17 – Battered

She collapsed before Lara’s door. This time, she was certain it was the real one. If not, well, she was done for.

With what strength she had left, she knocked.

The moon was her only source of light. After a few seconds, the door creaked open. Therion looked down at her from the doorway, a frown on his face. “Alexandra? What took you so long? Wait, your hair…”

Alexandra smiled weakly. “Hey.”

“Alexandra!” Lara came running and kneeled beside her. “What happened? Goblins again?”

She shook her head. “Plants.”

Therion’s frown deepened. “I’m going to find Bamir. And Marick, he’ll want to know about that.”

Lara shooed him away. “Hurry. Bamir first.” As her husband ran toward the healer’s house, she helped Alexandra up and brought her inside. As soon as they were sitting, she spoke. “I was so worried. You left for two days and I only gave you enough supplies for a few hours!”

Alexandra winced. She should have known better. Of course magically augmented people could cross long distances faster.

She had to be careful not to blow her cover.

“I’m sorry,” she started. “I ran into a few too many plant monsters.”

Lara flinched. “Verdant beasts. I… should have warned you. They’re most active in spring, and especially so this year.”

Alexandra shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. I made it through.”

“What about your hair?” Lara asked, her eyes scanning her guest. “Your finger! Alexandra!”

She shrugged. “Those things are nasty.”

“Did you run into a Mimethys?”

“I don’t know. The monster who took my finger was a large mass of moss and roots that cast illusions—”

Lara interrupted her. “A Perub?!”

“I guess? What’s a Mimethys, then?”

“A plant monster that lures its prey with orange flowers. Unranked. Sometimes Iron.”

“Ah, I also met one.”

Lara paused, and sighed. “It’s impressive you were able to escape. I was worried that after your goblin encounter…”

“Escape?” Alexandra asked. “I didn’t escape. I killed them.”

Lara blinked. “What?”

Alexandra grinned. “Not gonna sacrifice a finger for nothing.”

Her friend wasn’t smiling.

The door swung open, revealing Bamir. The priest had deep black circles under his eyes, and his head was leaning to the side.

His eyes locked onto Alexandra. In an instant, she could see him take in her hair, her missing finger. He rubbed his eyebrows. “Good grief.”

Lara stood up. “Bamir, can you do something about her finger.”

The priest stepped inside, and took Alexandra’s hand. He barely looked at the finger, his eyes instead boring into hers. “I’m afraid not. You’d need someone thrice my level to do that. Even then, on this type of injury…”

He let his words hang in the air.

After a long pause, he let go of her hand.

“What about her hair?” Lara asked. She turned to Alexandra. “Why did they turn white?”

Alexandra shrugged. “No clue. I only noticed after killing the Perub. Must have happened sometime during the fight.”

“A Perub?!” Bamir asked. “What are you doing fighting Perubs? Do you have a death wish?”

“A Mimethys too…” Lara grumbled.

Bamir’s face fell. “Can I take a seat?”

Lara pointed to her chair. “Please do.”

Elbows on the table, Bamir rubbed his eyebrows. Then, he raised his head, and stared right at Alexandra who was sitting across from him. “Miss Alexandra, your life is precious. Don’t throw it away.”

“I didn’t choose to get ambushed. Had I known these things existed, I wouldn’t have—”

Lara interrupted her. “Would you? Does that mean you won’t go out of Lanterne now?”

Alexandra winced. “Erm, well, sometimes I need to.”

“I thought so.”

Silence.

Bamir coughed. “Concerning your hair. I would need to talk to you in private.”

Neither woman had a problem with that, so Alexandra and the priest walked to the sleeping area and closed the door behind them.

Alexandra sat on the bed while Bamir stood. He was rubbing his eyebrows again. “I feel like I’ve aged ten years in a few days,” he grumbled before raising his head. “Miss Alexandra, I can’t restore your hair either. Recovering your lost lifeforce might help, but it also might not.”

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She stared at him. “Can I recover it?”

Bamir nodded. “There are methods. None easy to access. Much harder than the scar removal procedure we talked about. Much, much harder. That said, I suggest you look for them, as lifeforce is directly tied to your lifespan. It’s more than just cosmetic.”

“Lifespan? What?” She looked left and right. “No. That can’t be.”

“While it sounds alarming, it is not that different from a regular injury,” Bamir said, raising his hands in a calming gesture. “Life is a fragile thing. Simply living consumes it so fast. As I said, recovering lost lifeforce is possible.”

Alexandra nodded slowly. “Any lead?”

The healer shook his head. “High level members of the Hand can help, but getting to them will be a challenge.” He paused. “Not impossible, though. Otherwise, treasures even the richest merchants would struggle to afford.”

She grimaced. “Guess it will have to wait.”

It was just one more task to add to the list. She’d only been here four days…

“Furthermore…” Bamir continued.

“What?”

“Your looks are a problem.”

“Pardon me?” Alexandra stared.

Bamir nodded. “White hair, missing finger, you look like a demonic cultist.” He raised his hands. “Don’t worry. I know you’re not. Ugh, I can… sense it.”

“Oh, yes. Haha. A demon cultist, that’d be crazy.” Alexandra looked away.

Bamir healed the wounds he could. This time, she got away with a few minor scars on her arms and legs. Nothing horrible, excluding the obvious absence on her right hand.

“It’s not one thing, but your overall appearance that’s a problem. Hiding your hair will be difficult, but you should try nonetheless. Wear a hood, a hat, dyes are expensive, but cut them short if necessary. Use a glove to hide your missing finger. Here, people won’t know, but in cities many will, and if you have the misfortune of attracting the attention of an Arbiter of Licaniel, they will arrest you.”

“Even if I’m innocent?”

He tiled his head. “They’d probably release you. Probably.”

“Thank you. I appreciate the warning.”