Stolen

Kidnapping the Head Priest of the temple, what am I doing? She’s not just an ordinary priest either. She’s in charge of the largest temple in all of Ject. I don’t know how it compares to the other kingdoms, but that still carried a lot of weight.

This was a terrible idea. I shouldn’t be doing it. But here I was dragging a woman at least twice my age through the halls. Because she wasn’t unconscious, I could just give her direction and she’d follow it loosely. But there were a lot of corrections and panicking as I thought I rammed them into a wall. They had just frozen up for some reason. Don’t scare me like that. I’m not trying to be a criminal, but what does it look like?

I’m so guilty doing this. What is she going to say when she recovers? Is she even going to be able to recover? I hadn’t thought about that when I stole her from the office. I hope that I can get her detoxed, if this truly is some sort of poison in the water. It was my only working theory that I could test.

Time was on my side at least. With the book in hand, I’d need some time to read it. I could do that while I waited for her to return to normal. I really put a lot on this even being possible. If she couldn’t, it's not anyone in the capital would know that I took her. I’d put her back as she wasn’t dying, I think? That wasn’t clear either. I could only assume they were safe.

Leaving the cathedral, while troublesome, wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. There ended up being something far worse for me. Navigating busy streets with someone that moved slower than a child. If they had a purpose to move, they walked with intent, even if it was somewhat slower than normal. However, the Head Priest was doing a quarter of that at best.

The sun was already starting to set before we got a handful of blocks away. It was then I realized how long of a walk this would be. Did I still really want to do this? I had something I was supposed to be doing.

My leisurely pace next to her left me with too much time to think. I didn’t know what happened to the capital. And there wasn’t a certainty that I could fix it. Or even that she would recover. She might not even know how it happened.

But I should help them if I could. They shouldn’t be left like that. I assume that they heard just like everyone else about Her prophecy. What did they decide to do before they were locked in this dream-like state? They should be given the right to do what they want. They wouldn’t want to be left like this when everything ended. That wasn’t fair to them.

I talked myself into continuing the slow walk.

By the time I got to the gate, it was already deep into night. I looked over at the woman. They looked about as alert as before. So I don’t think they’re tired, but I don’t know. I doubt they could make the walk to anywhere out of the capital.

Glancing around I saw a couple of carts and carriages tied up by the gate. I’m guessing that they were either used by the soldiers that protected the capital or maybe traders. Though I would have thought that they would take them. Either way, I stared at it.

Looking around I didn’t see any horses. I wonder if they ran off. Could they live in these conditions? They didn’t die did they? If there was nothing to pull the cart then the thought wasn’t even worth entertaining for now.

I looked up at the night sky and Alina. “I should just get out of the city at the very least. C’mon, Head Priest, we’re going for more of a walk!” Tapping firmly on her shoulder, she started walking again. It was really tempting to just carry them. They were roughly my height, so they probably weighed something close to me. But I wasn’t strong and I already hauled a pack. I don’t think I could manage both. I sighed and marched onward.

By about midnight, I found a tree to stop by. The capital still glowed slightly in the distance, but it was about as far as I will to go tonight. I wrapped the woman up in my blankets in the hope that she didn’t wander off. As annoying as it was, I think I could manage a night with just my jacket.

I’d say the sun or morning woke me, but it wasn’t either of them. The empty wailing of the Head Priest drilled through my ears. They appeared not to like the blankets anymore, but didn’t understand how to get out. Fortunate, but still grating to listen just waking up.

Sharing the last of my water with her, I remember seeing a farmstead on the way into the capital. Minor villages and farms surrounded the entire area. So I just needed to get to one of them. They should have a well that was far enough away from the supply that the capital used. A large river, the Berthon, for which the city was named, ran through it. I just needed something that fed into, not from the river.

The Head Priest started to get antsy forcing me to move sooner than I wanted, but if they wanted to walk I didn’t want to stop them. I did have to point them in the right direction, but they went off. Hurriedly, I went through my pack and loaded back up.

She remained in my sight and I had a far faster pace than her. So it didn’t take long to be at her side once more. And with light once more, I could properly see around the land. Farms stretched out in all directions. But I needed a road to follow.

An hour or so of slow meandering finally brought me to the intersection I remembered. It broke up in both directions. For all I knew it ran around the whole capital, the map wasn’t detailed on the minor roads. Or they just didn’t exist at the time, Gerth never said how old it was. But I picked right and started down the long rows of wheat.

Around midday, I saw a wooden house over the crops. It still looked far back behind the land, but I could make it, even if it was getting thirsty. “Hope someone is there to help and not out in the fields.”

Nothing? I stared holding the Head Priest back like a child from going further. There didn’t seem to be any life around the house. It didn’t look abandoned, in the sense that it was no longer in use. Judging from the sheets hanging and the cleanliness of the grounds, someone did live here until recently.

I put the elderly woman I kidnapped down in the chair that sat outside. “Maybe they’re somewhere inside or out of sight?” Only a hope at this point for me. “Announcement! Anyone home?” Calling out as I went through the house, it became more eerie. It was as though someone kidnapped them. I saw a long burned stew on the stove. The dining room had children’s toys all over the table still in motion nearly.

The second floor was no better. But I used it to give me a view of the farmland. If no one was in the house, I doubted that they’d be outside, but I had to check. “Nothing. They didn’t go into the city did they?” It was then that I thought about it. If they lived near the capital, they probably went in to shop. All of their food might be tainted. But the water should be local.

Finding the well, I tested the water to the best of my ability. It seemed safe, but if it was tasteless or odorless, it wouldn’t have been detected. I just prayed to Ministra that She watched over me and Her Priest.

My food could still spread out for a few days more shared and with the water we would survive. Once I got them inside and comfortable, I took some time to clean up the house. If they were in the capital, they’d probably appreciate things being in order when they returned to normal.

Afterwards, I settled in for the long wait. Book at my side, I sat next to the Head Priest for any reaction. It had only been half a day. It’d take longer than that to flush out.

Sleep claimed me in the middle of my reading about the founding of Ganiza. But I was rudely awakened by a loud screaming again. I looked over to see the old woman flailing about gasping at the air. She looked in pain. Sweat covered her.

I hurried to get her some water. She fought me for each sip, but that seemed to help a little. But the pain didn’t seem to go away. Whatever was happening now, her body reacted strongly. I stared waiting, unable to read hoping that things would improve.

Did I do the right thing?