Falling Skyward

Chapter Thirty: New Eyes in the Dark

Taren collapsed to his knees, clutching his head. His skin was split near his hairline, blood oozing from the wound. Lana sprang from her perch, throwing down the bow as she helped Dawson maneuver Taren onto one of the mats.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he said, his eyes foggy and distant. "I'm just a little dizzy is all."

Dawson paid no attention to Taren's protests, grabbing at the star ether around his neck as he lightly brushed his fingers along Taren's forehead. Soon, beads of sweat began forming along Dawson's lip. Sometimes he murmured strange, living words to himself, but mostly his face remained stoic as his fingers worked.

The bleeding ebbed, then stopped, leaving a glistening pool of clear fluid. Almost imperceptibly, Lana watched as the skin began knitting itself together, puckering then smoothing into a dull, jagged white line. Dawson gasped, falling back on his elbows. He was struggling to regain his breath.

"If only I was more skilled," he said with a small, apologetic laugh. "Thank goodness the wound was only superficial."

"But that—that was incredible, what you just did there. Is that the same thing you did with me?"

"Yes," Dawson said, using a shaky hand to wipe away the sweat on his forehead. "Only this was a much simpler wound."

"I imagine this would not have been so difficult if you hadn't used so much energy earlier."

"That is true. But I had strength enough, so there's no need to fret."

Lana caressed Taren's head, running her fingers along the smooth, new skin. He sighed contentedly, moving his hand unconsciously to hold her own. His breathing had already slipped into the deep, slow breath of sleep.

"You said the healing takes energy from both the healer and the injured, correct?"

"Well, that depends on the skill of the healer. But for someone like me, yes. I haven't managed to find a way to pool enough strength and energy without using some from the other person. A human or animal's life force is much more vibrant and easier to channel than plants or rocks and water."

"Even rocks have a life force?"

"Yes. Most everything possesses a life force."

"Why is it harder to channel?"

"It's different enough from our own that it's hard for me to understand it, to grasp it enough to channel it. As I said, I'm fairly immature when it comes to these practices." Lana could see Dawson's muscles shaking. She carefully unentangled her fingers from Taren's before going to her sleeping mat to grab Dawson a blanket. As she tucked it around his shoulders, she softly said, "I'll take the watch until the sun rises."

He shook his head emphatically. "No, no. You need your rest, too."

"But I've already had it. Besides, I couldn't sleep now, even if I tried." Dawson nodded, adding softly, "Thank you, Lana. You saved us both."

Lana turned away to hide her smile even though the embers were so low now Dawson couldn't make out her features.

"You're welcome," she whispered before grabbing her sword and Dawson's bow.