Free The Healer's Legacy by Sharon Skinner Page A

breath as she emerged into the light and saw the dead creature lying in her path. It was huge and foul. The rain had washed much of the body clean, but dried mud and blood still matted its fur in places. She stared at the gray skin and thick bony ridging along its spine in startled recognition. A rock troll. She’d heard stories, gory descriptions of ten-foot tall beasts that could shred a human with one swipe of its vicious claws, but she’d never seen one. The dark and the rain had been as much good luck as bad. If she had known what they were fighting— Kira closed her eyes. No. She and her companions would have fought just as hard, no matter the danger, or the size of their foe.
    She gaped at the beast. The troll’s stature, much less than ten feet by Kira’s reckoning, was far from the height such creatures were supposed to reach as adults. Perhaps the stories she’d heard had been exaggerated.
    But, what if they weren’t? She shuddered. Trolls were supposed to be territorial, but what if there were more of them about. If this one wasn’t full grown—
    She skirted the body slowly, careful not to touch it. Her reasoning mind knew it had been dead for hours, but part of her was still afraid. A small hoot made her jump. She flinched, bringing her hand up quickly to her pounding head. I’m fine , she thought at Vaith, then grimaced. At least I was until you startled me . Vaith trilled low in his throat and, sensing his hurt, Kira regretted her scolding words. She gritted her teeth as she made her way to the river’s edge. “I’m sorry, little one, I’m just in a foul mood. It isn’t your fault I’m in pain,” she whispered to keep the echoing in her head at bay.
    Kneeling on the riverbank, she cupped her hands and scooped up freezing water, sipping as it dribbled through her fingers. The icy water tasted sweet, but numbed her fingers. The morning sun glowed high in the sky, and the stones along the river cast shadows that seemed to ripple and dance between bright patches of sunlight.
    Kira stretched her legs out behind her, lying on her stomach on the sandy shore to lower her face to the water. The cold made her flinch, but she pushed her face into the icy river. When she could hold her breath no longer, she pulled her head up, gasping for air, then plunged her face back into the water over and over until the throbbing finally subsided to a dull pain. She took a long cold drink and rolled onto her back, allowing herself to doze in the warmth of the sun as it peeked out between scattering clouds.
    When she woke once more, her clothes were nearly dry. She opened one eye, then the other. Her face was still sore, but the throbbing ache was gone and the sunlight was tolerable.
    A shadow passed over. Vaith fluttered above her for a moment, and then made an awkward landing beside her. “Show off,” she told him with a smile. He folded his wings carefully, shrugging his shoulders, and Kira noted stiffness in his movements. He could have been hurt far worse by the troll than he’d been.
    She sat up as Kelmir limped out of the cave. He had cleaned some of the mud off himself, baring fresh claw marks on his right shoulder. Kira berated herself for not seeing the extent of the wound earlier. She was making too many mistakes. Mistakes they couldn’t afford. She tended to his wound, using what was left of her store of herbs. Afterward, Kelmir sprawled out to sleep in the sun.
    Muttering to herself about her stupidity, she led Trad out into the light and reexamined him. A long scratch on his left forefoot had become red and puffy. He wasn’t limping, but Kira didn’t like the look of it. She wrapped it in damp moss to reduce the swelling and covered it with sticky mud dredged from the river.
    Vaith sidled up to her, tilting his head and flicking his tail. His hunger spilled out and her stomach growled in response. “Yes, you’re right. It’s high time we caught something to eat.” She sat up. Her head was clearer,