Seraphina lost the edge of the light while closing a cut no longer than her thumb.
It spread past the wound, pale and loose against the student's wrist. She stopped the flow before trying to correct it.
The student looked up.
His good hand reached toward the wrist before she asked him to keep it back. He stopped halfway and laid it on his knee instead.
The light had spread only a little, but he was watching her face now. She kept her voice even and ended the flow fully before reaching for the pad. A patient shouldn't have to guess whether a pause meant she was concentrating or deciding she could no longer continue safely.
"Is something wrong?"
"I'm tired. Hold your hand still."
She took a clean pad from the tray and pressed it over the last unclosed section. The bleeding was slight. Another minute of careful work would finish it. She didn't have that minute in her hands.
"Maelis. Could you call the duty healer?"
