Sentinel

Chapter 18 - Opinions

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Chapter 18 - Opinions

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Sitting in her room playing patient was the last thing Skye wanted to be doing. 

"This isn't going to be any different from last time," said Skye, staring at Callum's waiting hand. 

“Humour me,” he said. 

Skye gave in and lifted her arm for examination. Callum took it and gently unwound the bandage, revealing the pale skin of her forearm beneath. 

The bruises were fading, thanks to a combination of his ministerings and her own failed healings. For whatever reason, Skye found it nearly impossible to heal herself, though others, whether the Silverborn or the people of Alguarde, posed no problem for her magic.

But it wasn't the bruises he was interested in.

“Does it hurt if I do this?” said Callum, touching the end of the long wound inflicted by the Commander's soul blade--the ones that refused to close, refused to heal. 

“No.”

“This?”

Skye snatched her arm away as pain flared up her limb. Her fingers brushed against the soul blade's injury, once more sending a spike of pain through her arm. She kept her face neutral and pulled her fingers away, not understanding why it still hurt so much. 

“I’ve told you. It’ll heal eventually. It won’t kill me.” 

Callum stood up, crossing his arms over his chest. “And I’ve told you. You’re not getting out of here until I’m satisfied. Now, let me look at it again.” He held out a hand. “Please.”

"I've suffered worse injuries from sparring," said Skye. "It'll be fine."

Callum raised an eyebrow. "And how many of those injuries were caused by a magical blade?" 

Skye had to concede the point. She cautiously returned her arm to his waiting hand.

"Just don't touch it." 

He smiled at her. She refused to meet his eyes, instead glaring at the thin line traced down her arm where it lay on her flesh, taunting her.

Callum turned her arm over, tutting and clicking his tongue as he jotted various notes down on his nearby notepad with a pen that never left his person. 

"This'd be easier if you could just heal yourself," he muttered after she made a noise of protest. to his application of some sweet smelling paste. "Even the minor injuries would help speed it up." 

“"We tried that already, remember?" 

She winced a second time as he pulled the bandage tighter. “Yes, but you’ve made several visits to the Silverborn infirmary. You healed them well enough.” He caught the surprise flashing across her face. “Oh yes, I know about those. So does Tayne, even if you think you're being sneaky about it. ”

“They were hurt defending me. I wasn’t going to let them suffer for it.”

He gave her a quizzical look as he finished securing the bandage. “So... you’re making yourself suffer for letting them get hurt?”

Skye took her arm back, cradling it to her chest. “No, I just can’t heal myself. I don’t understand why. It’s like the magic just doesn’t realise what I want it to do,” she said. "It just stops."

"And the mark on your shoulder?" asked Callum. "Has there been any change with that?"

"Just the occasional pulse at night that makes it feel like it's on fire," said Skye.