UNGLOVED

Chapter One (revised)

Liriel hated taking shortcuts. Healing took as long as it had to take. Taking any less time made her patients suffer, and this, above all, Liriel simply couldn't abide.

Ever since the war started in the south, two years ago, work had changed. The steady rhythm of healing for two days, then resting for three had now become healing for three days and resting for only one. Everyone was tired. Worse yet, healers were being asked to limit their work to critical areas only, in an effort to conserve their energies. Patients were to be left to finish their healing on their own, which took time and cost them in pain.

The infirmary was noisier these days as well, with ten healers working, and soldiers in steel gray uniforms coming and going, bringing in new patients as soon as the old ones were healed and ready to be moved out.

Two soldiers carried in a patient on a stretcher. His leg was piled high with blood-soaked bandages. A coppery scent filled the air around her. Liriel lifted the bandages to examine the wound. Shards of broken bones poked out through a ragged hole in the man's flesh. Liriel swore under her breath. She noted the filth encrusting the outer edges of the gaping hole. How were things going for the healers on the front lines if patients were coming to her in this condition?

Marulan, they were called. They were healers who used maru, the energy that resided in the spirit. Liriel had learned to use mental control to close her patients wounds with this power and to reach deep into the body with her awareness to find the broken places and repair them. It was a valuable gift, and a rare one, and it cost her much to use it.

The soldier laying on her healing bed was badly injured but had yet to received any care. Usually the Marulan on the front lines worked on patients just enough to stop the bleeding, leaving the deeper and more complex work to the College Marulan to handle, but this man appeared not to have been touched at all.

She shook her head and began. She pulled off her silver gloves, tugging at each fingertip, one by one. Her palms were circled with a layer of shiny skin where they were most sensitive. It was necessary to touch her patient with her hands in order for her mind to have access to his body.

Opening the soldier's shirt she found the smooth pale chest barely rising and falling. At least there were no wounds there. She placed her hands lightly on his skin. For a moment, as her palms made contact with the soldier's flesh, Liriel felt the world spin, as her awareness slipped into his body. She was briefly disoriented as she saw through his eyes, looking down on herself. It always began like this, but then she would master her control and her vision would right itself.

She felt her consciousness going down through his skin, through his veins, into his bloodstream. Following along these pathways, she found the areas where there was damage. There were ruptures which she sealed with the touch of her mind, cauterizing tissue with a brief burst of maru generated heat.

It was delicate work.

"Marulan, what are you doing," said a male voice, shocking Liriel out of her healing trance. She had located a gash on her patient's leg and was tending to it.

She looked up to see the infirmary supervisor, a short stocky man also clothed in head to toe silver, hovering over her patient. She was used to attracting the supervisors attention.

"This man is too injured. Move on to the next."

Liriel blinked, irritated by the silver cloth of her veil caught against her eyelashes. "But sir, I can do this without effort. It's not as bad as it looks." She could feel the man frown underneath his own veil.

"They warned me about you. If you ask me, it was a mistake for the College to graduate you without requiring you to finish the complete program. One day you will tap yourself out completely. I won't be held responsible."

Liriel was glad that her teachers released her early from her studies. She had figured out that others needed to understand everything about the body and its inner workings before they could attempt a healing. Healing came instinctively to her, though. Once Liriel understood how to search for and assess physical damage, the healing part had always seemed obvious.

But this was going to be the other argument...the one about conserving maru, as if Liriel had so little. The College masters preached endlessly about this. They had never understood how much she had available to her. To be fair, though, there was no way for them to measure each person's maru in order to know.

"It hasn't happened yet, sir, I know my limits. Please allow me to finish."

The man sighed. "Fine, but don't expect special treatment when you're completely exhausted." He turned and moved on.

Refocusing on the task at hand, Liriel completed repairs on the leg and then dealt with a broken rib, in spite of the College's policy to let the minor injuries heal on their own in order to save Marulan energies. Her patient would be in pain and weak for a long time. She didn't want to make it any worse for him.

Ever since the war broke out, it was clear that the Marulan would have their work cut out for them. Patients were triaged by field medics and a few Marulan at the front, a five hour ride by horse, or more by wagon. For those stable enough to travel, the major healing work was done here in the city, under the watchful eyes of the clinic supervisor.

It might appear a cumbersome routine. It might seem easier to send all the Marulan to the front, but the masters of the College feared the military officers would put undue pressure on the healers in the field, forcing them to continue working long after their energies were dangerously depleted. Based on her experience, Liriel believed, at least in this instance, the masters were right.

The next patient was brought to her and laid on her healing bed. She lifted up the bandage on his arm to see the overall damage, but lowered it as soon as she caught a glimpse of the gaping hole in the middle of his upper arm. The triage efforts were nominal. The man was unconscious, unable to bear the pain of this terrible wound. Her friend Daria who called the College policy on healing "patch or pitch," would have said this one was a pitch, but Liriel never let a challenge go to waste.

She settled in to do her work, figuring this one would take a lot of effort, when the supervisor returned and lingered by her side.

"I hope you aren't going to try to heal this one, Marulan. He's past hope, even for you."

This wouldn't do. Her patient might be able to hear their discussion.

"When you can measure the level of maru I possess in a given moment, I will be pleased to follow your directives. At the moment, I state that I am fine. Please let me continue my work."

At that, Liriel turned back and found a contact point on the man's chest, placed her bare hands on it and proceeded to ignore the supervisor as she bent her mind to the task of healing the aweful wound.

It took a long time. All the while she could feel the supervisor eyes boring into her as he remained at her side. His attention was a waste of effort. He could have healed someone else instead of distracting her. As she withdrew her mind from inside her patient's body, she realized anger had ignited her and she felt surprisingly energized.

"I am finished and ready for another patient, sir," she said.

"You should be done now, Marulan. That was two heavily inured patients within an hour. Anyone else would be ready to faint."

"I'm fine. I still have maru to spare, and there are plenty who need me." She waved the waiting soldiers over to her patient and they lifted him away. A servant came and changed the soiled sheets. She waved again for the soldiers to bring her another patient, but the Supervisor stepped in and held up a hand.

"You are dismissed, Marlulan."

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I hope you enjoyed this first instalment of Ungloved. If you did, please consider voting so that it has a chance to receive some more attention by rising up the ranks in the Fantasy category. I also enjoy comments, so please feel free to let me know what you thought.

Cheers!

Rebecca