A Paladin's War Ch. 06

Elaina shook her head. "No. Something has happened with Aran, I fear, though I don't understand it." When Smythe asked her for more, she did her best to explain the strange dreams.

His hand tightened a little in the hollow of her waist, pulling her in closer. "Well, my love, whatever happened, I am glad to see you alright."

"As am I," Amina's voice said smoothly, making Elaina and Smythe sit up straight. The Priestess appeared before them a short moment later, standing by the fire as beautiful as ever. "Though the circumstances concern me somewhat."

"Priestess!" Elaina breathed in pleased surprise as she hurriedly vanished from Smythe's lap and reappeared in a respectful bow. Beside her, Smythe mirrored the action.

Smiling, Amina beckoned them to her with open arms and they both embraced her at once. "Are you well, my children?" She enquired when they stepped back.

To someone else, Amina calling them 'children' would have seemed strange, especially when all three arohim appeared the same age more or less, but Elaina never thought it so. To Amina, they were her children. Well, sort of. There were a few exceptions to that notion, especially in the arena of intimacy. Even now, Elaina was drinking in the sheer perfect beauty of the other woman, so lush and sleek and ripe. Smythe was doing the same. Amina's presence had that power.

"As well as can be," Smythe replied. "And you?"

"Well enough." An ornately carved chair appeared behind her, a large, square, silk-covered cushion on the wide seat. She sat and made herself comfortable, sliding one smooth leg over the other. "Despite recent events."

What she meant by that, Elaina wanted to ask. Making a few adjustments to the immediate area, she sat opposite the Priestess with the small fire in between them. Smythe took his own seat halfway between the women so they could all face one another. "Events?"

Amina told them of her recent time travelling across the plain. That was a surprise to hear; the Temple's occupants packing up and setting out like that, but Amina seemed determined to get Sara back. She also spoke of the nightmares plaguing Jeira and Sorla, Rayna and Bella, and of the darkspawn roaming the plain in widespread bands. Thankfully nothing like what Elaina had seen around Vesovar, but still concerning.

It was good to hear of yet another young arohim discovered, somehow already at his full potential without training. Elaina didn't need Amina's confirmation to know the cause of that could be laid at Sara's feet. Elaina looked forward to meeting this Mikel, he sounded like fun.

Smythe listened intently, leaning forward with his elbows propped on his knees and his chin on steepled fingers. His heavy brows drew down at first, then they lifted at the appearance of Mikel. "Another one? Well, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised any more, ey?"

"We should expect arohim to keep appearing, I think," Amina told them. She looked every inch a queen the way she was sitting back in her chair, her arms resting on the chair's arms elegantly. All she was missing was a crown, and maybe a gown, but her nudity did not diminish her presence even slightly. She wore her skin as any other woman wore her best, most prized dress.

"Ways will have to be found to train them efficiently," Smythe suggested. "Especially if Sara is running around doing what she has been."

"That matter," Amina began a little tersely, "Will be addressed in due course. Sara, I mean."

"She is to be punished?" Elaina asked.

"That will depend on the nature and the intention of her disappearance," Amina replied. "I suspect she believes the reasons to be worthy, but we shall see."

Elaina didn't think she would want to be around for that discussion. Poor Sara. Amina was as implacable as she was beautiful, and as formidable, too.

"Where do you think she went?" Smythe said as he leaned back in thought. "Where did you say this Mikel came from?"

"Sarresh," Amina replied smoothly. Her voice was as pleasant to the ears as always, her accent a strange lilt unlike anything Elaina had heard before. "And he says she fled when he did, though he knows not where."

"Could be anywhere, then," Smythe mused as he drummed his fingers on his thigh. "She may have crossed the Heartlake, and if she did, she might be looking for Aran. You did say something was going on with his meldin." His gaze moved from Amina to Elaina. "Did you feel anything lately?"

Elaina drew a deep breath. She knew this would come, and she did not want to hold anything back from them. "Recently, I fell into a deep sleep and was overtaken by wild dreams. Visions, maybe." Memories flooded her mind, making her pause for a moment. They were still strong, though less intense than they were. "I don't remember them all, but many of them were painful."

"Visions of what?" Amina demanded, her sapphire gaze fixed on Elaina as if her eyes alone could draw out the answer. Elaina was not sure they couldn't.

"Some were of my life," she replied. "Moments from my past, and some that could only be my future. The past ones were different, though, as if I was living through alternatives to what really happened. The others were of Aran, and those were..." She stopped as the memories overwhelmed her, too painful.

"Take your time, child," Amina said gently, leaning forward. There was compassion on her face, as if she knew something of what Elaina was going through.

Composing herself as best she could, she described the visions of Aran as clearly as she could remember. Of him fighting in battles, sometimes winning and sometimes losing, to his own death. Of him fighting his way to his meldin one by one, causing himself great pain but doing it anyway. Of how he found her a captive of Maloth and released her from his bondage. That one made her shudder; the feeling of being a mindless puppet was still too near.

Smythe was suddenly sitting next to her, his big arm around her shoulders as she finished. Then Amina was kneeling before her, hands reaching up to cup her face. "You were tested," she said softly, lifting up to kiss Elaina's forehead tenderly. "And you passed." She kissed her mouth, then, and Elaina felt the pain draining from her like water. It didn't disappear completely; a seed remained that she suspected she would carry for some time, but she felt remarkably better.

"Thank you," she said as she pulled them both close. "It feels good to have you know."

"We will discover the true cause of all this when Aran surfaces," Amina said confidently. "Until then, we will carry on as we have."

They all stayed close together after that. The chairs were changed to a lush carpet which they sat upon as the meeting continued.

"I do have some good news," Elaina offered as they sipped on wine that Smythe had thoughtfully produced. "I have found another arohim, too."

Sitting cross-legged beside her and puffing on a long-stemmed pipe, Smythe chuckled. "Of course, you did. They'll start dropping out of trees, next."

"Tell me more," Amina prompted. She was on Elaina's other side, leaning back on one hand and her long legs out straight, crossed at the ankle.

Elaina caught them up on Edda. They looked sad as she told them of the poor girl's family. Telling of Edda of course led to Amina learning about Noah, for which she was jubilant for Elaina. Overall, they were both happy Edda was alright and had begun training.

"Our small army grows," Smythe murmured as if to himself. He was staring at something far away as he puffed on his pipe. Amina seemed suitably pleased at the news, but she, too, seemed to be thinking deeply about something.

"We have what we have," she whispered softly. "It must do."

Elaina watched the other woman silently, not saying anything. The pause stretched on with only the gentle crackle of the fire nearby disturbing the quiet.

"Our time is not as long as I would like," the Priestess said at last. "Before I go, is there anything else I should know? It has been some time since our last meeting."

Elaina met eyes with Henley, who removed his pipe from between his teeth and gestured to Elaina with the stem.

Nodding, she looked to Amina. "There is some more, Priestess." At that, she set about trying to remember anything important that had transpired since their last meeting in amathani.

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END OF CHAPTER SIX

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