The last remaining light was taken by a razor's edge when Saref returned back to the Temple with a doctor. There was no time to explain, and by good fortune, their town's doctor was an even tempered man who provided care with little expectation or cost if needed. He followed Saref up the marble steps and in through the back. The girl was sweating profusely and the white sheet in which the Gatekeeper placed underneath her was completely soaked through with blood. All the remaining color in Saref's face vanished when he saw the declining nature of the girl before him. It was twenty years ago, a similar case, with his beloved young wife and unborn son. Blood and cries of plea... never did he imagine he would witness such a scene again in his life. He swallowed back tears and turned to leave the room. The doctor grabbed his arm. "I need you here, Saref." He said, looking straight into the Gatekeeper's eyes. Saref grit his jaw and swallowed. They got to work on removing the wet sheets and replacing them with new ones. The girl's teeth chattered uncontrollably and her eyes rolled weakly to the top of her head. Incoherent and unable to communicate now, the doctor's questions went unanswered by the girl. Saref tried not to look directly at her as he put a cloth to her forehead. His hands shook. "Leave us," ordered the doctor, opening up the leather case filled with his supplies. "Leave the candle and basin of water by me, I will call you when I need you." Saref stood by the door. Beads of sweat fell down the sides of his face as he paced back and forth. After what felt like an eon, he heard a voice yell. "I need another sheet!" Saref ran back to the room with another white sheet and held his breath at what he saw. Blood streamed down in marble floors and pooled. The last sheet which had been placed beneath the girl only an hour ago clung wet and crimson to the marble as he mopped it away from under her. Her undergarments had been cut open, and removed. The mess of clothes stained red had been pushed to the corner of the room, along with the rest of the bloody sheets. "Place it beneath her, yes, like that," the doctor lifted the naked girl off the ground while Saref smoothed out the sheet. "Good. And another one around her. We must keep her covered, she has a fever." Sweat streamed down the doctor's face. His eyes remained intently on her. "I don't know where you found this girl, but I need you to prepare yourself." The doctor said quietly. "What do you mean?" Saref asked hoarsely. "The blood is not clotting. This girl had a baby cut out of her, it was handled barbarically. The infection has spread. What was she doing wandering the deserts in this condition? Where is she from?" He stopped working abruptly for a moment and turned, frowning. "I found her on the steps of the Temple this morning." Saref explained, shaking his head in disbelief. "She was not in good shape, it was clear she had a long journey... but I never thought..." "Doesn't matter now." The doctor turned back to the girl. "If by some miracle she survives, she will have to brace herself. This girl will never be able to have children again." The silence that came after was far more painful to endure. Both men grimaced as they tended helplessly to the girl. "Do you need me?" Saref whispered to the doctor, eyes still peeled on her. She looked like a corpse before them, her skin a gaunt, chalk white. The sweat on her face had dried... her teeth had stopped chattering. There was a stillness now in the room that had not been present only moments before. "No," he shook his head. "I did the best I could do, but with the amount of blood she has lost, Saref... I don't think she will last the hour." The air outside had dropped significantly. Saref, who normally would light a fire around this time, stepped outside in a daze. What began a day seemed to have lasted a year, and their Master was not due for another two days. How much his presence was needed now... The Gatekeeper sighed and looked to the horizon. He tilted his head, met the face of the sky with utter helplessness. "Dear God...." his voice inaudible. "Please spare this young woman's life..." Echos began from miles away, the winds started to hymn now; whipping the Gatekeeper's hair around violently. Saref's eyes remained closed. "You have my devotion. You have everything of me except my fear. My fear, I still breed. It keeps me divided, separate from you. I surrender this doubt to you. Please spare the girl... whatever remains of me is yours." The man wept with desperation. With a guilt that had been buried for twenty years, in one night, resurfaced. With it, an uncovering of a wound that had not in all this time healed. Not even with the entirety of his devotion and obedience to service, had he managed to forgive the loss and heartbreak of his previous life. Fragments of a past left undone began to unravel. Thunder ruptured the horizon. For seven years their village had not see rains like that pour as it did on that night. A few drops of rain fell first gently, to quickly unhinge a dam that rapidly descended like a flood upon the earth. Standing there solemnly and soaked now, one could not see the tears streaming from the Gatekeeper's eyes. He wept in the rains, feeling his heart swell in feeling. The intertwining of love and grief, of great sorrow and peace. What was released, in the midst of this... Saref wept ever the harder in his devotion. He knew his prayer had been answered. Rays of lightening bolted from the skies across the plains, illuminating a hooded figure from afar. Despite the distance and darkness, Saref knew. He could not see in the pouring rain, but not even for a moment did he wonder, for he recognized instantly the figure from afar. Iman Alirah had arrived. And with him, brought a storm across the sands. |
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