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Anger?
You all take turns with me? Like some kind of ride at an amusement park?
It’s not at all like that, Lily. Our nature doesn’t allow us to work together easily. We must adhere to strict rules to keep peace between us, else we’d all be at each other’s necks.
My words settle her, but only partially.
I’m truly sorry if my word choice offended you. That was not my intention.
OK. I accept your apology. This is all weird for me, you know.
I imagine it must be.
I allow her to finish her meal in peace before speaking again.I’m returning to my plane to escort Malphas back. Would you like me to give you some time to yourself?
The hesitation in her voice was all the answer I needed. But the second wave of sadness confirmed it.
Don’t take too long, Barb. I feel weirdly alone and empty when you’re not here.
Her words warm me in a way I never imagined possible. A way that I can’t truly comprehend.I’ll do my best, madam.
And with that, I take my leave and return to the between plane, along with all the souls we collected.
I can’t wait to tell the others how good Lily is at this. She was able to find two high-quality souls on her first time out.
We are lucky to find one a week, if that.
I’m so focused on that excitement, on the potential of placing well in this leg of the trial, that I almost forgot to clear my mind and focus on reentering my body.
And for a moment, I fear I’d done the worst and reintegrated improperly.
Every bone in my body aches, every muscle tight and sore, as though it had taken the blunt end of a battle hammer.
I stumble out of my chair and toward the elixir meant to help ease reintegration, but I stop before I reach it as the scene before me takes my ability to stand upright.
I fall to the ground in a pool of my own blood.
Malphas
A heavy thud startles me,and I try to crack an eye to assess the damage.
They came out of nowhere.
But my left eye won’t open and I can only see from a small slit in my right. Still, it’s enough to see what made the noise.
“Barbas,” I moan, voice hoarse and weak, which makes sense since the last thing I remember is taking a cloven hoof to the throat. “Friend, I’m so sorry.” I get up on all fours and crawl through the splintered wood and blood to him.
He sits, slouched forward, dazed, and bleeding.
“I’m so sorry, friend. I tried my best. I took on as many as I could. But they overpowered us.”
Typhon groans behind me.
They wore cowls over their faces so we couldn’t identify them. But whoever attacked us knew to take Typhon and Rhygel out first with some kind of powered sedative.
“What happened?” Barbas asks, staring off into space as I gingerly check him for broken bones.
“Looks like you got away with mostly bruising. It’ll hurt, but at least nothing’s broken.”
