Everything Is Eternal (Book Two)

XXI

The novice hesitated before healing Will's feet. The hesitation only made Will antsy.

"You can do this, right?" he asked.

The mask made it impossible to do anything but guess the kid's expressions, but Will could swear the kid was wrinkling his nose. "Of course I know what I'm doing," the novice said brusquely. "It's just... your feet really smell.",

Will almost laughed at the childish behavior. "I'm beaten and bloody... and a little piss is what bothers you? Are you really up for being a priest? Sister Celine really gets her hands dirty."

"Excuse me."

Will watched in disbelief as the kid bolted from the room, leaving the orb behind.

The dim glow gave Will his first good look at the cell in a while. There were new bloodstains and a vomit stain from when he couldn't reach the pot. It didn't surprise Will that he pissed himself, since the Eternal Light kept sending his body into shock. At this point, he was grateful he hadn't lost control of his bowel movements. After being stuck in a cell with a filthy chamber pot, he no longer noticed the stench of urine.

Will assumed the kid was trying to find someone else to do the job, so shock rippled through him when the novice returned. He was lugging a bucket of soapy water and carrying rags.

"There!" The novice set the bucket down, only splashing a little water out. "Now you can clean yourself off."

Will eyed the bucket disdainfully. "No, thank you. I'd rather just wallow in my own filth. At least that way I can annoy you with the stench."

His childish refusal didn't deter the novice. The kid simply soaked a rag in the bucket and commenced cleaning Will's feet. The contact hurt, and he gritted his teeth. But his incredulity distracted him from the pain. He never expected to see a future priest do such a demeaning task.

"So you really couldn't stand the smell?" he asked, as the novice gently wiped away dried blood and other filth.

"I like things clean," the kid said with a rueful nod. "But you shouldn't have your feet so filthy, especially with all these wounds. I'm no nurse, but this can't be healthy. Don't you care? Or are you so corrupted that you can't care?"

Weariness washed over Will. "Probably the last one."

"I... I don't believe it," the kid said earnestly. "If you are so damned, why didn't you kill Carl?"

"Who the hell is Carl?"

"Carl's a guard. He's the one you attacked in your corrupted attempt to escape."

Will shrugged. "I'm not a killer."

"You are corrupted. Your soul is corroding from the dark. That's what made you attack Carl without mercy. The acolyte, Eternal Son Wallace, saw the whole thing. He said you threatened to bash in Carl's head."

"Eternal Son Wallace was a sniveling acolyte." Will curled his lip. "I was just trying to scare him. All I wanted was to get the hell out of here."

"You are disrespectful. You are violent. Still... you don't kill. Sister Celine says it's because the core of your soul is still pure; it still desires to be saved."

Will wasn't so distracted by his pain that he couldn't recognize a question disguised as a statement. The novice was fishing for something.

He wouldn't be cleaning Will's repulsive feet if he didn't want something.

Will decided to answer with a question. "What do you think?"

Servants of the Eternal were rarely asked their opinions, especially if they were glorified apprentices. It took a moment for the novice to reply. "I think your genuine instinct is to run. I don't know if it's the Dark or your own deluded mind."