The little girl was so loving and gentle, but something was amiss. Chihon probed her and realized that the same sickness she had just driven from the mother was present in the daughter. It was the lightest brown, but it was unmistakable. The infection that had almost taken Neuld afflicted Peyet, too. Not as completely, but it was there and it was growing.
Chihon felt heartbroken for them. She couldn't stand the thought that the mother would recover only to lose her child. Chihon called to the girl. "Peyet, come over here."
Peyet came and stood before Chihon, such an innocent little girl. Chihon lifted Peyet onto her lap and put her arms around her, hugging her close. She felt the infection in the girl and visualized it clearing, just as it had with the mother. Slowly, the infection lightened. It was almost gone when Chihon felt lightheaded and dizzy. She released the girl as her arms dropped by her side in exhaustion.
"What are you doing?" Tass asked. "You don't have enough strength to heal both of them."
Chihon tried to lift her arms in protest, but she was too weak. "I had to try. I couldn't let her die after I saved her mother."
"Sometimes you have to choose." Tass put Chihon's arm around her shoulders and helped her stand. Outside of the cottage, a throng of people crowded around the door. They had heard what Chihon had done for Neuld. "Let's get you home so you can recover properly."
"Please, Mother, heal my son," one woman begged.
"My father was burned in the fire. He needs your help," another cried.
"Please save my husband," came yet another voice mixing with the crowd until Chihon could not distinguish one from another. They grabbed at her robes as she pushed her way through them.
Chihon was overwhelmed by the plight of these families. Everyone had someone who needed help, and she had not even had the strength to heal the woman's daughter.
"Please help me out of here," she whispered to Tass as they pushed their way through the mass of people clamoring for her attention. "I can't help them all."
Chihon woke late the next afternoon. She was still exhausted from healing Neuld and little Peyet and was barely able to get out of bed. Tass brought her a tray laden with a variety of breads, cheese, meats, and fruit. Chihon eagerly downed almost all of it before she started to feel even slightly like her old self. She washed the meal down with several mugs of strong tea and a flagon of watered ale.
"Do you always get so hungry from a healing like that?" she asked, pushing back from the table. "I've never felt that way before when I did magic."
"You never healed anyone, I take it?"
"I never tried, no."
"That's one of the areas where we disagree with the free wizards. They allow suffering to go unabated around them when they could do so much to help, should they only choose to."
"I don't understand." Chihon felt a little stronger now and was eager to see more of the city. She looked in her closet to find several identical black robes trimmed in silver but nothing else. She shrugged and grabbed one at random.
"The free wizards do not heal the people under their care," Tass continued. "They claim that these acts of healing are a trivial use of magic and beneath them. As the High Priestess, one of your duties will be to heal the sick and infirm that are brought before you."
"I don't think I could handle too many healings myself. Not if yesterday was any indication."
"That's why we're going to the temple this afternoon. It's time for a lesson. I think you're ready." Tass opened the door and held it for Chihon.
"Now?" Chihon was planning to take in more of the market.
"Yes, now. You need this lesson at the temple. It will restore your strength." Tass guided her out and closed the door behind her.
The temple was only a few city blocks from the inn where they were staying. Chihon wondered why they weren't staying in the temple if she was a High Priestess. She asked Tass about it as they walked.
"The High Priest and Priestess are special persons who have their own residences. They do not live in the temple. It would not be proper."
"I've never had my own room, much less my own residence. My grandma'am and I lived in the bakery in a small bedroom behind the ovens."
"When you get to Calrick, you will have your own residence. I'm sure you will like it."
Chihon hoped her residence was near Lorit's. She missed him and had tried several more times to contact him. Tass said he was on a dangerous mission and would contact her as soon as it was safe, but she still tried.
They strolled confidently up the avenue that led to the temple. The guard bowed, opened the door, and stepped aside, holding it open for Chihon and Tass. "Good afternoon, Mother," he said.
"Good afternoon," Chihon replied. She wasn't sure of the protocol, so she said nothing further.
Chihon and Tass crossed the main supplicants' area and entered the rear of the temple which was reserved for the priests. They passed through several identical passageways until they arrived at a heavy door. Tass knocked and waited. The door creaked open to reveal a priest.
"Ah, Chihon. I was told to expect you. How good of you to come." He stepped back into the room and motioned Chihon to enter.
Inside, there was a large stone altar. It was engraved with symbols along the sides and spattered with blood. The tiny window behind the altar allowed the afternoon sun to enter and illuminated the statue of a young woman. She was dressed in ceremonial robes and cradled a blade against her throat.
Chihon stepped into the room and looked back at Tass, who remained outside. She shook her head slowly, reached out, and gently closed the door.
"You're just in time," the priest said. "My name is Otana." He reached behind the altar and lifted a forest hare onto the blood-encrusted surface. It was trussed with thin leather thongs and squirmed but was not able to escape.
Chihon stepped back. She had a vague memory of the temple taking magic, but it faded as she tried to remember what it meant. She shied away from the idea of sacrifice.
"What are you afraid of? It's just a rabbit."
"I'm not in favor of sacrifices, not even an animal." Chihon folded her arms across her chest.
"Did you have rabbit for dinner last night?" Otana stoked the rabbit gently as he talked.
"Yes, I did." Chihon wondered where this line of reasoning was going. She relaxed slightly.
"When you eat a rabbit for dinner, you have to kill it, don't you?" he asked, still stroking the hare.
"Yes, I do."
"Did you kill it yourself?"
"No."
"Have you ever killed an animal and eaten it?"
"Of course I have."
"Tass told me that you ate a rabbit to gain strength after you healed those people yesterday, didn't you? So how is this different?" He continued to stroke the rabbit's brown fur. "You are going to kill the rabbit and take its life energy into your body directly. It's more efficient than eating it and waiting for your system to absorb the energy."
"I still don't like it." Chihon looked at the hare. She had certainly eaten many an animal such as this before.
"Well, it's clearly not the taking of the animal's life you object to. You don't have a problem consuming it for your own needs, so just what is it that you have difficulty with?"
"I don't know." Chihon could see the logic of his argument, but she was still hesitant.
"This is the same, only more efficient. You kill the rabbit and take its life force. No different from butchering the animal and eating it, just faster and more efficient."
He lifted the knife from the statue and handed it to Chihon. "When the sun strikes the statue, take the knife and slit its throat. I'll talk you through the spell that you'll use to absorb its energy."
He guided Chihon to the altar and grasped her hand that held the knife. He guided it to the throat of the rabbit.
"When the sunbeam strikes the statue, there is extra magic. Just watch and wait. She stood before the altar, looking down at the rabbit as the sunbeam crept slowly toward th
e statue.
Chihon thought about what he said as she waited. It was just like butchering a rabbit for dinner, wasn't it? Her heart raced as the sunbeam crept toward the statue.
Otana stood beside her, whispering in her ear, speaking the words of the spell she would need to absorb the life force of the rabbit. She could feel his firm grip on her hand as he spoke. As the sun struck the statue, she felt him guide her hand, and she quickly pulled the knife across the animal's throat, releasing its blood.
She could feel the life force seeping out. She spoke the words of the spell and felt the power surge into her. She was suddenly powerful, unbeatable. The exhaustion she'd felt earlier was completely gone. She felt as if she had enough magic to do anything. It was exhilarating and refreshing. She laughed with the pleasure of it.
The next morning Chihon returned to the market with Tass. She wanted to see more of the wonderful place that she'd missed when she'd been whisked away to heal Neuld.
They entered an area of the market that specialized in small animals. There were cages of drab gray rabbits, snow-white rabbits, cats, dogs, turtles, and even snakes. There were even a few strange animals that Chihon did not recognize.
A young woman was haggling with the proprietor over the price of a small animal that looked like a mink. She argued that she needed an animal with a fierce disposition and aggressive behavior to heal her son because he was going to be a warrior. As they approached, the woman fell silent. She looked at Chihon as if waiting.
"Yes?" Chihon asked.
"Mother, which animal is the best to heal my son? He is a little warrior, strong and proud like his father. He fell down from the tree he was climbing and broke his ribs. He struggles to breathe, and he is getting weaker every day." She pointed at the animals. "I want to purchase one of these to sacrifice at the temple so he will be healed. Which one is best?"
Chihon was embarrassed because she didn't know how to help the woman. "I'm sorry. I'm just learning, I don't really know."
"Can you heal him?" the woman asked.
"No, I can't heal him. Take him to the temple. They will know what to do there." Chihon didn't want to think about healing anyone today. She brushed past the woman and continued on.
"Get the mink," Chihon heard Tass advise the woman.
The next stall she came to had a thick red curtain hanging behind a row of cages. The proprietor stood in front of it as if guarding it against thieves. When they approached, he bowed his head and held the curtain open for them.
Tass motioned Chihon into the darkened interior. There were cages stacked along the wall of the tent that contained exotic animals of all sorts. Most of them looked fierce and snarled at Chihon as she peered into their cages. Back in the corner, there was one cage covered with a heavily embroidered red cloth. It stood out from the others, alone on a crate.
Tass lifted the cloth to reveal the animal within. "Here, have a look. But keep your distance."
Chihon peered into the cage. The animal looked like a thick weasel with twisted horns and short stubby bat wings. It lay curled up in the cage, flicking a forked tongue in and out of its mouth. Chihon leaned over to get a closer look, but Tass grabbed her arm and pulled her up short.
The animal lifted its head and focused its eyes on Chihon. It drew in a deep breath and spat a stream of fire, almost a full span long. Chihon stepped back to avoid the flame, as the air filled with the smell of rotten eggs and swamp gas.
"What's that?" Chihon asked.
"That's a mini dragon," Tass said. "They come from high in the mountains that withstand the Ice Father. They live in caves and crevasses that are almost impossible to reach. They are enchanted and carry their own power and feed on the magic of the mountains, gathering the heat and steam born in the bowels of the earth. They are very powerful and very valuable.
"They're not pets." Tass replaced the cloth back over the cage. "They're sacrificial animals. The young men hunt them as a test of skill and bravery. They bring them here to sell to the affluent, so that they may be used to power the strongest of spells."
Tass turned to face Chihon. "One mini dragon can go for as much as a hundred golds. Only the wealthiest can afford them."
"What type of spells do they need that they are willing to pay so much?" Chihon wondered at the desperation that would drive a family to spend such a fortune just to improve their chances at a healing.
"The wealthy have more golds than they know what to do with. They desire power and success, or even love, and are willing to trade their golds for it. They often request spells to assure the birth of a son to carry on the family line or to improve the outcome of a business transaction. Some wish to encourage a liaison between youths that will seal a business arrangement and sometimes even to raise their dear departed."
"Surely we can't do that? Raise the dead? Once someone is dead, they are dead."
"No, we can't raise the dead. But I have heard of a spell that enchanted a slave girl to look and act like the departed spouse of a wealthy man."
They left the market and hired a coach and driver to take them to the temple in time for lunch. Tass told Chihon she wanted her to practice her sacrificial techniques that evening in order to maximize the life force she could absorb. She'd felt so exhilarated by the last sacrifice that she was eager to experience it again.
Tass and Chihon joined a number of young priests in the dining room. Two of them wore robes, much like her own, but trimmed in green, indicating highly ranking priests. The rest were robed in plain black with white trim; these were students. As she entered the room, someone cried out and the students stood up in unison.
"Good day, Mother," they said in one voice.
Chihon flushed with embarrassment at being called Mother. She was barely older than most of the students and younger than the priests.
She took her seat at the head of the table, beside the chair reserved for the High Priest. The students waited until she had eaten before they started asking questions, all at the same time. She tried to answer those that she knew but was at a loss for many of them. After a while, they adjourned to their own studies.
As the sunset drew near, Tass reminded her that she was to participate in the sacrifice soon. She entered the altar room to find a mini dragon trussed upon the altar and ready for her. Its mouth was tied shut to prevent a flaming expression such as the animal in the market had leveled at her earlier that day.
Chihon could sense the magical aura around the animal. It had a slight gold glimmer to it. It was actually quite strong, stronger than many of the students, and undeniably powerful. She could feel it change tint almost imperceptibly as the animal sensed her movements around the room.
The priest came in and bowed slightly to her. "Good evening, Mother. Tonight, you will learn how to take not only the life force of the animal but also its magic. This requires a stronger spell and much more concentration, but I'm confident you will master it quickly.
"To take the magic of the animal you need to feel its life force and how that life force connects to its magic. It draws some of its magic from its home just as we, at times of need, draw magic from the temple.
"You must locate the center of its magic and separate that from its life force. Once you have done that, you will wait for the sunlight to strike the statue and then quickly slit its throat, just as you did with the rabbit.
"This time, you will draw the magic into your body as you strike. You will feel it separate from the animal as you make the stroke. Grasp the magic and draw it into you quickly, then return for the life force and absorb that as it seeps from the animal.
"Do you think you can do that?" he asked.
"I think so." Chihon felt the magic of the animal just as he'd described it. She could visualize herself separating it from the mini dragon, wrapping it up in a ball ready to pluck it from the beast.
Chihon felt a twisting in her stomach that she could not explain. Something nagged at her about taking magic from a living thing. Vague memories of Lo
rit battling Vorathorm came to mind. There was something about taking magic that felt wrong.
She struggled to remember what it was that bothered her about this, but she couldn't retrieve the memory. She wished Lorit was here. He would have the proper perspective on this, but she was on her own.
As she reached out to take the knife, something deep inside her cried out. She tried to ignore it as the sunlight slowly approached the animal she was to sacrifice. When the beam of light touched the statue, she pulled the knife out of its holder and held it against the throat of the mini dragon.
Chapter 5
Lorit reached out with his magic to examine the lock on the cell. A slight violet glow emanated from it. He felt out the mechanism, expecting to open it easily, but it was fuzzy and indistinct. He could not see it clearly, and he could not open it. He tried every spell he knew, but nothing worked. The king had strong magic placed on the cell, something Lorit had not yet learned how to defeat.
Without the help of Chihon's magic, Lorit feared he would be stuck in the cell until his fate was decided. He was not optimistic about his future. King Orin was a vindictive and angry monarch.
Lorit reached out for Zhimosom, but was still unable to contact him. He tried Rotiaqua and was barely able to establish a connection with her. She was still in Zhimosom's study.
"They're all lost," he said.
"Who's all lost?"
"Chihon, Zhimosom, Prince Ghall. They're all lost. The king thinks I had something to do with Prince Ghall's disappearance. He threw me in the dungeon."
"What do you mean, Chihon is lost? What happened?"
"We were on our way, but Chihon wasn't Chihon. It was Princess Ukina. Chihon is gone and I can't find her magic."
Rotiaqua held up her hand. "Slow down, Lorit. Explain what happened."
Lorit told her how Chihon had grown ill at the banquet and the Princess Ukina had fooled him by looking like Chihon, how the prince had gone missing, and he had been thrown in the dungeon. He hung his head in shame. "I've failed them all."
Wizard's Education Page 6