| "The Adventures of Kat and Clara" Part XIV: The Gift of Jervin "Try to keep still as best you can," the young Trillanian healer said, looking down onto Kat's damaged form. Kat, Clara, and Salem all lay in the infirmary beds, writhing in pain from their horrible injuries, some inflicted by each other. The healers, all trained in traditional forms of treatment, as well as healing magic, tended to them as necessary. The three cats lay on their backs, their clothing removed and privates covered by white sheets. As the adventurers were repaired, King Jervin entered the infirmary, followed closely by Shaman Keilich, who aided his walk with his wizened staff. Kat tried to raise her head to the doorway. "Keilich," she whispered, wincing in pain as her healer stitched the slices in her belly. "You've come to save us?" "I have already done that, Kat," he said, smiling. "I pray for your health and your protection; that is my task in my lifetime." "You three will be in good hands here," Jervin added. "My healers are learned rigorously in healing; many a life they have saved, many a disease they have cured." Clara sat up, holding her hands over her breasts. "How were you able to save us, Keilich?" she asked. "How did you find us, being so far away as you were?" Keilich approached Clara's bedside and squatted down, his back to Kat. "An explanation certainly is in order," he said, lowering his head. "You will find my story almost entirely unbelievable, however; I expect a great deal of shock on your young faces. "I am aged 60 years; I have been a cleric of S'Allumer since I was only 18, far before your time. My upbringing was so strict and religious that I have not known anything but how to care for people and communicate S'Allumer's love for all. Such an upbringing inhibits my mind heavily and almost completely distracts me from anything else. "My education of the Penitence had been so strict and focused that I learned mentally to track those I loved, those to whom I once preached, those I had known if only for a short time. I would sometimes awaken in the middle of the night under the illusion that one of my own was having a strange nightmare; in some cases, I was correct. This innate ability I possessed ultimately became one of my greatest gifts, and being adept in holy and protective magic, I became something of a wizard. "So, when I was deliving Salem's mother and father from the mountain after we had parted, I not long after heard you all scream out in agony; you're voices were desperate and strained like a young woman begging for her life as she is raped. I heard you, Clara, scream out for your life as your own friend Kat, corrupted by evil in that horrible estate, attacked you with her sword and knocked you down. I heard Kat scream out when her belly was cut open, her blood splattering onto her feet and legs. My ears rose as Salem groaned and struggled in desperation to free his arms and legs from the entangling vines. "I heeded your profane, pleading cries and strove to help you. I prayed to S'Allumer to deliver me to your aid, hoping to save your lives myself. He secluded Isengrim and Erma in an undisturbed area of trees and transported me to Trillius; it was then that my body reappeared and burst through the walls of the great hall in the mansion. Only then was I able to deliver you from the house, and together -- our wills combined -- we were able to level it." Kat smiled. "Astonishing," she said. "I believe your story, Keilich. Whatever the case may be, I am...eternally grateful for your love." "It is my pleasure," Keilich said. "I am a holy man; those whom I encounter I love and respect." Salem sat up in bed, vine marks on his arms and legs, one of his ribs smashed. "Keilich, tell me," he began, "are my mother and father all right? Are they safe?" "They are safe in S'Allumer's care on the mountain," Keilich replied. "I swear it upon my honor." Jervin approached Keilich. "You are a truly impressionable person, Shaman Keilich," he congratulated the old cougar. "Because of your act of compassion and bravery, you will always be welcome in my kingdom." Keilich smiled politely. "Thank you, King Jervin," he said. "But now, I must be on my way. The safety of Salem's parents is my sole responsibility. Farewell, all of you." Keilich's body was then surrounded by a bright light; a moment later, the light faded, and he was gone. Jervin then continued to observe the Trillanian healers tend to Salem and the girls. Jervin's healers were able to heal their outward wounds with stitches and bandages, then tended to their internal injuries with their spells. With magic, they were able to repair Clara's kick-shattered ribcage and her barely-punctured left lung, as well as Kat's stomach lining and Salem's broken rib. Next page >> |