Ice Trials by M.A. Rothman & D.J. Butler

Author:M.A. Rothman & D.J. Butler [Rothman, M.A. & Butler, D.J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Baen Books
Published: 2024-12-03T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER

TWENTY-ONE

Gunther knelt beside the wounded warrior, his hands hovering just above the torn flesh. The man grimaced, his breath coming in ragged gasps, but his eyes were locked on Gunther’s, filled with a desperate hope. Gunther inhaled deeply, steeling himself for what was to come.

As he placed his hands on the wound, a barely visible glow began to emanate from beneath his fingertips. It was faint, like the first light of dawn breaking over the horizon, but it grew brighter as he focused his energy. The light pulsed with the severity of the wound, intensifying as it knitted torn muscle and fused broken bone. The tension in the warrior’s body lessened as the wound began to close, the pain slowly easing.

Gunther felt the energy draining from him, a deep exhaustion settling into his bones. The glow dimmed, flickered, and then faded away as the wound sealed itself completely, leaving nothing but a puckered pink mark on the skin that would slowly fade away. Gunther swayed slightly, the world tilting around him.

He scanned the field, and there was at least another dozen who needed healing. This was the sixth man he’d healed and he’d reached a temporary limit.

With a shaking hand, he reached for the flask at his side. The amikawa had a sharp, sweet taste, and as the liquid slid down his throat, he felt a surge of warmth spread through his body. The alcohol in the drink didn’t get him drunk, nor did it seem to have any bad effect on him other than a headache. Yet the exhaustion ebbed, replaced by a gentle rejuvenation that steadied his hands and cleared the fog from his mind.

Gunther moved to the next wounded man, laying his hands on a deep gash across his chest. The glow returned, brighter this time, almost blinding in its intensity. The healing was swift, the wound closing almost instantaneously, but instead of the usual fatigue, a sense of euphoria flooded through Gunther. His body tingled, electric currents dancing from the tips of his toes to the crown of his head.

He staggered back, clutching the flask, the now-empty vessel falling to the ground. His heart raced, pounding against his rib cage, and his senses heightened to an almost unbearable degree. He could hear the rustling of leaves far beyond the clearing, the soft breathing of each man around him, even the distant rush of a waterfall he hadn’t known was there.

Gunther closed his eyes, trying to steady himself against the dizziness that threatened to overwhelm him. A thought wormed its way into his mind: Have I gained a level?

The idea was absurd, yet the sensation coursing through him felt like an elevation, a step beyond what he had known before.

He opened his eyes, expecting to see the familiar glowing balls of light they had encountered in Egypt, but there was nothing. There was something within him, pulsing, thrumming with a power he hadn’t tapped into before. He could feel his mind reaching outward, far beyond the boundaries of the physical world, stretching toward a place he wasn’t sure even existed.

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