Dragon Kin 2

24

Carmen

Brightness! I whimpered inside my head. The head-ache continued to claim most of my excess thinking. Pain. Suffering. These were loud, rude things.

Two days after we hauled Vlad out of the swamp, he continued to sleep. Even asleep his own loud, rude things knotted his brow and ran his fever. He shielded me from whatever repercussive blow had hit us, and that vexed me. It was only this morning, before all of the others left, that relief was found. Found not from my training and knowledge, but from my magic.

My magic.

It came this morning after everyone had left and it vexed me too, but in far different ways. It began as slivers of sparkles around my finger tips. Barely there. Nearly a trick of light. But when I noticed and focused, it sprang into being a small blue flame. I felt no heat. I marveled at its delicacy. It flickered timid and curious, as if I were the one to be explored and wondered at. Softly, I poked at it and it flirted away and returned.

I supposed I wasn't freaking out because I had seen it before. It was just like Vlad's only much smaller. I frowned at this and it grew to the size of my palm. Which for reasons unknown set me giggling, and I began to play with it. Setting it down, for example and then picking it back up. Setting it on my shoulder like a small bird. I asked it questions, and it changed colors to orange and purple and periwinkle. Which I had no idea what to think of. It felt completely out of context.

By afternoon I exhausted my creative energy in cracking the secrets of the universe from this little flicker beast, and made lunch.

Vlad had said something about the mana being able to do things dependent on its source. Well if the source was me, then it should be able to heal, yes? Or was I being driven by ego in that analysis? I mean, why would it know how to heal? Magic? But that's not what they called it. First he called it an energy. Then he called it mana.

I lifted the little flame to my forehead, and began imagining it as a soothing balm for my head-ache. Inside I imagined my head; skull, brain, scalp, face, neck, my whole head. The image came, but it wasn't focused. When I began focusing, whatever my efforts were doing, made the image clearer, and my pain recede.

But was I healing, or was the pain simply receding?

I didn't know, and could not think of a way to test this on myself without injuring myself. I was grateful the head-ache went away though.

Success, no mater how questionable by some standards, still felt fun to me. I enjoyed puzzling things out, and I enjoyed healing others. And if only the pain went away, and the injury remained, then the pain would return, right? Maybe.

The blatant fact remained, I had magic.

I sat back and watched his face relax, and then closed my own eyes...

"Airmed," Extos said. "I did not feel it would be Bridgid," which was so much ass-hat bullshit. Not only was he sure, he probably prayed for it to be her. But since Extos didn't know I could tell when he lied, I kept my mouth pressed with this claim as well. He did appear honestly joyful to see me. Elation was not usual in the Unis Draco Universidad. Extos' elation curled near his nostrils and around his eye fur.

"You remain on guard, yes?" He asked me.

"It 's out there, yes. I can almost catch it with my eyes, but it doesn't escape my ears. I'm surprised Vlad survived. You should be worried old wrym. You can find plenty to worry about scattered around outside."

"Do you know this enemy? If it be enemy then speak and be plain. I ask."

At least he's still asking.