Wizard Ch. 22

"You hold her leg, I'll pick her up," Helleen said.

"But--"

"If John says she's not dead, she's not dead," Helleen snapped at her sister. "I was up there feeling pain like I never felt. I'd been crushed by that dragon. Crushed, Rox! Then I felt this...this... heat from John. It burned me, starting in my chest and spreading through me. Hurt worse than being crushed did, but now I'm right as a two on two with spears and nets."

Roxanne looked at Helleen and slowly nodded. "All right."

John looked at Zynga while the two women worked to pick Artesia up. "Two on two with spears and nets?" he asked.

Zynga shrugged. "Sounds like a good time to me. Better than light bondage, even."

John ignored her and watched his woman-at-arms being carefully picked up by the twins.

They carried Artesia across the cavern and up the ramp. John let them to the place in the tunnel were Arika sat against the wall, her legs and hands still bound. She sobbed when she saw them.

"John! You did it! I felt it... I felt when my sire died. Still, I feared... when that girl ran I thought..."

"Dargoth is dead," John said. "We need to get Artesia help, wait here, I'll come back for you."

A shadow passed over Arika's face. She nodded and said, "As you wish, Master."

"John! We're coming!"

John turned and saw Jennaca and Sasha running back down the tunnel toward them. Sadie was jogging behind them, her skirts lifted above her knees so she could try to keep up.

"Put her down," John ordered.

Artesia was placed on the floor in the middle of the tunnel. Sadie was panting hard when she reached them but she didn't waste any time before inspecting Artesia's body. She barely put her hands on the woman before she looked up at John.

"I had to protect her," John explained. "Keep her alive until you could heal her."

Sadie glared at him. "This isn't life, this is a falsehood. A lie of life."

"Heal her and I remove it, I promise," John said.

"I can't!" Sadie snapped. "I can't heal the dead."

"She's not dead!"

"She's between life and death," Sadie said. "You have to let her go, John. Then I will try to save her."

"She's lost so much blood," Roxanne said.

"Let me try," Sadie said.

"Would you want her around like this?" Sadie asked.

John frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Don't you know?" Sadie asked. She turned to look at Zynga when John shook his head. "You didn't tell him?"

"He wouldn't want that," Zynga said.

"What wouldn't I want?"

"You could use your power to animate her body and bind her soul to it. Her body would be dead, but her soul still hers. She'd belong to you then. Forever."

"What? No! Never. That's necromancy!"

Sadie gestured at Artesia. "This is necromancy!"

John hesitated before nodding. "Yes... but it was necessary."

Sadie pressed her lips together and stared at him. "At what point does something more become necessary?"

John scowled. "Don't preach to me! I told her stay with you. She wasn't ready for the fight we fought. She wasn't strong enough. But she insisted. She came anyway. I had to do what I had to do to save her! Now you need to save her."

Sadie looked down at Artesia. She closed her eyes and mumbled something under her breath. John hoped it was a prayer. She looked up at him and nodded. "I will try, but only this once."

"What does that mean?"

"It means if you do something like this again, I won't save them. As it is, this will leave a mark on Artesia's soul. She's suffered enough in life, living under a shadow is not what she deserves."

John stiffened and the nodded. "All right, I'll release it."

"Fine, give me a few minutes. I'll know when you release her."

John's forehead creased. "I can do it right here, I don't need to leave."

"You do need to leave," Sadie said. "All of you do."

"We don't have time to argue over modesty," John snapped.

Sadie stood up and turned to face him. "If you want my help you will give this woman the honor and self-respect she deserves!"

John's eyes widened. "I do honor and--"

"Then leave! Find somewhere else to wait. You'll know, one way or the other, soon enough. Being here will only make it harder. Zynga should stay, I can use her help."

John's shoulders rose and fell with several breaths before he relented. "Jennaca, cut Arika free. Let's get back to the cavern and... well, wait."

Jennaca nodded and moved to free Arika. The blond brought her hands in front and rubbed them before she rose and smiled. "Thank you, Master. And you, Jennaca."

"You're not going to make me regret supporting you, are you?" Jennaca asked.

"I won't, I promise," Arika said. She looked at John. "So, is it time for the contract?"

John winced and saw Sadie looking at him through narrowed eyes. "Not yet. Soon... come on," he said and led her away.

Sadie shook her head and took her holy symbol in hand. Healing someone twice in a day was no simple task. Saving their life twice would take everything she had left and still require Eile's favor.

We're not done yet! But almost there. One more chapter - the epilogue. Stay tuned!