Chapter 50

Ramana’s spell came at me like a striking serpent, sliding through my anima as though it didn’t even exist. I had intended to draw forth the spell, intended to lure it into my spirit, but its casual disregard of my most fundamental defense was terrifying.

It writhed through my spirit and there was something oddly enthusiastic about it as it investigated me. Sniffing at my intention like a dog, trying to decide if it should be friendly, or bite. I tried to grasp it, to corral it with my own mana, but it slipped past my efforts like a greased eel, completely evading me. Just as well then, that it decided on ‘friendly puppy’ over attacking me.

The rest of the spell slipped from Yatek, curling up within my heart. It was deeply disconcerting to have this alien thing, this working of another sorcerer, inhabiting the very center of my spirit. But it wasn’t harming me, beyond taking up space, and I still had pressing concerns.

Now that Ramana’s very active spell was no longer darting about in the minister’s spirit, it began to stabilize. I could feel him working to cleanse his anima wounds of the violent intent that soured them. He would certainly succeed, in time, but time was an unknown commodity right now.

I pushed my presence forward, sealing one wound, preventing it from bleeding more mana. Yatek reacted with fear at first, striking out at me, but he was too weak right now to pose any serious threat. I simply waited, allowing his strike to land, but then restoring my presence by the injury. The minister had only two real options before him now.

He could attack me again, having already seen that it was pointless. That would be a waste of mana that he couldn’t spare, or he could try to cleanse the injury. A taxing process, that would make him ****, but hardly more **** than his current position already was.

Unsurprisingly, he chose the latter option. Had I been hostile, there was nothing he could do about it anyway. Not that the situation would have stopped some people from attacking, but I was glad Yatek wasn’t that reactionary. We would have trouble getting through this situation if he was.

When he began to cleanse the wound, I supported his efforts with my own mana and will. This was the moment of truth, or revelation. Only a soul sorcerer could aid him in such a way. For many, this would cause a visceral negative response, but my patient seemed not even the slightest bit fazed. He accepted my support without hesitation, and I imagined he must have been accustomed to the experience from working with the king.

Together, we cleaned the wound of malicious intention, and then I pressed it closed while he sealed his rent anima. We went through the process several more times, and once all the wounds were sealed I refocused on the physical world.

“He should recover fairly quickly now.” I addressed the healers, with whom I had not yet shared a single word. “Does he have a meditation garden? He will recover faster there.”

It was a trick question. I could sense the garden, filled with awakened plants of many varieties, including several trees. The healers nodded, not questioning my expertise. Myta’s presence and my confidence assuring them that I knew what I was doing. That kind of attitude was probably a large part of how the Pure had operated here, and it grated on me. But right now their easy acceptance was to my benefit, so I remained quiet as they followed my suggestion.

My task complete, Myta and I headed back toward the market district, but my vas pulled me to a stop before too long. We paused next to another fountain, its burbling flow providing a pleasant cool to the air. A welcome break from the oppressive humidity.

It had been clear to see that she was working herself up to something. Her thoughts were unclear to me, but her mood was pensive. It had been since we left our company at the ruin entrance, although the urgency of our goals had pushed it aside until now. When she continued to hesitate, I spoke.

“I wasn’t trying to undermine you with the company.”

“Master?” She furrowed her brow.

“I thought you might be upset that I gave the order for them to stand guard. It was your call to make, but I know that you have been under pressure from your decision with Futa. You already knew the actions we needed to take, so I just wanted to ease your burden. Decision fatigue can be debilitating, especially when lives are on the line.”

“Thank you for that, master. But it isn’t what I wanted to speak to you about.” She smiled, but it was thin and wan.

“What then?”

“After that incident, with Futa, Denu has been looking for something from me. Some kind of support. We haven’t had much time to speak but… I’m afraid I don’t fully understand her, and she expects me to. Futa is dead, and he can’t try to hurt her again, but it’s clear she’s still afraid of him.”

“Oh Myta,” I felt a deep wash of sorrow. For Denu, yes, but also for my vas. “Denu has… she’s had a safe life, relatively speaking. I’m not saying that she hasn’t been in danger, but I would wager that she has never felt as powerless as she did, when Futa took advantage of her. Even if nothing serious happened, she wasn’t able to protect herself.

“For people who have felt like they had control, who believed that their fate was in their own hands and dependent on their own choices and abilities, that feeling of helplessness can be as damaging as any physical injury. You learned from a young age that the world doesn’t work that way. We are all just one wrong turn away from losing everything that we have. That is why it’s so important to care for the important things in your life.”

“So what can I actually do for her?”

“Remind her that what happened wasn’t her fault. And that, while she should always work to be prepared, she can never prepare for everything.”

“But, it obviously wasn’t her fault,” my vas was frustrated now. “Futa was the one who attacked her. Perhaps she could have been more cautious, but even if she was, it’s impossible to be vigilant all the time. If he was willing to hurt her, intended to hurt her, he could always find a way.”

“I know. But I’m not the one you need to convince. There are many people, and I believe Denu is one of them, who believe that truly bad things only happen to those who somehow failed. It goes back to what I said before. For people who believe they control their own fate entirely, it’s easier to assign fault than to admit that their world view is wrong. Sometimes even if they are the ones who suffered.”

I could tell that Myta didn’t truly understand. For someone who had been powerless for so long, the concept was simply to foreign. Too obviously false to even consider. Still, she accepted my words and we continued back to the market district. The fighting in the streets seemed to have died off entirely, and Tarun’s men were searching house to house, rooting out pockets of resistance.

The guardsmen all appeared to have fallen under his command again. I suppose the fact that Bani’kari was dead, and those who had accused the captain were traitors, made the choice easy for them. He had always been widely respected by those under his command, even if not all of them had been willing to follow him into exile.

“How long before we can restore the gate?” I was back in the guardhouse, consulting with the captain while Myta went back to check on our company. They had seemed to be all right over their bonds, but I thought those connections were still a little too fragile to depend on.

“Too long to be relevant. The fittings can be replaced within a couple of days, but to have new doors assembled in full will take longer. Not that they’ll matter much, if multiple sorcerers and demons attack.”

“There’s at least two of each unaccounted for.” I mused. “We still have no idea which direction the ones in the ruins will come from, and we don’t know how quickly the ones who fled the city will recover. I don’t love waiting here blindly.”

“Well, good news for you then. I’m asking you not to.” I raised my brow, inviting him to continue. “Once Yatek is back on his feet, I want to send a group to pursue the traitors, hopefully before their two groups can join together, assuming that is their plan.”

“And by ‘a group’, you mean me and Myta, obviously.”

“If you’re willing.” He nodded. “If what you’ve said is true, the two of you should be able to handle those who fled the palace easily enough. One sorcerer, one demon, and a handful of fighters. Yatek already sent them running once, and they’re possibly still injured from that fight besides.”

“Don’t downplay their strength. The minister was supported by the king,” I snorted. “And they’ll almost certainly be recovered by now. However, I don’t see a better path. It’s clear to me that they were looking for an overwhelming victory here. From what you’ve told me, they still have enough men to threaten the city.

“Can you relieve my men at the ruin entrance? They need a break. We can decide for certain what to do after the minister wakes up.”

Tarun nodded, sending orders to that effect. I met with Myta as she was returning, Denu at her side. The girl had a distant look in her eyes, not blank or empty, just a long way away. I suspected that Myta had already talked with her, and she was attempting to digest it. I wished her well. Readjusting your expectations of reality was a personal apocalypse, the end of one world, and the beginning of a new one. Even if the first had only existed in your mind.