Trigger warning: Expect a tonal shift to blood and gore in this chapter and I mean more than usual. It's time to cash in on the Halloween aesthetic of this place.

Chapter 16: More Dark Conspiracies

My eyes roved over the inside of the tent.

No ominous shadows.

There was nothing on the floor but a couple of empty food trays, a few baskets, and some disregarded clothes. The bed was occupied by two Selish men in deep communion with the goddess. Like in all the other tents I'd visited so far, neither had taken her form, but the Selish chanting seemed reverent.

I nodded and carefully closed the tent flap. Then I moved on to the next, and the next, and the next.

I'd already checked a fair portion of the tents on this side of the temple. Everyone I'd seen was having a fruitful festival night and no one had noticed me. If I was lucky then—

"HP."

My eyes jerked up to the bed of this latest tent and I saw a pair of periwinkle eyes staring back at me

"I'm sorry," the pale-eyed man said from his bed, "but Beadie gave you the wrong idea. I'm really not interested."

I frowned at his words. Did we know each other?

I examined his features for a hint. The man had a thin mustache and a strong chin. Both wobbled as he spoke. "—not…interested in…anyone," he was saying. "All I want to do is fight Keen and build bombs, so…" His eyes darted between me and the tent flap.

I didn't move. I had just noticed the suit of armor by the bed and the truth hit me in the chest.

RAT!?

"It's not that shocking," he huffed. Even his voice sounded different than usual. It was deeper and less tinny.

This was perfect!

I started forward.

"HP!" Rat yelped as I pulled his bed covers back. He curled up like a boulder bug. "Please don't touch me!"

I stopped.

Rat was scared.

Of what?

I surveyed the tent again, double-checking things. I couldn't find anything worth being scared over in here. Everything seemed organized and in its place.

Had Rat seen something I'd missed?

I tried to remember what he had been saying.

He wasn't interested? In anyone…

Oh.

OH!

I took a step back and for good measure, I grabbed Rat's armor and held it out to him.

Nothing happened.

I peered around the armor. Rat was still curled up tight and shivering.

I shook the armor. It made a familiar rattling sound.

Rat's head peeped out of his cocoon. He looked between me and the armor.

I placed the armor down on the bed and then, slowly backed out of the tent. After waiting a moment and hearing nothing, I went back to my rounds, feeling horrible.

I would have to apologize to Rat later and give Beadie a hard shake!

She happened to be in the next tent and was far too busy to notice my head peeping in to confirm nothing was lurking in the shadows which was good. Even if I was angry with Beadie now, I didn't want anyone to get the surprise I'd gotten earlier tonight.

Less than an hour ago…

I had been staring at my partner trying not to blame her for how this night was going.

Two minutes.

It had lasted two minutes.

I hadn't even finished undressing.

One touch and she was done.

I'd been so surprised by her scream that I thought I'd hurt her somehow, but no, she was fine, better than fine.

She was in pure bliss.

I was not.

I stifled a sigh. I hadn't been much better my first time. Seeing my partner take on the form of the goddess had been overwhelming, so what was supposed to be an hours-long sacred ritual had lasted less than 10 minutes.

My partner back then had mocked me for it. I wouldn't mock mine now.

I released the goddess's form, slid into bed, and made myself available for cuddling. Cuddling was one of the few good things that…

I closed my eyes. I couldn't dwell on sad stuff in my past any more than I could let myself dwell on sad stuff in my present.

My current partner had wrapped herself around me tight and cozy.

That was a pretty nice sensation to concentrate on. Now I just needed to find a memory, a happy one, to get me through the rest of the night.

I searched my mind for something that would brighten up this dis…I mean this unusual festival night. I'd been thinking a lot about the first Dark Moon festival I hosted as a priestess, but that night hadn't ended the best. Maybe I should think about the time Selemene—

Ah!

My eyes popped open. My partner's nails and teeth were digging into me and I started to smile.

This I could work with!

I didn't mind playing rough.

I turned to my partner to begin our unexpected second phase.

Then I stopped smiling and reached for my knife.

My partner was gone.

In her place was a Keen.

A dead Keen now.

I pulled my prayer knife out of the creep's back and shoved the body off the bed mat. It rolled onto the floor and came to a stop a meter away, back-wound up.

I could still feel the sensation of its claws and teeth trying to suck out my essence. This was so much worse than going hunting in a Keen cave. Keen were supposed to be in their caves. They were not supposed to be on temple grounds, in my bed, snuggling up to me like an adoring lover on a festival night no less.

It was beyond wrong.

It was supposed to be impossible. That's why the temple was all the way up here.

So, how had the Keen gotten up into the tent? What had they done to my partner? Had the Keen gotten her first when I wasn't looking? Maybe her scream before had been caused by the Keen and not me. Maybe I had been too busy pouting to notice my partner's last moments. Maybe I had once again failed to…

No.

I shook my head sharply.

I could mope later. I had to focus. I inspected the tent.

There were no places to hide and no signs of my partner or more Keen.

It was just me and the dead one whose back was oozing pale green blood.

Good.

If my partner wasn't here, then she must have escaped.

She was alive.

Somewhere.

I got up and stuck my head out of the tent. Looking left and right, I didn't spot anything out of the ordinary outside. The night was crisp and full of the sounds of people having communion. It looked like my partner had not raised the alarm which made sense. It was sacrilege to interrupt people during their communion on festival night.

But that still didn't fix the problem of a Keen somehow flying all the way up to the temple.

What if there were more creeping about?

I knew what I had to do. As High Priestess, I had a duty to everyone here, so I sent a prayer to the goddess for my partner's safety and began my Keen hunt.

Now, I had a choice to make.

I was outside of Davion's tent. The deacon had made a lot of upgrades since I last visited. He'd changed out most of Davion's nurses and blankets for warmer ones as I requested. He'd also showed me the updated food plan, allowed me to send Davion a portion of my meal and the occasional small gift, and finally, to quicken Davion's healing process, he had added more layers to Davion's tent, making it fully sealable from the inside.

It was closed now. The only things I could detect from out here were the faint hints of Davion's smoked mutton scent and the sound of someone snoring.

It seemed like everything was fine and I hadn't discovered another Keen on my hunt yet, but what if I was wrong? What if one was in there biding its time? What if there were more?

Davion was too weak to fight and I doubted his nurses were experienced in combat. The ones I'd met lacked the calluses, scars, muscles, and eyes that I'd expect of a seasoned warrior.

Still, did I really want to risk delaying Davion's healing process again just to check on him?

The deacon's disapproving face came back to me along with Davion looking alone in a bed full of people, my lost partner looking loved in her bed, the dead Keen still in her tent, Murdoch's almost death, Davion pounding his bed mat, Wei's last night, Rat hiding from me, my parents' faces full of fear, Mirana's pale petals, the lotuses, the lotuses, the…

No!

I smacked the tent!

I couldn't think about any of that right now. I couldn't dwell on sad stuff. I couldn't break down. I couldn't lose my focus on all the good in my life. I couldn't make the wrong choice again. Not again. I couldn't. I—

"Is someone out there?" a muffled female voice called out, interrupting my latest attack. My hand hovered, still poised to hit the tent again as the speaker entreated, "Please! Help! I can't get the ties open!"

My Goddess

You are peace

You are salvation

My gratitude is yours

Alright.

I was lost and now I was found.

Mother Goddess of all the stars

Thank you for adding kindling to my dimming flame

I could do this. I could solve this problem.

I lowered my hand, wiped my eyes, and got out my knife again. I used it to pierce through the tent's multiple layers of Keen leather and began to cut downward. My nose scrunched as the hole got bigger and started to emit an eye-watering stench worse than roasted tree bear mixed with rotten mutton. I put a sleeve up to cover my poor nose and kept cutting.

Soon, the newly made flaps made a wet sound and folded outward. What I saw inside the tent was…

Not good.

The nurse, who must have cried out before, waded over to me. I helped pull her through the exit I'd made.

Her hands were missing fingers.

The nurse was well enough to run though. Once she was out, she sprinted away from the tent like her life depended on it.

Good for her.

I kept working to make a hole big enough for myself.

My hands were clumsier than before.

The cut I was making was rushed, jagged, and messy.

It didn't matter. It was the right size.

I squeezed through the opening and stepped into the maroon blood bath. The stuff was knee-deep with bits of flesh and entrails floating around like a monster stew.

I squelched my way through the balmy mud-thick liquid toward Davion, ignoring the feeling of something gooey sliding off the left side of my head. The less I looked at the stuff dripping from the walls and ceiling, the better.

Davion's head was thankfully undisturbed and fully above the surface. He was snoring loudly and peacefully through all of this somehow.

I bundled the unconscious man up in my arms and turned around.

Something pawed at me.

I jerked my head and saw a moaning creature with long hair, crazed eyes, and a too-wide jaw.

It was the small-mouthed nurse I'd met earlier.

Bonnie.

I put Davion down into a sitting position and quickly moved Bonnie outside of the tent. Then I made myself climb back in and search for more survivors.

I saw no one else but Davion. I picked him up again and went to the exit, only to realize I'd been too hasty.

The hole was too small for him.

Cursing myself, I set Davion down for a second time and tried to cut an even larger exit with my even shakier hands.

It wasn't working.

I wasn't thinking or cutting straight enough.

"Move aside, girl!" That was Murdoch's angry voice. I did not have time to wonder at where he had come from before one of his giant axes sliced into the tent. Blood gushed out from his new, larger entrance.

I didn't waste time. I grabbed Davion and slipped past Murdoch, getting us out of there.

To stop myself from looking back, I peered down at Davion who was still sleeping soundly. At least, he was safe. Before I could stop myself, I thanked Selemene for sparing him from whatever had ravaged the others.

Murdoch soon joined me outside with another survivor cradled in one arm. Like Bonnie and the other nurse, she was missing fingers and teeth. Unlike them, this nurse's middle was like an oversized blister, swollen and lumpy with angry-looking red skin.

"Thou will take the burden of thy companion. I shall handle the nurses," Murdoch said, scooping Bonnie up in his other arm. "Hurry. Time is against us. We must act whilst we can."

I nodded, taking Davion into my arms. On this strange twisted night, Murdoch and I were in total agreement.

A/N:

So things got a bit...dark and macabre this chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it. I know I enjoyed writing it, but if it wasn't you're cup of unnamed balmy liquid, then don't worry. Next chapter, we are set to finish this arc and leave Turkstarkuri and its charms behind. Before we get there, I have to ask:

What do you think? How did the Keen get onto the floating temple grounds at night? And what exactly happened to cause the mess in Davion's tent? And what other dark conspiracies have you detected during this arc?

I hope to hear your answers in the reviews, meaning I'm hoping for lots of reviews this time. ;)

Besides that I have one other thing to say:

This month was HP Marci's two-year anniversary!

Thank you all for your continued support!

See you next chapter!