Scientific Sorcery

Part 34

The mental scream could be heard by all the priestesses. Xonsu was horrified. She couldn't do anything for Bast. The general of the city was too far gone for her abilities. As far as she could tell, she had been dead for minutes already.

"Nothing," she whispered through tears.

She heard the return voices in her head. It was the other priestesses around her in the battle. She saw their faces turning toward her, splitting their attention between her and their battle charges. Split that attention too much, and the Ground forces would be in danger. Xonsu knew that. She knew that there was nothing they could do to help her—help Bast. She was too far gone.

But the High Priestess!

"What is it?"

"Who is hurt?"

"How many of us do you need?"

Voices assaulted her. She tried to concentrate on the High Priestess and respond to them at the same time. It was rude to shout to everyone's mind at once, but this was an emergency. Politeness be damned. Her mind shouted to all minds that could hear her, "The High Priestess is hurt. She will die without help. I need three, at least."

Voices chattered amongst themselves in her head. They realized that she was busy—they decided who would assist her without asking her more questions. She was the first Priestess with the bodies, so she would be leading the surgery, even though other Priestesses were more skilled. Oh, Gods, why was she not more skilled?

One voice shouted to her from a short distance away. It was Ramla, she was approaching fast from the common quarters. "What of Bast?"

Xonsu's silence carried across to all of the minds listening. It was a silence which brought with it a sadness—a frown. Even without words, all of the women felt it.

Bast was gone.

Now there were multiple exclamations in her head. Frightened gasps, panicked moans, and worried groans swam. One voice, that of Ramla, let out a piercing screech—a sustained Noooooooo!

# # #

"No! No! No!"

It howled over and over in Ramla's mind. She realized as she ran, eyes swimming with tears, that the words in her mind were her own. She was wailing out to anyone who could hear her thoughts, but she didn't care who heard. Nothing mattered right now.

She burst into the courtyard, white robes streaming wild behind her.

The battle was pitched tight. Men pressed into the city with the blades on their guns and the occasional dagger. Women pressed back with sword, pike, and arrow.

Ramla scanned left and right, but couldn't see the fountain amongst the crush of war. That's where she was. That's where she could find Bast.

She was still screaming. Now he was using her physical voice, her throat scraping out the hot rattle. Men were startled by the sudden appearance of a red-faced woman in white, howling like a banshee. Their pause was their downfall as women of the Ground pushed into and slaughtered them. The gush of blood might have caused Ramla to pause in a previous life.

Oh Gods, it can't be. Oh Gods...

Ramla charged forward uncaring into the melee.

"Get out of my WAY!" She squealed in fury. She raked out her fingers, feeling the opposite of her healing energy scoring both men and women in her way. Anything that could heal could also harm, although it was forbidden. Ten unseen knives slashed at the army before her, splitting them backwards. Confused combatants backed away and brushed at the air, as if fending off the attack of an angry cat.