Draggah (35 page)

He let his mind delve deep into the woman
’
s side.  He could sense the bleeding there and he opened himself up to her injury to let the healing magic flow through him and into the injured woman.  He hadn
’
t been prepared for the pain.  He had forgotten that Sana Magus required
Corporeus Adfectus,
which was a physical empathy that caused him to feel the pain of the person he was working to heal.  It was a useful tool in working magic because it allowed him to gage exactly how effective his spell was working, but he wasn
’
t prepared for the pain.  He felt as though a fiery poker had been stabbed into his belly.

It took him several minutes just to manage the pain and regain his concentration.  He quoted the spell over and over, directing the magic where it needed to go.  He wasn
’
t sure how the magic healed the body, but he could feel it working.  The pain began to recede.  When he was certain that the woman was well, he opened his eyes and let the magic fade away.

The woman looked not only healed, but rejuvenated.  She was smiling and talking to her family, who were gathered around her in concern.  Tiberius was sweating from the pain and his head was spinning.

“
You don
’
t look well,
”
Filsa said as she knelt beside him.

“
Just tired,
”
Tiberius said, his throat cracking.

“
What can we do for you, Tiswanee?
”

“
I need something to drink,
”
he said. 
“
Something cool.
”

He sat, trying to get the world to stop spinning around him until Filsa returned.  A few of the other wives were with her.  One had food, another a jug of water.

“
It
’
s just water,
”
Filsa said. 
“
Do you need something stronger?
”

“
No,
”
Tiberius said.

He drank from the cup she gave him, and wondered a little at the strange taste.  He thought maybe the water had been left sitting in one of the clay pots longer than normal, or perhaps an animal had been drinking from the water supply, but it was wet and cool, so he ignored the strange taste.  After a moment he felt better and his head cleared.  He drank the entire cup, then ate a little of the mealy bread one of the other wives brought him.

“
I just need a few more minutes to rest,
”
he told them. 
“
Then I
’
m going to work on some of the other injuries.  Stay close to me.
”

He ignored the way the women seemed to beam at being asked to help.  They wanted to please him and he guessed they hoped he would learn to love them.  He doubted that Lexi would ever accept that.  He doubted he could keep a whole harem happy anyway.  He had enough trouble trying to please Lexi.  He would have to find new roles for the younger wives soon enough, but for now he was glad for their help.

“
I need to work on this woman now,
”
Tiberius said. 
“
But I
’
m not sure how much it will affect me.  If I swoon, give me water and try to wake me, okay.  As long as I
’
m still chanting the spell, let me be.
”

“
As you wish, Tiswanee,
”
Filsa said.

It took Tiberius a few moments to work up the courage to speak the words of the spell.  He was afraid of the pain he knew was coming.  He
’
d healed Rafe
’
s back when it was broken by his fall from the city walls in Avondale.  His friend had felt very little pain, but Tiberius had felt it in all its exquisite agony.  He didn
’
t expect that the woman
’
s bashed head would be any better, but he was afraid if he didn
’
t at least try that she would die and he would be responsible.

He closed his eyes and put his hands gently on each side of her face.  He ignored the crying children around her.  Before he spoke the words of the spell, he let his mind connect to the magic he felt around him.  Working magic made him more sensitive to the unseen currents of magic around him all the time.  When he felt comfortable, he chanted the spell.  Once again he felt as if he
’
d just fallen into a swiftly moving stream.  He had to focus and force himself to stand steady in the magical onslaught before moving the magic down into the woman
’
s body.

Immediately, his head began to ache.  There was an intense pain at the back of his head, exactly he guessed where she had been hit with one of the wooden clubs.  The wood wasn
’
t as hard as what was used to make shields or even doors in Avondale.  In fact, it was even softer than the pine which grew so prevalently in the forest.  Yet it was hard enough to break bone if wielded with enough strength.

The pain in his head was terrible, but surprisingly it wasn
’
t as debilitating as he expected it to be.  He let the magic flow and slowly the pain subsided.  Once he was sure the magic had done its work, he probed the woman
’
s head with his fingers.  There was no evidence of the wound, not even a lump.  When Tiberius withdrew his magic from the woman, her eyes fluttered open and she looked around.

Tiberius sagged once again, but this time he couldn
’
t stop himself.  He fell back into Filsa
’
s arms and let sleep overcome him.  He came back to himself a short while later.  His mind coming around before his body did.  He realized he had passed out, and despite the fact that it felt so good to just relax and rest, he knew he needed to wake up.  He could feel that he had been moved.  He opened his eyes and saw Lexi looking down at him.

“
Are you okay?
”
she asked.

“
Yes,
”
he said, his voice a hoarse croak. 
“
Just tired is all.  I need some rest.
”

“
We all do,
”
Lexi said,
“
but we didn
’
t all pass out.
”

“
The magic drains me,
”
Tiberius explained. 
“
I need something to drink.
”

More water was brought.  Ti had been moved back over to the far side of the tent where Lexi, Olyva, and Rafe had been resting.  Tiberius looked over at his friend and was surprised to see him resting so well.  The Trogooh had propped him up on pillows and made sure his arm was secure as well.

“
Is Rafe okay?
”
Tiberius asked.

“
He
’
s resting,
”
Lexi said. 
“
Olyva gave him something and he went to sleep.
”

“
Olyva?
”
Tiberius asked.

“
Apparently, you aren
’
t the only healer in the group,
”
Lexi said, but she didn
’
t sound very happy. 
“
Those little twigs that are growing on her body have some type of magical sap.  They ease pain and help people to relax.
”

“
I better get up and finish helping people,
”
Tiberius said, but Lexi put her hand on his chest.

“
You
’
ve done enough for now,
”
Lexi said. 
“
No one is in pain.  No one is dying.  You can heal everyone once you
’
ve gotten some rest.
”

“
You really think so?
”

“
Yes, I do,
”
Lexi said. 
“
Now go to sleep.  I
’
ll wake you in a few hours.
”

Tiberius didn
’
t want to give in.  He wanted to get up and prove that he was strong enough to do whatever needed done, but he knew she was right.  If he got up now, he would just pass out again.  He might not even be able to control the magic he conjured.  He could end up hurting someone even worse if he wasn
’
t careful.  He decided he would sleep for a few hours.

Laying back on the cushions was so wonderful he felt guilty, but only for a moment.  Almost as soon as he closed his eyes, he fell asleep again.

The sun was bright in the sky and although the camp was subdued, the noises of the day still trickled into Tiberius
’
sleep.  He dreamed that the ground beneath the camp was crumbling and falling into a great fiery abyss.  The dream roused him enough that he rolled onto his side before going back to sleep.  Then he dreamed that Mount Avondale was on fire.  Thick black smoke rose up into the sky, and gray ash drifted down through the mists like snow.  The mountain shook and rumbled like thunder.  There were shouts and screams, but the voices sounded angry not frightened.  Tiberius wanted the people of Avondale to flee, to leave the city and join him in the blighted lands where they could be safe, but the citizens ignored him.  They were oblivious to the danger too.

Tiberius moaned in his sleep and tried to call out to them, but his voice was muffled somehow.  Then he felt the ground shaking all around him, but it wasn
’
t the ground.

“
Wake up, Tiberius!
”
Lexi shouted at him.

She had hold of his shoulders and was shaking him to rouse him from sleep.

“
Tiberius?  Wake up,
”
she said.

His eyes opened but he had to squint in the light from the bright amber sky.  He wasn
’
t sure what was happening, but his heart pounded away in his chest from fear.  Something bad was going on, he was certain of it.

“
Tiberius,
”
Lexi said again. 
“
Are you okay?
”

“
What
’
s wrong?
”
Tiberius asked.

“
There
’
s trouble,
”
Lexi explained. 
“
Te
’
sumee needs you.
”

“
The captives?
”
Tiberius said. 
“
Did they escape?
”

“
No, but some of the raiders who did escape are back.  They are calling for the Swanee.  That
’
s you.  Can you get up?
”

“
Yeah,
”
he said. 
“
Sure.  Just give me a hand.
”

Lexi pulled and Tiberius rose to his feet.  He felt shaky, and sick.  He knew he needed more rest, but there was nothing he could do about that now.  He looked over and saw Rafe, sleeping easy.  Olyva was standing beside him, her arms outstretched, but she was watching Tiberius.

“
Is everyone okay?
”
he asked.

“
Yes, but you need to come with me,
”
Lexi said.

Tiberius walked with her, moving his legs as fast as he could manage.  His limbs all felt heavy.  His stomach twisted and churned.  His head ached and his mouth tasted foul.

“
I
’
m not really presentable am I?
”
he said.

“
You could use some more sleep and a good scrubbing, but we don
’
t have time for that now.
”

“
How are you?
”
Tiberius asked. 
“
You didn
’
t sleep much last night either.
”

“
No, but I
’
ll be okay.  I got in a couple of hours of rest while you were healing people.  I
’
ve just been helping out where I could today.
”

“
Are the horses alright?
”

“
They
’
re fine.
”