Healer

Chapter 44

     He did try and stop her. He ran after her and pulled her by the arm and told her he didn't want to take her back out there. Not yet. The fear she saw hidden in his eyes made her hesitate. They finally agreed to have a conversation with Cassian and Rhysand before making a move.

They sat in the library, tea and food strewn about. Amren had her legs tucked beneath her in a soft chair as she listened to Talia relay what The Mother had told her about healing the great black beasts, like the one that had snatched her and dropped her back to the earth to die. Amren watched Azriel watch his mate, amazed by all the different emotions that passed over his face as she talked. That, she thought, might be the best testament to the healer's power.

Amren had been sketching a plan for Talia to go back to Hybern and end the cursed priestesses rituals there, and then eliminate the hexed soldiers still in waiting. She had stopped when Azriel relayed the message from Rhysand, and Talia explained that she felt she should eliminate that threat first. They expected Cassian and Rhysand to join them soon anyway, they needed to fortify Velaris. Azriel became fidgety as they sat and waited. He knew where he belonged was next to her, his nerves kicked up thinking about sending her back to the front line. He didn't really care about new power, not when he thought about the power they had sucked away to take her before. A detail she had carefully skirted thus far.

"I knocked them down before, with Rhysand." She countered when he couldn't keep from asking. "With the shield. I'm wondering if I go in with that, if they will be unable to stifle my..." She looked down at her hands. "Me."

Azriel was about to argue further when the rest of the conversation was interrupted by Rhysand and Cassian coming in. They still wore their leather armor but they had cleaned their hands. Rhysand greeted them and Cassian winked at Talia. She smiled back. Seeing them settled something in her, a worry that she was wasted locked in this library. But they were there to send her out. To wield her properly. She stood. Azriel followed her, moving to stand at her back, an idle hand on her waist.

"How's it coming?" Rhysand asked.

Talia opened her mouth but Amren beat her to it. "As we expected."

Rhysand nodded but looked back at Talia as if to gage her confidence. She just nodded, mouth set in a hard line. Her level of confidence was pretty low, there was a lot they didn't know, but none of that would stop her. At this point, nothing would. She leaned into Azriel's touch.

"The priestesses. Beasts. Did you get a number?" Az asked, voice serious.

"Talia, when you were last in Hybern, you saw, what? Twelve?"

Talia nodded. "If they were all the same every time, then yes. Twelve."

Rhysand glanced at Cassian. "It's all of them, then. Possibly more." The general had vengeance in his voice. Like he couldn't wait to get back out, to end them. Talia felt it, too.

"I can kill them." Talia said. "But if there are that many, they could be anywhere." She swallowed. "Or everywhere."

Cassian nodded once. "We're pulling everyone back toward the city. If you think you can kill them, then that's best case scenario. Pulling back our troops should draw them here."

Talia was contemplative. It was horrifying, thinking about drawing the enemy to the city on purpose. It seemed smarter to draw them somewhere else, unless they were so sorely outnumbered, or unless....

"If we kill the king, do you think they will withdraw?"

Cassian blinked, careful with his answer. "It's possible. We shouldn't count on it."