I cannot be both.
I don’t want to be both.
A shuddering breath escapes me.
Mend me, Olah.
Please, please, mend me.
Take away this Bloodstone magic.
Hector shifts next to me. “Are you awake, Sol?”
I open my eyes to Hector lying on his side, facing me. “Y-yes.”
“You were asleep for four days,” he says, his voice thick with worry.
“I was?”
He smooths tangled strands of hair from my face. “Yes. I was worried about you. I…” A muscle jerks in his cheek as he continues. “Is this because I asked you to heal Hero?”
“I don’t know.” I run a hand across my eyes and try to think. A Kyanite healer must be renewed after casting such powerful spells. “I think I need to go to the pool of Zalhandara. It will renew me.”
Hector’s brows draw together as he seems to consider my words. “What do you mean?”
“Every time I cast a healing spell it takes from me.”Especially, like the one I used to heal you.I lick my bottom lip and continue. “Without the pool of Zalhandara, I won’t be able to keep using my magic.”
“Where is this pool?”
“It’s at the southern tip of Kyanite land.”
A fierce frown wrenches at Hector’s mouth. “Of course, it is.”
“You don’t believe me?”
“It’s not that I don’t believe you. It’s more than a six-week’s journey from here.” He exhales. “What will happen if I cannot take you there?”
“I might not be able to heal anyone.” I tighten my hands around the bedcovers, clutching them between my fingers. “I need Kyanite herbs too. They will enhance my abilities while requiring less magic.”
“How do you plan to obtain those?”
It’s a fair question.
I bite my lower lip and shake my head.
“Tell me, Sol.”
My knuckles whiten as I clutch the bedcovers tighter and tighter. “I must return to my people. It’s the only way.”
Shadows darken Hector’s eyes as he sinks back against the mattress. “No.”
I didn’t expect him to be happy with my wish to return to Kyanite land. However, I didn’t expect such a quick, blunt response.
“Then I will not be able to help you or your people.”
He pulls me close to him and speaks in a firm voice. “We’ll find another way. I need you to stay here.”
“You’re being selfish,” I say, my tone forthright.
