The Shifter Part 11

"Excellent." The Elder tapped his fingers against my back, nudging me in a direction I really didn't want to go. "The Romanels will be so pleased."

"But Elder Mancov, she's needed here."

The Elder narrowed his eyes at the Heal Master. "Surely you don't think these broken bones and cuts take precedence over serious injury?"

"No, sir. We're just so shorthanded, you know." Again the false grin. "If you could send her back this time-quickly, when she's done?"

"Of course."

We walked between beds filled with hurt, past closed rooms holding anguish, up the stairs toward agony. Footsteps tapping away the seconds I had left before I couldn't run, couldn't escape anymore, and maybe even ended up like Tali.

We stopped at a door. From this side no one would ever guess what waited behind it.

I tensed, ready to bolt up the stairs.

The Elder opened the door and pushed it inward. Three people. A man, standing to the side, and two women, lying on beds shoved next to each other.

"You said one heal." I winced. My mouth never knew when to stay closed.

"It is. Sisters. The one on the left was conscious when the brother brought them in. She refused to let go of the other sister, even though we can't help her."

"Is she dead?" She didn't look it. Pale, but not the waxy sheen of the newly dead.

"So close it doesn't matter. Brain was crushed. Nothing we can do."

A gift, if if I was strong enough to take it. I glanced up the stairs. Tali was up there, somewhere, and I needed a way in. What better way than with a personal escort? I looked back at the sisters, clinging to each other even in that half step from death. Her sister could save mine. I was strong enough to take it. I glanced up the stairs. Tali was up there, somewhere, and I needed a way in. What better way than with a personal escort? I looked back at the sisters, clinging to each other even in that half step from death. Her sister could save mine.

I walked in, heart pounding, skin sweating, bones trembling. Be strong for Tali Be strong for Tali. It almost sounded like Mama's voice, but I knew better. Mama would have told me to run. Save the child she could and grieve for the one lost. Grannyma would have said to grab a chair and whack someone over the head-but she'd have said it with a proverb so it wouldn't sound so mean. Papa would have been here himself, and folks would have listened to him. He had very very broad shoulders. I had to be all three at once. broad shoulders. I had to be all three at once.

The brother stepped forward with that same hopeful, desperate expression I'd come to resent over the last few days. "Can you save her? Can you?"

"I can."

The Elder's eyes widened; then he smiled softly, soothingly. A smile for the brother, not for me. I was nothing but walking pynvium to him. "Tatsa here is one of our finest. She'll do her best, but remember, not every injury can be healed."

"Please save her. Please?"

I blocked out his fear, his hope. I had enough of my own.

The Elder watched with waiting eyes as I placed one hand on the head and one on the heart, like any apprentice would do. I cringed a bit, and not just for show. Multiple broken bones, crushed in some places. Several bleeds, now that I knew how to sense them. Severe injuries, even worse than those of the little girl I'd saved mere hours ago.

I didn't need to check the dying sister. From here, I could see the shattered dent in her head, and the grayish-pink ooze seeping out. Amazing she wasn't dead yet. Or maybe just a mercy.

Both Elder and brother leaned forward as if expecting me to speak.

"It's bad, but I think I can heal her."

The brother started weeping; the choppy, gaspy kind where relief and hope are so great they trample over the fear. The Elder tried to hide his grin, but I could see it there at the corners of his thin mouth. They must be paying a fortune for this. They must be paying a fortune for this. He turned to the brother and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He turned to the brother and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

While his back was turned, I slipped a hand under the almost-dead sister's s.h.i.+rt and pressed my fingers tight against her cooling skin where the Elder couldn't see it. The other I kept on the living sister's heart. I had to s.h.i.+ft her pain into the dying sister fast, before he turned around again. A deep breath, a quick prayer, and I drew drew.

Hot pain and blinding agony raced into me. I funneled it through a small corridor I fought to maintain between sisters-a human sluiceway of hurt. Whimpers bubbled up, and I let them out as screams. No children to scare here, and the Elder expected me to scream.

One sister saved. One sister dead. I needed a better outcome for Tali.

Still screaming, I dropped to the ground and curled into a ball. Forced my fingers into claws. Made my legs twitch. Put on a good show, like the Elder expected.

"Saints have mercy!" the brother cried in horror. For that, I was glad I healed his surviving sister.

"Hu...hurts...help...me...," I whimpered, moaned, writhed. How much was too much?

"No, no, this is normal on a heal of this magnitude," the Elder lied, hands on the brother's shoulders. Holding him back? He seemed like the kind of man who would run to my aid. "She'll be fine."

"She doesn't look fine!"

I screamed again for emphasis.

The door opened, and two boys ran in with a stretcher. Neither had gold cords dangling from his shoulders, but both had dark, glossy black hair. As did the Elder. And the guard outside the dorms, I realized with a chill. There were all Baseeri. Where were the Geveg Healers and guards?

The guards lifted me with none of the care a trained Healer would have had, and plopped me on the stretcher. I moaned again and silently urged them to hurry.

"These gentlemen will take her where she can release the injuries into the pynvium."

"Are you sure she'll be okay?"

"Good as new. Ah look, your sister is waking up...." His words faded as the hired thugs bounced me up the stairs. I moaned while they grunted and panted, but hope raced through me. Wherever they were taking me, it was high, close to the top of the League, maybe even near the dome.

Please, Saint Saea, let them take me right to Tali.

"Wonder how much that one paid," the boy at my feet asked.

"I heard a thousand oppas."

For a heartbeat, I forgot to moan. One thousand?! One thousand?!

"We should demand a bonus."

"And lose this job? Not me. I like easy work for high pay."

"Bet we could get a lot more if we threatened to talk."

A dry laugh. "You think anyone cares what happens to these Takers? Nothing but war orphans. Bunch of useless 'Vegs."

I cared. If only I'd kept some of the pain. I would have made these two respect what an orphaned Taker could do, and fast. Maybe I'd even give them Tali's pain, see how much they cared when they were lying on the floor screaming, suffering like the Luminary was making Tali and the others suffer.

We stopped and a third boy spoke. "Another one? Didn't think they had any left."

"Sc.r.a.ping the bottom of the barrel now." The one at my feet laughed. I clenched my fists tighter. No time to teach lessons-Tali could be on the other side of that door.

"Bring her in."

The room smelled of urine and damp face powder. No whiff of Tali's lake violets and ginger. Was she here? She had had to be here. My carriers dumped me on a squeaky cot and walked away, thumping across a hard floor. to be here. My carriers dumped me on a squeaky cot and walked away, thumping across a hard floor.

"Hey, Kione, want to play cards later? There's a spot open."

"Um, sure. I'm through here at sunset."

"See you in a few hours then."

A soft thud and silence. No, not silence. Just a hum so low that it mimicked silence. Moaning, quiet sobs, sniffles.

I opened my eyes. Blond hair stuck out above the blanket in the cot on my right. Tali? I squinted. No, not her. I scanned the other nearby cots for blond hair, but Tali wasn't in any of those either. Where was she? Soft light burned in lamps widely s.p.a.ced along the walls, making it hard to pick out blond hair in the cots. No windows either, and only one door. But it had beds-lots and lots of beds.

Saints be merciful.

Twenty, maybe thirty beds were laid out in neat rows like a wartime triage ward. Only a few were empty. No wonder I'd seen hardly any apprentices downstairs. There couldn't be that many left. How could I find Tali when I couldn't see the faces across the room?

Footsteps echoed to my right, soft but quick. I closed my eyes again. Someone draped a blanket over me and tucked it under my chin. s.n.a.t.c.hing the blanket and tackling this person flashed across my mind, but who knew how many were in the room.

"Easy now," a girl said softly. "I know it hurts, but it'll be over soon. The Luminary will get more pynvium and take all the pain away. He promised." She sounded young, maybe one of the low cords. Gentle fingers stroked my brow. "You hang in there, you hear?"

When the girl's footsteps faded, I opened my eyes again and searched the beds farther away for Tali. Five blond heads had their faces turned away; any of them could be her. Several more on the far side of the room also looked blond, but in the dim light, I couldn't be sure. I couldn't see anything from this stupid cot. If Gentle Fingers would go pee or something, then I could get up and do a real search.

A sharp gasp split the quiet, followed by low moaning. Footsteps tapped across the room.

"There there, go back to sleep. It's easier if you stay asleep."

Hot anger flashed though me. How could the Luminary do this to them? It was worse than anything the Duke had done in the war. The League was supposed to heal folks, not hold them in agony. Some of these people were children! They trusted the Elders, trusted the Luminary to take care of them when no one else did, even if he was was just another Baseeri appointed by the Duke. They didn't deserve this. Tali sure as spit didn't. just another Baseeri appointed by the Duke. They didn't deserve this. Tali sure as spit didn't.

The door opened again. My stomach and fists clenched. Another poor apprentice threatened into service?

"Hey, Lanelle." I recognized the door guard's voice. "Are you allowed breaks?"

She giggled. Didn't any of this mean anything to her? Didn't it make her mad enough to throw bedpans at the Elders?

"I get meal breaks."

"Can you get one now? The sun's come out and there are double rainbows over the docks. Come see."

My breath caught. Yes! Go run off to flirt with your heartless boy. Yes! Go run off to flirt with your heartless boy.

"I can't. They're my responsibility."

"You can take fifteen minutes, can't you? Might do you some good to see something pretty for a while. I know it would help me me."

"I don't know."

"No one will see you. I promise."

"Well, okay, but only for a teeny weeny while. I don't want to leave them alone too long."

The door thudded shut. I leaped from the cot and ran for the nearest blond head. Not Tali. I darted for the next.... Still not her. Three cots up.... Not Tali, but a boy with long hair. Two rows over, a girl I recognized, though I didn't know her name. Where was was she? she?

I ran to the far wall where the shadows were the darkest. A girl's familiar nose caught my eye, but as I dropped to the girl's side, her hair was red, not blond. Hair! I glanced around the room. Not a single head of hair was Baseeri black. No wonder I hadn't seen any Geveg Healers. Even those waiting for healing downstairs had been dark-haired. Of course. The Luminary would would use Geveg lives to save Baseeri ones. He was the Duke's man to his rotted core. use Geveg lives to save Baseeri ones. He was the Duke's man to his rotted core.

Anger heated my cheeks. Tali had to be here. I'd check every bed twice if I had to.

Another blond head in the far corner, top of the row. I knelt, found a face I knew as well as my own.

"Tali!" I cupped her cheek. She trembled, hands clenched and arms pulled close to her chest.

"Nya?" Her eyes fluttered open, and the pain shone right out of them like beams of dark light. Almost as dark as the circles under her eyes and the hollows in her cheeks.

"I'm here. I'll get you out." I moved a hand over her heart.

"No!" she cried. I stopped as she started coughing, wincing with every hack.

"Tali, I'll take half, and we'll sneak out of here."

"You can't.... Too much."

"No, it's not. We can do this together."

"Look...for yourself."

I felt my way in, to the agony, the crushed organs and broken bones she'd healed, the bleeds and the bruises and the horror.

"It's too much." I wanted to check again, but I knew. I'd felt it, same as Tali knew and felt it. I couldn't take half. A quarter, maybe, but it wouldn't be enough to let her sit up, let alone walk out. Even if I tried to take a little, I wouldn't be able to stop the pain from pouring into me, just as it had with the little girl.

I wiped the sweat from her brow, struggled not to hug her tight. She couldn't handle the pressure on her ravaged body.

"Oh, Tali."

"Run, Nya."

"Not without you."

"You...can't help...me."

"Yes, I can. All I need to do is...I have to find..." What? There had to be a way. "Pynvium! I need pynvium."

"None...left."

"Not here, but there has to be more somewhere." Enchanter Zertanik's words slithered back into my ears. Oh, I'm certain you will, my dear. Not a doubt in my mind. Oh, I'm certain you will, my dear. Not a doubt in my mind. Saints, he knew they were doing this. That filthy vulture Saints, he knew they were doing this. That filthy vulture knew! Just a few sc.r.a.ps really knew! Just a few sc.r.a.ps really.... He'd dangled the pynvium carrot right in my face.

Was that why Jeatar had been at the League yesterday morning? Gathering information? Making deals? He was was the one who'd told Zertanik about me. He'd acted like he wanted to help me, but I'd bet that wasn't what he'd whispered in Zertanik's ear. Probably a lot closer to "Her sister is one of them, sir. We could use that to control her, make her do what we want and make so much money." the one who'd told Zertanik about me. He'd acted like he wanted to help me, but I'd bet that wasn't what he'd whispered in Zertanik's ear. Probably a lot closer to "Her sister is one of them, sir. We could use that to control her, make her do what we want and make so much money."

And he'd been right. I was hungry enough to grab that carrot.