Kreet ignored the loss of Kallid. There was nothing she could do about that right now. She knew the spell she'd managed to cast on herself wouldn't last long. It normally didn't need to. But every second was a heartbeat, and every heartbeat was more of Sigmundurr's blood on the floor.

She closed her eyes. The multiple Hold Person spells she had cast had nearly drained her, but she surely had something left. She'd never tried casting without being able to move, but her training had also taught her that the movements weren't strictly necessary. The power she wielded came from Pelor, not from within herself. But they were restricted by her own mortal shell - and faith.

She just needed to have faith. She didn't have to be bending over Sigmundurr's dying body. She didn't have to actually speak the Prayer of Healing. She just had to believe those things weren't necessary. And she did pray. She imagined the bones restoring, the veins fusing back together, even the blood being restored to its proper place within him.

She felt her body collapse as the Hold Person spell released, but she didn't pay it any attention. She heard voices around her, but those too she didn't allow to enter her consciousness. The only thing she allowed was her sense of Sigmundurr's body and the light that was Pelor.

She felt the heart begin to beat stronger as the last of the veins closed up. She knew she was reaching her limit, and that she wouldn't be able to fully restore him. But she also knew it was enough. She had restored him enough. Nature would do the rest without her, eventually.

And then she was lost to exhaustion and sleep.

*****************************

The sun was well up the next day when her eyes opened with a start. She looked immediately at the bed beside her and saw Sigmundurr there. Someone had wrapped his chest in a bandage. That was good. She knew she hadn't had the power to restore the wound completely.

What wasn't good was that she had not been dreaming. She sat up and looked beside her. Kallid was still gone.

"Marge!"

Sigmundurr groaned in his bed, but Marge came in along with another man she didn't recognize.

"Oh thank the gods! We didn't know what happened to you!"

"Where's Kallid?" she demanded, not even looking at the other man.

"With the Band I expect," she said. "When I got back you were laying on the floor! But... Sigmundurr. I swear he was on death's door when I left. Is it true? Are you a Cleric?"

It annoyed Kreet that she had to explain again, but she did so quickly.

"Yes. Cleric of Pelor, third level. And who is this?"

"This is Dr. Stevens. He's our local doctor. He patched up Sig."

Kreet realized she was being rude and began to rise, but she quickly realized she was naked. She'd made that mistake too often, and didn't repeat it this time.

"Thank you Doctor,' she said, "I'd shake your hand but..."

"No problem, Kreet. I'm afraid I was pretty useless to help you though. I couldn't find anything wrong, and I've little experience treating kobolds. But my training says there shouldn't be all that much difference. What happened to you?"

"Me? Oh, nothing really. I was casting a healing spell on SIg when... well, to explain as best I can, I ran out of power. Just exhaustion really."

"I can't imagine that would be good for your children," he said, and sat on the bed beside Kallid. "Would you mind if I check them out?"

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"Do you know anything about kobolds?"

"A little," he said, sitting on the bed beside her.

She lowered her blanket to just below the bulge that her lower abdomen had become. Still barely showing, but she'd lost the definition of her abdominal muscles in the slow expansion.

He put his ear against her, then pressed and repeated the procedure a number of times.

"All okay in there?" she asked when he'd finished.

"As far as I can tell, yes. Three apparently healthy kobold eggs forming. None broken," he said, putting her cover back. "And I should tell you, I'm not technically a doctor anymore."

"No?" she said, snatching the blanket over her breasts.

"Relax. I was a doctor, but I was - well, in your clerical parlance, I was excommunicated. But once a doctor, always a doctor in a crisis."

Kreet relaxed and nodded. "I understand that well enough. What happened?"

Dr. Stevens frowned at that and stood back up. "I murdered someone. Poisoned him technically. It's a long story. The circumstances were unusual. I'd rather not go into it. But as for you, I'd advise you to stay here for the day. Exhaustion would explain it. You need to get your reserves back before venturing out.

"And how's Sigmundurr?" Kreet asked.

"As far as I can tell, he's fine. He should be awake, but he's not. That's worrying. Apparently your healing spell did a good job. I practically just had to sew him up and bandage him."

Kreet wasn't going to express false modesty here. "He was at death's door. He doesn't want to come back. I dragged his body back, but I think his mind still wants to go on."

The doctor looked at her. "That's... not my area of expertise. Well, I live just a few blocks away. Marge, let me know if you need me again. I'll see myself out."

"Thanks Doc," Kreet said sincerely.

"Kreet," he said while at the door. "I'm just a normal doctor. I don't wield any magic, and I'm overwhelmed by the work I have here - under-the-table though it is. When all this gets sorted out, I could really, really use your abilities. Come see me."

Kreet nodded. When he was gone, she got up and put on her clothes.

"A good man?" she asked Marge.

"He's all we've got here. But yeah, he's pretty good. But why are you getting dressed, you're supposed to stay in bed. You heard him!"

Kreet looked at Marge, as if to say 'Do you really need to ask?', then pulled her bra on. Kallid had made another, but this was her first and her favorite.

"Would you mind?" she asked, turning her back to Marge. "Just loop the little hooks through the loops on the other side."

"Well, isn't that clever?" Marge said. "He did this?"

"Sure did! But it wasn't all that clever. The other one has the hooks in the front so I can do it up by myself. Now, how about you tell me where the Band has its headquarters?"

In the end, Marge drew a map, but Kreet refused to let her come along.

"No Marge, this is something I need to do on my own. They have my husband. I'm going to go get him back, and I don't need to worry about collateral damage."

"Kreet, you're just a kobold! And they know you're a cleric."

"I'm a 3rd level Cleric of Pelor. He is not going to allow me to fail, and I'm not leaving Kallid one second longer with them than I have to. I'm going to see this boss and get my husband back."

"Be careful, Kreet," Marge said sincerely and gave her a hug. "Don't forget, you're also carrying his children."

"And they will not be raised without their father!" she said, holding back the increasing rage she was feeling. "Sorry Marge. Could you leave me alone for a little bit? I need to meditate for a while."

When she had left the room, Kreet knelt beside Sigmundurr.

"I know how it feels, Sig. I've been there before. And I know somehow you can hear me. The light is everything. It is warm, it is good. The blackness is everything you can hate. It is pain, it is loss, it is hunger and death and evil. I don't blame you for wanting to go to the light. I dedicated my life to the light. But the darkness is life in this world. You will have eternity in the light, but I ask you as a friend - please come back to the darkness. In the scale of eternity, it is so little time I ask of you."

She felt him stir, and she put her hand on his shoulder.

"I need you, Sigmundurr. Kallid needs you. Eilistraee, in her own weird way, needs you, though I can't imagine why."

"I'm her bull," Sigmundurr said, his eyes still closed.

Kreet's eyes filled with tears, and she leaped on top of him.

"Thank you Sig," she said, while hugging him.

She felt his hand on her back, returning the hug, if a little feebly.

"And there wasn't no damn white light either," Sig said, and she released him.

"What was it?" Kreet asked, but the lustful smile that crept over his face she knew too well.

"No. Nevermind. I don't want to know, do I?"

"You probably already know. Now come on, let's go get Kallid."

"Whoa! Hold on a minute. You're not exactly well yet, Sig!" she said, and as if on cue he winced at the wound healing under his bandages.

"Well then damn it, do your hocus-pocus and make me better!"

Kreet laughed, then immediately felt guilty. Somewhere Kallid was being held against his will or worse. She would laugh when she got him back. Instead she gently pushed Sigmundurr back down and closed her eyes - and did her 'hocus-pocus'.