Messenger From The Sky

Chapter Seven: Orion's Seat (Part I)

While Laurus Killian's healing potions were indeed effective – restoring a wound within less than an hour – they tasted like dung and pig swill mixed together. Still, Erin forced herself to stomach the revolting liquid, knowing that doing so would eventually result in a fully healed leg.

Each spoonful that Killian gave her was torture. According to Killian himself, the potion consisted of pure spirituas, a various collection of magical herbs, a pinch of lavender and Hollowfire butterfly blood. Of course, the realisation that she was swallowing butterfly blood did not help matters.

But the hour soon passed, and, sure enough, when Killian pulled the bandages away, Erin saw that her wound had closed up completely. She couldn't help marvelling at the potion's effectiveness, regardless of the how vile it had tasted. It was as if she had never received such a grievous wound, although the memories of the dreaded encounter with the bandits would always be there, reminding her of the pain she had endured.

And how Casius had saved her from death.

Both Killian and Casius allowed her some privacy while she got dressed, swapping the long-sleeved pale shirt and matching trousers she had woken up in for her usual attire – a loose fitting grey shirt, black trousers, leather boots and a matching vest. It was not the most fashionable choice of attire, nor was it particularly feminine, but Erin had learnt, from experience, that one simply could not do battle in a beautiful floor length dress.

After retrieving her cloak and throwing it around herself, Erin emerged from the bedchamber and found Killian and Casius waiting for her in the next room.

'Feeling better now that you're wearing something familiar?' Killian asked.

Erin nodded. 'Much better, thank you. Now, we should probably get going. Dorafeir awaits, and we haven't a second to spare.' She made her way over to Killian and threw her arms around his neck, drawing him into a tight embrace. 'Thank you so much for everything, professor.'

'Uh! Y-you're welcome...' The older man, though initially stunned by the surprise hug, quickly reciprocated, drawing his own arms around her. 'You're always welcome.'

Several moments passed before Erin finally pulled away and hurried across the room to where Casius was. He didn't seem the least fazed by her spontaneous decision to hug Killian, choosing instead to smile when she gazed up at him.

'Right.' She looked down and adjusted her vest in an attempt to smooth out the brown leather creases. 'Shall we head off?'

The angel nodded and escorted Erin through the spacious room that was the main lobby. They were steps away from the manor doors when something grabbed a hold of Erin's arm, halting her in her tracks.

'Wait.'

She looked round and saw Killian standing, his brows raised in a look of concern. 'What is it?' she asked.

Killian reached behind his back and drew out a small, drawstring pouch. 'Here.' He held it out towards her. 'For you.'

Erin took the pouch, pulled at the string binding it shut and tipped it upside down, allowing the contents to spill out. She couldn't quite conceal the look of confusion which arose when a couple of coloured gemstones fell into her palm.

'Enhancement crystals,' Killian explained. 'I'm not Ballethorne, and so I can't guarantee you the Tarot of Wizardry, but it's just a little something. You probably won't even need them, but still...you never know what's waiting out there. Better to be safe than sorry, right?'

'Of course.' Erin slipped the gemstones back inside the pouch, which she then stuffed inside of her trouser pocket – the place she deemed most secure. 'Thank you again, Professor Killian,' she said. 'For everything.'