"Lilly."She stopped, but didn"t look up.
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"Lilly?" he asked, lifting her chin so she would look at him.
She looked at him and teal poison slid down the grooves in her face. "James...I need...a healing..." She fell forward and he caught her.
"Lilly?"
She was unconscious.
Scooping her up in his arms, he quickly moved for the trees. But how would he tell a healing tree from all the others? A little chipmunk climbed his pant leg and sat on Lilly for a moment before running down and moving to a spot slightly in front of him. James took heart and followed the little chipmunk to a log with a shallow dish on the top. Laying Lilly in it, he knelt beside her and waited. She slept until early afternoon.
"James?"
"Yes, Lilly?"
"Last night was wonderful. It was nothing like Adremedian creation."
"What does that mean?"
"Everything was different. There was a love deeper than any Adremedian will ever feel and a joining of soul and not just body."
"You"re just saying that."
"James," Lilly replied seriously. "I mean that. After eight hundred years of living, I have only felt love that strong only one other time. It was when my mother gave her life for me."
"I still find that hard to believe."
Lilly sat up and took him deeper into the trees. "I"ll show you."
She kissed him chastely and from deep within himself he felt a strong desire, but it was different. He was there not because he wanted to make love to her, but to aid their people. Then they lay down, fully clothed, next to each other. Words came to mind and he spoke them to her, lips moving silently against her ear as if he was whispering something to her.
"A cycle ends and another begins; Where darkness descends there shall light be again. Where dis-ease threatens the balance, your healing will keep it at bay." He felt life begin to stir within Lilly as he spoke and her belly started to grow. She groaned softly and shifted closer to James. "With brothers and sisters to teach and support, come join us in light, your gifts with us share."
Lilly"s abdomen shrank down to normal as her finished speaking the words. The child they had created cried from beneath Lilly"s skirt. There was more to the cry than taking a first breath. Lilly sat up enough to pick up the child and place it between them as it fell silent. Her little eyes dark red with blood. The child was dead. James looked at the little, still form and felt nothing.
"So this is why Adremedians can let go so easily. There is no attachment to the partner or the child."
"Yes."
They lay with the dead child between them until it turned to dust and settled with the rest of the dirt.
"Lilly, why didn"t the child live? Was it because of the Forbidden?"
"No," she said, looking at him. "It was because of the Adremedian and Gerrabella blood mix."
"Does this mean we can never have children together?"
"I don"t know. This is as new to me as it is to you."
James kissed her. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
"Do you feel well enough to return to the castle?"
"For one more night. Then I need to attend to the forest."
"And your people?" he asked.
One of her bandaged hands brushed his cheek. "No James, just the forest. It"s the plants and animals who need me most."
James took her hand in his. "How will you help with your hands damaged like this?"
"It"s not the hands that heal, but the energy and the touch. You can always come with me."
"I"ll give it some thought."
"Alright."
James stood and helped her to her feet before they went back to the castle.
Food was brought in when they returned and he had to help Lilly eat. Now he wondered how she would survive in the forest. She wouldn"t be able to dig up roots or pick berries. He shouldn"t have even considered Carthago"s suggestion, but yet she hadn"t fought what the energy had done either. They finished eating then went to bed, sharing the bond of Human intimacy once more.
James woke early the next morning as Lilly started to slip from his arms.
"Sorry," she said. "I was hoping to let you sleep."
"No. I want to come with you."
"Alright."
They left the castle and the town before many people were up. Torta met them at the gate and sped them off to the forest. Lilly was off and running the moment Torta stopped. James quickly followed. Lilly"s first patient was a large black bear. The cub she was giving birth to was stuck, turned the wrong way. Using energy, Lilly gently widened the opening then used her bandaged hand to turn the cub enough for it to come out. One more cub followed without problems. The big bear"s head rested on Lilly"s shoulder and Lilly"s arms wrapped around the mother bear"s neck.
Then Lilly walked to another place where several injured animals had gathered. Many of them were small. She treated the most serious wounds first, but James could tell it was hard for her. Carefully, he picked up some of the smaller animals. Lilly turned to him with tears in her eyes. She placed her bandaged hands under his hands and he felt warm energy flow through them. It was uncomfortable, but he remained still and watched with fascination as the wounds healed. He continued to do this until all the small animals were taken care of.
After that, it only left the wolf. He had no idea how to help with that. James watched as she awkwardly moved the wolf onto her lap and kept her arms around it. The air filled with warmth and the wolf whined in pain. Lilly let go as the air cooled and the wolf moved away. She remained where she knelt.
"Thank you, James."
James sat beside her and pulled her close. The bandages on her hands were b.l.o.o.d.y and it concerned him. "You"re hands."
"They"ll be fine. The skin is almost completely closed again."
"You look tired."
"I am, but..." She got to her feet and James stood with her. "There is still much to be done."
"Maybe you should rest first."
"Not yet."
"Lilly you shouldn"t push yourself so hard."
"This is minimal compared to what I am able to do. Come, this way."