If he were uninjured, Derek Faulkner’s medical skills would be unrivaled under the heavens. One does not train six Grand Healers of the Realm without possessing the secrets of life and death. But that fateful rearguard action four years ago—the battle where he stood alone in the Gorge to save his men—had cost him more than just blood. It had shattered his energy center, leaving his inner force depleted and his vital energy fractured. Without that internal power, he was unable to perform the energy-guided needlework of the Order of Celestial Healers. He couldn't even manage the basic circulation of inner energy required to stabilize a patient.
Now, looking at the blood staining Lemon’s small face, the Divine Healer felt a terrifying, clawing helplessness.
"I am your father!" Derek roared,
