Megan and Sylvester were sitting in the living area on the first floor among the many bookcases that housed all of Sylvester's books on both arcane and worldly journals. After her initial question about putting his alchemy research on the third floor he'd set about making that happen. The downstairs along with being his library was more of a guest entertaining area now. She didn't like the idea of people coming up to the living floor of the tower to socialize.
They were in the middle of another chess match. Sylvester found her mind was strong and agile and quickly had grasped the moves and was a decent player. If he hadn't had so many years of practice under a true master he was convinced she might actually win against him from time to time.
"I swear I feel like you are cheating sometimes." Megan said in disgust as she pushed her king over.
Sylvester grinned.
"You got to remember Megan, I've been playing since my Master took me in as a student. It was his favorite way to build mental strength. And that is needed when trying to bend the forces of magic to your will." Sylvester reminded her but then frowned as he heard shouts of alarm. He pushed back and stood up going to his door quickly.
"What's wrong Sylvester?" Megan said in concern.
"I don't know." Sylvester said as he unlocked and opened his door.
"A number of guards are running to the front of the Keep. Something has happened. I've got to respond." Sylvester said even as he started to move out of the tower.
"Well wait, I'm coming too." Megan told him as she got up and moved over to him quickly.
They both hurried along the side of the Keep until they got to the front where most of the outside guards were gathered before the Keep's main entrance.
"What happened?" Sylvester called out as they moved through the gathered guards.
"Lord Walter was attacked. He lost an arm." One of the guards at the entrance said still in shock.
Megan gasped even as hers and Sylvester's eyes both went wide. They pushed on through the guards and ran into the Keep.
"They probably took him to Toby's sick rooms. They're down this way." Sylvester said even as he led their way holding onto Megan's hand.
"Oh no, Daddy was with him remember? I hope he is okay." Megan said fearfully.
"I might disagree with Sean from time to time but so do I." Sylvester told her honestly.
They could hear excited voices down the hall they moved through and knew that Sylvester had been right. As they came around a corner they saw a growing crowd gathered outside of the sick rooms. They pushed through the crowd outside of the sick rooms and Megan took one look at Lady Paige down by one of the beds and ran forward. Sylvester stopped and saw his friend John lying on the floor dead with an arrow sticking out of his chest. Sylvester sighed even as he got on one knee and reached out and put his hand on John's shoulder.
"I'm so sorry John. You've been a good friend and member of the community." Sylvester said to the dead man before getting up and moving on down to where Megan was hugging Paige.
"What happened?" Megan asked fearfully as she looked at her brother lying there as Toby was examining the ends of both his arm and the stump that was left. She moved over and hugged her Mother. Her eyes took in all the blood covering her Father. "Are you okay Father?"
"A necromancer attacked Walter as he was fishing with me. He might have finished the job if it hadn't been for the patrol that came when I yelled for help." Sean told her as he took his wife back into his arms as they looked on in worry.
"Did whoever attacked our Lord kill my friend John too?" Sylvester asked as he reached them.
Sean spun hotly to face Sylvester.
"Your friend John is it? That sack of filth lying back at the door? He was the one that did this to my boy." Sean yelled.
"Wha-what? John respected Lord Walter. He wouldn't have attacked him." Sylvester said not believing what he said.
"Get out of our way." Allie commanded as she tried to push through the crowd before the doorway with her sister.
"Disperse!" Sir Cabe yelled back at the doorway.
Allie ran on down to where they were gathered.
Amanda paused for a moment and took a quick glance at the body but not sensing any cellular life moved on down to where everyone else was. Allie quickly sat beside Lord Walter and put her hands on him as her power rose up. Amanda did the same but to his arm that Toby was trying to clean the dirt and sterilize the exposed bone and tissue.
"Wouldn't do it huh? Are you calling me a liar boy?" Sean demanded finally as things calmed down.
"Sean dear, calm down, we got to concentrate on our boy." Louise pressured him.
Sylvester shook his head.
"I've known John for five years. He's done nothing but been a respectful member of the town." Sylvester told him weakly.
"Did you know he was a Necromancer too?" Sir Cabe demanded.
Sylvester slowly nodded.
"And you never told anyone? How could you violate one of Lord Walter's longest standing tenants of Scorpion Keep? After everything that has happened and that you've learned from the wise Lady yesterday how could you keep this a secret?" Sir Cabe demanded even as he moved over and grabbed the front of his tunic and shook him.
"I-I, I do-don't have an excuse Sir Cabe. I honestly believed John was a good man. He's helped so many people during his time here. I mean, if Sean hadn't seen it happen I still wouldn't believe it." Sylvester told him weakly.
"We need a temple Mistress my Lady. We'll need her to cast regeneration on the Lord. With the extent of the damage done here I don't believe his arm will be viable if I attempt to reattach the arm medically, unless one of the sisters has a better option." Toby said as he looked at Lady Paige.
"I've already sent a guard for the Mistress of his private temple." Sir Cabe said even as he shoved Sylvester away in disgust.
After he turned to look back at Lord Walter he spun back around and pointed at Sylvester.
"I better never hear you defending Necromancers again. Or I swear to Athena I'll put my boot so far up your ass you'll need coal miners to go in and find it." Sir yelled so loud the guards at the main entrance heard him.
The temple Mistress came into the room shortly after Cabe's threat. She glared at Sir Cabe.
"How dare you invoke the wise Lady's name in such a thing Sir Cabe, I better never hear you say anything like that again. And after all she's done for you." The Mistress yelled at him. She quickly tried to control her anger. "What do you require of me my Lady?" She turned to look at Lady Paige as she reached out and took her hands in her own.
"Toby said they'll need you to cast a spell of regeneration on Walter when they are ready. He doesn't think the arm will survive otherwise." Lady Paige told her without looking at her.
The Mistress nodded.
"Whatever you need me to do Physician." The Mistress told him as she let go of Paige's hands.
Paige's hands came back up to hold her upper arms even as Megan tried to comfort her.
"Don't worry sister. My brother is the toughest there is. And he is well loved by the wise Lady. He'll be fine." Megan told her.
"I'm just about done here. I don't know if the sisters need more time or what they are doing." Toby smiled and nodded as he began a final cleaning of the tissue and bone of Lord Walter's stump.
"We're just trying to maintain cellular viability of the Lord's arm and stump Toby. Whenever you two are ready we've done everything we can do to ensure maximum success." Allie told him.
"There I'm done. Let me move the arm into position." Toby nodded.
Amanda carefully moved with him as he moved the arm keeping her hands on it.
"Is there anything specific I need to do for this Mistress?" Toby asked even as he lined the bones up.
"Having it lined up and as close as possible can't hurt but shouldn't matter. The spell will do the work, just be prepared most likely it will cause the arm to animate a bit and move to ensure alignment and to compensate for any missing flesh. If you think it will unnerve you then sit it down as close as possible so that your movement doesn't hinder cohesion." The Mistress warned them.
"Are you sure you don't want me to send some of the guards to get Ralph from school my Lady?" Sir Cabe asked quietly.
Paige nodded.
"I'm sure. He doesn't need to see this. It will be bad enough to hear about." Paige told him softly her eyes still watching Walter breathe.
"Okay, I think we're as good as we can manually do this Mistress. The ball as they say is in your court." Toby told her.
The Mistress nodded as she stepped to the head of the bed and reached over with her ornate owl emblem in her hand and pressed it into the side of Lord Walter's neck. She swallowed hard as she tried to contain her natural revulsion at the gruesome sight. She'd seen many mutilated bodies but she never got use to it.
"In the name of the wise Lady Athena, let our Lord be restored." The Mistress said as her eyes closed.
A soft golden yellow light erupted from her owl and pulsed into his neck and it was like they could watch as that light seemingly flowed down the vein of his neck and into his chest. It raced around his heart before moving into his lungs and then flowed out and moved through his body. As that energy came to the stump of his arm they watched in amazement as they could see the exposed cells begin glowing and sparkling.
Tendrils of that golden energy stretched out and latched onto counterparts of the arm. The arm jerked a bit coming into proper alignment. It caused almost everyone watching to jump. They watched as the glowing tissues began replicating and growing out from the stump towards the arm along those tendrils of that energy. First the bone reattached and then the blood veins. The Mistress reached down with her other hand and cut the binding on the stump so blood could flow again. Next the muscles grew back together. Tiny blood vessels could be seen growing into the muscle tissue and then the skin covered back along the arm leaving it looking pink and healthy.
Toby shook his head even as he reached down and felt for a pulse in his wrist. Toby grinned.
"I've got a pulse! Strong sucker too, thank you wise Lady!" Toby said loudly.
"Thank you wise Lady." Paige bowed her head in gratitude.
"Are there anymore Necromancers in our Lord's lands?" Sir Cabe demanded as he turned on Sylvester again.
Sylvester shook his head.
"Well not as far as I know there isn't." Sylvester told him.
"Enough Sir Cabe, leave this matter for Walter." Paige told him as she laid her hand gently on his shoulder.
Lady Paige smiled as she lifted up her voice in song at Toby's declaration of Lord Walter's pulse. Her song sung praises to Athena and to the people she had brought into her life. She slowly stepped over to Walter's right side and sat down on the edge of the bed as Toby moved out of the way. Everyone began feeling uplifted by the song as the magic of her melody pierced deep inside of them. Those whose thoughts had been so down trodden found it renewed hope and purpose for them. Those who were sick or recovering from injuries and surgeries found their conditions improving.
Paige pulled Walter's arm up onto her lap as she settled into place. She held his hand in her left hand as she reached out with her right to stroke his cheek gently. Toby had tried to caution her about this blood and her clothes but she waved him off without breaking her song. She smiled loving at Walter as her song continued.
Louise smiled down at her daughter and her heart was so full for the love she had for her son. It had been a year since getting her son back in her life and she couldn't be happier. She'd always wanted more children but after they lost Walter she couldn't bare the thought and so her sex life with Sean had suffered when she worried she could get pregnant. Now she had two daughters and a son and soon to be another son as she looked at Sylvester. She grimaced at the looks of anger Sean continued to cast Sylvester's way.
"I just heard the news. My Lord, is he okay?" Lisa begged as she came running in.
Paige smiled even as she sang and looked at her and gestured as she nodded.
Lisa walked slowly down and stood beside the Lady Paige and watched.
"Is he going to be okay?" Lisa asked.
Toby nodded.
"We all did our part and the wise Lady has done hers. He should be up before long and back to giving orders tomorrow." Toby joked.
He grinned even as Happy's hand slapped the back of his head.
"Oh thank the wise Lady then. I promised your Mother I'd check and come right back my Lady. But is there anything you need me to do first?" Lisa asked.
Paige shook her head even as she took one of Lisa's hands and squeezed it as she continued to sing.
Happy stood watching as she worried if everything would work out for Lord Walter's recovery or not. She saw Lady Paige's hand reach out towards her and she slowly stepped over until she could take her hand in hers.
Paige tugged gently and Happy stepped closer and sat down on the left side of the bed. Paige smiled at her as she let go of her left hand and reached back up with her right hand to smooth Walter's hair.
Paige's song was having an impact on Walter as well as everyone else. His body responded to that melody and worked harder, and faster, as his cells bloomed in healing energies. Slowly it seemed Walter began to stir. First it was a curling of his lips into a smile as he enjoyed the voice and melody of the song. The words of praise moved sluggishly through his mind as he began to understand them. His eyes fluttered several times before he uttered a groan.
Greetings! Hope you all are doing well! Doing okay, not really been in the mood to talk or do much. You're reviews and thoughts are so appreciated! Chapter 12 is forming but far from ready to be shared. Hopefully by Saturday it will be done. There might be a 13th chapter, not sure I can wrap what is going to happen in 12 up. But in any case...as I always say...
To the Adventure! -Tim