“There’s nothing to forgive,” she said, pressing her lips to his.
“Finally!” A hand slapped down on Amma’s back, Xander’s voice right in her ear. The blood mage pushed himself between the two, an arm swung up and over Damien’s shoulders as he tugged them both away from one another and up against him. “Look at the three of us, eh? Back together again as the dark gods intended.”
“Fuck off, Xander.” Damien slammed an elbow into his chest, pulling Amma away from him.
“But Ijustsaved you,” Xander whined, rubbing the spot and looking significantly worse for wear. “And her too, technically.”
“No, she did,” Damien said, dropping his own dagger into his free hand and brandishing it at the other blood mage.
“He helped,” Amma cut in quickly, seeing the tremble to Damien’s hand. The cuts on his face were still unhealed, and she could feel a weakness in him as he clung to her. He was in no place to fight, even with Xander so spent himself, the risk too great. “He brought me and the Righteous Sentries here to rescue you from Delphine.”
Damien’s teeth were clenched, eyes boring into Xander, but he flipped his dagger around.
Xander brushed hands down his blood-spattered coat and took a deep breath. “And I was much kinder to your kitten than she deserved.” He sauntered around them for the pit and leaned over the edge.
Damien looked like he wanted to kick him in, but remained at Amma’s side, hugging her to him.
“What a spectacular way to go.” Xander clicked his tongue. “Looks like they ate her, and then died off themselves. Understandable, she was essentially made up of poison, but what were those things?”
“Abominations,” said Damien, swallowing. “She resurrected the dead with noxscura, mixed them with imps. When she died they must have lost whatever magic she’d given them.”
“Dreadfully poetic.” Xander spun back to them with a sickening grin. “Oh, and speaking of minions.”
Pippa was staggering toward them from across the temple. Delphine’s spell had worn off of her too, but the priestess looked exhausted.
With more vigor, Xander met her in the hall’s center and dropped himself into a chair. “Fancy a little healing, Pips?”
The priestess tended to Xander first, working sluggishlybut not sapped of her abilities. With a little tugging, Amma convinced Damien to join them, pulling him down onto the sofa. He landed in a heap then dug a hand down the back of his tunic, wincing and pulling out a long, black, wriggling thing. “Fucking leeches,” he groused and flung it across the temple where it splatted into a bloody mess on the stone floor.
Amma shifted up onto her knees beside him and yanked at his neckline. “Oh, gods, are there any more?”
Damien chuckled as she shoved her arm down between his tunic and back. “Ah, maybe you can check me more thoroughly later.”
“Oh, right.” She sat back, feeling her cheeks heat up, but still ran hands over his face and through his hair. “I just want to make sure you’re all right. I mean, I know you’re not all right, but I…well, are you all right?”
“Now?” He took her hands. “Yes.”
Xander scoffed from across the fire, sitting forward with a quickness and giving Pippa a fright. “Please, spare us, we’re recuperating here, not attempting to induce vomiting.”
Damien ignored him, pulling her closer, breath still shallow. “Amma, I need to…we should have a…a discussion.” The warm squeeze of his hands on her was reassuring, but her heart still shuddered. Something was wrong, and he was having trouble finding the words.
Pippa’s presence lingered nearby. “You’re hurt,” she said when they glanced at her. “I can help.”
Warily, Damien allowed her to touch him, but he looked the exact opposite of happy about it. As the priestess leaned down, the symbol she wore around her neck fell out of her robes, and when Damien eyed it, that unhappiness was replaced with curiosity. He grabbed the bit of metal and pulled it close to his face, ignoring how he knocked Pippa off balance, and then flipped it over to look on it upside down. “What is this?” hesnapped.
“It was my great-great grandmother’s,” she said, a shake to her voice. “We’ve always been healers, all of the women in my family, blessed by the goddess.”
“This is one of your god’s symbols?” He thrust it back at her.
Pippa took it and stepped away as she flipped it right side up again. “Like this it is. For Isldrah.”
Damien wiped a hand over his face and sat back. “She couldn’t have been a priestess,” he whispered to himself, staring off at the far wall of the temple.
“Um, it’s okay,” Amma said to Pippa as confused tears sprung to the woman’s eyes, “he’s just going through some stuff.”
Xander slapped hands onto his thighs as he stood. “If you’re quite finished, shouldn’t we be heading to Eirengaard now?”
Of course that was what he wanted—Xander hadn’t yet given up on getting Damien’s help despite that he clearly wasn’t going to get it.
