“Asem?” he softly called out. No answer came from the motionless priestess.
“Asem!” Tyler shouted loudly when he got nearer. The condition of the priestess was worse than he thought. Blood was oozing out of several punctures and gashes in the body.
Kneeling down beside the sallow Asem, he felt for a pulse. It was there but could be barely felt. He immediately cast another healing spell. And then another. Tyler looked at the wounds. They were closing slowly, but her pulse remained weak. A fourth medicinal invocation followed. He could now sense the easing of the struggled breathing of the priestess. The mage threw a quick glance at his companions and their immediate surroundings.
Apparently, only the priestess suffered injuries or was attacked. The rest appeared unhurt though asleep. But around where he knelt were mounds of iron claws.
Fucking ambush, the furious thought arose in his mind. Despite his emotionally clouded mind, he found the idea to ask his guides to release more energy to him and send H to scout around their position. He wanted to check on the others, but instinct told him Asem was in a grave situation.
“She’s dying, Elder,” X suddenly spoke up.
“She is in a critical condition, X,” answered Tyler. “She’s still bleeding. I believe her internal injuries are worse than I thought. I am not a healer, but some major organs might have been damaged.”
“Only an internal scan will reveal such injuries, Elder. But the spell is not in our database,” replied X sadly, a tone of voice that surprised Tyler despite his greatly worried mind. Then unexpectedly, a thread of an idea came to the fore. It was a desperate plan but it was all Tyler had.
“X? If I send enough scrying energy through Asem, can you determine the extent of her injuries? And after that, direct healing to the critical ones?” Tyler asked.
Unfortunately, X never got to answer the mage’s query. A sudden blaze of soundless light exploded on the other side of the priestess, startling and momentarily blinding the mage. He quickly blinked several times, clearing his vision. A tall figure in golden armor, the right hand holding a staff with a large curved blade, greeted his eyes. The armor looked unfamiliar, being made of plates overlapping each other and formed around the arms, legs, and body. Smooth large pauldrons protected the shoulders and a large part of the upper torso. But the ibis-derived helm didn’t leave room for doubt who was the newcomer. It was the deity Thaut. An aura of safe, cleansing light extended in a large circle from the figure. But around Thaut’s human form swirled an angry vortex of red and black.
***
“Daughter,” said the god, softly.
Tyler looked around. The glow extending from the powerful entity was reviving him. The mage could feel the last vestiges of his malaise of drowsiness withdrawing, swiftly forced back into nothingness. His companions were stirring. When he looked back at Asem, the priestess was already suspended a few feet off the ground, a gentle golden glow surrounding her body. Tyler realized the deity’s impassive face was looking at him.
A formidable god in his own right, Thaut’s presence was that of subdued grandeur but it didn’t stop the atmosphere around the knoll from being filled with it.
Tyler’s enhanced senses could detect a core of righteous anger simmering under the aura of well-being being exuded by Thaut’s mere presence. If his anger was a bonfire, then the center of the fury the mage could sense was white-hot in its intensity.
Shit. Is he mad at me? The thought immediately arose in his mind. Suddenly unsure of himself, he asked his guides.
“Hal? Is he angry at me? I can see his aura. He’s really, really mad. If he is, warn me. I might be able to say a short prayer before he blasts me to atoms.”
The mage had no illusions about Thaut’s power which he suspected to be at the level of Odin or Zeus—probably higher when one considered the deity’s obsession with lore and knowledge.
“No, Elder. We don’t sense any animosity directed at you. Nor could we see any related telltale sign in his aura. But we’re surprised about your kind having knowledge of atoms. There are, however, even smaller particles,” said the guide.
“Good. I hate to be on the receiving end of a father’s rage. Especially one as powerful as Thaut. But I thought you had access to my memories before. Atoms. I am surprised you didn’t pick that up. At least before I told you to stop,” replied the mage.
“Memories are not knowledge and our voyage through your mind was but a cursory examination, a necessity to establish the parameters of understanding you and your milieu,” clarified Hal.
Good. Hopefully, the two didn’t access the more embarrassing parts of my recollections. Porn surfing included.
With his strength and wakefulness returning, Tyler stood up and walked toward Thaut. A quick glance back and the mage saw the companions all awake and facing the deity, though all on bended knees. But the sight of copious tears flowing down Astrid’s face was a shock to him. He could sense the agonizing desire of the Valkyrie to rush to Asem’s side, though the warrior kept her emotions and sounds of crying in check.
“Hail, Thaut. I apologize, but this seems to be a bad day for all of us,” called out Tyler as he neared the deity.
“Ah, First Mage. It is indeed a day of sorrow,” answered the deity. Thaut then waved a hand, and then Tyler suddenly found himself in a transparent square encompassing him, the god, and Asem. They were separated from the physical world though still in the same location.
“Is she going to be alright?” blurted out Tyler.
“She will be, but my daughter needs time to recuperate. The internal damage was severe. A few moments more and she would have been beyond anyone’s help. I
