The girl on the bed looks at you through eyes nearly swollen shut from being beaten. Her torso is bruised from what you identify as fist and boot marks. How she is still alive you do not know, but she is clinging to existence with every fiber of her small, young body. She does not want to die, even though her life has to be among the most miserable possible. You have seen others in a similar situation just give up and die, but this one wants to live. Why, you have no idea, but there it is.

You go through the motions expected of you and lay your hands on the girl’s body, feeling the mystical energy flow through your hands to her. She gasps as you heal torn muscles and broken bones. There is nothing really like healing someone and you are healing her, bringing her back from the brink of death. You do enough to stabilize her and a bit more and she smiles at you before falling asleep.

Manuel shakes your shoulder. “Hey, witch, when can we put her back to work?”

73