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

by C. J. Anaya

  “Why isn’t he awake? Didn’t you fix him?” my father barked.

  I raised my eyes and stared at him. “Saigo’s brain has been damaged, and the veil won’t allow me to heal him. He’ll be dead within twenty-four hours.” I felt hollow and broken as I said it.

  My father reached forward and roughly grabbed my arm, yanking me forward and forcing my hand on Saigo’s head.

  “If you could breach the veil for your mother then you can breach it for Saigo. Do it now, Mikomi. Now!”

  I was about to tell my father that I had every intention of saving my brother, whether the veil was present or not, but before I could utter a single word, Katsu came charging into the room, captured my father by the throat and threw him against the wall. I stared in shock at the violence he dared to inflict upon the emperor with so many palace guards within summoning distance.

  “Do you care so little for your daughter that you would repeatedly endanger her life and the entire fate of this world by forcing her to breach the veil once again?”

  “You can easily repair the damage she sustains. You have done so before,” the emperor shot back.

  “You stupid kami. You never once understood the gravity of what you took on, the assignment you were given. How do you think you or Saigo will survive with Mikomi dead and the world exposed to the demon god? How will any of us survive if she isn’t alive to save us?”

  I ignored them both and connected to Saigo again, but Katsu pulled me back.

  “Mikomi, you cannot endanger yourself any further.”

  I turned to Katsu and gave him a pleading look. “He is my brother. You can’t possibly expect me to sit here and do nothing when I know how to breach the veil.”

  His expression was thunderous. “You aren’t meant to breach the veil, Mikomi! Don’t you understand? You have a responsibility to protect it with your very life. You are the key, the source of healing for all mankind. You are the only one who can save this world from certain destruction at the hands of Amatsu, but it will all be for naught if you take on the role of the fates and decide who does and does not die. As a kami, that is not your role nor is it your gift. You cannot risk damaging your ki again. You cannot risk your ascension as a full kami. I will not allow this.”

  “You will allow this. I am the emperor,” my father shouted. “And you will not prevent this healing from taking place. Guards!”

  “Stop it, both of you,” I shouted. I looked at Katsu and my father as shock spread across their faces. I wasn’t about to take a back seat to this discussion and allow anyone to decide whether or not my brother lived or died. Katsu would never allow me to breach the veil again, and my father would most likely find a way to strike out at me by killing those I loved, starting with Kenji. It was an impossible situation to be forced into, and I chafed at such stifling limitations being placed upon me by anyone.

  It was imperative that I be left alone with my brother without any interruptions, but distracting my father and Katsu would not be easy.

  I stood and allowed that blank mask I had held so effortlessly over the years to melt away, revealing my anger, outrage, and frustration for a man who should have loved me more than life itself.

  “You no longer have the right to dictate my actions nor force my hand through threats or beatings.” I took two steps forward and planted myself in front of my father. “Katsu is my betrothed, and the man I am now beholden to. If he forbids me to heal Saigo then I will obey him, and there is nothing you can do to change that.”

  I waited as the full force of his rage took hold of him and spread throughout every cell of his body. I had baited the beast, and now it was simply a matter of pushing him over the edge. I thought hard about what exactly my father desired most, and then verbally raged against it.

  “You do not have the authority to order me about and use my gift as you please. With Katsu as my betrothed, you no longer hold a position of authority. You’re just a powerless kami with an empty title.”

  His rage snapped and then centered, focusing on me, and I waited, fully expecting what was to come. With unparalleled force, my father broke from Katsu’s grasp, pulled out a lethal looking dagger at his side, and threw himself upon me, stabbing me in the chest, barely missing my heart in the process.

  I didn’t pay much attention to the commotion surrounding me. I simply stayed on the floor as everything proceeded in sweet slow motion. I locked eyes with my father. He blinked once then twice, as if trying to pull himself out of the rage induced stupor he had allowed himself to succumb to. He let go of the dagger embedded in my chest and stared at the blood in surprise.

  He shook his head in disbelief. “I just wanted you to save Saigo…I…” He looked at me again, and I could have sworn the emperor of Kagami felt a hint of regret and possibly a smidgen of guilt as he prepared himself to say something more.

  Katsu was upon my father, pulling him off and shouting for my guards who were already by my side attempting to help me. Kenji rushed to me, grabbing my face to make sure I was still conscious and then attempting to stop the blood from pouring out of my chest. His horrified expression hinted at the extent of the damage my father had managed to inflict.

  My father’s eyes never left mine. I let a slow victorious smirk spread across my lips and then cried out, “Katsu, the emperor is a nekomata.” I had the satisfaction of seeing a glimmer of understanding darken my father’s face just before Katsu knocked him unconscious.

  Several other guards rushed in, taking in the situation and following Katsu’s orders of imprisoning the emperor. I thought I heard Katsu tell them that the emperor was, in fact, a nekomata in disguise, and that under no circumstances was he allowed to be disposed of until the nekomata had revealed the emperor’s whereabouts.

  I thought it a brilliant ploy, effectively preventing anyone from suspecting that the real emperor had been imprisoned, and I was grateful Katsu had taken my lead and furthered the deception. Maybe now he would change his mind about our hasty departure and allow us to stay.

  I finally began to notice the pain from the dagger as Yao and Chan gently laid my body all the way back while Kenji applied pressure just underneath the wound. The skin, tendons, and muscles kept attempting to repair the damage to my body, but the dagger’s presence made that virtually impossible. My punctured lung began filling with blood. The dagger needed to be removed before I suffocated.

  Katsu was before me in the next instant, gripping the hilt of the dagger with one hand, and lacing his fingers through mine with the other.

  “Are you ready?” he asked. He felt true anguish at the pain he was about to inflict.

  I put on a brave face and prepared myself for how excruciating these next moments would be.

  I coughed up a little bit of blood, and Katsu took that as his cue. He expertly pulled the dagger from my chest, and I bit back on the cries of pain begging for release. I leaned forward and vomited after nausea took over, but my body immediately began repairing the damage.

  I took in the bloodied floor and my stained kimono, and for some morbid reason felt incredibly proud of myself.

  Katsu lifted me to a sitting position and pulled open my kimono, checking the skin underneath.

  “Are you healed? Do you feel any more pain?” His soft touch turned to a light caress as he searched my face in concern.

  Yao and Chan still flanked me on the floor, and Kenji had only moved back far enough to allow room for Katsu to move in. Though they weren’t touching me, I still felt their emotions of concern for me and anger at the emperor’s actions.

  “Well, that worked out beautifully. Wouldn’t you say?” I took hold of Katsu’s hand and squeezed it. “If everyone assumes the emperor is a nekomata, I doubt he’ll be released anytime soon.”

  Katsu’s jaw dropped. “You baited him.”

  I nodded.

  Kenji’s strangled chuckle carried across the room. Peering up at him, I offered a wide smile.

  “You planned the whole thing, sacrificing yourse
lf in order to imprison the emperor.”

  I nodded again.

  Katsu just sat there in stunned silence for a few moments. “Mikomi, you seem to be absent of that innate inclination to preserve one’s life.”

  “Thank you.”

  He vacillated between fear at my own reckless behavior and pride at what I’d managed to accomplish. Considering our most recent conversation, it surprised me that he felt anything other than anger toward me.

  “Child, I quite understand your motives, but I hope to never be on the receiving end of that quick witted mind of yours,” Kenji said. An air of approval laced his words.

  Katsu chuckled at that, and then pulled me into his embrace.

  “I’ve bought us some time. There’s no reason for us to leave until Saigo recovers.”

  At that, he pulled back.

  “Mikomi, we are still leaving within the next hour and your brother is not coming with us.”

  “How can you say that when my brother is lying here dying? I cannot leave him to his fate.”

  He swallowed hard, looking at my brother as guilt, sadness, and sympathy coursed through him before he managed to tamp down on all three and make a decision he felt duty bound to see through.

  “I have no idea how long this ruse will work. At some point his generals will want proof that he is a nekomata, and then what? Not to mention the number of unknown kami who are sympathizers to the demon god.”

  “What are you talking about?” Kenji asked.

  I was about to protest, but Katsu held up his hand. “I won’t change my mind, Mikomi. Your brother sacrificed his life for you. He did his duty to you and all of us. You won’t throw his offering away by choosing to remain here and endanger yourself any further. We are leaving him to his fate and that is that. I can offer you one simple mercy and give you time to usher his soul toward the veil so he no longer suffers.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “His death is a foregone conclusion. There is nothing you can or should do to change that, but you can curtail his suffering by helping his ki travel through the veil. Are you amenable to that?”

  If Katsu thought I might ever be amenable to that scenario then he didn’t know me at all and hadn’t paid attention to a single word uttered in my room not thirty minutes earlier. Still, I had to convince him, didn’t I? The time for saving Saigo was quickly slipping away.

  “I…” I rounded my shoulders and nearly caved in on myself in defeat. I summoned a few tears, digging deep for that bit of acting since I was unaccustomed to crying in front of anyone let alone so many men. “If you will allow me that one kindness, then yes, I will cooperate on that front, but Kenji is still accompanying us.”

  I felt my tutor’s questioning gaze fall heavy upon me.

  I peered up at Katsu and held my breath as he weighed my words and my countenance. He must have felt satisfied that I had been thoroughly cowed because he nodded and moved to stand.

  “I must finish our preparations for our departure and when I return I will help you send Saigo’s spirit through the veil.”

  “You will help me?” I asked.

  He gave me a sad smile. “Of course, Mikomi. I would never leave you to face the loss of your brother on your own. I will be there to support you when the time comes.” He looked at Yao and Chan. “You will watch over her until I return.”

  My guards fisted a hand to their chests and bowed from the waist. I took Katsu’s orders to mean that they were not to allow me to attempt a healing on Saigo in his absence. I despised being manipulated and backed into a corner like this.

  Kenji also gave Katsu a formal bow, one which Katsu reciprocated, and then my betrothed exited the room.

  “Kenji—”

  “I know. Tell me what you want to do, my child, and we will do it.”

  I thought for a moment, not because I was hesitant to do everything I could to save my brother, but because—despite everything—I cared deeply for Katsu. My disappearance would absolutely break his heart. He cared for me on some level. My identity played a huge part in this, but he cared as much as he could considering who he was and what he expected from himself. Despite our angry words and his high handed ultimatums, he didn’t deserve this. After everything he had done for me, and all he had been willing to sacrifice to save people I loved, not because I was The Healer, in fact, but because he truly cared, I was still bound and determined to take fate into my own hands, save my brother, and seek out my own happiness.

  I readily acknowledged the error of this, but I wasn’t willing to change my decision. My brother’s life meant everything to me, and being with Musubi, whether he loved me or not, was all I truly cared about.

  I had never deluded myself into thinking I was a perfect individual. I simply wanted to be happy.

  I want to be happy.

  “We leave now, Kenji, but I’m going to have to heal Saigo before we do. If he is moved he’ll never make it to the ruins.”

  I turned to Yao.

  “Can you get a message to Akane and Musubi and have them meet us at The Holy Cherry Tree?”

  Yao nodded. “I will inform my contact immediately and return as quickly as I can.”

  “Thank you, and Yao, be careful. There are traitors, sympathizers to the demon god who will stop you if they learn of this.”

  Yao nodded and left the room in a hurry.

  “I expect a full summary of exactly what has been going on over the last forty-eight hours, Mikomi. But first things first,” Kenji said as he turned to Chan, “Can you get us the horses necessary for travel?”

  Chan didn’t have to say anything. He simply left the room as swiftly as Yao did.

  “Who is going to heal you and repair the damage to your ki once you’ve broken through the veil? Speaking of which, how is it that your ki has been restored to full power? Was I mistaken in my assumptions that Katsu is not your soul mate?”

  “Katsu isn’t the one who restored my ki. I think, though I’m not positive, that Musubi is responsible for this.”

  Kenji tried to mask the shock he felt at this revelation, but he failed miserably.

  “Musubi, your trainer? The man teaching you the art of the sword?”

  I nodded.

  “How is this possible?’

  “I don’t know. All I do know is that he kissed me and the next day my eyes returned to normal. He’s also capable of healing himself the way I do. That’s why he needs to be at the ruins with Akane. If my theory is correct, he is the only one who will be able to heal me once I’ve saved my brother.”

  “And if your theory is wrong?” he pressed.

  “Then Saigo lives, and I die.”

  He let my words sink in and had to swallow a few times due to the ball of emotion lodged in his throat.

  “I won’t disrespect you by arguing the point or telling you what to do. I think you’ve more than proved yourself when it comes to deciding your own fate. What’s more, I believe in you, child. If you would give up your life for Saigo, I won’t stand in your way, and I promise to take care of him should it come to that.”

  I let a few tears escape before wiping them away. “Thank you, Kenji. Saigo could not find himself in better hands.”

  Yao and Chan returned within minutes of one another, and I explained the plan to them. “Once I heal Saigo, he will be able to make his way without assistance, but Chan, you are going to need to carry me to my horse and ride with me the entire way to the ruins. If any kami soldiers should follow us, the priority is Saigo. Kenji and Yao will separate from us and go directly to the ruins while Chan takes me to a different location.”

  “What makes you so certain they won’t follow after Prince Saigo?” Kenji asked.

  I gave him a wan smile. “I’m The Healer, Kenji. They won’t follow Saigo, but you must instruct Musubi to shield me from my betrothed. Let him know I will definitely be followed. Make haste to the ruins, and if we are separated you must send Musubi to the clearing we trained in the night he taught me how
to correctly wield my sword. You tell him exactly that, and he will remember the place.”

  Kenji nodded and grabbed my hand. “We are ready when you are, Princess.”

  * * *

  I didn’t bother with any preliminaries once I connected to Saigo. There was simply no time to attempt to negotiate with his ki when I knew it was incapable of responding to any of my commands or pathetic pleas.

  I connected with Saigo, threw his ki into the foreground, and immediately began slamming myself against the veil with no thought for how much pain it caused me.

  The tearing sound reverberated through my cranium as I ripped my way past the veil and took control of his body. My window for healing was limited before the consequences of my actions began to manifest themselves in my own brain.

  Quick instructions on how to remove the small piece of cartilage were given and repairs were made. I stayed with him just long enough to ascertain the rest of the damage would be fixed with no problems. Once the last bit of damage to the brain and nose began to heal, I allowed the veil to close behind me and opened my eyes. The only thing I felt so far was an excruciating headache, but I didn’t fool myself into thinking that was the extent of the consequences.

  Chan wasted no time in lifting me from the bed while Yao grabbed an unconscious Saigo, and Kenji brought up the rear. Instead of heading for the door, Chan made his way over to the window where a small balcony with a staircase led down into the gardens. It had been designed specifically for Saigo so he could train as he pleased. A bit of freedom—I was ashamed to admit——I had been extremely jealous of. Fortunately for us, it was now available for an even greater purpose.

  Our escape.

  My nose gushed a torrent of blood by the time we reached the gardens, and with my head exploding in pain, I was having a difficult time keeping track of our whereabouts. I held enough of my wits about me to focus some energy on blocking out the pain, but the nausea and periodic moments of blackness made it impossible to impede the progress of my deterioration.