Lord Ravenshead, you wield no authority here regardless of your status outside these sacred halls. The faithful serve the gods alone. At their behest, your daughter may know their light and be healed of the plague that seeks to devour her. What do you offer the church in exchange for the blessings of the gods?

  Bishop Ali Idris Rose

  when requested to heal the daughter of Lord Ravenshead

  in the Cathedral of Hope, Pacryle

  Cortana leapt into action at the sound of Zaria’s scream. She had been upstairs watching for signs of Solomon’s return when the princess and Solomon wandered through the threshold below. Despite every footstep feeling like a hammer blow to her heart, Cortana made it down the winding staircase before the echo of Zaria’s scream had faded.

  At first glance, Solomon would have been assumed long dead by most healers. His handmade gear was shredded and torn, and the blood had dried on his cloak in many places, which concealed the true extent of his injuries. Cortana’s heart constricted, fearing the worst for her little lording. The princess, Emily, stood nearby, shocked by Solomon’s collapse.

  “What happened?” Cortana shouted at the princess as she ran to Solomon’s side to check him.

  “I do not know; he seemed fine on our way back,” Emily said nervously.

  “When he messaged me earlier using telepathy, he seemed like he was in pain,” Zaria said with panic in her voice. “But nothing like this. I thought he might have sprained a wrist or something.”

  A heartbeat throbbed lightly under her fingers. Cortana let out a short sigh of relief. At least the idiot was not dead yet, even if his gear looked like someone had stabbed and hacked at his body repeatedly.

  “He is alive still, just barely,” Cortana spoke to the group. “He needs attention urgently.”

  “Can we move him? It might be better to get him on a table or something we can carry if we have to.” Zaria said. “I have some talent with healing spells, but I am unsure if I can heal such extensive wounds. I should be able to slow the bleeding and heal some of the lighter injuries.”

  “There is a table down below, but we also have a couple of beds upstairs. They are not the best, but they may be better if we need to move Solomon later.” Cortana said, ignoring the boundary of rank amid the tense situation.

  The twins were not about to be left out. Telesilla spoke up. “We will help you move him; we owe him our lives anyways.”

  “I think we all do,” Zaria said sadly. “I will leave him to you three. I am going pick out the best of the beds to put him in.”

  The room was silent for a minute following Zaria’s stark reminder that without Solomon’s timely interventions, most of those safely ensorcelled in the tower would be food for worms… or worse. His death would weigh heavily on their consciousnesses.

  “Well, no time like the present,” Chrysame said, going to Solomon’s shoulder. “Sister, can you grab his other side? Cortana, can you take his legs?”

  “Sure.” Cortana and Telesilla moved into position.

  Remembering her manners, Cortana asked Emily to follow them. “Princess, can you come with us? Zaria and I might have a few questions for you as we tend to his wounds.”

  “Absolutely,” Emily said without hesitation. Being kidnapped had had a profound effect on her.

  The three women, plus Solomon’s prone and dangling form, went upstairs to find out which bed Zaria had selected for the young warrior. Despite his gear, Solomon’s body felt lighter than it should have. It should have felt like dead weight and heavy too. Cortana could feel a slight tingle in her hands and assumed it was related to an enchantment or spell that Solomon had wrought into his gear.

  They quickly spotted Zaria on the second floor. She had chosen one of the beds near the window because it had been originally designed as more of a hammock. This had two benefits. The first was that it was a lot comfier than some of the others. And the second was its portability. Zaria was sitting on a bench staring at the empty bed.

  “Let us set Solomon down,” Cortana said to the twins.

  With a couple of grunts from the effort, they laid Solomon on the bed. The twins quickly exchanged glances and excused themselves back down to the food and fire. Emily sat down near Zaria while Cortana set about removing Solomon’s gear. His cloak was nothing more than rags and was simple to remove with a couple of tugs. His armour was another story. It would likely cause a lot of harm

  “It looks like they took quite a beating,” Cortana said. “What happened to the two of you?”

  Emily considered the question carefully. “After leaving the castle, I tried to follow some merchants on the road for a while. An orc raiding party took them out and captured me as a bonus. I did not resist at all, and I told them who I was. Despite my being their prisoner, they were quick to treat me decently enough.”

  “When did Solomon get to you?” Cortana said with a touch of irritation.

  Emily snorted at the memory. “Rather than something as trivial as getting to me, it would be better to describe it as him bursting in from amidst a firestorm and dragging me like a sack of old potatoes through the orc camp with ogres, dark elves, and a demon chasing us. Solomon could only get us so far before he was forced to face them and told me to run.”

  The princess quieted, unsure of how to continue the story.

  “Solomon was more than a match for the orcs. Even though he looked injured, he fought well. But then a dark elf caught up to us and summoned a demon to capture us.” Emily shuddered. “The demon was not amused by Solomon’s actions.”

  Zaria spoke. “The demon is the one who ran Solomon through, was it not?”

  “Yes, he was,” Emily said, startled. “Solomon collapsed from the blow, and the demon, Vanir, turned on me. I thought I was about to die when Solomon shouted at him. Vanir grunted in annoyance and tried to swat Solomon with its blade… but something went wrong with its strike. And next that I saw was Solomon’s sword pierced right through the demon’s skull. Its body rippled and vanished into a purplish-black spot at the tip of Solomon’s sword. Solomon then pointed the blade back towards the orc encampment and cast a spell. It looked like meteors of fire but twisted and darker than it should have been. As they neared the orc city, the meteors split apart, weaving trails of flame. The screams were just starting when Solomon grabbed me again and ran, carrying me through the woods.”

  “Is that all?” Cortana demanded. “You did not see them receive or take numerous strikes?”

  “It is all I am about to tell you, maid,” Emily retorted. “I am not beholden to you, nor do I care for your tone. Everything was a blur.”

  “Please, princess,” Zaria said. “She means no harm. We are just concerned.”

  “Concerned for Solomon, yes, as are you,” Emily said. “I am going to go back downstairs; I wish him luck, and he will need it. I need to rest – I think I was drugged.”

  Zaria sighed as the princess walked away and quickly disappeared down the stairwell. Princess Emily had told them enough to appreciate the gravity of Solomon’s wounds. They needed to get him undressed to attempt to heal as many of his injuries as they could.

  “Help me with him,” Zaria asked Cortana.

  Silently Cortana moved to help, efficiently removing pieces of Solomon’s armour even as Zaria struggled to make any progress. As they removed his armour, fear struck their hearts. Almost every inch of his skin was ripped or torn. Broken-off arrowheads were scattered throughout his torso. Cuts and stab wounds were everywhere. The sheer extent of Solomon’s effort would have been considered legendary, even god-like. Tears poured down Zaria’s face as her eyes inspected Solomons’ body.

  “There is nothing you can do, Zaria.” Cortana’s voice was soft, gentle.

  Zaria turned on the maid angrily. “I can try.”

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  With that simple statement, Zaria placed her hands over Solomon’s side. She drew upon her magical energies and focused the power into a healing stream. It was weak, but it would help a little. Solomon’s body was like a desert, absorbing Zaria’s healing energy with abandon. Slowly the skin of Solomon’s side started to twitch and regrow, closing the many minor wounds and gnashes. It was slow, unrewarding work, though.

  Cortana watched Zaria try. She knew that it was not enough, that Zaria alone did not have enough power to manage this. Cortana glared at Solomon, hating him for what she would need to do yet loving him for his actions and perseverance. Steeling herself, Cortana placed her hands on top of Zaria’s.

  “What are you doing?!” Zaria said, startled by the maid’s touch.

  Cortana looked at Zaria wryly. “Trying.”

  “What?” Zaria looked confused but realized that her healing stream spell was being empowered and fed more energy. The effects on Solomon’s body were immediately noticeable. His skin was healing much more rapidly and in a broader range. Zaria did not waste time on questions. Instead, the young lady moved her hands across Solomon’s wounds, healing them one by one. The sun had fully risen by the time they had finished, and even then, the damage from the demon’s sword festered.

  “There’s nothing I can do for that,” Zaria said, wobbling, light-headed and dizzy.

  “Go downstairs and eat something. I can watch Solomon.” Cortana said.

  “Thanks.” Exhausted with wariness, Zaria went downstairs and joined the larger group. Their exclamations of excitement were easy to hear.

  Despite knowing that no one was near enough to hear her, Cortana leaned in close to Solomon and whispered into his ear. “I have come too far, experienced too much, sacrificed too much, to see it all end here. And for what? A little girl who plays at being a princess. She does not deserve your help. None of these folks do. Why do you insist on playing the hero when you could be so much more?”

  Solomon’s injured form did not respond to her taunt. He was still unconscious despite Zaria’s healing. While his skin was no longer torn to shreds and the bleeding had slowed, his survival chances were still minuscule. Cortana had no more options available that would help Solomon save one. For Cortana was not a human, an elf, or any sort of humankind – despite her appearance. Her powers far outstripped that of a mortal. Where Zaria failed to do enough, Cortana could again stir the dying embers of Solomon’s life into a bright flame. All it would take was a fragment of her very soul.

  “Damn you,” Cortana growled, eyes sharpening. She got up and leaned across Solomon’s body. She kissed him gently. Cortana imbued her breath with fragments of her soul that carried her life energy into Solomon as their lips touched. Cortana could feel immense pain as Solomon drew upon her life force to heal himself. Suddenly Cortana felt Solomon draw more deeply from her than she intended – her breath ignited, becoming dragonfire as her soul was consumed. Yet still, he drew upon her life energy, undeterred. The wound from the demon strike flickered with the dispelling of demonic powers. It twitched as strands of blood and tissue closed the hole in Solomon’s torso.

  Solomon’s hands twitched as feeling and strength returned to them. He reached up and held Cortana’s face. His eyes flickered with recognition.

  “Cortana?” Solomon gasped for air as his lips released hers.

  “Barely anymore. I think you have taken a huge chunk of my lifespan.” Cortana said as she sagged onto his chest. “I only meant to give you a fragment, just enough so you would live to see a better healer than Zaria.”

  Solomon laughed weakly. “Hey, she is not that bad.”

  “True, most of her patients do not have a mortal wound from a demon’s void-tainted weapon. You were careless.” Cortana stated angrily.

  “I was not careless,” Solomon retorted. “I am pretty sure I saved the princess.”

  “You do not remember?!” Cortana said, getting up from the bloodstained bed, her voice rising in both octave and volume. “Are you kidding me?”

  “Cortana, I just about died. I have been unconscious, and you cannot expect me to remember everything as soon as I woke up.” Solomon said. “And besides, I am more focused on how you managed to heal me after Zaria failed. I knew you had some magical powers, but this seems different. I feel refreshed and empowered.”

  “You do not know everything yet, my lord,” Cortana said. She turned her head towards the staircase and bobbed her head to indicate that someone was coming. A mere handful of heartbeats later, Zaria burst up from the stairwell.

  “I snacked a little Cortana, and I think you –” Zaria’s eyes fell upon Solomon’s propped-up form, and the realization that he was alive and up winded her. She made a slight noise, a little gurgle, and she screamed. “Solomon!”

  “Hi Zaria,” Solomon said weakly, slowly lowering himself back into the cot. Despite his magic-infused recovery, exhaustion still lingered in every muscle and joint, and even his bones ached.

  Zaria swiftly crossed the distance between them, at a loss for words. She reached out and embraced Solomon, her love and concern evident in the quietness of the room. Tears streaked down her face, and Solomon realized that Zaria was sobbing. He reached around her and started to stroke her soft, silky hair.

  “I thought I lost you,” Zaria said softly.

  “I will be fine,” Solomon pulled back slightly and smiled. “You healed enough of my wounds for me to pull myself back together. Thank you.”

  Solomon left out the obvious, and Cortana was not about to interject or offer any additional information. Solomon planned to interrogate her later. The room was silent except for Zaria’s sniffles. Cortana made eye contact briefly, and with a nod of acknowledgement, she headed downstairs.

  “Are you okay? Cortana said that you had used a lot of magic on me.” Solomon asked.

  “I am okay, just a bit tired. Emotionally drained, you gave me quite a scare.” Zaria said. “Cortana was excellent tonight. She also made me go eat something. It is probably good she did; otherwise, I probably would have fainted on seeing you propped up when I came back.”

  Solomon grunted, releasing her entirely. “I think I am going to try getting up now.”

  “Are you sure?” Zaria could not help but ask. “You were pretty much dead less than half an hour ago!”

  “I am sure,” Solomon said.

  Zaria backed away just enough that Solomon could get up if he really insisted but stayed close enough to swoop in and grab him if he wobbled or fell. Solomon propped himself up and swung his legs over the edge. With a slight butt wiggle, Solomon slid off the cot. Despite a bit of swaying, Solomon managed to stand. Stand tall and naked that is.

  Solomon asked the obvious question. “So, uh, where are my clothes?”

  Zaria glanced down at Solomon’s manhood, unburdened from the oppression of cloth and went beat red. “We removed them; they were very damaged. I will, uh, excuse me.”

  Zaria fled the room, stumbling in her haste. Solomon watched her depart with a smug grin. After years of increasingly forward advances that had him retreating at every turn when she pressed her case, Solomon finally discovered how to make Zaria withdraw. All it took was an exposed penis. Solomon grinned. It was helpful information to have.

  His bloodied rags were easy to spot and just as quickly repaired with a minor spell directed into the cloth. However, his chainmail and other finely crafted pieces of armour were less fortunate.

  Solomon sighed.

  He had spent months refining the chainmail mesh in multiple rounds of forging and enchanting. Every link had been moulded, forged, strengthened, coated, and magically tested. Until perfected. The mesh had then been woven together with magic. Then repeatedly enchanted to grant it increased strength amongst other powers. Destroyed by a legion of orcs and a single demon.

  Even if the feat was worthy of song, Solomon still felt sadness at the state of his gear. Kastytis had often said: that a soldier’s worth could often be seen from the state of his equipment. And Solomon’s gear was trashed.

  With a sad shrug, he donned the tattered remains of his armour. It was better than nothing and would afford him some protection even in its current state. His cloak was easy to restore and would hide most of the damage from sight anyways. The hole from the demons’ axe strike would need a touch of magic to hide. Placing his hand over the gap, Solomon used his powers to stretch the plate and give it a seamless look. It would stop a glancing blow, but any strike with a reasonable amount of force would cause it to crumble.

  Something was better than nothing, though. Solomon pulled on his boots and headed downstairs to join the group.

  The active conversations around Zaria and Cortana died down as they heard Solomon’s footsteps. Silence dawned on them like a cloak of awe. None of them expected to see him alive again after the condition they had seen him in, let alone walking down staircases without support or aid.

  Solomon walked without an issue or even so much as a wobble. He jumped the last few steps, landing lightly in front of the group. Chrysame and Telesilla looked the most stunned at his normal-looking appearance. Telesilla was quickest to react to his reappearance.

  “Solomon…” Telesilla said. “Are you ok? You were quite injured earlier.”

  Zaria turned on her angrily. “I healed him!”

  “No offence, but you are not that talented of a healer yet,” Chrysame said. “We guard you regularly, remember? You struggle to heal anything deeper than a knife cut, and you cannot even consistently summon a water elemental.”

  “I have been steadily improving!” Zaria said. “I healed all of his cuts myself.”

  “Most of those were pretty serious.” Princess Emily joined them. “Solomon, are they fully healed or just enough to close the wounds, halt the bleeding?”

  “They are healed enough for me to travel,” Solomon said. “I do not want to still be here if anything was alive enough to follow the princess and me out of the orc encampment.”

  “You were pretty thorough when you dragged me from the orcs, but I concur with your judgement. I would welcome being back in the safety of the castle and the guards.” Emily said. “A phrase I never thought to hear myself say.”

  Cortana joined the room. “Why wait? I have packed your bags back up; everything should be good to go when everyone is ready.”

  Solomon could not help but smile at Cortana’s exasperated tone. She was done with all the company – with the princess, Zaria, the guards, possibly even him. It had been a strenuous adventure for each of them. They gathered their things and followed Solomon and Cortana from the tower. The path was easy to follow for all of them. Despite his injuries, Solomon was easily keeping pace with everyone. After a few hours of light hiking, they stood before the town gates. The guards recognized the group and waved them through. They walked hurriedly to the castle. As they approached the gates, the king’s guards surged from the towers guarding both sides’ gates. Solomon tensed seeing the soldiers surrounding them, remembering his rather rash escape from captivity the previous day.

  “Crap,” Solomon swore quietly under his breath. Zaria placed herself protectively in front of him, shielding Solomon from harm. Chrysame and Telesilla fell back a few steps to be at Solomon’s back.

  The princess walked to the head of the group, storming forward towards the soldiers. “Get. Out. Of. My. Way.”

  The soldiers brandished their weapons. Robert stepped out of the shadows with a dark grin on his face. “I see our runaway princess has returned, as has the traitor. Solomon, you are charged with treason.”