Akil looked upon the still babe in the light of the brazier. Turning it slightly to and fro it seemed he was thinking, perhaps considering how to proceed, like someone making their next move in a chess game. He looked up from the babe suddenly, quickly his serpentine eyes scanned all of the elves in the room, quickly darting between the few clerics that had been allowed to accompany lord Revan and Jezera inside the medical room. All of the malisons in the room looked on, feeling the mental pressure as he sifted through one elven mind, then another. Searching for something.

He then locked his gaze on to one of the clerics, judging by his robes probably a senior member of his clergy. Holding the child in one hand, Akil made a gesture with his other, then pointed at the elven cleric. Immediately there was a shift, as Akil's awareness grabbed hold of the elf, his drugged mind giving no resistance to the abominations total domination. The elf suddenly lost the glassy eyed look he had just a moment ago, instead walking mechanically over to where Akil was. While the powers bestowed upon the coven of Yig were many, we were not able to heal as the clerics do. And it was dawning on me why Akil had allowed some of the elven priests to come into our temple.

The elf had a look of utter concentration, first locking eyes with Akil for a few seconds, before beginning to chant. He pulled his holy symbol from his vestments and began reciting prayer after prayer in elvish, though it seemed more like his tongue was not his own. Sly old Akil was forcing the drugged cleric to preform a reviving spell upon the infant! I marveled at his power and cunning, after all he was using his vast mental ability to essentially force the hand of a god!

In a moment the chant reached its end, and a faint blue glow flashed over the child before winking out of existence. As soon as the spell was completed the babe began to cry out, wailing and spluttering as it breathed it's first. Akil took his eyes off of the priest, who then slumped and fell as Akil withdrew his awareness from his mind. Another Malison darted forward and caught the elf, avoiding cracking his head upon the mosaic tile. With uncharacteristic gentleness, Akil rocked the child, taking up a wet linen cloth to wipe away blood and fluid.

With another small gesture, the malisons tending the brazier threw in bundles of brown gold grass, which immediately blazed with teal light. The purplish haze brought fourth from the mushrooms seemed to vanish as the bundles burned. All of the elves, saved from the unconscious priest blinked rapidly, coming to their senses after the trance. "What? What, is...." Lord Revan spluttered as he cast about, no doubt trying to make sense of the gap in his awareness. "Please...." The girl whispered, holding her arms weakly towards Akil. She barely had the strength to stay awake.

Slowly, Akil approached her. Lord Revan seemed ready to protest, until he saw the child curled peacefully in one of Akil's large hands. Stunned, the elf lord looked to his daughter, seeing nothing but thread thin white scars where Akil had cut into her abdomen. Akil loomed over the tired new mother, and stared into her eyes. Gently he took one of her hands into his, squeezing it slightly, then guiding it up to take the child from him. When the babe was in her arms she wept freely, holding the newborn to her chest, crying tears of joy over the seeming miracle.

Akil turned away, pausing only to clean his hands in a bowl of scented water held by a malison, before slithering back up the passageway to his study. As he left I felt him brush against my mind, letting me know it was my responsibility to speak to Lord Revan afterwards, in order to explain the nature of the debt he owed the monastery. Cursing a little at having to waste the rest of my day haggling with an elf, I helped clean and remove the various instruments used during the operation.

Why did Akil have to pick me?