Holy Magic- Chapter one of Altha's Journey.
Altha stood anxiously on a low platform. The cool fabric of her dress swirled softly around her ankles with the breeze from the chapel window. She shivered a little, though as much from anticipation as the chill. The whole village was fairly quiet this afternoon and the only noise in the empty room came from a jay perched outside. Far behind the front lines in the quiet village of Brill, one would never have known of the war if it weren't for the steady stream of wounded coming and going from the town. Some left to fight again, some returned home with the caravans, and many unfortunate soldiers found their final resting place in the shadow of the chapel. Altha, an undead Healing-Priest worked hard to heal them all.
Though the wounded were never far from the young woman's mind, today something more pressing held her attention. Today her teacher and mentor, the Arch-Healing-Priest Kazaan, would test her to see if she really could use the magic they hoped she could. No, not magic, Altha thought, it comes from the divine. Kazzan will see if She sees fit to heal though me. She'll want to know if I can control the healing power She can give me. Altha knew her mentor had spent days in meditation communicating with the divine in hopping to convince Her to see Altha as worthy.
Another breeze gusted though the window, stirring the air and pushing her long black hair into her face. Altha brushed it aside. Suddenly the door at the back of the room flew open and an elderly woman, dressed all in gray, glided in. She had long silver hair and though her face was as wrinkled as a shriveled apple she moved with the grace of someone half her age.
"My student," she said with just a touch of urgency in frail but firm voice. "I know you've been working hard for this…"
The young healer's heart sunk to her feet and she struggled not to let her face betray her emotions. Kazaan was too busy, again. This was the third time now. It wasn't that Altha needed to be tested. Lord knew she was skilled enough with the knife, bandages, herbs, and potions that she'd always be an asset to the town; but the young healer was desperate to know whether she could do more. She'd been practicing Kazaan's mental exercises for months and she was almost certain she could feel the life force in living things around her. She just knew the next step would be to manipulate it, if only Kazaan would teach her how!
The old woman paused and smiled, "I know what you're thinking."
Altha jumped. Was it that obvious? "Let me finish. We'll find out whether you can use divine healing magic today. It occurs to me though, that we will be able to kill two whelplings with one arrow."
When the older woman didn't approach the platform, Altha stepped off onto the cold granite floor and approached her mentor. "How so, teacher?"
"There was a terrible battle on the front lines almost four days ago. Perhaps you heard the commotion this morning when the caravan came in."
Altha nodded.
"Lady Sylvanis herself sent word that you and I are to care for a certain mage. He's a very powerful Stone Guard and he's crucial to the effort. If he dies or loses his ability to fight, we may very well lose this war. There are not many of his kind left."
The young healer gulped. "Yes, teacher."
"This man's injuries are most grievous and he has only just now been brought into the infirmary. He is unconscious and very weak. He will need not only medicines but also holy magic. Come, I will tell you more on the way." Kazaan turned away and Altha fell into step beside her. They passed through long stone corridors and finally out into the open chapel courtyard.
"First we will stabilize his physical wounds without magic as they are the most immediate threat to him." The woman explained above the low din of the caravan drivers setting up camp for the night. "He has also been hurt on the inside. We will attend to that secondly."
"Will he need healing with the knife?" Altha asked.
"Surgery will do nothing for him. He needs true divine healing because has been hurt magically. No conventional medicine will cure him. It's as though whomever attacked him knew exactly what they were doing. Every channel in his body has been scorched by some kind of unprecedented attack."
The young healer was aware that magic users could channel energy from the world around them, but actual channels within a person were a new concept to her. She said nothing but stared at her mentor for an explanation. Kazaan obliged. "Imagine, if you will, the sixth sense I told you about, the one you've been honing; think how sensitive it is to the life forces around you." The young woman made an affirmative noise. "Now imagine it burning, as though your sinuses and every nerve in your body were aflame, but there is no reprieve. The pain is so great that you can Feel nothing but fire. That is what's happened to this man."
Altha shuddered involuntarily. If that really were the case, this man was lucky he was unconscious but even still it didn't guarantee he wouldn't be in agony. "I'll do everything I can." She said. "Who is this man?"
"His name is Tylon."
The young healer nearly tripped. Tylon? The Tylon? Everyone in Azeroth knew of Master Mage Tylon's power. Most thought him invincible, capable of magic beyond their wildest dreams. The legends said he was seven feet tall!
"Yes, the Tylon." Kazaan said, echoing Altha's thoughts. "Why else would our Lady ask us to care for him?" Altha didn't know how Sylvanis knew about her personally, but it made sense that she would ask specifically for Kazaan. Fear rose in the younger woman's throat. What if she couldn't heal this man? What if he died? Kazaan must have felt it because she continued; "his physical injuries are serious, but not enough to kill him so he will not die here. What we must do though, is repair his mind and his channels. It will be difficult but if She is willing, I think we can do it."
When it was obvious which of the infirmary tents Kazaan intended to enter, Altha moved ahead and held the tent flap for her. The older woman nodded politely and slipped inside. It was obvious that someone had expected their immanent arrival because both Kazaan and Altha's medicine bags were propped against the wall. What came as a shock to the younger woman was that there was only one bed in the sturdy canvas tent and it was shrouded in a white silk curtain. Infirmary tents of similar size usually held five times as many.
The older woman wasted no time now that her protégé was present. She scooped up her own medicine bag and handed the other to Altha. "I've already looked him over a little bit. You take care of him from the waist up; I'll attend to the gash on his leg.
Altha hesitated at the curtain but Kazaan urged her on. "Go, Altha. We don't have time to waste. He may be a mage, but first off he's a person and he needs help." Altha swallowed her fear down and pulled aside the thin shroud.
The first thing the young healer noticed about Tylon was not his physical appearance it was that he glowed! The young woman gasped involuntarily. "Teacher!" She breathed.
Kazaan, already elbow deep in her medicine bag, actually smiled. "Good. You see it too."
"Why does he glow?" Altha's mind raced. Did everyone know Tylon glowed? The legends certainly didn't mention it but it was rather difficult to miss.
"Get your medicines out. I'll explain."
The young healer pulled out the herbs and instinct took over. She dumped a fist full of marigold powder into a bowl of warm water and studied Tylon while they steeped. He breathed shallowly and irregularly, as though it hurt to do so. His pulse was fast and weak. By the looks, the blood elf was not much Altha's senior. He had sharp features, long black hair, albeit it was matted, and he was tan; as though he hadn't spent more than a fortnight inside during the past year, maybe longer. While not gaunt, he was thin too, as if good food had been as scarce as shelter. Good food is the first thing you'll get when you wake, followed by plenty of rest indoors. The young priest thought.
"Tylon glows because he's coursing with mage energy. I think you can see it now because it's so strong in him. He probably awakened your mage-sight. This is the life force you could feel before. Go ahead, look at yourself then look at me." Kazaan explained without looking up from Tylon's leg where she was doing her best to suture a deep gash.
Altha took a moment to oblige. Sure enough, she was glowing too, though differently than the mage. "He glows green and sliver, I have blue and sometimes I see flecks of gold. Why is that?" She asked.
"What do you see on me?"
"The same as on myself."
"It's because we are healers. We use different magical energy than mages. Now, keep working but study his magic-arua and yours as you do. You will see changes."
Altha moved on to the man's gashed shoulder. The cut was two finger widths deep, two finger lengths long, and practically on fire with infection. Even the green glow around the cut turned to muddy brown. Quickly the healer put together a strong poultice for it, but she didn't forget what Kazaan told her. With each correct ingredient the young healer mashed, her glow grew stronger and the flecks of gold became more prominent. When she pressed a cloth soaked in marigold water firmly on Tylon's shoulder to flush it, she gold flecks migrated down her arms and merged with the mage. Tylon's glow grew greener and cleaner as the brown faded. The man moaned weakly as Altha swabbed his arm, but otherwise remained still. "Almost done." The healer whispered, though more out of habit than anything else. When Altha deemed the wound as clean as it was likely to get, she followed Kazaan's example and sutured it with a neat row of knots.
By the time Altha finished treating her "half" of Tylon, she realized that she was glowing more brightly than her teacher. The light emanating from the mage seemed stronger as well. It was richer and more even around his entire body. The Arch Healing-Priest seemed to notice these things too as she finished. "Altha," she said quietly, "I do believe She has blessed you. She has found that you have pure intentions. If I am right, then you and I will be able to heal this man."
The young priest nodded. "Tell me what I need to do, teacher."
Again, Kazaan wasted no time. "Ground and shield yourself then follow what I do." The younger woman immediately did as she was told.
"Will your senses into Ty's mind. Look for the pain. When you find it let me know."
Altha sank into a meditative state, faster this time than she'd ever done. Carefully she extended her senses toward the unconscious mage. All at once her whole body was aflame with everything Tylon felt, though the pain was distant enough that she could still concentrate. She looked up at Kazaan in shock and the old priest smiled maternally at her protégé. "She is helping you," she whispered.
Tylon's physical injuries barely registered to Altha, it was as though he barely felt them. The most pressing issue was searing pain in his mind. It laced like wildfire through his skull, down his spine and out to all his appendages. It was pain like nothing Altha had ever felt before. It was as though it permeated every fiber of Tylon's being. It seemed as though whatever caused the attack had specifically targeted those channels. It had left them in such a state that if Tylon wasn't healed and didn't go mad from the agony, he surely would never be able to practice even trivial magic again. If there was ever a way for someone's mind to bleed, surely this man's was.
Kazaan interrupted the young priest's thoughts. "I see you've found it. Will the golden flecks of your aura into balls in each of your hands, like this." The old Healing-Priest spread her hands and golden light from all around her body migrated toward her palms. She held it there for a moment then motioned for her protégé to do the same.
The younger priest followed her mentor's thoughts and it gave her a little jolt to realize she could follow suit. The little golden flecks made her skin tingle and she willed the sensations to migrate toward her open palms. The light followed immediately. The longer Altha willed it to stay at her palms, the brighter her hands became until they disappeared beneith huge pumpkin-sized balls of gold! Yet she still radiated golden flecks all around her. She realized there was no way she could "catch" them all. Would her teacher be angry?
"What you have there is enough for our first trial. Don't worry yourself with the rest. She is recharging you." Kazaan said and Altha relaxed. "Now I want you to concentrate and make that golden glow blue or green. You'll know what color you need if you concentrate on what he's feeling."
Wisely, Altha didn't look up at her mentor. She concentrated on Tylon and felt that fire like this needed ice. She chose blue and thought hard. Change! Change to blue! The light obeyed and the tingling sensations changed to swirling cold spots, as though she'd dipped her hands in the rain barrel then held them to the wind. "Excellent." Kazaan said. Only then did the younger priest look up to see that her mentor also had blue light swirling around her hands. Altha smiled.
"No, how do you suppose we should go about treating him?" Kazaan asked.
Altha hesitated. Surely the Arch Healing-Priest knew best, but she was asking and Altha knew better than to defer judgment. "He feels like he's on fire. I think it's all radiating out from one point." She said. "Usually when you fight fire you start at the base."
"Very good. Now, where is the base this case?"
This time Altha had to stop and concentrate. The mage's skull was on fire, but there were more nerves and channels in his brain so he felt it the worst there. Somehow she sensed it wasn't the origin of the flame. Cautiously the young priest followed each channel with her senses. The pain was tolerable in all his extremities until she traced them to his heart. "There!" She said and gasped. "It's starting at his heart."
Kazaan nodded again. "Then we're lucky he's not dead already. I want you to take your blue light and push it very carefully onto his heart. Too fast and the shock could kill him, but to slowly and it won't be effective. Watch me and then you do the same."
Altha decided the concept was simple. Pouring the cooling blue light into Tylon's channels was a lot like putting out a bonfire. If she used too much at first the resulting "steam" would overwhelm all three of them and send the mage into seizures. If she didn't use enough it wouldn't have any effect at all and she'd be wasting her energy. The trick would be to pour in just enough so that the "steam" would dissipate just slightly faster than the light cooled his channels. With any luck, they could cool his heart and the subsequent channels would start to repair themselves.
"It's your turn." Kazaan said all too quickly.
The young priest gulped then concentrated on forming the wispy blue light into a thin ribbon then pushed it to and fro experimentally. When the older Healing-Priest nodded, Altha willed it slowly toward Tylon's chest. "Use your mage senses." Kazaan instructed her quietly. "He'll tell you how much he can take."
Altha concentrated again and made the pain in Tylon's chest her own. Cautiously, she pushed the thin blue wisp into the center of it. At first only searing heat registered in her mind so she pushed a little more. Suddenly the pain cooled but her senses clouded and Tylon shuddered on the cot. "That was too much." Altha thought and pulled back. The mage stilled.
"That was good judgment." Kazaan said. "Move more slowly this time and give your senses a few seconds to catch up."
Altha tried again, more cautiously this time. Again she felt the fire but restrained the urge to cool it as quickly as before. She channeled the light in little by little, pausing to a count of ten before pushing a little more. On the fifth push Altha's senses clouded almost imperceptibly and she held. They cleared after a few moments and she pushed again, so slightly that even the older Healing-Priest didn't notice. Again her senses clouded, though not badly. She waited and pushed again. Tylon seemed to be helping her by building a tolerance to the cold and drinking it in.
The young priest went on pouring light into the mage until she realized that the glow around her hands was fading. Kazaan noticed it too and spoke up. "You're running out of energy, Altha. Stop and will more into your hands."
The young priest considered the instruction for a moment but hesitated. If I stop I'll have to start all over again figuring out how much he can take. What if I do both at the same time? Cautiously she willed the tingly golden flecks toward her palms and to turn to blue. The light obeyed as though it had been waiting to do so all along. Altha threaded the new light into the old and kept the ribbon from her palms to the mage's chest smooth and even. The Arch Healing-Priest said nothing.
Almost a candle mark later Altha found she no longer had the energy to push the light accurately and she withdrew. With her last ounce of strength she extended her senses one last time to where the fire in Tylon's chest had been. His core was cool and strong. The Priest breathed a sigh of relief and sank to a chair someone had set behind her. When did that get there? "Here, drink this." Kazaan said immediately and pushed a warm beverage into Altha's hand. Knowing better than to disobey her teacher more than once in a day she sipped the restorative beverage. "When you're ready, I'd like to see you in my study. I want to talk to you about what just happened." The old Priest's voice gave away nothing and Altha knew she was done for.
"Yes, teacher. But please may I have a moment?"
Kazaan raised her eyebrows. So much for the rest, Altha thought, I guess I brought it on myself. She struggled out of the chair.
"Heavens girl, sit! You're not in trouble!" The old Priest seized her by the shoulders and actually pushed Altha back down. The young woman stared up in sock.
"But I disobeyed you…"
"Nevermind about that." Now Altha's tired mind began to race again but she didn't move. "Drink." She drank.
"I'm sorry, teacher. I just don't understand. What did I do?" The young priest couldn't let it rest. If she wasn't in trouble, what was so remarkable about healing a man with holy magic? There were hundreds of Healing-Priests in the world who could do the same thing.
Kazaan sighed. Her young protégé was turning out more and more like her every day. "All right, forget the study. We can talk here. You have been blessed, Altha, truly blessed. She has seen your true intentions and she's given you power that will, in time, exceed my own." The Arch Healing-Priest cast her gaze over to Tylon who, though still unconscious, had lost the tortured look and seemed to be resting more peacefully. "What's more, the demonstration you just gave tells me that you have an incredibility strong mind. When I was your age, I could not do what you did."
"What demonstration, teacher? I only did what you did."
"No, you didn't you…."
"I formed the light and pushed it!"
"Hush, child! You would interrupt your teacher so rudely?" Altha closed her mouth at once and stared at her feet.
"As I was saying, you didn't. You did more. There are few Healing-Priests that can channel healing energy from themselves into patients without pausing to refocus it in their hands. You did it for over a candle mark. A candle mark, Altha! Look at me, I used a lot of energy when I started with Tylon and I'm half spent, but I didn't use nearly what you did and you're ready to walk back up to my study!"
Later that evening Altha and Kazaan, both rested and fed, returned to Tylon's tent. The last pink flames of a glorious sunset were fading as they made their way inside. One by one they lit stone lamps along the tent supports. "I'm sorry, I'd light them for you if I could," said a weary male voice from behind the shroud. The young healer froze but Kazaan nodded to her and mouthed talk to him.
"Stone Guard Tylon." Altha said quietly. "Am I correct?" She moved to the bed and pulled the silk curtain aside for the second time that day.
With a monumental effort the blood elf sat up and faced her. He paled for a moment but recovered and smiled wanly. "Good evening. It seems you know my name, might I have the pleasure of knowing yours?"
Altha bowed. "I am the Lady Altha of Knell. Kazaan here is the Arch Healing-Priest of the Easter Kingdoms and my teacher."
"Wow." Tylon said then looked down. "The divine must favor me if I am to have two such well respected Healing-Priests looking after me." The young priest's heart skipped a beat but she held her tongue. Did people really respect her?
The older woman finished with the lamps and glided to the bedside. "Not only does She favor you Tylon, but Sylvanis respects you as well. They both have seen how you work magic. By taking only the enemy's lives you need to defend yourself and preventing the rest from doing harm, you earn great favor in everyone's eyes. Such valor is not often seen in soldiers. You serve your kingdom, your Lady, and your Goddess well." Kazaan told him then laughed. "Of the three of us, I'd suspect She favors you the most. Altha here and I are under direct orders not to let you die or we may as well head for the gallows Sylvanis will be so angry!"
Tylon chuckled for a moment but stopped when his head began to throb. "Such kind words, the likes of which I haven't heard in years. Thank you."
"I speak the truth." Kazaan said. "Now, I suppose you are wondering why we're here."
"I cannot deny the question had crossed my mind." The mage admitted. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company? It seems that you have already spent a great deal of time and effort tending my ills. While I couldn't respond, I Felt every bit of it and I could not begin to express my gratitude. Surely though, working so much magic you both must be exhausted."
The elder Priest turned to her protégé and nodded. Altha smiled timidly. "You see, Stone Guard Tylon, it was mostly me that healed you this morning." She said. "The divine has seen fit to heal through me and she's given me an almost endless supply of magical energy. I rested for three candle marks and I feel as whole as when I woke this morning. If you would have it, I could heal you again."
The mage raised his eyebrows at the young healer. He seemed to be at war with himself for a few moments before he replied. "Good lady, I would never ask it of you but if you are offering, my head hurts badly."
"Then I shall see what I can do for you. Kazaan will help of course."
"Indeed I will. First, though, your dressings need changing. If your physical wounds fester you won't get the whole benefit of divine healing. Altha, you and I will take the same wounds as before."
Again, even in the semi darkness Altha watched the gold flecks emanating off herself increase in both number and intensity as she cleaned Tylon's wounds. His magic-aura once again became clearer and brighter. With the fresh bandages in place, Kazaan called Altha's attention. "Whenever you're ready, my student. Tylon, you're conscious now so please tell us if it's too much." The mage nodded but the old priest looked at her protégé again and added, "But don't substitute Tylon's word for your senses. You'll need both to do your work well."
Having already healed the mage once, the young priest found his injuries with her senses much more quickly this time. One by one she traced his scorched channels from his core to his extremities. It seemed the mage told the truth, the next worse damage was done to his mind. She gathered the golden light, willed it blue, and threaded it into his core but then, at her teacher's direction, pushed it toward the mage's mind.
Tylon's features relaxed almost immediately and his shoulders sagged. The priest took a moment to let her senses adjust then, in the same manner as before, raised the intensity a little at a time until her senses clouded and the mage's face contorted just slightly. "It's all right, I can talk a little more." He said after a moment.
"I believe you, but just wait a moment." Altha replied. "I'm going to try something slightly different." Tylon looked worriedly at Altha then Kazaan but said nothing. The older Healing-Priest stared at her protégé for an explanation. "I want to increase the light at the same rate Tylon builds a tolerance for it." Altha said. "It'll be tricky but…"
"It can be done. Be very careful, Altha." Kazaan said. "Go slowly. Heed your senses and Tylon's face. Tylon, you are to speak up immediately if it's too much. You're both young and strong but there's no point in burning either of you out."
The young priest concentrated again and balled a large reserve of light into her hands. She deepened her senses and fed another thin thread of light along the larger ribbon, gradually increasing its diameter until Tylon twitched. She left it there, increasing no more than the diameter of a hair to every count of twenty.
Nearly a candle mark later Altha felt her senses slipping and she pulled the light back from Tylon. The channels in his mind Felt cool and clean. "Well done, my student." Kazaan said and smiled. "Now you wait here while I get the two of you some refreshments." Altha sunk gratefully into the waiting chair and looked up tiredly at the mage. He seemed winded too but he smiled with satisfaction.
"I have not felt this good in days." He said. "Thank you. I am in your debt."
"You're welcome, but you're not in my debt. Healing is my duty." Altha replied. "I took an oath of honor when I began learning to heal. I could not break it if I tried. Besides, it gives me great satisfaction to make others whole again and it pleases the divine. What more could anyone want?"
This seemed to satisfy Tylon for a while and he stared up at the ceiling. The young priest watched him for a few moments. Despite the rest of his channels being scorched and raw, he seemed content. Altha decided this mage was very powerful indeed not to let the pain show on his face. He glanced over at the young priest and seemed to sense her thoughts because he grinned.
"The rest does hurt, I'd be a fool to deny that." He said. "But I feel so much better now than I did when it happened, I could never complain."
"What did happen to you, Stone Guard Tylon?" Altha asked quietly.
"Just Tylon, if you please."
"Tylon, if you don't mind telling me, what did happen to you out there? Or do you remember?"
The mage sighed and closed his eyes. "Allow me get the pieces together. It will ease my worries to tell someone."
Altha swallowed a little twinge of fear, she hadn't wanted to strike a nerve with the mage. On the other hand, it had taken her two candle marks to heal only part of what someone had done to him. Anyone who could wield such power and do such damage with it was a threat to everyone, not just the mages. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. It's all right." She said.
"No, I want to. It's important that people know." He paused again and then took a deep breath. "I was standing on a knoll behind the front lines where I could see both our troops and the enemy's below us. I was casting a weather spell that would rain ice shards down on the enemy. There may have been a mage watching me because once I dropped my shields for eye blink to finish the spell, a bolt of something, perhaps lightning hit me from nowhere. I never felt such agony in my life. I thought I might be rent in two. Not only that, I lost control of my actions. I couldn't stop myself running down into the battlefield. Not only that, I couldn't 'catch' my thoughts long enough to mount a defense."
"Someone was controlling your mind." Altha said softly and looked down. "If your shields were down there's nothing you could have done."
"That must have been the case." Tylon said, not at all perturbed. "The next thing I knew I was in the middle of the troops. I couldn't defend myself and it didn't take long for the enemy cavalry to find me and run me down. I had no magical reserves left, and I wear only enchanted robes for armor. That's how I got these." He gestured to the wounds on his thigh and arm then he shrugged his shoulders. "You can guess what happened next. I did eventually get control of my actions, but by then I couldn't have lit a match with magic, much less create a shield. I was on my hands and knees and disoriented when something hit me from behind. Everything went silent and my eyes betrayed me. I could see only black and white. Something hit me again and I awoke here." The mage reclined against the pillows and fell silent.
Altha digested his story for a few minutes without speaking. While today was the young priest's first experience healing with magic, Kazaan had been very thorough in educating her protégé on the ways magic could be used to harm. The Arch Healing-Priest had hopes that Altha would recognize it when she saw it. "Tylon, what can you tell me about the split second before the bolt hit? Did anything seem wrong?" She asked finally.
Tylon was thoughtful for a moment before replying "Yes, now that you mention it, something struck me as peculiar as soon as I dropped my shield but I brushed it off. It's unlike me to do something so foolish."
Altha nodded. "It makes sense now. I suspect that your enemy soothed your mind before he or she blasted you. I am not familiar with the spell that burned your channels, but the other two are fairly common among dark priests. If you were unprepared for it, there is nothing you could have done."
The mage nodded and remained quiet. Kazaan returned then with another restorative draught for Altha and a full meal for Tylon. "Altha," she said, "you and I are going to let poor Tylon eat in peace." She stared hard at the mage and added "and he can use some rest afterward. There are some things I want to discuss with you."
"Yes, teacher."
"I believe I know why she has blessed you just today, my student." Kazaan went straight to the point as soon as they were settled into the study's worn over-stuffed armchairs. The young priest stared up at her mentor, completely stunned.
"I know I've always taught you no to question Her if she sends you a blessing, but She spoke to me this evening while I was procuring provisions for you and Tylon.
Altha nodded slowly. Usually when Kazaan spoke of the divine, her eyes sparkled and her whole face glowed with youthful energy. Now she was quiet and grim. Her face was drawn and she looked positively old!
"You have not heard much about the battle that injured Tylon, have you my student?"
"No, teacher."
"The enemy not only took out a lot of troops, they took out a lot of the healers as well. That was their latest attempt at crippling our forces."
Altha gulped. She wasn't sure she liked where this was headed.
"I passed a table of officers on my way to the kitchens. They were talking about a terrible shortage of healers on the front lines and they were saying a lot of strong soldiers would die unnecessarily if they did not have assistance."
"She wants me to go, doesn't She?"
"Altha, you've been given great power, and in the span of six candle marks you've learned to manipulate and use it. I think if you meditated on it for a while, you would know what She wants you to do. You have a great responsibility to your kingdom, to Her, and to your people."
"What about you though? Your power and skills far exceed my own." Altha couldn't stop herself from asking.
"That is true, but you are young and I am old. Even we undead do not last forever. I serve Her best here, as a teacher and a healer together. I would burn out quickly between the journey and the magnitude of patients." She leveled the young priest with a hard look. "Otherwise I would already be there."
Altha looked down. Kazaan was right and they both knew it. Now, as surely as the young priest felt her skin tingle with holy power, she felt the weight of responsibility on her fine shoulders. "You're right, teacher. She does want me to go." She said after a while. "I'm scared though." No shortage of horror stories had come back about the cruelty of the enemy with their prisoners. What if she were killed or captured? She already died once and turned her back on the white light. What if the only place left for her was down?
The Arch Healing-Priest half smiled. "If you were not afraid, you would not be alive. For what it's worth, I am afraid too; but have you thought about this? She's blessed you with great power and intuition and she's called you to the front lines. Do you think She would do so without giving you some form of protection?"
Altha brightened a little. "No, I suppose not." They sat in silence for a while then Altha took her leave of her mentor to wander aimlessly. She walked through town for nearly a candle mark, looking through the darkened windows; the stable, the inn, the blacksmith's shop. Everything in Brill was so familiar. Altha didn't know how she could make herself leave it except that it seemed so right somehow. "That must be Her calling me." She reasoned aloud.
The moon had risen well above horizon when she found herself in front of Tylon's tent. She wasn't sure why she'd come, but that too seemed right and she went in. Altha had precious few friends her own age, perhaps if nothing else; the mage would be someone to talk to.
"I can feel that you're troubled from a mile off." He said before the tent flap could even close behind her. "But before I ask what worries you, watch this." He pulled aside the silk shroud and snapped his fingers. Three lamps instantly burst to life with brilliant green flame for a few seconds before they settled into the natural yellow-orange.
"Tylon, that's wonderful!" Altha exclaimed. "You can work magic again!" She sobered quickly though and eyed him critically. "Wait, what of your channels? Doesn't that hurt?"
The mage sighed but his grin didn't fade. "It's agonizing actually."
Altha started to protest but he held up his hand. "But it's getting easier every time I do it. In a few days time I think I'll be back to where I was before, that is, if you good ladies are kind enough to keep healing me." Altha gathered the light in her hands for a moment then threaded it into his next most raw channel. She did it so quickly that Tylon didn't notice. At first he tensed with shock but then smiled contentedly.
"You are improving, you know." He said.
"It is a good thing." Altha replied quietly.
"Well yes, but why do you say that, Lady."
The young priest looked into the mage's eyes. "Because I'll need it where I'm going. Ty, tell me about the front lines." She bit her lip. She hadn't meant to address him so informally. Thankfully he didn't seem to notice. He stared back at her for some time at a complete loss for words. His face seemed to hollow at the thought.
"No." He said at last. "I won't," but before he could offend the priest added, "But before you judge me harshly, consider this: I don't know what horror stories have reached your ears of the front, but they are probably all true. I would not want to be the one to give you false hope because I owe you more than that." He fell silent thinking again for a few minutes then continued, "What I can give you for hope is that if you are to be sent to the front, you're going to save a lot of lives and make a lot of lives better."
Altha looked down. "Yes, I suppose so. Do they have healers in the ranks with the soldiers?"
The mage actually smiled at this. "Of course not. Healers stay well behind the troops in their own encampments. They only move to the front after the battle has ended and even then, not all of them. Some stay behind to tend the injured that either walk or are carried back."
"Kazaan said a lot of healers died in the last battle."
"I cannot explain that." The mage said. "I suspect the enemy flanked us and hit the camps before our troops could turn around. If that was the case, they'll be better prepared next time. Altha, I know you're afraid, but it occurs to me that with the great blessing She has given you she's probably given you some protection if you're to be sent to the front."
"That is what Kazaan said."
Tylon was quiet again so Altha took the opportunity to heal him once more. She threaded blue light into his channels until she was almost too exhausted to stand. If her fear prevented her from doing anything else at the moment, at least she could be marginally useful. When she drew back the mage looked at her for a moment. "Altha," he said, "once you've caught your breath, could I ask a favor of you?"
"Yes, of course."
"Bring me my big canvas bag. It's heavy though, so wait until you're ready." He gestured to an over stuffed dirty gray bag someone had brought and left in the corner. The priest sat for a few moments then hefted the sack carefully to the side of Tylon's bed. Bit by bit the mage drew out old clothing, tattered uniforms, his mess kit, and various other items. He'd almost emptied the bag when he pulled out a snow white uniform folded around a thin object and a little longer than his arm. "Here it is." He said with great reverence toward the thing. "I want you to have this."
Altha opened her mouth then closed it again. "Tylon, I told you, you don't owe me anything. I'm doing my duty."
"I know." The mage said. "You do it well though, and you will have use for this." He pulled away the fabric and the young priest couldn't help but gasp. Tylon lay across his palms and offered up a golden scepter. It was so clean and bright Altha couldn't take her eyes off it. At the top, a sword handle sized ruby actually glowed with magical energy. It poured golden light down the length of the handle to such an excess that some of it drifted like heavy smoke to the floor. The flawless stone sent light and shadows dancing across their faces like sunlight through the rain barrel.
"No!" She said at last, "I couldn't possibly! That looks like a magical weapon, and a very valuable one at that!"
"Actually, it's not really a weapon." Tylon said. "Hold it." He pushed it into her hands. As soon as she touched it, Altha knew the divine meant her to have it. The light from the scepter melded with hers and seemed to recharge her energy almost as quickly as she'd expended it. The young priest turned the scepter over in her hands a few times. Even for its construction of precious metal and stone, it was nearly weightless.
"That is a healer's weapon scepter, the most powerful one I've ever seen. The ruby at the top is an amplifier. Even I can see it has recharged you already and I think you'll find when you hold it that your healing takes less energy. I came across it on the battlefield one day, it sorrows me to say so, but a healer from the enemy's lines had it before she passed away. She offered it up to me as she died. No one else saw that it glowed. In fact, they only saw a damaged club so I knew I was meant to keep it until I found its true owner. It seems She has chosen you to have it." He chuckled then added, "and I'm happy you've taken it, it was starting to become a burden."
With the scepter at her side, Altha practiced healing every day on Tylon and he grew stronger with each trial. At the end of a fortnight the mage went to her. "I am almost healed." He said without preamble when he found her in the chapel library.
"Yes, I know." She replied without looking up from her book. She knew this day would come soon and she wasn't looking forward to it, so she let the mage talk.
"My physical injuries are mended well enough and my channels are almost as strong as they used to be. In the time it takes a caravan to reach the front, they will be mended completely. I was wondering, have you any orders dictating where on the front lines you must go? If you haven't, I would ask if you might accompany me back and serve in my unit. Your skills are much needed."
Surprised, Altha put down her book. On some level she and Kazaan planned for her to return with Tylon and see where things went from there on the front. Actually staying with the mage would be the gossamer lining in a very dark cloud. At the very least he would be a friendly face n the most hostile environment in Azeroth. She looked up at him. It wasn't that she needed him as a friend, everyone on the battlefield would give their own lives to protect the healer but it would be good to have someone to talk to when the sun set.
"Are you sure that would be a possibility? Are the healers not stationed where they're needed most?"
"Yes, usually that is the case." Tylon admitted, "but a large part of the master healers were killed in the last battle and the unit leaders rather respect me for some reason. If you would consent to stay with us, I would speak with them and I promise to make sure you remain as safe as I can."
Altha almost heard her Kazaan's voice in the back of her mind. There's your protection. The young priest couldn't ask for a better benefactor than the most powerful mage in Azeroth, especially if he thought he owed her (no matter how many times she told him he didn't). It wasn't a personal favor, every soldier in Sylvanis's army learned early on to lie down their lives to protect the healers, but Tylon couldn't mask the softness in his eyes. It seemed he wanted a friendly face as much as she did.
"Yes," Altha said finally. "I will go and serve in your unit if She wills it."
The following morning Altha and Tylon rode side by side into a brilliant smoke-fed sunrise. The army caravan rumbled noisily behind them.