Siphon (A Touch of Power Book 1)

by Jay Boyce

  Jade gave him a little ironic curtsey, saying pointedly, “Beginner healer, at your service. I believe I said something earlier about joining the academy and you said there was no way… So I think now is the right time to say I told you so.”

  If looks could kill, she’d be minced meat at this point. Like, unidentifiable mush level of minced meat. Finally, he spat out two more words. “Prove it.”

  She raised a brow. “I’m not injuring myself again just to prove a point to you.”

  Kaylee caught the pertinent word there. “Again?”

  Jade mentally cursed. That had slipped out. Giving up, she shrugged. “I got the ability, wanted to try it, and needed an injury to heal. How do you think I got covered in blood in the first place?”

  Now they were ogling her like she was stupid. Jessica pointed out the obvious, sadly. “Wouldn’t a bruise have been fine? Did you need to cut yourself up?”

  She sighed. Nope, she was never going to live down these rumors. “I hit myself a little harder than I anticipated, okay? But look, no scar!” She held her arm out for inspection.

  “I want to see you do it.” Raphael was like a dog gnawing on this bone of contention.

  “Oh, you want to see it, do you? Stab yourself and I’ll do the voodoo.” So she was maybe feeling a little vindictive at the moment.

  “What’s voodoo?” She vaguely heard Kaylee ask in the background, but her whole attention was on Raphael, who had pulled a wicked looking knife out of seemingly nowhere. She winced as he made a clean cut on his bicep, though she did note he didn’t do it very deeply. Smart. Though she figured if she really had been a fraud, he could go to Mike’s. He wasn’t all that far away.

  “Well?” He was staring at her challengingly, seemingly totally nonchalant that blood was now running down his arm in little rivulets.

  “You’re a crazy person; you know that?”

  “Just heal it.” He muttered gruffly as she walked forward, putting her finger on his arm. Randomly, she noted no new notification popped up, so siphoning him again wasn’t currently an option. In her mind’s eye, she saw the wound pop up. It was a super clean cut, and she was reasonably impressed.

  “Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.” She muttered softly, pushing the warmth of her power into his arm. When she was sure it had closed completely, she let go, contemplating her hand. She was fine with her own blood; it had been drawn enough times. Other people’s blood, she was learning, she wasn’t so good with. Feeling a little woozy, she stumbled back to sit at the table, staring at her hand. “You uh…got something I can put the blood in?”

  “Put the blood in?” His comment came too late, she’d already concentrated on rolling the blood together and had it in a little ball on top of her palm before she looked up at him like a deer caught in the headlights. All three of them were now giving her the ‘she’s a witch!’ look. Like a little kid trying to hide candy, she put her hand behind her back. “Give me that.” Raphael had come forward and with supernal ease pulled her arm back in front of her. Despite the fact that she’d been resisting as hard as she could, she was forced to bring it out or hurt herself trying to stop him...unsuccessfully.

  He was now staring at the little orb of blood rolling on her palm innocently. She was actually getting a little queasy looking at it and the blood on his arm. With a sigh and figuring the cat was already out of the bag, she made a grabby motion at his arm and pulled all the little rivulets of blood into her ball, making it about five times larger. She took the now tangerine-sized ball and grabbed his hand, opening it, and dumped it there.

  “Your blood, your problem. Get it out of my sight before I sick up.”

  She turned away and flopped onto the bench as he let off a low guffaw at her discomfort. He walked away, and she could hear him grabbing a mug or something before he stuck the ball of blood inside it. He walked back over to her, squatting so they were eye to eye as he stared at her.

  “You’re a blood mage too?”

  She sighed and shrugged. “I dunno. I just wanted to clean the blood out of my hair, it moved for me, and then I had blood magic in my skills.”

  He looked like he was trying to read her soul. She glanced away, made uncomfortable by his piercing attention. Finally, he spoke again. “I’ll take you to register for the academy tomorrow. The room is yours.”

  She glanced back at him, surprised. He laughed and shook his head. “You were right. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you. You just…don’t look like the normal academy type. Or the normal traveler, for that matter.”

  She shrugged and sighed. “I’m abnormal, okay? And I’m still growing. Where I came from…” She drew circles on her leg with her fingers. “Things were different. I was different. This is all new to me.”

  Jessica, whose existence she had honestly completely forgotten about during her intense healing/conversation with Raphael, piped in. “You’ll get the hang of things in no time, don’t worry. We’ll help you.”

  Unless I wake up and this was all a dream. She mused sarcastically to herself. She still thought she was going to wake up trapped in a reality that seemed like it was black and white dull compared to the day she’d just had. Though…was her imagination really this good, to be able to create a whole new world with magic and stuff? She didn’t think so.

  Either way, she felt utterly drained. Using her magic had taken more out of her than she anticipated. She picked up her mostly forgotten bread and started to nibble on it again, nodding almost robotically in response to Jessica as she babbled on.

  This seemed to jolt the whole mothering gene of Kaylee as she gasped, “Wait, what have you eaten today? You didn’t have any money, did you?”

  “Uhm…Elisa gave me some soup. And I healed the little girl like you heard, so her mom gave me a bit, so I bought some bread.”

  Kaylee tsked disapprovingly. “You poor thing. Why don’t you go up to your room and rest for a bit, and I’ll bring you some dinner. You must be exhausted.”

  “That’d be nice, thanks.” Raphael was tacitly not saying anything, so she figured he was now an official, albeit unwilling, member of Team Jade, since he’d figured out she was a dual mage. She smiled wanly at the three of them, then got up and wobbled to the stairs, climbing them wearily.

  She unlocked her door after it took what seemed like an age to get the key into the hole. Stumbling in, she left it unlocked behind her as she crashed onto the bed, lying there face down.

  It was time to go through her notifications.

  Chapter Nine – Protein

  Day Two

  Flat on her face, she started scrolling through the notifications, just counting them as she looked at the skills and ignored everything else. She had no idea which person was which, or what their stats might be like. All she could do was make guesses based on the skills shown to her. When she got to the 28th notification, she heaved a sigh of relief that she’d seen them all. It seemed the ones from this morning hadn’t disappeared either.

  There was a knock at the door and Jessica entered quietly, coming in and putting a plate of food on her desk. She walked over and pulled Jade up, which she reluctantly allowed. “Come on; you need to eat.”

  Jade nodded tiredly, still trying to deal with the blue boxes obstructing her vision. She let Jessica lead her to the desk, where she flopped down. Mentally minimizing the boxes when her stomach growled in anticipation, she smiled gratefully at Jessica and then started digging in.

  She cleared the plate less than a minute later, sitting back with satisfaction. Jessica appeared a little startled, but she collected the plate and said quietly, “You should change and get some rest. You’ll feel better in the morning.”

  “Thanks, Jessica. Have a good night.” She saw her out, locking the door behind her. Walking over to her closet, she chose one of the softest tunics and stripped out of everything else before going back to lay on her bed. Picturing her choices in her mind’s eye, she mass clicked. She vaguely saw the content of the blue boxes changing, a small wh
imper escaping as a terrible burning pain streaked through her body and she welcomed the black oblivion once again.

  ***

  When she woke up, her room was dark and still. There was a tiny bit of moonlight coming in through the window, but her body was aching. Her stomach was demanding sustenance, and she realized she’d need to eat a whole lot to support the changes. Grumbling to herself, she felt her way to the door and started her trek to where she’d seen the kitchen earlier. She felt like she could literally eat a pig. She dismissed the notification telling her she’d siphoned a whole bunch of people and then started to feel her way down the stairs. Time to raid the kitchen! Thankfully there would be no one to stop her since it appeared to be the middle of the night.

  ***

  “What on earth?” She heard Raphael’s voice behind her and turned to view him, a giant slice of ham halfway to her mouth. She stared at him guiltily, then slowly put the ham into her mouth and started chewing, all while maintaining eye contact. He had his sword out and looked seriously badass. There were even little fluctuations in the air around the blade, making her think that he was probably doing something with wind. Cool, she’d have to learn that.

  “What are you doing?” He lowered his sword and the air currents disappeared.

  She glanced down at the giant plate of meat in front of her and then back up at him. “Eating?” He fully sheathed his sword, coming over to sit across from her as she shoved another piece of meat in her mouth on the off chance that he was going to take the rest of it away.

  “I can see that. Let me rephrase; why are you attacking a giant platter of meat in the middle of the night like a robber?”

  She looked down at the plate, choosing to take another piece of meat and eat it quickly before she responded. When she swallowed, she announced, “Needed protein.”

  “What’s protein?” She stared blankly at him. Right, dieting and nutrition were probably not a thing here. That only lasted for a moment before she quickly shoved another piece of meat in her mouth, chewing furiously. He sighed, running a hand through the glorious hair like he did when he seemed frustrated. “I’m not going to take it away from you. Now, will you please answer the question?”

  Relieved, she stopped trying to shove food at the fastest speed possible into her mouth. Looking thoughtful, she shrugged and tried to expound, “It’s...a molecule.” He looked even more confused. She sighed and shrugged. “Medicine and nutrition were way more advanced in my world. Short and fast of it is, I need to eat a lot of food to support my changing biology, and meat is a big part of that. Well, that and it’s the first thing I could find. Eggs and veggies would be good too, but the meat is probably more important because it will support the higher cellular reproduction I’m experiencing.”

  He just stared at her, so she started eating again, ignoring him. When she finally paused for a moment because she was thirsty, he asked simply, “Are you done?”

  She reflexively pulled the platter towards her, protecting it. “Mine.”

  He was staring between her and the platter she was protecting like a mother hen. “Can you even fit it in your stomach? You’re going to make yourself sick.”

  “Nuh uh.” She kept eating, fearful that if she got up for water, he’d try to take it away again.

  “Where are you even putting it all…?” He mused softly, and in response, she held out her arm. He looked stumped. “You’re putting it…in your arm?”

  She shrugged. “Close enough.” Shove, shove, shove. The thirst was becoming unbearable though, so she stood up, pointed at her meat and instructed imperiously, “Don’t touch. Mine.” She then proceeded to wander through the kitchen, opening every door and drawer she could find.

  He sighed and stood up. “What are you even looking for?”

  “Drink.” She continued to rummage, cackling happily when she found some apples. She grabbed two and continued her search.

  “Stop, okay! I’ll get you something to drink.”

  “Deal.” She walked back to her meat and sat down, staring at him expectantly as she bit blissfully into an apple. He shook his head, staring at her for a second before walking out to the common room. She called out quickly, “Bring lots!”

  He grunted in acknowledgment and she heard him rummaging around. He came back a minute later with a small cask and two glasses that seemed dwarf sized against his arms. He poured a pretty red liquid from the cask into each cup, and she grinned with glee. “Juice!” Before he could say anything, she grabbed one of the cups and immediately downed it, putting the glass down again after. “Juice!”

  He was staring at her like she was an alien again, but he dutifully filled her cup, so she ignored it. He could stare all he wanted as long as she could eat and drink until she was full. She didn’t drain the whole cup this time, instead taking a small sip and going back to her meat, alternating between it and the apples.

  She ate for a good 15 minutes, draining five more glasses and emptying the platter before she was done. He had sat there across from her, not saying anything, just sipping his juice. She leaned back with a satisfied sigh.

  “You done?” he asked.

  She covered her mouth as she let out a happy little burp. Grinning, she smiled blissfully at him and said, “Yup, time to go sleep it off now. Have a good night! Sleep well and sweet dreams!” She took her platter and cup to the sink, depositing them there and staring for a moment before she muttered, “I’ll clean up in the morning.” She then tripped happily out of the kitchen and back to her room under the sharp gaze of Raphael, who had walked silently behind her to make sure she didn’t fall and hurt herself.

  ***

  It was too bright! She hadn’t even opened her eyes yet, but she could tell the sun was shining directly on her face. Groaning, she flopped onto her side away from the light. However, that little movement was enough to send the signal to her body that she really, really needed to pee. It was weird, she hated the feel of the huge diapers they put on her, but the lack of one made her panic. She didn’t want to be lying in her pee until the nurses could come and change the sheets. Had they forgotten to put one on her last night?

  Her eyes shot open. Last night? She vaguely recalled walking to the kitchen… Wait, walking? She sat up, giggling madly as she got to her feet. “It wasn’t a dream!” She exclaimed while giggling, before groaning when standing up so fast caused her to get woozy. It felt a little like she was thinking through mud, her brain pounding against her skull. Plus, now that she was standing, she was going to pee her pants unless she found a bathroom soon. Stumbling to the door, she flung it open and walked into the hall, heedless of her state of attire.

  A girl was coming out of a doorway just down the hall from her, and she staggered over to her, ignoring the flashing lights when she grabbed her as she begged desperately, “Where’s the bathroom?”

  The girl pushed her off, pointing in disgust behind her. “It’s right here, obviously.” She then turned and walked snootily down the hall. Jade didn’t even care; she’d immediately lurched into the open doorway, discovering a room a little larger, but overall similar to the one she’d been in at Sharon’s shop yesterday. After relieving herself, she washed her hands, rinsed out her mouth and splashed her face. Her head was aching something fierce and her stomach was rumbling loudly, demanding attention.

  She stumbled out of the room, choosing to head downstairs in the hunt for food before anything else. Entering the common room, where eight other people were seated in small groups eating, she slumped to the bench of an empty table and put her head down, covering her ears with her arms.

  She felt the airflow change behind her and then a voice boomed out beside her head. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “Shhhhhh, not so loud…” She groaned softly into the table.

  “What, am I disturbing your precious rest?” His voice was still cheerfully loud, as if he was enjoying torturing her. She figured that it was retribution for waking him up in the middle of the night.
>
  She raised her head up just enough to glare at him, confirming that her assailant was the incorrigible Raphael. She bit out softly, “Yes. Now go away or bring me food.”

  “I saw you come in; I’ve got some for you here.” Kaylee walked over with a steaming plate of pancakes, sausage, and scrambled eggs, which she set down in front of her with a fork.

  “You’re an angel,” Jade whispered, eagerly grabbing the plate and digging in immediately. The taste of delicious pancake goodness filled her mouth and she hummed softly in pleasure, the smell of syrupy goodness almost intoxicating.

  Kaylee laughed. “You’d think you were hungover, the way you’re attacking that food.”

  Raphael chose that moment to chime in. “She probably is hungover. She drank half a cask of wine last night.”

  Jade turned to gawk at him, missing her face with the pancake on her fork as it fell to her lap. She blankly asked, “Devil man say what?”

  “You don’t remember? You ate almost half a pig.” He asked incredulously

  Her eyes widened as scenes played hazily in her mind, and she groaned, clutching her brain as she tried to think. She muttered defensively, “I thought it was juice!” Raphael and Kaylee both burst into snickers, which made her groan again. She didn’t like this. Hangover needed to go away, pronto!

  And that was when she felt it. The warmth was slipping through her fingertips, flooding her brain with a happy light. She could almost feel the hormone levels and neurotransmitters returning to homeostasis. She just enjoyed the feeling for a moment as the pounding slowly went away, and her eyes dilated back to normal. Breathing a sigh of relief, she realized she was staring at her lap, which was now sporting pancake. She picked it up absently, then popped it in her mouth, because food.

  Kaylee had been called back to the kitchen, but Raphael was now sitting across from her with a plate of his own. He seemed to be studying her intently, and finally, he reached forward and pinched her cheek. She growled and slapped his hand away. “No touching!”