The Power to Heal
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About this ebook
When a plague ravages the city of Corthana, Keirdan is stretched to the breaking point as he juggles supervising the exhausted monks at his monastery and caring for the sick and dying. Despair clings to the sanatorium walls and tugs at Keirdan’s heart. When the mystical Bath Stone arrives at the monastery, Keirdan faces a new dilemma. Do he and the monks rely on the power of the relic to help their desperate cause, or do they keep faith in their goddess alone?
The Power to Heal is a 5,600 word fantasy short story.
Mark P. Kolba
Mark P. Kolba lives in northwest Indiana with his lovely wife and daughter, and he has enjoyed reading and writing epic fantasy for many years. Growing up, he was steeped in the world of The Lord of the Rings (what fantasy fan wasn’t?) and found himself fascinated by tales of adventure, magic, and battles between great forces of good and evil. Tales that provided a fun and exciting escape from the real world yet also resonated long after the story was finished. He hopes that through his own writing he is able to open windows to worlds that are full of wonder, struggle, and fantastical delight. He hopes that you find his stories to be a place where adventure begins. And he hopes that you come along for the ride.
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Book preview
The Power to Heal - Mark P. Kolba
The Power to Heal
by Mark P. Kolba
Copyright 2012 Mark P. Kolba
Smashwords Edition
All Rights Reserved
Cover design: Mark P. Kolba
Photo credits: Copyright Sorinus—Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos
Texture credits: www.texturemate.com
The Power to Heal
Aurora!
shrieked the bloodstained pauper, her fingernails digging crimson half-moons into her wrinkled cheeks. Aurora, save me!
Keirdan approached her, stepping around the bodies covering the floor. He recognized her—the old demented beggar woman from Brokayn Square. She lay like a discarded rag against the sanatorium wall, an outcast even here inside the monastery. He placed his thumbs on her forehead and gently massaged her scalp. Be still, my child. She has heard your cry.
The woman quieted and closed her eyes, her tired face tilted upward like a young girl awaiting a gift of sweets. Keirdan looked away. He couldn’t bear to see her expectant face. He knew what she wanted—knew what they all wanted. Healing. But she was terribly ill; he didn’t know if he could do anything to save her. And even if he could, there were too many more just like her, too many people to save. Too many who were already beyond saving. He closed his eyes. He could at least lessen her pain.
He took one hand off of the woman’s forehead and clutched the blood pendant around his neck. The heavy, sickly sweet smell of blood and bile clogged his nostrils and clouded his mind. He struggled to push away the smells and focus through the cacophony of wails and screams. Aurora, goddess of dawn, who would have us see no end to our days, grant