Chapter 16
Sati and I were ejected violently from Guta's unconscious mind, leaving me feeling as though my brain had been rolled down a rocky hill. Inside a barrel, filled with more rocks. I shook off my confusion and ignored the pain. It was a sign of damage to my own mind, but Guta was in immediate danger.
A quick scan with my spiritual eye showed that Sati was largely fine, although she was unconscious. Myta grabbed the apsara to care for her, for which I sent her a thankful thought. Guta was my main concern right now, however.
The hunter was splayed on the ground and convulsing, held down by assistants who had been standing by. Air aspected mana ran wild in his meridians, tearing at the channels every second it remained. It was both a blessing and a curse that he had been very successful in thoroughly dispersing the mana. It meant that none of his meridians had outright burst, but they were torn and ravaged all over.
I latched onto his spirit with my presence, pulling away the mana that he'd already rejected. Then, I slid my own mana into his system through the small tears his anima already had. Not for the first time, I was grateful that my vasra were so tolerant of my aspect. The spiritual link eased my way, when even my aspect might otherwise have struggled in the aftermath of such a violent rejection.
I siphoned the air aspected mana from him as quickly as I could manage. Not quickly enough to completely prevent more damage, but I did keep any of his channels from splitting wide open. His spirit would probably heal within a week. At least, it would if he actively worked to repair it. I was careful to withdraw every speck of my own mana from Guta's spirit. Despite how widely compatible my aspect was there was no telling what damage it might cause, when his anima looked like cheesecloth.
We got him and Sati into their bedding, and then retired for the evening. I spent that night tossing and turning. My attempts to meditate failed inexplicably, as did Myta's attempts to sooth or distract me. The scent of blood hounded me every time I began to doze off, filling me with a feeling of dread. I wasn't sure what had prompted these phantoms, but no one had seen or heard anything amiss. So we proceeded onward, toward the town of Eldratu.
Over the next weeks we traveled slowly, stopping early each day to grant aspects to more of the company. Myta reorganized our fighters, dividing them into more specialized squads of uneven numbers. Denu led our rangers, who were all training with bows. Jito led a group of skirmishes while Hati, still remaining as my flame's second, commanded a group of heavies. They focused on defensive sorceries and crushing assaults.
All our fighting force divided into these groups, though Jito further divided his skirmishers into smaller squads, as that was the most numerous group. It seemed overly complicated to me, but I had to admit that the previous squads of five didn't carry over well to our new composition. Kari ended up leading one of those squads. Her arm was regrowing steadily, and she had developed the same aspect as Jito.
Everyone other than Guta was able to adopt an aspect that suited them. Seeing how debilitating his rejection had been encouraged the others to heed my advice when I suggested alternatives to them. Guta himself remained adamant that he adopt the air aspect, however. I left it to Sati to help him adjust.
Between integrating aspects, travel, and training the company in basic sorcery, the trip to Eldratu flew by. That was despite my persistent unease. I had difficulties sleeping, and persistent phantoms of blood and unease, which convinced me that I was being watched. Something capable of avoiding my senses was following us, and I was certain that I knew what it was.
"Another shifter, like the cat-beast that attacked us before?"
I nodded to Jito. "I can't imagine what else it could be. It feels the same, as though I'm catching just a whiff of its presence."
"You mentioned that the shifter reminded you of Ket though, correct?" Myta was concerned, though not nearly as concerned as I'd have liked. "Could it be another, similar, spirit or being? Could it be Ket?"
"It's possible," I allowed, trying to tamp down my irritation. My poor sleep was wearing on me. And makin me irrationally short tempered. "I doubt it would be Ket. As unpredictable as spirits can be, I can't think of why she would trail us without making contact. And yes, it could be any awakened being with aspects of blood and fear. That's not an unusual combination as such things go. But I have the feeling that both, the shifter and our new stalker, are related to her somehow."
"So what can we actually do?" Asked Jito.
"If you want to confront them, ambush is the only real option," said Hati. "If no one, not even you, Esur'uk, can detect them, then we must find some way to turn the tables. If they're after you, specifically, then we have bait."
We discussed our options for a time, but failed to come up with a plan that anyone was satisfied with. I couldn't even determine how far away the stalker might be. I was angry and frustrated when Myta pulled me aside afterwards, with Sati at her side.
"You need her help, master." My flame gestured to the apsara. "Whatever is going on, you need sleep, real sleep. And she can help."
I started to argue, but brought myself up short. I was angry, on edge due to my lack of rest. And I could even tell that my irritation was irrational. So I took a deep breath, and tried to relax. Myta was right, even the fact that arguing was my first reflex told me that she was right.
"Are you willing?" I looked at Sati questioningly, and she nodded. "Then I will accept your help, thank you. Just... don't push too far into my dreams. You won't like what you might find there."
The former princess grinned at me, and I could see that she was trying to imagine what kind of embarrassing or lascivious secrets I was keeping. But she nodded readily enough. "I won't go prying. This time."
Her attitude toward me had been steadily shifting. She'd gone from imperious and abrasive, to downright playful. So I gave her a strained smile in response. I didn't want to set our relationship back again, but I also didn't have the good humor to respond in kind.
That night, as I was beginning to drift off, I saw Sati emerging from the mists of sleep around me. Her long cape of hair, and hourglass figure were unmistakable, though I could see nothing but her silhouette in the silvery fog. This was as close to sleep as I'd been able to get since shortly after the shifter attack. I'd get to this point, and then awaken, with the metallic taste of blood and fear in my mouth.
Speaking of which, I began to catch that coppery scent almost immediately, followed by a darkening of the mist around me. Sati's figure was quickly lost in the shadows that began to crowd around me. The whole scene was surreal, and my mind tried to reject its existence. This hazy place was only in my mind. It wasn't even part of my inner world, just an imaginary transition from waking to sleeping meditation.
