Saer just kept the bitter smirk off his face.
There rose a scraping sound, wood against rock, creaking of old metal as doors opened and shut.Once under the brisk shade of the dense gray stones, the temperature dropped considerably, a minuscule but steady siphoning of his energy.
The crew of men huffed and puffed as they marched through the structure.None seemed on the better end of physical health.Hellsfire, would they drop him?He hadn’t anticipated—
The shuffling of feet paused, followed by a gentle but echoing knock.“Miss?”
“I’m not to be disturbed while praying!”a feminine voice answered from behind the door, muffled by the thick wood planks between her and the entourage carrying Saer.
“Yes, of course, Miss but—”
“Brother Thomas.”
The one who must have been Brother Thomas cleared his throat, pausing his protests.“Yes, Miss?”
“You know I can’t be bothered amidst my personal communion.”
“Miss Kalia, I know—”
“Unless the building and its inhabitants are in grave peril.”
“Yes, we’ve certainly discussed this and—”
“Or the next ice age is rampantly approaching.”
“I haven’t forgotten Miss, it’s just—”
“Orsomeone is in the act of dying whom I have not seen.”
“Yes, Miss Kalia, that’s exactly what is happeningright now!”
“Oh.”The voice on the other end of the door fell silent.
A long pause extended as Brother Thomas panted.
“Are you sure they’re not going to die tomorrow?”
“Miss Kaliaplease!”Brother Thomas didn’t seem the type of human to raise his voice, though it elevated with desperation.
Even through the door, a loud sigh could be heard.The group of monks held their collective breaths.
“Very well.Enter and put the poor sod on the floor.”
As one, the men holding Saer aloft groaned with appreciation and a few mutters.“Thank the heavens.”“Couldn’t possibly have hauled him back to the infirmary.”“Thestench.” “Shhh!”
A door creaked.The group shambled ahead and through the entryway.
Eyes still shut with the worn hood covering everything but his chin, Saer denied his own sight.No amount of sensory deprivation, however, could stop him or the monks from the heavy gust of balmy air as it billowed from the room they entered.The familiar crackling of a substantial fire tickled his ears.
“Just there, by the mantle.That’d be fine.”Kalia’s familiar and throaty voice was much clearer, and though the words came as a command, her tone indicated she didn’t have much inclination to care whether they followed her order or not.
Despite Kalia’s lack of enthusiasm, the monks hobbled with Saer over to the fireplace and set him in front of the blaze.Whether on purpose or not, they dropped him the last few inches onto the unyielding calefactory floor.He just kept his curse to himself, only a sharp breath escaping through clenched teeth.The relieved moans of the gentlemen who had just discharged the burden of a literal demon from their backs covered any sound Saer made.He lay as still as the near-dead.
Kalia was either doing a stellar job of playing none-the-wiser, or she still hadn’t figured out the monks hauled her kin in before her.
One by one, each murmured a quiet, “Thank you, Miss Kalia,” on their way out.
The door shut.
