When Jonen and Mira snuck off together, Nara felt a little jealous. The festival took a lot out of her. When the supposed fireworks met the sky, she wondered why the two would travel so far off to do something beautiful. It was only when she saw Jonen’s panic that she knew it was too good to be true.
As he galloped away, Nara’s real job began.
“Quickly! Everyone in the temple!” She called.
The ensuing chaos as the fire battle on the other side of the small town echoed as the crowd poured through the entrance. The small space under Nara’s office would only hold a hundred at most. The festival had nearly five times that.
“Children! To my office!” Nara called and looked around, “Quickly now!”
“What can we do?” Pallik wormed his way through the crowd, “Tell me.”
“We need to get all of the children and elders in the small hideout under my office,” She pulled at a light chain necklace and unclipped a key from it, “Under the rug in my bedroom there’s a door to get in. Take them there.”
Pallik grabbed his little sister’s hand as the temple shook, “Come on, let’s get the other kids. Okay?”
“Where’s Mira?” Tella whispered.
“She’s protecting us,” He grabbed her hand, “Just like she promised, right? Now we have to help her.”
“Okay!” Tella nodded, “I know where the other kids went.”
Nara watched as the pair ran further down the hall. Irae and Gimma appeared by Nara’s side. She motioned for them to follow her to the infirmary. Healers packed supplies rapidly into travel bags.
“Get the healers ready,” Nara kept a calm voice, “I do not expect many to make it out of this temple alive come tomorrow.”
“When should we head towards the battle?” Gimma pushed her thick glasses up her nose.
“Gimma, I need you here,” The bronze elf pointed to the infirmary, “Let Irae take the battle side of healing. I know you have more experience, but darling, you’re older and the trainees listen to you.”
“I will take the healers then,” Irae nodded, “Sunodagh and the other guards headed towards the armory after Jonen left. We can follow them shortly.”
“Good,” Gimma nodded, “Someone has to keep that orc alive.”
“I’m coming with you,” Nara looked to Irae.
“High Priestess–”
“Right now,” Nara lowered her voice, “We may need a miracle to keep us alive. I will come and pray. Goddess willing, she will provide for us.”
The pink healer bit her lower lip to protest, but nodded, “Very well. We will likely have to go on foot.”
Nara unclasped the ornate jewelry at her neck and wrists, “I will be back once I get the appropriate books. Meet me at the entrance of the temple before we leave.”
“Yes, High Priestess,” Gimma nodded, “As you command.”
Nara ditched the high heels from her feet and ran to her office. A trail of younger children held hands as they entered her bedroom. Pallik moved her bed to prop the door open for them to climb down the ladder. She looked in the drawers of her desk until she found the dusty leather-bound book she needed. Nara took a deep breath and removed the rest of her jewelry as the walls shook around her. She grabbed a thick scarf and tied it over her chest to protect any exposed skin from the heat she expected to encounter.
“Goddess, protect us.”
She slipped her slender feet into sandals and quickly walked to the front of the temple. Nara paused to nod and smile at the multiple questions she got as she tried to get through the crowd.
“What is going on?”
“Who is that?”
“What are we supposed to do?”
“Are we going to die?”
The questions drowned out Nara’s silent prayers until she exited the temple and into the emptied courtyard. The abandoned festival looked eerier than she imagined. The enormous bursts of flame in the distance caused her to pause.
“Are you ready?” Irae called out to the distracted Nara.
“Yes,” She took a deep breath and looked to the healers behind Irae, “Did you explain what is happening?”
“Vaguely.”
“Then, let’s get moving and fill them in.”
The group of seven women lightly jogged towards the battle. Nara’s fingertips fiddled over each page of the dusty book as they approached. Irae called out for preparations.
“Because we are dealing with an elementalist, we will likely focus on healing burns. Half of you will prepare for that with the balms we brought. You two will focus on gashes and punctures,” Irae spoke to the group of healers, “I will set broken bones and cover whatever we do not have as we need it.”
“High Priestess, why are you joining us?” One of the women behind her called.
“I will pray to our goddess and hope she blesses us with strength and vitality,” Nara held her book up, “If none of you have battle experience, then what we may experience could be a shock.”
Something a few blocks away flew into a building. The small group stopped and many of the women gasped as the walls crumpled around the wraith as it crawled out and sprinted back into the battle.
“Was that –”
“We do not know who or what is on our side,” Irae held out a hand to stop the question, “We will focus on the people we know first. That is selfish, but we don’t know if an enemy will turn.”
A blue elf crashed through a structure and toppled through the other side. He hissed before he ran back towards the wraith. Now that Nara saw his face, she finally knew the man that tortured Mira.
“That man,” Nara pointed, “The blue elf, is not on our side.”
“Are you sure, High Priestess?”
She turned to Irae, “The blue elf is Mira’s master.”
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Irae nodded fiercely. A horrid chorus of noise caused their group to stop before one pointed at the three headed beast.
“Goddess above,” Irae whispered, “Change of plans. You four are on cuts and punctures, we’re both all hands-on deck.”
“What is that thing?” A voice quivered behind Nara.
“That is a monster of the isle,” Nara felt fear wash over her.
Ever since Mira appeared to the temple, the monsters were nowhere near Vimgraunt. Nara knew Mira killed off any she found without hesitation. As the disgustingly large beast attacked a small group of soldiers, she wondered how the young woman could handle something like that by herself.
Then, the thought occurred to her –Mira was a Vessel. She had the power to take down nearly anything. Nara constantly forgot what her true purpose was in establishing the temple in Vimgraunt. Now that she was fighting with her master, she may get released. There had to be something in the book about strengthening Vessels in times of battle.
Nara’s train of thought was interrupted by Irae’s agonizing screech. She looked to see the snake’s head swallow a grievously injured Sunodagh. The pink healer fell to her knees in shock.
“Irae!” The bronze elf shook her, “Keep it together! We have to help!”
“Uncle,” Her eyes teared as she looked back to the others, “We… we have to get in there and get—get the injured.”
“Pair up and start pulling the injured away from battle,” Nara commanded, “Then bring them back here to Irae to diagnose. Let’s go!”
Nara noticed a distinct lack of fiery outbursts and her gaze travelled over the shadowy form standing above the blue elf. A sour feeling in her gut caused her to run towards them. As the clashing metal and ghastly beast’s sounds faded behind her, she snuck along rubble to hear them.
“I’m more than happy to let go of this vessel, Brother,” Isaan cackled madly, “What about you? The last of the horrible woman hangs on by a thread.”
“Why are you doing this to me?” Encante clutched the spear tighter in his hands, “Why destroy everything? Why?!”
“Oh, big brother,” He spat up blood and wiped it from his mouth, “At least now I’m giving you a choice in your demise. Let me play with her a bit longer and we can try again if you’d like.”
“Let her go!” Encante growled and twisted the blade.
“I think not,” Isaan’s eyes turned into sickly green orbs as his body transformed into white mist, “I’ve got enough left in me to make sure your little pet stays dead.”
“No more!” Encante screamed, “Enough of this!”
The spear impaled Isaan and pinned him to the ground. The wraith, Encante’s physical manifestation, stood above him and pushed the weapon further down. The blade twisted in Isaan’s stomach as it pushed further into the ashy mud below him. Encante’s hands slid down the weapon as he fell to his knees.
“I hope the void swallows you whole, Alcante,” Encante growled, “May you rot in misery.”
“Me, your sweet Calosa, and your dying vessel,” He spat blood up, “I’ll keep them warm for you, Brother. Perhaps I could feast on them and wait until I see you again.”
As the life faded from Isaan’s eyes, Encante felt his grip slipping from Mira. The mist slowly moved back to him as he felt heavy. It had been so long since he felt himself die. At least now, Calosa was avenged and Alcante couldn’t harm them anymore.
Nara ran to the sinking wraith, “How can I help?”
“She’s dead,” The demonic voice wheezed and coughed, “There’s nothing to help.”
“Do you not want to save her?”
Nara watched as the misty smoke outlined Mira’s form. She grabbed the glowing stone at girl’s chest. Encante raised his head to look at the High Priestess.
“You?” He halfheartedly chuckled, “You would help me?”
“I would help Mira,” She nodded, “What can I do?”
“You know as well as I that I need blood,” He pointed to the stone, “Have you gained talents we don’t know about?”
“No, but I can pray and give what I have,” Nara placed her book on Mira’s forming body, “I will do what I can. Help those that still live.”
“Should she pass,” Encante looked down to Mira, “She wants the small child to inherit me.”
Nara watched as the wraithy form stood and sprinted towards the battling beast. She flipped through the pages of her ancient rituals book and found something that may work. She grabbed a small knife from Isaan’s belt and followed the symbols on the pages. She carved them into her arms and let her blood run over Mira. She gripped Encante’s stone and prayed.
“Goddess above,” She took a deep breath, “This Vessel expires soon. Hold her soul close to her body as I try to call it back to me. We aren’t ready for her to go.”
Nara opened her eyes and noticed a silvery blue glow in her blood as it flowed onto Mira. The ritual was taking.
“Bless this body to receive what it needs to awaken,” She whispered, “My health is her health. My blood is her blood. These things I share with you to strengthen her.”
Nara repeated the lines as the blood oozed from her arm. Why wasn’t it working? Had she not cut deep enough? Was it because she wasn’t touched by magic? Was she just cursed to remain magicless, and utterly useless, no matter how much she prayed?
“I have spent the last seventy-five years of my miserable existence praying,” Nara growled under her breath, “I was raised by a shard of your soul. I lead a temple in prayers and praises. Is it selfish of me to ask this of you? Probably. I’m still going to ask you give me something to show me you’re there. Has all this been for nothing?”
The silvery blue swirls running down her arms floated into the air. Blue light moved with the wind as it playfully floated Nara’s disheveled hair. She tucked a stray blond lock behind her ear and gripped her hands around Mira’s and the stone.
“Goddess, I beg,” She clenched her hands, “Make me useful.”
“You worry too much, child,” A familiar voice whispered in the wind.
She looked up from her prayer to see the ethereal form of an older dwarven woman standing above them. The finer details of the woman were blurry, but the lights outlined who Nara sought guidance from the most. She cried at the sight of her long-lost friend.
“Prophetess!” She exclaimed.
“I heard you might need some help,” The ghost chuckled and sat on the ground next to her, “And didn’t I tell you not to feel useless? I picked you for a reason, child!”
Nara looked down at the corpse rapidly forming from the mist, “How do we save her?”
“If we save her,” Renda’s ghost pointed to the blue elf, “He will also be saved. Is that something you can live with?”
The bronze elf looked over her shoulder at the dead elf behind them. If Isaan was a Vessel as Mira was, then there were bigger problems in the world.
“Alcante?” Nara looked back to her mentor, “Why is he back?”
“I cannot say,” Renda shrugged, “I wasn’t around when he was cast down. But, my question stands, would you be willing to bring him back to?”
“Will her enthrallment end?” She looked at the black lines forming up Mira’s throat.
“They’re both dead,” The prophetess shrugged, “We can see.”
“Then, yes. What do we do?”
The older dwarf smiled and scratched her beard, “Well, you’re about to become my vessel for a moment.”
“I’m sorry?” Nara blinked.
“Silly girl,” Renda bopped the elf’s nose, “You think that I can’t pop in to help like that?”
“I thought only prophetess could hold the Goddess’s soul.”
“Yes,” The dwarf stretched and placed a hand on her shoulder, “But, we can hold our power from the cycle if it’s needed. I thought it may be wise to stick around for when you really needed me.”
Nara laughed, “I am to be a prophetess’s vessel?”
“Not exactly, but still a mighty important job if you ask me,” The dwarf winked, “Now, let’s do this. When I ask if you’re ready, just repeat after me.”
She nodded and watched as the ghostly Renda flipped through the book on the ground. She stopped on a page and drew the symbols in the air with the swirling blue light. The symbols appeared on Nara’s arms and burned over what she had previously traced in. It stung, but she didn’t pull away.
“Are you ready?” Renda closed the book and held her hands up.
Nara lifted her hands to place against the ghost’s, “Yes.”
“In my darkest hour, I called out to you. In your brightest light, you reached out to me. Our bodies and minds combine. May your grace guide my hands as your powers I seek.”
Nara repeated the words and blinding blue light filled her vision. A wave of heat washed over her. Everything was covered in the blue film as her arms moved independently of her. Renda’s words echoed in her mind.
“Don’t fight my movements, dear child. This will only be a minute.”
Her hands held Mira’s solid form. The pale skin felt icy to touch. Her fingers moved across Mira’s chest and neck to touch the black roots that closed her throat. She leaned over Mira and felt a cut on her hand form. The hand gripped Encante’s glowing stone as footsteps quickly approached.
“Not just yet, little one,” Renda chuckled, “I’m sending someone to bring you back.”
“High Priestess!” Jonen’s voice felt thousands of miles away
“I will work on the other and reach for you soon,” The ghostly voice whispered.
Nara blinked and woke up in a never-ending darkness. A bare Mira sat hunched over in a pool of inky black liquid. Her amber eyes widened as Nara approached. She watched silently with shifting eyes as the elf placed a hand on her shoulder.
Nara had spent most of her life reading about the end of life and what one could look forward to. Nothing prepared her for the emptiness in front of her. The everlasting darkness sent a shiver down her spine. She looked to an uninterested Mira habitually rubbing the stone on her necklace with her thumb.
“Mira, darling,” Nara nudged her slightly, “Are you okay?”
“Is this the end, High Priestess?” Her hollow honey eyes looked into the void around them, “It’s so quiet and peaceful.”