“Are you saying you can’t help him?” Jez asked.
Aphlel shook his head. “I can help, but perhaps not in a way he would appreciate.”
“What do you mean?”
“The damage is too complete. It is interwoven with the damage his transformation was created to mitigate. I cannot separate the two.”
It took Jez a second to understand what Aphlel was saying. “You mean you can’t heal him without restoring him to human form?”
“Yes.”
“What about beast mind?”
“I can correct it. After what he did, I owe him no less.”
“What did he do?”
Aphlel pointed to the spot where Shanel had been. “She was trying to summon demons into me.”
Jez gaped. “So they could possess you?”
Aphlel nodded. “All three of Marrowit’s lieutenants. Can you imagine what would have happened then?”
Jez shook his head. “I’d prefer not to.”
“No, I suppose not, but he saved us all by acting as he did. They have been released into the world, but there is nothing to be done about that now. The question I need to answer is if I should heal him at all.”
Jez was incredulous. “Why would you even ask that?”
Aphlel looked down at the unmoving otter man. “Because he chose to live this way.”
“Not mortal choice again. Frankly, I don’t care. Save him.”
“Not mortal choice,” Aphlel said, “at least not in the way you are thinking. R’Virdi, all the beast men, chose that life over the life of an ordinary mortal. Would he choose to live as one now?”
That brought Jez up short, but after a second, he nodded. “You didn’t see how much he enjoyed living. He was always laughing. I think he would want to survive, even as one of us.”
Aphlel inclined his head. “You would know better than I. I will heal him.”
Aphlel put both hands on R’Virdi’s forehead. An orange light washed over the otter man, and his fur melted away. His body expanded, and there was a crackling sound as he grew bones to accommodate his larger form. A thick shock of black hair emerged from his head, and he had the deep brown skin of the kingdom of Neda. He looked young, far too young to have achieved the mastery over transformation that most beast men had possessed before their change, but even unconscious, Jez could sense the quiet power in this mage.
R’Virdi opened his eyes and blinked several times. “My eyes are different.”
Jez turned to Aphlel. The pharim lord nodded. “They are the eyes of a human. They do not see exactly the same way.”
R’Virdi blinked and looked down at his hands. He opened and closed them several times before turning to Jez. “Why?”
“It was the only way to save you.”
A look of profound sadness washed over him, but it was soon replaced by the iron determination of one who would not yield to sorrow. He nodded.
“Thank you.”
CHAPTER 36
Lina and Osmund had come through their battle more or less unharmed. Though Ziary had been outnumbered, the bat demons, catoz, were more suited to being scouts than warriors. Eventually, they had all been banished, though Mirel had fled when Ziary had to turn his attention to the demons.
In the end, the high lords decided to keep the manor halfway in Between, where they would question the captured Illeon. Though Aphlel’s recovery had stabilized them somewhat, it would still be too easy for them to get lost in their own natures; however they did send Daziel to meet with Jez, Galine, and Haziel.
They met in Clont’s inn, as close to a neutral location as they could get. Daziel reaffirmed that Jez had the support of the pharim high lords, and it didn’t take long for Haziel and Istar to agree to follow his lead. Galine, who hadn’t caused nearly the panic Istar was worried about when he walked through town, was outraged that the high lords had presumed to forcibly transform R’Virdi back into human form. He seemed not to care that it was the only way to save the former otter man. In the end, though, he too agreed to follow Jez. All in all, it was a very short meeting.
They had all come out of the inn when a massive shadow passed over them. Jez looked up to see the great brown bird, a thing he recognized as one of Master Horgar’s other forms. The master of beast transformed back to form of a heavyset man in green robes.
“It’s happened,” Horgar said without bothering with introductions.
“What’s happened?” Jez asked.
Horgar looked around. It was still early in the day, and few people were out, but those few were staring.
“Sharim has begun to move,” Horgar said. “He’s taken Rumar.”
“Then, we will come against him as one single force,” Haziel said, “and we will cast him out.”
Galine grunted. “I have no desire for a war, but I have even less for demons wandering through our forests. We are with you.”
“As are we, of course,” Daziel said.
Horgar shivered. “You haven’t seen his army, Jezreel. This is our last chance. If we don’t beat Sharim now, I don’t think we ever will.”
Jez looked from Horgar to the leaders of the various factions. They all stood resolute, and Jez knew they would be willing to give everything to see this through. He inclined his head.
“We’ll beat them. We’ll cast him back into the abyss once and for all.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gama Ray Martinez lives near Salt Lake City, Utah. He moved there solely because he likes mountains. He collects weapons in case he ever needs to supply a medieval battalion, and he greatly resents when work or other real life things get in the way of writing. Find him at http://gamarayburst.com/ and http://www.facebook.com/gamarayburst.
Lifebringer (Pharim War Book 6) Page 17