The Healer: A Young Adult Romantic Fantasy (The Healer Series Book 1) (37 page)

The minute my hand touched his sword I felt a surge of power sweep through me. A light surrounded my skin and shot out my fingers. I felt a major boost in power through my connection with the sword. All three nekomata sprang into action, and I easily danced over, around, and under every threatening move they made. I found my first opportunity and sliced off the head of Victor’s opponent. I used my momentum to roll to the ground and spring up, taking off the head of the nekomata who’d almost killed Ms. Mori. I motioned for the last nekomata to make his move, readying my stance, looking for an opening or weakness in his position.

“I do not have orders to kill you, Princess. You will come with me willingly or I will be forced to kill your friend and your father.”

“Empty threats? Exactly how do you plan on pulling that off?” He snarled at me, charging forward with his sword held high. He’d left his chest wide open, but instead of plunging my sword in, I lifted it up and blocked his downward swing while simultaneously placing my hand against his heart.

You’re mine
.

I connected with him and instructed his life force to stop his heart from beating. It complied, eager to end its own evil existence. The nekomata’s eyes widened in surprise as its heartbeat began to slow. I gave him a wicked smile, thoroughly enjoying the power I held in just one hand. He couldn’t fight something like this, and there was no way for him to move once I’d started.

It was a very simple process, really. One that Akane had trained me for in case my sword fighting skills weren’t enough. The process of healing gave power to the one being healed, but the process of killing someone put all of that lovely power back where it belonged…with me. I could take a life just as easily as I could give it.

Take a life! Akane?

I shook my head trying to gain control of my thoughts and actions.

The nekomata’s eyes were beginning to roll into the back of his head and his body violently convulsed. He was in agony, and I was the cause of it. I was doing it. What in the world was I doing? I released him by pushing him backwards and away from me. He stumbled to the floor and took in a huge, pain-filled breath.

“I’m sorry,” I said horrified at my actions. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” I wanted to cry; I felt so terrible.

He looked at his slain companions and then back at me and let out a strange kind of chuckle, like he couldn’t believe I was apologizing for hurting him when I’d already managed to kill two of his assassins. I thought he might say something or possibly surrender. Instead, he surprised me by turning around and jumping head first out the window. I heard a light thud from the ground below and then there was nothing.

I breathed heavily, and sweat poured from my forehead running down the sides of my temples. I’d never felt so powerful, so in control of my movements. My euphoria was cut short at the sight of the bloody sword in my hand. I considered what I’d just done. I’d just killed. Not once, but twice, and I hadn’t hesitated for even a moment, and then I’d almost taken a life by using the same power I utilized to save lives.

It felt so disgusting.

How had I known to do that? I had a memory, one about someone training me to kill, but it flitted away, leaving me shaken and frustrated.

I studied the sword in my hand. Blood gleamed sickeningly from the wicked blade. It looked like it was winking at me. I dropped it to the floor and folded my hands under my arms, wanting to hide them from myself, from everyone in the room. The power from the sword disappeared, leaving me feeling like a dish towel that had just been wrung out. Then I looked up.

The first face I saw was Tie’s. Astounded was a good way of describing the look on his face. He lifted his hands in a defensive gesture and walked carefully over to me, putting a bracing arm around my shoulder.

“I did not see that coming,” he mumbled under his breath. He kept his voice low as he continued. “Out of all the things you decided to remember, your training is what kicked in for you? I don’t know whether to feel elated or supremely offended.”

I glanced to Victor who looked like someone had just ripped a couple thousand rugs right out from under him. Angie and Ms. Mori simply stared at me. I finally found my father’s eyes and almost winced. He looked at me like he had no idea who I was.

I’d just taken two lives. The pain of that knowledge made me want to crawl out of my body. I didn’t want to remember the way it’d felt to cleanly slice through another being’s head. It was like cutting butter or slicing bread, hardly any resistance against the blade. It shouldn’t have been that easy. Why had it been so easy? Why had I felt so triumphant afterwards, reveling in my own victory? How had I known the right moves, the right positions? How was I able to kill someone just by willing it to happen? It was like I was two different people, taking on two different personalities…drawing from two different lives. I couldn’t take this. I couldn’t take it. I lifted my shaking hands and wondered if they were even mine.

“Chinatsu, she almost killed that thing with her bare hands,” Victor wheezed out. “Her gift is for healing. How is this possible?” Ms. Mori appraised me with cool and calculating eyes.

“It appears my daughter was much more involved in the Samurai wars than Tie ever let on. How extremely disappointing.”

What was she talking about?

“There are a lot of details about my involvement with Hope that haven’t been discussed,” Tie shot back. “I didn’t think it necessary to tell you until she regained her own memories, which would happen a hell of a lot faster if you two were willing to listen to my suggestions.”

“She doesn’t need to remember anything,” Victor shouted. “What happened in the past isn’t relevant to what we are trying to accomplish now. She doesn’t need to remember who she was, she only needs to know that she’s The Healer.”

“Spoken like a true moron.”

“Enough!” Ms. Mori said.

Ms. Mori didn’t just seem disappointed, though. Her expression was borderline murderous. All it took was that one look, and I suddenly understood something vital in regards to my own survival. She may have been my mother in my previous life, but we’d been far from close, possibly even enemies.

I agreed with Tie. I had to start remembering my previous life..

I was almost certain Ms. Mori had not put me first a thousand years ago, and she wouldn’t consider doing it now. It was all about healing the veil for her. Anything else was just a distraction. These little insights were like gold to me, but I had to know what I’d been fighting for in my first life so I could know who I’d be fighting against in this one.

Tie’s supportive arm was still around me, and I was grateful, but I was worried about my father. He looked absolutely devastated. I wondered if I’d lost him for good.

“Daddy?” I asked, the panic setting in. I stepped forward, but felt my strength floating away. That same hardwood floor obligingly rose up to meet me.

Chapter Twenty

Voices spoke from far away, but my mind didn’t register the meanings behind the words. I was tired. So tired, and so—I don’t know— something felt a little different, but I wasn’t sure if the difference was physical or mental. I didn’t know if I was weightless or grounded. My senses were dulled like the voices in the distance. I couldn’t help thinking it’d be better to leave everything the way it was and not push for understanding. I almost liked the nothingness that whispered invitingly behind me. Oblivion seemed like an easier choice to make. A safer path to choose.

“Come on, Hope.”

The voice was familiar and closer than the others had been. It also sounded very irritated.

“You’ve got to wake up. Do you hear me? There’s a grand council downstairs made up of Ms. Mori, your father, and two high school boys who claim they’re adults,” the voice continued.

I reluctantly focused on the little nuances and tonal quality of the person addressing me and was positive I knew who it was.

“They may be over a thousand years old, but I swear their social development stopped at the age of ten. I can’t believe they wouldn’t include me in such an important conversation. I’m warning you, if you don’t wake up right now I’m going to start screaming just to cause a distraction. Anything to stop them from making decisions with you unconscious.”

Unconscious? Was that what was wrong with me? I needed to wake up. I needed to sit up and speak out. Force them all to listen to me.

My eyes flew open as I jolted to a sitting position. I was on a comfy bed in a room that I’d never seen before. I turned to my left and saw Angie sitting next to me. She was a bit startled.

“I’m tired of you scaring the pee out of me. I enjoyed our friendship so much more when
my
life was a complete and total train wreck and
you
were the one who was conscious all the time. I used to get so much sleep back then.”

“You were also hung over,” I said distractedly.

“Are you punishing me? All those nights as my designated driver made you bitter, am I right?”

“Angie, what are you talking about?”

I looked around the room trying to figure out where everyone else had migrated to. I needed to talk to my dad, to discuss our next move.

“I’m talking about the fact you are like some deadly sword fighter, and you never bothered to let me know about your crazy ninja skills. I didn’t know you could heal people, I didn’t know you could kill people, and I’m almost certain you’re capable of turning water into wine which, by the way, would have been helpful during my drinking phase,” she jabbered.

“Wait a second. It was real then? I did, in fact, kill two…beings tonight? I didn’t just dream that?”

“Yeah, and then you like Darth Vadered that other one. Slicing off his head would have been more merciful.”

“I can’t believe I did that. It goes against everything I’ve ever done. Everything I’ve ever fought for.” It all felt like a bad dream.

“I’ve never seen you move like that. I’d never in a million years think you capable of the kind of stunts you pulled. It was like you were a…”

“…completely different person,” I finished.

Angie nodded. I could see her eyes begin to fill, and I pulled her to me before she lost it in a loud way.

“I know you need to cry Angie, I really do, but you’ve got to keep it together for just a little longer. Okay?”

I felt her head move against my shoulder.

“Do you even know what you did tonight or how you did it?” she asked.

“No,” I replied. “It was like someone else took over. Like my other self.”

“You were a Japanese princess who healed people not some trained samurai assassin, right?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well, here’s something you need to know. The minute you passed out, your father lost it. He’s been arguing with the others for the past thirty minutes about getting you out of the country as fast as possible. He wants to leave everyone but me and you behind.”

“I thought you said you were banned from the meeting.”

“I was. Your dad wanted someone to look after you. I wasn’t the obvious choice, but he trusts me more than our immortal friends downstairs.”

“Congratulations.”

“Epic, I know. I’ll celebrate later. I have, however, been eavesdropping as is my right and duty, being your best friend and all, and the conversation is not panning out the way you’d want it to.”

“What are they suggesting?”

“Your father wants to leave with us tonight, but Ms. Mori has insisted she take us all to a place known only to the gods where she’s certain we’ll be safe.”

Kagami. They had mentioned it was enchanted hadn’t they? I didn’t like that idea at all. The place she described sounded more like a prison, a place where she could keep tabs on me and control me if necessary. There was no way I was going anywhere with her.

“Now they’re talking damage control,” Angie continued.

“Damage control?”

“Ms. Mori is concerned about that cat that got away. She wanted to know if you had any other family here that the nekomata might hurt in order to draw you out.”

“You know we don’t,” I said. “There’s no one here who could possibly be used to….” I stopped abruptly as a thought occurred to me. I was wrong. Dead wrong. I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten, for even one second, about my sweet little ten-year-old confidant.

“Kirby,” I whispered.

Angie’s face looked grim. She was one step ahead of me.

“Your father mentioned Kirby. They’re talking about it right now, which is why I was begging you to come out of your coma,” she wailed.

Those same dulled voices were still coming from the other room. We needed to investigate. Angie helped me stand, and we made our way to the edge of the room. The bedroom door was open, and from this part of the room I could easily hear the argument my dad was currently embroiled in.

“I’m telling you, if there’s even a possibility Kirby is in danger then we need to get him out of that hospital,” I heard my father say.

“Dr. Fairmont, it is highly unlikely that the nekomata would even make a connection between Hope and this young patient. She’s never been seen with him in any public setting. All of their interactions have been within the confines of his hospital room. A nekomata will be looking for family members and possibly close friends, but a young boy who has less than a month to live will not be enough to tempt it in any way even if it is aware of Kirby’s existence.”