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talented person when that person was under distress.
Afterward, the powers were unpredictable and difficult to call upon. Without
proper training, Reaylin would probably be hard pressed to intentionally
perform the same healing again.
    Since no mages were aboard, and having apprenticed with the
healers at the fortress, Rezkin decided he was probably the best person to
speak to Reaylin about her newfound ability. The young warrior made his way
down to Reaylin’s quarters and knocked softly on the door. He knocked several
more times before the young woman finally answered.
    “What?” she shouted. “Oh, it’s you,” Reaylin sniffed through
blurry tears upon opening the door.
    “May I enter?” Rezkin asked.
    Reaylin shifted uncomfortably and looked back into her empty
berth. She had dreamed of getting Rezkin alone in her room on many occasions,
but in none of her dreams had it been under these circumstances. She ducked her
head and stepped to the side, hesitating a moment before closing the door. It
would not be considered proper to be alone in the room with him with the door
closed, but at the moment, she did not really care. She did not want others
listening in on their conversation. Not that she would have cared, anyway.
    No chairs were available in the small room, so Rezkin sat on
one of the beds. Based on its location in the middle, Rezkin assumed it was
Frisha’s. Shiela may not like Frisha, but she would insist that her
sort-of-noble cousin separate her from the commoner. Reaylin sat on her own bed
facing Rezkin. Their knees nearly touched with the close proximity.
    Rezkin cocked his head and asked, “What is wrong, Reaylin?
Why are you upset?”
    The young woman stared at her hands in her lap and sniffed.
“I-I don’t want to be a healer.”
    Rezkin waited for the young woman to continue. When she did
not, he prompted, “Why not?”
    Glancing up, Reaylin was caught in Rezkin’s crystal gaze,
and she could not look away. “I am a warrior,” she said stubbornly. “I am
strong and capable, and I will prove myself to any who say otherwise.”
    The young man considered the woman’s words. “You think that
being a warrior precludes you from being a healer? Or possibly the other way
around?”
    Reaylin lifted her chin. “Healers are weak. They do not
fight. I’ve heard they even take oaths against doing harm or some such
nonsense.”
    Rezkin nodded his head now that he understood. “Do you think
I am strong, Reaylin? Do you doubt that I am a warrior?”
    The young woman’s eyes widened as she answered, “No! I mean,
yes. I mean… yes , I think you are strong; and, no , I do not doubt
you are a warrior.”
    He nodded and asked, “Would your opinion of me change if I
told you that I am also a Master Healer of the Mundane?”
    Reaylin’s jaw dropped. “Are you?” she asked, her voice
barely above a whisper.
    “I am,” Rezkin declared. “I only tell you this so that I may
serve as an example for you. You do not have to give up being a warrior just
because you are also a healer. Having healing Skills is highly
advantageous for a warrior. The fact that you are a natural healer will make people
want to protect you. You know how rare they are. That does not mean that you
cannot learn to protect yourself. After all, you cannot heal yourself if you
are injured.”
    In truth, Rezkin had already determined that Reaylin’s
warrior skills would be limited to poor to mediocre. It was not because she was
a woman or that she was small. Her mind was what held her back. She was
temperamental, impulsive, and reactive, and she lacked the patience and focus
needed to master the Skills . It was to her great fortune that she
discovered a truly valuable hidden talent.
    “But, people would expect me to heal them. Sick people and injured ones and… children , and they would expect me to fix
them when I should be out battling the enemy,” she protested.
    Rezkin raised his brows and asked, “What enemy, Reaylin? We
are