The room Raja and Rosemund entered was elegantly appointed in crimson and gold, giving the impression of a smoldering fire. Having never been into Rosemund's bed-chamber, the opulence of its decor struck him as strange. A scattering of precious metals and jewels interrupted the delicate embroidery of luxurious fabrics throughout the room. The indulgence did not fit the person he thought Rosemund was. But he could not take the time to puzzle at the contradiction. Raja had to focus on his mission. Raja quickly scanned the room and attempted to ignore everything but his query.

Finally, he found her. Natalia lay in the large bed at the center of the room. An ancient canopy decorated with depictions of Elemental Fire hung above the platform, casting shadows over her face. The odd lighting and gaudy surroundings should have obscured her identity. Yet, Raja recognized her from the images Lukas had given him. Raja strode towards Natalia but stopped at a gesture from Rosemund.

Confused by Rosemund's calm, Raja chose to observe without protest. Truth often became apparent by allowing events to unfold. The Superior continued to the bed and sat next to Natalia, lifting her head onto her lap. The burgundy of the novice robe Natalia wore blended with Rosemund's. For a moment, Raja could not see where one cloth ended and the other began.

"Little one," the Superior murmured as she stroked Natalia's scarred cheek. "It is time to go. Raja is here."

Natalia's eyes opened and immediately found him. Raja stepped back from her piercing stare before he could stop himself.

"I see him in you," croaked a small hoarse voice from within her frail body. "Lukas lives. He loves. He has bonded again," she closed her eyes and whispered. "Let me go."

Anguish surged through Raja's body. It had to be from her; the suffering was unlike any he had felt. Even with his minimal talent, Raja quickly blocked the weak projection, but the residual echoes of her distress remained. Raja understood the Priestess' regrets better now. While he and Lukas had lived in relative comfort, this woman had lived in horrifying captivity. With so much misery in her life, did he do her a favor by saving it?

Raja suspected her love for Lukas had given Natalia the ambition to live when she could have ended her torture years ago. That love could unmake everything Raja held dear, yet he would finish his task and save her.

"Little one, you must continue to live for Lukas," Rosemund cooed. "He knows you live and has sent his mate for you. Lukas might not survive losing you again." The Priestess settled one of her hands on Natalia's shoulders as she spoke.

Raja stared at both women in silence. Only then did he grieve what had happened to this woman, what he had done to her. Though he could not regret his time with Lukas, he felt remorse for his decisions, though he suspected he would make them again. In any case, the Priestess was right. Lukas might not survive her loss again.

"Can she travel? Is she well enough?" Raja finally found his voice.

"We have not had enough time to heal her completely. We thought it more important to sever the bonds to the Earth Order and to let Natalia rest," Rosemund answered with almost an apology. Natalia had closed her eyes again.

"Before now, we have only provided small healings while Natalia slept. This healing would have been stronger if I had more time or prepared more. But it will have to be enough for now. It will keep her alive until Water magic can touch her.". With a gentle smile at the silent Natalia, Rosemund began chanting; the fire in the hearth danced in response. Raja watched as the magic manifested as a small flame in the Priestess' free hand and traveled from the older Priestess to the younger. The Fire flickered along Natalia's skin and disappeared.

"I hear laughter," Natalia whispered, her soft voice startling Raja. He had thought her asleep.

"Ah!" The Fire priestess exclaimed with happy surprise. "We believe the Fire God laughs as he heals only when pleased at the request. I hope this is true, and he will do more for you than my strength should allow. But Fire can be unpredictable."

After enough time had passed for Raja to feel the beginnings of worry, Natalia's face softened, and her body went limp. The Superior slumped slightly but, with effort, straightened again. Standing, she put Natalia's unconscious head back on the bed.

"You will have to carry her. The Fire consumed the rest of her meager energy reserves." Her voice held some frustration, but her expression was resigned. "Perhaps it is best if she sleeps while you travel, she should not be a heavy burden." Rosemund then walked towards the fireplace and placed her hand on the mantle. As Raja moved towards the bed to collect Natalia, he noticed the Superior pull lightly on one of the stones, causing a hidden door to open beside the hearth.

"This passage connects with The Master's chamber." Her hand pointed towards the open door, and torches flared. "Follow the torches; they will bring you to him."

"Who is the Master?" Raja spoke as he arranged the fragile priestess in his arms and moved toward the door.

"He is many things," the Priestess answered obliquely with a tired laugh. "She knows him as Red, but most call him Paulo. Very few know his real name, and fewer know his secrets." The door began to close behind Raja and his sleeping burden, prompting him to turn and look at the Priestess. Rosemund wasn't coming with them on this journey, he had known that, but it made him nervous. The Fire Priestess was a known quantity, and this mysterious Master was not.

As he watched her, a mischievous smile crossed Rosemund's lips. Even after she disappeared from his view, her last words echoed in the hidden passageway. "May Fire burn true for you on your journey."

Raja shook his head and frowned at the Elemental blessing. The Elemental Gods had little consideration for the humans receiving the prayers; therefore, any Elemental gift could quickly become a curse. But the grace was given, and he couldn't give it back, so he focused on moving forward. Glancing around in the dark, he accepted he could only follow the lighted path.

The builders constructed the passageway from the same stone as the rest of the temple. Those who created these ancient structures likely built an escape route for the Priest or Priestess Superior into each temple. Though the Queen would know this, her soldiers might not. The torches brought him along the sturdy stone wall to a narrow staircase. Pausing for a moment to shift his burden, he started down. It would have been easier for him to travel with her on his back or over his shoulder, but he preferred not to wake her again, and she was light.

The staircase was not long, and the light brought him to a door at the end of another long hallway. He cracked it open with caution, pushing the tapestry that covered the opening away from the wall as he did so. The room it led to was dark, lit only by the torchlight that had guided him. Scanning the room, he could not see anyone, but he felt a subtle change in the air warning him of movement and stepped back into the tunnel. A hand stopped the door from closing again.

"Ah, the famous Raja, I see you live up to your reputation," a low voice announced the arrival of a bearded, black-haired man stepping into the lighted tunnel. Wearing a satchel over his muscular shoulder and a short sword in his belt, the man smiled with approval at Raja's wariness. After he slipped into the concealed space, the door closed behind him, his ample form filling the distance between the wall and Raja. This must be the Master. The magic surrounding the older man confirmed his identity just as much as his presence in the room Rosemund led him to.

Abruptly, the torches around them guttered, engulfing them in darkness.

"The Priestess is otherwise engaged, it seems." The Master observed, ignoring Raja's continued silence. Raja heard the rustle of fabric as his eyes accommodated to the darkness. From the Master's hand, a light appeared, blinding Raja once again. Raja blinked several times to get the halo of light out of his eyes. When he could see again, the light floated in front of the Master, illuminating the dark passageway. Raja did not know enough about Elemental magic to understand how this Master Mage had performed this feat, but he accepted the gift of light.

Now that he could see the Master, Raja took the opportunity to scrutinize the man. The Master was almost as tall as the passageway but did not need to stoop. This made him taller than the average man, but not the tallest Raja had met. His curly black hair was a mess on his head, and his black beard had streaks of gray that were not present on the scalp. The aura surrounding him was Elemental, but Raja could not differentiate between the different magics. While he inspected the Master, the Master returned his gaze with a smirk before glancing down at Natalia.

"Will you be alright to carry her? The horses are about a mile out. I could not risk bringing them any closer." The Master's voice was quiet and carried only as far as Raja's ear. Raja nodded and held Natalia against his chest. Satisfied, the Master began to walk down another hallway but looked back at Raja as he spoke. "Rosemund told you to call me Paulo, I assume?" Raja nodded again. "Good." The Master glanced again at Natalia before turning away and looking forward. "It is good she sleeps. She would slow us down otherwise."

Once they had walked a reasonable distance from his door, the Master stopped in a convenient nook. "I need to look at her to see what Rosemund has accomplished and what we still need to hide."

Raja hesitated but resignedly knelt and rested Natalia on the ground with her back against his knee. There was no use in resisting the mage now. He had to trust that Rosemund would have put her faith in someone who would harm either him or Natalia. Raja had a difficult time with trust, but he knew when to put up resistance and when to bide his time.

The Master inspected Natalia with his light. "The scar remains. We will have to cover that." He paused to make a decision. "Better now than later, I think."

Paulo pulled a cream out of his satchel and rubbed it onto her cheek. Then he found a dark cloth and wrapped it around her head and face. Only her eyes were now visible. Natalia didn't stir.

"We need to remove the novice garb and leave it behind." Raja agreed and pulled her against his shoulder as the older man slipped the flowing cloth off her. To Raja's relief, the robe was covering another set of clothes. Underneath, she wore soft britches and a loose shirt that matched the veil. To a casual observer, she would look like a woman from the Tribal Lands. The sting of understanding poked at Raja's lips, prompting him to move them transiently into a smile before recovering his bland face again.

"Is she to be my sister or my wife?" Raja asked as he settled her back into his arms. He used his first words to the Master to hint at his intelligence.

"Wife is simpler, but either would do," Paulo examined the thin woman's new appearance, as did Raja. His lack of admiration didn't disappoint Raja. The expectation that he would have understood the Master's plan complimented him even more.

Natalia appeared less sickly in her new garb, likely because he could only see her closed eyes. When the Master spoke again, he was looking at Raja. "Men will be less tempted to look closely at your wife than your sister, though I imagine most would not dare to look at either." The big man laughed at his joke and then turned to resume their walk. "I would take the role, but ..." he paused, and Raja heard him chuckle lightly before continuing, "She was once your bond-mate's wife, and I do not want to upset that mighty man."

Trying to ignore his confusion at the Master's words, Raja followed the burly man. Natalia and Lukas had once been married. Raja had allowed himself to forget this fact. It had been unimportant to his daily life but could be important later when they reunited. Though this added a new layer to his building concerns, he could not let his mind get distracted and resumed his planning with the Master.

"And you are to us . . ."

"Uncle, of course," Paulo did not turn back, but Raja could feel the smile in his voice. "People will see me as I choose to appear, but I do try to expend as little power as possible while traveling. I do not look enough like either of you to be a parent, and uncle has always been a loose term among the Tribes."

The man's logic was sound, as was his understanding of Raja's people. This knowledge gave Raja a clue as to the Master's rank. Most Masters of lower status were insulated and knew only their craft. Given his powerful aura and worldly knowledge, this Master could be a member of one of the councils, maybe even The Council.

WC2276

Edited 12/31/2022