Gasps and screams echoed through the crowd as people instinctively backed away further from the smoky image of the Dark One. The figure chuckled in a voice that sounded like both a haunting, whispered cackle and a low, booming laugh. The Dark Ones mixed voice echoed throughout the room and in the minds of everyone present. “What a marvelous first meeting, Guardian.”
“We’ve met once before, putrid snake,” Sam challenged, walking through the crowd and breaking into the open circle to stare the image down, “when you burned my village to the ground!”
Cain seemed to mock him. “Oh yes, that was you. You heroes are so interchangeable, sprouting up and dying off so much through the centuries it’s hard to keep track. You’re like weeds.”
“Why don’t you stand and face me, coward? Stop sending your cronies to do your dirty work!” Sam bellowed confidently. He was filled with anger, his vision tunneled. He completely forgot there were other people watching the exchange.
“I’m far too busy to waste my time on a boy playing make believe. Besides, why chase you when your own people will deliver you straight to me?” Cain teased.
Sam stood confused as the Dark One turned to the crowd. “People of Lochmare and beyond, hear my words. Deliver to me this Guardian unharmed and you will have won my mercy. If he is not delivered to me within a fortnight, then I will attack a different nation’s capital every fortnight after. Starting with Lochmare.”
Screams and gasps circulated through the crowd followed by loud talking and debates. Cain turned back to Sam and chuckled mischievously. “See you soon, ‘hero’.”
The oil stopped boiling and the image of Cain started to disappear while the Dark One’s maniacal laughter echoed through the palace. The room stood tense as each side prepared for another assault. Lilith looked down at the crowd. “Well, all that’s left to do is break your spirit,” Lilith said allowed, grinning down at the Guardian.
Sam withdrew Windrider and stood ready. “Come at me, demon. I’ll be sure to make you work for your prize.”
Lilith shook her head. “Oh, my dear, not you. I have something far more effective in mind.”
The vampire’s gaze turned to Haven. As the marauders again pounced on the soldiers, the succubus disappeared into a cloud of black smoke and reappeared directly before the blonde-haired woman. “No!” David cried, throwing himself onto Lilith, desperately trying to shield Haven.
Lilith stabbed her claws into the apprentice’s stomach, causing him to fall limp to the floor in a bloody mess. “David!” Haven cried.
Ahtash and Nathaniel lunged at the demon as well, who dodged their attacks easily. Lilith slashed them away too, the two falling to the floor, their skin burning where the demon’s claws had cut them. Haven stumbled back, petrified of the vampire coming towards her. “Time to die little healer,” Lilith said, her lizard tongue flicking menacingly.
The demon plunged her fangs into Haven’s neck, the golden haired girl crying out in pain and fear. Her blood began to slide down her collar, staining her white dress. Lilith was draining her of everything, but was stopped when the daggers were shoved into her back. The demon hissed and cried out as she took to the air, but April held firm to her blades.
The two spun and weaved over everyone’s heads, Lilith slamming April into the wall, the chandeliers, anything she could do to get rid of the rogue. April’s dress and body were slashed again and again from the demon’s claws, but the auburn haired girl wrapped her legs around her opponent and held on firm. Lilith finally mule kicked the girl in the stomach, catching her off guard, and threw her to the hard floor some twelve feet below. The demon collapsed back into her seat atop the dragon’s back, her assault foiled. “Away!” She screamed.
The remaining marauders clambered onto the dragon, the Lochkary forces rushing them with the sight of their retreat. Only a few managed to get onto the dragon again before it took off into the clear winter night. Rescuers ran immediately to the pile of stone from the caved in wall, trying to save party guests who had been trapped under the dragon’s weight during the whole ordeal. Ashtock picked up the girls in his hands and looked for Sam. “Take them to the church!” Sam barked, trying desperately to help coordinate rescue efforts.
Ashtock started into a dead sprint. Nathaniel and Ahtash lifted up David’s arms over their shoulders. “Can you walk?” Nathaniel asked, wincing as movement reminded him of his own injuries.
“He’s fading,” Ahtash stated, feeling David through their bond. “We have to hurry.”
The three rushed off after Ashtock towards the Cathedral. Sam threw aside rubble and lifted a guest from the pile, covered in dust and cuts from broken glass. The woman looked up to thank her savior, only to be pulled away by other guests, all looking at Sam in a petrified stare. General Sillis came forward and took hold of the Guardian’s shoulder, shoving him out of the open wall into the gardens. “Follow your friends Guardian, now!” She ordered.
“But I want to help!” Sam argued.
“You are now the most wanted man in the kingdom, Samuel. The Cathedral is the only safe sanctuary for you. Now go before I am forced to say I saw you,” She said.
Sam nodded, taking off after his friends and into the chilled air. Cain had made the impression he had wanted. The promise of attack was everything Sam had expected, but the deal he had proposed of the turning him over to Cain’s forces in exchange for salvation, that was something he had not anticipated. Sam knew better than to trust the evil spirit’s word. Even if Sam was captured by someone and turned in, it would not stop Cain from attacking the capitals. It only served as a means to divide them so their defenses were weaker when the Dark One arrived to destroy the city. Sam could only hope that he got back to the palace in time to stop that from happening.
***
Sam sat beside the door to the room where the girls were being hospitalized. The Cathedral for the Light, which normally served as a place of healing and recovery for most residents of the city, had been turned into a trauma center within a matter of hours. Bodies lay strewn across tables, benches, pews, and in every bed that could be found. Only because Ashtock had sprinted with the girls so quickly had they managed to be placed into a private bedchamber used by the Grand Cleric. It had been through the suggestion of the Chipowi Guard Captain Ayawamat, which was a surprising olive branch given the still evident tension felt between Ashtock and the other Chipowi Guards. Religious ideals would have to wait, people were dying.
Ahtash, David, and Nathaniel had been patched up by other healers for their wounds. They sat with Sam, their heads sunken with worry, David still a little pale from losing so much blood. Everyone rose when Grand Cleric Emma Berthold walked from the room where their friends lay. “The auburn haired girl is going to be fine. She broke a lot of bones, had an innumerable amount of lacerations, and don’t even get me started on her temper. It took three of us to hold her down long enough to put her under.”
David and Sam couldn’t help but chuckle. Nathaniel stepped forward and took the Grand Cleric’s hands. “My sister?” He asked.
The old woman of the cloth sighed deeply. “That’s a different matter… The bite, took a lot of blood. Even without that, a Vampire bite is something we know little about curing. It taints the blood, transforms it. If it doesn’t kill the victim it will surely turn them into a vampire as well.”
Everyone was speechless. Haven turned into one of those things? No one could imagine it. She was sweet, kind, innocent; not a monster. Was this what Lilith had intended all along? All that's left to do is break your spirit. Emma sighed again. “I’m sorry but I can’t let another one of those creatures loose in the city. I’m going to have to call the Guard Captain.”
“And do what? Kill my sister?” Nathan was crying and yelling.
Emma tried to calm him down. “I know this is hard to hear, but you have to understand the gravity of the situation Nathan,” The Grand Cleric spoke with familiarity, as if she had known them both all their lives. Sam surmised it was tak
ing everything she had to keep her composure. “I’ll let you say your goodbyes.”
The older woman left to find to find Ayawamat, Sam noticing she wiped a tear from her face as she passed. Nathaniel practically burst into the room to see his sister. “Get Out!” He bellowed to the nurses still inside.
The few attendees grabbed their supplies and hastened out the door. David and Sam entered the room behind the man, both still in shock at the situation. April lay in a separate bed near the window, sleeping soundly with bandages all over her body. It was apparent that one of the healers had put her to sleep like Haven had to them on occasion. Haven on the other hand was awake.
She writhed and seethed like she was lying in a fire pit. Her skin was pale and clammy, her veins black all across her body. Her eyes were bloodshot and she was tied down to the bed by leather straps. “Nathan!” She screamed. “It burns! Make it stop!”
Nathaniel took a knee next to her and grabbed hold of Haven’s hand. He blinked back tears, unable to tolerate seeing her in so much pain. Nathaniel placed a hand on her forehead and Haven calmed slightly. “I’m here Haven. I’m here.”
Haven grit her teeth, moaning and wrenching against the straps. “What do we do?” Sam asked.
Nathan shook his head. “I don’t know Sam. I can’t even save my baby sister…” the man choked back a sob. “They’re going to kill her.”
David shook his head, unwilling to accept this. “We can take her. Rush her off and hide her, maybe back to Tamrien?”
“To what end?” Nathaniel asked. “The bite will surely kill her… or worse…”
The men didn’t want to say it. They didn’t even want to think it. Slowly, silently, they each started coming to the same conclusion. Maybe this was the best thing for Haven? A quiet, quick death. David knelt beside Haven's other side and took her free hand, all three men trying desperately to not focus on what was about to happen, hoping beyond anything that something changed. That they’d wake from this nightmare. A knock at the door ended their hopes. It was Emma and the Chipowi Ayawamat. “It’s time,” The Cleric said bluntly.
Ayawamat entered and withdrew his sword. He held it tentatively, blade pointed down, over Haven’s body. “I will make it quick,” He said, as if that was some kind of reassurance.
As Sam and the others took in a breath to prepare themselves, a loud bark echoed from outside. They turned towards the window. Daisy, Haven’s black Labrador Retriever, was scratching at the glass and barking frantically. Sam moved to the window as the Grand Cleric objected. “Don’t let that flea bitten mongrel in here! It’s unsanitary!”
Nathaniel held back the old woman and nodded to Sam. The Guardian unlatched the window and the dog came barreling into the room. Emma gasped as Daisy bounded onto Haven’s bed and Ayawamat looked ready to slap the canine off. David raised his arms. “Wait! Everyone wait!”
Daisy whined loudly, nuzzling her master as if the dog was trying to get the girl’s attention. “Daisy? What are you… Don’t get any closer!” Haven shrieked.
The dog bent its head down and licked Haven’s face, her tail wagging and whimpers sounding from the scared puppy. “Alright that’s enough, get this…” Ayawamat started.
“I said wait!” David yelled, scowling at the Chipowi who was three times his size.
Daisy howled and her fur started to shimmer. Tiny shards of light began to sprinkle off of her coat while the dog panted and wagged her tail. The light around the dog grew brighter and brighter, so much so that everyone had to shield their eyes. David, Nathaniel, and Sam peaked from between their fingers. Daisy was soon a bright form of pure, enigmatic, brilliant light, licking Haven’s face again and causing the black veins across her skin to fade. As suddenly as the light had appeared it started to recede. Haven’s frantic movements ceased, she let out a slow, relaxing breath and fell into unconsciousness.
Everyone was stunned. Daisy barked loudly, making everyone jump. Haven shook awake, her eyes darting around the room in surprise. “What… Where am I?” She asked in shock.
Emma rushed forward and checked Haven’s vitals. When the older woman’s pupils returned she looked astounded. “It’s a miracle…” she stated. “…A divine… here… in this cathedral. It’s completely cured you, no trace of the taint anywhere.”
“Divine?” Sam asked.
David nodded knowingly and allowed Nathan to take his sister’s hand. “It was the final species created by the Sprites. They’re very rare. They’re healing spirits, wisps that have no real corporeal form. They possess animals to help people when they are at their worst.”
Nathan cried still, but from sheer happiness, embracing Haven again and again. Haven hugged her brother back looking confused, both of them petting Daisy ecstatically. Ayawamat planted his sword on the floor and knelt, bowing his head to the dog. “Forgive me Angel of Hope; I did not know you had this one under your protection.”
Daisy barked at him, wagging her tail and licking the man’s face. Sam and David both snickered at the sight of the large Guard Captain kneeling before a dog. The Grand Cleric bowed respectfully as well. “We will… take our leave, grand spirit.”
Emma and Ayawamat removed themselves from the room as Ahtash and Ashtock entered to be told the amazing tale of the previous few minutes. The group laughed and rejoiced at Haven’s remarkable recovery, still not believing how close they had come to losing her.
Chapter 9
Setting the Pieces
After the commotion had died down and most of the group had found a place to sleep for the night, Haven awoke from around dawn. She looked about the room and noticed Sam asleep in a chair next to April who was still in a magically induced coma. Ashtock was nowhere to be seen, probably escorted out of the church by the religious Chipowi guards. Nathaniel was asleep in a window nook on the far end of the room. David slept next to her bed, kneeling beside it with his head upon the blanket inches from her knee. “He watched over you for most of the night,” Ahtash whispered, entering the room and handing Haven a mug of tea.
“Fresh cup?” Haven asked.
Ahtash looked at her own mug, her hand glowing and steam rising instantly from the beverage. “Brewed it myself,” She said with a wink.
Haven giggled softly and moved the mug around in her hands, warming her fingers and feeling the sensation of her blood flowing again without causing her splintering pain. “Your pet, it healed you?” Ahtash asked.
Haven looked at Daisy lying against her on the opposite side of the bed from David. The dog was kicking and dreaming, probably of chasing squirrels. The healer smiled. “That’s what everyone is telling me.”
“That would mean it is a Divine, yes?”
Haven nodded, “Daisy came to me when I was a little girl. Daddy had just passed away and I didn’t understand what was happening. I remember sitting under the cherry blossom tree, crying into my hands, when a puppy came up to me and started licking away my tears. We played in the yard all afternoon and she dug up the old flower garden, that’s how she got her name. I never really questioned where she came from, just understood she was there for me.”
“So the animal has been with you for nearly twenty years? Isn’t that a long life for a dog?” Ahtash asked.
Haven shrugged. “I suppose so, I just never really thought about it. She’s always been beside me, helping me, keeping me company.”
“And keeping you safe, apparently,” Ahtash sipped her tea. “A very good dog, indeed.”
Daisy started yipping and kicking in her sleep. The two females smiled and pet the dog gingerly. Ahtash looked around the room. “This is a cathedral to your god?”
Haven nodded, “Hope is everyone’s God, she heals all of the Sprite’s children. That’s what they teach us at least.”
“Your Followers?” Ahtash asked.
“The Followers of the Light,” Haven corrected, “they believe that Hope and Spectre are on another level than the rest of the Sprites. That they are stronger, better, than even Dytin. That
’s how they hold dominion over all the races.”
“Do they have proof?”
“The founders went looking for proof a long time ago. No one remembers their names and they never wrote them down in the ancient texts. We only know them as the Soldier, the Scholar, the Smith, and the Sneak. They searched for years through tombs and temples, until they were broke and tired and desperate,” Haven explained.
Ahtash was enthralled. David wasn’t the only one who had an insatiable hunger for knowledge. Haven enjoyed the audience. “In a wood on the Western Continent, the four were camped. They were discussing ending the expedition. As the fire died down, and each drifted off to sleep, Hope showed herself to them. A fawn entered their camp and turned into a bright figure of light.”
“A divine!” Ahtash smiled.
Haven nodded. “It’s the only recorded sighting of one… well, until now.”
Ahtash looked again to Daisy, realizing finally the gravity of the nights earlier events, and why everyone had been so blown away. Haven continued. “The fawn taught the founders how to use Hope’s healing powers, and the Followers were established soon after. The Divine Citadel, the center of the religion, was built directly over the spot where the four made camp.”
“Incredible.” Ahtash smiled.
“I guess.” Haven shrugged.
“You do not agree with the Followers anymore? Even though they trained you?”
Haven sighed. “It’s complicated. I like their message, I like how they have places like this. I worked here for many years in fact. There’s just too much money involved.”
“Those little circles of metal that I have seen you barter with?” Ahtash asked. “The thing the Dwarves dig so much for?”
Haven nodded. “Money corrupts everything. People’s bodies aren’t for sale. I couldn’t just stand by and withhold helping others because they couldn’t afford it.”
Ahtash nodded, sipping her tea. “In the Brood, we don’t have money. We don’t have healers either. We burn our wounds and let them heal on their own. I think I prefer your light magic.”
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