Seeing (Return of the Nine) Read Free Page A

rubbed the back of her neck. “For what Apolan described and knowing what I do about your talents, a power boost seemed a safe bet. The Balance are nothing but power.”
    “And the Fury?”
    “They are some of the best pilots and most aggressive fighters. Their auras make them hard to look at, so most folk just look right past them as if sensing evil and not wanting to tempt it.”
    “Are they evil?”
    “I have spoken with their magistrate on this matter. He seems polite and well spoken.”
    They paced up to a pod on a rail platform. Ziggy tucked her inside and sat next to her.
    “Where are we going?”
    “To the medical bay. According to the news reports, you ended up with a bolt through the shoulder, though the news didn’t name you…as always.” Ziggy sighed heavily.
    “When do I meet your husband?”
    “Once you have been healed. Rothaway is always eager to meet new Gaians, especially ones that I consider to be friends. Once you have been up here for a while, you will appreciate Gaians just as much as I do.” Ziggy smiled.
    “I only want to remain here long enough to find the trail and follow it.”
    “We will see what the doctor thinks. She’s a lot of fun once you get to know her but a little hard to get used to. She is one of the people of the Rock, but one of the taller ones. We would call her a giant.”
    Once they arrived in medical, Vida had to admit that Ziggy wasn’t kidding; the doctor was indeed extremely tall.
    “Stand in the scanner, miss. We don’t want any infection to set in, so I need to get a check of your general health.”
    Vida winced and stepped into the scanner, knowing what was going to be found.
    “Madam Potential, please leave the room. I need to have a talk with your friend.”
    Vida sighed. “Anything you want to tell me, you are welcome to do in front of Ziggy.”
    The doctor read the scans and focussed them on several points. “Your bones are not strong. You have broken over a dozen individual bones in your lifetime and several of them have been broken more than once. I am amazed that the trip up here didn’t crush you. It is like you are made of pressed paper instead of calcium.”
    Ziggy scowled. “So you are telling me she is not fit for space travel.”
    “Good lord, I wouldn’t allow her back to the surface without weeks of treatment to build up the levels across her body. How could this happen? Don’t your people have regulations about supplements?”
    Vida stepped out of the scanner. “They do, but my body does not absorb and reuse the calcium like it should. I was the feeble twin.”
    Dr. Meevin cocked her head. “Identical twin?”
    “No, fraternal. She is stronger, faster and generally in better shape than I am.”
    “Too bad, I could have cultured a treatment from her system if she was amenable. Ah well, I will treat the torn tissue and you can be on your way. I will design a calcium treatment, and you will be here tomorrow morning to start it.”
    Vida blinked. “I will?”
    Ziggy nodded. “You will. How did you break so many bones?”
    “Well, I run around blindfolded a lot. Sometimes, I miscalculate my trajectory.” She shrugged. It was a side effect of looking for missing children in the woods. She banged into things quite often if she was moving at speed.
    The doctor pointed to a medical bed, and Vida hopped up onto it without comment. Dr. Meevin loomed over her and shot several hyposprays into the tissue around the wound.
    “Whoever gave you first aid knew what they were doing.”
    Vida smiled. “Daphne, the ambassador’s wife.”
    Dr. Meevin grinned. “She is taking to our ways. Good. It saved your arm. There are traces of an infection here that could have easily turned septic, but the traces of the strong antibiotics in your system have them on the run.”
    “She was very thorough.”
    The doctor grunted and squeezed lightly at Vida’s arms and legs. “Any problem moving?”
    “No. A slight ache in my right wrist, but it has been