"We need to get out of here," Ashviel said.
"Yes," agreed Kael, "you're in no good shape yourself."
They raised Kyra up, each lifting one of shoulders, but as they got her to her feet, Kyra suddenly spoke. "What are we going to do with the bodies?" she asked her two companions, who had not given the bodies so much thought.
"We leave them here," said Kael.
Kyra thought for a little while. "You'll burn them to ashes, so that none would recognize them."
"Kyra there's no way we're going to do that," objected Ashviel. "You're more important to us than some unfortunate cadavers."
"More reason for you to cremate them promptly," she remained.
They lifted her back to the ground and proceeded to do as she said. Ashviel was especially impressed by her ingenuity, even at death's door. No doubt, her shrewdness had saved them times over.
They collected the body in a pile, and after searching them for any valuable, set them on fire. They had not found much; a few swords not worthy of keeping, a rope, and a bag of silver and platinum heads Ashviel was sure was ill gotten. The horses that the men had brought all found their way to escape, deserting their wretched owners.
When they were sure that nothing of them remained except their ashes, Ashviel and Kael left to get Kyra. Kael swung her over his shoulders, as Ashviel was too weak already, after a grave battle and a loss of a huge portion of his blood. Kyra, though alive, was only snatching at life, and they had to hurry through the darkness to the House.
Kael was a little injured, but he had taken out three of Mishino's men before his injuries began to surface. Notwithstanding, he still had enough physical and mental strength to carry Kyra home. He smiled as they came closer to the house.
It reminded him of the battle with De Vrie, and the way he had had to carry Ashviel all the way to Lord Blue Beard's place afterwards. Perhaps he was a guardian after all, he thought.
They got to the dwelling half an hour later and Kael quickly laid Kyra down on a mattress.
"The wine," cried he, and Ashviel reached into his space pouch to produce some bottles of Master Vauxall's wine.
"You think the wine would help her?"
"It should," replied he, "it should provide her with enough sustenance."
They opened bottle after bottle, emptying the red liquid into her mouth, and using the rest to wash off her wounds. A quarter later, she asked that they stop, as her bleeding had stopped already, and the last thing she needed was a couple of guys drowning her in wine.
"It's okay," said she, "I may not be Ashviel, but I am not a slow healer either."
"You will need a doctor," insisted Ashviel.
"How about Master Wayne?" suggested Kael. "He would be able to assist us." Already, the master had saved him from prison, and he was sure it would take him little to get Kyra the best healthcare.
"No," said Ashviel. "We shouldn't go to Master Wayne."
"Why?"
"If we seek his help for the second time now, then we would be greatly indebted to him. Moreover we had gone to fight Mishino without telling him, and I doubt he would love to know that."
"But Kyra is…"
"Ashviel is right," she cut in, "we should not run to Master Wayne. Besides, I am not so injured." Even as she spoke, she felt her insides churning, as her ribs began to heal. Even Ashviel himself— the one possessing the Valkyra— had never been so injured. Deep inside her, she was not sure if she was going to be all right, but quickly decided to let time make the decision.
She was still bedridden for the next two days, and her companions had to stay at home to take care of her. She was by a corner sound asleep when Kael decided to answer Ashviel's questions.
"You asked if there's anything I know about you that you do not understand," he started, reclining on the only couch in the room.
"I did," said Ashviel, half expectantly.
"There is not much to know, but I guess I'll tell you the little I know."
"Then I'm listening," Ashviel said, and brought his chair closer to the couch.
"Frentor took me in after saving me from Rotial, and even before he brought you in, he had told me a little about you. For some reasons, he confided in me and told me that there was a battle between him and some forces. While those forces wanted the apotheosis dead, he wanted it alive, and had since then made me your guardian. At first, I said I was not up to the task, but he told me that I do not have to do anything extraordinary, as my Zeroszen blood would guide me through everything. He said a little about the damnation realm, and told me about its healing effect, and the possibility that you go into it when you are severely injured."
He paused to decant some wine into two bottles, and then took one and handed the other to Ashviel.
"He is, as you know already, not exactly forthcoming in his ways. After that night, he did not mention anything about it until the day he left. While he was sealing your Valkyra, he told me about the healing power of your blood, but warned me not to rely on it, because — as he said— it would get complicated if you go into the plane during the process."
He took a first sip of the wine, and Ashviel waited to hear more.
"That is all I know," said Kael, and Ashviel felt a little disappointment.
He had expected a long discussion, where Kael would unveil many things he did not know. Nonetheless, he was still happy but there was no more secret or unease between them, except that he felt that he had pushed Kael into telling him things he should not know yet.
In a way, Master Vauxall had given them just the amount of information he thought necessary, and had always expressed his finality when they tried to ask him for more.
Yet if Master Vauxall had wanted some things unknown to him, then it would be logical to say that the master might have said some things to him that Kael did not know.
He was still engrossed in his thoughts when a knock landed on their front door and brought him back to reality. At once, he stood up and walked to the door, sword in hand. Kael also stood behind him, and though he still had his blade sheathed, he formed a rapping tempest in his hand.
Ashviel opened the door after the third knock, and was relieved to see that it was only Allit, standing in front of the door in his Capricorn uniform.
"Come on in," Ashviel said and opened the door wide. He peered outside to make sure that Allit was not followed, and then closed the door as soon as the visitor entered.
"How did you find our place?" Kael asked him.
"A little difficult at first," replied Allit, "but I found you at last. I mean who could have expected you to have bought a house all by yourself."
"So, why are you here?" Kael asked.
"I have seen neither you three nor Mishino and his men since the scuffle, and I became scared anything might have happened to you."
"Mishino is dead, his men too," Ashviel stated.
"What? That's impossible," exclaimed Allit in a mixture of joy and disbelief.
"We killed them, all seven of them," Ashviel said again.
"And you are back on your feet without any casualty…," he paused to look around, and as if pricked by a needle, he stood up abruptly. "Wait; don't tell me Kyra is…"
"She's in her room," said Kyra, "barely able to move."
"Mishino almost killed her," concluded Ashviel.
Allit went silent at the news. "I'm sorry I did not come," said he at last.
"You did not know we would be going," said Ashviel.
"Nay, I knew you were going, and I wish I could have stopped you, but I couldn't," said Allit, and Ashviel felt a little brittleness in his voice.
"What do you mean?"
"I know you think I'm a cowardly dastard, and you have every right to," he said.
"I don't think so," Kael said and handed him a glass of wine. "You did the smart thing; you could have died if you had followed us. If Kyra dies, I don't think I would be able to forgive myself."
"Even so," contended Allit, "you won, and came back alive from a fight with two first-class novices."
"First-class?"
"You do not know Mishino was a first-class novice?"
"I don't even know what a first-class novice is," replied Ashviel.
"First-class novices are the very best among novices, and are almost as strong as knights. Mishino was one, and so was a bald one among his crew. The rest clung on to them, and together they become a terror among novices."
Ashviel recognized the bald one as the mage he had fought and got lucky to escape with his life. Even though he was stronger than Ashviel, he was still beheaded by a rapping tempest.
"Even as I was coming here," continued Allit, "I did not expect to meet any of you alive."
"Was that the reason why you tried to deter us from going to Rendell's place?" Kael asked, and rose to join the two at the table.
"Not exactly, but due to a similar occurrence," answered Allit.
"Have you once been a victim of Mishino?"
"Not him, but someone like him."
"It's okay if you do not want to talk about your experience."
"It was a long time ago, during my fledgling days. I met Leila on my way to Capricorn, and we became friends almost immediately. She was an amazing optimist, and had hoped to become the Lord Commander even when she was just a mere fledgling. Then we had a disagreement with Arturo, and he challenged her to a duel. She accepted it, and promised me to come back alive. After all, she was a future archmage, she had said as she left for the duel."
The brittleness of his voice intensified as he continued. "She returned after defeating Arturo, but the bastard was not satisfied. He and some others of his kind broke into her house the night after. I searched for her the next day, and then found her head hanging from a pole at her backyard; dead, and with no one to bury her. I reported to the masters, but they dismissed the case as nothing. Of course, a single dead fledgling does not matter to them. Arturo made my life miserable for some time, but I heard he's now in central Capricorn. Seeing you go to face Mishino had me worrying, but I'm glad you're fine."
"That's a…a hell of a story," Kael said when Allit finished.
"A great one," they had another voice say and they looked up to see Kyra coming from her room.
"Kyra, you should still be in bed," Kael said with a tenderness that bordered on solicitude.
"What am I — a toddler?"
She looked fine, and one could not have guessed that only two days, she was injured to the point of death. Nonetheless, she was still far from being fit for training, let alone a battl