Page 70 of Take No Prisoners

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"Klaus would argue that it's the most selfish thing I've ever done."

Their skin touched, and Niall felt a wave of empathy pass between his grandmother and Vadim."In the years since your encounter with Martiz, you've regained a sliver of healing power, which is the only way you've kept yourself alive. Now, you're using it to keep Klaus alive. It's the most selfless thing I've ever seen you do. Show Niall."

Vadim closed his eyes. At first, Niall couldn't sense anything, but then he felt it, a gentle thrum along a string that linked Vadim with Klaus. It sounded like a chord in Niall's mind.

"Your turn, Niall."

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He reached for the link between Vadim and Klaus, but something pushed him away. Instead, he reached for Efren, still outside their bubble. Niall used the same lines of communication he had with Vadim and his grandmother to reach for Efren's mind. He found him outside the water weave.

"Do you consent to be healed?"

Niall wasn't certain Efren needed to be healed. He had sore muscles from rowing the skiff, but those pains would fade over time. Niall never would have sought a healer for minor aches and pains, but Efren was the only one who could test his power here and now.

"If it will help you, aye."

Niall appreciated Efren's quick understanding of the situation. He shifted his hand outside the containment spell, and Efren met him with his palm raised, too. Touching Efren's skin felt the same as it always did, his rough rope callouses scraping against Niall's. This time, there was another level of awareness beyond his warmth. Niall could feel all the way to Efren's core and his water magic. He felt Efren's pain as his own, and his eyes stung. He could make that pain go away with a thought.

Power flowed from Niall into Efren. With it, he soothed the aches and pains he found with ease.

"Thank you." Efren released his hand, and he almost lost his balance. He sank into a crouch and lowered his head between his knees to stop the wave of nausea.

"I thought you said he was balanced,"Vadim teased. Fortunately, the death weaver's hair remained white.

"Now that he has both life and death, he will need to find the balance within, rather than sending it outward toward you."

Niall didn't know what that balance looked like, but he understood what she meant by the push and pull of life and death now. He held up his palm again. He could still feel the press of Efren's skin against his, and the memory of pain in his legs and back.

"If this is how it feels to heal minor muscle aches, how did I bring Renald back from the dead?"

"You reached for Vadim by instinct, and he paid the price for you,"his grandmother said."Some weavers find that a death balances a life returned, but others will tell you there's always enough death in the world. The balance must exist within you. When you broker a deal between life and death, you need to know the exchange rate."

Niall didn't fully understand his grandmother's idea of balance. Now, his only goal was to learn fire weaves so he could attempt to free his grandmother from the trap. She wasn't hurt to the point where he could heal her, but the trap was taking a toll on her magical energy and physical strength. When he used his empathetic awareness to reach for her, he felt her body weakening beneath the strain.

"I need to return to Aquarion," he said aloud so Efren could hear him. "If it's all right with you, I'll take the skiff myself."

"It takes two to row," Vadim said. "I'll go with you."

"You'll do no such thing." Storm clouds passed through Efren's gaze.