Healer's Bane

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

The walk out into the forest is peaceful and serene and immediately brightens my mood, filling me with energy. Nature holds some of the most powerful magic in this world, and just as I’m drawn to it, it’s also drawn to me. Following Morana’s mention of where she felt magic, I wander about half a mile into the forest, smiling as I pass several flower and herb gardens, most of which were planted by me, and all of which I take care of and gently harvest whenever they’re fully grown and ready.

As I get farther into the forest, closer to the winter garden, as I like to call it, I start feeling the magic Morana spoke about—it’s like a low buzz in the air, potent and intense and very interesting because there’s a note of something unusual to this magic. Something that almost feels otherworldly—not unlike the moon magic Amira channeled and died for. It doesn’t feel exactly the same, but somewhat similar, as if it has the same energetic marker but serves a different purpose. The farther I walk towards the source of it, the more intense the sensation gets, until it raises goosebumps along my arms and legs. It doesn’t feel malevolent in any way, though, so I continue on, unperturbed.

When I get to the edge of the winter garden, which is blooming with various plants—some of which are deadly in their natural form, but powerful ingredients when properly harvested and processed—a small shockwave of some sort of magic travels over me. I stop in place, looking around, trying to get a better sense of what it might be, which is when a small, mystical blue haze rises from the ground, tinged with silver. The magic emanating from it feels at once terribly familiar and very foreign, making my brows furrow as I step closer to examine the haze, which is now hovering over the ground, right on top of a patch of Nigthshade berries.

Tilting my head to the side, I squat down beside the strange magical aura, hovering my hand near it to try to identify what strange magic this might be. I’d be a lot more wary if there wasn’t something about this patch of power calling to me specifically, as if it’s been waiting here for me to find it.

I jerk back, nearly falling on my ass, when a voice floats through my head; the moon goddesses voice. Selene’s voice. I’ve only heard it once just before I revived Amira, but I’d know it anywhere, because it rings with an otherworldliness that’s impossible to miss.

A gift for the gifted, she says. You brought back one of mine in her time of need, I now bestow this upon you in your time of need.

“What?” I say aloud, looking around, confused beyond words. The moon goddess isn’t here, but her voice is, almost as if she left a message and spell for me to find. That’s when the magic in front of me condenses into an orb and glows brighter, in an enchanting silver way that I now know for a fact is moon magic. Awed, I blink several times, intrigued beyond belief, just as the orb explodes outward in a burst of light, momentarily blinding me. I open my eyes again when I sense the presence of life, only to come face-to-face with a tiny bundle of black fur with green eyes. A kitten, I realize after a moment, one who’s presence I can almost feel as if it’s a part of me.

“Oh my gods,” I murmur, blinking several times, wondering if I’m hallucinating, because this is no regular cat. It’s a creature of magic, a Familiar, and I now get the gift that Selene left for me. My very own companion and stabilizer, in the form of an adorable kitten that takes a few steps towards me before leaping right onto my lap and rubbing its furry cheek against me. I’m a little awed at being in the presence of a celestial creature; although witches can ask for familiars, they’re rarely actually bestowed, and yet I now have one. All for me. I don’t know how Selene knew this is exactly what I need and at the perfect time, too, but she did, and gratitude fills me until I feel like I’m bursting with it.

“Hello, there,” I tell the kitten, gently stroking a hand along its spine, loving the little rumbling purr it gives off.

I nearly jerk when I feel a presence slide against my mind in greeting, before recalling that Familiars are predominantly psychic creatures. They can’t talk, either aloud or even into a witches mind, but they also have a mind meant to meld with ours that can act as a strange magical presence. They can touch our minds with their own, transmitting feelings, and the feeling I get from this cat with a simple brush of its mind against mine is both one of greeting and contentment. It also gives me a sense of peace, one that’s been absent for years, and stability. All of the sudden, I don’t feel so alone anymore.

Of course, I’m never alone—I have a coven of witches constantly surrounding me—but I can’t shake the lonely feeling that settles in my core, because none of them, not even Maddy or Hyacinth, both of whom know everything about me and that night, truly understand. They can intellectually perceive what I’ve been through, what I go through again every time I sleep, but they’re still unable to entirely get it, which I’ve never blamed them for. Still, it hurts to know I’m alone

This creature, though, has been designed and created to understand me. It’ll be able to sense my emotions and feed me calm and maybe, just maybe, it can chase some of the nightmares away.

"Thank you," I say, my head still tilted upwards, giving my gratitude to Selene on the off chance that she’s listening.

You’ve earned my thanks, her voice floats in my head, confirming that she is in fact here, if not in body then in presence. Treat your Familiar as the precious creation it is. I do wish all the best to you, Savannah. You’re a kind soul, hopefully my gift helps you in your trials to come. With that, she’s gone, leaving me with my newest friend and companion.

I startle when the kitten shifts in front of my eyes, turning from a kitten into a black wolf of all things, in the blink of an eye. A wolf that nearly topples me over before stepping off my lap and laying down on the forest floor, licking its nose with its tongue and blinking at me. That’s when the true magnitude of this gift hits me; Selene didn’t just give me any regular familiar. Normal familiars can only shift from one feline form to another—from a household cat into a panther or lion, for example. This one’s different, which means it’s a skinwalker; a celestial being that can take on any form it so chooses.

“You’re absolutely magnificent in wolf form, but you’re a bit big to take into my house,” I tell the wolf, reaching out to stroke its silky-soft fur and scratch behind its ear. It turns its head and licks my hand, before brushing its psyche against mine with something that might be understanding, and then it’s a kitten again.

I scoop it up into my arms, coming to a stand, marveling at how the simple act of holding this creature centers me. Then, I plant a bunch of kisses over its cute little face, smiling at it’s little meow.

I start walking back to the house as I ask it, “I should give you a name—a good one worthy of you. Let me think for a moment…” I trail off as I flick through a few possibilities. “Chocolate?”

A brush of disagreement against my mind makes me chuckle. “Fair enough, that is a bit generic. Poppy?” Another discontent brush. “Hmm… oh, I know, Misty!” In remembrance of it being a mystical, God-bestowed creature.

The kitten blinks, before it slides a sense of agreement in my head, one that also travels to my chest and warms it. “Alright, Misty it is. And you are just the cutest ever, you know that?”

More agreement and a touch of pride. I carry Misty through the forest, talking to her along the way—although Familiars are genderless and unable to reproduce, I have decided Misty is a her—and receive answers in the form of psychic brushes. When I’m close to breaking the tree line, Misty lets out a loud meow that makes me stop in my tracks, because it feels like a bit of a warning. Just then, I sense two presences, two familiar and oh-so enticing presences, belonging to Jason and Derick. I’m intimately acquainted with their presences, both because I sense them in a strange, inexplicable way and because I’ve healed them from serious wounds, which required a direct energy transfer that gave me a strong sense of them, their auras, and even their personalities.

I learned some interesting things through that. Namely, that Jason has an alarming darkness in him, while Derick has a great deal of light that’s tinged with some strange form of pain.

“I know you’re there,” I call out. “You two can come out and let me know what you’re doing all the way out here—perhaps I could help.”

Jason comes into view, stepping out from behind a tree, his lips quirked in an enticing way. Jason is a little over six feet, packed with muscle, a template of the sheer power of raw masculine s****l appeal that calls to me almost on a fundamental level. With dark hair, angular facial features, ice blue, piercing eyes, and an energy that says f**k with me at your own peril, he cuts a rather intimidating and mouthwatering image. He’s staring at me, all of his attention seeming focused on me.

“You are always willing to help, aren’t you, little witch? You’re too nice for your own good, too kind for this world, do you know that?”

I frown. “Um… I don’t know about all that, but I do know that you’re in no position to judge me. You know, since rumor has it you’re someone who takes genuine joy in maiming your opponents during spars, and skinning your enemies alive.”

He lifts a shoulder, as nonchalant as you please. “It sends a strong message for people not to cross me. I grew up as the son of a powerful Alpha, not much else is expected of me.”

I’m about to respond when Derick comes into view, striding through the trees towards us. He’s an inch or so shorter than his brother with a leaner flame, one comprised of corded muscles, sable-colored hair, and grey eyes the color of an incoming storm. Unlike his brother, who’s staring at me with such intensity he might as well be glaring, Derick gives a smile.

“Don’t mind my twin, he didn’t ever learn manners.” His eyes drop to Misty, and a questioning look crosses his face. “Who’s your little friend?”

“Long story,” I reply, which is something I often say when I don’t feel like explaining myself. “Ther real question is what you two are doing here. Do you need to find something in the gardens?”

“No,” Jace says, darting out his tongue to wet his lips. “We came for you.”

Huh??