There was a gasp of pain, and the wooden sword shot up out of his grasp and onto the sand at John's feet. His eyes flashed wide and he reached to pick up the weapon, but John brought his own sword up to lie in the small of Westroth's throat, making him unable to do so. Slowly he raised the sword, and with it Westroth's head till they were eye to eye.
"Contest over!" they both heard, and Jet moved into the centre of the ring.
There was more than a beaten sparring partner staring at John. Much more. The eyes which had always been friendly could not hide the hurt pride and John tried not to be too conceited about his win or the prize he was soon to claim. He didn't want to make Wes an enemy.
"Well-sparred." said Jet, breaking the awkward stand-off. "That was a fine exhibition by both of you."
John passed his sword to his left hand and offered his right to Westroth in friendship. He had no option but to take it in front of so many onlookers, but he winced with pain as he did so. John said,
"Here, let me heal that for you."
"No. It's nothing," said Wes shortly, and withdrawing his hand, he walked over to Gilladen and Honeth who were watching with interest.
No-one had left. There was an air of expectancy and everyone was waiting for the grand finale. John found himself playing to the crowd in a way very unlike the old John Stone. He gave the sword to Jet, smoothed himself down, turned toward Jazlyn and stood in the centre of the circle, holding her with his eyes. His stomach turned somersaults and he could see from Jazlyn's colour that she was also highly charged. Slowly he walked towards her and she dropped her head. When he reached where she stood, she looked up from his feet to his face and there was a smile on her lips but one of resignation rather than pleasure.
"A bet's a bet," said John. "I've come to claim my prize." She did not reply, but he could see she wanted to get it over with as soon as possible and leave.
"But, unlike some people, I don't steal kisses. I want permission." he said.
"You have it," she answered in a low breathy voice.
John didn't know what it was about Jazlyn which brought out the wolf in him, but he kept her in suspense. Holding her eyes, he placed his hands around her upturned face and pulled her gently towards him. The kiss he gave her was gentle, but long, very long, and all around them the sounds of whistles and calls filled the air till he released her. Her eyes were glazed and her mouth still open as he smiled at her and walked away, a lightness in his footsteps which belied how hard he had fought for that kiss.
His routine was fixed from now on, in that he would train with the other guardians early in the morning and after breakfast he would spend time with the High Priest, Tyloren during which he would learn about the crystals. Tyloren awaited him in the entrance, one morning with another of the priests he had seen at the first ceremony. He was robed in blue, some thirty five years old, John would have guessed, and had a kindly face, out of which shone two dark blue eyes. Both men looked troubled.
"Wandmaster John, I am placing you in the hands of Tevorin this morning. He is our Chief Healer, and has need of you," Tyloren said.
"Honour to you Wandmaster," said Tevorin
"Good Morning," said John and smiled. He remembered seeing Trevorin at the first Council meeting.
"If you will excuse us Tyloren, I will take the Wandmaster now. There is some urgency, as you know," said Tevorin.
"Yes, yes, of course. Wandblessings on your task," he said and watched them walk away.
"The healing powers of the wand are required, Wandmaster," said Trevorin, "I understand you have healed before?"
"A little, yes," said John, "I cut my finger and healed it with the wand and I also heal a bit during arms practice when someone gets a bump or bruise."
"Is that all?" Trevorin frowned. "No training?"
"Well yes, that's the full extent of my healing, and as for training, well Gilladen was there the first time and he told me what to do, so I suppose you could say that I was shown," smiled John.
"We have had need of your skills before now, but I have been doing my best to cope alone. Lord Menoneth and Tyloren felt you needed a little time to adjust," said Trevorin
"Hmmm, well, I don't know if I have yet, but I'll help all I can, of course."
Trevorin looked hard at John and said,
"I don't have your powers, Wandmaster, but if I did, I would not wish them gone. I would try to develop them fully and try to help in whichever way I could."
John's expression of surprise startled Tevorin and he added quickly "Of course, that's just my view of things, I am sure you have good reason to want to return to your Realm." John once again thought of his appearance at the first Council meeting and the impression he must have made there but was simultaneously reminded, with a jolt, of his little flat, his job, and his old life, and he answered truthfully, "Tevorin, I don't know how to reply to that. At times I feel like I have always been here, and at others I think it is all a dream and that I will wake up and be able to carry on as I always did, before the crystals and the wand came into my life. If you were in my position, you would be confused too. I am here with you now, yes, but am all too aware that I have another existence somewhere and that I am unable to return to it. It is not a comfortable feeling."
"Yes, yes, I see," he said trying to understand. "Were you a healer in your Realm?" he asked hopefully.
"Nothing so useful, I'm afraid. I worked in an office."
"An office? Is that an honourary position?"
"No. It's....... oh, forget it, there's nothing like it here from what I've seen."
"Oh," said Tevorin, slightly disappointed. "I would like to understand, Wandmaster John, but I'm afraid your world must be very different from ours."
"You have no idea," grinned John, and the morning rush hour came to mind, traffic fumes and all.
"No," mused Tevorin, studying John acutely. "Ah, here we are, the Healery."
The Healery was underground and accessed via yet another cave entrance at the foot of the rocky slopes which surrounded the plain, making it unobtrusive and all but invisible to the unknowing eye. It was what John would have called a hospital and carers were bustling around beds in which people were lying. Other healers dressed in blue greeted Trevorin as they entered the building and looked at John before saying formally "Honour to the Wandmaster." He was becoming tired of all this 'Honour' but had given up trying to stop it. John noticed that there was a central space from which all the corridors extended, as if the building were star-shaped but with many points. In the circular heart of the complex was a deep blue stone, surrounded by flashing white crystals in a circular pattern. Trevorin stood before the stone and made a pass over it with his hands before standing back and allowing John access.
On John's questioning look, Trevorin said "You should prepare the wand for healing."
John withdrew the wand and saw its metallic colour was blue-tinged now. At Trevorin's instruction, he passed it over the blue stone and saw its colour deepen and glow before returning to its normal tint.
He not only saw the wand change, but felt the healing flow through him as he had when he had first arrived in the Realm and healed his finger. Trevorin led him into ward after ward in turn, and John found he felt great sympathy for the people he healed. It was all too easy to touch a wound, or a broken arm and say the word "Heal." Some conditions remedied themselves on the spot but others would take several treatments, he was told. Apart from guardians or other workers, people from surrounding villages headed to Wandguard when their local healers were unable to treat or cure ailments. One little girl was brought back from a state of very deep sleep caused by an extremely high fever and spoke to her mother for the first time for several days, creating much joy and leaving John deeply contented. It was a very rewarding job, being a healer, he could see and he spoke to Trevorin at length about some of the cases. During all their time together, Trevorin appeared to be assessing John and had been very excited about some of the healings he had managed. When they
came to the end of their ward round, John made ready to leave. It was getting near lunch time and he was in need of food and some pleasant conversation. Healing was all very well, but lunch was lunch. Trevorin placed a hand on his arm as he was preparing to put the wand back in its pouch and said,
"Not yet, Wandmaster. Thank you very much for your work here this morning. You show incredible ability, and for that reason I must ask something of you which is truly difficult. There is a healing to be done which is beyond the help of any but you, and...maybe even you. Come with me, please, and be prepared for a shock," he said and led John to a wing they hadn't been to on their rounds. John recalled something urgent had been mentioned, and supposed this was it. One of the rooms was guarded and Trevorin told the guard to stand aside.
"This, Wandmaster, is something you will not have seen before. Some of our Guardians were off scouting in the Hills of Tremanor and ran into enemy troops. One of them was captured and dragged into the very clutches of The Akryd, the terrible beast, beloved pet of our mortal enemy Ataxios, before being rescued. Unfortunately, the process of change had begun and he has become a 'lo', a lifeless one."
"I don't understand, I'm afraid," said John, "I have never heard of such a thing before!"
"The best way to understand the horror of this thing is for you to see it,"he said, resting his hand on the door and grasping the key. "It has never been attempted to bring back someone from the 'lifeless' state, but the Guardians are highly trained and each one is irreplaceable, so we dearly want to do something for this one, as his comrades bravely fought to claw him back from the creature and bring him back here." John had little idea what Trevorin was talking about but could tell it was a very grave situation and all but hopeless.
"Is that why I was brought here today?"
"If you cannot bring him back, no-one can, but beware. He will not be in possession of his wits. Try to retrieve him if you can, but don't risk yourself. If you feel you are not strong enough and are losing the battle, pull back and let him go, we cannot afford to lose you."
John listened to the ominous words and apprehensively followed Trevorin as he unlocked the door and proceeded into the darkened room. There was a bed but no patient in it; instead he heard a low throaty growl coming from the corner, and saw a shape. He couldn't distinguish clearly just what the shape was, but it didn't look like a man. It was rounded and shiny with a protuberance from one end, like a large turtle with a huge head. John took a pace backwards and looked to Trevorin for guidance.
"What is that thing?", he whispered urgently.
"That is your patient," said Trevorin.
The rasping breath reached them from across the room, and John hesitated, not knowing how to approach the shape. He tried once more to see a man's form in the creature in the corner, but failed.
"Should I touch it?" he asked nervously
"You must heal as your instinct tells you. I cannot advise on this." Trevorin shrugged and shook his head anxiously.
John held the wand up and a blue glow emanated from it, lighting the room and causing the shape in the corner to scuttle for cover. John took a pace forward and the thing set up a high pitched whine which grew steadily louder and more piercing. It set its rounded back against the wall and looked set to pounce. It fixed its wild eyes on John and he felt it focus its attention on him with malevolence. Its face was deathly white, flat and round with black spiky hair or something like hair surrounding it. Its eyes were wide and staring, and its mouth moved and chittered as insectivorous clicks and whines shattered the silence in the room. John's first reaction was fear and disgust, but he tried to remember that this was a man, a Guardian, maybe someone he had sparred with or played k'tchang with. He felt at once great sympathy and outrage that his comrade had been turned into this vile thing before him. He raised the wand high and held it with both hands, pointing it at the beast.
"Heal," he said firmly.
The wand flashed cold blue and shot a bolt of light from its tip in the direction of the creature. In the glow, it became more clearly visible. It reared and screeched, and John saw its shape for the first time. It was a man, but apart from the legs which were now staggering to stand, the rest of the body and the face appeared to be dead, and the eyes were cold, lifeless and empty. On the back of the human form was a second. It had a shell-like carapace, like a man-sized beetle, and sprouting from the top of its rounded form was a second head. The white face was now staring at him, as if it had been painted with clown make-up, the features hard and cruel, and the black hair jutting, out all around the hideous mask. Below this, the human head of its victim lolled, and rolled with no volition of its own; the guardian had become the vehicle for this obscenity. Horror filled John and he felt the thing resist him, striving for power over him and the wand. Momentarily, John began to doubt his strength and the blue light of the wand dimmed, at which point the beast made a move towards him. But self-preservation came to the fore and strength surged through him, repelling the beast, and the wand's light changed colour to livid red, and then to a dark shadow as if made from a pool of black light. The thing halted and its rasping breath became hesitant. John felt rather than knew what he had to do. He concentrated his efforts, pulled together the feelings of anger, compassion and the desire to heal, and sourced them through the wand crying out loud "Leave!" Light spilled from the tip of the wand in a split ray of brilliant blue, which powered into the body of the guardian hanging from the belly of the beast, and red and black shadow-light which powered into the head and carapace of the creature. There was an ear-splitting screech, and a sucking sound as they separated, the guardian falling to the floor in a limp heap and the creature, now limbless, floundering on its back with its soft unprotected belly exposed. Without its host, it could not function, and its screeches gradually became less penetrating until they turned into a rattling wheeze and stopped, at which point, the guardian, sucked in a deep breath and was violently sick, thick black bile spewing out of his mouth. John had long since reeled and fallen backwards into the door frame, but Trevorin ignored him and ran towards the guardian, kneeling beside him, placing hands on his back and chanting with his eyes closed. The guards outside the door came running in as Trevorin called them to help him remove the guardian and they and John dragged themselves out into the corridor, closing the door on the now dead parasite inside the room, lying in a pool of foul-smelling black vomit. When John recovered enough to look around him, he saw the guardian, weak and struggling to breathe as he was lifted on to a stretcher by carers and healers. As they lay him flat John caught a close look at his face. It was Westroth!
"Wes!" shouted John in anguish.
Trevorin looked at John from under his eyebrows as he stooped over Westroth, and asked
"Have you strength enough to give him some healing?"
John touched his wand to the forehead of the still figure striving to live and a calm blue flowing light bathed Westroth from head to toe. He took a deep peaceful sigh and relaxed into sleep.
"Will he be ok?" asked John anxiously.
"This is a first, Wandmaster, so we have no way of knowing. How far he can recover, and whether he will have long-term damage, we don't know. Thank you. There will be many people very grateful to you today." He rested his hand on John's shoulder and shook his head in wonder. "I have never seen anything like that before."
"No thanks needed," said John "What exactly was that....... thing?"
"The parasitic spawn of the Akryd, John, pushed into the back of their hosts by the motherbeast, to create soldiers for Ataxios, or 'lo's' as we call them. You saw what it can do. There are many others, victims of these attacks, and all of them are beyond our help. I have never seen anyone freed before this day and to tell the truth, I didn't think it was possible."
"But you risked it?" asked John
"My Lord Menoneth, and the High Priest Tyloren believed your powers were adequate for the task."
"And if they hadn't been?"
"Then we would hav
e been looking for a new Wandmaster right about now," said Trevorin eyeing John with increased respect, but also the tinge of a smile on his lips.
"Fortunately, the infection was recent and Westroth is a strong man, and so are you Wandmaster. Lord Menoneth will be extremely grateful. Westroth is his son."
John looked at Trevorin in surprise at this piece of information. He hadn't known.
As Wes was carried away, John saw an anxious Menoneth standing at the blue stone in the central hall, silent and pale. He nodded slowly to John in acknowledgment and thanks, and placed himself at the side of his son's stretcher as he was moved to a room of convalescence in another wing.
The next morning, after Tyloren had finished with him, Ethan, a good k'tchang player, was waiting outside the temple. Like training, k'tchang was a new skill John was acquiring; it was something like a board game.
"Lord Menoneth would like to see you, Wandmaster John," he said "Come with me, I will take you to him."
They chatted as they walked, joking about who would win their next meeting over the k'tchang board, and no mention was made of Westroth by Ethan, so John avoided the subject as he didn't know how much had been made public, and shortly they arrived at a place John had not visited before. It was a walled garden a way off from the living area, its doorway partly concealed by a huge sprawling ivy and when they entered John admired its calm and beauty. Menoneth sat on a stone seat at the side of an ever filling pool surrounded by lush green plants.
"Wandmaster John," he said and rose in greeting, "I hear you are learning fast on many fronts," he smiled at Ethan, "k'tchang was always a favourite pastime of mine too. Thank you Ethan, you can go. I will not keep your opponent too long."
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