Page 57 of Take No Prisoners
Niall watched Efren walk further into the woods in a direction Niall hadn't explored yet. He hadn't expected a day off, but he was surprised at the immediacy of it all. He'd arrived on the island only yesterday, finally caught up on sleep overnight, and now he was learning all eight elemental weaves as quickly as possible. He wanted to learn, and he was glad for it, but his eyes burned from all the sand he'd kicked up. He'd been trying to remember how to channel air after he'd finally figured out how to harness his water. He worried he would never be able to keep them straight once he learned them all.
Petri brought him a glass of fresh water with a grin and a slight bow before vanishing into the trees.
"We should get to training." Martiz clapped his hands twice. "Let's go!" He walked toward the barracks, not looking back as though he assumed they would follow.
"Don't make us late." Vadim startled him. He'd risen without a sound and was now offering a hand to help Niall to his feet. His gloves blended with the sleeves of his tight black shirt. It had buttons at the wrists and from its hem below the waist to his neck, covering him completely while still defining every muscle in his shoulders, arms, and chest. The death weaver wasn't as bulky as Niall, but he had the physique of a man who knew his way around a martial practice field.
Niall downed the rest of his water as they walked toward the barracks. Vadim took the cup from him and set it on the barracks steps, along with a collection of others.
"Everyone is so kind here," Niall said, motioning to where a child was collecting all the cups to take back to Petri.
"You'll find Petri's kindness only extends as far as Efren's coin." Vadim held up his gloved hands. "They didn't bring me any water."
"Efren bought your meals for the day."
"He did." Vadim's cheeks looked a little pink beneath his large-brimmed straw hat. "His kindness extends far beyond the norms of human decency."
Niall wished he had a hat to keep the sun out of his eyes, too. It hadn't bothered him most of the morning, but now, with it directly overhead, he considered how unprepared he was to live on the island. He had nothing but the clothes on his back and Efren's generosity. He would have to find a way to pay the captain back, and soon. He couldn't stand the idea of leeching off him.
"I can hear you worrying, you know." Vadim rolled his eyes. "First, Efren owns the clothier on the island, but you wouldn't know it from his attire. Say you're his crew and you'll have a new wardrobe. Second, he doesn't keep score on anything. He'll always be one step ahead and above you, so get the idea of paying him back out of your head."
"Third," Vadim grinned as Petri sauntered into the sunlight, their hands full with towels and a sun hat, "A whisper on the wind travels far around here."
"I didn't even say it out loud," Niall said as Petri handed him the sun hat and dropped the two towels in the grass above the training ring.
"Vadim said you needed a hat. I don't make the rules." Petri nodded to Elder Martiz as the healer also emerged from the darkness of the copse of dense foliage.
"Are they ill?" Niall asked. "Is that how you can speak with them?"
Vadim shook his head. "I meant what I said. I saw you needed a hat when you first sat down. I whispered, 'Niall needs a hat,' when I grabbed food for Klaus and me, and they ran to the clothiers to grab you one."
Their exchange had been before Niall had even realized he needed a hat. "Thank you."
"I'm not always an asshole."
"Hmph." Elder Martiz crossed his arms as he examined Vadim from hat to boots. "That has yet to be seen." He hopped into the training pit and motioned for them to join him.
Niall affixed the hat on his head and jumped to the packed sand, ignoring the ache in his calves from the hard landing. He'd started the morning excited to learn, but now, he was overtired and overwhelmed with new knowledge. He could harness both air and water, but he still struggled to desalinate the ocean to something he could drink. Now, without his grandmother's gentle corrections, he worried he was done learning for the day, especially since Vadim had trained under Elder Martiz until he was eighteen with little success.
"You and I are nothing alike," Vadim said under his breath. "You'll probably pick this up with no problem. You've already done something even he couldn't do when you healed Renald."
Niall wasn't so sure.
Instead of teaching them magic, Elder Martiz asked Niall about his rudimentary first aid training. Yes, he knew to apply pressure to an open wound, and how to apply a tourniquet. He knew to clean wounds with soap and water before applying bandages or sutures.
Then, Elder Martiz sliced up a chicken and Niall demonstrated his knowledge. He patched up the chicken's bleeding wing, but when he removed the bandage, the wound had already healed with a subtle hint of magic. Niall hadn't even sensed the weave. He'd almost forgotten how to tie a tourniquet as the same chicken squawked and landed badly in the sand on its severed leg. Thanks to his newfound air weaves, Niall quickly held the chicken in place and applied a cloth tourniquet until the leg stopped bleeding.
With a flick of Elder Martiz's wrist, the chicken was healed again, as good as new. Niall was certain he would never be able to use healing magic. He still couldn't sense Martiz's weaves nor the emotion tethered to them.
Next, Elder Martiz asked if Niall knew how to test for fever or sepsis.
"Not a clue," he admitted.
Elder Martiz chuckled. "You are already far more skilled than most of my proteges. How long before you learned to apply a tourniquet, Vadim?"
"Too long. My teacher was a dick who wouldn't show me the proper way, all while the poor chicken bled out."
"Of all my students, you are the only one who has complained about chicken abuse."
