped her hands together in a pleading manner and batted her big eyes at the half-elf.

“Well,” He sighed as he sat at an unoccupied chair, “If this goes badly, I guess they’ll fix it at the temple.”

Pallik’s ears perked up, “Temple? Mira, can we come?”

“Ask your mother. I don’t mind as long as you both find another escort home.”

Pallik parroted the request to his mother. Relya laughed and dismissed any concern from above the cooking pot. It amazed Jonen that she was completely fine sending her children with Mira and a stranger on a multiple day trip. Then again, Jonen would’ve believed it to be the safest choice for anyone, at this point.

Delpho grunted as Tella circled her patient. Jonen did not want to compare her to a spider that caught a bug in its web, but it was how he felt. Mira placed a hand firmly on her shoulder and leaned down to her.

“Tella, he is a warrior,” Mira lowered her voice to emphasize, “But you must still be gentle. Not everyone has tolerance like mine. Now, proceed. Healer and patient behavior.”

The girl sighed and nodded. She curtsied slight and took a deep breath. Jonen felt a dynamic shift in her demeanor as she lifted her head with a practiced, soft smile.

“Hello. I am Healer Tell—”

Delpho grunted and pointed at the small girl with a few unintelligible words.

“Daddy!” She huffed before she started the practice routine again, “Hello. I am Healer-Trainee Tella. You are wounded and I may be able to help. Can you describe what is wrong?”

Jonen looked around the room as all eyes stared at him. The only one seeming uninterested was the mother preparing a meal in the kitchen. The young girl smiled kindly as she waited for a reply. Mira nudged him to reply.

“Are you unable to describe what is wrong?” Tella looked back to Mira for conformation, “Or are you nervous?”

“Nervous, I guess,” He looked back at the girl and took a deep breath, “Hello, Healer-Trainee Tella. I have wounds from a battle. I have multiple cuts across my legs and torso. Would you be able to close them?”

Tella proudly held out her hand, “Please, show me the wounds.”

The odd, practiced script gave Jonen hesitation. Perhaps the young girl knew he wasn’t sure of Zrud’s main language. Perhaps she had a set script to practice on. Either way, Jonen knew this would be a different type of medical treatment than he was used to. He looked around as the rest of the house gathered closer to examine the wounds with her. Pallik rolled his eyes and stood closer to Mira. She examined the situation feverishly without a single word.

“Some of them are in very precarious spots,” He warned and looked to Delpho.

Tella turned to her parents and motioned as if removing clothes. Delpho grunted and nodded. That wasn’t what Jonen had expected, but the girl was desperate to heal him. He took off his sweaty tunic and showed the first of the wounds: On his arm and stomach.

“You’re getting much better at stitches!” Pallik laughed and looked at Mira, “How many did you give him?”

“Overall, I stopped counting at fifty,” She said plainly, “The point is to keep the skin together, not be attractive.”

Tella waved her hand over Jonen’s face before he could respond, “Is it okay if I touch the wound?”

“If it will help,” He nervously watched as her hands traveled towards his stomach.

The girl’s tiny hands clamored over the wound. Her fingers lightly drummed against the frayed flesh. As she tugged at the stitches, the half-elf winced.

“Okay. Got it!” She smiled, “Daddy, will you bring the scissors?”

She waited for him to return before lightly snapping the scissors open and closed.

“Hey—!”

“She knows what she’s doing,” Mira interrupted him, “You will be fine.”

Jonen pursed his lips and looked up at her. She held strong eye contact until he relaxed and trusted her words. Pallik stepped in to hold the wound together as Tella got ready. She pulled her hair back and pulled a curved needle from a piercing on her ear. He watched as she rubbed the oils from it and sat it on the table. She took the scissors and snipped the stitches off. As she pulled the strands from his skin, Jonen grunted and kept his eyes on Mira.

“Please relax,” Tella said as she took a deep breath and grabbed the needle, “Goddess, give me the ability to heal those who need it. May I use your grace to save your followers.”

The needle glowed softly. As she moved it through the air to test it, threads of pink and yellow light twirled around. Jonen hadn’t seen this advanced spell before. He had seen many healers struggle with the more basic one. Most healers elected to fuse the skin at the cut or give mundane stitches.

“I am supposed to say this may hurt. Please keep still.”

“What do the colors mean?” Jonen asked as she brought the needle to his stomach, “I’ve seen this spell before, but not those colors.”

“I must concentrate on the spell,” Tella rubbed a bead of sweat from her brow, “Mira?”

“Yellow numbs,” She ran her finger over one of the flowing threads in the air, “Pink is… more complicated. Red encourages natural healing. White disinfects.”

Tella slid the needle into his arm and started sewing. As his skin stitched together, the threads of light faded into his skin. It felt as if the needle was pulled straight from a fire, but immediately passed as she pulled the thread tight against him skin. The house silently watched as the tiny healer sewed the wound closed. She wiped the sweat from her face and hands.

“Almost done.”

Tella twirled the strands of light together before tying them into a knot against his skin. She cut the threads with the scissors and the light from the attached end faded away. Her small face looked gauntly and dry. She coughed slightly before taking a deep breath.

“She needs water,” Mira looked to Relya, “And food.”

“Water and foods,” Relya hurried to the kitchen.

“Please excuse my short break,” Tella plopped into a chair and rubbed at her head.

“Do not over do yourself,” Mira placed a comforting hand on the girl, “My stitches will hold. Try the next section in the morning.”

“One more,” Tella guzzled from the large cup of water her mother brought her, “I can do one more.”

“My arm has a smaller cut,” Jonen nodded, “You can do that one next.”

“No.”

Mira glared at him. She did not want the girl to get ill from magic. Why did he offer himself again? She did not understand why he detested the idea beforehand but now encouraged the small child. Tella sat up to examine the wound as she bit into a stick of jerky. The color and life flooded back into her face while she ate.

“I can do it,” She looked up to her with pleading eyes, “Please?”

Mira looked into his sapphire eyes. She narrowed her gaze to give him the chance to change his mind. They held each other’s gaze in a silent conversation. Jonen nodded once.

“He allows it,” Mira sat behind Jonen, “I will stay nearby in case you need more immediate assistance.”

“I’m usually the assistant,” Pallik chuckled, “Mira’s probably better suited.”

Tella took the curved needle and twirled it in the air again. The threads of pink and yellow light came back, albeit dimmer than before. Mira cut the stitches off and held the wound closed as Tella continued. The little healer’s brow furrowed, and her hands shook. The threads of light began to flicker, and Mira grabbed Jonen’s wound.

“Tella,” Mira kept her hand away from the wound, “You are overexerting yourself.”

“Almost… done,” Tella blinked to clear her blurry gaze.

“You sewed into my hand,” Mira commented casually, “Stop now.”

Tella looked along her dimming thread to see the needle sticking from Mira’s fingers. She nodded and tied the spell’s knot again before cutting it away. She swayed back and forth on the chair before lurching to one side. Mira, still latching to Jonen’s arm with one hand, twirled around him to grab Tella as she fell. Just before her face hit the floor, she yanked up on the handful of her dress she grabbed onto. Jonen couldn’t believe she acted so quickly, and held the wound closed softly.

“Pallik, grab your sister,” Mira grunted as she maneuvered the girl back into the chair, “I need to handle the patient. Delpho, the vat.”

She moved to sit on Jonen’s undamaged leg as Pallik rushed to his sister’s side. Relya grabbed a bucket of ice as Delpho filled more cups with water. Mira only released the girl when Pallik had both hands holding her in the chair.

“Jonen,” Mira turned to him and said with a displeased tone, “This will hurt.”

Before he could ask, he felt the flame spell on his arm. He grunted as she cauterized the wound and stepped away from his lap. A hand sized burn covered the wound at the top of his forearm. The fingerprints fused the tops of the opening at the beginning of his bicep, with the burn fading away as the invisible stitches held the rest together. He had never seen such accuracy with a fire spell, especially on someone’s skin. Jonen was a bit worried about how it would scar but understood the urgency.

Mira lifted Tella into her lap and faced the chair’s back to create two walls to keep the girl sitting upright. Tella’s head rocked about at the motions. Pallik blocked one of the other sides and placed a bucket at his feet. Relya grabbed a cup of water and poured it over Tella’s head. Delpho placed some ice in a cup of water and handed it to Mira.

Jonen had only heard of what happens when magic is over exerted. He had never seen anyone fight past the initial warning signs, except maybe with Mira earlier that night. He did not know what the proper protocol was, but this did not seem right.

Mira barked orders in their language as Jonen watched from behind them. She grabbed the bottom of her shirt and ripped a large portion of the fabric away. She threw the swatch of fabric at Relya, who placed it into the cup of ice water. Mira put a hand against Tella’s throat to hold her head stable as Delpho brought a glass of murky, yellow liquid to her. She sniffed it and poured some into the girl’s mouth. Tella coughed violently as Mira removed her hand. The girl woozily leaned over to retch as Pallik lifted the bucket. Relya poured another glass of water over the girl’s head to cool her off. Mira took the iced fabric and tied it around Tella’s neck.

“You overdid it,” Mira narrowed her eyes.

“I don’t feel good,” Tella grabbed the murky yellow liquid and grimaced, “What is that?”

“You do not want to know,” Mira held up a hand to stop Delpho from saying, “Get rid of it, now.”

Relya grunted and took the offending liquid away. Jonen carefully watched as Mira slid Tella from her lap and back onto the chair. She casually sat on the ground before scolding her in the language he didn’t know. The teary-eyed girl nodded and rubbed at her wet face. When she started sobbing, Mira wrapped her arms around her and brought her into a hug.

“All things considered that went well!” Pallik grinned, “You didn’t even burst the thread in his arm.”

“What?!”