But it feels like it is. “I’ll leave. I’ll tell them at the meeting today—if that’s what it takes for you to keep this house, I’ll leave.”
“No one is leaving,” Jack shouts.
We all stop and blink at him. It’s so uncharacteristic for him to raise his voice, the silence that follows is complete.
He palms his neck, flushing. “Sorry. I hate even thinking about it. We’ll find a way, I’m sure of it.”
Ty taps his fingers on the counter. “I’ll have a chat with Aunt Georgia. See what we can do.”
Aiden groans. “I hate all this political crap. It’s like we’re in kindergarten, picking sides and choosing friends.”
“Or at war, making allies,” I mutter.
The news casts a dark cloud over the rest of the afternoon. There has to be something I can do to solidify Aiden’s position in the clan. I don’t want him to be forced out of his home, and I can’t think of a better person to lead the clan than him. He’s selfless and committed, and he knows more about the clan business than just about anyone. If my presence here is really that unpleasant to people, I’ll need to make sure I’m seen as useful, not a danger to the community.
I trek over to the village where I find a small group of people gathered in front of the clinic—my first patients, most of them elderly. Using Nurse MacLeod’s office as my space to perform the healing spell, I cast circle after circle, helping out the sea dragons as best I can. The nurse, who insists I call her Leanne, brews the healing tea without comment, helping me as much as she can. I take the magic from the patients themselves, and it’s interesting to see the differences in their power. Some barely have a flicker of magic, and I’m very careful with those, telling them to come back for another session rather than taking too much at once.
Mrs. Hobb walks out of the clinic exclaiming in wonder over her pain-free fingers, and I have a feeling I’ll have more patients waiting at the door the next time I do this. After helping several patients, however, I feel my power depleting, and the well I dip into every time I sink into the spell is no longer as full as before.
I’m about to call it a day when a young woman steps into the clinic, her blue eyes wide with apprehension. In her arms, she’s cradling…
“Oh gods, is that ababy?” I breathe.
I’ve seen kids around the village, but mothers usually shooed them away from me, especially in the beginning. I get it, I’m the wicked witch, but that doesn’t make it any more pleasant. All of the children I’ve seen were human-shaped, but this one is decidedly not.
“I’m sorry,” the mother says, “am I interrupting?”
“No, come in,” I say and wave her forward. “What’s up?”
She glances fearfully at Nurse MacLeod, who gives her an almost imperceptible nod.
“Ben broke his leg falling from the pear tree,” she says, stroking the scaly little head poking from the blanket he’s wrapped in. The baby dragon lets out a high-pitched squeal. “He wasn’t supposed to be climbing it, but some of the older kids went up in the high branches, and he just followed them.”
The nurse has her put him down on the examination table. “When did this happen?”
The mother bites her lip. “A couple of hours ago.”
“And you didn’t bring him here?” Nurse MacLeod booms. “What were you thinking, Mary?”
Mary bursts out in tears. “I wanted to, I swear, but Dean didn’t want us coming over here because of…of…”
My heart gives a painful squeeze. “Because of me?”
She nods, wiping her tears away. “But he’s in so much pain, I can tell. He won’t shift back to human, and he’s so tiny. What if his leg doesn’t heal up right?”
“You still should have brought him to me,” Nurse MacLeod chides.
“I know,” Mary whispers. “But Dean gets so angry, I didn’t want him to get upset.”
Ah, shit. This is exactly why I should leave Amber Bay—so people like Mary wouldn’t have to live in fear.
I get on my feet, wobbling only slightly. “I’ll let you take care of him,” I say. “Thank you for letting me use your office. Do you have a broom I could use to swipe up the salt?”
“No,” Mary says quickly. “I mean— I thought you could…” She pauses and looks down at Ben. When she lifts her gaze again, there’s a new determination in her eyes. “Could you help him?”
My power is so low, I’m not sure I can do another spell safely. But if this mother came all the way here despite her angry husband, I will make one last effort for her.
“Okay, can you bring him here?”
