October 20
Someone says, “Can I see you in the kitchen?”
“Look, I know you were told I was dead and could not be brought back. The priest who helped me-he said his name was Vincent-told me two whole days have passed since I went on that mission. Is that right?”
No one answered, but a few uneasy glances were exchanged. Missy looked downright sick to her stomach.
“No offense to your abilities or anything,” Naolin said to Remiel, “but Vincent said that it just took more power to resurrect me than most priests in Pithea have. He mentioned that he was more of a high priest anyway.”
“A high priest?” Remiel questioned with raised eyebrows.
“Yeah. I don’t know what that really means, but he said that I was fortunate that he visited the morgue so soon after the skirmish in the cave. Apparently there were a number of people who had been left for dead that he was able to save.”
Lena frowned as she said, “That sounds like someone we want to meet.”
“Yes, but that will have to come later,” Alexander reminded her. “We have some business of our own to deal with.”
“Sounds like something big is going on,” Naolin observed. “Vincent said the trouble in the cave had been taken care of, so what have I missed?”
“It’s a long story,” Missy hedged.
“One we do not have time to tell right now,” Alexander said curtly, standing and moving toward the doorway. He looked expectantly at Remiel, whose own look conveyed his lack of understanding.
“Remiel, may I see you in the kitchen?” Lena requested. He went into the other room with her, and Alexander followed.
“I think we should start looking for this man soon,” Alexander said when they were in the kitchen. Lena had done her best to explain the situation, but it was so foggy, there were a lot of unknown variables. The most important was where the man might be.
“Remiel,” Lena turned to the other priest. “You need to go with Alexander to find him.”
“What? No, I can’t leave Missy alone. What if he comes here while I’m gone?”
“He will find me, and I will not let him touch her,” Lena assured him.
“But you are much more powerful than I,” Remiel argued. “If this man is as powerful as Luonnotar suggested, you would be better going with Alexander.”
Lena shook her head. “I do not use any magic that my guild has not taught me, not anymore. It is far too dangerous, and I have not learned to control it as Lex has. Without that magic, I am simply an average priest.”
Alexander almost debated that comment, but decided it was not the time.
“Lena…” Remiel didn’t know what else to say, but he knew he wanted desperately to be with his wife.
“You have to trust me. I will not let anything happen to her. If he does show up here, we will be gone, and then you will know where he is.”
Remiel glanced into the sitting room, where Naolin was watching the three of them huddle in the kitchen. He had asked Missy to fill him in on the situation, but she had asked him to wait.
“It really is going to be a long story,” she said, knowing that she would first have to explain to him that it had been years, not days, since they had last spoken. “Let’s wait until they have left, and I will start from the beginning.”
“I don’t know; I thought I might help out with whatever it is.” He looked into the kitchen and could tell that the priest he had met a few days ago did not seem thrilled with whatever Lena had wanted to talk to him about. “Does it have anything to do with what Julius came to see us about?” With that thought, he looked at Missy with wide eyes. “It’s not about that, is it? Alexander said they had business to ‘deal with’. Are they going to fight Julius and the others he’s with?”
“No, it has nothing to do with that.” Missy couldn’t help but sigh. It was difficult deflecting his questions without feeling like she was lying to him. If he would only wait a few minutes until she had time to explain. “You can’t go with them though. You really need to stay here and hear what I have to say first.”
“Okay.” He looked over at her and gave her a smile she had not seen in four years. She hoped he would not come over to her. She didn’t know what she would do if he moved in too close or tried to touch her lovingly, as he once had.
“Look, I know you were told I was dead and could not be brought back. The priest who helped me-he said his name was Vincent-told me two whole days have passed since I went on that mission. Is that right?”
No one answered, but a few uneasy glances were exchanged. Missy looked downright sick to her stomach.
“No offense to your abilities or anything,” Naolin said to Remiel, “but Vincent said that it just took more power to resurrect me than most priests in Pithea have. He mentioned that he was more of a high priest anyway.”
“A high priest?” Remiel questioned with raised eyebrows.
“Yeah. I don’t know what that really means, but he said that I was fortunate that he visited the morgue so soon after the skirmish in the cave. Apparently there were a number of people who had been left for dead that he was able to save.”
Lena frowned as she said, “That sounds like someone we want to meet.”
“Yes, but that will have to come later,” Alexander reminded her. “We have some business of our own to deal with.”
“Sounds like something big is going on,” Naolin observed. “Vincent said the trouble in the cave had been taken care of, so what have I missed?”
“It’s a long story,” Missy hedged.
“One we do not have time to tell right now,” Alexander said curtly, standing and moving toward the doorway. He looked expectantly at Remiel, whose own look conveyed his lack of understanding.
“Remiel, may I see you in the kitchen?” Lena requested. He went into the other room with her, and Alexander followed.
“I think we should start looking for this man soon,” Alexander said when they were in the kitchen. Lena had done her best to explain the situation, but it was so foggy, there were a lot of unknown variables. The most important was where the man might be.
“Remiel,” Lena turned to the other priest. “You need to go with Alexander to find him.”
“What? No, I can’t leave Missy alone. What if he comes here while I’m gone?”
“He will find me, and I will not let him touch her,” Lena assured him.
“But you are much more powerful than I,” Remiel argued. “If this man is as powerful as Luonnotar suggested, you would be better going with Alexander.”
Lena shook her head. “I do not use any magic that my guild has not taught me, not anymore. It is far too dangerous, and I have not learned to control it as Lex has. Without that magic, I am simply an average priest.”
Alexander almost debated that comment, but decided it was not the time.
“Lena…” Remiel didn’t know what else to say, but he knew he wanted desperately to be with his wife.
“You have to trust me. I will not let anything happen to her. If he does show up here, we will be gone, and then you will know where he is.”
Remiel glanced into the sitting room, where Naolin was watching the three of them huddle in the kitchen. He had asked Missy to fill him in on the situation, but she had asked him to wait.
“It really is going to be a long story,” she said, knowing that she would first have to explain to him that it had been years, not days, since they had last spoken. “Let’s wait until they have left, and I will start from the beginning.”
“I don’t know; I thought I might help out with whatever it is.” He looked into the kitchen and could tell that the priest he had met a few days ago did not seem thrilled with whatever Lena had wanted to talk to him about. “Does it have anything to do with what Julius came to see us about?” With that thought, he looked at Missy with wide eyes. “It’s not about that, is it? Alexander said they had business to ‘deal with’. Are they going to fight Julius and the others he’s with?”
“No, it has nothing to do with that.” Missy couldn’t help but sigh. It was difficult deflecting his questions without feeling like she was lying to him. If he would only wait a few minutes until she had time to explain. “You can’t go with them though. You really need to stay here and hear what I have to say first.”
“Okay.” He looked over at her and gave her a smile she had not seen in four years. She hoped he would not come over to her. She didn’t know what she would do if he moved in too close or tried to touch her lovingly, as he once had.