Excerpt
When the warrior loomed in the doorway of my hut, I exhaled with resignation.
Here we go.
"Siena! You are needed," he muttered, dragging me out without any concern for the well-being of my not quite fifteen-year-old arm. His own arm bulged with muscle, peppered with dark hair and blood spatter. I had trouble keeping up with his urgent stride as he yanked me along.
We approached the compound's perimeter, where a line of groaning, injured men lay just inside. They had head wounds, deep gashes, bloody punctures—all the usual signs of a pitched battle between tribes.
The warrior tossed me toward them and grunted, "Heal them."
I fell, skinning the scraggy knees that poked out from beneath my worn, deer hide dress. Wincing, I glared at his boots, too timid to openly meet his eyes. My nose wrinkled at the smell of unwashed fighters, but I had no choice but to begin my task. I cupped one man's head in my hands. His long hair was dark brown and wild, like all the other tribe-born. I concentrated the healing energy, willing it to flow into my hands, watching as the blood stopped gushing and the laceration slowly knitted together. I shifted to the next man and eased the bleeding from his leg. On the next I soothed away a burn. On and on I went down the line, my energy steadily draining away. I blinked rapidly as my vision dimmed.
By the time I reached the last man, I was dizzy, unable to even stand. He clutched his stomach and shouted obscenities at enemies far away.
"Hurry up and fix me, whelp!" he bellowed.
I placed my hands on his wound, but had trouble summoning any more strength.
"What's taking so long? I swear you're slower than a two-legged toad!"
I tried harder, but blackness crowded the edges of my sight. Only a tiny trickle of energy murmured within me.
"You're useless!" He pushed me aside, sending me sprawling. I must have healed him enough, though, for he sprang to his feet and ran headlong into battle once again. I lay there, breath shallow, slowly slipping away. Someone hauled me onto a shoulder and carried me away as the darkness descended.
