CHAPT 10

The first thing Castor noticed when he entered her room was the lack of everything. Nothing on the floor, not clothes, not slippers; bed made, closet doors closed. No pictures, no posters, the only thing that showed anyone lived here was a pencil resting on the edge of the desk.

She had been living here for almost a month, but there was nothing here! Maybe it was all in her closet? The desk only had one drawer; he noticed that a lock was fixed on it. Sarah must have made this addition; it had definitely not been there before.

He had by now deposited the man on the bed, and noticed that Sarah was watching him. Had he been staring too long?

"Uh, your room is very clean…" he said lamely.

Sarah raised an eyebrow and turned around hand on the door knob, "I can take care of Tao from here. You should go get some sleep." When he went behind her, he longed to hold her. As soon as he raised his arm to touch her, she swirled around him and he was left grabbing for the door. Behind him now, Sarah placed a hand on his lower back, sending a jolt through his vertebrate.

Then, reaching sound him she opened the door, "Castor, don't tell Frau about this. He may already know, but even so please do not bring it up." As soon as he stepped into the hall the door was closed softly.

He walked down the hall. Why didn't Sarah want him to tell Frau? Why keep this a secret from him? It didn't seem like they kept secrets from each other. Also, if she was afraid of the power she had, Frau had healed people when he wasn't a Bishop, so he should be someone she should want to talk to! Maybe she thought Frau was weaker than her; even before he was an apprentice Frau had needed a bascule…

His thoughts were cut off as he noticed a shadow framed in the door leading to the grounds.

As he walked closer, Frau's features become visible. He was blocking the door and didn't move as Castor came closer. He stopped so that they were almost side by side.

"How much did you see?" Frau didn't move as he looked at Castor.

"Frau, I don't know what you're talking about." It was the first time he had ever lied to Frau, and it was such an obvious lie too… but did this mean Frau already knew about Sarah's power? If he had witnessed everything, he didn't seem fazed at all...

He tried to walk around Frau, but Frau moved so his shoulder blocked Castor.

"Frau, tell me what you know about Sarah." He didn't look at Frau, instead continued to stare outside.

"She'll tell you when she wants to."

"I assumed so." And with that Castor pushed by him and left.

He really didn't know anything about Frau and Sarah's relationship; he didn't even know how long they had known each other.

Had Sarah known Frau since he was a child and first started healing people? From what Castor had learned about Frau, he had been adopted by the church when he was young, but had healed people way before then. He glanced behind him; Frau had gone inside already.

Frau watched Castor as he left. It was definitely troubling that he was keeping a secret from him. But he had promised Sarah he wouldn't tell anyone, had she made Castor make a similar promise?

He walked down the corridor and knocked on her door.

"Sarah, it's me." He whispered to the door.

As soon as Sarah had opened the door, she turned and sat back down on the bed without looking at Frau, and continued to press a wet towel to the man's forehead.

"He looks better" Frau observed.

"So you were watching last night?"

"Yes."

There was silence for a few minutes,

"Castor just left," Frau's voice sounded normal, but Sarah turned and caught his eye.

"What did you tell him?"

"Nothing, he was there last night?"

"Yes, I'm sure you saw him there."

"So now he knows?"

"He knows I have healing zaiphon powerful enough to heal kor without instruments."

"That's not what I meant."

Sarah closed her eyes and balled her hands in a fist. She was still holding the wet towel, and water started to slowly drip into her lap.

Opening them, she looked at Tao, "No, he doesn't know. You haven't told him?"

"No. Not yet."

"Not ever."

"Sarah! There is more to lose than gain by keeping this a secret."

"And what would you know about it Frau?" She hadn't meant to sound so sharp. She could see the hurt in his eyes. "All I mean, is if he knew everything, there is a heightened possibility of others finding out I'm here."

"But the other Bishops know your name, aren't you worried of them asking around and spreading your name?"

"Why would they? My name keeps them satisfied that I am just another apprentice. If I were to tell him my story, he would need proof. He would dig around, go into town and ask people about our past, about my past! And if someone heard my name that was looking for me... They would find me Frau. Do you understand? They would find me again!"

"This is a sanctuary Sarah! No one will hurt you here! They won't find you! If Castor knew, he would protect you!"

This caused Sarah to laugh, "Frau, you speak so optimistically! The word 'sanctuary' doesn't exist in their vocabulary, and what if Castor was hurt by trying to protect me?."

He stood up and put a hand on Sarah's shoulder, she turned to look up at him, "I've watched you around him, and do you really not want him to know who you are?"

"What do you mean you've watched me around him? I treat him no different than anyone else we've known."

Frau smiled, but there was nothing humorous about this conversation, "liar" he whispered. "Don't be ashamed of your past Sarah, you've got nothing to be ashamed of."

Sarah suddenly flew up, and threw the towel at Frau.

"I'm not ashamed!" she yelled, "I want to forget! As much as you love preaching about the past changing people into better people, it was enough that I survived my past sane! If the past effected who I am, then I should be poison! There was nothing good about it! I forgot about the past in order to be who I am!"

Frau bent down and picked the towel up. "You should come to church more often. You still blame yourself Sarah. You haven't forgotten about your past, and stop pretending like you have! You can still heal; even though there's blood on your hands, you're still pure! This man's healing is proof! Just because you're unable to -"

"Frau, get out. Shut up, and get out." She sat back down, her head in her hands.

"Sarah, Castor will understand!"

"FRAU GET OUT!"

Frau almost lost his nose as Sarah slammed the door in his face. He sighed; age hadn't gotten rid of her stubbornness, or her temper.

He walked outside and turned towards the church, remembering back to when he had first met Sarah, they had been so young. He had only been with her for a year before the government raided the streets; all of his old friends had been killed, except Sarah. She had been quicker than the others; no adult had even known she existed. She had escaped the massacre, and, since the government wanted nothing to do with him, Frau had been adopted by the church.

For a few years he was secure with the knowledge that Sarah was safe. Even though Sarah had left the town, they were able to communicate through the remaining street kids.

That was until she was caught by the same government who had gotten him. But she wasn't as lucky as he was. While he had surrendered, she had fought the guards, almost escaping before being overpowered.

Unfortunately, she had impressed them, and was sent to be trained as a warrior, instead of an orphanage. She had only been around 8 and had shown more potential than more seasoned fighters. "Potentially lethal," they had called her since she had refused to fight when they brought her in. But she had been broken, and instead of 'potentially lethal,' she became worse than lethal.

He had not heard from her for over 10 years until he finally heard her whispered by alley kids. They spoke of a woman who had escaped from the depths of the government's hellhole.

What had interested Frau was that even though the woman had been infamous for being a merciless killer, when she escaped there was not one death or injury; speed and skill were used instead to get past the guards holding her.

The street rumours had filled in more blanks; rumours of the nameless girl who could only heal the Kor of men. He had known this nameless girl was the one from his childhood.

It had taken him almost 5 months to find her; she was good at hiding, but he was better.

He found her hiking on a deserted logging road. He followed her for a few days; she looked different, and he wasn't sure it was her. But one afternoon, a man attacked Sarah from a clump of trees she had been walking through.

And he knew: her fighting style was the exact same as when they were kids; again speed and stamina. It took her almost a minute to beat the man, leaving him unconscious.

It was at this point Frau decided to reveal himself, almost getting a broken face from Sarah; he no longer looked like the young boy he was, and she had not trusted him.

At first, he feared she had changed for the worst, and had become a distorted figure of her old self. But in time, after hearing all the stories from their past together, she seemed to swim out of a daze, and ghosts of her old self showed through. He found out that she had been given a constant stream of drugs in order to control her, and her natural abilities had adapted to the drug, quickly leading her to become their top assassin.

Days passed on their trek, and she emerged; waves of relief flooded him. She was still the same, emanating inner power and strength.

Physically though, he had been surprised. The sharp cheekbones and bright golden brown eyes had been alien on her face; she had been pretty when young, but now was eerily beautiful.

From more rumours he had gathered, her employers had changed her appearance to make it easier to earn the attention of her targets; mostly powerful men.

It made him sick as he thought of the things they had made her do. She had explained most of them on the trip: hotels, clubs, rooms, faces.

And yet she was the same; her face a bit different, her body faster than it had ever been, her skills precise, and yet still unable to be controlled. She was one of the few to escape from the government's clutches, and the only one he knew of to survive for so long. To escape, she told him of how she had changed the drug dose they gave her so it would wear off faster. It had worked and she had escaped.

But even on that trip, she never brought up her mother, the one flaw in her power that caused her heart-wrenching pain, and that had brought them together. He wondered if she still thought about it...

Frau was brought back to reality as he stood outside the church.

This was still the girl who struggled because she couldn't heal everyone. The one who still blamed herself for her mother's death. Who still blamed herself for the countless people she had murdered under the governments control. Who had survived it all because of a desire to save other people.

Would she ever tell Castor? Probably not

He made a truce with himself. He would tell Castor everything. She deserved happiness, even if she didn't think she deserved it, and Castor could give her that. He turned around, away from the church.