“Why? I like this one,” Linar said, gesturing to Bill’s pin cushioned body.

  “Well, he’s kind of dead,” Ellen provided.

  “So?” Linar asked. “It’s not the first time.”

  “It’s not going to work again,” Grom said.

  “Just try,” Linar said.

  Newt flew from Ellen’s shoulder, landing on Bill’s chest. His head stared at a lifeless eye. He… they? It had recently acquired a taste for eyes, and it thought Bill’s looked especially appetizing. As a creature of the void, it felt something from the eyes. Few could glimpse the gaps in reality and stay sane, yet the bearer of these eye’s had passed through the veil on multiple occasions and come back stronger each time. Newt was about to strike, when Ellen called out.

  “Stop,” she commanded and snapped her fingers.

  A small coin sized rift opened in the space Newt occupied, and it sucked its body through. The small opening was far too small for its body, and while it could have allowed its corporeal selt to return to the matterless existence it had between planes, it allowed its mortal form to extrude through the opening, reveling in the novel experience of feeling every bone in its body crush. It let out two coos of pleasure in slightly different concordant notes through the process until it was gone, the sound coming long past the point where it had the necessary intact anatomy to make it.

  “Your familiar is really weird,” Syril said.

  “So is making an assassin shit himself mid battle,” Ellen said.

  “Whoa,” Grom said. “Why attack me? It worked. And your familiar is really weird.”

  “Let’s just resurrect Bill before we get noticed,” Ellen said, changing topics.

  “It’s not going to work,” Grom said.

  “’The veil of death is naught before the power of justice,’” Ellen said in a manner Grom was certain was a quote.

  “Is that really one of Cland’s teachings?” Grom asked.

  “Shouldn’t you know?” She asked.

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  “Shouldn’t your familiar not take a perverse pleasure in being turned into a noodle?” Grom asked.

  “Much like with faith, there are some things of magic that are beyond understanding,” Ellen said in way of dropping the topic.

  “Just do it!” Syril shouted.

  He’d noticed some of Bill’s blood had gotten on him and he was busy cleaning his clothing with magic, though he was certain he’d missed a blood stain somewhere. The thought of the blood on him caused his whole body to itch.

  “Linar, can you see any blood on me?” Syril asked.

  “No,” Linar said, not turning to check.

  Grom went up to Bill’s body, and with no conviction in his voice he said, “Cland, or whichever god it is whose tormenting me, resurrect this warrior if it is your will.”

  When nothing happened, he turned back to the group.

  “See?” he asked, but as soon as he opened his mouth to speak, he felt the divine power flow through him.

  Behind him came a gasp as Bill’s previously lifeless body took a breath, followed by howls of pain.

  “GET THESE BOLTS OUT OF ME!” he screamed.

  Ellen quickly cast a spell, and Bill vanished from where he’d been laying in his own blood, the blood remaining behind and the bolts that had been in him fell into the puddle.

  His screams of pain continued, only now coming from beside Ellen. He appeared next to her, laying down but now three feet off the ground. He fell, yelling even more.

  “Ooo,” Ellen said, sucking air in through her teeth. “Sorry! I’m used to doing that to get him onto a bed. Usually I left his clothes behind but I thought the bolts would be enough.”

  “It’s okay,” Bill said, screams replaced by groans. “Honest mistake.”

  “You couldn’ta put him to sleep?” Grom asked, walking over to the fallen warrior.

  “You couldn’ta pulled the bolts out before reviving him?” Ellen asked, mockingly.

  “Much like magic, there are many aspects of faith that are beyond understanding,” Grom shot back.

  “Are you suggesting Cland wanted you to revive Bill here with the bolts inside of him?” Ellen asked.

  “Bill?” Grom asked.

  “If it wasn’t Cland’s will that it be done this way,” Bill said from the ground where he now lay on his back, “He wouldn’t have brought me back.”

  “I’m so glad we broke up,” Ellen said, turning away from the pair.

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