Chapter 6: Healing Run

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Katta sat on an ornate bench outside the room the Sun temple ungraciously provided them, one foot’s heel snagged over the edge while he rested his forearm on his knee. Vantra kept him company; she had no healing skills, and the healer had enough help in Mera and Tally. Besides, she held the Sun badge, sword and broken wand in her lap because she had no idea where else to put them.

She did not want to set them down, a strange reaction, but one she listened to. Instead of instilling the light and vigor of Sun, the temple seemed darker, as if its lackluster brilliance hid something that waited to pounce. Of course, she compared the building to her mother’s temple, which radiated warm, welcoming light, no matter the time or weather. She should not expect Evenacht worship centers, which never experienced the rays of the sun, to contain the same potency. But Evening’s did. Why did a temple in an important port city shine so much less?

Fyrij made a cute sound, and she rubbed her cheek against his soft head; wearied by his frantic freak-out at the tavern, his flight to her, and his brave attacks on larger, stronger foes, he snuggled down and slept.

She did not understand how he knew she faced danger. He was downstairs when Kjaelle said Laken woke them with a commanding yell that she was in trouble. That surprised her, though it shouldn’t have. Finder texts spoke about the strengthening of the Redemption bond between acolyte and Condemned. Despite assurances from Katta, she assumed, because Nolaris interrupted the binding ceremony, that the link was tenuous at best. Look how much pain he experienced when she fused his head to his torso? But once she concentrated, the bond between them glowed bright. Why had she not noticed during the voyage to Greenglimmer?

She should have. Another failure, among many.

She unclenched her hands from around the sword and settled it in a more comfortable position across her legs. She had a lot of things to ponder, with little idea where to start.

Kjaelle tapped her foot and eyed the indignant Sun acolytes who remained at the far end of the windowed hallway, ever-present and angry. Were they upset Yut-ta had not died? She could not fathom turning anyone away, let alone a member of the Sun Temple, from the healing rooms when in dire need; concern and a driving desire to help would power her acts.

Vesh nudged the elfine, whose sour, responding glare did not phase him. Katta hummed a warning at them both, then at Jare, who stood on Vantra’s other side, arms crossed, vying with Kjaelle as the most pissed being in the hallway. Had Yut-ta’s dire circumstance not acted as a barrier, she was certain the Aristarzian and the acolytes would have taken their anger out on each other.

A ghost barged through the congregation and whisked to them, wringing his hands. His white beard and long, free hair floated around him like mist, while his golden sun robes flitted and flowed, leaving a trail of sparkles behind. He had the darker blue skin of sprites who honored Sun by staying outdoors during the day and tanning, which contrasted to his near-white lavender eyes.

“That’s Xafane,” Jare murmured, his stiff posture relaxing.

Xafane? Vantra’s emotions rose and crashed simultaneously. The sprite she needed to speak with rushed towards her, but she sat in company. She did not think she could keep the promise to the Snake, to look into the disappearance of his friend Lokjac without telling the mini-Joyful first.

“Yut-ta, is he alright?” the sprite asked as soon as he was within hearing distance, taking in those unfamiliar to him before settling on Jare.

The ghost nodded with firm resolution. ““He’ll be fine, Xafane. He’s lost blood, but he’s young and hale. With rest and Healer Mozarin’s aid, he’ll recover.”

He skidded to a stop and looked inside. “Lost blood?” More worry infused his tone as he wrung his hands harder. “How badly was he injured?”

“He was wounded in a fight. You’ll need to ask Vantra about it.” Jare nodded to her; she attempted a smile, hoping to mitigate some of his anxiety. “She’s the one who halted the attack before they could cause more harm.”

Xafane shook his head and stared into the room. “Why isn’t he in a healing room?”

“Your compatriots deemed him unworthy of a Sun healer,” Katta said. His smooth words mitigated, but did not hide, his dark, deadly anger over the insult.

The sprite smashed his lips together, his concern briefly replaced by eye-sparking fury. “I see.” He looked over his shoulder at the huddled acolytes, his hands curling into fists. Shoving them into the sides of his leg, he fought, and failed, to smooth his face into an emotionless mask. “Rudarig dislikes Yut-ta. Too . . . umbrareign.”

“Rudarig?” Jare frowned. “What happened to Avarelle?”

“She is as absent as Lokjac,” he whispered. Vantra caught a hint of warning, though what he cautioned them about, she could not guess.

Mozarin appeared in the doorway, holding a towel. “Xafane, we have to get him to my healing rooms.”

He looked ready to shred something. “What do you need from me?”

“A way to get him there. A wagon, a carriage, a—”

“I have a motorized cart. I know, I know, any self-driving vehicle that isn’t powered by magic is illegal in Selaserat proper. No one’s hounded me about it since I’m with the Sun temple.”

“You’ll need to come with us, then.”

“I wouldn’t stay,” he said. “Wait outside the side entrance.” He pointed down the corridor, in the opposite direction of the acolytes.

A shudder coursed through Vantra. She looked at the clustered ghosts, whose interest focused on something down the cross hall from them. Katta rose.

“Get Yut-ta,” he said, lingering on the animated Sun followers.

Vantra thought the glorious Touch of Sun typical of a temple dimmed. Something was terribly wrong, more so than the conflicts common among clergy.

Jare accompanied Xafane to retrieve the cart. Mera and Tally carried the unstable table upon which Yut-ta lay between them and hustled with Mozarin to the side entrance. Katta jerked his chin at Vantra before he, Vesh and Kjaelle spanned the hallway, waiting. Fyrij cheeped sleepily, and she scooped up his round bod, smashed the sword, wand and badge to her chest, and fled after the others.

Xafane pulled the small, doorless, blindingly white cart close and Mera, Tally and Jare carefully transferred the unconscious being to the open-air bed, which was large enough for packages and shopping bags, but not much else. The sprite tapped the golden canopy that acted as a roof; the setting sun symbol appeared on all sides, turning the cloth into an oversized badge.

Mozarin fussed over Yut-ta as the three Darkness acolytes rushed through the door. Katta took Yut-ta’s possessions and Fyrij from Vantra, and joined the sprite on the front seat. Mera and Tally held onto the canopy poles at the front, one foot on the step into the cab, the other free, and with sparkling Light, triggered their pole arms.

After Xafane gunned the engine, the vehicle took off at a depressing crawl. The rest of them followed in Ether form, alert for a repeat attack.

“Jare, will there be any Light-blessed willing to perform guard duty for an extravagant amount of Qira’s coin?” Kjaelle asked as they transitioned from silent, still streets to ones beginning to recover their crowds.

He laughed. “When you put it that way, how can they refuse?”

“Who was there?” Vantra asked.

“Finders,” Kjaelle said. “But something about them . . . Katta did not like what he sensed from them.”

“Were they Knights?” The elfine hesitated to answer, so she pushed on. “The temple dimmed. It was a warning, wasn’t it?”

Vesh nodded. “It was obvious, and I doubt the acolytes noticed. Ignoring a sign like that bodes ill for them.”

“Who’s Rudarig, Jare?” Kjaelle asked

“A half-nymph, half-elfine from a royal Kanderite family.”

“Kanderite’s rarely accepted half-breeds into common society, let alone a royal family,” Kjaelle said in dry disgust.

“Your experience wasn’t his.” Jare glanced over his shoulder as they exited the silent, still square and joined a busier street. “His parents married as a political match between the Kanderites and the southern Gletzi, who agreed to a mutual protection treaty against the lowland Mara-Keels. He’s a prince.”

“Wondrous,” she grumbled.

“And he knows his worth. Avarelle had her conceits, and did not find his wealth and standing attractive. I’m assuming that’s why she’s now as lost as Lokjac.”

“Corrupt bastards. Why do the acolytes support him?”

“The Sun Temple’s had problems for a while now,” Jare said, continuing with their forward momentum as he did a turn mid-air, eyes darting back and forth. “Kjaelle, to your left.”

“I see them.” The elfine’s rage descended, swift and caustic. “Yeralis’s livery.”

“The Finders are trailing us,” Vesh said. “And the cart’s an easy spot.”

“Then we must delay them.” Kjaelle fixated on the wisps wavering to their left, a sadistic smile lighting her face.

“I’ll take Yeralis’s people, you take the Finders,” Vesh said. The elfine snarled and instead of answering, he streaked towards the wisps.

“Vesh!” Kjaelle shouted, then cursed with clenched teeth before falling out of step and turning to face a group of five.

“Keep going.” Jare snagged Vantra’s arm when she would have joined her friend, and sped up so they floated within a few steps of the cart. “We’re the rear guard.”

“But—”

“Kjaelle and Vesh can handle a couple of unprepared lackeys.”

“The Finders are prepared.”

Jare chuckled. “Not for confronting Kjaelle.”

Vantra thought back to Kjaelle’s previous encounters; other than Rezenarza’s acolyte, Temmisere, she proved superior in prowess and intellect. But those clashes happened before Black Temple. None of the mini-Joyful had recovered from helping Katta and Qira funnel the Emblematic Collapse into Verryn, and the Knights proved their ability to take malicious advantage by snagging Laken’s heart.

If they had no regrets in violating the essence of a Condemned, what else were they willing to do?

She concentrated. “Anznet emi. Us is.

A shield rose over the cart, and it soaked up the Sun power she poured into it as a towel absorbed water. Grinning, Jare covered it with a shimmer of Light that made the vehicle and its inhabitants waver enough anyone employing Physical sight would have a difficult time targeting an exact spot.

“Now we wait,” he said.


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