Consciousness did not return to Kylie all at once. The first thing she became aware of was that she felt queasy. Next, she could tell she was moving. Then she knew it was dark. Where she was and why she was there escaped her at the moment. Something underneath her right side was making her bounce up and down. She wanted that to stop. Her tum felt bad.
It took her a moment to realize that it was dark simply because she hadn’t opened her eyes. As the world began to come into focus, memories of the moments prior came flooding back. Trying not to move her head, she looked around. Though she hadn’t spent much time inside the sanctuary in Crescentia, the interior of the buildings looked similar enough that Kylie was able to instantly recognize where she was. She looked up and down the rows of hundreds of candles in hundreds of little glass containers. She was elevated well above the ground. The candles seemed to bounce up and down with her head as she moved forward.
A blue-masked cleric was carrying Kylie over their shoulders, draping the length of her body over their wide shoulders. They stopped walking. Their partner, wearing an orange mask and walking on the other side from Kylie’s head, asked, “What’s up?”
“I think I felt her move. She might already be waking up.”
“That’s impossible, she should be knocked out for at least a couple hours.”
“I’m not saying it’s likely.” They bounced Kylie again as their shoulders relaxed. Her eyes squeezed shut as she felt her stomach quiver. The cleric continued, “Maybe her curse makes her resistant, I don’t know. Can you come around this side to check?”
“Why do I have to?”
“Really? ‘Cause I’m the one doing all the work carrying her, jackass.” The cleric shifted her slightly so they could use their right hand to point at their left arm, where Kylie’s arm was also dangling. “Her claws already cut me the first time I got her up here. I’m not putting her down and picking her up again.”
Kylie let her eyes close and her head relax. Maybe she could play dead until she had a chance for an easy escape.
That plan hit a snag almost immediately when the other cleric walked around and began poking her in the face. She resisted the frankly unnecessary number of jabs in the cheek. Her eyes managed to relax at least enough to fool the cleric as they pried them open. The snarl rising in her throat stayed contained.
“She looks pretty knocked out to me.” The cleric took a step away, then flicked her ear.
It twitched.
Then twitched again.
Kylie shot upright and lunged for the cleric, fangs first.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I didn’t just do that.
The Grand Cleric lay face-down on the bed. His fingers had pulled little ruffles in the sheets, as if he had tried to claw his way toward consciousness. But, so far, he hadn’t moved a muscle since Naomi’s spell dropped him.
This act was inexcusable. Unforgivable. Exilable for certain. Her breath quickened. There was no way to salvage this.
No. No. It wasn’t her. It was a delayed curse, like Fletcher had feared. Placed on her by Kylie, or the Wolf Mother, or the witch or someone else. That’s what she’d say. They’d done it or made her do it and then kidnapped her again or - or whatever. She’d sort out the details with Kylie later. There wasn’t time for this. She hadn’t hit him with much; the Grand Cleric would wake soon. Find information now. Come up with the story later.
She nearly tripped over Fletcher's foot as she scrambled to the bookcase. The bindings on these tomes were worn and peeling, and most had nothing written along the spine. Naomi had watched Arket find information on the Absentia in a book with a light tan binding, but there was no telling if that color was used for all copies. If there even were more copies. Still, it was a place to start.
Naomi grabbed a tan book off the top shelf and opened it to the first page. It greeted her with the overwhelming smell of dust and the unwieldy title, On the Efficacy of Water Versus Light as an Elemental Catalyst in Spellcrafting for the Therapeutic Treatment of Chronic Illness and Pain. Naomi had only a moment to wonder why such an innocuous-sounding work was here instead of in the main library before she dismissed it as irrelevant and placed it back on the shelf. The next book, Crafting an Effective Counter-Curse, also wasn’t quite what she was looking for, but at least she could understand why this was here. Counter-Cursing, the practice of using dark magic to override the effects of less powerful dark magic, was a bit archaic and had definite potential for danger. Curses were also very different from summonings in construction, so she doubted this book would have any useful information. Still, she set it on the table beside the bookshelf, in case this was the best she found.
The next book she grabbed made her stop. A Memoir from My Journey as Lightbringer. She recognized the author - Grand Cleric Vris, the previous Lightbringer and Jefliet’s predecessor as Grand Cleric of the Order of Laryth. A book like this existed? As the current Lightbringer, it should have been essential reading. She flipped to the first page but immediately slammed it shut. She hadn’t come here to study past Lightbringers, she’d come here to learn about the Absentia. That’s where she needed to focus. She set this book on top of the counter-curse one. She’d come back to it later.
There weren’t any other light tan books on the shelf, so she began pulling books randomly. Nothing seemed worthwhile. When she pulled On the Efficacy of Water for the second time, she threw it on the floor in frustration. The next few books she pulled were thrown next to it. Whatever. The mess would become part of the story she’d tell later. After she found something useful.
She opened yet another book - The Summoner’s Encyclopedia. Finally, she was getting somewhere, at least if Arket was to be believed. Naomi turned to the index. There, plainly written, was effectively a list of all known extra-planar beings. Her eyes scanned quickly through the list of demons (helpfully subdivided by how likely they were to uphold a bargain), but found no mention of Absentia. Neither were they listed as dream-planars or outer fae. She didn’t even find them under Elementals, though she was sure Arket had called them such. How had the witch that pursued them summoned a beast that no one - except seemingly her order - had ever heard of? The only answer she could come up with made her jaw clench.
Naomi reached the end of the index, a section called “Extra-planars of Unknown Origin.” No mention of Absentia there either. But one entry gave her a glint of hope. It was named after the image that haunted her every time she closed her eyes. She turned to the page titled The Red-Eyed Omen and grinned. She’d found it.
The entry read:
The Red-Eyed Omen, more formally known as an Absentia, is a large, quadrupedal extra-planar beast. It is semi-fluid in form, though unlike most semi-fluids exhibits no shapeshifting capabilities. It is deep black, except for its infamous red eyes, which while not uncommon in either the native plane or outer planes, are often the only aspect of the creature visible at night. Current estimates have Absentia averaging seven meters in height while standing and nine meters in length.
Summoning methods are completely unknown. It is only recently that Absentia have been officially classified as an extra-planar, after researchers were able to perform a successful banishment on one. However, the same banished Absentia was later confirmed to be found in the wild (though hundreds of miles from its point of banishment), suggesting that whatever gateway exists between their plane and ours is still open. Though not confirmed, it is widely assumed that destruction of an Absentia, like destruction or “death” of most other known extra-planars, effectively acts as banishment, returning the creature, damage-free, to their plane of origin. There are no known details about the Absentia’s home plane. However, as Absentia exhibit many qualities of elementals, current speculation presumes it is a plane of absolute darkness, much as the fire elemental plane is simply fire.
Absentia appear to have no need for sleep, but are typically seen at night. While typically non-aggressive, unless provoked, there are historical accounts of Absentia causing major damage to cities and settlements. These instances are considered highly unusual; while an Absentia may linger around a settlement, it’s rare for one to journey within a town’s borders. Rumors that the presence of Absentia have strange effects on the behavior of nocturnal wildlife are persistent, but as of yet empirically unsubstantiated.
Despite seeming to be darkness elementals, Absentia are known to be attracted to displays of light-catalytic magic. This fact can be extrapolated to explain much of their behavior; for instance, the common name of “Red-Eyed Omen” derives from the beast’s tendency to approach hospitals, sanctuaries, and other places of healing. No empirical evidence suggests there’s any truth to the myth that the presence of a Red-Eyed Omen foretells an impending death. However the correlation is not unfounded, as situations in which large amounts of healing magic is used, such as aid after a natural disaster, are more likely to beckon an Absentia.
Absentia sightings are very rare, and nearly all reports of Absentia-related injuries and structural damage come from villages located between the cities of Laryth and Crescentia. This is rather unsurprising, as both cities are centers for the development and study of light-catalytic magic. Curiously, Absentia sightings in the region, particularly of the kind involving aggression, increase dramatically for a single autumn or early winter every century. No cause for this increase has been found, though many theorize it may be connected to the gradual darkening of the Crescentian sky, which occurs with near-identical frequency.
At time of writing, proposals to congregate light to lure Absentia for further observation have been denied, citing the Absentia’s sometimes volatile behavior as well as speculation into potential environmental damage that light congregation could bring. Until more is known about these creatures, the general recommendation is to avoid them and to avoid using light-catalytic magic when one is nearby.
Naomi put the book down. The Red-Eyed Omen. The Absentia was known to others, apparently. Why not to her? Why not before all this?
Unsummonable. There’d never been a witch coming for her. Her pursuers were already loose in the world. The Order knew. She closed and opened her hand, the physical action fighting to keep her focused. They had to know. The monsters attack the road the Lightbringer takes every century, every ritual. The beast chases light, she carried light. They knew she’d be in danger.
She clenched her jaw to contain the rising pressure of a scream in the back of her throat. She’d have shouted loud enough to knock this building over if she wasn’t worried someone would hear her. As it was, she placed the book - the only honest thing she’d ever met inside her Order - neatly back on the shelf. But she wasn’t done.
Naomi picked up the previous Lightbringer’s memoir. There had to be some truth in it. She couldn’t stand any more lies.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kylie’s snarl had the intended effect of making the orange-masked cleric scream and jump back away from her. It also had the unintended effect of making that same cleric bump into the shelf lining the wall behind them, sending a few candles towards the ground. One of the glass containers shattered, sending shards of broken glass across the floor. The blue-masked cleric threw their shoulders back, throwing Kylie to the ground tail-first. She winced as she felt the shard-covered ground knick her left elbow.
Orange-mask, out of some mix of fear and frustration, kicked at Kylie’s head. But Kylie rolled to the right, the kick landing on Kylie’s left shoulder. Her sore arm reached for the cleric’s foot, but only grabbed the sole of their sandal. Still, she pulled back, hoping to throw them to the ground but only succeeding in yanking the shoe off. She threw the sandal far down the hall.
They stepped toward Kylie to kick again, only to cry out when their bare foot grazed the broken glass. They hobbled away from Kylie just as the wolf girl got to her hands and knees. She took some deep breaths as her still-blurry vision settled.
By now Blue-mask had turned around and assessed the situation. An aura of light radiated around their hand. They reached out to grab Kylie by the forehead. But now, with no one pinning her down, Kylie grabbed the cleric’s wrist and stopped the hand before it reached her.
“Wait, please, just let me explain,” Kylie groaned. This cleric was stronger than her. It was taking all she had to hold their hand back. She had no intent to tell them anything about Naomi, but if they just let her go for a second maybe she could come up with another convincing lie. But she saw Blue-mask’s free hand curl up into a fist. Their arm reeled back.
Kylie shot her head forward and bit down hard on Blue-mask’s thumb. The magic vanished. They shouted and fell to their knees, covering their injured hand with their other arm. Kylie sprang to her feet and began to run.
Only for Orange-mask to grab her by the tail. That wouldn’t stand. Kylie turned around and snarled. She slashed her claws towards the cleric’s mask, deliberately falling only a few inches short. Orange-mask got the message. They let go.
Her own momentum caused her to stumble forward into the shelf of candles on the opposite wall. Another glass container fell to the ground and shattered. She liked the way that sounded.
Kylie picked up another candle from the shelf and smashed it against the ground. Then she scooped up as many as she could carry in her arms and ran in a line across the hall, shattering each one on the floor. She grabbed more from the other wall and threw them down as she backed away, until her arms emptied again. Smoke from the dying wicks formed a soft haze in the hall. When she was done, she crouched, growled, and spread her claws. A field of broken glass lay between her and her captors. It wouldn’t be difficult to pass this barrier of razors, but it would take time, and then they’d have to deal with an equally razor-sharp and very pissed-off wolf. Kylie waited.
Blue-mask stepped back, clutching their hand, unsure what to do.
Orange-mask wasn’t going to try to wade through the glass with one bare foot, but they also weren’t ready to give up. They screamed in frustration, grabbed a candle off the wall, and hurled it at Kylie with all their strength, which unfortunately wasn’t much. Kylie easily snatched it out of the air and threw it back twice as hard. It beaned Orange-mask in the head without breaking, sending the cleric stumbling to the floor. Blue-mask ran over to help their friend.
“Come on, come on. Let’s go get the others,” Blue-mask muttered, half-helping and half-dragging the other cleric back towards the entrance.
Somehow in that mess, Kylie now realized as she watched them leave, she’d wound up on the opposite side of the hall from the entrance. She rolled back her aching shoulder. There had to be another exit to this place. She turned and ran down the hallway towards the large double doors at the end.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To My Successors as Lightbringer:
Firstly, as the current Grand Cleric of the Order of Rejuvenance of Laryth, I would like to extend my gratitude to you for your devoted effort to the Order and your completion of our most important rite. Second, as a woman who was once the girl whose ordeals now match your own, my humblest apologies.
Before I continue, know that I write this as selfishly as I have written the entirety of my memoir. I somewhat doubt this letter will make it into the final publication for the Order’s archives, as it may veer too deeply into the personal and lack the informational quality of a proper resource. It will doubtless be kept in the Grand Cleric’s library. In effect, if this is ever read, it will only be after it is far too late. This a knowing disservice to you, one among many, but I have already extended an apology once and I feel that should suffice.
That said, I must write to you, if only for my own catharsis. After all, who else but you will share in my experience? No doubt it hunted you, that Absentia, that beast that chases the Light. No doubt you’ve seen it since. That movement in the nighttime, that glint in the corner of your eye that could be it, the Red-Eyed Omen, ready to strike again. It has been forty years since my journey as Lightbringer, and each day since I have worried that today will be that day that the ward around Layrth will fail, and the chase will resume. After all, it still waits. Or is that a fear for you? Is the daughter of this generation braver than I? If that stands, then I see no reason you should continue reading, for the rest of my musings on this matter will merely waste your precious time.
Ah, but you have continued reading. Then let us share in our mutual cowardice as we have shared in our devotion and in our crimes.
I hope that this letter is not the resource that reveals your own complictiness in your torment, if only because such a rambling note does so ineffectively. How does it feel to you, to know that our own Ritual of Rejuvenance is what pulls the Absentia to our plane? It hurt me, though that pain has dulled. Our Order, myself included, takes pride in the superior effectiveness of our healing. The concentration of Crescentia’s light, and our act of larceny that carries it to Laryth, is ultimately a source of treatment. Therefore it is like a treatment itself, which, as all medicine, has borne side effects. It is unfortunate that one must bear the brunt of that process, but I ask, who better to carry the weight of the Light than the thief?
You see now the meaning of “catharsis.” I am asking far more questions than I provide answers in turn; which I believe to be in poor taste for a resource such as this to do. Then allow me to at least provide the justification I have derived. It is up to you to judge whether it is sufficient, or merely a pitiful excuse.
There are the practical reasons for the existence of the Lightbringer as a position. Obviously, the fewer who know of our crime committed against Crescentia and the Absentia, the better. And the top student has the perfect mix of characteristics for the journey: she is intelligent, equipped, devoted, and, tragically but frankly, unnecessary for the continuation and healing practices of the Order should the worst occur. Yet none of these are why I feel that the practice should continue, nor ultimately why I have condemned you to the same fate as I. Reader, Lightbringer, Successor, Grand Cleric, child, healer - we have hurt you. And now you must heal.
That is what I believe the title of Lightbringer is for. What use are books and teaching compared to experience, what use is career practice compared to the life-or-death of the outside world? Heal yourself, so you can know truly how to heal others. And to know healing, one must first know injury. It is a knowledge you will find elevates your understanding far above many of your peers. I have come to thank the Order for that gift.
Praise and longevity to the Order of Rejuvenance.
- Grand Cleric Fir Vris
Naomi shook. She set the book down on the table, not knowing what else there was to do. Where did she even begin to process what she’d just read? Her breath was rapid. It took all she had to control it.
There was noise in the hallway. Naomi didn’t know what that meant. She didn’t know if she should care. Something was coming towards her, but she didn’t move. There wasn’t a point.
Kylie burst through the doors and slammed them behind her.
Naomi turned to the door, expecting the clerics to come and take her to whatever fate awaited the failed child of a cruel Order. Instead her eyes locked with her friend’s.
“Hey,” Kylie whispered through her heavy breaths. The energy coursing through Kylie’s body told her to grab Naomi and run. But Naomi wasn’t moving. Kylie didn’t know why.
Naomi quietly replied, “Hi.”
The two kids stared at each other, their deep breaths in sync. The mutual relief of finding each other felt buried under the weight of the unasked question of what now?
Kylie was the first to break eye contact, her still-activated survival instinct urging her to look around the room. She spotted the unconscious man half-draped over the bed and pointed at him. “Who’s that?”
“The Grand Cleric,” Naomi replied, staring at Kylie’s arm. She saw the tear in her coat and the line of blood running down Kylie’s arm from the elbow. Naomi stepped forward and grabbed Kylie’s wrist. “Kylie, you’re hurt.”
“Uh, yeah.” Kylie had already forgotten about the cut. She wasn’t sure what to make of this scene. What happened here? Where had Naomi’s urgency gone? “It’s just a little scratch though. We can worry about it later.”
Naomi didn’t let go. Instead, she moved forward, causing Kylie to step back until she was pressed against the door. “I can take care of it.”
“We need a plan-”
“Please,” Naomi interrupted. Kylie now saw that she was nearly in tears. “I need to do some healing.”
Kylie wanted to argue, but it was clear that she shouldn’t. She looked again to the unconscious Grand Cleric, past the stacks of books strewn across the ground, then to Naomi. She nodded. Naomi began chanting and healing wisps of light enveloped her hand. She reached through the tear in Kylie’s coat and placed her hand over the small cut.
The now familiar warmth radiated through Kylie from her arm, but her body refused to relax. “Did you find what you were looking for?”
Naomi didn’t reply. Kylie had to fight the urge to wrap her in a hug.
“Are you doing okay?”
Naomi didn’t stop chanting. She only shook her head no.
“Can I give you a hug?”
The hand on Kylie’s arm shook. Naomi held up her index finger to tell Kylie to wait.
They stayed there for a moment while the scratch on Kylie’s arm healed over. After a minute the light faded from around Naomi’s hand, and her chanting ceased.
Before Kylie could reach in for that hug, her ear twitched. There was a noise in the hallway. She felt her heartbeat accelerate. Someone would be coming soon. As much as she needed to comfort Naomi, they still had to move. She breathed slowly, and spoke carefully. “It sounds like something you’ve found has really gotten to you, and I want to hear what it is and figure out how best I can help. But the longer we stay here, the more danger we’re in. Can you tell me all about it once we’re out of here?”
Naomi stood still, looking desperately as if she wanted to say no. But, as much as she needed to talk now, Kylie was right. She felt more endangered now than she’d ever felt inside sanctuary walls before. But her feet refused to carry her yet. “Can I have that hug first?”
Kylie instantly wrapped her arms around Naomi.
Naomi started to cry, and it was there that the haze of emotion condensed into thoughts. The betrayal almost didn’t hurt. They’d always been awful to her, more awful than she’d be able to recognize. What hurt was the sheer exhaustion, the weight of once again having to find a new goal, and discover the steps to take towards it. She was so drained.
The collar of Kylie’s coat grew wet from Noami’s tears. She hugged tighter. If there was anything else she could do, Kylie didn’t know what it was. They stayed like that for longer than they knew they should have. Naomi leaned back to start to get up and run.
But Kylie couldn’t move.
At all.
Naomi felt something was wrong. Kylie’s grip wouldn’t loosen. She thrust backwards but Kylie moved with her. Finally, she escaped by raising her shoulders and ducking low. But Kylie’s pose stayed the same, her arms still circled as though the cleric was inside them.
Kylie fought to move her own arms, to say something, to scream, to even look around and see what was happening.
Then Naomi heard it. The chanting - almost a whisper. She turned beside her, and saw the Grand Cleric rising to his feet, his arm extended towards the wolf girl and glowing.
“So,” Fletcher spoke despite continuing the spell, his voice venomous, “what exactly is your relationship with this cursed being?”
As he rose to his full height, a full head taller than Naomi, it was clear that the effects of the anesthesia weren’t quite gone. His hand was shaky, his legs looked weak, and his neck struggled to support the weight of his head. Yet none of this made the man look any less intimidating to Naomi. He was here, now, asking the question she most dreaded that he would ask.
Naomi’s throat tightened to hold back the quaking in her stomach. Her hands began to open and close rhythmically, only to clench tight. Her mind reached desperately for a story she could tell, but there was none. Nothing would help her escape this. She forced herself to look up into his red mask.
“She’s my friend.”
“You befriended some witch’s heir?” Fletcher stepped closer.
“She’s not a witch’s heir, or thrall or anything like that. She’s just a girl who’s been travelling with me. She’s been with me ever since she helped me escape the monster. Please don’t hurt her.” Noami spread her arms wide, attempting to shield Kylie from the cleric.
Fletcher cocked his head to the side. “She’s cursed.”
“I know, but please-”
“You were supposed to fix that.”
Tears welled in Naomi's eyes, but hid them beneath a scowl , “And you were supposed to heal people, not summon dangerous monsters and send the children you raised out to die!”
Kylie’s arms tensed, pushing against the Grand Cleric’s spell. In the unfocused back of her frozen vision, she could see the red-masked man. She didn’t know the details of what had happened, but knew enough. He’d hurt Naomi. How dare he.
“What exactly do you think you know?” Fletcher shouted. “That child is coursing with darkness! This is what you get when you expose yourself to curses! You get pain, you get corruption! Now, Young Miss, get out of my way before you cause any more damage.”
“No.” A jolt ran through Naomi. Never in her life did she imagine saying that to a Grand Cleric.
“Fine.” The Grand Cleric shifted his hand. “I don’t need you to move.”
He began chanting again - different words, words Naomi knew. Her chest filled with dread. They were words that she once spoke, and if her life had gone how she’d planned it to before meeting Kylie, would have spoken often. A curse removal spell.
“Don’t you dare.” Naomi hurried over to Fletcher, her hands still clenched.
His magic continued.
“DON’T YOU DARE!”
With a cry and a broad swing of her arms, Naomi punched the Grand Cleric in the stomach.
***The light vanished from the Grand Cleric’s hand. Naomi looked up, the pride of her small victory helping to soothe the stinging pain in her hand. But she was not a fighter, and had never thrown a punch before. She stopped the spell but couldn’t stop retaliation.
Fletcher grabbed her by the back of the head, and slammed her mouth-first into the corner of his desk.
For a moment, Naomi’s world seemed to stop. Then she screamed as she collapsed to her knees. Pain filled her entire skull, radiating to her stomach and to the tips of her fingers. Her mouth tasted of copper. She couldn’t calm her rapid breathing. Something felt wrong, more than just the pain. She held her trembling hand to her teeth, and with a stinging jaw began her healing chant.
Fletcher didn’t move. Whether he had intended to injure Naomi, or merely stop her from fighting him further, he seemed surprised by just how much pain he’d caused her. But that surprise was not going to stop Kylie.
The wolf girl rose to her feet. She growled.
Fletcher turned, his arms outstretched, ready to stop her again. But he was too late.
The wolf, claws extended, fangs bared, was already there.
With one hand, Kylie pinned back Fletcher's glowing palm. The other hand slashed across his red mask.
He screamed. In an instant, he was on the floor, clutching at his face with a healing hand - his position mirroring Naomi’s. It was too good for him.
He deserved worse. The wolf growled. He’d hurt Naomi so much worse, for so much longer. She stepped toward where he had fallen. He’d learn a lesson after this. He would never hurt her again.
Her hand shook with rage. She couldn’t stop growling. Slowly, she stretched her claws apart, and raised her arm to swing again.
Naomi moaned in pain. Kylie’s ear twitched.
No. No, there wasn’t time for punishment. Kylie’s growl faded as she lowered her arm. Naomi was hurt. She needed help. They both needed to run.
Kylie grabbed the chair beside the desk by the leg, and swung the seat to shatter a nearby window. She brushed aside what glass that she could. Their exit secured, Kylie ran beside Naomi and grabbed her by the shoulder.
“Can you walk? We’ve got to leave.”
Something was wrong with Naomi’s mouth. There was a gap in her top row of teeth. Her tongue slid through the hole. Her tooth was gone. But where did it go? She opened her eyes and looked to the ground. Nothing looked like anything through her watery eyes. Where had it gone? Kylie had asked her something. Naomi nodded.
Kylie grabbed Naomi under the arms and lifted her off the ground. She was standing up alright, but kept staring at the same spot on the ground. More footsteps sounded from the hall. The Grand Cleric screamed again, this time not a cry of pain but a call for help. Kylie didn’t have time to wait.
She dragged Naomi over to the window, lifted her up and out of the sanctuary, and lept outside to join her.
Oh, thought Naomi. Bye, tooth.
Kylie grabbed Naomi by the wrist and ran. She forgot for a moment that Naomi wasn’t as fast as her, and nearly pulled her off her feet before slowing down. Still, they had to hurry. There was noise in the city. People shouting and moving. Sunrise peeking over the horizon filled the air with a red-orange glow. The more they ran, the more they returned to that field of featureless grey dirt.
They were finally doing it. They were running away.
But through all the panic behind them, a familiar, arrhythmic crashing sound grew closer.
The sunrise made it clear how long had passed. They’d been in one place for far too long.
Not now, Kylie screamed internally. Any time but now.
She turned around, first seeing the young healer she was dragging through the street, her eyes still dazed, her feet slapping against the ground in a dizzy imitation of running. Her other hand stayed over her mouth though the healing glow had subsided. Then, back in the city, behind her as always, dripping shadows and red eyes.
A howl echoed across the hills in front of them. Kylie’s heart jumped in elation. She howled back. Asalya howled again as she crested a hill and bolted towards the kids. She seemed to recognize the situation, stopping as soon as she arrived and sloughing the bag she carried to her side, offering her back for Naomi to ride. Kylie helped her down onto Asalya as the three of them ran.
It was her canine tooth. While she grabbed onto Asalya, Naomi prodded at the gap in her teeth with her tongue, feeling the circumference where it once was. Her right canine. How fitting. She barely remembered losing her teeth as a kid. This time it wasn’t coming back. Unless she replaced it, this gap would be a new normal. Until that replacement became normal. The way her tongue felt against the back of her teeth, a feeling so ubiquitous to her daily life that she’d never thought about it before, had changed forever.
The Absentia leapt into the air and crashed to the ground again. With each leap, it gained on them. The air felt heavy with each of Kylie’s exhausted breaths. She’d run too much tonight. Kylie turned to Naomi for help, but the healer stared forward, seemingly unaware that they were being chased at all.
Another leap, and it was another step closer.
Kylie looked for anywhere to run, anyone to call to for aid. But there was nothing and no one. Her legs ached more than they ever had. Despite all her will fighting against it, she could feel herself slowing.
It jumped closer. The ground shook beneath them. One more leap and the beast would catch them.
They couldn’t run any more. Kylie’s claws still shook with the rush from their use. She knew she’d need them again.
Kylie turned to her friends and said, “I’m sorry.”
Then she planted her heel on the ground and jumped at the Absentia. She growled and stretched her fingers. Her claws made it mere inches from the monster’s eye. But it didn’t reach.
The Absentia swung at Kylie with its shadowy claw. The palm collided with the side of her ribcage.
And in that moment, Kylie was filled completely with the deep, crushing desire to go home.
Kylie’s sudden disappearance broke Naomi out of her trance. She shouted Kylie’s name just as the wolf girl hit the ground.
Her left leg hit the ground first. The moment it did agony shot through her whole being. She heard and felt the crack at the same time, and knew instantly what had happened. The rest of her hit the dirt after. She screamed in pain.
The moment of distraction let Naomi and Asalya get some distance from the Absentia, but it closed most of that in a single leap. Asalya carried Naomi out of the path. Naomi fought the urge to jump from the wolf and rush to her friend. She had no way to get around the creature - she’d have to circle back as soon as she could.
Another sound echoed from down the road. Hooves.
Naomi gripped Asalya tightly, burying her face in the wolf’s neck. She needed to help. She needed to do something. But she could feel it. It would get them. And they would die. ***
A voice she didn’t recognize shouted behind them. A circle of light and magic runes appeared around the beast. A blinding light enveloped it. And, just like that, it was gone.
Asalya stopped and turned as quickly as she could. Naomi turned with her. Behind where the Absentia had once been stood a centaur, their arm outstretched and glowing. Their long white hair connected to a white mane and tail atop a light brown horse body. The forest green and cream white robes they wore over their human body seemed formal, perhaps collegiate, though Naomi couldn’t identify a school.
They waved as they turned around and shouted, “Quickly, we need to help Kylie!”
Asalya and Naomi ran behind the centaur, over to where Kylie laid, gritting her teeth through the pain. Naomi jumped off Asalya and instantly began healing her. She didn’t need time to stop and examine the problem. It didn’t take a cleric to recognize a broken leg.
To her surprise, the centaur lowered her front legs to kneel over Kylie, and her hands began glowing with healing magic as well. The centaur’s magic words were even the same as her own. She let them take over the healing for a moment.
“Kylie, are you doing okay?”
Through her teeth, Kylie groaned, “In pain.”
“We’re going to get you fixed up as best as we can, okay?”
Kylie tried to say something, but all that wanted to come out of her mouth were screams. Her chest hurt so badly it was hard to breath.
“We should probably make this a little easier on her,” the centaur offered.
“Right.” Naomi began the same spell she’d used on Fletcher, this time for its intended purpose. “I’m going to help you get to sleep so the pain goes away. I’ll wake you up as soon as I can, okay?”
Kylie gave a single nod. Naomi placed her glowing hand on Kylie’s wrist, while her other hand cupped the back of Kylie’s head, gently lowering it to the ground.
The healer and the centaur stayed there for a while, their magic doing the best it could. Asalya walked over to Kylie’s head and licked her ears, helping with the healing in her own way.
“I’m sorry I got here too late to stop either of you from getting hurt,” the centaur said, holding out one hand for Naomi to shake while the other remained healing Kylie. “I’m Diana, she/her.”
“Naomi.” The cleric returned the handshake. The centaur’s hands were unusually soft, almost as if they weren’t entirely solid, like how a shapeshifter’s form was said to feel. But she was almost definitely the same centaur who had looked for them in Crescentia. “You knew Kylie’s name. Are you a friend of the Wolf Mother’s?”
“I am. I heard from Aalrahzorox that you would be in Crescentia while I was visiting.”
“Visiting?” Naomi began to ask her question, though she feared what the answer would be. “I assumed you were from the Mountain University. Are you not?”
Diana shook her head. “I haven’t worked with any magic organization in some time.”
There it was. Naomi tried to not stutter as she asked, “Then, you’re a witch?”
“Yes.” Diana leaned down closer to Kylie, but her green eyes locked with Naomi’s. “Is that a problem?”
Naomi watched as Diana’s magic slowly healed the wound on her best friend’s leg.
“No.” Naomi leaned closer to Kylie. “It isn’t at all.”
When the two had determined that Kylie was stable, Diana stood upright. “We’re still in danger here, more Absentia may be on their way soon. I’ll help carry Kylie back to the study I have around here, if you don’t mind.”
“Lead the way.”
Diana started a magic chant, a different one, from a different class of magic altogether. Kylie slowly lifted into the air, her arms and injured leg staying frozen in the same position they had been. The witch began walking down the road, with Kylie floating beside her. Naomi and Asalya followed behind.
Dang, having awesome witch friends is very helpful
Poor Naomi, knowing that they were raised to be disposable
Her tum felt bad.
Poor tum😭
proposals to congregate light to lure Absentia for further observation have been denied
I see that changed...
Also yay new friend❣️