Camara: Lady of the Sword - Chapter 7

Chapter 7

It was only a hint of something that slowed up Camara and Verran. Something felt wrong, out of place. Her alarms went off.

Both shouted at the same time. "Ambush!"

Without the element of surprise, it was another slaughter. More assassins, more unidentifiable soldiers. Two more dead sell-swords dead, another half-dozen people injured. More of a score to settle with the wizard.

After that interruption, Camara and her troops made fast time on their return to Saldar. No further surprises showed up. They entered the city at dusk and headed straight for the palace. The sell-swords broke off then, their contract complete. Accompanied only by her inner cadre, and the leaders of the king's contingent of troops, they entered the throne room without bothering to talk with or seek permission from the castellan, or wait for the proper ritual introductions.

Despite the sunshine and bright weather, spirits inside the castle were grim and gloomy. Everyone Camara passed seemed intent on getting to wherever they were going without greeting or even seeing anyone else. Even King Merovance seemed on edge.

Her news brought him near to panic.

"Are you positive?"

"Not absolutely, but I don't see any other possibility. It has to be Patteron. He's the only one I know of in your city with the power and the ambition to pull off such a stunt, though even he must have someone on the inside helping him."

"Typhus! That oaf brother of mine has been up something recently! I know he didn't steal the medallion, or have dealings directly with those who did, but he's been far too civil and polite lately. That's the someone else who's involved!"

"If it's him, then there's trouble brewing. He saw us enter, and spoke with a couple of your returning guards. No doubt he knows we found out about the wizard and has warned him of us. We have to move fast!"

The king yelled for his captains, and Camara called for her group. They split forces, with Verran, Trieste, and Taggart going after the Prince, and Camara, Sir William, Lydia, and Humboldt heading for the wizard's quarters. One guard captain, along with a squad of soldiers, accompanied each. The captain who was with Camara ordered every soldier they met to follow as well. M'Lady became a little more anxious at that, and asked the captain why.

"The wizard has his own personal guard, as well as something else in his quarters. He warned us all to stay out on pain of death, and one servant disobeyed. Only his dismembered head was left, and it had been gnawed upon. If we weren't in such a rush, I'd wait for that half-century I sent for to arrive from the barracks."

The captain's fears were well founded, as they were met in the hallway in front of the wizard's rooms by two squads of elite troops. The fighting was fierce and bloody, with Camara accounting for three of the enemy, including their leader. All had been skilled opponents, and they drained much of her energy. During a brief lull, she saw Humboldt take out one guard with wizard fire. It wasn't magic, but the powder burst into flames when thrown at his opponent and temporarily blinded the man, leaving him wide open to a knockout blow. She also saved the captain's life once by using her chakram to disable someone attacking him from behind. Sir William, of course, was being his usual self, shouting at everyone, and taunting his opponents before overpowering them with both skill and brute force.

Without warning, another squad of the wizard's troops, along with two *somethings*, charged around the corner. Humboldt screamed a word, something meant to identify what they were, but she did not know the name he used and let him know it.

"The eyes! Take out their eyes!" he yelled instead. That, she had no problem with. At least, not with his meaning. Putting the words into practice was a touch more difficult.

They were a little larger than man-sized and looked faintly feminine, with a leopard-like countenance. Both were fast and long-limbed, with razor sharp claws and fangs. Neither of the creatures seemed to care which humans they were rending either, something one of the wizard's slower guards found out the hard way.

Her chakram took out the eyes of the first, but the second deflected it into a wall, where it sank in and stuck fast. The first one simply faded away, leaving nothing. The second screamed and attacked.

Leaping ahead of the ongoing battle, and over the heads of the oncoming guards, she landed face to face with the new creature. It moved fast, but she was faster. It soon became apparent to Camara that her opponent took no wound from even the hardest blow, so she concentrated instead on following Humboldt's instruction. The battle lasted for several minutes, and Camara suffered a few more wounds and bruises, but she finally managed to take out one eye, then the other. That creature also faded away without a trace. By then, the King's guards had finished off most of the wizard's cronies.

A scream from the rear caught her attention. More of Patteron's troops had appeared. Muttering to herself, she decided not to waste any further time, and went to find the spell caster. Humboldt followed. She pulled her chakram from the wall as she went.

The first room they entered was a meeting and reading room, looking like any normal lord's. The second was a bedroom, and looked strange. Much was done in black, and odd devices and carvings lined the walls. The third room had to be a wizard's work area. Benches, books, and strange apparatus filled the place to bursting. Yet, no other person was present.

Humboldt was the one who noticed the slightly skewed wall panel, where a secret door had not been closed properly. Some sort of nasty smell, and an eerie chant, greeted them as they passed through the doorway. At the end of a short hallway, Camara found Patteron. She froze in horror at what was in that next room.

The Bard:

Ahem, < cough >. Sorry, my throat is a little dry.

< He receives stares from a number of very irritated lords and ladies, as well as from a few of the servants. They take his hint and refill both his wineglass and his mug of ale. >

Any questions? Any further interruptions? No? Are you certain this time?

< He grins at the expectant crowd >

Thank you. I believe I'll continue my tale.

Camara stared with horror into the wizard's magic room. Within was a scene worthy of even her nightmares. Blood-red candles lined the walls, emitting a horrid stench. Implements of torture, tools of sorcery, and other things unidentifiable hung on them as well. Roof beams, painted black, with sickly green sigils carved deep into the wood, were visible. The floor was a plain, unadorned black, smooth and polished, unbroken except for a small throne, an altar on a dais, and a demonic circle. Inside the circle, flowing from floor to ceiling, was a swirling column of reddish-yellow smoke.

Patteron knelt in front of the black stone altar, holding a wave-bladed dagger in one hand, and the beating heart of his victim in the other. The victim's mouth was still open as he tried to scream, eyes staring crazily at what used to be his life. Some magic, either of the altar or of the ceremony, prevented his spirit from leaving his body, keeping him somehow alive and able to suffer. Finally, as she stood there, frozen with shock, sounds of terror started coming from his mouth.

A shape began to take form within the smoke cloud. It was large, much larger than a human, but looked vaguely humanoid. The details were obscured, but a general outline could sometimes be seen.

Suddenly, from behind her, a knife whizzed by, embedding itself in the screaming man's neck. His voice cut off, yet still he did not die. His eyes remained fixed on the wizard's hand, where his heart continued to beat. A second dagger flew over her shoulder, heading for the wizard. It went past him somehow, even though Camara would have sworn it was headed for his chest. A hard push from behind staggered her, causing her to fall into the room, breaking her trance. William ran past with his sword drawn, heading for the wizard. Humboldt peeked through the doorway and began mumbling a spell of some sort.

That push and fall broke whatever enchantment or fog that had been keeping her from action. Leaping to her feet, M'Lady also ran for the wizard, but both were too late to stop his summoning. With a roar, the beast reached out and snatched the heart from Patteron's hand, pulping it, and releasing the victim's essence. Despite the dagger in his throat, he managed a final scream of despair as his spirit was consumed. All the remaining smoke in that wizard's circle cleared, revealing to sight what had been brought forth.

Imagine a creature ten feet tall, manlike in general shape, covered in dense green fur. Imagine that creature to be well-muscled, yet still cadaverously thin. Imagine it having a mouth like a bear, with strong jaws and huge teeth, and with long, sharp claws, like those of an eagle, tipping each of its digits. Imagine this creature's eyes glowing with green eldritch fire as it howls with hunger. Now imagine this creature looking into your eyes with an intelligent grin of anticipation.

Only the bravest, or the most foolhardy, would stand before such an abomination. Fewer still would be able to function. Camara whispered a quick, fervent prayer to her god as well as several others, activated her amulet, and drew her sword. She felt a brief wash of magic cover her from behind, and silently thanked Humboldt for whatever protection he had the presence of mind to give her.

The monster lunged, faster than seemed possible for its size, faster than M'Lady expected, and managed to nick her shoulder with one of its talons as she dodged its attack. The wound burned like a small flame had been ignited within her flesh, and she could feel her amulet's magic warring with whatever evil influence the creature was exerting. It stopped for a few seconds, waiting for something to happen, and when nothing did, it looked very unhappy and attacked again.

A movement, caught in the corner of her eye, saved her again. Patteron was attempting to brain her with his staff. Somehow the magic in that room negated most of her own, robbing her of her alarms. She moved to avoid his blow, then had to leap out of harm's way as the creature attacked where she was moving to. That leap carried her over the monster's charge and away from the wizard. With a fast turn, she attempted to take advantage of an immediate attack from its rear, but the creature was too quick for her to succeed.

With a roar it charged, again supernaturally fast. Camara changed her dodge to a leap at the last instant, seeing that the wizard was ready to strike where a normal dodge would have positioned her. It was now obvious to M'Lady that the creature and the wizard were either well-practiced together, or they could communicate somehow. That made them even more dangerous than she had thought possible.

For the next moment or two, she leaped, she dodged, she spun, and she ducked, avoiding numerous attacks from both opponents. At one point, she saw William, lying against a wall, bleeding from a cut on his scalp, his helmet lying to one side. She couldn't tell if he was alive or dead. Her own wounds, as well as the effects of the previous fighting, had weakened her and slowed her down. Even worse, her tiredness, and the rapid attacks by Patteron and the creature, kept her from slipping into her battle state.

Suddenly, during one of the monster's feints, it slipped and fell. An icy patch had appeared beneath it's feet, somehow, and left it out of action for a few precious seconds. Camara attacked Patteron viciously, ready to slam a hail of blows on him. Her first, which he ignored, should have severed his hand from his arm, but did not. Her sword went past the arm, somehow, instead of through it. She received a nasty blow to her back because of that unexpected miss. A vague memory of something she'd been taught finally floated to the top of her consciousness, one about a certain kind of spell, a spell requiring a great deal of power to cast, but very little to bypass. She tried desperately to remember the keywords and the gesture for the little cantrip she needed to mess up his magic, but that memory evaded her, she being too tired and too involved in the battle for something so deeply buried to be remembered easily.

She had to contend with both the creature and the wizard again. Tiring quickly after all her previous exertions, she knew there was no way to avoid them forever. So finally, instead of leaping away from the creature's attack, she leaped through it, trying to slice it somewhere. Her hardest blow barely managed to penetrate its fur and thick hide, but that wound caused the creature to scream in pain, and it then moved so quickly it managed to backhand her and throw her across the room. When she hit the wall, she hit hard, the blow dazing her for several seconds. Her eyes refocussed to see Trieste and Taggart occupying the attention of their opponents. Taggart fell prey to the same feint she had, he having no better luck striking the wizard than she, but he received a blow to his head that drove him into unconsciousness, or worse.

Shaking off her dizziness, she once again attacked the creature, this time from behind. One blow penetrated, and the monster gave her both its bellow of pain and its attention. Trieste became fully occupied fending off the attacks of Patteron. Being unable to land a blow in retaliation was a definite handicap.

Two sounds caught her attention. The first was Humboldt shouting something at her, words which she couldn't make out, because the second was the creature screaming at her at the same time. It was able to talk, somehow, despite its animal snout and the shape of its head and neck.

"Warrior woman! I eat you soon!" Its voice was deep and gravelly, barely understandable, but it was there. If the creature was hoping that would give it another surprise advantage, it figured wrong. Its quick, lunging attack missed badly, and it received one more small wound. Turning and running, suddenly it was attacking Trieste from her flank. Camara ran to her aid, but was a fraction of a second too late as the wizard, aided by his beast's distraction, managed to sneak in a blow that crashed the thief into the wall. She fell to the floor, looking completely lifeless.

A shouted word from Humboldt finally penetrated her awareness, and that was all it took to trigger her memory of the spell she needed. Taking less time to do than to say, she cast the cantrip on herself, the one for truesight. Instantly Patteron's form wavered, misted, and reappeared a few feet from where it formerly looked to be. A single attack on his correct location made him realize he'd been found out.

Humboldt managed another distraction, this time by igniting some glowspheres in front of the monster's face. His action gave Camara the instants she needed to finish off the wizard. Without his magical deception, he was no more than an adequate fighter. With a quick feint, two fast blows blocked, a leap and a slash, she laid open his neck. He died in a splatter of blood, gurgling his last breath. There were no flames, no lights, no horrid noises when his spirit passed across to the other side, just a final bubbling wheeze. All the roaring and screaming came from his creature.

It reared back, bellowing wildly, surrounded by a blue-green glow. The light got thicker and brighter, swirling slowly at first, then faster and faster until nothing else was visible. A low hum filled her ears, rising, then lowering in pitch, dying off at the same time the swirling light around the monster disappeared. In place of that horrid beast stood a man, or what appeared to be a man, dressed in fine leathers, holding a longsword. He stood a few inches over six feet tall, was decently muscled, and looked hard and tough. His appearance was that of a darkly handsome gentleman, neat and well groomed. Only those burning green eyes betrayed it as the same being.

"Well, well, well," he (it?) said. "Whoever you are, I owe you a debt of gratitude. You've set us free from that creature there."

M'Lady did not let her guard down, despite the soft and gentle voice of whatever it was she faced. "Who, or what, are you?" she asked.

"An appropriate question. I, we, are Heppanae, once an avatar, now a hunger. That creature summoned us, me, here from Tartarus, from my, our, feeding. I was eternally hungry for living flesh. Now there is fresh food available all around. The wizard is gone, thank you very much, but you and the others will do nicely in its place. I hunger."

"Why do you owe me gratitude? And what's this nonsense about me setting you free?" M'Lady was trying to draw out the conversation. She needed time to recover her breath and some strength. If it had attacked immediately, she doubted she would have survived.

"Both are the same question. That creature summoned me, us, and bound me to its will. I could not free us from its dominion. When you killed it, you set us, me, free. To show my gratitude, you will die quickly, unlike the others."

"I don't think so. In fact, I think the only thing you'll be doing is going back to Tartarus!"

Camara attacked suddenly and viciously, swinging at the creature, testing its speed and skill. Both were unmatched by any opponent she had yet faced. They faced off again.

"Oh, something else that creature lacked was imagination. A ten foot hulking brute of a beast, indeed! Slower and stupider than any other shape I've had to assume. What an imbecile." A brief flurry of swordstrikes and blocked kicks took place. The creature continued on as if nothing had happened. "Powerful, skilled, and knowledgeable, but no real brainpower." Another flurry of blows and kicks took place. Only one landed on target, and that was a fist to Camara's jaw.

"You're pretty good. But definitely not good enough. Now just hold still and we, I, will end this quickly."

The creature attacked this time, raining down swordstrikes. Suddenly it slipped on a patch of icy floor and narrowly avoided being spitted. A high back flip moved it out of danger.

"Now that wasn't nice at all. Time to end this charade."

With that, the creature waved a hand at the doorway where Humboldt was hiding, and a swath of green fire flowed from its fingertips. It landed on the walls and on the floor outside the room. Some splashed from the floor onto Humboldt, and his pained screams could be heard retreating down the hallway.

It waved its hand again, and another green spray erupted, heading for M'Lady. Her jump to avoid the attack did no good, as the liquid fire changed direction to intercept her in mid air. To the creature's amazement, Camara attacked the spray with her sword, making the stuff separate and dissipate. Her amulet, won so long ago at such a high cost, paid for itself once again. The gem's powerful protection against otherworldly magic allowed her to survive what would otherwise be a deadly attack.

Recovering quickly, it yelled and charged. They swung and blocked blows, they feinted, they riposted one another. Occasionally a fist or foot would connect, but never steel. Camara's mind could finally focus again, and she built herself up into that special zone of hers. Once again, she felt the thrill and excitement of being completely alive and aware. Once again, she became a will and a mind devoid of distraction. Once again, her body became an extension of her thoughts. Her special madness took over. A wild, exultant yell exploded from her mouth, startling the creature for an instant. She let loose with a scream of joy, of pleasure, of anticipation. For the first time, a hint of doubt crossed the creature's features.

Her face looked as wild and excited as the yell she had sounded, a look that had sent many lesser fighters running. Her sword swung easily and loosely in her hand. Her feet were light - her steps fast and sure.

"You think to snack on my friends, do you? To make short work of me? Not while I'm still breathing! C'mon, tough guy. Show me what you got, 'cause I don't think you got what you been braggin' about. Well? What are you waiting for? Let's get it on!" With wild eyes and a teasing look she egged on the creature. Camara mouthed "C'mon" once or twice, while smiling wickedly.

They engaged again, and this time steel and flesh met. Camara received a small slice on her thigh. When the creature sneered, M'Lady pointed her sword at its shoulder, where a similar wound oozed a greenish puss. Again they met, but this time the creature landed a side kick to Camara's head. She back flipped out of range to recover her equilibrium.

It charged her once again, hoping to repeat its earlier success, but instead received a nasty slice across its ribs. The creature concentrated, and the wound closed up, but a certain stiffness indicated that it still suffered. M'Lady charged, flipping high in the air to come at it from above. This time it received a nasty slice down its left arm as well as a boot to the face. Her focus was improving, and its was slipping.

During a short face-off period, the creature spoke again.

"What are you? No mortal has ever come this close to defeating me! Which power do you represent?"

Without speaking, she attacked again. After several more blocked blows and thrusts, she began to reply, in between swings, in short staccato bursts of words.

"I am Camara."
"A mortal, a warrior."
"Despoiler of nations."
"Kingmaker, king breaker."
"Plaything of the gods."
"I am Camara."
"And I!"
"Am!"
"Your!"
"Doom!"

Each word, each phrase, was followed by another heavy attack. The creature was finally tiring, desperately defending itself. M'Lady manoeuvred it away from her fallen friends, just in case. She received several more small wounds during the struggle, and felt them, but could ignore the hurt. It received several as well, ones that were definitely more severe than hers. With a final series of blows, she disarmed it.

"Time to send you back to Tartarus where you belong!" It was with a nasty hiss and a very ugly scowl that she pierced the thing where a human heart would be.

At that same instant, King Merovance and a dozen of his elite guards, accompanied by Humboldt and Verran, spilled through the doorway. They were just in time to witness the unearthly demise of her opponent's mortal form. Green ichor poured from its wounds, running faster and thicker with each passing second, and quickly formed a puddle on the floor. Its body began to thin, to collapse in upon itself. More goo flowed. Eventually there was nothing left except an empty skin bag and a small pond of slime. A white light then shot down through the roof, directly into the centre of the muck, igniting it into a green-burning mass, one that emitted a thick and very foul smoke. Only then did Camara collapse to the floor, fainting with relief, exhaustion, and the effects of her eldritch wounds. Aided by Verran, the king's guards pulled everyone, whether living or dead, from the room.

Verran carried M'Lady from that scene himself. After carefully placing her on a table, he checked her wounds thoroughly. Only when he was satisfied she was not seriously hurt, and would recover, did he give her a kiss on the forehead and let a healer attend to her. Everyone except Patteron and his victim was still alive. The king's priests and healers had to work very hard to keep them that way.

It wasn't long before Camara woke. She looked up at Verran and the king from where she lay sprawled on the table, smiled, and said "perfect timing." She then watched King Merovance remove the Medallion of the Sabre from around his ex-wizard's neck and place it around his own.

M'Lady thought it a rather plain, almost ugly little thing, hardly looking like it was worth all the bloodshed and horror surrounding its theft and recovery. Only much later, when the king activated it during his ceremonial ascension, and it glowed with a pure, silvery light, did the medallion look like something other than a cheap trinket. She wondered about the taste of its original crafters.

Staring at Patteron's lifeless corpse, Camara thought she should feel satisfaction, or anger, or even relief that all was over and done with, yet there was nothing other than a numbness. Inside, where feelings come from, there was an emptiness, almost as if there was a hole in her heart. Even thoughts of Briana brought out only distant echoes of emotion, like she was remembering something from long ago.

Exhausted, she lay there, staring dully as others hustled and bustled about their business, wondering what had happened to her. Several people asked questions about the recent battle, and what it was that she fought. Dully, she answered. Then someone reached over, closed her eyes, and told her to sleep. So she did.

---

Several hours later, she was awakened by a touch. One of the healers wanted her to drink some sort of concoction. Though it smelled vile and tasted worse, she did, and he left. Verran was also there, sitting at the foot of her cot, and it looked to her like he had been sitting there forever.

Both appeared exhausted. Both were bruised and bandaged. Both managed smiles, though Camara's was rather forced.

"How do you feel?"

Camara closed her eyes and sighed. "Sore. Tired. And you?"

"Aside from these minor wounds, about the same. But that is not what I wish to know. How do you feel?"

Since Gedren, he had asked that same question several times. Her answer, up until then, was angry. It was what she thought she should feel, what she had convinced herself she was feeling. With the wizard dead, there was no longer a reason for anger, and no longer a reason for her to lie to herself. Verran waited in silence for her answer. It was long in coming.

"Betrayed, a little. Alone. Tired. Abandoned."

"You feel no relief? No joy? No happiness? Is there not even some pride in what you have accomplished?"

When she opened her eyes, he saw nothing but an aching loneliness in them. She slowly shook her head.

"Camara, you have done what few people in this world could have. You defeated an avatar. That makes you the equal of Hercules, Sampson, Gilgamesh, B'nGash, Jason, and perhaps a handful of others. Elite company indeed. If you do not feel pride in what you have done this day, then I do not know what would satisfy you."

"How many of your friends have died over the years, Verran? A few dozen? A few hundred? Have you become numb to losing them?"

He shrugged, then frowned. "Too many. More than I could count easily, yet I mourn the passing of each. Never have I become inured to their loss. Is that what has affected you so deeply?"

"I don't know. Ever since Bracchus' death, there's been an emptiness, an absense of feeling. It's as though something inside has withered. All I feel is this longing, but for what, I don't know. Even when I stared at Patteron's body and thought of Briana, there was nothing." She shrugged.

Taking some time to collect his thoughts, Verran rubbed his temples and his eyes. "You have received several blows recently, any one of which could have destroyed a weaker person. There has been no time for you to mourn, or reflect, or absorb, and you have closed away everything. This may be your inner self's way of coping with such tragedy. You may simply need time to recover, to allow yourself the luxury of bereavement. Let the past catch up."

"Catch up to what? And for what?"

He shook his head slightly. "Such questions should need no answer. You need to feel the pain before you can heal, and you must heal before you can do anything about the longing you feel. Is there a reason for that to be all you have left?"

"Perhaps. It's just that I feel so, so alone, almost like I've been cursed to lose anyone I let into my heart. The question of who's next keeps running through my head. You, perhaps? Even though we've never been lovers? Or Trieste? Maybe Taggart or Humboldt. Or, most likely, the next person who I invite into my bed. It just seems so pointless, going on without hope of ever finding someone to share my life with, someone who won't just up and leave, or die, or something."

"Camara, there is nothing you can do about the past. Only the present. You make a difference. Many people would have been slain if that wizard's conjuration had not been stopped. There would have been war. Briana knew the risks she would be taking by joining us. She chased you down, as I recall. Bracchus chose his own route, for his own reasons, and got what he deserved. And you are not responsible for whatever happened to Ariel. You have lost several who were dear to you. Many have died in your service, true, but you did not force the swords into their hands. They did what they did willingly, knowing what could happen. For good or ill. A hundred years from now, bards will sing and tell tall tales of the battle that took place in this castle on this day. Those who stood by you will also be remembered, sharing in your glory and fame. For many, being with you will be the greatest and most wonderful time of their lives, despite the fear, danger, and hardship."

"And for those who have died?"

"They have died. Hopefully, they died well. Their memories live on. Camara, you did not create Patteron. His misdeeds, and what he caused to happen, were not your fault. You stopped him. We stopped him. We have accomplished a great thing."

"If only I had your outlook. Things would be so much simpler."

"Camara, you would not be you if you thought like me. You would be a female me, something the world is probably better off without. A few generations from now, none of this will matter. Nothing but the stories will remain."

Verran got up, walked to the head of her cot, glanced around, then leaned over to whisper in her ear. There was a strange glint in his wide-open eyes.

"Did you know that the monster you fought was fifteen feet tall? And it had teeth the length of a dagger? And it used a sword no mortal man could even lift? Seven feet long, it had to be. And the creature moved so fast you could only see a blur. It threw wizard's fire with a wave of its hand, and no ordinary blade could pierce its hide."

At her look of puzzlement, he stood, looking shocked that she would show any disbelief of his words.

"It's the truth, I swear! I got that from an impeccable source - I overheard one of the greenhorn guards talking to a kitchen maid, and since he was there throughout the whole battle, he knew what he was talking about."

She smiled and shook her head.

"I imagine," he continued, "that in a week or so, the creature will be twenty feet tall, have two heads and a spear-pointed tail, breathe fire, and shoot lightning from its eyes. It will move faster than the wind, be stronger than ten horses, and kill with nothing but a touch. Every guard in the palace, and even some that weren't, will have been there at the end. But however large that monster gets, you still defeated it. That fact will remain, and your fame will grow along with the beast."

Looking at Camara for a moment without speaking, he smiled sadly and shook his head again.

"It looks like none of this means anything to you. One day it will, although that day may be some ways off. You should rest. When you awaken, you have some very large expectations to rise up to."

With a final touch of his hand to her cheek, he left. She watched him leave, then took his advice and closed her eyes. Sleep came quickly.

---