Sanria had barely put her head against Colin's chest, conceding that she would stay with him, when the scream cut through the night. Immediately, Colin bristled and moved her behind him as he snaked through the trees. A body lay at the entrance to the cavern and as they approached, Sanria made out the clothing - or lack of clothing - as belonging to Maya.
"Well, she's alive but she's losing a lot of blood..." Colin said, and Sanria walked to the pathway, bringing a large ball of continual light into existence. There was no one as far as she could see, and she let the spell go and turned back to Colin and Maya.
"H....help me.."
"What happened to you?"
Sanria did not listen to the remainder of her words. The woman's arm was laid open and she focused what limited ability she had on staunching the flow of blood. At last, the fibers of muscle were knitted back together and the skin was more or less a weeping scrape. A priest she was not. "I'm afraid I will... I will, I wont be able to refrain from try... trying to destroy it."
"Trying to destroy what?" Sanria asked, wiping her forehead.
"The.... b..baby.." Maya strained.
"Your baby? But... why?"
"It wasn't.... born from love... It's.... its all a lie.."
The guilt swept over Sanria as well as a twinge of sorrow. She glanced at Colin before looking down. They had just expended so much energy on this topic and it was as if the realms were conspiring to keep it at the fore. "No. I know Thasmudyan and he wouldn't do that to you," Sanria said.
"Listen, you have been hurt. We need to get you more help," Colin said.
"He wouldn't be with you if he didn't love you, Maya."
"You should try to save your strength. There will be time to talk more about this later."
Colin was right. "We should take her into town. There should be healers that can help her at the temples." Sanria stood as Colin lifted Maya in his arms.
"It's not mine, not really," Maya sobbed. "He laid with me wanting you... Its.... really your ....baby."
"No. No that isn't true," Sanria would not allow herself to believe it.
"Take it away, before I di....die..."
"He wouldn't have been with you without affection for you. I... I know him, Maya."
Colin looked at Maya, his voice authoritative, "Maya, you must save your strength." He looked over at Sanria, his face tired, angry, frustrated. "I can take her if you can just send us. I will make sure she is seen."
With a nod, Sanria envisioned the Temple of Lathander, and with a quick spell, sent the two on their way. She slowly retreated back to the cavern with a deep sigh. She couldn't picture Thasmudyan =not= loving Maya if he slept with her, she couldn't picture him using her. And why had all this happened tonight?
It was a long time before Colin arrived back at the cavern. He seemed little willing to speak about Maya, preferring to tell Sanria that the woman was safe, would be fine, and that she had claimed Thasmudyan had poisoned her. Sanria looked back at him incredulously, a look that was mirrored on Colin's face. Thasmudyan poisoning someone was about as likely as Orn turning into a butterfly. Something wasn't right, but it was nothing Sanria could worry about at that moment. She settled into Colin's arms as he let out a long exhale and drifted off to sleep.
Sanria laid there a long time in the dark, Colin seeming to clutch her to him in his sleep. She watched his face betray a range of dreaming emotions. She felt there was something more that he knew, something that he was not telling her. Sanria sighed and settled her head into the crook of his arm. Things would get better, no matter whether there were secrets or not. There was no other choice. They had to.
