Healers' Call

The Countdown Begins

Valda blinked and shielded her eyes with her hand. As her eyes adjusted, she could make out an enormous shadow stretched out high above her. It took a few seconds for her brain to catch up with what she was seeing.

Thick branches reached out and bright purple leaves provided her with just enough shade. As the wind rustled through the leaves, the shadows danced in front of her.

The Peepul tree radiated light, almost as if it was pushing the clouds back, forcing them to go around. Instinctively, Valda knew it would always protect the dragons from storms.

Sitting up, she felt a small body pressed against her side, lending her his heat. Pandath was curled up in a ball, his head tucked under his wing like a bird. Not being able to resist, Valda ran her fingers over his ridged back. There were only slight bumps where his spikes would grow, but she was pleased to see his injuries had stayed away. Whatever she'd done to heal him seemed to still be working.

Her hands paused as he raised his head and yawned, showing off his tiny needle pointed teeth.

"Valda? You're awake." He shook himself off, stretching out his back legs. His big eyes looked at her in excitement. "Come on. Let's get some food." With a large jump, he flew into the air, flapping his wings to keep him airborne. He took off before Valda could voice her agreement.

She scrambled to catch up to him, thankful he hadn't gone too far.

Her friends, along with Nandarin and Fydat, and a few other dragons, were gathered around a small fire. A medium-sized bird was roasting on a stick, and Mauve was using her magic to rotate it.

As she got closer, all conversation died, as they turned to look at her. Pandath, oblivious to the sudden quiet, flew to his mother and began rummaging around in the pile of fruit obviously meant for him.

All the eyes looking at her, made Valda feel self-conscious. Some looks were speculating, others awed, and a few even looked fearful. She felt like she'd grown as large as a giant, and wanted nothing more than to shrink back to normal size.

The looks on her friends' faces were even harder to read. She only hoped they weren't as frightened of her power as she was.

Though her body was the same as it always was, the power she'd felt was still there, waiting for her. Something had awoken in her, and it seemed reluctant to go back to its slumber.

Still, she felt as though she had control. It didn't feel as though it would burst out her at any point. It was almost as if it was waiting for some signal from her. The only trouble was, Valda didn't know what signal it was waiting for.

The grass was cool and soft as she lowered herself to the floor. She splayed her hands through the stems, enjoying the feel between her fingers. As if enjoying her touch, the grass brushed against her hand, almost like it was trying to comfort her, to tell her everything was going to be okay.

"How are you feeling?" Mauve was the first to break the silence, her face becoming concerned as she looked over Valda, checking for any signs of distress.

Valda thought over how she felt. "Different, I guess. But in a good way." She was quick to add.

Mauve nodded in understanding. She was the only other one of the four who had a similar grasp of magic and knew how it could change a person. It was impossible for that power not to.

"How long have you known you were a Healer?" Carrick's voice wasn't friendly, and the accusation in his tone made Valda flinch away from him.

Mauve sent him a disapproving look but kept her mouth shut, knowing her brother needed to get the question off his chest. Now that he'd been wrong, he'd be insufferable to live with for the next few days.