"And you?" Kira asked the man in front of her.
The corners of Quillon's eyes tilted up. "Only the Overlord or his marshal can compel me to reveal the results of your exam."
And they likely already knew the worst of it.
Kira shrugged. "Blame the doctors and healers that came before you. They taught me to be careful where I place my trust. There's no way I'm allowing you access to information I didn't even share with my friends."
Elodie made an angry sound, but Kira didn't budge. If she needed to, she'd walk out of here. She didn't want to do that. Dying held no appeal, but she would do this on her terms or not at all.
Quillon read the resolve on her face and nodded. "Very well. If that's what you wish."
Elodie shook her head and pointed at Finn. "I suppose the oshota is leaving too."
Kira's stare was thoughtful as she watched Finn hold up the wall, his expression a sea of calm. "He can stay. He's earned my trust."
The surprise in his eyes was stark. Kira stilled at the sign of naked vulnerability before he bowed his head and murmured several words in his own language.
Elodie's expression softened before she sighed, knowing when she was beat. "Kicked out of my own sick room. I can't believe it."
They were quiet as the healer made her exit.
When it was finally the three of them again, Kira focused on Quillon.
Reluctantly, she admitted, "I feel heavy. Slow. More tired than normal, but that could be a result of taking primus form."
The climb up the cliff hadn't helped.
It was the best description she could think of. For most of her life, she'd tried to ignore the power crouched at her core.
The tangle of thorny vines she normally associated with her ki lay quiet and dormant in her middle. For now, there was no pain, but that would change if she accessed her ki, the vines becoming razor sharp.
"We call it ki poisoning. It's exceedingly rare. I've only seen one other case similar to yours in all my years as a healer," Quillon said.
Not good news considering Kira had a feeling Quillon had been around for more than a minute.
"What causes it?" Kira asked, staying focused.
"It's difficult to say. Many conditions have to be in play for it to happen. I'm sure your isolation from the Mea'Ave played a major role. Couple that with what I suspect was sustained exposure to battle conditions and continued overuse of your ki, and you have a confluence of events that have led to ki poisoning," Quillon said.
Kira's jaw worked as she digested this information, all of which she'd long suspected—except for the Mea'Ave part. That was new.
"Did the other person who suffered from this survive?" Kira asked.
Quillon and Finn shared a glance, communicating silently.
It was Finn who finally answered. "Yes. Like you, he sustained heavy damage to his ki pathways in battle. It took many years, but he was able to recover. Since then, he has become a warrior of high status."
Relief filled Kira. If what he said was true, this didn't have to be a death sentence. Yes, the timing wasn't ideal, but she could work with this. She'd lived with the specter of the end for so long it was strange to have hope again.
"What's the treatment plan?" Kira asked.
Quillon shifted. "It is a two-step process. You'll need treatment from me every day in the beginning. As time passes, the treatment frequency will drop off, and I’ll monitor your progress as you reconnect with your ki. I can help heal what you've broken, but making sure this doesn't happen again is another issue. That will be up to you to address."
"That's what I'm here for, isn't it? To learn how." Kira raised her eyebrows. Otherwise, her presence was pointless, and she'd go on her merry way after receiving treatment.
"I don't think it will be as easy as you assume," Quillon suggested gently. "My preference would be to start treatment and wait until your ki has stabilized before commencing training."
Seeing her instinctive protest, he raised a hand. "For reasons you have yet to share, you've chosen to press on with your agenda. I will do my best to make sure your body will withstand the demands you're about to place on it." Quillon speared Kira with a look. "But make no mistake, if the treatment fails, or your body continues to deteriorate, I’ll recommend you be failed as an initiate."
Kira opened her mouth to protest but closed it when she caught sight of Quillon's resolute expression. He wasn't going to be swayed by any argument. Fair enough. She'd simply have to make sure it didn't become an issue. Easily doable.
Her nod of agreement was grudging.
Quillon's expression thawed, and he gestured for her to lay back. "We can begin now, if you'd like."
Kira complied. "Might as well. It's the entire reason I'm here."
Quillon raised his hands. One he positioned over her heart, the other over her solar plexus. "This might sting."
Sharp needles stabbed into Kira's middle. A pained grunt escaped her as those needles began to dig, scrambling her insides.
That fucking liar. Sting, her ass. This was agony.
The needles heated up until a white-hot burning sensation spread through her middle. It wasn't simply muscle and veins that suffered. The sensation went much deeper than that, to a place she knew existed but had only caught brief glimpses of until now. The place where the broken channels of her power hung. Neglected. Abused. Torn and tattered until they were barely recognizable as channels at all.
The brief glimpse told Kira why Quillon had seemed faintly impressed she had survived so long. The maze of veins sustaining her ki were tangled and disjointed. It looked like a pane of glass someone had taken a hammer to. Repeatedly.
Kira fought to hold still, knowing Quillon needed to focus. If this was what it took to be whole, she'd find a way to endure even if it felt like someone had taken a dull spoon and was trying to scoop out her insides.
The pain crescendoed as those needles began weaving, the broken pieces inside starting to move as they slid along each other. Nothing fit as it should, the damage was too extensive, but as Quillon kept working, she saw a pattern emerging from the chaos. It was still a mess, but there was hope where there hadn't been before.
Right when she thought she couldn't take a second more, the needles eased back, cool relief washing in to replace the fire of before.
"I think this is a good place to end today's session." Quillon's voice was shaky, his skin pale, effort and fatigue pulling the corners of his mouth down.
Kira forced herself up to a sitting position, her stomach feeling like she'd gone a few too many rounds with a core workout. Surprisingly, given the depth of pain she'd endured, there weren't many aftereffects.
Quillon crossed to a small table, removing an object and returning to Kira's side. "This is what we call a inhibiter. It'll help you modulate the flow of your ki until you learn how to do that yourself. This will keep you from re-damaging what I've started to rebuild."
Quillon held a wide bracelet. It was silvery and plain, looking more like a cuff than anything. He took Kira’s hand, wrapping the bracelet around her wrist. The two ends fused together, not even a seam to show where it met.
Kira's ears popped, a metallic taste filling her mouth. The great weight she hadn't even known she was carrying receded. It was similar to pulling an eight-hour day in combat armor and then removing it when done.