“I’ll have to keep an eye on him,” I said.
“My brother can be. . . difficult,” Kumi said. “But thank you for sparing his life.”
“Should have killed him,” Vesma stated plainly as she shot a sideways look at the princess.
“I’m glad you didn’t,” Faryn said. “Otherwise, I would have thought all your lessons had been for nought.”
“It would have been dishonorable?” I asked.
Faryn shook her head. “No. You had every right to take the prince’s life. It was a duel to the death, conducted in a city with such customs.”
“Then why are you glad I didn’t kill him?”
“Because it would likely have caused you to fail in your mission. Tensions between the clan and guild are only increasing. Guildmaster Xilarion sent you here with a purpose, and you have yet to complete it.”
And now I’d just made an enemy of the clan’s prince. My interactions with Labu felt a whole lot like my interactions with Hamon Wysaro. I could handle myself, but if Labu showed any sign of wanting to harm my friends, then I’d be the one to ensure he stopped breathing before he got the chance.
Mission or not.
Well, it seemed like the Seven Realms had changed me. On Earth, I would never have failed a mission for any reason. But things were different now.
Chapter Eleven
The tension in the palace courtyard abated after Labu and his friends vanished down the stairs to the city. Blood ran down my arm, dribbled from my fingers, and peppered the muddy ground beside the pool.
I sheathed the Sundered Heart and clutched my hand to the wound in my shoulder. The pressure of my palm against the injury sent a fresh wave of nauseating pain through me, and I wobbled on my feet. My blood ran from the wound in scarlet rivulets, even with my hand clamped against it.
My head was starting to spin as the exhaustion of the fight and the blood loss took their toll. My knees gave out under me, and I half sat, half slumped onto the ground.
“Well, this is fun,” I muttered as black spots danced across my vision. “Most people have to blow their money on tequila shots to feel light-headed and sick. If I’d known I could do it this way, I could have made a fortune back home. Hot new life-hack—blood loss instead of beer.”
“What are you rambling about?” Faryn asked as she appeared at my side.
“Not sure I could explain. You guys don’t even have memes.”
“Are those some sort of monster?” Kumi asked, sinking to her knees at my other side.
“Yeah,” I said with a grin despite the pain. “They’re a sort of time-sucking vampire.”
“Then, we should fix you up before they get here.” Faryn rummaged in her satchel and pulled herbs from it. “I can clean the wound, stitch it up, and add a salve. But you’re going to need to rest while your body recovers.”
“No rest.” I shook my head and found my drained Vigor pool. “I just need a second.” I channeled along my fresh sap pathways, and Sunlight Ichor flowed from my fingers. The sticky substance oozed over the wound, but the lack of sunlight would mean it would take some time for the wound to heal completely.
“I’ll help,” Kumi said.
She chanted and wove her hands through the air in a complex pattern. Strands of water rose from the pool and shimmered with sunlight and Wild Vigor. Most of her liquid ribbons settled on my shoulder and formed a cool, soothing mass over my flesh. The rest spread out across my body and touched my forehead, chest, belly, and limbs.
The water took on a deep blue glow as Kumi continued to chant. The water seeped into my body, and my aches and pains receded. New energy surged through me.
The wound in my shoulder twitched as torn muscle knitted back together and blood vessels rejoined. I took my hand away in time to see the skin close and take the sap magic with it. Our combined efforts left only the faintest line of a scar. The last of the water ran from me onto the pavestones as the magic faded away.
“How does that feel?” Kumi asked as she rested a gentle hand on my arm.
“Much better,” I said. “Thank you.”
“You should thank the heavenly spirits,” she said. “It’s through their blessing that I have the Wild power.”
I wondered how true that was. Religion played a much larger part of the culture in Qihin than Wysaro City. I was reminded of religious people back on Earth thanking God for the skills and good fortune he had blessed them with. Tolin had once taught me that powerful spirits like Nydarth had their own plane of existence. Did they wander the human plane and turn up from time to time to give people Wild Augmenting power?
“Where’s the best place to thank them?” I asked. “Where’s the center of worship in Qihin City?”
“The Temple of the Deep,” Kumi said.
“Is that the same place where we fought the monsters?” I asked.
“No. That was only a minor shrine. The Temple of the Deep is far larger and contains many holy relics. It’s where the priests honor the arcane heart of the Vigorous Zone and where the influence of the divine court is most strongly felt.”
“Then that’s where I’ll go,” I said.
I had a mission to complete, but I’d earned a little R&R, even if it would only be for a few hours. Besides, I was curious to see how the religion of the city worked. It clearly played a more important part here than it did at the Radiant Dragon Guild, where I’d only entered a shrine at the request of Jiven Wysaro’s message. I figured showing respect for religion might help me to understand the Qihin.
“As much as I’d like to visit the temple, I’m going back to the lower city,” Faryn said. “The locals still need to heal and recover from
