Upstairs, Khaat finally woke. Marcus had eaten while she slept. He could see that Robert's spell had hit her rather hard. She was groggy. It seemed to be taking her a moment to orient to where she was.
"You're in your room," he told her quietly.
"What time is it?" she asked.
"Just a bit before one. Shoulder better?"
"Um...not nearly as bad," she said.
"I've never seen anyone do that sort of touch healing."
"Me neither," she said. "I was taught that doing it too fast risked merely transferring the pain from patient to healer." She yawned.
"Clearly, he didn't care," Marcus said.
"Or believed he could do it," she said.
"Your lunch is here. You should eat something."
She waved the idea away. "Its cold now." He scowled at her. That was a lame excuse. He was a wizard. Reheating food took nothing to do.
"I'd rather have coffee," she said.
"And I'd rather you had your soup and then gave it a rest," he said. She tried to move her arm, but it didn't move. She sighed heavily. "He didn't promise to give you movement," Marcus said. "He only promised to try to reduce your pain temporarily." He flicked his wand at her soup, and once she had eaten, she showered off all the dirt and grime from the field work and chose a simple pair of leggings and an oversized cable knit sweater.
He talked her into reading a book. She curled up in a chair by the window, and as he was sending their trays back downstairs, he heard a soft thud. He glanced towards her and saw she'd already dozed off, her book falling to the floor.
He smiled, glad it was going to be a quiet afternoon. He picked up the book, lit the bedroom fireplace with his wand, and draped a throw over her, letting her sleep.
by 
