Shadows of Bankor

Ru'ni reached down and retrieved the damp cloth that Viati asked for. Handing it to her, he gazed down at the peaceful looking form of Sister Hulia. Viati had been tending to her for as long as she herself had been recovered from the Razing and Ru'ni dropped in whenever he was able to see how they were both faring.

"Has there been any change?" He asked Viati, hopeful for some good news on the condition of the seer.

She looked up and said, "She is well but no change, she is strong, I can feel it. She will return to us, she must."

"The Calm does not call her yet. This is a good sign, the longer she can resist her call, the better her chances of returning fully to us, I am sure." Reaching down he sprinkles a few drops of water upon Hulia's forehead, offering a prayer to the ancestors to send the Sister back to the living.

"And what about you my love. Have you been looking after yourself? You give so much of yourself to our people, I wish I could've been here more to help, but....well we've all had a lot to take care of."

She does look exhausted at least in the eyes, outwardly she seems as she should be, but her eyes are bloodshot and the lids heavy. She replied, “I endure, this is not a time for weakness, the people need me to be strong so for that I am strong.”

“And you, what keeps you so busy?”

Ru'ni takes gentle hold of Viati's arm and guides her to a chair, it is small comfort but sometimes the smallest things can make a big difference. Kneeling beside her, he rests his head in her lap and closes his eyes.

"The souls of those lost in the Razing needed a hand of righteous fury to guide them to the Calm. I have been cleansing the sins of those whose actions led to their early passing, to free their souls to carry on their journey."

Viati contemplated that meaning and then said softly, "I am sure they are proud but such acts stain the soul, you walk among shadows to carry the dead to the light."

She gently brushed his hair with her hands, it was comforting.

His arms wrapped softly around Viati's legs, he let all the pain from the last few days out as he started to gently sob.

"If not me, then who? I should've seen it coming, I should've stopped him. I wasn't strong enough, wasn't smart enough then. But now, if I can make amends, by carrying this burden..."

"What is one soul weighed against thousands of lives? One soul to save a culture, a people?"

"It means everything if that soul is unable to return to the Calm," she said softly.

"It is a noble sacrifice, perhaps the ancestors will see that."

"It is a stepping stone upon a path." Ru'ni answered back, indeed finding comfort in the closeness.

"My path may yet atone for these sins. A lifetime of service may be enough it may not," he continues as he sits up and his wet cheeks become visible as he looks into Viati's eyes.

"But I have motivation to try."

"Do not let this make you into something you are not, my beloved," she whispered sweetly.

"I shall try. With the blessings of the spirits of the Calm, such distasteful work will be behind me now. The Razing has been avenged, the Chaldi have been freed from tyranny. A quiet few days would be nice."

"When Sister Hulia has recovered we should go somewhere for a few days, take some time for us. One cannot pour from an empty cup."

"Wait... you freed the Chaldi? Tell me the tale!" she said with some confusion and excitement.

"There is not much to tell. Our little Sister Sunnya took some laowai to meet the tribes. A scientist and her friends, nothing too uncommon." Ru'ni starts the tale, unable to suppress a smile at Viati's excitement.

"They saw that the Chaldi had welcomed the sky devils into their lands with open arms, or at least their leaders had. Troopers, weapons, soldiers; they had been helping the Empire under promises of ruling the Aznuri. The Chaldi were to subjugate us, and then by extension we would be ruled by these intruders."

"We went back today to the Hbanu, and convinced their Mother to help us free their neighbours." Ru'ni's eyes widened. "Have you ever ridden a swoopwing my love?" He asked a little teasingly.

"Never!" she said with astonishment.

"You didn't?" she said with jealous eyes.

"Next week. You and I should head back there for a few days and I can teach you how to ride them. I'm sure you'll be a natural, and Kinareth is a gentle creature once you get to know him."

"I was wondering... *cough* when you two would... *groan* run away together," Hulia said weakly.

"Well if you hadn't taken your time getting better, it would've been a lot sooner." Ru'ni replied sarcastically.

"Don't strain yourself Sister it's been a few weeks since you were injured. Take a few moments, can you feel your fingers and toes?"

She spent a moment adjusting to being awake and said, "Yes... I can feel them... the last I remembered... the enclave!" she said trying to sit up only to wince in pain and fall back into bed.

Ru'ni shook his head sadly. "Many spirits were called to the Calm and the Enclave is no more. We relocated as many as were willing back to the tribes, the rest are...scattered around the Slums wherever there is room."

Ru'ni places a restraining hand upon Hulia's chest. "No, let's not try that again soon. The adversity has forged some leaders in the community who can hold it together while you recover. Rest for now Sister."