The Sword of Retribution

Fort Battleaxe - Part 5

     When Shaun regained consciousness, he was lying on a rather hard bed in a sparsely furnished room. Diana was looking down at him with an expression of heartfelt relief. “He’s awake!” she called, and a moment later the others were there as well. His brother Matthew and the three wizards Thomas, Lirenna and Jerry, all grinning like idiots and talking excitedly, thanking the Gods and expressing their joy and relief.

     “We thought we’d lost you!” said Matthew emotionally, tears in his eyes and a lump in his throat. “The clerics did what they could, but that poison was filthy stuff and in the end they said you’d either fight it off yourself or die. It was a close thing."

     “Poor Di here was beside herself,” added Thomas. “She’d already exhausted herself healing a load of other guys and couldn’t do anything for you. She’d have been devastated if you hadn’t pulled through.” He put an arm around Diana’s shoulders and gave her a squeeze. The cleric grinned gratefully back.

     “I don’t understand,” said Shaun in confusion. He tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness came over him and he had to lie down again. “You’re saying that some other cleric healed me? But what happened to the waiting list? People are dying every day from poison and infections because there aren’t enough clerics to go around. Why should I get special treatment?”

     “You’re important,” said Jerry cheerfully. “We all are, apparently. We all got a summons to report to the tower immediately, for a meeting with Resalintas himself. A messenger was on his way to get you when he saw you being carried through the streets towards the nearest temple. He used Resalintas’s name to get you healed ahead of everyone else, and so almost certainly saved your life.”

     “And yours too?” Shaun asked Matthew. “The last I heard, you were lying in a temple somewhere coughing your lungs up. You look alright now.”

     “Well, I wasn’t as seriously hurt as you were,” replied the younger soldier gravely. “I would probably have recovered eventually even without any clerical healing, but when Resalintas’s summons arrived, the cleric gave me a prayer anyway, so I could walk. I’m fine now.”

     “Good!” said Shaun, and made another attempt to sit up. This time he succeeded. “Does anyone know what this is all about?”

     “Not a clue,” replied Thomas. “When I got the summons, I thought I was in trouble for something, but that doesn’t make sense. If I’d done anything wrong, it would be Clavis who’d give me a dressing down, not Resalintas.” Clavis was the Mage Commander, in charge of all the wizards in the city. “Then I get here and found Lenny, Jerry and Matt here already. I’ve got no more idea what’s going on than you have.”

     “Must be pretty important if Resalintas himself is involved,” said Matthew nervously. Like all of them, he’d seen the old priest now and again, fighting on the walls or just outside. They'd seen how terrified the Shadowsoldiers were of him and how he gave new hope and spirit to the defenders. They'd also heard terrifying tales of what happened to those who displeased him, with the result that he was looking forward to the meeting about as much as he’d look forward to doing battle with an ogre. Among the city’s soldiers, a summons to a meeting with Resalintas was generally held to be equivalent to a death sentence.

     “Looks like we’re about to find out,” said Lirenna as the door opened and a young child entered. An acolyte of the priesthood of Samnos, looking about ten years old but with a bruise on his face and hands that looked rough from hard work and weapons training.

     “Ah good, you’re up,” he said, seeing Shaun sitting on the edge of the bed. “Captain Resalintas will see you now.”

     “Here we go,” said Thomas with a quaver in his voice. “Bravely to destiny they went, even to death with no regret...”