The Marriage Spell by Mary Jo Putney Read Free Book Online Page A

would rather save his life and incur his wrath than fail when she was so close to success.
    Maintaining her grip on the energies of the circle, she dipped into the well of Frayne’s self. There she found a deep pool of magic, long ignored but still powerful. She summoned his gift and braided it with the others, then returned to his damaged neck.
    Miraculously, when she added his personal power, the bone shards slowly began to fuse into healthy wholeness. She poured magic in recklessly until the last piece was in place and firmly cemented in the whole.
    Relief made her dizzy, so she paused and inhaled deeply. With her heightened awareness she heard not only the breathing of the other members of the circle but even their heartbeats.
    When she was steadier, she girded herself for the final effort. Re-building his spinal column had required raw, concentrated power. In contrast, nerves and blood vessels called for the delicate skill of a master needle worker.
    Painstakingly she traced each connection, knitting damaged fragments together until each structure was whole. At the edge of her awareness, she heard his labored breathing smooth out and become stronger.
    With one last careful stroke, she melded the final nerve into wholeness. Knowing she was near the limits of her strength, she mentally stepped back for a survey of her patient. Was everything essential taken care of? Yes, the broken neck had been repaired, the spleen no longer bled, and the inflammation had been eliminated.
    He was still extremely weak and would have to recover from the broken bones and blood loss at a normal pace. She frowned, then decided to leave the life force connection between them until his vitality was greater.
    Swaying, she opened her eyes. Her companions appeared as drained as she, but the circle had held. With a tired smile, she said, “The healing is done, and with God’s help, I believe we have saved him.”
    Eyes wide, Ella whispered, “That was incredible.”
    Mr. Hambly sighed and rolled his shoulders. “I’ve never taken part in such a healing circle as this. You did well, lass.”
    â€œWe all did,” she murmured.
    On her left, Ashby made a sound perilously close to a sob. His dark skin had acquired a gray tinge, but he radiated relief. Ransom’s eyes were closed, and she guessed he was saying a prayer of thanksgiving. Or perhaps he was invoking divine protection since he’d participated in the evil of magic.
    Mustering the last of her energy, she said, “This circle is complete, and may God bless you all until we come together again.” She released the energies and braced her hands on the edge of the table, her hands and muscles cramping painfully.
    On her right, Judith said, “Are you all right, Abby?”
    â€œI’m fine,” she reassured her friend.
    She didn’t even realize she was collapsing until the floor rose up and whacked her.
    H
e was floating in a boat on a still sea, drifting ever closer to the sunset. His anger and fear and desperate passion for life had faded into weary resignation.
    Then the sun that had been sinking before him began to rise, burgeoning with power. Its rays changed from orange to pure gold as light poured over him. Light, life…
    Jack surfaced into consciousness, feeling like a creature that had lived too long underground. Was he dead and reborn into heaven? Not likely, since he felt pain in every limb of his body. Of course he’d never thought heaven his likely destination.
    Pain? He was feeling his body again? Startled, he tried to wiggle his fingers. They moved! So did his arms. He felt stabbing pains in his side, probably cracked ribs, but he could
move
!
    He tried to stretch his legs and immediately regretted it when agony seared through his right leg. But his legs moved and his toes wiggled!
    As shock gave way to joy, he opened his eyes and saw a molded medallion in the ceiling above him. This didn’t look like heaven