As Sir Grady and Minister Lloyd continued their discussion, Lidia surveyed the row of seven prone bodies in the lodge. Nearly everyone was asleep, with only a twitch here and there to show that they were still in the land of the living. Most of the bodies' visible injuries seemed minor; it seemed as though the healers had passed through once or twice already. Everything was as clean and quiet as could be managed, with the limited space and supplies they had.
Shamus, though, was still in bad shape. Nearly all of his right arm and torso was covered with clean bandages; not gauze but something finer, so that no fibers would get caught in his wounded skin. Spilling out from the edges of the bandages were blotches and blisters, all covered by a pungent yellow gel.
Lidia sat next to where he was laid out. Though his condition wasn't as bad as she'd feared from last night, the young knight was fast asleep, not even stirring when she approached. Likely, he'd received as much healing as he could take. Magic, especially that which healed the body, always had a cost.
She recalled when Jaheira had found Khalid's body. Gorion's Company had escaped the dungeons where Irenicus had held them, then went up to his laboratories. This was where the wizard kept his little bone knives, and the wide, dark-stained, heavily scored table for his operations and experiments.
Khalid had been laid out on this table, his body carved open as though for an autopsy. He'd been dead for at least a couple days, but Lidia had hoped against hope that he wasn't too far gone, perhaps, for the spark of life to be recalled to him. Imoen seemed to think the only obstacle was getting the money to pay for the diamonds and the priest.
But Jaheira had rejected the idea out of hand. She'd had to explain, in the midst of her mourning, that resurrecting Khalid would take a heavy price from the caster, aging them three years and exhausting them to the point of needing immediate bedrest.
Lidia looked over to the other side of Shamus's makeshift sickbed, where lay the corpse covered with the tarp. Even if Anomen or Aerie had advanced far enough in the service of their gods to return life to an intact body - a much simpler process that only took its price from the recipient - the spell required five thousand gold pieces for the needed diamonds, more than all of Imnesvale could put together. Regardless of whether the corpse's spirit could return, moral and financial barriers now consigned it to the afterlife, wherever it had found itself.
She said a prayer for the deceased, then turned her attention back to Shamus, hovering a hand over his side, where the worst burns seemed to be.
She focused within herself, thinking back to last night, to the flash that had passed through her and driven back the shadows. Earlier, on her way here,, she'd had the feeling that the brightness had left some of itself within her, remaining long after the spell had been worked, like a warm worry stone.
There was the dark well, and the river rushing through her, and now this. Some small thing she could put to good use, and she knew instinctively what that use would be today.
She murmured, "Praeses, alia, fero."
The effect was immediate. The skin on her own side, in the same place where she had focused the spell on Shamus, burned, radiating outwards to a spot the size of her hand and blistering on the edges.
As soon as the spell was done working, she sat back, waiting for her pain to pass. It did not. Gingerly, her fingertips moved towards the spot over her clothes. The wound sent another jolt of pain through her as soon as her hand made contact.
She'd been expecting a drain on her energy and maybe some physical sensation to accompany it. Instead, she had taken on part of his injury. Sometimes, magic came at a cost to the caster, but rarely was the cost this literal.
She had already turned her mind towards this spell's possible uses. In certain circumstances, it could be lifesaving. By providing a way to take on another's pain, it was certainly a sign of favor from Ilmater. But regardless, it would have to be used carefully.
She took a few moments to meditate on this, partly to focus her mind as she healed herself with her other magic. As the pain disappeared, she leaned back, evaluating Shamus's condition one more time.
The spell she'd used on him wasn't enough to heal him completely, not by a long shot. Still, though it might have been her imagination, he seemed to be breathing easier.
She was so focused on Shamus that she didn't notice Sir Grady approach, not until he was standing over both of them.
"He shall live," the older knight said, "due in no small part to you. But if he's to have any hope of making a full recovery, he will need better care than we can give. Our company will follow the main road east to Crimmor."
"You're leaving?" she asked, rising to her feet.
"Aye," he said. "Everyone else will be able to travel soon, and we cannot afford to lose any more time than necessary."
"What about the Sythilisians?" Lidia asked. "What if they attack Imnesvale again?"
"I believe they lost too much in the last attack to try again for a time - time that we must use wisely. Twice, now, you have proven your good faith to the Order. Thrice, perhaps, shall pay for all, for I find myself suing for your assistance once again."
As they talked, they went out towards the empty porch, so that they would not disturb the wounded further.
Sir Grady said, "Last night's attack took us unawares - in normal circumstances, Imnesvale is guarded by a ranger-protector and the hired might of Baron Metrich. They should have warned and shielded us, but neither were present. This cannot continue."
He gave her a meaningful pause, and she filled it, saying, "You need to bring Shamus to Crimmor, so I'll need to stay until the town's defenses are secured."
"That is the right of it, yes." He leaned against the porch railing, as though he were burdened. "I cannot speak to what could be behind the ranger-protector's disappearance; Minister Lloyd could possibly tell you more. As for the Baron, that is simple enough. He withheld his protection from Imnesvale, refusing to deploy his guards, for his complaint is that squatters on his land have attacked his people. As you can see, he has us in a difficult position, for his help is needed to secure Imnesvale as a strategic position. Still, he will allow the Order to mediate this dispute. Would you be willing to do so in my stead?"
Lidia said, "I'll do what I can, but I've never done anything like this before. Nor do I know much about Amnian law."
Sir Grady smiled. "You must truly be new to this country, then. Amnian law barely holds in Athkatla, let alone out here. I've learned little about the present situation, but it seems to be a matter of simple justice, not necessarily legality. Tyr knows, Amn could use more of the former and less of the latter. But if you're concerned…"
He produced a small, leather-bound book, titled Epitome: The Laws and Customs of Amn. "Read through this at least once and make your own copy," he said. "I expect it back once you have."
Lidia thanked him, and he said, "Do not worry overmuch about being the right one to do this deed. After all, half the battle against evil is in bringing the forces of good to the fray."