Chapter 282: Growing Concern
"Thank you," Ashlynn said, setting a hand on Jacques’ scaly forearm and giving him a genuine smile as his gentle, protective energy washed over her, washing away not only the traces of their aggressive sparring, but a good measure of the fatigue she felt as well.
The wounds she’d suffered weren’t light and knowing that he had to feel the same pain she felt in order to heal those wounds, she worried that accepting his healing might impose too great a burden on the scaly witch. Seeing him quietly endure, she couldn’t help but feel guilty for pushing things so far in their recent sessions.
"I didn’t hurt you too badly when I hit you with the staff, did I?" Ashlynn asked, worried that she might have done more damage than she meant to when she struck his arm. They might be able to heal and recover quickly but all of these things still hurt immensely and the strain on their bodies from the frequent use of healing magic wasn’t light either.
"Just enough to turn my arm numb, Auntie," Jacques said, waggling his fingers as though it wasn’t a big deal. In truth, he planned to heal his own arm once he finished with Ashlynn because even a few minutes later, he still hadn’t regained feeling in his fingers, but he didn’t want her to think that he couldn’t match up to her strength in their sparring sessions.
It was clear to Jacques that Ashlynn’s power exceeded what he could gather. She had the support of every tree in the Briar, whether they were sandbox, cypress, willow or anything else. For Jacques, he could only draw a fraction of the power that he could get from a sandbox tree from any other tree in the forest.
Normally, that would be enough and he frequently managed to keep up with Talauia when she drew on the strength of countless thistles in the briar. But against Ashlynn, even though it had only been a few days, she was already beginning to feel similar to fighting the Mother of Thorns.
As soon as Jacques finished with his healing, Ashlynn crossed the short distance to the stone circle where Heila lay sleeping.
Each day, Heila’s face showed greater signs of strain as she struggled to meld with the power of the seed of witchcraft and the Ancient Willow tree. At times, she tossed and turned violently in her sleep, crying out in pain or fear. Now, her eyes were screwed tightly shut and tears leaked from the corners of her eyes as she fought against the effects of the witchcraft coursing through her body.
"It’s been six days," Ashlynn said, fetching a cool wet cloth and wiping away the sweat on Heila’s brow. "Was it like this for you?" Ashlynn asked, turning to look at Jacques.
"Not dis bad, Auntie," he said, shaking his head. "I’m not talented de way big sister Tala is," he said. "She only took three days, but I took five. Dis... dis goes farther den I’ve seen."