“Whoa!” she said, looking at the water bottle then back up at him.
“Very good,” he grinned as he came back over to her. “You’re picking this up a lot quicker than most.”
“I am?” she said, a feeling of pride washing over her.
“Yes, but we’ve still got a long way to go. Next you’ve got to learn how to use that focus to combat whatever I throw at you.”
“Teach me, Sensei.”
Time flew by as Caleb took her through some basic moves she could use to attack him and defend herself. Trying to use her instincts while she fought him was tough because her mind was focusing on following the moves rather than reacting. It could be frustrating at times, but Caleb was patient and took her through it again and again if she needed him to, in order to make sure that she got it right. There was no way that he was taking her out into the world again unprepared, he’d made that perfectly clear when he’d come back from the Citadel.
“I think we should probably take a break,” Caleb said after… well, Kiara wasn’t sure how long it had been until she checked her watch.
“Two hours have gone by already?” she said, stunned.
“It might not feel like it now, but it’ll catch up with you later,” he warned, gesturing for her to follow him over to the corridor she had seen before.
The first door on the left ended up being the kitchen and it was exactly the same style as the rest of the place, very hi-tech. She wished her apartment came with half of the stuff that they had in there, she’d be able to make herself much better food than ready meals and beans on toast.
“Here, drink this,” he said, tossing her a bottle full of green fluid with bits floating around in it.
Kiara pulled a face. “Well, doesn’t this look... um, appetising.”
“Don’t judge it by its looks,” he said as he grabbed one for himself and sat down at the white dining table in the center of the room.
Kiara plonked herself down too and took a tentative sip. Oh. “Mmm,” she said, pleasantly surprised by its flavour. It was sweet, which she wasn’t expecting.
“You see? It’s really good for you, it’ll help keep your strength up.”
“I think this is a lesson that needs to be drilled into me, that things aren’t what they seem” she said. “I never would have guessed that you were anything other than a nerdy history lecturer.”
“Nerdy?” he pretended to look offended, which made her laugh.
“Yeah, you were pretty incognito with your brainiac level knowledge of most historical events. Did you swot up before every lesson or…?”
“No, actually, history was my major at college. I also read all sorts of non-fiction books, whenever I have the spare time.”
“So, it wasn’t exactly hard to assume that persona?”
“It’s basically just me without the badass part,” he smirked.
“You’re badass alright. The way you jumped into the water to save Hallie and me? I’m sure if it hadn’t been so scary, you would have made a quite a few women up on the river bank swoon.”
It was Kiara’s turn to make Caleb laugh.
“You think?”
“Oh yeah, for sure. If I wasn’t a ladies-only sort of gal, I’d probably swoon too. Back when Hallie first started taking your class, she kept saying how cute she thought you were, it was funny. If I wasn’t so secure in my relationship, I would have been worried.”
Caleb smiled. “I don’t think I’ve known anyone with a relationship quite like yours and Hallie’s.”
“We just… get each other. The first moment we met, we clicked. After that, as they say, the rest was history.”
“I’ve never had anything like that,” he admitted.
“Really? No girlfriends? Boyfriends?”
“I had a couple of girlfriends in college, but nothing stuck. Something just didn’t feel right. And before you say it, no, it wasn’t because they were girls. I’m a ladies-only sort of guy,” he confirmed.
“What about Lily?” Kiara asked.
“What about Lily?” Caleb looked confused.
“You went way out on a limb for her with me and you’d only met her once? That’s a pretty big thing to do for someone who’s essentially a stranger.”
Caleb shrugged his shoulders. “I knew she was your aunt, your family. It’s a soft spot for me.”
Kiara knew this already but was sure that there had to be something else there.
“Okay,” she said, deciding to let it go for now.
“If I have start to have real feelings for anyone, I’m sure you and Hallie will be the first ones to know.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Kiara smiled.
“Now, drink up. We should probably get back to it otherwise we won’t get through everything before dinner.”
“And we both know how much Hallie hates it when people are late.”
~
They were late, all right. Caleb had been so encouraged by Kiara’s initial progress that he had let the session go on far too long. They had ended up having to sprint from the tube stop up the street to Hallie’s apartment. He wasn’t sure that she would let them upstairs when they rang the buzzer. She did, but the silent anger on the other end of the speaker was palpable.
As Hallie opened her door and parted her lips speak, Caleb immediately stuck a finger in front of her mouth to stop the tirade before it even began.
“We’re late, it’s my fault, you begrudgingly forgive us. Can we eat now?”
Kiara burst out laughing behind him, which combined with Caleb’s stunt, made Hallie stalk-hobble back into the apartment with a huff.
“What? I’m starving,” he said, pushing through the door to find Lily already sitting down at Hallie’s dinner table with her fist pressed against her mouth. It looked like she was trying to avoid garnering any of Hallie’s wrath.
“Training is hard,” Kiara agreed, kicking off her shoes. “And he refused to carry me here on his back as a reward for my hard work.”
“I reminded her that I’m a Guardian, not a donkey.”
“I can see where she got mixed up,” Lily teased.
“Don’t you join in.”
“Hush, all of you, before this food gets even colder,” Hallie commanded, pulling a big dish of lasagna out of the top oven.
“Mmmmm, oh God, that smells so good,” Kiara said as she flopped into one of the chairs.
“That’s not shushing,” Caleb pointed out.
“QUIET, for goodness sake. It’s like having a bunch of children around.”
It would have been funny if Hallie had been the youngest, but if he remembered correctly, Kiara beat her out for that title. If only by a few months.
Caleb zipped his mouth closed and took a seat next to Lily, who provided him with an amused smile.
“Okay, here we go,” Hallie said, placing the dish down in the center of the table.
“You made enough for twenty, as per usual,” Kiara remarked.
“I figured you and Caleb could probably use the carbs,” Hallie shrugged.
She budged her chair up, so she was seated right by her girlfriend.
“I’ll serve, seeing as it’s my fault we’re late,” Caleb said.
No one argued. They weren’t in the habit of saying grace either, so they got to stuff their faces the moment the pasta hit the plate. There wasn’t a whole lot of talking for the first few minutes, it was only once they started to slow down that Lily chirped up with a piece of conversation.
“You look like you’re healing up really quickly, Hallie.”
“Mmhmm, yup. The doctor actually used the word ‘crazy’ to describe how quickly I am getting back to normal. Usually, any one of these broken bones would have taken at least a couple of months to heal. I still ache, but otherwise, I’m pretty good.”
As she filled her mouth with another piece of lasagna, Caleb and Lily both looked at each other. Were they thinking the same thing, Caleb wondered.
“It might not be so crazy,” he
said, getting her attention.
“I’ve been wondering too,” Lily agreed.
Hallie and Kiara both looked at them curiously.
“What?” Hallie asked.
“As well as the Chosen, Oracles and all the rest of it, we also have healers,” Caleb said.
“Healers? Like doctors?” Kiara guessed.
“Not really. Healers can physically heal a person who is sick or injured,” Lily explained.
Hallie stared at her. “For real?”
“Yeah, I know a couple of them here in London.”
“And there are several back at the Citadel. They’re spread out all across the world,” Caleb said.
“You didn’t think to get one in here to give me a bit of a boost?” Hallie asked, looking disappointed that she had gone through all that pain when it could have been magicked away by some healer.
“We couldn’t have one come into the hospital, someone would have noticed,” Caleb told her.
“And besides, it's forbidden for healers to help anyone outside of the order and their allies,” Lily backed him up. “They wouldn’t have let one help you, even if Caleb asked.”
Hallie still hrrrphhed at them, stabbing what was left of her dinner with her fork.
“Why do you think that Hallie could be one?” Kiara steered them back on topic.
“Healers naturally recover quickly when hurt, it helps them to do their job,” Lily said, glancing at Caleb.
“We sometimes take them out into the field with us. They have to be able to bounce back from minor injuries in order to help others get out alive,” he continued.
“Cool,” Kiara said, then elbowed Hallie as she was still pouting.
“Yeah, cool. Do the powers come naturally or…?”
“You have to learn how to use them properly. I can take you to visit my friend Alastair, he’ll be able to show you the basics, if you are really a healer,” Lily said.
“He’s still kicking about?” Caleb sound surprised.
“Every time I see him, he says he’s getting ‘too old for this shite’, yet he won’t give it up. I think he likes the gratitude too much, inflates his ego,” Lily smiled.
“Sounds like a fun guy,” Kiara smirked.
“I look forward to meeting him. Now, eat up, so I can clear away these plates and get the chocolate cheesecake,” Hallie ordered.
Caleb shovelled the rest of his meal into his mouth and folded his arms across his chest. He tried to say, ‘done,’ but almost spit the food out all over the table and choked trying to stop himself.
Lily had to slap him a few times on the back before he could swallow.
“Serves you right,” Hallie said, although he could see she was trying not to laugh through his blurred vision.
“I’ll take some of that cheesecake now.”
Chapter Thirteen
Despite everything that she had seen over the last few weeks, Hallie was still unsure about Caleb and Lily's idea that she was some sort of healer. She believed they existed, they wouldn't lie to her about something that cool. But her? A healer? Pfft. She was sure that this Alastair was going to tell her and Lily that they were completely mistaken and that they had traveled all the way out to Kingston for nothing.
"I didn't realise healing paid so well," Hallie said as they pulled into Alastair's driveway.
It was a gorgeous house, at least four bedrooms, well-kept with a red door in the middle. The flower beds around the garden were teeming with colour and life.
"Alastair used to be a surgeon before working for the Guardians, now he just helps out whenever needed," Lily explained. "Although, he was one of the best healers they ever had, so I can imagine they compensated him generously."
"Do healing powers extend to plants as well?" she wondered aloud.
"No, he's just got a lot of time on his hands these days," Lily chuckled as they both climbed out of the car.
The front door opened before they could reach it, revealing an older man with flecks of ginger in his greying hair and beard, wearing shorts, a t-shirt, and some tartan slippers.
"Lily? Is that your perfume I smell?" he asked in a broad Glaswegian accent.
"I'm surprised you can smell anything over all these flowers!" Lily said.
Hallie watched as Lily leaned in to give the man a kiss on the cheek, puzzling over why he had mentioned Lily's perfume first. Then she saw his eyes, a milky blue, staring right past Lily.
Alastair was blind.
"And who is this you have with you?" he said, sounding a little gruffer.
It didn't seem like he liked strangers.
"This is Hallie, my friend. I think that she might be a healer."
"It's nice to meet you," Hallie said to be polite.
"Hrrrrrm," Alastair replied, then gestured for them to come inside without another word.
The inside of the house must have been completely renovated in the last few years, because everything looked like it was part of a new build rather than a small 19th century mansion. Hallie assumed it was an accessibility thing. Everything was so open, with the furniture positioned carefully around the rooms. She also noticed a smart system by the front door that controlled the security, heating, and a host of other things.
"This house is awesome," she said quietly to herself.
"That's what people tell me," Alastair said.
"He has ears like a bat," Lily warned Hallie a few seconds too late.
"Should have known."
They went straight through the house to the back patio, which was the beginning of another stunning garden. It was so long, Hallie couldn't see the end. There were purely decorative areas, like out front, but there were also fruit trees dotted about and a vegetable patch. And, lying in the middle of the lawn soaking up the sun, a very happy Labrador.
Hallie let out a squeak of excitement and immediately went over to the dog, rubbing him behind the ears.
"Hello there, what's your name?"
"She's not psychic too, is she?" Alastair asked Lily as they both set themselves down on a couple of sun loungers.
"No, just cute."
Hallie grinned mischievously at Lily, glad that she was here to help deflect Alastair's grumpy comments.
"Her name is Sasha and I can guarantee she's still cuter than you," he said.
"No arguments here," Hallie replied.
The corner of the man's mouth quirked upwards, suggesting that was the right answer.
"So, why exactly do you think this young lady is a healer?" Alastair asked Lily.
"Do you remember hearing about the incident at Tower Bridge?" Lily asked.
Alastair nodded, then said, "She was one of the girls?"
He put two and two together very quickly.
"Yeah, the other one was a Chosen."
"She will have got off easy. They nearly always do."
Hallie didn't like the sound of the 'nearly always', but she didn't say anything. For once, she knew it was better to let them talk.
"Come over here," Alastair told her. "Let's see how your body is recovering."
As she got to her feet, Hallie wondered what this test entailed. Hopefully he wouldn't prod and poke too much, she was still a little tender in places.
"Your hand," he said, which she extended to him.
It turned out all he had to do was wrap his fingers around hers, then tilt his head back in thought. There was little point in him closing his eyes to concentrate, Hallie realised.
"You're almost completely healed, which is quite a feat for someone who fell from such a height," Alastair agreed.
"Is there a sure way to prove that I am one?" Hallie asked.
"Only one that I know of," he said. "Does either of you have a pin or something sharp?"
Lily routed around in her handbag, eventually pulling out a small sewing kit, which had a pair of scissors in it.
"What do you need it for?" she asked.
"I don't know about you ladies, but I'm not looking to break any Guardian rule
s today, so taking a stab at Lily or a jaunt to the nearest hospital is out of the question. The other way I know how to prove that a person is a healer is by trying to heal them."
"You want to stab me?" Hallie took a step back.
"A gentle poke, nothing so dramatic. If I can't heal you then that's proof."
"Healers can't heal other healers?"
"I didn't know that," Lily said.
"You never asked," Alastair pointed out. "I don't think anyone has ever been sure why that's the case, but it's how I lost a good friend of mine a few years ago."
Both Hallie and Lily fell silent.
"It's also the reason I lost my sight. My body couldn't repair the damage done and neither could anyone else.”
It was cruel that there were people out of a healer's reach, not just because of some rules set out by an organisation either. Hallie couldn't begin to imagine how powerless he must have felt not being able to do anything to save his friend, as a doctor or a healer.
“Now, should I perform the test?"
"Okay," she said, placing her hand back in his.
Alastair carefully felt along her palm, making sure to find a place where he wouldn't cause too much damage. When he was certain he had found the right spot, he used the scissors to pierce her skin, drawing only a little blood.
Hallie hissed with pain and wanted to jerk her hand back, but he kept hold, so she wouldn't do anything dumb.
"If you're lucky, the pain will be gone in a moment," he told her.
Lifting his other hand over hers, a faint white glow shone from his palm, tickling her skin like someone was running a silk scarf over it. Alastair only persisted for a few seconds, quickly giving up when it didn’t work.
"Not so lucky, then," Hallie said. "What does this mean for me?"
"My guess is that you'll end up picking up where I left off, after some training of course."
Hallie wasn't sure how she felt about this. Her plans for life were to finish her degree, go travelling, get married and figure it all out later. She knew that changed when Kiara became a Chosen and she was willing to go along with whatever she wanted. What she hadn't accounted for was being roped into it all herself.
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