someone, you caught the nuances. “What aren’t you telling me, Soph?”
“There’s a lot we don’t know yet.” Her eyes radiated distress. “She may not be able to walk. The right side of her body has been hit very hard, and sometimes that’s hard to reverse.”
Gran unable to walk, talk, or see? Elorie sucked in air, fighting the sudden lightness in her head.
“Don’t you pass out on me.” A touch from Sophie, and it got suddenly better. “She’s alive, sister mine. She’s alive, and she’s the strongest woman I know. She’s going to need us all to believe in her.”
Elorie nodded. Gran had been her rock for as long as she could remember. If Gran needed to lean now, then they’d stand strong for her, for as long as it took. She looked around at all those gathered and waiting. There would certainly be plenty of help.
“I kept thinking last night about how lucky we were,” Sophie said. “If this had happened just a month ago, when your magic was still hidden, we wouldn’t have been able to bring her here, or do half of what we did to heal her. You saved her life.”
“Getting her here wouldn’t have mattered a bit without your skills.” Elorie gripped Sophie’s hand. “Gran always said healing was the most exalted of magics. She’s right.”
Sudden humor hit Sophie’s eyes. “She only said that to keep us all stirring potions in herbals class.”
Elorie grinned in memory. It felt good to think of Gran in those moments—strong, and alive, and giving witchlings a touch of grief for not paying enough attention.
So many had come to Gran’s aid. Her witchlings, pushing love and life into those precious flowers. The coding geniuses of Realm. A four-year-old powerhouse and the gentlest of teleportation spells. Lauren walking around with Great Gran’s crystal ball and encouraging hearts to believe. So many had given anything that was needed.
Such love for Gran. Peace settled into Elorie’s heart, and gratitude that she’d been able to do her small part.
The door of Moira’s temporary residence opened, and Meliya stuck her head out. “She’s awake.”
~ ~ ~
It was most unpleasant to actually feel your age. Moira tried to wiggle her fingers and groaned at the effort.
“Easy, Aunt Moira. We’ll sit you up now.” Sophie’s voice was soothing, as any healer’s should be. It grated at Moira’s soul. Good. Grumpy patients made faster recoveries.
Gentle hands propped her up and tucked pillows behind her back. Moira realized it all seemed very dark. The blurry moon of the night before swam into her mind. Perhaps whatever had happened had taken her sight.
Elorie’s soothing voice this time. “Can you open your eyes, Gran?”
Her eyes were still shut? Well, of all the silly things. No wonder it was dark.
“I think they’re crusted shut.” A moist cloth carefully wiped her eyes, along with the slight tingle of a light healing spell. “There now, give it a try.”
Opening her eyes had never seemed like so much work. The first sights of light and shadow were still terribly blurry. Then efficient hands slid a pair of glasses into place. “Do these help? Meliya bespelled them for you to use while your eyes heal.”
Moira blinked several times. Oh, yes. Those were splendid. She could see quite well now. She smiled at her beloved girls.
Sophie grinned back, the pleasure of a happy healer in her eyes. Elorie’s smile was a lot more wobbly.
Sophie put a quiet hand on Elorie’s shoulder. “It’s normal, and quite temporary.” She sat down on the edge of the bed. “You’ve had a stroke, Aunt Moira. It’s affected the right side of your body, so your smile is a little crooked yet.”
A stroke. So she had almost died, then.
She tried to call enough power for a healing trance to see for herself what had happened. Sophie rolled her eyes and shook her head. “There’s plenty of time for that later. Save your strength.”
She gently picked up Moira’s hands. “Can you squeeze my fingers?”
Moira focused on her hands. The left one squeezed fairly normally for an old woman who had almost died. The right one moved and shook, but couldn’t grip Sophie’s fingers.
As a healer, she knew it was quite good news that it had moved at all. As a woman with a hand that didn’t do as she asked—well, that was a wee bit scary. “I guess I won’t be walking for a bit, then.”
The raspy voice, she had expected. But even to her ears, her words had been garbled beyond recognition. Elorie