It was hard to concentrate on the many conversations that flew thick and fast at the table during supper. As Kate enjoyed the (admittedly delicious) food and smiled politely at the Peltins around her, she clutched her new necklace in her pocket in white-knuckled grip.

  In her mind's eye she again saw the information that had been displayed about the pretty but simple little bauble.

  Healer's Boon – Uncommon

  Support class only, any level

  Grants +8 to Willpower

  (does not stack with other items)

  Wearing the necklace would bring her Willpower stat up to twenty-three. Nowhere near what a level fifteen might boast, maybe, but still a significant jump. She'd tried it on before supper to see if it changed her MP as well, and it did, though that was less important for what she had planned.

  HP: 112/112

  MP: 45/45 (61/61)

  So long as she wore the necklace she had sixty-one MP and twenty-three Willpower. And as Io had explained in one of its lengthy lectures, it was the Willpower that gave her spells strength. It was probably still not enough to do what she needed, but she couldn't bear not to try. She hadn't given Granny Yala any details, but she had requested that she have a quiet word with Hal's parents after supper about doing what she could for him.

  Do not be rude, Kate, Io admonished from where it was floating near her pocket. This one knows you have tenuous hopes, but you are a guest here.

  Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Kate forced herself to release the necklace and accepted a plate of the fried lesla fruit with a smile. She realized all the children were staring at her and her smile widened. “Would you like to see Io do tricks?”

  As the children yelled excitedly, Io grumpily bobbed up into sight. This one is not a trained pet. This one is a venerated Guardian.

  “And a guest,” Kate said sweetly. “Amuse the children, Io, it won't kill you.”

  Io sighed loudly, but began flashing about the table, looping, spinning, blinking, and flaring brightly. The children all watched with wide-open eyes and mouths, ooo-ing and ahh-ing. Even the adults clapped appreciatively.

  The man on Kate's left leaned in a little to be heard over the noise. “I'm Yasu, Hal's father; I don't think we've been properly introduced. Gren says it's important to get you to the nearest town. That would be Ganstown, it's about a two day journey from here. So far as we know it's not one Heroes start out in, but from there you can figure out how to get to a bigger town. My brother and I can take you in the morning.”

  Kate was surprised. “I thought Gren was just going to get me to the road.”

  Yasu shook his head. “We all agreed it's too dangerous. We can't just send a new Hero marching down the road without a party. You'd be set on by bandits or creatures by lunchtime. It's fine, we've been meaning to stop by town for some trade. We'll just go a little earlier than planned.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Once you reach Ganstown, the rest is mostly up to you, I'm afraid, though of course we'll put in a good word for you. Your best bet is to find someone to take you to Yelkston. That is definitely one of the starting towns for new Heroes. If you're lucky, there will still be some hanging about. If not, you'll at least be able to have someone point you in the right direction.”

  Kate nodded uneasily. Having an escort to Ganstown was a relief, but having to find a way to Yelkston on her own was a scary thought. And then what if she showed up and all the Heroes had moved on somewhere else? Yelkston was probably a starter town because it had low-level creatures in the vicinity, and parties were going to quickly level up and move on to find tougher challenges. How long would she have to chase them? And how was she going to keep from falling behind in leveling in the meantime?

  Io had finished its wild dance to uproarious applause, and it sank down onto her shoulder weightlessly, its mental voice tired. That is enough entertainment for the night, this one thinks. Actually, this one may have to leave you briefly. This one owes a report to its superiors.

  She craned her head to look at it in surprise. “Superiors? You mean the gods?”

  Yes. They will likely have... many questions.

  “About you bending the rules? Sorry.”

  No matter. It was necessary. This one is sure they will understand. But despite the lofty tone, Kate could swear Io shuddered slightly in trepidation. Please do not attempt anything foolhardy until this one returns.

  “No promises.”

  Io sighed, then blinked out of existence. Kate blinked a few times, but it did not reappear. Feeling oddly lonely with the strange little Guardian's absence, Kate turned her attention instead back the conversation around her.

  It was easier than she'd feared to forget her troubles for a little while. The Peltins were gracious hosts, the food was so much better than Gren had offered at his cabin, and there were even stories and jokes, though some of the punchlines flew over her head because they required Giltar lore she wasn't privy to. As dusk fell, small fires were lit in the dirt around the table for warmth and light.

  They ate and talked and laughed until well past sunset, until the children were practically nodding off to sleep in their dessert bowls. As parents went around collecting children to cart off to bed, Kate caught Yala's eye. The old woman beckoned from the head of the table, and Kate hastily squeezed her way off the bench and trotted over. Or shuffled, more like. Her stomach felt full to bursting.

  Yala also waved over Yasu, and then Marla once she returned from putting her youngest to bed. The others, sensing Yala wished for privacy, began clearing the table noisily, and did not come too close.

  Yala's voice was soft when she spoke, and Kate had to lean in with Hal's parents to hear her.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  “What we are going to discuss does not go outside the four of us, is that understood?”

  Yasu and Marla nodded, puzzled.

  “Furthermore, unless Kate says otherwise, what she has in mind to do is also to be kept to ourselves as long as possible. Agreed?”

  “What's all this about, Granny?” Marla demanded.

  “First, I want it understood that there is no guarantee that Kate can do what she hopes to do to help us. But I think it is worth letting her try.” She nodded at Kate. “She wishes to try and help Hal. That is, in fact, why Gren was so quick to bring her here.”

  “Help Hal?” Yasu's face screwed up, but Marla comprehended quicker.

  She drew in a sharp breath, her voice a near-silent hiss of surprise. “Kate is a healer?”

  “Yes. But remember, she is only a fledgling one. Which is why this may not work. She already tried earlier when she first met Hal, but she would like to try something else. Do the two of you agree to this, even if it does not work?”

  “Of course!” Yasu blurted, then winced when his wife pinched his ear sharply to remind him to keep his voice down.

  “Very well. Kate, what do you require of us?”

  Kate swallowed hard. Sorry, Io. Time to try something foolhardy. “I know this sounds nuts, but I need you to bring Hal out past the wards. Near the trees. It's, uh, a condition of my spell. I can't be inside the wards.” The lie made her stomach feel sour, but she couldn't exactly tell them what she was going to do. Even if they found out afterwards, they'd likely be less upset if it actually worked.

  Let's not think about how they'll act if it doesn't work.

  “All right...” Yasu exchanged a quick glance with his wife. “I can bundle him up and smuggle him out there. Though I think we should bring Gren to help stand guard while Kate attempts... whatever it is she's going to do.”

  At Kate's nod, Yala allowed, “Gren already knows she's a healer, so that is acceptable. Once everyone has gone inside for bed, fetch Hal and take him with Kate. She will do what she can. If it doesn't work, she has already promised to come back when she's stronger to try again.”

  “I'll take any chance,” Marla said quickly. She reached out and clasped Kate's hand. “Thank you for being willing to try. And for trusting us with this. I know it's not safe being the class that you are, all alone. Your secret stays inside these wards. You have my word.”

  “And mine,” said Yasu.

  “Good.” Yala leaned back in her chair, blinking tiredly. “I cannot go past the wards with you. If something attacks, I will only get in your way. I will doze here by the fires. Wake me when it is done, no matter the outcome.”

  ~*~

  The next hour was nerve-wracking for Kate. She helped clear the table and wrap the leftovers, then seated herself back at the table with Yasu and Marla as the rest of the clan slowly drifted to their cabins. But finally the last of them were inside.

  “I'll be right back,” Yasu murmured, and went to fetch Hal.

  Kate flicked a glance towards Yala, but the old woman was comfortably settled in a rocking chair close to one of the fires, snoring quietly. Under the table, Marla reached out and squeezed her hand once, hard.

  A few minutes later Yasu returned, his eldest bundled in his arms in a quilt. Gren followed, looking grave and stringing his bow. “He woke up for a moment, but he's asleep again,” Yasu murmured. “Let's go.”

  Marla reached under the bench and retrieved the pair of wooden clubs she'd stashed there earlier, and together they made their way in silence towards the treeline.

  Kate shivered as she walked through the wards. This probably wouldn't work, she forced herself to admit. But at least she'd be able to leave these good people with a clear conscience knowing she'd done everything she could.

  Kate didn't aim for the tree she'd pointed out to Io earlier; it felt somehow wrong to harm such an ancient tree on a fool's mission. She picked out a different one and pointed. “Put him by that tree.”

  As soon as Yasu had lowered his son gently to the ground, Kate took a deep breath and faced them. “I, um, will have to concentrate for this. It may take a little while. And I've never done this before, so I'd feel better if you gave me some space and didn't make me nervous by watching.”

  Marla frowned slightly, but Yasu just nodded. “We have to move out a bit so we can see any creatures coming anyway.” He took one of the clubs from his wife and gave his son one last lingering look that hurt Kate's heart.

  “Come on,” Gren said gruffly. As they moved into the woods, he flicked Kate an unreadable look.

  Kate fidgeted for a few minutes, listening to them move further away until she was sure they couldn't see her anymore. Marla had left her a torch, and she stuck the bottom of it in the dirt nearby so she could see. Sitting beside the slumbering child, she took the necklace from her pocket and slipped it over her neck.

  “Here goes nothing,” she muttered. She placed one hand on the tree and the other on Hal's shoulder. “Leech.”

  The lifesource immediately began flowing from the tree, through her, and into the small body under her fingers. Immediately she could feel the difference. The energy going through her felt a little stronger. It felt like with each second she pulled a bit more than she had with the other tree and with the fruit.

  But Hal didn't twitch, and it clearly hadn't done anything, because the lifesource kept flowing. She gritted her teeth, thinking of the desperate hope in the eyes of Hal's parents, of Marla's hand clasping hers under the table.

  “Come on,” she muttered from behind clenched teeth. “Heal him. He's just a kid. Come on.”

  Something tugged painfully inside of her, somewhere along the path the lifesource was taking through her body, and made her gasp quietly. It was almost enough to make her lift her hand from the tree, but she didn't.

  She sat grimly with her hands in place, staring at Hal's sleeping face, and still the lifesource flowed. The pain pinched her again, but she bared her teeth and ignore it.

  Abruptly Io flared to life right by her ear, making her jerk her head to the side in surprise. KATE! STOP!

  But stubbornness had already clawed its way up her throat and smothered her fear. “No.”

  Kate, this is serious. Some of the gods are not happy about--

  Another bolt of pain hit her, more intensely this time, and she hunched over with a grunt.

  Kate? Io began spinning around her wildly. Kate, you have to stop. You cannot handle this much lifesource. The gods said--

  “Shut up, Io. Let me do this.”

  Kate, this will kill you!

  That, at last, made her lift her head to stare at it. “What? What are you talking about?”

  That pain you're feeling is the spell pulling the life from you. The lifesource from the tree is not powerful enough, and neither are you. So the spell is trying to compensate. Remember how this one said you could pull all the life from a person to save another? This includes yourself. With no other sources around, a Necrotic Healer can use their own lifesource. That is what you're doing now. The tree isn't the only thing you're pouring into this boy. You must stop.

  Suddenly Hal's eyes snapped open. His mouth stretched wide and he let out a yell that echoed out into the night.

  Immediately there was the sound of several bodies crashing through the woods. Startled, Kate fell over backwards, losing her grip on the tree. The flow of lifesource stopped, and it wasn't until she was lying on her back staring dazedly up into the branches that she realized just how much her whole body ached. Even her heartbeat seemed sluggish in her ears, and for a moment she saw spots.

  “Hal! Hal! What's wrong?” Yasu arrived first, eyes wild with panic.

  “What has she done? My boy, my boy,” came Marla's cry.

  Kate struggled to sit up, feeling weak as a kitten, but her vision swam. She felt herself falling over again, then everything went dark.