I woke staring up at branches and clouds in the sky. I sat up on grass, not my bed as I expected as events ran back through my head.

My clothes were dry and I attributed that to Mot who sat in front of me, alongside Theo, Francesca, and Penelope.

“Are you okay?” Mot and Francesca asked at the same time while Theo grabbed my shoulders and peered into my face.

“I’m fine.” I think. My head pounded something fierce and my arms felt like limp noodles, but I didn’t regret it. Theo was alive and presumably perfectly healthy in front of me. “I don’t know how I did that though.” A new fear gripped at me, but I was so exhausted it didn’t stick. I was aware of the implications of a thirteen-year-old displaying a third-stage spell when second-stage would be normal. Fear wasn’t throttling me into frantically coming up with an excuse to cover it up. That worried me in a similarly detached way. I had gone too far with my first attempt and it costed me. “I think I should go home and get some rest. Theo, you are fine though, right?”

“I’m fine. I didn’t believe that I got hurt to begin with. I know you always heal me if I ever get hurt, but stage-three? That couldn’t have happened. It must’ve been a strong stage-two spell, right?”

I wanted to slump back down and drift off to oblivion, but Theo still gripped my shoulders. Sleep lulled me into closing my eyes again. “I don’t know. . . . I just had to . . . save . . . you.”

***

The next time, I woke up in my bed.

My head felt infinitely better than I remembered except for a fog bogging it down. Theo sat beside my bed, my hand in his. I gave him a weak smile as his mouth pulled down in fearful concern.

“How are you feeling now?” he asked, before turning to shout, taking a deep breath. He expelled it shakily and called only marginally louder than his regular volume, “Maddie’s awake!”

Mom bustled in, her apron on. She must’ve been in the middle of cooking.

“What were you thinking? Using a third-stage spell?” she demanded. I could see worry fueled her. “Your father went to track down somebody that can help after you didn’t wake up.”

I didn’t sit up, worried any kind of movement might exhaust me. I still felt fatigued, but I didn’t suffer the same disconnect from earlier. “He did? But Mom, I had to save Theo. He was hurt.”

Theo lowered his head, ashamed. “It’s my fault Mom, I told you that.”

“It isn’t your fault. It was an accident,” I said. “How long was I asleep?”

“Two days. Your father left yesterday after our local light elementalist tried healing you and nothing happened,” Mom told me.

“Then it’s too late to call him back. Where did he go?” I asked, feeling like we had stepped onto a precipice that could crack and at any moment slip down a sheer rock cliff.

“To Windstrom, the closest big city that should have a more capable healer. He traveled with wind elementalists so they might already be there.” Mom gave me a sad smile. “We didn’t know what else to do. We were so worried.”

“I just overtaxed myself. I feel a lot better already. I just need rest, I think.” Already I felt like I could fall back asleep.

“If I had noticed the tree, I could’ve blasted it apart,” Theo said, still beating himself up about it.

I squeezed his hand. “Everything turned out all right. I don’t regret saving you. That’s what I’m supposed to do, remember?”

He didn’t brighten at that, still down in the dumps.

“No one can take me away. Right?” I looked to Mom, tears threatening at the possibility.

She gave me a tight smile and stroked the side of my head. “No. They can’t take you from us.”

I nodded. “What were you cooking? I’m hungry and thirsty.”

“Soup. I’ll bring some right away.” She left.

I squeezed Theo’s hand again. “I’m really going to be all right. Don’t punish yourself over something we can’t control.”

“But I ruined everything.” A tear slipped down his cheek and he angrily swiped it away. “What if the magic tower or king takes you away because you’re so special? Mom and Dad can’t stop them, even if they say they can.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I promise that. No one can make me heal anyone, especially if we maintain that this was a fluke. The others are okay, I assume? I remember seeing them before I fell unconscious, except Elliot.”

“He went with wind speeding him here to tell Dad and Mom what happened. Everyone all said they would keep it a secret after I told them to, but Dad probably told healers to get you help.” His grip on my hand tightened. “I ruined everything on your birthday of all days. I’m the worst.”

“You are the best brother I could ever ask for,” I stated in all seriousness, putting all that I could in my face and voice to convey that unparalleled truth. “And my birthday is still one of the best days I have ever had. We don’t know Dad told anyone. He could have hidden the truth and when they arrive here, we can cover without my secret getting exposed.”

Theo’s downtrodden expression didn’t shift. Mom entered and I sat myself up, measuring my energy level and hoping I didn’t fall asleep for two more days.

***

Dad returned with an old man with a long white beard that evening. I had taken an intermittent nap, hoping to recover before they arrived. At least I woke as Theo nudged me awake.

“I’m okay, Dad,” I said as the two men filtered into my room where Theo had taken up residence.

Mother came in behind them, her hands anxiously wringing her apron. “She’s woken and ate. I don’t know if she needs any healing.”

The elder set a hand on Theo’s shoulder. “May I sit, young sir?”

Theo wordlessly moved aside, eyeing him with turbulent distrust.

Light moved about my body. I had healed myself on occasion and it felt the same as his did, warm and soothing.

“Strange. You said she healed too much, overexerting herself?” the healer asked.

“Yes,” Dad replied, eyes shifty, but the healer watched me. I wondered if he knew, or guessed anywhere remotely close to the truth. Dad was proving to be a poor liar.

“With stage-two, this much deterioration of the soul shouldn’t happen,” the healer said.

“My soul got damaged?” I asked him as the truth suffered me another blow.

“Your body is fine. Think of magic overuse as soul damage when it’s not physical backlashes. Usually with rest and careful future use of magic, you should be fine. May I ask how you pushed your limit?” he asked.

“My brother got hurt. His head got hit and I focused on healing him until he was all better,” I said, my choice of words truthful with the important bits left out. “I knew I pushed myself, but I was so scared he would die. I acted immediately without verifying how injured he truly was. Maybe it would have been fine if we brought him to town and our local healer helped him. I’m feeling a lot better now. Like you said, rest will solve my problem.”

The man continued pouring healing light around me. “I hope so, but I think a stronger healer more adept at healing soul damage should examine you. Make sure you take it easy in the future. Using more power than you’re used to is dangerous. Healing magic can’t help with soul damage very much. It’s very important to not use more magic before you are used to it. It’s crucial to take it easy, nice and slow.”

It had been a while since I felt talked down to like a child and it wasn’t pleasant. My parents felt it odd that I used words like verifying instead of checking but they chalked it up to me reading and overall being a gifted child. But worse than being treated like a child was bringing in more people to potentially sniff out my secret.

“I’ll be very careful,” I said solemnly. “I’m feeling a lot better already. I just need some more time.”

“You shouldn’t try to jump ahead before you’re ready for it. That’s very important,” he stressed like I didn’t get it already. I understood he was only looking out for me, a young teenager he didn’t know, but I found it a bit aggravating.

I smiled when I wanted to scowl. “I’ll be extra careful. I don’t want to go through this again, after all.”

“I think it’s best I ensure you are doing well until a more advanced healer from the magic tower can be brought in,” he said, more to my parents.

“No! Not the magic tower!” Theo protested. My parents shared a pained look.

“Of course, you can check on her tomorrow and make that call,” Dad said as Mom looked to him with a tight expression. “I’ll get you set up at an inn.”

“Oh? Yes. Thank you.” The doctor stood and Theo glared at him as he and Dad left.

Mom took the vacated seat and bent forward to rest her head in her hands.

“It will be fine. He’ll see I’m doing good tomorrow and leave,” I said before yawning. “I’ll get more rest and do much better in the morning.”