“Who did this?”

Sebastian set her down. “I don’t know. But I do know I can’t take her to a hospital.”

“Why not?” Kanesha demanded, looking slightly pale and perhaps a little sick.

He tugged down her shirt. “Because I can’t explain that.”

It was a mark that appeared to have been burned into her flesh. “Looks like a brand, but…”

Kanesha really did look sick. “Let’s find out who did this and…”

“Let’s worry about healing her.” Unfortunately, that wasn’t one of my powers. The mark, though, was a rune. No, it was two runes on top of each other. And I found myself…remembering.

Not the details of how I knew, but I knew. “That’s a bindrune of laguz and naudiz. It’s draining her power, possibly her life. We have to get it off her.”

“How! It’s burned into her flesh.” Sebastian sounded on the verge of panic.

“I know.” I knew we couldn’t just remove it. Maybe there was a way to cut across it.

She moaned a little. Sebastian put her down on my futon. I wasn’t worried about the blood.

“Kanesha, take Sebastian. Go to the drug store. Bandages, chocolate…”

I figured I could trust her from that point, and it got Sebastian out of the room. I wondered if Clara knew yet that he was in love with her. And I hoped they wouldn’t do anything that might get them into trouble with age of consent laws.

It…it wasn’t my problem. Helping her was. The mark was on her upper arm. A fire giant had done this, I was sure of it.

No, I was suddenly really sure. A fire giantess had done this. Not that it mattered, but…

I searched through my mind and memories. Was there an alternative other than cutting a chunk out of her arm?

Brand over it to break the spell? That would… It would leave her looking a mess, but we could remove it surgically later.

The fire wanted to come out. The fire…but could I trust it. I could feel that she was dying, though. They’d beaten her up first, but that wasn’t the thing.

No. I had no option, and I’d known I had no option when I got Kanesha to leave the room.

I was going to find out who had done this later and kill them. No mercy. For right now, though?

I had to trust the fire. I had to trust that it was nothing more than what I’d been told – my fire giant heritage coming out.

I put my hand on the wound. Clara screamed.