The Healer Series: The Complete Set, Books 1-4

by C. J. Anaya

  My old friend gave me an encouraging look as Musubi reached for me again and lifted me into his arms. It was strange to feel secure and safe in the arms of someone I barely knew, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it.

  Upon entering Hatsumi’s bedroom the strong odor of blood filled my nostrils and Hatsumi’s soft moans and labored breathing pierced my heart. My mind cleared as I scrambled quickly out of Musubi’s arms and sat down on the bed next to the struggling mother.

  I couldn’t hold her head between my hands with the young man present, so I grabbed Hatsumi’s hands in my own and looked into her eyes as I willed myself to connect with her ki. It would have been better to hold her head and close my eyes to concentrate, but I couldn’t let this man…this Musubi, know who I was.

  It took a few moments, but I finally latched on to her ki with my own and felt pain and nausea hit me with such force I nearly toppled over. Just as I had feared, part of the baby’s small home had ripped away from the lining of the womb. It was significant enough to prevent the baby from receiving as much oxygen as it needed to survive, and the heartbeat was irregular. I could sense the baby’s distress and even its fear, something I had never felt before. Even the unborn child was aware that all was not well. I instructed her ki to reattach the bag of waters to the lining of the womb and to heal the blood vessels that had been broken. I received no response.

  I couldn’t understand why her ki was ignoring my instructions. I hadn’t for one single moment felt that Hatsumi or her baby were meant to perish during this delivery. Her ki should have been able to respond and repair the damage. I searched for more answers and found that the bag of waters was beginning to dry out and the baby’s head was already firmly placed in the birth canal. Even if the bag had been repaired and reattached there was simply no way to stop this labor. Not even healing powers could stop nature from taking its course.

  We had to get the baby out, but Hatsumi was nowhere near ready to deliver. I couldn’t wait for her body to ready itself fully. This baby had to be delivered now. I did not want to do what I felt was the only recourse we had, but I instructed her ki to prepare her body for delivery, knowing that the pain we would both feel as her body accomplished in only a few seconds what usually took several hours would be the worst kind of pain either one of us had ever felt. There was simply no time to lessen it.

  I maintained eye contact with the poor mother and gave her my most confident smile.

  “Hatsumi, we will deliver this baby right now. Are you ready?”

  She nodded as sweat and tears rolled down the sides of her pale cheeks. I gave her ki the instructions it needed and held fast to her hands as both our bodies were hit with wave after wave of the most debilitating labor pains a woman could ever experience. I did my best to keep my own pain to myself and focused on the baby as it slowly traveled closer to its birth. Its heart rate dropped so low at one point I had to slow down everything and take time to increase the beats of the tiny child’s heart before it died.

  Sensing it was time, I let go of her hands and checked the baby’s progress.

  “It is time for you to push, Hatsumi.”

  She was pushing before I even finished my sentence. The child was small and frail and came rapidly as a result. I wrapped the tiny baby in a cloth and quickly connected to it, making sure the heartbeats were steady and strong and the lungs were taking in the oxygen needed before handing it over to the mother.

  “He’s fine, Hatsumi. Your baby boy is just fine.”

  She let out a tired laugh as she snuggled closer to her son and then wept softly.

  I felt a huge weight lift from my shoulders as I watched her hold her firstborn child, a child that she and Daiki had tried and failed to have for many years now. Finally, the fight was over. A soft tear ran down my face as I took in the beautiful picture before me.

  “We have a son, then?”

  I turned to see the happy face of Daiki as he rushed to the side of his wife’s bed. I had completely forgotten he was there. I’d even forgotten the young man standing in the corner until his hand came to rest on my shoulder.

  The light contact was more than inappropriate, and I tried my best to keep my eyes averted from his handsome face. I thought about shrugging his hand away, but couldn’t find the willpower to do so; not when this connection made me feel as if I had just found my way home. It was a disturbing thought to have, considering who I was and what my future held for me.

  “That was quite possibly the worst thing I have ever before seen, and I’ve witnessed countless gory wounds in battle. The way you handled that was…impressive.”

  His coloring appeared quite pale but had been slightly light to begin with. I wondered at his background and means of work. He certainly didn’t look like a regular soldier, but his long cloak covered his clothing underneath.

  I hesitated, still uncertain as to whether or not he wished for me to speak. I glanced at him below lowered lashes, and found my answer as his gaze locked with mine. “Ah, yes, childbirth. It is not for the faint of heart.” I gave him a small smile and then hurriedly averted my gaze when he returned my smile with one of his own. I felt his hand tighten ever so slightly on my shoulder and then he withdrew.

  I couldn’t account for the feeling of loss that descended upon me in that moment, but it was clear that remaining in this man’s presence was simply not good for me. I folded my arms across my chest. It was then that I realized my cloak and arms were covered in blood. There was always blood in childbirth, but I was soaked in it. I raised my arms up and studied the front of my cloak.

  Blood everywhere.

  “Hatsumi,” I said, glancing at the young woman’s small form. Blood continued to coat the bedding beneath her, dripping to the floor. I could see a glassy look begin to grow in her eyes.

  I rushed over to the bed and motioned for Daiki to take the baby. Then I grabbed Hatsumi’s hands in my own.

  “No! Hatsumi, you focus on me. You look at me, right now!”

  I grabbed her ki with my own and saw that she was hemorrhaging. Her blood would not thicken due to the amount she had lost. I could stop the bleeding, but I wasn’t sure I would be able to repair the blood loss before her organs went into shock and she died. I instructed her ki to repair the damage, and then went to work trying to help her poor, weak body replace the blood she had lost.

  I felt Musubi’s presence close to me as I worked, and knew his eyes were studying every move I made, every facet of the situation. I did my best to look like I was examining her so he wouldn’t assume I was simply sitting there watching her bleed to death.

  I worked with her body for ten minutes when the first of her organs, her left kidney, began to shut down.

  “No!”

  “What is happening, child?” Daiki asked.

  “She’s lost too much blood, and her body is struggling to hold on.”

  There was real fear in Daiki’s eyes. “What can I do?”

  “You and this young man need to leave so that I can work.” Daiki was the only man I had ever felt comfortable speaking so frankly with. It probably seemed unusual for Musubi to watch me throw orders at Daiki, and though most men made me nervous, I knew I could count on Daiki to take seriously the danger his wife now faced.

  He nodded his understanding, turned swiftly with the baby in hand and directed Musubi out the door. I had to admire him for his absolute faith in me. Most men would have balked at such an order, demanding to stay and oversee the process.

  “Daiki, this is madness. Your wife needs a more experienced person of medicine if her bleeding is internal. What can a midwife do?”

  “We must go now.” Daiki insisted.

  I thought I heard Musubi protesting about leaving Hatsumi’s life in the hands of a child, but I was too focused on keeping her organs functioning to feel offended by the slight.

  It was difficult work and a sort of mental juggling act to keep her organs operating and help her body replenish the blood she had lost all at the same tim
e. Her body could only produce the blood at a specific rate without compromising its other functions or damaging her organs, but without the blood there to help the organs function they would begin to fail, and I would have to stop what I was doing to revive them again.

  I wasn’t sure how much time had passed as I continued to help Hatsumi fight for her life and her right to raise her first child, but soon there was enough blood in her system that her organs could function without my help. I withdrew my shaking, bloodied hands from her head and looked at her peacefully sleeping face. She felt no pain, and for that I was grateful. If I had had more time to ease the pain first, the whole experience would have been less traumatic for both of us, but when you have a choice between easing pain and saving lives your path as a healer is clear.

  I took a moment to collect myself and then began cleaning up the blood on the floor by using my own sodden cloak and other linens in the bedroom. I woke Hatsumi only long enough to help her remove her soiled clothing and bed linens and to clean her up as best I could.

  We spoke very little. Hatsumi looked as if she might die right before my eyes, and I had to keep checking her ki to reassure myself everything within her body was functioning as it should.

  She was like a mother to me; more of a mother than my own ever could be, and I wouldn’t lose her. I laid her back down upon her bed and drew new blankets over her body. She grabbed my hand in her weak ones and squeezed them gently.

  “You saved my life and the life of my baby. Thank you so much, dear friend.” I could tell it was a struggle for her to remain awake after everything she had been through.

  “Of course, Hatsumi. I would not have let anything happen to you or your precious child. You must sleep now.” After smoothing back her hair, I stood up and tiredly headed for the door.

  “My son…can I see him?”

  I turned to Hatsumi and nodded. “I will send Daiki in with your son as soon as you have rested for a short time.” I swallowed back a lump in my throat when she gave me a questioning look. “It was very close this time, Hatsumi. Too close. Just rest for a few minutes and then you can hold your son.” She nodded her understanding and closed her eyes. I knew she was sleeping even before I left her room.

  The moment I stepped into the serving area of the tavern, Daiki met me with his sweet newborn son cradled in his arms and an anxious look upon his face. He was only ten years my senior, but the hard life of an innkeeper had aged him dramatically. Fine lines covered the corners of his slanted eyes and large mouth, but his positive attitude in the face of insurmountable poverty kept a smile on his round face.

  The last two years had been especially difficult for him, though I hadn’t been able to find the source of what troubled him. Every time I asked, he would tell me money was tight and times were hard, but I always suspected there was more to the story, and that perhaps he was protecting me from something.

  Though he looked older than his twenty-seven years, he was well-muscled and strong. He would have looked more natural with a sword in his hand than he did serving food or managing his business.

  “She will be fine,” I said quickly. “Her bleeding was not as severe as I had thought it to be. Within an hour you should take your son in to nurse. She should be up to the task by then.” I didn’t think it wise to advise him of how close he came to losing Hatsumi and his son tonight with the young soldier sitting at a table to our right.

  Daiki seemed to understand the need to lighten the mood in front of Musubi, though why he had let him stay during his son’s chaotic birth was a mystery to me.

  “Come. Sit at table with Musubi and myself.”

  I barely suppressed a raised eyebrow at this. I had sat at table with Hatsumi and Daiki many times throughout the course of our friendship, but being invited to sit at table with a stranger here was unprecedented and quite dangerous. I couldn’t afford to have anyone recognize me for fear of my parents discovering my late night excursions to homes in need of healings.

  Technically, my powers for healing were meant for something completely different. As the daughter of Emperor Fukurokuju and Empress Chinatsu there was much expected of me, but my destiny was much more complex and demanding than any other imperial princesses might be.

  According to a prophecy written thousands of years ago, a princess would be born to a god and a mortal, possessing healing capabilities that would be used to help the guardian of the Grass Cutter Sword heal and strengthen the veil between our world and the world of the dead. I had been raised to believe that this princess of prophecy, this healer, was me.

  Suffice it to say, healing peasants and wives of innkeepers were not the kinds of activities the imperial family would have supported, and that was putting it mildly. My father would have beaten me until I was black and blue, and my mother would have made her normal indifferent treatment of me even icier than usual.

  My role was simple and clear—marry the warrior god, Masaru Katsu, and spend the rest of eternity helping him heal the veil.

  The end.

  I held some deep reservations where my duty and destiny were concerned.

  “Please, sit with us,” he said as he drew me to the table and offered me a bench. He placed me across from Musubi and then sat down next to me.

  I was able to study the soldier’s features more thoroughly thanks to the lamplight in the tavern. I admit, I thought him much more handsome than I had before. Of course, I was no longer distracted with the possibility of losing the most important woman in my life.

  I realized I was staring, and he had caught me doing so. His lips turned up in amusement. I hurriedly lowered my eyes to the table, feeling myself grow warm at the same time.

  I marveled at the small smile he shared with me. It was strange to see any expression other than anger on his features considering the bitter feelings I felt rolling off of his ki for reasons known only to himself.

  “My dear friend, Musubi was curious as to the pain you felt earlier. I explained to him you are an empath, but he worried you might actually be suffering from some illness.”

  I noted Daiki failed to address me by my given name. I was grateful for that.

  “It is obvious she is just fine now,” Musubi said, directing his comment to Daiki. “I’ve never heard of a midwife also being an empath. It seems like an undesirable trait to possess considering her line of work.”

  “Oh, no. It is just the opposite,” I blurted out. “The pain allows me to sense when and where I’m needed.” I bit down on my tongue and lowered my eyes to the table again. It wasn’t common knowledge that the famed healer of prophecy was also an empath, and it certainly wasn’t mentioned in the prophecy, but letting anyone know I could do things most people couldn’t wasn’t the smartest of ideas either. The less I talked, the better my chances were of maintaining my secrets.

  As it stood, only Daiki and his wife, my brother Saigo, my maid Aiko, and our tutor Kenji had any idea that I ventured out of the palace walls in the middle of the night, disguised as a woman of medicine to heal the sick and suffering in the empire.

  Another strike against me was my gender. A woman speaking out of turn in my society was an uncommon occurrence, and although Musubi was talking about me, his comments had not been directed toward me. I’d had no right to voice my thoughts. Then again, I’d had no right to hit him in the face. My behavior around this man was unorthodox at best.

  I felt his steady gaze bearing down upon the top of my head and wished Daiki had not invited me to sit with him and his friend. I needed to get back to the palace before dawn, and the rising sun was due merely two hours from now.

  “You mean to tell me you could feel Hatsumi’s labor pains from your own personal dwelling, and that’s how you knew to come?” Musubi asked.

  “Yes,” I replied reluctantly, keeping my eyes glued to the table.

  “Daiki didn’t send for you?”

  I shook my head in response. I was nervous being asked all of these questions. Daiki must have sensed my anxiety becau
se he placed a calming hand upon my shoulder.

  “He means you no harm. I promise you can trust young Musubi. He’s been fighting with the samurai insurgents for a few months now and is very much a man of honor and integrity.”

  An aura of chagrin surged from Musubi’s person. I couldn’t tell if the praise embarrassed him or if he simply didn’t agree with Daiki’s assessment of his character. I was happy to hear of his involvement with the rebels, however. Anyone fighting against my father was someone I considered a friend.

  “I wonder…are there limits to your empathic abilities?” Musubi asked.

  I pondered this for a moment and dared a look in his direction. “To the best of my knowledge, as long as I have had the opportunity to meet the person in question, I can generally feel when they are distressed, in pain or in need of any medicinal administrations no matter the distance between us, but I have only ever been acquainted with the people of this village.”

  I failed to mention those who lived in the palace. I also failed to mention that my empathic abilities only worked with people I had already connected to as far as sensing pain went, and once their problem was resolved I didn’t feel the connection any longer. Unfortunately, I tended to absorb others’ emotions regardless of whether I had connected to their ki or not.

  Musubi’s anger, for example, was fairly distracting me with its intensity. I wondered if all soldiers survived war by carrying around a healthy dose of suppressed rage. Perhaps it fueled their ability to fight.

  “Intriguing,” was all he said. He sat back in his seat, but continued to study me directly.

  “You seem to have an idea brewing, Musubi,” Daiki said. “What are you thinking?”

  “I’m thinking that I’m crazy, and that a war zone is no place for a female such as this small, defenseless little girl.”