Chapter 47

From orbit Gamappe was incredibly green and lush looking, dotted about with an incredible patchwork of lapis lazuli coloured small seas or lakes.

“Lovely,” I murmured to Cass as we stood waiting for the shuttle to take us down.

“Yes, a natural world, not terraformed as many of our worlds are,” she nodded.

“We’re still being followed,” I added as an aside.

“Yes, annoying. Not a lot we can do at the moment though.”

“Will your wand work here?” I asked out of curiosity.

“No, but I don’t need it for what I have to do here.”

“Oh, right, that’s good.”

“Feels a bit odd without it, it being the recognised tool of my trade,” she smiled. “I’m pretty sure the Emirate will have something similar though, but I also doubt I’ll get near one unless the worst happens and we get injured.”

“Let’s not get injured,” I chuckled, seeing her grin in return. “Shuttle’s here, let’s go.”

The trip down was comfortable enough, though Emirate standard gravity was less than the Imperial standard. However we’d mostly got used to that on the starliner. At the starport we were directed by the local AI to what appeared to be a floating disk which seemed to know where it had to take us.

“Nice use of shielding,” I said as we rose rapidly and then shot off across the urban landscape.

“I wouldn’t know,” Cass replied, her eyes squeezed tightly shut and her hands grasping a small handrail for grim death.

“Think of it as a lift with a view,” I said, trying to calm her.

“Easy for you to say, I don’t like heights and I can’t stand flyer travel if I can see out.”

“At least we aren’t being directly followed anymore,” I chuckled.

“I suspect they’ll have managed to get a tracker attached to us somehow.”

“Probably true,” I nodded. “Oh my, would you look at that!”

Cass cracked an eye open and then another one as we approached a massive and incredibly beautiful structure that appeared to be floating in the air.

“The Temple of Lamolli,” the disk’s AI informed us.

“Could you take us via a security scan please. We believe we may have a tracking device on us, perhaps several?” I requested politely.

“As you request,” the reply came back.

Our course changed slightly and we were taken into the structure via a port where several efficient men and women used a variety of means to examine us and, by some means, extracted a faint dust cloud of doped nanites from our clothing.

“Someone was clearly determined to keep an eye on you,” a cheerful young man informed us. “Those particles would have recorded even in a medical privacy screen.”

“Thank you for your help. Our business is with the High Priestess and we are sure she does not wish it to be anything other than private,” I replied.

“Our pleasure. Please follow the blue line to the internal transporter and your appointment,” he replied with a nod.

The transporter was a standard appearing lift, though the walls showed various scenes presumably from the temple and its routines.

“No mass human sacrifices to a cruel and abusive god,” I chuckled. “Seems like a good start.”

“Will you behave, Dave. I’m sure they are listening,” Cass sighed, knowing my sense of humour well by now.

“I looked up Lamolli,” I replied. “Goddess of healing and justice. Admonishes her followers to kindness and treating others as they would have them treat themselves. Hence their leading role in bringing all sides together to try and end the civil war.”

“Quite a succinct description, though there is a lot more to Lamolli than that,” a young woman replied as the door opened. “We also had to hide the human sacrifices as it affected the tourist trade,” she added with twinkling eyes. “Please follow me.”

She led the way as another woman closed in behind us presumably to ensure we didn’t wander off the beaten track. Their movements reminded me of Janilla hence I assumed they were security of some sort.

“Your movements remind me of the Empress’ bodyguard,” I said to the one leading us.

“Janilla?”

“Yes, of the Kilios Cabal.”

“She is my blade-training sister.”

“The High Priestess is in good hands then,” I nodded.

“She is now.”

“Ah, I take it you replaced the previous security?”

“Yes, they have been moved to the outer guard. We found several traitors within their ranks, some linked to the rebel cause, others to other factions within the Temple.”

“If they are as good as Janilla, the High Priestess is in very good hands now,” Cass added.

“We believe so,” the woman nodded. “We are here. The High Priestess and her bodyguard are through there,” she pointed to an opening door.

Inside what was clearly a private sleeping chamber two women awaited, one sitting, the other standing in the position where Janilla stood when guarding Amantil and was observing us closely.

“Thank you for coming, Cure David, Senior Healer Cassire,” the elderly woman on the chair spoke with a weak voice.

“The Empire wishes nothing but the best for the Emirate and sees your influence as vital to ending the civil war with a more civilised outcome,” Cass replied as we gave the slight bow we’d normally give to a High Bureaucrat.

“Yes ... well there are those opposed to such an outcome, hence here you are.”

“How do you wish to go about this?” I asked.

“Cure first, rejuve after will work best,” the woman replied.

“I agree,” Cass nodded.

I stepped forward to help the woman rise and led her towards a genuine bed, making sure she didn’t stumble as it was clear she was very weak. The bodyguard also moved to set up a privacy screen to ensure no one observed what was about to happen.

I carefully lifted the woman up and laid her on the bed. “Do you have a given name I could use?” I asked.

“You can call me Lauralla. It was my birth name and I haven’t used it for a good many stellar cycles, but under the circumstances it seems appropriate,” she replied with a slight smile.

“Friends get to call me Dave.”

“Thank you, Dave. Now be gentle please, I’m a bit fragile at the minute.”

“Your wish is my command,” I replied and kissed her softly to start the process.

Age is no barrier to my ability and soon Lauralla was responding well to my gift, if struggling at times due to the poison sapping her strength. The silken style robe she was wearing soon slipped off exposing her thin, pale frame to my gaze, as I planted soft kisses all over her body.

“Not seeing me at my best,” she sighed.

“It doesn’t matter, you’re quite lovely here and now,” I replied, feeling her shiver slightly in delight.

“There is one thing though...”

“Yes?”

“I ... I have remained pure in heart, body and spirit because of my vows.”

“You’re a virgin?”

“Yes...”

“There is no other way to cure you...” I began.

“I know, just be gentle.”

I slipped my clothing off and lay beside her before raising her leg and carefully manoeuvring to position myself to enter her. I then slowly pushed forward and penetrated her, feeling a barrier give way and she give a sudden gasp of shock.

“Oh ... that feels so nice,” she moaned as I began moving in and out of her.

“Just means we’re doing it right,” I chuckled.

“I ... I could get used to this,” she giggled with a slightly embarrassed blush.

“Look through your sacred writings,” I chuckled. “There’s often an interpretation that can be used to justify it being normal.”

“There are, it’s just I was trained by the elders who held to traditional values ... ohhhh!” she finished with a moan as her first orgasm washed over her.

“Well, the new you can have new values,” I replied as I picked up the pace, making her concentrate on the waves of pleasure rolling over her body as my gift and her own normal responses took her to heights of pleasure she’d never dreamed of.

Finally she stiffened as another orgasm overtook her. I timed my own orgasm to release within her, doubling her pleasure.

“Oh, that was ... that was wonderful,” she sighed as she came back from the heights of pleasure, her paleness fading and her strength returning as my gift took effect.

“Just part of my gift,” I replied and pulled my clothing on.

“Such a gift!”

“My wife thinks so too,” I chuckled.

“You are married?”

“Yes, to Kirim. I have a daughter and we have a son on the way.”

“And she does not mind?”

“She knows she’s the only one who holds my heart.”

“You’re a lucky man.”

“I know,” I replied with a grin as I helped her to her feet and dispersed the privacy screen.

“Welcome back, High Priestess,” her bodyguard greeted her.

“It’s good to feel well again. Thank you, Simma,”

“Are you ready for rejuve?” Cass asked.

“Yes, more than ready. Thank you.”

“The Empire wishes for nothing more than a friendly neighbour in the Emirate. You offer the best chance of that,” Cass replied then stepped forward, opened a small case she had been carrying with her and injected Lauralla with the combination of nanites, viral telomere restorers and cell restoratives that made up the complex solution to bring a person back to their peak and give them a new lease of life.

It wasn’t quite instantaneous and Simma had to summon the other bodyguards to bring a lot of food to restore Lauralla’s energy levels (though my cure helped with that too). Still several hours later we sat with a restored Lauralla who was now totally cured and restored to her best.

“I cannot thank Amantil enough for permitting this,” Lauralla stated.

“Thanks are all that is required. The Empire asks for nothing more than friendly neutrality,” Cass replied.

“Assuming I can bring the opposing factions together and unite them, that is what I hope will happen. However, there may be a way to resolve an issue for both Empire and Emirate.”

“Issue?”

“The Emirate needs an Emir. However my current candidate needs an heir and cannot favour one faction over another. The Empress needs an heir of her body to stabilise her reign. I suggest an arrangement where a marriage is made and children of their bodies are grown in artificial wombs to become heirs to the Realms.”