“How can that be?” I asked.
“I don’t know yet, but I think if we can restore this world it would free her too,” she said.
Shea’s light began to fade and she wobbled a bit, too weary to hold herself up even in a kneeling position. She would have fallen over, but Master Raquel’s hand shot out to steady her.
“Raquel!” called Joan.
We all ran over and found a much younger woman on the cot. She was still clearly Master Raquel, but now she looked like someone in the first quarter of their life instead of the last. The lines were gone from her face, and her thinning silver hair had been replaced with thick locks that shone like polished amethyst.
Master Raquel bent over Shea. “Are you okay?”
Shea stood gingerly on her shaky legs. “I’m okay. By the Light, I have never used so much power before. I’ll be fine after a meal and a good night’s sleep.”
“What happened?” asked Master Raquel as she helped Shea to get a firmer footing.
Joan used her wrist comp to take a picture of her. “Take a look.”
Master Raquel gasped as she saw her image, falling back to a sitting position on the cot. “Priestess, what did you do?”
Shea smiled and sat down beside her. Taking Master Raquel’s hand in hers, she said, “Raquel, Light gave me the power to restore to you a little of what you have lost. Someday I will find a way to free you completely. I hope this token will help you bear with the curse for a little longer.”
Master Raquel looked at the picture again. She took her hand from Shea’s and touched her own face. “But this should not be possible. You have turned back time.”
“With Light, all things are possible,” said Shea.
Master Raquel looked at us with rare emotion on her face. “Why do you all continue to aid me? Do you not know what I am?”
Master Spectra came forward and knelt before Master Raquel. “We are family; this is what we do. We will find a way to heal this planet and free you from your curse.”
Master Dusty walked up behind Master Spectra and put a hand on his wife’s shoulder. “The full power and might of the Wizard Kingdom is behind you. It really is only a matter of time before you’re cured.”
Master Raquel turned to Shea. “You have given me back my youth! How can I ever repay you?”
“There is no need,” said Shea.
“I am a traveler; perhaps I might take you home to visit your family? I would like to do that much at least,” said Master Raquel.
“No, thank you. It’s a kind offer, but that would put them in danger of repercussions from the Korshalemian Wizard’s Council.”
“Then I shall take you to the great temple in Syncillia! You can worship there and perhaps even talk with some fellow clerics.”
Master Dusty smiled. “That’s a great idea! You love that temple, and you’ve mentioned a few times that you wish you had some guidance.”
Master Spectra shook her head. “The ban on travel between the realms would make that impossible.”
Master Raquel looked up. “No, it would not. The wizards would not dare to strike against the temple. They may hold sway over kings and queens, but their power does not extend to the temples. Not only do many wizards believe, but the temple is the only source of medical care on the planet. Any attempt to attack it would be like asking doctors to destroy hospitals.”
Shea shook her head. There was weariness in her voice as she replied. “Really, it’s too much. I appreciate it, but I need no payment.”
Joan approached Shea and said, “Oh, no, you don’t!”
Shea looked up in surprise.
Joan went on. “I see what is happening here. We nurses do the same thing; you are so focused on helping others that you’re neglecting yourself.”
Shea looked away and didn’t respond.
Joan got down so that she could see her face. “Tell me, Priestess, how much life-giving water can you pour from an empty cup?”
Shea said, “None.”
“Precisely; so go get a refill,” responded Joan.
There was a snicker from Master Spectra. “Tell you what: let’s ask Nanny what she thinks of Master Raquel’s idea.”
Shea laughed. “Okay, I give! I’ll go!”
62
05-24-0067 — Shea
Oh, Light, please protect my family here while I travel, I prayed as I changed into more primitive garb, a simple dress made from a single piece of cloth that any commoner might wear. I tied back my hair with a plain strip of cloth and scrubbed any traces of make-up from my face. I wanted to blend in as much as possible, and any adornments would mark me as someone important and would draw attention.
I was excited at the prospect of visiting the temple in Syncillia and also nervous. It would be good to worship with others again and I have many questions, but there could be trouble.
The ban on inter-realm travel might not apply to the temple, but both Master Raquel and I were operatives of the Wizard Kingdom and fell under Grandmaster Vydor’s authority. This trip could cause trouble for him, and his relationship with his counterpart there had deteriorated badly.
Oh, Light, please keep the peace between these worlds. They sorely need your guidance.
I smiled as I looked at myself in the mirror. I had grown used to the battle armor that served as a spacesuit. It was not the most flattering of outfits, but it was the prudent choice when you lived on a military craft whose hull could be punctured in battle at any time.
Dressing in my primitive clothes brought back some memories of my old life: hiding and running with Craig; the brief times of safety when I reached a new town; the look on a mother’s face when one of my healing potions saved her child. Along with those memories came darker ones: the nightmare of seeing that same town destroyed by those hunting me.
Light, I know you have forgiven me but please help me to forgive myself.
I gave the plants in my quarters one last check, ensuring they had enough water to survive the day. The plants in hydroponics would be cared for by the ship, but the ones kept in my office and quarters I tended to myself. There really was no reason to; the seedlings would thrive in hydroponics, but it gave me some comfort to work the soil and trim the plants. It provided a little breath of life here in these metal walls, a little touch of home in the vast vacuum of space.
“Nanny?” I called as I walked to my office.
The Dinjini that acted as everyone’s favorite grandmother came floating through the ceiling. “Honored One!”
“Morning, Nanny. I’m sorry I’ll have to miss our morning devotions. Master Raquel will be here soon to pick me up.”
“Yes, you’re going to visit your home today!” she replied, beaming.
Light, please grant me the strength to go and to return. There is still so much work to do here, but I do miss my family. We reached my office. I hummed an old hymn while I took care of the plants there, one my mother used to hum while she worked. I hadn’t seen them since Craig and I took to the road all those years ago. It brought a little piece of home to this place.
Nanny drifted between me and the next seedling. “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong, or must I nag you until you do?”
I had to smile. “Nanny, you know me too well; far better than any spirit should know a cleric, I’m sure!”
Nanny took the water from my hands and said, “Sure, now spill it.”
“Oh, I’m so looking forward to this trip, but it’s complicated.”
“You go home, you worship in church, you chat with some fellow believers and you come back refreshed. Seems simple to me.”
“If only it were.” I sat in one of my chair. Despite our very obvious differences, Nanny was closer than a sister to me. Against all odds, we made a great team on this ship of misfits. Everyone depended on our strength, and we depended on each other. “What if it causes a war?”
“Then that will be a convenient excuse for a course of action already desired,” she said as she drifted down in fr
ont of me. “Emperor Vydor gave you his blessing; that’s all that matters.”
“You know he dislikes that title,” I chided.
“But I think something else is bothering you,” said Nanny, pointedly ignoring my remark.
“Well, I don’t know how to put this, but … ” I stopped and gestured around the room. “This - you and the others; it’s not considered proper for a cleric to be involved in all this.”
“Priestess, doesn’t Light bless your work?” she asked.
“That’s another thing; no one has anointed me priestess. I just assumed the role and accepted the label.”
“Priestess, doesn’t Light bless your work?” she asked again.
“By the Light, I’m not even sure that there’s such a thing as a priestess! There were only male priests back home.”
“Priestess,” she said more firmly. “Does Light bless your work or not?”
“He does,” I admitted.
“Then what does it matter?” she asked.
“You know, you’d make a good cleric if you weren’t one of the undead,” I said.
“I’ve never liked that term,” she said.
I chuckled. “Then maybe you know how Vydor feels when you call him ‘Emperor’.”
She waved away that remark. “Shea, friend, sister, if you walk with Light, what does it matter what others think? I predict that they will welcome you with open arms but if not, that is between themselves and Light. It is not your problem.”
The door chimed to let me know someone had approached, then Master Raquel walked in. She wasn’t wearing her traditional purple-and-gray battle armor. Instead she had donned more primitive clothes, something like the armor a ranger from Korshalemia might wear. Her swords were sheathed at her side, instead of on her back, and she had strapped a knife to one arm. A waterskin, a bow and a pouch were attached to a small pack on her back, completing the appearance of a primitive hunter. She wore these clothes as comfortably as she did her high-tech armor. She was caught between two lives and suffering under the strain.
She stiffened at the site of Nanny and let out a long breath.
“Priestess, are you ready?” she asked.
Oh, Light, she suffers so under her mask; help me to reach her.
I smiled and mentally recited a calming prayer, replying, “Yes, we can leave whenever you’re ready.”
She turned to Nanny and forced a smile. “Hi, Nanny.”
Nanny was like a grandmother, even to Raquel, and responded in a kindly tone. “It’s good to see you again. I’ll have some of that mead ready for you when you return.”
Master Raquel exhaled again. “My thanks. I suspect it will be most welcome.”
She opened a gate and gestured to me to go first. I stepped out of my office and onto the street in front of the Grand Cathedral of Light in Syncillia. As Master Raquel came through, I saw other gates open and close around us as groups of wizards arrived for the service.
“Praise the Light!” I called in my native tongue for what seemed the first time in eons.
“The Light is worthy of praise!” came a chorale of responses from the crowd.
“Oh, Master Raquel, thank you!” I said and moved towards the building; then I heard a familiar voice behind me.
“You should not be here,” said Master Mantis.
I turned and looked as he confronted Master Raquel. He stood there with his staff in his hand, his back straight and his face a blank, emotionless slate. Master Mantis, the only magus that both wizards and sorcerers feared to some extent; the one who dared to dabble in arts which even the masters feared to touch. There were many stories told about him in hushed tones in the taverns, and yet it was who had rescued Dusty, given me access to Vydoria and set up the Vydorian Wizards’ council, which had saved the entire realm from certain destruction.
Master Raquel’s expression was as hard as granite, and she shifted her body into a stance I had seen many times since joining forces with the wizards in Vydoria. She was preparing to fight. An ancient and powerful magus in her own right, surely she knew better than to face off with Master Mantis, especially here and now.
Light! Please help us!
“Master Mantis! It is good to see you again!” I called, moving between them before Master Raquel could act.
He smiled warmly at me. “Shea, your company is always a pleasure but you should not be here. This is not good.”
I could feel power building behind me and knew that if I didn’t defuse the situation, things would quickly worsen.
Light! Please send help!
I took a deep breath and prepared to use my calming prayers on Raquel, then a deep voice boomed from behind. “Is there a problem here?”
Master Raquel spun round and her hands flew up as if to cast, but she stopped and bowed her head. “Father Ryegell, please forgive me. You startled me.”
“It’s fine, my daughter,” said Father Ryegell. He smiled at me. “Shea, you’re looking well; travel has always suited you.”
Thank you, Light!
“Thank you, Father.” I had grown up in this city, and in the days before I’d become an alchemist this temple had been a second home to me. A much younger Father Ryegell had led the children’s services back then, but he was now the high priest for the entire region.
“Now, what’s the matter?” he asked.
Master Mantis stepped forward. “I am sorry to cause trouble, Father, but the council has requested me to take in these two for violating the ban on travel. We will leave now and bother you no more.”
“You’ll do no such thing,” said Father Ryegell. He placed a hand on Master Raquel’s shoulder. She flinched as he touched her; knowing her, I was sure she wanted to pull away. I could almost feel the tension building up inside her, and began my silent calming prayer. Even in Father Ryegell’s presence, the situation could still deteriorate.
“Master Raquel, please let Father Ryegell handle this,” I sent privately.
“Mantis cannot be trusted, but that is probably the correct course of action in this instance,” she replied.
Father Ryegell gestured to me, keeping his other hand on Raquel to prevent her from acting rashly. “Shea is a cleric of Light, and this woman travels with her under her protection. Furthermore, Shea has been directly commissioned by Light to travel the realms as a missionary, and the council would be wise not to interfere.”
Light must have revealed that to him, or perhaps Master Raquel did so. The last time he had seen me was over a decade ago, and at that time I was merely a young woman on the run. They had given me shelter for a while and a wiser Shea might have stayed, but my brother and I had loved the open road too much.
Master Mantis frowned. “I must report this to the council, and I am sure they will be displeased.”
“Tell Grandmaster Korshalem if he wishes to bring grievances to my attention, my door is always open,” said Father Ryegell.
There was strength in his words; it demonstrated his faith in Light and Light’s ability to intercede on his behalf. Praise you, Light, for hearing my prayer and sending help!
Father Ryegell extended his arm towards the temple. “I don’t wish to be uncivil, but the service will be starting soon. Do you care to join us?”
“Thank you, Father, but I fear I must bring this news to the council. Perhaps another time,” said Mantis.
“Very well. Come, Shea, we have much to discuss. I’m glad you’ve come at last,” he said.
I turned to Master Mantis to say goodbye, and as I did he smiled, winked and vanished.
63
05-25-0067 — Lyshell
I arrived at my terminal a little early, hoping to make a breakthrough before the morning briefing. Having cataloged almost every signal, I knew the answer was close. I just had to focus on the task, but even my cyborg-tuned brain was having trouble concentrating after so long. Formerly I would have delegated this task to one of my subcores, but those days have long gone.
Joan arrived and came
over with a mug of coffee. She now attended our morning meetings, but as yet had not left her nursing post. Master Raquel had been vague as to what she expected of Joan. For the moment, it was just nice to have an excuse to see her every morning.
“Morning,” I said, taking the mug she offered. “Good shift?”
“Boring, which is a good thing in my line of work.” She sat on my desk, partly blocking my view and access to the terminal. That was doubtless intentional. “How about you? Any luck yet?”
I was about to reply in the negative when something caught my eye. “Don’t move.”
“What is it? Is something wrong?”
The shadow cast on the screen by her body had obscured some of the data and made what was hidden apparent. I put my finger on the screen at the edge of her shadow and said, “That’s it!”
“What?” She turned and looked at where my finger pointed, and understanding dawned in her eyes. “You found it!”
“Quickly, we need to isolate this command sequence.” We went to work. Joan might be a nurse by choice, but she had formerly been an advanced cyborg trained in special ops. She understood this work and had as much desire to complete it as I did. Our free will was on the line.
“Ha! We’ve got them now!” she called out as the last bits fell into place.
“Got whom?” asked Greymere, who must have arrived at some point.
“The rotting Cyborgs would be my guess,” said Stones.
“Metal doesn’t rot,” commented Dave.
“They’re part flesh, and that stinks like rot,” said Stones.
Master Raquel and the team had gathered around the central table. We seemed to be late for the morning briefing. I transferred our findings to a datapad,and we joined the rest of the team.
“I take it that you have something of note to report?” asked Master Raquel.
“Yes, Master. With Joan’s help, I have isolated the command channel which the cyborgs are using.” I placed the pad on the table so that everyone could see the data displayed on the screen. “The only problem is that everything is encrypted. I believe that the encryption will be a poly-dimensional fractal algorithm, very difficult to break.”
Mage Hunter (Lost Tales of Power Book 8) Page 32
