The King of Saminu

Chapter 16

Gamm's eyes were wide, holding a shade of blue darkened with worry. I smiled as calmly as I could, reaching to cover the five year old's ears with my hands that were barely large enough to do so. The boy moved closer to me, tucking his head into my chest and clinging onto me. As much as my brother thought otherwise at this age, we were close, and he was starting to recognize that. Our mother's low pitched scream erupted into the house once more, and luckily, Gamm couldn't hear it. I clung on to the boy for my own comfort as well, waiting in Gamm's room for whatever bad news would come.

"Rensker, we need you!" Pappy's voice called from down the hallway, and I let go of Gamm. Never before had I ever heard this much panic in my stoick father's voice.
"It'll be okay," I whispered, lying to both myself and Gamm. I planted a kiss on the little boy's forehead before I scurried off to where my parents were waiting. Mams was covered in a thin layer of sweat, and although I was still young, I knew she wasn't supposed to have that small of a stomach.
"The baby's coming, Rensker, and you're going to have to heal it when it comes out. Come here," Pappy spoke, his voice quivering as he tried to be brave. Mams was breathing heavily, trying not to cry out now that one of her children was present. But still, I could hear her whimper, and there were tears now melding in with the sweat.

Pappy brought me to the side of their bed, preparing me for the birth of my new younger sibling. Yet, I was worried. Gamm had been born after nearly seven months of Mams telling me she was pregnant. But, this baby shouldn't have been ready to come out. It still had a few more months to prepare for its birth.
"Mikill!" My mother screamed, and both of us flinched at the horror in Mams' voice. Tears started to stream down my face, and without thinking, I reached over to grasp Mams' ankle, trying to heal whatever injury was making her cry. But nothing was wrong, and I watched in disbelief as my gifts couldn't stop someone's pain for the first time in my life.

And, suddenly, a being was thrust into my limp arms, and I could feel all of the work that needed to be done. The baby was too weak to cry, barely even moving as I wrapped my hands around the child's too-small wrists and started to work. Its lungs were too small, its heart was missing a good portion, and its liver wasn't developed as well. Luckily for the baby, it was the middle of the night, and I was able to use my gifts. Had it been born even an hour earlier, it would have more than likely died.
"Gaeni, it's another boy," My father whispered as I worked, and I could hear the awe in his voice as he looked at his newest child.
"Is he okay? Is he alive?" Mams cried, trying to sit up to look at her son. Both of my parents' gazes were digging into me, and I nodded, not able to speak.

I could quite literally feel the draining of energy as I overexerted myself into healing the newest member of my family. Wounds were meant to be healed slower, but if I went with less urgency than I was going at now, my brother wouldn't stand a chance. And these wounds were more serious than I had ever seen before. I was used to a common cold, a couple of scrapes and bruises, even. But this... this was organ damage. The baby I held in my arms was relying on me for basic human function, barely even a human being. All I could do was focus on healing this new person. I swayed where I sat on the edge of the bed, black dots creeping into the edge of my vision, my stomach rumbling for calories to keep me going. My hands glowed brighter than they ever had before, and I could feel myself heating up from the amount of energy I was using.

Finally, my younger brother let out a deep gasp of air as his lungs developed to where they were ready, and I could feel his heartbeat begin to strengthen. I loosened my hold on the baby's wrists and picked up the infant in the way I had been taught five years prior. Still, this time was different. When Gamm was born, I hadn't met him until he was cleaned up and ready for visitors. The baby in my hands was still covered in blood and whatever else was inside Mams' stomach with him. He was breathing now, but he was calm, refusing to cry in the way that Gamm had spent nearly his first year doing. It worried me.