“For you,” he said, and extended his hands out, presenting me with a sword incased in a wooden scabbard. “I told you I’d get you a sword. If you still insist on joining the fight, then I want you to have the best one I’ve got.”
I took it without saying anything and pulled the blade from the scabbard, inspecting it. I recognized it from one of our training sessions back when he was my mentor. It was a kung fu short broadsword, with a slightly curved steel blade and a wood-inlaid steel hilt. A tuft of bright red fabric was tied to the end of it.
“You remember how to use it?”
I nodded and sheathed the sword. As much as I liked it, I wasn’t sure I wanted to accept any type of gift from him. I may have agreed to let him join us in the Challenging Ceremony, but he still made me feel a bit uneasy.
“How’s it going out here?” I nodded toward the men training to stab each other.
Talbot hitched his thumbs behind his belt. “You know, for a pack that goes by the name Etlu, most of them fight like crap. The oldest ones at least have some skills from back in the day, but they sure haven’t done themselves any favors by spending the last few hundred years meditating on the mountainside.” He shook his head with disapproval. “What a waste.”
“What, you think it’s better they use their powers to go running around the city, knocking off jewelry stores and pawn shops?” I raised my eyebrows at him.
Talbot’s expression clouded over. “You’re still mad at me for earlier?”
I shrugged. I was still mad at him for so many reasons, let alone his insisting that I shouldn’t be allowed to fight.
“I’m sorry, Grace. It’s just that, you have this great healing power, and if someone you love gets hurt, like your dad, you can heal him. Maybe that makes you see life as not quite so fragile anymore. But what if you’re the one who gets hurt? Who’s going to heal you?” He looked at me with concern in his bright green eyes.
My shoulders dropped. “You and Gabriel tried to heal me once. After what happened at the warehouse.”
“Tried is the operative word there. It didn’t work nearly as well as the way you can do it.” He tapped the back of his shoe against the rungs of the porch railing. “Maybe you can teach me to do what you do.… Then maybe I won’t be so worried about you going into the fight.”
“I’m sure Gabriel already explained it to you when—”
“Honestly, Grace. I don’t remember much of what he said. I was just so desperate to save you I couldn’t really focus.…”
“Then that’s probably one of the reasons it didn’t really work all that well. You’ve got to be totally focused. Clear your mind and think about nothing but your love, or compassion, for the person you’re healing. Try to picture him becoming whole again.” I bit my lip, remembering what had happened the first time I’d tried to heal my father. “Otherwise, it can be dangerous. Like if you accidentally channel your fear, or anger, or hate.”
Talbot gave a grave nod. “Is that what happened to your dad that first time? You said you ended up hurting him more.”
“Gabriel said it’s like letting your inner wolf attack the other person from the inside. The healing power backfired, and instead of repairing his injuries, it reopened them. I even hurt Gabriel. Reopened an already-healed gash on his face. But you’ve seen what it can do when used correctly. I’ve never experienced anything like it before.”
Talbot held up his hands, almost as if he were examining them for healing potential. “That’s some power to wield.” He bit his lip.
“Healing people is exhausting, though. After I healed my parents, I fell unconscious for ten hours straight. That can’t be a good thing to happen on a regular basis. It’s not like I can go around healing an entire hospital of people at once, or anything. That would probably kill me.”