Sasha sees Chomasuke come walking out of the jungle, toward Kara. When the Chomasuke sees Kara, Sasha sees her tongue come out, and the big marrowfang stalker starts bounding toward her like she’s delighted to see her. Realizing her mistake, Sasha stands and starts running toward Kara. This isn’t some new nightmare. It’s a chance. Then Kara fades, leaving her imprint where she was lying on the sand.
Sasha’s eyes come open, taking a deep breath. Anya sits on her stomach, pressing on her chest, while Avvaran holds her hand, casting spells. Anya looks up at her, then throws her arms around her, hugging her, “Thank the gods.” Sasha starts crying, realizing what she’s done. She grabs Anya, mumbling into her ear, “i fucked up, anya. i fucked up so bad.” Anya raises up, looking at her confused, “What, what happened.” Sasha pulls her back down, holding her. Avvaran sits back, exhausted from using every spell she has but delighted Sasha is alive.
Everyone except Ari, Sylnoa, and Ula go to their knees when the pain ends. Rasome and Ula are horribly burned, Elra is bleeding from the side, and it feels like several ribs are broken. All the ones released from the pain are breathing hard and sweating. Kara is lying on the bed, looking around like a scared animal.
Sylnoa reaches out to her, “Kara?” She kicks Sylnoa in the stomach so hard she goes flying across the room, then crawls off the table like she’s trying to escape some horror, kicking and pushing everything away. Shattering tables, sending Shae and Xiam flying, too. She crawls across the room quickly, disappearing down the hall leading toward the dorms, screaming in that raspy voice, barely louder than a whisper.
Ari runs to Sylnoa to check on her; she’s dazed but otherwise seems okay. She uses a healing spell on her just in case and helps her to her feet, “What was that about?” Sylnoa shakes her head, “Who knows how long she was in there, in her mind. She’s afraid. I’ll be fine; go after her, but try not to be threatening.” Ari runs down the same hall. Everyone else is trying to shake off what they felt from the parasites and heal the injuries.
Ari searches the dorms twice before she spots Kara under a bed with a blanket over her. She looks terrified and is shaking. Ari tries to enter the room, but she starts kicking, so she backs out. Other Sisters begin to gather before Elra comes in, “Everyone out, go find something, somewhere else.” Shae comes running in, but Elra grabs her before she can get into the room, “Shae, stop. She’s terrified. Let’s not make it worse. Plus, she might hurt you, not on purpose.”
Elra kneels so she can see Kara clearly. Elra knows that look. She’s seen it many times on the faces of people the Sisters have rescued, “Kara, do you know who I am?” Kara tries to draw back further into the corner, shaking and pulling the blanket up to her nose. Elra tries to ease forward, just a hair, but Kara starts screaming and kicking again, so Elra stops and then stands, stepping back as she does. She looks at Sylnoa.
Sylnoa kneels so she can look, “I see two auras. Kara’s is pure terror, the other.” Sylnoa looks down at the floor, “It’s still there, but faint.” Elra says, “I’m going to try to calm her, but if it fails, she could come out of there like the wrath of Veleris.” Sylnoa, steps back and gets out of sight. “Ari, get the sleeping drought. If it works, I want to get her magic items off and keep her out.” Ari and Ula run off toward the vault. Rasome gets ready to grab her if things go south. Elra kneels back down and starts talking to Kara without looking at her.
Sasha lets Anya loose, “I need to know if I just fucked up royally.” Both Anya and Avvaran look at her. Sasha closed her eyes, trying not to cry, but she still chokes up, “At first, I was having a looping nightmare that Kara killed everyone. Our children, all of you, and she was… That’s all you need to know about that. Then I was standing on a beach, and she was there. At first, I was so happy. I ran to her, and when neither of us could figure out what was happening, I got suspicious that it would be some new terror, so I moved away from her and wouldn’t let her get close to me. She was so upset, begging me not to force her away. Then I saw Chomasuke, and she was happy to see Kara; then she faded away, and I woke up. Please tell me I didn’t just fuck up.” Avvaran doesn’t wait to be asked. She starts ritual casting divination. Anya hands Sasha a plate with some fruits and cheese, but she’s so worried she pushes it away.
Ari and Ula return with the sleeping drought. Elra looks at everyone, “Get ready. If this fails, there is no telling what she will do. If the worse happens, let me take the brunt of it, but do what you can to restrain her without hurting her. At this point, I’m not sure she can understand us.”
Sylnoa peeks around the corner, shaking her head, “She can’t understand us; she’s so terrified nothing is making sense to her.” Elra takes a deep breath and casts calm emotions at Kara. The bed explodes against the wall when she throws it. Everyone braces, but it goes quiet. Elra looks into the room. Kara dropped the blanket and sat on the floor. She takes a step into the room. Kara doesn’t react.
She takes the sleeping drought from Ari, “All of you stay out here, just in case.” She eases into the room, one step at a time, uncorks the drought, and places it against Kara’s lips. Kara looks up at her with tear-filled eyes. Elra says, “You’ll be okay, but you need some rest.” She tips the drought up, and Kara slowly closes her eyes, then goes limp. Elra says, “Get a mattress and put it on this bed. Whose room is this.” Ari says, “Sister Silentstar and Sister Caethaea.
Sister Amber pulls her bear to a stop outside the Temple of Veleris, yelling, “We need High Priest Stormhaven, NOW!” She helps Aran down, commands her bear to lie, and then eases him down next to the bear. Some acolytes run over, “Is there anything we can do.” She says, “Get priests who can cast restoration magic.” She turns her attention back to Aran and then sees the ring on his hand. She picks up his hand and looks at it, “You had better stay with me. I want to hear how a man becomes a Sister.” This gets his attention enough that he looks at her and attempts to laugh but only manages a weak smile.
She says, “Tell me again what’s going on.” She’s already heard it several times; right now, she’s just trying to keep him conscious. A priest comes running over and kneels next to them, casting a restoration spell when Arden comes running down the stairs. Sister Amber steps before him, “We ran into Aran, Ava, and Sister Silentstar outside of the city. All three said the same thing, “Karael is dying and needs you in Flamegarden.” He goes pale and shrinks before her eyes as he stumbles back. Then, he starts fishing around in his pockets, pulling out a few things before finding what he’s looking for. He tosses it and speaks a word she doesn’t understand. The object grows into a falcon the size of a horse and without a word to anyone. He jumps onto its back, and it takes off, disappearing into the sky.
Avvaran finishes casting and asks, “Were Kara and Sasha together after Sasha died?” She hopes the answer is no, anything, but that would be devastating. She hears the answer, and tears begin to stream down her cheeks. Sasha scoots back across the bed, against the wall, hugging her knees, “I was there with her and forced her away. I turned my back on her. I saw something break in her.” Avvaran starts casting again.
Sister Ula brings in a mattress just as the other Sisters clear out the busted bed. Elra lifts her, lays her down on the mattress, and then looks at Kara’s clothes. She looks at Sylnoa. Assuming she knows what Elra is trying to figure out, Sylnoa lays her hand on Em and concentrates. The living clothes crawl off Kara and onto Sylnoa. She wants to think she’s honored, but how it crawls across her body feels creepy. Elra undoes the Girdle of Trials, then looks at the Crown of the White Dragon as she hands them off, along with everything else, “Get all this down to the vault. I want two Sisters inside and two Sisters outside the vault at all times.” After they are gone, she covers Kara with a blanket and motions for Shae to come in, “Shae can stay as long as she rests and eats and drinks.” Shae smiles and nods to Elra. She looks at Sylnoa, “I know you’re tired,,” Sylnoa says, “You don’t need to ask.” She sits on the edge of the mattress and places a hand on Kara’s forehead.
Sylnoa is standing in the cell area of the prison but does not see anyone. She listens for a little while but does not hear anyone. At first, she doesn’t see anyone in the cells, but then she sees eyes. The smell in here is horrible, it makes her want to puke. It's like shit and ammonia mixed with gods know what. She walks through the bars into the cell. The cell is against the outer wall; snow is blowing in through the tiny window at the top of the wall, and she can tell it’s freezing in here. Inside, she sees Kara covered in dirt, excrement, and bits and pieces of straw, pressed into the corner of the cell, trying to be as small as possible, shivering. She steps back out of the cell and walks through into the torture chamber; no one is in there. She walks through the outer doors, but still no one, “She has locked herself inside her prison, alone.” She walks back into the cell with Kara and kneels in front of her. After taking a few deep breaths and telling herself what she’s about to try is the right thing, she touches Kara.
Avvaran finishes casting, “Is Karael alive?”. She looks at Sasha and Anya, waiting. Her expression doesn’t change while she listens. The answer goes on. Both Anya and Sasha are staring at her, waiting. Avvaran looks at them both, trying to think of how to word the answer, “Kara is alive, for now. She has locked herself away in despair. Her friends are trying to pull her out, but if they can’t, she may be lost, forever.” Avvaran looks at the floor.
The sun is up when Ava opens her eyes, she sits up, “I need to get to Arden now.” She wishes she didn’t sit up; it feels like her heart is in her head, and someone is beating her head to the rhythm with a maul. A Sister lays her back down, “You’re not going anywhere. Sister Amber carried your friend into Cragcall yesterday. Whatever has happened already happened. Sister Silentstar is still out. Do you care to update me and tell me why you’re wearing the Ring of Sisters?” Ava says, “The others we left behind.” The Sister says, “Sister Vosri went looking for them. The two of you were mumbling last night after you collapsed. I’m Sister Manze.” For the first time, Ava realizes Manze is an inferni, too, “Elra accepted us into the Sisters. There was a huge battle in the city to stop Night Talon. Kara killed him, but she was gravely injured. All the Paladins rode together to get here, with the understanding that we would only stop in pairs and keep going no matter what. We left Flamegarden two mornings ago.” Manze sits back, astonished, “You made it this far in less than three days? Truly, Veleris guided you.” Ava pulls the amulet out. Manze looks at it, “Sister Stoutstorm must really trust you.” Ava looks around, “Chomasuke?” Manze says, “Thinking of everyone except yourself. Your mounts discorporated after the two of you collapsed. You should be able to summon them again after you have properly rested.” Ava tries to sit up again, fully regretting it. “Quit trying to get up. You’re going to hurt yourself. You’re here. Like I said, what has happened has happened. There is nothing you can do about it now.”
When she touches Kara’s leg, making it possible to be seen, Kara freezes in terror and starts hyperventilating. She bangs her head on the stone wall, screaming with that rasping voice like some animal. Sylnoa lets her go. She can see Kara is dazed from hitting her head. She’s looking around and trying to see where the person in her cell went. After a few minutes, she just goes back to staring through the bars from the corner like she’s waiting for death herself to walk in. Sylnoa lifts her hand from Kara and looks at Elra, and she motions for her to follow. Shae says, “Sylnoa can say what needs to be said in front of Shae.”
Sylnoa looks at Shae, worried, “It’s not good. She’s locked herself in that prison, alone. I tried letting her see me, but she went into some sort of panic attack.” Elra says, “She started hyperventilating, which lasted for a little while.” Sylnoa says, “She did the same in her mind; she also started trying to hurt herself, so I released her.” Elra asks, “Is what we witnessed what she endured for two years?” Sylnoa nods, “We’ve been trying to work through it. I think that the mystic that attacked me may have been spawning her attacks, too. Possibly setting her up for what Malachi did to her.” Elra says, “There was an aetherian in there. Could he be the same?” Sylnoa shrugs, “The only way to know would be to capture him. Trust me, mystics can hit hard. If it is him, he should not be taken lightly.” A hand gasps Sylnoa’s shoulder, “Yes, they can hit hard.” She turns and hugs Sister Maen before she can do anything to stop her, “I’m sorry. I should have listened to you.” Sister Maen says, “I would have done the same. I expected it, but I underestimated you.”
Sister Maen looks at Elra and Sylnoa, “Can I try something?” Elra says, “That depends?” “I want to transfer some of my life to the baby.” Elra shrugs, “It can’t hurt.” She looks at Sylnoa, “Can you watch their auras?” She nods. Sister Maen sits next to Kara and places her hand directly over her stomach, where the baby would be, then casts. Sylnoa watches, and she sees the aura inside Kara grow slightly brighter, not by much. “It helped some.” Sister Maen wobbles some. She grabs her. Sister Maen looks from Elra to Sylnoa, “That took everything. I felt like I was being drained.” Elra looks at Sylnoa, “If you can, watch their auras. Let us know if they start to fade. I’m going to find every Sister that can cast that. If those auras start to fade, then we start casting.”
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
During the night, three Sisters transfer some of their lives to the baby, with Elra being the last. Other Sisters sit with Sylnoa, talking to her, keeping her mind occupied and awake. These last few days have become blurs. Shae accepts more berries from Caethaea, giving one to Sylnoa, the juice of two more to Kara, and eating one herself. At one point, Em starts squirming on Sylnoa until Shae tries to hand her some jerky, but the clothing reaches out with tentacles and grabs it. Elra and the other Sisters gather in the hall and pray as one. When Elra opens her eyes, a halfling Sister is sitting on the bed, swinging her feet and stroking Kara’s hair. Shae and Sylnoa don’t see her until Elra says, “Sister Fastbrand, I’m hoping you’re here to help?” Fasty looks around the room at everyone, then at the door, as Sisters try to look into the room. Aran’s story of Fasty spread through the temple like wildfire.
Fasty looks at the three in the room with tear-filled eyes, “Her fate is out of my hands now. Elirae and I may have gone too far already.” She looks down at the floor disappointedly, “To be completely honest, we messed things up.” Sylnoa asks, “How can goddesses mess up?” Fasty seems to think, trying to decide the best way to say what she needs to say, “Kara and Sasha are bound. We thought bringing them together while you rescued Kara would be good. We were,,, wrong. That is why I’m here now. I can’t undo what was done. That would cross a line that would have much greater consequences for this world. Arden has been flying in this direction all night. He should be arriving now.” Elra hears some commotion in the hall, then Arden’s commanding voice, “MOVE ASIDE!”
Arden comes running into the room, and then all the stone, all the strength, and even the aura of authority he always projects collapse when he sees Kara. He looks at Elra, “We’ve been doing everything we can to keep her and the baby alive. She’s locked herself away. Sylnoa can explain better than I.” He kneels in front of a tired-looking Sylnoa. She forces a weak smile, “Malachi used a mental prison spell on her to send her back into her worst memories, then feeble mind to remove her ability to fight it. We did everything to end those, but she was still locked away, so we figured out how to pull her out. When we did, she didn’t recognize any of us. She’s locked herself back into the prison, alone.” Elra says, “We’re keeping her asleep with a sleeping drought so she doesn’t hurt herself.”
Arden asks, “What happens if we wake her?” Sylnoa answers, “She freaks out. She doesn’t know who we are. Where her mind is, everyone is there to torture her, rape her, do gods know what else to her.” Arden looks at Fasty, “I’m hoping you can help, Veleris?” Fasty nods, “I’ll do what I can without breaking the rules. I’ll keep her as calm as possible.” Sylnoa looks at Fasty, “You said you tried to help before but screwed it up.” There is a gasp from Arden, Elra, and the Sisters in the hall. Veleris says, “The lives of Kara and Sasha were in question. We sent them to Elysium to be together while their fate was decided. Sasha rejected Kara, which sent her to where she is now.”
Sylnoa asks, “Why would Sasha reject Kara? I’ve seen into Sasha’s mind. She loves Kara unconditionally. I’ve never felt anything like it.” Fasty shakes her head, “That is what we don’t know. Sasha is part god; we couldn’t see into her mind, so we don’t know.” Shae looks up at Fasty, “Fasty says “their life,” not lives. What does Fasty mean?” Fasty gives a look of being caught doing something she shouldn’t have done, “You caught that, huh. The two of them aren’t soul-bound; they share a soul. That is why they are always drawn together. If one dies, the other will die too. The closer they are spiritually, the quicker the other’s death comes. In this case, if one dies, the death of the other would be almost instant.” Fasty looks at everyone, “The longer I’m here, directly involved, the higher the chance of attracting unwanted attention. Whatever we’re going to do, we need to do.”
Arden looks at the Sister in the door, “All of you need to leave.” They look disappointed but do as commanded. Sylnoa says, “I think it would be a good idea to remove weapons and have everyone sit on the floor and look as nonthreatening as possible.” Shae is the only one with weapons. She removes her bow, her daggers, her hand crossbows, some more daggers and knives, a short sword she had tucked somewhere, and some darts; she checks, pulling out another knife. Everyone looks at her like she has a problem as Elra moves them into the hall, out of sight. Then, everyone except Fasty sits on the floor. Fasty says, “This is my last act here for a while. Good luck.”
There is a flash, and Fasty is gone. Kara slowly opens her eyes and looks at the ceiling for a while. Then she gasps, quickly looking around the room. When she sees the others, she goes into the corner, pulling the blanket up around her, shaking, “No, no, please don’t, I’ll be good.” Sylnoa slowly looks up and says, “We’re not going to hurt you, Kara; we’re here to help. Do you know who I am?” Kara starts shaking her head, “no. please don’t hurt me anymore.” As softly as possible, Arden says, “Kara, I was there too. They hurt me too. Let us help you.” Shae slowly stands. Elra tries to hold her down but can’t without possibly scaring Kara more.
Kara’s eyes focus on Shae, and she stops shaking and talking, “Shae is Kara’s friend. Shae needs Kara.” She takes a few slow steps toward her. Kara keeps watching her. Shae slowly holds a hand out. Kara releases the blanket and holds her hand out to Shae. Like a hunter stalking prey, Shae, ever so slowly, takes Kara’s hand and then fluidly sits next to her, placing her arms around her. Kara says, “Shae?”
Sylnoa says, just loud enough for Arden and Elra to hear, “Her aura is changing, going back to before. They are both still weak.” Arden asks loud enough to be heard, “Kara, do you remember me.” Kara shakes her head. Shae whispers to her, “This is Arden, Kara’s father. Would Kara allow Arden to heal Kara? It would make Kara feel better.” Kara looks at Shae and nods. Arden slowly stands. Shae feels Kara tense, “Shae won’t leave Kara. Kara is safe. No one is going to hurt Kara again.” She feels her relax, but still feels that potential energy ready to explode. Arden sits on the mattress, “I’m going to say a prayer; you will see some glowing and may feel a tingle.” Kara looks at Shae and nods, giving Shae complete trust. Arden touches Kara’s knee and casts a spell that would completely revive and heal anyone from death. She closes and slowly opens her eyes several times. Sylnoa sees her auras go back to that brilliant blue. Kara mumbles like someone falling asleep, “I’m so sorr,,,” She lays her head on Shae’s shoulder and is softly snoring. Arden helps Shae lay her down, with her head using Shae’s shoulder as a pillow. Sylnoa yawns, “I think I’ll stay and make sure she doesn’t go into a nightmare.” She looks at Shae, “Would Shae be willing to share a good dream.” Shae nods. Sylnoa wastes no time crawling into bed with Kara and Shae.
Elra stands and stretches, “Come on, Arden, you look like I feel.” Walking out to the main hall, Sisters start scurrying away. He comments, “I see they still “respect” you.” She smiles up at him, “I respect them, especially after these last few days. Eleven Sisters died in that battle. I thought we had lost Kara. I didn’t know what else to do other than call you. I take it my Sisters made it in record time.” He looks at her and shakes his head, “Only Aran made it. The rest fell out along the way. I left before learning more. I’m sure they will be fine.” She looks at him with a troubled expression, “I hope so, Arden. We have a new enemy out there.” He replies, “Kara’s brother?” She says, “No, Kara killed him, and it wasn’t her brother. It was his body, but his soul was gone, and an ancient artifact named Night Talon was wearing his body. Oh, it had her brother’s memories, and it hated her. She broke its neck; now, Night Talon is in the vault, in an anti-magic container. Between us, I was thinking about dropping that into a bag of holding and gating it off to some pocket dimension. The real enemy is Kara’s old companion, Malachi. He’s the puppet master.” Arden stops walking, “What would Malachi want to hurt Kara for? They were friends.”
Sylnoa and Shae follow Kara as they leap from tree branch to tree branch. Sylnoa laughs, “Shae, this is so much fun.” Shae holds a finger up to her lips, and Kara looks around at them, making a hand sign that both read as “You’re making too much noise, be quiet.” Sylnoa can’t help it; she laughs silently as they run out branches, then leap to others effortlessly.
She placed Kara’s mind into one of Shae’s hunts. They each have Shae’s skills and see each other as themselves. Kara comes to a stop, pointing down toward the ground. Sylnoa looks down and sees a unicorn feeding on some grass. She gets a bad feeling as Kara unslings her bow.
Then she lays it down and silently removes her other weapons. The three of them descend from the tree and touch down on the ground. Kara stalks up to the unicorn, moving so slowly and fluidly that it’s almost like she is a part of the forest. Then she touches the unicorn. A voice in her mind says, “You’re useless and a burden.”
Elra and Arden sit down at a small table in the main hall. Some acolytes bring them some food and ale. She says, “You may want to stay around for a few days. I have the feeling she will need you. I got a look at the hell she was in, Arden.” He takes a deep breath, “Trust me, I know. Veleris would only grant me access to my powers as a cleric if I experienced her life. Let’s just say it was memorable. I trust you know who she is now?” She nods, “I tried to model the Sisters after her. I’m beginning to think that was a foolish dream. How can anyone go through that and come out the other side with any kind of sanity? How can I ask my Sisters and my Brother to emulate her?” Arden takes a long drink and places an empty mug down, “You don’t come out intact. She didn’t come out intact. That curse I placed on her when Azura was defeated didn’t help her, even if she says it did. She has had friends and family helping her all along the way. It affects you. It’s what you do with it that counts. About what Veleris said?” Elra shakes her head, “I don’t know. If Sasha was what was grounding her, then she rejected Kara; who knows? If we could get them to talk. Do you have any idea what’s going on with sending and stuff?” He waits for an acolyte to fill his mug and leave, “There is an artifact being used that blocks all magical communication. That’s all I know right now; we were researching and trying to find out more. I did the same thing you did, and I sent people out. Kara thinks it’s something called The Silencer of Worlds. She said she dealt with it a long time ago, and it was sent to Nexus. The problem is, it sounds like Nexus hit a mountain and scattered the artifacts everywhere.”
Sasha walks out of her chamber and into the courtyard. Everyone stops, looking at her. She tells the guards outside the tower, “Get Gunthar, tell him I want everyone in the courtyard in thirty minutes.” She continues into the main hall, where breakfast is ready. Everyone stands, and she motions them back down, “Finish your breakfast; I want everyone in the courtyard in thirty minutes. She walks into her study, where servants are sitting down her breakfast. She looks around and sees no one when the servants leave, “I know the two of you are here. Ambriel and Encarna step from the shadows, “I’m about to ask for volunteers to go on a quest. I want both of you to volunteer.” Ambriel speaks first, as is their custom, “Sasha, our contract is to protect you.” Sasha says, “You are protecting me by going on this quest.” Encarna says, “You will have to explain this. Our contracts are very specific, and I don’t think leaving you alone is in your or our best interest.” Sasha sits down to eat, “You know what happened. If something happens to Kara, it happens to me, too. So, you would be protecting me.” Ambriel says, “Then if something happens to you, it happens to Kara. So, one of us needs to stay here.” Sasha looks at them, knowing they’ve won this argument, “Very well, then you two decide which one is going.” Encarna says, “I just need to know when we’re leaving.” Sasha finishes eating and then walks outside.
Nexus is gathered. Even the dwarves from the mine are walking through the front gate. Sasha waits for them. Gunthar, Anya, Ambriel, and Encarna join her, “Thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers over these past few days. I haven’t said this enough, but thank you for all your work on rebuilding Nexus. Now I have a request and will need volunteers to do it.” Everyone in the courtyard steps forward. Sasha must pause to wipe the tears out of her eyes, “I wish I could send all of you, but she would kill me if I did. I need a group to travel to Eyeron to find Kara and make sure she makes it home safely. This is a journey in a land that is still strange to us.” She looks around the courtyard until she spots Casmos, “I’m hoping there is a guide that can travel with this group.” He nods to her, “Encarna and Casmos have already volunteered. I need a warrior and a priest to travel with them.” Galga yells, “Your warrior is right here, and I’d much rather do this than babysit Elvish.” This makes everyone laugh. Avvaran says, “If you can spare me, I will join them.” Bruthan Chaulssion'lyr, a nightsylvan priest of The Golden Light, says, “Kara inspired me to follow Elirae, allow me to go Your Highness.” Avvaran looks at him and bows her head to him, but Sasha sees she is disappointed he volunteered. She says, “Avvaran, I’d love to send you, but I need you here. You are the High Priestess of Nexus now. The four of you gather your things, and you leave as soon as you’re ready. Casmos will brief you on the route. Know what you undertake is no small task; complete it, and I will be forever in your debt. I have a message that each of you will carry for Kara.” Sasha walks back into the main hall.
Arden almost spits out his ale, “I must be getting tired. Did you say “Brother”?” Elra laughs, “You must be tired if you’re just now catching that. Yeah, I’ve come to realize that men can suffer just as greatly as women. Aran is the first Brother, so I guess I need a new name for The Sisters of Veleris. Plus, you’re going to love this. I’m now allowing the worship of aligned gods at this temple, beginning with Elirae and Galathor.” She takes a long drink this time, “Will shit. Shae is a Sister now, too, so I guess Raventh. Tell me, did she have this big of an effect on your temple in Cragcall?” Now it’s Arden’s turn to laugh, “No, not my temple. She started a civil war in Cragcall and overthrew the Lord in a day.” Elra laughs, then stops, “You’re not kidding, are you?” Arden shakes his head. Elra leans forward, “What did she do to Everwind? Is it still standing, or is it a crater?” They both start laughing.
Rasome, Tai, and Ari approach Elra and Arden. Ari says, “The Sisters have been prepared. The rest are assembled.” Both Elra and Arden get somber expressions and stand. Rasome asks, “What about the monster?” Elra says, “Regardless of what the monster did, the body is the body of Kara’s brother. We will wait for her to decide that. Spread the word among the Sisters that we will respect her decision.” Rasome, Tai, and Ari walk back out into the rear courtyard of the temple, where the funeral pyres have been prepared.
Kara leaps from the tree over the cliff with her two sisters behind her. The freefall is exhalating. As she enters the canopy below, she howls with laughter, lightly touching limbs as she falls through the treetops toward the ground, gradually extending contact until turning a final flip and landing in a pool of water below. She surfaces and sees Gaelan standing there, “It’s time, Kara, I have to say goodbye.”
Shae and Sylnoa are jarred awake as Kara disappears beneath the bed, “Please don’t leave me again.”
Shae asks Sylnoa, “Did Sylnoa see that?” She nods, “It looked like Kara’s brother.” They ease off the bed and see Kara back up against the wall. She looks at them, “He’s leaving me. I’ll be alone.” Sylnoa reaches out for her, “You have us, Kara.” Kara pulls back from her touch, “Gaelan left me, Sasha left me. I have no home. I’m a burden on everyone I touch.” Shae looks at Sylnoa, confused. Sylnoa looks confused, too, “Maybe it has to do with what Veleris was saying.” She asks Kara, “Can we sit with you, Kara?” Kara pulls her knees up protectively but nods. Shae and Sylnoa slide under the bed, with Sylnoa pulling the blanket. Very slowly, they move to either side while pulling the blanket up. Shae says, “Kara has Shae, Aran, Ava, Sylnoa, and even Sister Maen. Kara has all of us, and we will protect Kara. Kara is not a burden.” The voice in her mind says, “LIAR!”
Sylnoa doesn’t like entering anyone’s memories without permission, but she rests against Kara, hoping to see something. She sees Kara begging Sasha not to leave her, she hears Sasha’s voice, “You useless little bitch, you’re a burden on everyone.”, then just a flash of Sasha with an expression of realization and horror on her face. Kara jerks as the memory replays, “Kara, I’m sure as you are blonde. Sasha loves you. Nothing can change that.” Sister Maen looks into the room. At first, she sees nothing, but then she sees a foot under the bed. She bends down. She sees Sylnoa, Kara, and Shae. Sylnoa gives her a sign that everything is okay. She stands and goes back outside. The pyres are almost burned down completely, “The guest quarters are prepared.” Elra escorts Arden to the guest room, “Get some rest, Arden.”