Keepers of the Flame (22 page)

“Don’t
worry, old man, when I’m finished with you, you’ll be better than you have been
in years.”

Mathias
cackled and his tense body relaxed into the bed. He closed his eyes.

The
medicas muttered, a sarcastic buzz of noise.

Zeres
ignored it. He went to the top of the massage table, took Mathias’s head in his
hands, the same way Bri would have if she were about to start a neck massage.

And
then he Sang, and it was beautiful, a low bass with throbbing notes. No one in
the room moved. Elizabeth took Bri’s hand and she saw colors flow over Mathias.
His skin looked finer pored, healthier, his lips ruddier.

“Fini!”
Zeres near shouted, then crumpled and lay on the floor, twitching.

Mathias
sat up, stared down at the fallen medica, then slid off the table, moving
easily.

The
other medicas stared at spry Mathias, limp Zeres.

Bri
frowned. “He knows how to link with the healingstream, but can only control it
with his Song, can’t determine the strength and depths of it or break the link
without fainting.”

Sevair
lifted Zeres, carried him to a large, plush chair in the corner of the room.

“Nice
muscles, excellent strength,” Elizabeth murmured, then switched her gaze to the
medicas, who appeared stunned and unhappy.

Mathias
walked over to the chair and perched on the arm. “This is interesting, the most
fascinating thing that’s happened to me lately. I’m staying.” He sent a shrewd
glance to Sevair, gestured with his chin to another corner chair.

Sevair
said, “I’m staying, too, but I prefer to stand.” He joined the twins.

The
boy’s mother said, “He isn’t eating.” She was anxiously stroking his head. “His
tongue is coated white.” She opened his mouth to show them.

Bri
met Elizabeth’s eyes, “Looks like we’re up.”

“Yes.”
She studied the child, bit her lip, then squared her shoulders. “I learned a
lot yesterday.”

“And
I know a lot. We’ll be fine, twin, we always are when we’re together.”

Elizabeth
smiled and it lit her eyes. “Yes.” She donned a physician’s manner and crossed
to the bed where the boy’s haggard mother was now twisting her hands.

Bri
took the opposite side. “I can see his aura and chakras clearly,” Elizabeth
said, putting her hands on the boy.

Bri
smiled. “I hear the tones better, and see the chakras dimly.” Their spread
fingers touched.

“Ah,”
Elizabeth said with a tiny, satisfied curve of her lips. “I hear the tones, the
‘chimes’ now.”

“Let’s
see what you learned yesterday,” Bri said. That would have caused
her
to
stiffen up, but Elizabeth was a med school graduate, used to being scrutinized.
Their energy connected, strong and clear. Elizabeth glanced up. “Both of us are
flaming green with healing energy.”

“Ayes,”
Bri said.

“First
Chime,” Elizabeth murmured.

“C,”
Bri said.

“Red,”
Elizabeth said.

“Root
chakra,” Bri replied. Elizabeth’s questing Power moved up the boy’s torso.

“Ah,
there it is. Muddiness in the yellow third chime.”

“Solar
Plexus chakra, musical note of E,” Bri said.

Elizabeth
began clearing out the gray smudges of sickness.

“Wait,
what are you doing?” Bri asked.

Not
glancing up, Elizabeth said, “My job. Healing him.”

“Without
looking him over? Since when don’t you examine the whole patient first before
you start healing?”

Elizabeth’s
flow of energy jerked unsteadily. She gazed at Bri with shocked eyes. Bri
smoothed out their shared Power.
Let’s use our gifts,
Bri sent Elizabeth
mentally. Slowly she moved through the boy’s body, examining him. There were
other minute smudges of black and gray tendrils. Elizabeth saw them, too.

On
up to the crown of his head, where a very fine cobweb of gray delicately
shadowed his brain.
Oh, my God!
Elizabeth said.

Zeres
was right. They are treating one part of the body first, without looking at the
whole.

Elizabeth
helped Bri with the complex destruction of the web, pulling at a thread,
shriveling it with the healingstream. This house, too, had plenty of Power.
Crystals rimmed the walls at the ceiling. Bri used a strong, laser-like
current.

An
intense half-hour later, they were done. Bri gnawed her lip.
Twin? I haven’t
been methodical, I just let the healingstream flood me. Do you think we should
do a follow-up with everyone we healed that first night and the girl yesterday?

Frowning,
Elizabeth considered, when her voice came in Bri’s head it was cool and logical
and reminded her of her parents.
The crucial word is “flooded.”
She
gestured to the patients around them.
I think that’s what Zeres did to
Mathias, too.
They both turned and stared at the man. Bri listened to his
chakra Songs and his overall “health” Song. She heard nothing wrong, just the
slowing of old age.

His
aura is clear,
Elizabeth said.
I think “flooding” is an excellent cure, but not, ah, energy
efficient.

I
agree,
Bri said.

Mathias
stood and turned with a wicked smile, as if to let them see everything.

They
laughed together, then moved to the teenager, who had closed his eyes, a sheen
of suffering on his face. His mother hadn’t said a word, but clutched his hand
in a white-knuckled grip as if she could tie him to life.

Again
Bri and Elizabeth spread their hands on the youth, found the gray web in the
brain, poisoning the rest of the body, and another knot in the gonads. Bri
opened herself to the healingstream. Midway through the procedure, she noticed
Elizabeth faltering.

You’re
using too much of your personal energy, draining Power from the crystals. You
need to tap into the healingstream.
Elizabeth didn’t answer, so Bri
shrugged and hooked her into the Power flow.

Then
they were done, the teen rising from the table and stretching and grinning.
Before Bri knew it, she was being squeezed and kissed soundly by him, then was
released so he could do the same to Elizabeth. He shot them a wicked grin and
flourished a bow.
“Merci!”
He held out an arm for his mother and she
hurried to take it, sending a watery smile to Bri and her twin and curtseying.

Then
they were gone.

“A
very interesting exhibition,” Mathias said. He, too, bowed to Bri and
Elizabeth, patted a snoring Zeres on the shoulder, and tilted his head in
consideration at the group of medicas. “Not my place to get into the thick of
this. Good day to you all. Keep me informed, Sevair.”

“Yes,
sir.”

Zeres
snorted and woke up, wiped a little drool from his mouth and rubbed his belly.
“I need food!”

Bri
patted his shoulder like Mathias had done. “We had a big, tasty breakfast.
There’s probably leftovers.”

He
heaved himself from the chair and strode to the door with an even look at the
medicas. “You’re going to have to listen to me, you know.” He pointed to Bri.
“That one’s my student.” He rolled his shoulders. “Do what you will.” He left.

The
medicas had bunched together in disapproval. “We will have to think about
this,” said the leader. He nodded and left, the rest either bowed or curtsied,
but followed.

Bri
and Elizabeth and Sevair stood in silence. His brows were down in deep thought.
Bri didn’t care about the internal politics of Castleton. She rubbed her hands.
“We’ve done good work this morning. Want to try out that bath?”

“Yes,
before I go back up to the Castle,” Elizabeth said. Apparently she didn’t want
to get involved in politics in this strange land, either. “Perhaps you can
bring me some bread and cheese? I’m hungry, too.”

Bri
chuckled. “I could eat a bit of cheese. Done.”

An
hour later Elizabeth had had a complete tour of the house and had congratulated
Bri on her new home while stroking the smoothly polished newel post of the
stairs in the entryway. Mud arrived and flew her to the Castle to inform the
medicas there of the morning’s events. Bri and Elizabeth had decided to see
patients at the house every afternoon, starting tomorrow.

Zeres
and Sevair remained, lingering in the dining room, discussing the frinkweed.
Bri came in from the back door, and went to the home surgery to cleanse it. The
medicas had done some Song ritual that re-energized the Power crystals, and
Zeres had also added a cleaning sweep, but Bri wanted to make sure it was
purified the way she liked. She cleaned it physically and Sang under her
breath, a little spell that she’d cobbled together. It went well and the room
smelled right to her when she exited and found the men in the hallway.

With
a raising of his chin and squaring of his shoulders, Sevair became all
Citymaster. “I would like to speak to you about your actions last night,
Zeres,” Sevair said in a low voice that raised the hair on the back of Bri’s
neck.

The
older man turned slowly, as if recognizing danger. Zeres made a half bow.
“Citymaster Masif.” He cleared his drink-roughened voice. “My apologies.” With
a sweeping gesture at the elegant surroundings, he said, “I didn’t think I
would have any chance of speaking with the Exotique Medica.” Drawing himself up
to a semi-impressive figure, he continued. “It was vital that I talk to her. My
theories might be unusual, but they are
right
,” he added with an
ill-disguised gloat. Then he smiled and was as handsome as any other Lladranan
man, likely a lady-killer in his youth. Attractive and arrogant like many
doctors, he reminded Bri a little bit of Elizabeth’s ex-fiancé, Cassidy Jones.
Bri slid a glance toward Elizabeth and saw her frown.

“I
couldn’t anticipate that Bri would be so open to my ideas, could I?” Zeres
said.

Sevair
crossed his arms.

“Ah.”
Zeres’s smile faded and a line in his forehead deepened. “I did what I believed
necessary for the good of our city and our country, to fight the Dark.” His
hands fisted. “You, as a Citymaster, must know of difficult choices.”

“I
do,” Sevair replied coolly. “So I will convince my colleagues to delay your
punishment until after the crisis of this sickness has past.” He stared at
Zeres and got a sober nod in return, then Sevair switched his attention to Bri
and something in his expression warned her a zinger was coming. “You will be
allowed to train—excuse me,
exchange ideas
—with Bri, and will have to
work with the city medicas.”

Zeres
coughed, but Sevair just showed his teeth. “For the good of our city and
country and to fight the Dark we must all work together. So, we accept that you
will be Bri’s mentor.” Sevair’s non-smile widened. “And Bri will be responsible
for you and your behavior. I expect you to stay here in Exotique Medicas’
home.” He nodded. “Good day to you.” He walked to the door, then, hand on knob,
turned back to look at them and this time he cracked a real smile. “The
responsibilities for each other should be good for you both. I’ll see you
later.”

Check
up on them.

Sevair
opened the door. “And if you cannot manage to stay in the Exotique Medicas’
house, at least stay together, and carry that crystal ball.” He left.

Zeres
stared at the door, then he sighed and smiled, winked at Bri. “Guess I’ll go
get my few belongings.” He stared up at the second floor.

“There’s
a bedroom in the back you can have,” Bri smiled back. “It’s purple.”

B
ri read some of
Alexa’s Lorebook at the desk until even that woman’s interesting adventures
couldn’t keep her head from nodding and the words from blurring. So she
stumbled a couple of steps to the bed and fell down on it.

Awoke
suddenly an hour later, filmed with cold sweat and trembling from dreams of
horrible monsters attacking her parents, dreeths that shot fire at their plane.
Bri watched helplessly, from the center of a glowing pentacle, surrounded by
chanting figures.

The
worry she’d been suppressing surged into a tsunami of panic. She didn’t know
that she could move. The room seemed to whirl around her, then close in on her.
She wasn’t home, wasn’t on Earth, wasn’t near her parents.

She
sensed her twin, shouted down their link.

Elizabeth,
our folks!

18

E
lizabeth’s face
appeared before Bri’s inner eye.
Easy, twin
.

Bad
dream
.
Bri sat up and rubbed her face, grimacing at the dampness of it—sweat, tears.
She couldn’t speak of it yet, put fears into words.
I’d like to take another
look at the Temple where we were Summoned,
Bri said.

Elizabeth
sniffed.
I went there yesterday evening. When YOU were partying.

Getting
to know people
,
Bri protested.