Adam's POV

Back in the main room her saw Mika stretched out on one of the reclining chairs, her sleepy eyes followed him lazily as he wandered through the room but soon they closed again. The Oracle too was asleep, his breathing deep and regular but still with a hint of a wheeze from the days of **** at the hands of Beldan's men. Alone in the dark Adam had time to rethink his encounter with Sister Winlay. It had been by far his most satisfying experience with the pleasures of a woman's body, but his complete loss of self control scared him.

Adam knew that Winlay was only a few meters away, and he felt a strong urge to join her in the shower; to take her again as the warm water washed over their bodies. The idea was so tempting that he found himself halfway to the door before he even realized what he was doing. Crews! He swore softly to himself. This must be how an addict must feel, nothing seemed to matter except his need to be with Winlay.

Adam sat down slowly on the other couch and buried his head in his hands. This had to stop. He would be no good to anyone if he allowed himself to be distracted by his body's desires, not to the Oracle who was the future of the Church of Xelta, not to Mika his closest friend and not even to Winlay.

The next two days were the hardest Adam could ever remember, worse than the early training he received from the old Chevalier sword master, worse even that the two days of prisoner survival that the Templars put him through at the end of his first year of training. He was trapped in the small apartment with three of the people he cared most about in the world, but nothing was right, and nothing he did could fix it.

The three rooms were far too small to avoid Winlay, he tried several times to talk to her and explain why they couldn't risk another episode like that again, but he couldn't find the words. What do you say to the woman whose life you've stolen. Because of him and Mika Winlay would never live her dream of being Sister Winlay, lightbringer of the Church of Xelta. Instead she would be labeled a heretic, and hunted on both continents and all twelve island chains of Pandora, if captured she'd be handed over to Beldan and his Templar bastards.

Adam wished he could at least promise her that he would always be there for her, to protect, and love her as she deserved, but he had nothing to offer the young initiate. If only he could have asked her to marry him he would have in a heartbeat, but not even the assurance that they would face the future together was one that he could offer. Was there even the slightest chance that the Chevalier-lords might let him resign? If they did, could he settle down on some quiet little island to live out his life as a fisherman or blacksmith, while Winlay weeded her garden and looked after their children?

Confused by his silence Winlay had tried to take him in her arms, but that was even worse. Adam didn't dare hold her; every look, every touch threatened to explode into a repeat of the passion they shared that first day. The heat of their passion was matched by the heat that permeated the apartment. The only relief Adam found was in the small bathroom, he took cold showers two or three times a day drenching his body in frigid water trying to drive the desire from his mind.

Mika was no help either, Adam didn't know if Winlay told Mika anything about their encounter, but he knew Mika well enough that he was not surprised that she guessed pretty much what happened. Mika's normally cheerful attitude turned cold whenever Adam was near, it was pretty clear that Mika blamed Adam for Winlay's unhappiness, but no more than Adam blamed himself. According to Mika, Adam had done enough harm already and the best thing he could do for now was to leave Winlay alone. Several times during the two days of waiting Winlay and Mika would disappear together for lengths of time as Mika tried to cheer up her moody friend, but the tension between Adam and Winlay never really eased.

Only the Oracle was content during these days of confinement. Compared to the ten days he spent in the **** chambers of the Templar prison the warmth, rest and good food in the hidden chambers revived his health as well as his spirits. The puss filled scars on his back responded well the their treatment and by the time Sister Margaret entered the boiler room apartment at the end of the second day of tense waiting the Oracle was using a length of steel pipe to practice broadsword drills with Adam.

Sister Margaret lowered a shoulder bag onto one of the couches as she watched the Oracle with a hint of a smile on her lips.

"Everyone!" She called, "Come in here so I can explain the plan to get you out of here."