Forgotten Shadows

[Jerusha]

Thursday early afternoon
September 12, 1168
Saint Willibrord Church
Grecotha

Sir Jamyl Arilan sighed. As an Intelligencer for the King of Gwynedd, one needed to learn patience. If he had not learned this lesson, he would have paced down the length of the nave to check the street outside the church at least twenty times. Somehow, he had managed to limit himself to six.

Sir Jamyl.

Finally! Lord Iain! Please tell me you have news, particularly of Sir Airich.

I do, but it's not the best news. Airich lies gravely wounded. He was pierced through his side and pinned to the ground by a dagger. He lost a lot of blood. He has been tended to, but cannot possibly travel yet.  Whether he will survive at all is still uncertain.

Jamyl bit back an unknightly curse. Have you seen him? Talked to him?

I am about to. I think it would be wise if you would advise King Kelson. Let him know that Airich has not been remiss in responding to the King's summons. At the moment, it is impossible. And we have no Healer here.

Jamyl gave a mental nod.  Tell Airich the king will be informed. It will ease Airich's mind. And please keep me informed on his progress. 

Sir Iain broke the contact, and Sir Jamyl hung on to the word "progress." He would not accept the alternative.

[Nezz]

"Mistress," Collos said to Elspeth, "I understand you are needed outside. Two of your men are trying to kill each other, I understand."

"What?"

"The archer and the student. There have been harsh words between them, as well as a physical altercation, I am led to believe."

"Oh, those two..." Elspeth collected her medical bag while Collos fished a key out from his belt pouch. He handed it to the physicker.

"When you go out, take this key," Collos said. "It will unlock the house two doors to the north of this one. It's larger than this one. You and the gentlemen can get dry there and remain close by while the rest of us work on Airich. There is also a stable around the corner and down one block. Your horse can be stabled there for now."

"That's a relief, at least," Elspeth said, and allowed Collos to escort her out, leaving Trevor and Amy to convince Airich to cooperate.

"It's not just the information I need to keep secret," Airich said petulantly. "I don't want people invading my mind. Is that so much to ask?" He had to breathe several times before he could continue. "I hate knowing that Darius is in there, knowing that he could put me back to sleep without a by-your-leave at a moment's notice. This is why the Willimites hate us so much; it's terrifying knowing that someone is in your head, and almost as terrifying not knowing if they're in your head or not, but they could be."

"This is terrifying for us as well," Trevor told him. "Do you think we like seeing you this way? Seeing you lose your sanity would be far worse."

"I've got time," Airich insisted. "Get Wash. Then I"ll go along with your plan."

Trevor threw up his hands in frustration at Airich's stubbornness. Amy thought the priest wasn't considering Airich's fear of being so completely helpless, as she felt Airich's emotions rise in response to the pressure.

"Father?" Darius said, raising his eyebrows at Trevor in question. Amy realized he was asking Trevor if the priest wanted Airich to sleep. Trevor glanced at Airich, then back at Darius, and gave a slight nod.

Airich saw this exchange. Before Darius could trigger the controls, the knight's Shields slammed shut¹, despite the merasha still coursing through his system.

"I said No!" His Shields caught both Darius and Amy and shoved them out. "No more strangers in my head!"
¹Shields up: Normal Standard (-1D due to merasha) 2d6: 5, 2; Success

[Laurna]

((It is my honor to post this next scene in dedication to Earl Derry. Nezz has had an important hand in setting and writing Sir Airich's troubles.))

The power that slammed across their rapport was like a boulder falling upon her. Amy yelped and fell back against Trevor's knees. Desperate to not lose her physical touch with Airich, she reached for the knight's sleeve and then grabbed for his hand. But he pulled his hand away, the same as he was doing with his mind. She attempted Rapport without touch, but it was impossible. The loss of Darius' controls meant a resurgence of the pain from fresh wounds, and Airich cried out, panting desperately and pressing at his side.

"Airich, stop! You're going to start bleeding again!" Trevor grabbed at his hands

Amy gave up her space for Trevor, but she quickly realized Trevor was having no better luck getting through to his brother. She squeezed her shoulder past the priest to touch Airich's forehead.

Airich was beyond reason now. Amy remembered seeing him the night they'd repaired Robert's hand, wild-eyed and unaware of his surroundings. This was worse. Darius grabbed Airich's other arm, pulling it away from his wound; they could all see the fresh blood staining his tunic. They needed to get him under control quickly, but his Shields were as a fortress.

Two men entered the small room, and it was Jimmy who understood first and threw his effort into controlling the knight, but Airich's struggles became more aggressive the more they tried to calm him.

Airich suddenly gave a violent shudder, then went still.

"I've got him." It was Airich's voice. But it wasn't, as well. The timbre, the authoritative tone, the surety... this was someone else.

Trevor pulled away. His troubled eyes were almost as round as his brother's. "Father?" he whispered.

All eyes turned hard on Trevor, all understanding in that moment what was happening. "No, no! Airich, come back to me!" Amy wailed.

Jimmy and Trevor nodded in silent agreement, and Jimmy leaned in very close to the face of Airiich and said. "Earl Sean O'Flynn, We are here to care for your son. Let us do what we can to save him."

"I appreciate your humoring me," the words came from Airich's mouth. "but you know I'm not the earl. Airich's safe, I've got him... somewhere, I'm not sure exactly. But safe."

Amy squeezed into the small space at the head of the pallet, never taking her hand off of her knight, not again. Darius and Trevor were frantically removing bandages and pressing on the front wound to control the bleeding. Jimmy, too, left them room to work, but he also had his hand on Airich's shoulder, skin-to-skin. It seemed to Amy that this Bishop's guard knew Airich's father and was conversing with that second-self to get the rightful mind of Airich back in control.

"Of course I'm going to let him back," the knight said, "but not until he's calmed down. The boy should know better—ow!—than to rip his stitches out. But being tortured and nearly murdered does strange things to a man's head. I hope you'll forgive him for your inconvenience and wasted effort, sir," he added for Darius.

"He's not the first patient who's gotten out of control, m'lord," Darius said calmly, even as his hands flew over his work.

Amy's mouth was dry. "They... they tortured him?" she asked in a small voice.

Airich's blue eyes flicked up to her face and he smiled grimly. "Not as much as they wanted to, but... yes, they did."

Amy closed her eyes for a moment to shut out the vision that came to her mind. Stealing a look behind the medics, Amy saw Collos gathering items that looked much like the items they had used in their ritual days before. She squeezed her eyes shut again and silently prayed that all these men knew what they were about.

"I'm trying to get his Shields down,"² Airich said. "It's trickier than I thought it would be. Blast, that hurts."

"Can't be helped, milord," Darius said.

"I know. But I think I've figured out how to do this," Airich said. "Darius, when I give you the word, you make him sleep. And then, you... all of you..." his eyes lit on each person there, "you do what you need to do to fix him. Restore his sanity if you can. Merge or cast out the memories. Whatever it takes. I know I don't belong here, so if I get lost in the process, so be it." He looked directly at Collos now. "I'm trusting Amy's word that you're telling the truth about your intentions. But if I find out that you have other plans for him, I will hunt you down. And I'm a lot more patient and ruthless than the boy is."

Collos allowed himself a smile and gave the other man a half bow. "A man does what he must to protect his children. I take no offense from your threat."

"That is well, for none is meant." Airich closed his eyes and flinched from the medics' work. "Amy, tell Airich he didn't lose to Jasper. One of the other men swept his legs. He'll want to know that."

"Oh my! Yes, I can do that."

"When you're ready, Darius."

"I'm ready, my lord."

"Now."³

Airich's relaxed body went limp as Darius reasserted his control and put Airich into a sound slumber.
²Shields down: Normal Standard (-1D due to merasha) 2d6: 2, 2; Failure
³Shields down: Normal Standard (-1D due to merasha) 2d6: 3, 5; Success