Reaching out with my Domain, I try to sense Lionel’s condition, wishing that I knew how to perform a Sounding. The Viewing technique that I learned from the [Inquisitors] isn’t enough to give me accurate feedback about his health. From what I can make out of his system, though, the technique shows that his core is under assault, as if he’s trying to heal himself but his Skills won’t activate.

“Heal him!” I shout.

The Mender shakes her head, an odd grimace pulling her lips back in a strained smile. “We can’t do that. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have other patients to see. Please stop causing a scene, or I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

“Explain to me why you won’t heal him. He’s a [Healer]! He’s working with Mender Uttara in fact. He took the Class because he wants to keep people alive.” My voice is rising, but I’m too angry to hold back any longer. “You’re supposed to be the most prestigious group of [Healers] in all of Densmore—maybe in all the world. What good is your institution if you can’t fix him?”

“We tried!” the Mender yelps, flinching back from the oppressive weight of my Domain. “You don’t understand. It won’t work! I’m sorry, but he’s as good as dead already.”

Anger burns deep within me like a red-hot coal at her refusal. I push people aside as I surge forward, my mana growing so thick that it’s visible around me like boiling water. Waves of energy pour off me, making people shudder.

Everyone in the vestibule whirls around to see what’s causing such a commotion. The Mender’s eyes widen in shock at the sight of multihued mana swirling all around me. She takes a sharp breath and shuffles back half a step, then seems to find her courage and stands up straight.

“Security!” she yells, her voice shockingly loud as it cuts through the suppression of my mana-empowered [Arcane Domain] and echoes through the white tile hallways of the Menders facility. “Hostile intruder in the healing intake. Help!”

“I’m not hostile, but I will be if you don’t start treating my friend right now,” I growl, my mana infusing my words with a menacing undertone.

“Stop! You don’t understand,” the Mender pleads. She’s shivering, backing up as I draw closer. She reaches for a Skill, but it fails as I flood her with disruptive mana. The blood drains from her face, and she shrinks away from me. “It will only make things worse. Please! You have to believe me!”

“Try again!” I roar.

“I . . . I can’t! It will kill him faster.”

A trio of [Guards] appear in my senses, charging down the hallway toward us. I ignore them and stride over to the Mender. “Prove it.”

“Nuri, she’s telling the truth,” Avelina says, interposing herself between us. She’s shaking even though I haven’t targeted her with my Skill. “I’m just as angry as you are, but please—don’t do anything that you’ll regret.

“I don’t believe a word any Mender speaks,” I spit out. “They’re snakes and liars.”

Mikko sets Lionel and Melina down on the floor. He steps up next to Avelina and places his hand on her shoulder. “They tried, Nuri. It only accelerates the rot.”

“How do you know they’re using healing Skills on him?” I demand. “I’m the only one who can see what she’s actually doing. Bring more Menders. Call for Uttara. Prove to me that they’re trying their best to heal Lio.”

My words seem to get through to my friends at last. The two of them turn back to the frightened Mender, suddenly radiating suspicion.

“I’ll get Mender Uttara,” Avelina says. “I met him when Mel and I brought in a delivery from the studio. Mikko, don’t let Nuri kill anyone. He’ll never recover from the guilt.”

I’m about to argue that I’m not liable to kill anyone when the [Guards] finally arrive.

“Halt, intruder!” the nearest of the [Guards] yells. He unsheathes a rod of smooth metal about as big as a short sword. Electric energy crackles along its length, stopping just before the handle thanks to what looks like an enchanted cross guard. The jagged white lines remind me of a tiny lightning storm discharging all around the weapon.

I fend off the leader of the [Guards] with a flex of will. All three of them stagger, falling to their knees as my Domain crashes over them, though they’re otherwise unhurt.

“I mean no harm. But my friend needs care. Now. Show me what you’ve tried, and don’t let your friends interfere. ” I glare at the Mender and glance back at the [Guards] with a pointed look, letting more of my mana seep into my [Arcane Domain] and pressing them down to the floor. They seem to get the message, freezing in place and not trying anything aggressive while I speak with the Mender.

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“It’s like your big friend already said,” she gasps out when I reduce the pressure from my Domain. “The healing only accelerates the damage done to him; whatever insidious malady is affecting him, it feeds on mana. The more we try to help, the worse he gets. We couldn’t keep trying or else we’d kill him on the spot. Only this young lady’s stasis Skill is keeping him alive. And even she can only delay his inevitable death. I wish there was better news. I’m sorry.”

“I can’t accept that,” I say, shaking my head. Yet there’s no denying the sincerity rolling off the Mender in front of me. She’s terrified, but she truly believes she’s telling the truth. There’s no hint of duplicity or malice in her trembling spirit.

“Can’t . . . hold on . . .” Melina whispers.

My attention snaps over to her, and I scan her reflexively, noting the hairline fractures breaking out on her Skill structure. She’s pushing the Skill harder than she should, trying to keep our friend alive. Unfortunately, she’s drained dry.

Her Skill flickers out.

Blood seeps from Lionel’s eyes.

Rot tinges his wounds black.

“I’m sorry, Lio. I’m sorry! I can’t do any more,” Melina says, her voice cracking in guilt halfway through her words. She sweeps her long, white hair out of her face and wipes away the sweat that’s pouring down her forehead and mingling with her tears.

“Mana draughts!” I bellow at the [Guards]. “Bring her as many as you have on hand. I’ll pay double for them—triple!”

“They’re restricted,” the lead [Guard] replies stiffly, forcing himself up to his feet. “I’d like to help, but I don’t have the authority to release them to you.”

I narrow my eyes, sweeping over him with an intrusive application of [Arcane Domain: My Eyes Shall Pierce the Veil], but he seems to be telling the truth. I don’t sense any hints of violence wafting off him any longer, only a strange mix of pity and deep-seated terror.

“Where’s Mender Uttara? Lionel is his student. He won’t let Lio die. He’ll help even if no one else can. He has to help. We need to find him. Go! Run! You need to get him and get mana draughts and help keep my friend alive,” I beg, all too aware that I’m babbling.

I don’t care. Lionel needs me.

The lead [Guard] swallows hard. His eyes shift toward the Mender almost imperceptibly, as though he’s checking for permission to leave her alone with me.

She jerks her chin up and tries to smile in what I suspect is supposed to be a reassuring manner. “Go. He’s just trying to help his friend. I’ll—I’ll be all right.”

I squeeze my temples with my thumb and middle finger, trying to stop the wild pounding of blood that’s making it hard for me to think straight. I look up at Rakesh, the smartest man that I know other than Ezio. “Any ideas? There’s gotta be something we can do. We can’t just let him die on the floor like this!”

“We already drained the rest of the cores,” Rakesh says, speaking slowly. He bites his lip and looks up at the ceiling, lost in thought.

I pace back and forth in the hallway next to Lionel, staring at the blood pooling under his body. Each time I look at his face, he’s more withered and corpse-like than before. We need to figure things out. We need a miracle.

Rakesh snaps his fingers, drawing everyone’s attention. His dark eyes glitter. “Connect to her with your Domain. Try to activate her Skill directly with your own mana.”

I instantly put his idea into action, threading energy into the runes of her Skill that control time in the local area. Nothing happens. I try again, pouring more mana into the attempt. It’s like slamming face-first into a wall. I may have learned how to bypass the shroud that hides most people’s core spaces, but that doesn’t mean that I can overcome someone’s inherent resistance to foreign mana on a whim.

I marshal up my power, ready to blast through the barrier, when I catch sight of the pain on Melina’s face. I step back as though slapped, suddenly all too aware of how close I came to following in Scalpel’s footsteps. I may carry on her legacy of runic research, but I’ll never forgive myself if I use her tainted methods.

Breathing deeply, I shut my eyes and force my anger down. Clear mind. Steady heart. “Mel, will you let me take over?”

She works her jaw, but no words come out. I can sense her frustration, her sadness, her fear. For once, despite her eloquence, she can’t seem to find a way to communicate the mess of thoughts churning inside her.

I kneel down at her side, my fury fading away. I take her hand in my own and squeeze, smiling as gently as I can. “New plan. Instead of forcing my way in, I’m going to try to give you mana. Will you work with me? Like imbuing, but directly into your core instead of glass.”

“Sounds dangerous,” she says, hesitating.

“Do you trust me?” I whisper.

She squeezes my hand. “I trust you, Nuri. And we’re running out of time. If you think this has a chance to work, it’s worth trying. Anything to keep Lionel alive.”

I nod. “Let me share my strength.”

Melina opens her soul. It glows pearlescent in my sight. I pull my Domain back as tightly as I can, condensing and strengthening it, and connect with Melina.

Trying an untested method on my friend is incredibly dangerous. If things go wrong, and I burn her out or destroy her Skills with the potency of the mana I unleash—I shake my head and refuse to think further along those lines. We’re running out of time. If I don’t act now, then Lionel dies. I can’t let the fear of the unknown stop me now. No time for hesitation.

I activate [Legacy of the Scalpel].