System Break

"It's Alejo," I said. 

Kysandre was startled at first then her sea green eyes grew angry. She stomped towards the door and I held out an arm to stop her. She looked at it and then up at me.

"He's just watching over you. Leave him be, it does no harm."

"I am not a child," she said with a huff. 

I looked her up and down. She had curves that would make any man drool. "Agreed," I said with a grin.

She suddenly felt vulnerable and moved quickly towards Gisael and the fireplace. Reyas and Ailen were upstairs and Barrin said his goodnights. Sakaala looked from Gisael, to Kysandre to me and I shrugged.

She yawned, gave her goodnights as well and went up to her room.

I sat on the comfy seat facing the pair and the sofa they shared. "So," I said.

Kysandre looked at me and then Gisael. "I just wanted to talk and Sigwurd said I should reach out tonight," she said. "I feel silly now with Alejo outside and sitting here in the dark with you two."

Gisael started the fire. "It is not dark now. If you want to talk, talk. We will always be in your debt."

"No, no," Kysandre. "I do not want you to feel indebted."

I chuckled. "You don't have a say in it. Imagine if we saved your sister, lover, and closest friend. How would you feel?"

"I would feel strangely awkward that my sister was my lover," she said, and we laughed.

"Reyas is like a sister to Gisael and her closest friend. To me she is a lover and close friend."

"Oh," Kysandre said. Her eyes widened. "I thought you two," she pointed to Gisael and then me, "Were together."

"We are," I said.

"Oh," she said. "Is that what its like with your folk. We are not like that here. One man for one woman."

I shrugged. "I can't complain. Do what comes natural."

"What is it that you wanted to discuss?" Gisael asked. She stoked the fire and its warm spread over us. They both looked beautiful in the dim light. Gisael still wore her leathers which hugged her lithe frame. Her hair was wild as always and her face was chiselled by a master artist. 

Kysandre wore tight-fitting white blouse and dark blue pants underneath her blue protector's cloak. Although she was from this world she had a Mediterranean look. Dark brown hair and light brown silky skin. When she was close her sea green eyes were striking and they suited her heritage and affinity. She was the first person I met with an affinity, unless the Dokkalfar possessed them and kept them a secret.

Kysandre smiled and turned her head towards Gisael. "I loved watching you fight, especially when I learned you were like us. You were so brave and I'm so happy we got the chance to meet. I wanted to talk tonight at dinner, but with the nobles and duke it was stifling. I have to watch every word I say because I'm very good at offending them apparently."

I chuckled. "Say what you want here. It's a sign of weakness to be offended at every little thing."

Gisael glanced at me and then asked, "What do you mean like us?"

Kysandre adjusted her position and sat up straight. "Oh, I mean, you are no an adventurer. You had come to this island like so many others."

"Not you?" I asked.

"We've been here a long time; I was a baby when we came. My parents are fisherfolk and they were offered timber to build a new boat and free docking rights for a decade."

"How did you become a protector?"

She smiled shyly. "Since I was a small girl I played with water and Alejo noticed me one day when I was ten. I was using sea water to clean the decks on my father's boat, and he watched and followed me secretly all day."

I chuckled. "Like now."

She laughed. "No, this was innocent and now is disrespectful." Then she frowned. "He took me in for testing and training. I was with a dozen children who were mostly of noble birth. That's how the bloodlines go here, they marry for ability and hope they have talented children."

"Of course I was despised because I wasn't one of them, but I didn't care because I brought my family honour. The wealthy children of nobility had known no hardship and I was the only one with an affinity; I think Alejo just bided his time to take me on as his apprentice."

"That was eight years ago, and he still thinks I'm that little ten year old girl."

I shook my head. "He worries for your safety and probably for good reason. You are young, beautiful, and maybe a little naïve because I'd have no qualms banging your brains out."

Her face turned bright red.

Gisael bared her teeth at me. "You always speak what is in your mind."

I laughed. "It's good for her to know what danger she's in."

She couldn't meet my gaze. She looked at the floor and said, "Now I know what you meant by not worrying about offence. Alejo would be beside himself if he heard such talk."

"He probably thinks it and keeps it to himself," I teased.

She shook her head. "He is like a brother to me and you're right I am probably naïve. I've never been attracted to someone until today."

I leaned back in my comfy chair and put my hands behind my head. "Yeah, I noticed."

Gisael stood and approached me, for a second I thought she was going to punch me in the balls, but she just bared her teeth and hissed a little before she sat on the floor between my knees. She faced Kysandre, wrapped her arms around my calves and pulled them close.

I wasn't sure what she was up to but Kysandre could no longer see my hard dragon because Gisael's head was in the way. I took the opportunity to stroke her long braids and she purred like a cat.

I leaned forward and said, "I will let you off the hook little fish. Let's change the subject. Tell us of your affinity or even better show us."

Gisael kissed the inside of my knee to show her approval.

Kysandre put her hand in a pocket and fished out a small vial. "This is water from the sacred pool. It's on the isle in the bay and we call it that because it's rich in natural qi."

She opened the vial and I opened my qi sight. Her pathways were unique as were everyone's. I had learned from watching others that qi pathways were like fingerprints – they looked familiar, but everyone was unique. Hers were intricate and flowed through her body in hundreds of thin lines. These lines met and formed rivers which flowed into her core. 

Her qi swirled up her main arteries from her core and left her hands into the space in front of her. The two streams joined and snaked out before capturing the water in a bulb. The vial didn't contain much water, but I don't think it mattered. Her qi snaked around and brought the water with it. I wondered if it was the qi doing the work of her healing and the water was just for show. I don't think she was aware what was going on because it was a talent she was born with.

What amazed me the most was how she controlled her qi outside of her body. I had to push my qi up my spear using significant force. With my current method I had not chance to replicate what she was doing, and I recalled the dream I had when I was in surgery.

I met an old Chinese man and he told me I had to stop forcing my qi and encourage it, entice it like a kitten with a ball of string.

"Is it much different when you heal," I asked.

"I can heal with this," she said, and a knife appeared in Gisael's hand.

"Would it be too much to ask for a demo?"

"I can do it. Gisael gifted me enough qi to last a month or two."

I held out my hand and Gisael sliced it across the palm. She licked the blade and put it away. I watched closely as the qi bulb and water within floated towards my hand. Kysandre waved her hands in circles like she was doing ta chi. I guessed that helped her feel what she wanted to do, because her hand movements had no effect on her qi. It flowed and whipped no matter what position her hands were in.

The water touched my skin and I concentrated on the intricate movements of her qi. The skin of her qi-bulb was not static. When I used qi - I threw it around in large portions but when innate users did something special the pattern of the qi itself was intricate and tiny. It was like her qi had tiny worms swimming around and I could barely see them let alone memorise the pattern. 

But I was happy, as she stitched up my cut I recognized some of the basic patterns from troll stitching and added one more to my qi vocabulary. 

"Amazing," I said. "Have you ever healed without water?"

She brought the water back and the qi-bulb dropped it neatly into her vial. Her precision and awareness were impressive. The main thing I'd learned is that I had a lot to learn. There was so much to this and I'd only scratched the surface.

She giggled. "No, don't be silly it's the sacred waters that heal. My qi affinity keeps them pure and aligns their internal properties. It's a symbiotic relationship."

I smiled. She had no fucking idea what she was doing either.