Hope

Chapter Nineteen: Healer's Dilemna

When we got back to the wagon, the first thing I did was have him change out of his wet clothes and into some dry ones, the only other clothes that Zack had with him. These were thinner than the ones he had worn, but they were the only ones that fit him. I hadn't realized how big he was compared to Stan, who was a tall but skinny guy. Zack had broad shoulders and a broad chest, which made any of Stan's clothes too small.

"Why'd you make me carry the boy to his parents?" Zack demanded, his teeth chattering uncontrollably.

"Well, you kind of took off your hat to rescue him, so they already knew what you were," I replied, wiping the water off my waterproof leather pants. "I figured that it wouldn't hurt for them to know who you are as well."

Zack sighed. "You obviously don't understand humans."

"I obviously came from a very isolated community that hasn't been in contact with the outside world for two hundred years!" I shot back. "I understand humans perfectly well. They aren't all that different from shifters. It is you I don't understand."

Zack shook his head with amusement. "That's not true. You understand me perfectly well." He coughed a bit and shook his head. "Stupid river."

I looked at him, concerned. "Are you getting sick? If you are, then it's kind of my fault, so I need to know right away in order for it to be set right."

Zack gave me a weak grin. "No, I'm not getting sick. I hope." He stopped to cough again. This time some river water came out of his lungs. "Oh, that's much better."

Just then, Rebecca came into the wagon. She shivered slightly. "Is it just me, or is it getting colder?"

"It's not just you," I said, pointing at Zack, who was visibly shaking under all his blankets.

Rebecca touched his forehead, concerned, and said, "Wow, he's all wet. What happened?"

"He got cold water on himself," I explained. "So now he's freezing."

Rebecca made a face. "Well, that was stupid." She looked at him again and sighed. "I guess I'll have to warm him up now."

She then concentrated hard, and a small ball of fire appeared in her hands. But before she could make it float somewhere near Zack, Zack reached out a hand and absorbed it.

"What was that?" she asked suspiciously.

"I needed to get warm fast," Zack said simply. "Please make another." He was still shivering, but his face wasn't as pale as before.

So Rebecca made another fireball, bigger this time, and Zack absorbed it as well. He sighed and closed his eyes, reveling in the new-found warmth. He shrugged off his blankets and laid down on top of some of the crates. Soon, he was fast asleep.

Rebecca turned to me, rolling her eyes. "He's really weird, isn't he?"

I shrugged. "I guess, but fires have always made me feel kind of tired. You want to hang around now? And what happened to Stan?"

"I left him by some water pump. He wanted to see how it worked." Rebecca rolled her eyes again and slouched in her usual seat in a far corner of the wagon. She then started playing with her hair, twining it around one finger before letting go.

"You've never told me anything about your past," I said.

She gave me a funny look. "No. I haven't. There's not really much to talk about. I have no parents and I was raised in an orphanage where I was essentially ignored or taunted by the other children because of my hair." She appraised a red curl and then brushed it back. "That's why the soldiers mugged me initially. It wasn't because I was a 'helpless woman', but because my hair was red. Red-haired people are generally associated with Fire Elementals, even if they aren't one. I was one, but I didn't use my powers on them. Elemental abilities are notoriously hard to learn and control, especially if the magic is strong. I'm not the strongest Elemental that ever existed, but I can do some serious damage if I put my mind to it. People are afraid of that kind of power. It scares them. They don't think anyone should be allowed to do things like that, especially not someone like me."