“I don’t know,” I admit, watching as the glow intensifies around Zara’s wound. “It’s been happening since the convoy attack. When the lightning struck near me, something… changed.”
To my surprise, he doesn’t look shocked or disgusted. Instead, his expression shifts to one of intense curiosity.
“Don’t fight it,” he says quietly. “Let it flow.”
Against my better judgment, I do as he suggests. I stop trying to suppress the glow and instead allow it to build naturally. The light spreads from my hands into Zara’s wound, illuminating her veins with a soft blue radiance. Where it touches, ravaged tissue begins to pink, dead cells regenerating at an impossible rate.
My medical scanner beeps rapidly, struggling to process the readings. “This is impossible,” I whisper, watching tissue knit together under my glowing fingertips.
“Not impossible,” Kael counters. “Just forgotten.”
The healing accelerates as I surrender to the strange power flowing through me. Medical equipment around us begins to behave erratically—monitors flickering, diagnostic tools giving contradictory readings. The air hums with energy that seems to pulse between my hands and Zara’s body.
I’ve never experienced anything like this. It defies everything I know about medicine, about biology, about the limits of human capability. Yet it feels right, as if I’m finally using muscles that have lain dormant my entire life.
Zara’s breathing steadies. Her color improves visibly. The wound, which should have taken weeks to heal, closes before my eyes, leaving only a pale silver line where torn flesh had been minutes before.
When the glow finally fades from my hands, I’m shaking with exhaustion but exhilarated. I’ve just done something that should be scientifically impossible.
“What just happened?” I ask, looking up at Kael.
His golden eyes study me with new intensity. “You’re storm-touched.”
“I’m what?”
“Your genetic heritage. You carry the old bloodlines.” He looks down at his sister, whose breathing has become deep and regular. “I suspected when I first saw you, but I couldn’t be certain.”
I think of the genetic markers I discovered in my own DNA, the similarities to Storm Eagle patterns that I’d dismissed as coincidence or contamination. “That’s impossible. I’m a scientist, a doctor. Not… whatever this is.”
“You can be both,” he says simply.
Zara stirs on the table, her eyelids fluttering. When they open, I find myself looking into eyes the same golden shade as her brother’s. She glances between us, confusion evident in her expression.
“Kael?” Her voice is weak but clear. “Where are we?”
“Safe,” he tells her, taking her hand. “You’re going to be fine.”
Her gaze shifts to me, sharpening with recognition despite never having seen me before. “You’re her,” she whispers. “The one he?—”
“Rest,” Kael interrupts. “We’ll talk when you’re stronger.”
Something passes between the siblings—an unspoken communication that reminds me of their avian nature. Zara nods slightly and closes her eyes again, though I sense she’s still awake, listening.
I step back from the table, suddenly aware of how vulnerable I’ve made myself. I’ve just revealed abilities I barely understand to the enemy, healed someone who will likely return to attacking our settlements. What’s worse, I’ve done it willingly, even eagerly.
“What happens now?” I ask, keeping my voice steady despite my racing thoughts.
Kael straightens to his full height, and I’m reminded again of his predatory nature. He could kill me in an instant if he chose to—snap my neck, stop my heart with a bolt of lightning. Instead, he steps back, giving me space.
“Now I owe you a life debt,” he says formally. “In Storm Eagle tradition, saving the life of clan family creates a bond that cannot be broken.”
I hadn’t expected this response. “I don’t want a debt. I’m a doctor. I heal because that’s what I do.”
“Nevertheless, the debt exists.” His gaze is steady, intense. “And there’s more. You’ve awakened something in yourself tonight that can’t be put back to sleep. The storm-touch in your blood has been activated.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you’re in danger from both sides now,” he answers grimly. “Your people would fear these abilities if they knew. Mine would see you as a threat—or worse, a resource to be exploited.”
