Sentinel

Chapter 42 - Calling light

For the second time, a silver aura steadied Tayne. His heart beat faster in his chest and it was no longer difficult to breathe. His limbs ceased to shake as the light caressed his skin and replenished the energy Kiarae had used and more.

Kiarae leant down and pulled him away from the wall. “I have returned what I borrowed. I apologise, I did not realise it would affect you so,” she said.

She offered him a hand, which he took. Her odd way of speaking caught him off guard. She sounded like Wrain.

“It’s okay,” he said. He started to get to his feet. “I just--“ Tayne swayed on his feet, leaning on the wall once more for support.

“What is it? Did I not give enough back?” asked Kiarae.

Tayne shook his head, slowly. “No, it’s not that. I lost a lot of blood when I fought the Hunter. My leg is nearly useless, and...” He forced himself to admit something. “I... don’t think I can walk on it anymore.”

“Let me see.” Kiarae knelt down, her hand hovering near his bandaged leg. She flicked her wrist a few times before muttering under her breath. “This will be difficult. Anton has severed me from my magic with that damned blade of his.” Her fingers worked to undo the bandage around his calf.

Alarm shot through Tayne. “What do you mean? You used magic just before!”

Kiarae pursed her lips. The bandages removed, she placed her hand over the leaking wound. “It was not my own. Taldorei’s light stores energy but it is wild and unpredictable until I take control of it. My capacity for holding ether is currently damaged and it appears to be affecting my control, but hopefully... this should work.”

“Hopefully?”

“There is the chance it will explode you from the inside out, but I believe it will resonate with the magic already within you,” she said.

“Because you used it on me then?” asked Tayne.

Kiarae shook her head, her fingers finding their way to the crystal in the head of her staff. “Taldorei’s light was the weapon wielded by the first celestial Sentinel and channelled the power of the deity into the chalice you use in your trial of soul to bless the worthy. It is the original focal point of what you call the Silverborn blessing.”

With one hand wrapped around the crystal and the other on his leg, Kiarae closed her eyes. Tayne felt the power enter through her hand and course around his body. His fingers prickled uncomfortably, and his feet soon followed. When Kiarae removed her hand, Tayne’s vision was once more edged with silver and his body tingled with every beat of his heart.

“It infused your blood with magic and your leg should hold... although I am not quite sure what the staff has done,” she said after a moment examining her work. “It appears tha--“

She stiffened. Her head jerked to glance down the corridor, her eyes searching the darkness. “Did you sense that?”

Tayne’s sword was in his hand. Its silver sheen had returned, brighter than before.

“Sense what? Tainted? The Master?”

Kiarae took her staff with a second hand. “No, it was almost like...”

A torrent of emerald magic hit them, knocking them back several paces and wrapping around Tayne’s body before gusting off to follow the rest, leaving tiny flowers and leaves fluttering to the ground. Tayne picked one off his shoulder, caressing the velvet petals with his thumb. It sent a cold shiver through him as he realised what it meant.

“No, no no no! The deity!” Kiarae swore under her breath and ripped the side of her dress up to her thigh. “We need to get to her. She cannot hide the name from him, not yet. The nature element is in danger if he is allowed to use it!”