So closely connected to Ben as she was, she could sense of snarl of pain and everything else as it seeped into his psychic scent. Ender's was still removed from her, so all she was faintly aware of was his movement in the background.

Instead, all of her concentration was focused on Healing Ben's new wounds; weaving the energies into the warmth of firm, unmarked skin, repairing the cuts, sealing them away before any bacteria could find its way in and threaten. His skin wanted to scar again, the fastest way to heal. Her half-whispered song counseled patience and waiting, allowing for it to create new, unblemished skin, like that which covered the squares between the cuts.


It was not a fast procedure, no. Nor was it painless and Karla was obeying Ben's request and not taking any of the pain onto herself. It was slow, tedious, methodical; much like weaving together slippery cords that wanted to escape if she so much as blinked away, and were so inert it took all her strength and concentration to move.

But slowly, agonizingly slowly, the lines on his face began to fade away, leaving only smears of blood to show where they'd been.