Hope (39 page)

They landed upon Artemis' back, Lanclor's burden still unaware of the world around her. Artemis broke into a smooth, but brisk walk back toward the castle without any command from his legs. That mile seemed to stretch on for eternity as he felt Lady Kathryn lie motionless in his arms, the link keeping her fatal wounds at bay. He knew once Master Vetera started, Lanclor would need to sustain her with his strength while the healer treated the worst of her wounds.

For months, he had tortured himself with blame and self-pity, always thinking there was something else he could have done. As the knights around him accepted her death and wrote the histories, he alone knew that she hadn't perished. The Join spell made him aware of her existence, but he had no idea where she was or what she felt most of the time. He would occasionally feel an irrational fear in the back of his mind, but he had learned to dismiss this as separate from himself.

As the fifth month of her disappearance approached, he began to doubt his sanity. Hal and the other knights around him knew something bothered him, but he couldn't bring himself to tell anyone about their joining, fearing it had only occurred in his dreams and that Lady Kathryn was truly dead. He now knew the reason behind the Joining.

Lady Kathryn had known she would need him. She had asked his forgiveness for doing it, although he had believed she apologized for sacrificing herself. Until this moment, he hadn’t realized she asked forgiveness for her forcing him to endure the Joining—something he hadn’t realized until now had saved him. If he had believed that Lady Kathryn had perished in the Last Battle, he didn't think he would have remained in the Knighthood.

In truth, he did blame himself for everything she had endured. He had attacked the Daemons and failed to stop the thrust of the spear that had killed his charger, leaving him helpless beneath his horse's body. Lady Kathryn had warned him about the events, but he had done nothing to stop them.

They finally reached the gate of the village. He communicated to the Militia to open the gates, giving them the necessary password. The militia had encountered him using the invisibility spell before, so they did not question his command to close the gate once they were through. They went a short distance down the main road before turning north onto a narrow road in the residential area. He carefully dismounted in front of a high gate, opened it and led Artemis into the courtyard of his childhood, closing the well-oiled gate behind them.

As they walked through the courtyard, he felt the protection spells pass over him, allowing a son of this house to enter unchallenged. After he dismounted, Artemis headed toward the familiar stables as he headed for the entrance to the main hall, releasing his invisibility and physical shields with safety now around them.

The door opened with a quiet Master Vetera looking at him expectantly. Vetera hid his surprise and motioned him inside toward one of the spare bedrooms. Lanclor went down a short hall where he set Lady Kathryn on her side upon a freshly lined bed. He walked around the bed and stood behind her out of Master Vetera's way.

Without a word, the Master Healer leaned over the bed and placed his hand upon Lady Kathryn’s head. "Mel'int ent'bel'ak." He assessed her injuries and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Are you mad? She is close to death, yet you are still linked with her? You know the consequences of her death if you're still linked. We can’t afford to lose you."

"I know the risks. I...we...will not lose her again." Lanclor clenched his hands. "How bad is she? Do you think you can save her?"

"I don’t know. There are significant injuries, with some as old as six months. The older wounds have worn the body down enough where it is having trouble repairing itself. Prepare yourself. Once I start the healing, she’ll start drawing strength from you whether you will it or not."

Lanclor nodded to Vetera and clenched his fists.

"Lak'oth ent'me'unt." Vetera released the healing spell.

Lanclor felt her body instinctively draw strength from his. Dropping to his knees, he remained by Kathryn's side as Master Vetera worked his magic. Sweat rolled down Vetera's forehead, down his nose and dripped onto Kathryn's filthy shoulder, creating a circle of gray.

Lanclor struggled to remain upright. Vetera reached behind Kathryn and unclasped her breastplate. The armor separated around her wings and he eased it under her still form. Lanclor gasped at the red wound that stretched down her neck and across her back along the line of her severed wings. Her helmet hid the beginning of the wound. The smell of infection was far from subtle.

Her attempt to cauterize the injury left parts of the wound charred. Pus dripped from the ends of her wings onto the crisp sheets of the bed. Lanclor felt tears roll down his cheeks and fall onto his forearms, now gripping the side of the bed. What was left of the once-white padded shirt beneath her armor was yellow with sweat and spotted black with blood.

One spot continued to grow around a small slice to the left side of her back, just below her wing. Vetera's hand reached around and covered the slice. After a few minutes, his hand moved away and the spot no longer grew. The healer's hands inched along the infected wound running down her back. Lanclor saw the infection seep through his fingers as he moved them, leaving a wide pink scar behind.

The healer’s hands rose to her left wing from the base to the severed tip pushing pus streaked with red ahead of them. The mixture fell over the side of the bed onto the floor. As Lanclor stared at the puddle, another pool formed next to it with a lesser amount of blood. He clenched his jaw in an attempt not to vomit at the sour smell.

He sensed Vetera's hands move away and Lanclor’s eyes rose and stared at the horrific scar lining her smooth back. The infection prevented the wound from disappearing. She would bear the scars of her ordeal for the rest of her life. Lanclor had scars of his own and nothing could blemish Kathryn's beauty in his eyes, but he knew she would need time to get used to her visual imperfections.

Master Vetera rested his hands upon her head and bowed over her for what seemed like an eternity. The smell of blood and infection were now an afterthought as Lanclor’s arms trembled with the strain of holding himself up. He felt Lady Kathryn’s pull lessen and he leaned to the side, slumping over in exhaustion.

"She will live." Master Vetera uttered and placed his hand upon Lanclor's shoulder.

Lanclor sighed in relief before losing consciousness.

###

From the author
:

Thank you for reading HOPE! I'd love to hear your feedback, positive or negative, via email at
[email protected]
or a review. Please visit my website,
samrook.com
, to learn more about characters and upcoming books.