Bane raised his head, letting
the rain beat on his face, not because he enjoyed it, but because
it revived him with its chill touch. Lifting his arms, he spread
his bleeding hands towards the clouds as if to rip them asunder,
and then slowly moved them apart. Dark power flowed from his
fingers, touched the clouds, and tore them open, thinning their
turgid blackness to grey. They drifted apart, and the world
brightened.
The Demon Lord fell to his
knees, his aching hands curled before his chest. The blood ran down
them to drip from his wrists. What little strength he had possessed
was gone, and the world retreated to a grey haze. He barely noticed
the cart rattle up and Ellese's worried words as the four healers
carried him to it.
The deed was done, the dark
power banished from the Overworld and sent below, the Sources
closed. Already the clouds drifted away, thinning and lightening,
allowing watery light to come through. The runes burnt in sullen
agreement with the angry power in his blood, sending waves of pain
through him. He leashed it savagely, imposed his will upon it and
snuffed out the fire in the runes, then darkness claimed him.
The Lady
shifted and sighed on her radiant bed as the realm around her
brightened, regaining some of its pearly glow. The power she had
sent into the Overworld to aid the healers seeped back, drawn to
its source, and the denizens of her realm stirred from their
lethargy. Her hand crept to the bluish welts on her arm and clasped
them, white fire riming her fingertips, but she
continued to sleep.
Chapter
Fourteen
A Young God
Ellese stood on the
balcony and gazed out at the devastated land, a great sadness
mixing with the joy that the brightening sky brought. The rain had
continued for several hours after Bane had sent the dark power
below and commanded the clouds to leave, but finally it had
stopped. Dirty grey water filled every hollow and ran down the
hills in muddy torrents, washing gullies into the soil.
Trees stood stark and bare, as
if winter had come early, and grey sludge covered the land as far
as the eye could see. The healers gathered on the balconies to
witness the miracle of the sun's return, and glad cries made Ellese
turn. In the distance the clouds parted, and a shaft of golden
light shot down, bathing an area of dull grey earth. Tears of joy
stung her eyes as she watched it wander over the land, beyond their
reach, but a wonderful sight nevertheless.
Shrieks of excitement from the
young healers behind her made her turn again in anticipation. They
looked up, pointing, and she followed their urgent fingers.
Directly above the abbey, the thinning clouds tore apart, revealing
a patch of bright blue sky. Blessed sunlight poured through it, and
she spread her arms to receive it as the others did, basking in the
warm touch of its golden power.
It flooded her
with a wealth of
well-being,
banishing the aches and pains she had accumulated in its absence,
filling her heart with a new ache of joy. It only lasted about half
an hour, but that was sufficient time for her to soak up enough to
make her flesh tingle. As soon as the clouds swallowed the blue
patch again, she left the balcony and made her way to Mirra's room.
Several healers had beaten her there, including Tallis and a number
of Elder Mothers.
Tallis had persuaded Mirra to
sit up, and unwrapped her transformed arm while Mirra turned her
head away, biting her lip. Ellese studied the monstrous thing,
suppressing a shudder. The affected hand was large, its fingers
long and knobbly, tipped with sharp claws. A ridge of spines ran
down the top of it, and the shiny black scales covered all but the
palm, which consisted of thick, leathery skin. Tallis threw down
the cloth and laid her hands upon the hard scales, eager to heal
her friend. Nothing happened, and the young healer frowned, then
moved her hands to Mirra's shoulder. This time the power flowed;
Ellese could sense it from across the room, and Mirra closed her
eyes with a sigh.
The bruises around her throat
vanished, as did the scabbed abrasions. The arm did not change.
Tallis shot a worried look at the Elder Mothers, and two of them
stepped forward and laid their hands on Mirra's shoulder, letting
their power flow into her. Several minutes passed with no sign of
healing, then a faint blue glow appeared in the scabby flesh at the
juncture between scales and skin. One of the Elder Mothers nodded,
and they continued to let their healing flow into Mirra. The blue
light brightened, but the arm did not change.
Ellese strode across the room
and elbowed one of the Elder Mothers aside, laying her hands on
Mirra's shoulder where hers had been. She concentrated, sending her
power into the girl, encountering the web of dark power in her arm,
just as she had sensed it in Bane's flesh. In him, the thin,
flowing shield just under his skin was active and tractable, living
in him, but not a part of him. It only became impenetrable when
attacked, allowing her to push through it while he was
unconscious.
In Mirra's arm it was
impervious, a solid barrier bound to her flesh that shut out
healing power. The one who had channelled it into her had commanded
it. It was now a part of her, and intractable. Ellese stepped back
in shocked realisation, then spun on her heel and left the room.
Mirra's wails followed her into the hall, and she almost ran down
the corridor to escape them. She stopped when she had outrun them
and leant against the wall. Turning her face to it, she pressed her
brow to the cold stone. Anguish filled her heart, banishing the joy
the sunlight had brought.
The patter of bare feet made her
straighten and brush at her eyes. She turned to find Tallis
standing there, frowning.
"Why is it not working,
Mother?"
Ellese shook her head. "There is
so much dark power in her arm, I do not understand what holds it
back from the rest of her. I thought it was a surface change, and
we could force it to slough off, but it is not. It goes right to
the bone, and we cannot penetrate it."
"Mirra is the greatest healer
amongst us, perhaps if she gathered enough power..."
"No. It will not work. It still
advances, and eventually it will consume her."
Tallis' face twisted, and she
stifled a sob. "We must do something!"
Ellese nodded. "We will. Only
one option remains. We must amputate it."
"No!"
"We have no choice. It is the
only way to save her."
"What about Bane?"
"What about him?"
Tallis made a helpless gesture.
"Perhaps he could help."
"No, he is not a healer."
"We should at least ask him. He
is a god, is he not?"
"He cannot heal, Tallis, not
even himself. How can he heal Mirra? It will only upset both of
them, and you know Mirra does not wish him to see it. Once it has
been amputated she will feel much better."
"But she will be crippled. Can
she grow another arm?"
Ellese frowned. "Do not be
ridiculous. It is the only thing we can do, and I think you will
find it is what she wants too."
"Only because she wants it gone
at any price."
"And I do not blame her. You are
not to suggest it to her, and I forbid you to speak to Bane about
it. Her mental state is fragile, and he has been through enough. If
he finds out what the Black Lord did to her, and that we cannot
help her, I do not know how he will react. We will amputate it, and
save her."
Ellese turned and walked off,
her back stiff with anguish, leaving Tallis to stare after her in
angry confusion. Her shoulders slumped, and she went back to
Mirra's room to offer what comfort she could. She found Mirra
curled up on the bed, weeping, the transformed arm swaddled again.
Putting her arms around her distraught friend, Tallis hugged
her.
"They are going to cut it off,
Mir," she murmured.
"Good."
Tallis' eyes stung, and she
stroked Mirra's hair, her heart heavy.
Ellese plodded down the hall,
her joy gone, sadness a dull ache within her. The prospect of
amputating Mirra's arm brought her intense sorrow. Such practices
were rare, performed only when no other hope remained. She recalled
a blacksmith who had fallen into his furnace. His arm had become
trapped for several minutes in the intense heat, burning it to the
bone. He had required an amputation, and had lost his trade because
of it. Mirra would still be able to perform her duties as a healer
with one arm, but, even so, their failure to heal her was
devastating.
Finding herself outside Bane's
door, she pushed it open and walked in, dismissing the healer who
attended him. He appeared to be asleep, and she sank down on the
chair, rubbing her face.
"What is wrong?"
Ellese started at the sound of
his voice, raised her head and forced a wan smile. "I am
tired."
Bane stretched and yawned, sat
up and swung his legs off the bed. His wet clothes had been removed
while he was unconscious, and now he discovered his nakedness,
tugging the sheet around his hips with his bandaged hands. Ellese
rose and went to sit beside him, ignoring his discomfiture.
"The sun has returned. I can
heal you now."
"Just you? I do not have to be
chained to the slab again?"
"No." She smiled. "Just me."
He held out his hands, and she
began to remove the bandages that had been put back while he was
unconscious. "Normally I could heal you without removing these, but
given who you are, and the power you contain, it will be easier if
I take them off."
He shrugged. "As you wish."
When his hands were bared, she
took hold of one and closed her eyes as she concentrated. The dark
power lurked just under his skin, blocking her healing, forcing her
to probe for an opening. Then she sensed it fade, as if recalled by
some silent command, and opened her eyes in surprise.
Bane stared into space, and two
of the runes glowed. Her healing rushed into his hand, and the
blackness faded. The cracks in his skin closed as the flesh healed,
until only scars remained. That which had been lost could not be
replaced, and the ends of his fingers remained a mass of pink scar
tissue. Releasing his hand, she took hold of the other one, and
again the dark magic receded at her touch, opening his flesh to her
power. When she was finished, the runes went dark, and he held his
hands up, studying them.
"How did you do that?" she
asked.
He shrugged. "It was not
difficult. But it only works in my limbs."
Ellese rose and went to gaze out
of the window, watching patches of sunlight wander the land. A
fresh wind had sprung up, wafting the stench of mud and decay to
her.
"Is the Black Lord
destroyed?"
"No. He is cast down."
Ellese's heart sank, but she had
suspected as much. "How long before he can rise again?"
"Quite a while. There is
virtually no power in the Land of the Dead."
"Months? Years?"
"Months." He continued to peruse
his fingers, flexing them. "Has Mirra been healed?"
Her breath caught. "She will be,
very soon."
"Good."
She turned and walked to the
door. "I will have food sent to you. Rest now."
The Elder Mothers wasted no time
in preparing for Mirra's surgery. The instruments were set on the
stove to boil, and their best cutter came to examine Mirra's arm.
Tallis sat with her, trying to dissuade her.
"Mir, you should not rush into
this. It may heal in time. If you sat in the sun a lot, your power
could overcome it."
"No." Mirra stared at the floor.
"It will not work."
"How can you be so sure?"
"I just am."
"Will you not at least talk to
Bane?"
"No!"
"Then let me ask him,
please?"
"No." Mirra raised her head. "I
do not want him to know about it, you promised."
"I agreed, I did not
promise."
"It is the same thing."
"No, it is not."
"Then promise me now."
"No. How will you feel about
seeing him when this is over?"
Mirra's face twisted, and tears
ran down her cheeks. "I do not know."
Tallis hugged her, contrite. "I
am sorry. I just think this a big mistake."
"I agree."
Tallis looked up in surprise as
a new voice spoke from the doorway. Jassid, the head of the temple,
stood there. She had not been present when they had tried to heal
Mirra, but clearly she had heard about their plans. The Abbess came
forward, frowning at Mirra.
"Child, this is a terrible thing
you do. It can never be undone."
Mirra bowed her head. "I have no
choice."
"You must give the healing a
chance. Something so grave could take days to undo. If there is any
hope of saving your arm, we must try. I will not allow this."
"No!" Mirra looked up, her eyes
full of despair. "I want this to be over now!"
"I understand your anguish, but
-"
"You do not understand! It is
trying to kill me!"
"What is?"
"This - this thing!" Mirra
glanced at the swaddled arm with a shudder. "It wants to kill
me."
"How can it? It is merely a
limb, a part of you."
"No, it is not
a part of me
anymore. It is a
part of him!"
Ellese came in, her eyes
glinting. "What is going on?"
Mirra and Jassid turned to her,
their voices raised in outrage. Tallis stood helpless as the
argument flared, taking on new proportions as the shouting drew
more healers, who joined one side or the other. Since Jassid was
the Abbess, most sided with her, and Ellese's healers joined her
side.