Staff of Shigmar: Chapter 17, Part 6

31 July 2026

In today’s installment from the second book of our epic fantasy, Staff of Shigmar, we follow Thal and Klaybear as they try to repair the damage done to Klare’s mind. . . . (28 September 2015) We remind all readers that this book, Staff of Shigmar, as also the first book, is free for download from Smashwords! Glossary links: Book 2, Book 1

Chapter 17, Part 6

They turned to look at him; he was no longer encased in light, although the nimbus still surrounded Klare and pulsed with the slow beating of her heart.

“I have done all that I can,” Klaybear went on, his voice cracking, “I have healed her body, but something has happened to her mind.”

Thal stood up and moved quickly to his side, shifting his awareness so that he could look into Klare’s mind. Are you with me? he asked Klaybear.

Klaybear nodded once, keeping his mouth closed for fear of sobbing again.

Thal looked into the patterns of Klare’s mind and saw that her whole mind was clouded by a darkness whose source he could not see. How does it compare to the way it was when you, with the help of the One, knit it back together? he thought to Klaybear.

It looks the same, but it is hard to tell through the darkness, Klaybear thought back.

It is the source of the darkness that we must find, Thal thought, and deal with. You should stay here, on the surface, while I try and locate the source; that way, if I get lost in the darkness, you can guide me back out without further disturbing her mind.

Okay, Klaybear thought back weakly.

Thal allowed his awareness to sink into Klare’s mind; he moved carefully past the surface, moving slowly through the spaces in the patterns. Her mind was complex beyond most that he had seen; Thal thought that it rivaled his mother’s mind for the intricacies of the patterns of Klare’s thought. He had seen nothing like this in any other mind that he had seen, except for one, and thinking of that mind made the blood rise to his cheeks. He pulled his thoughts back to the present, knowing that a single distraction could cause irreversible damage to Klare’s mind, if it hadn’t already happened, and he feared it had. He wove his way past the upper levels, following the darkness like a beacon, moving lower and deeper into her mind. Finally, after what seemed an age, he found what he sought at the lowest levels, where he knew the autonomic impulses had their source, keeping the body breathing, the heart beating, along with a multitude of other automatic functions. He circled around the source of the dark clouds, analyzing the pattern, and what he saw surprised him at first, and then he laughed.

What is it? Klaybear’s thought floated to him from a great distance. I heard you laugh.

Yes, I did, Thal thought back. When you had help knitting her mind back together, who was working on this side, down here?

Klaybear thought back to that moment that seemed so long ago, trying to remember who worked on that side and low. He thought it was the feminine voice, who the One called his “mother.” If the One is our ultimate Father, he thought to Thal, then it was our ultimate Mother who repaired that area.

Thal laughed again. Yes, that makes sense.

What? Klaybear thought.

Unless I’m mistaken, Thal thought, and I will check again to be sure, but it looks like she put a slipknot in the pattern, here, where the damage is, and if I pull that knot loose, this section of the pattern will unravel, and the damage will no longer exist, so the darkness clouding her mind will dissipate.

Do you want me to come and help? Klaybear asked.

No, Thal thought back, it will be difficult enough for me to leave without altering anything else. If you come down here the chances for accidental alterations increases exponentially.

Won’t untying that knot change her? Klaybear thought.

Yes. Thal replied.

How? Klaybear asked.

I cannot say for sure, Thal replied, nor can I say that it will eliminate all of the damage. Days may pass before we know, maybe even months and years. But if we do nothing, the darkness will continue to grow, consuming her mind.

For a time, there was silence. Thal waited, examining the knot and the probable effects of untying that knot.

I can see no alternative, Klaybear thought.

I’m going over it again right now, to be sure, then I’ll untie the knot and watch it until it stops, Thal noted, in case anything goes wrong.

Thal was not surprised that Klaybear did not respond; he could hardly imagine how he must feel. It amazed him that the pattern had been knit together here in such a way that the damage could be undone, but as he examined it for the second time, he could see that it would only be partially undone, that parts of the damage to the pattern would remain. He reached out with his mental fingers and pulled the knot loose; threads of the pattern began to unravel, slowly at first, then faster, then slower, until it ceased. Thal let out a mental sigh, and watched as the darkness dimmed and nearly winked out, but the clouds across the patterns above remained. He knew they would dissipate, in time. He looked back at the area that had been dark, and he wondered if it could be repaired with the Rod of Melbarth. He checked the places at the edges of the damage, ensuring that the pattern would not unravel further. Satisfied, he began the slow journey back to the surface of her mind and out.

It’s done, Thal thought to Klaybear.

You’ve undone the damage? Klaybear thought back.

As much as could be, at this point. If I had the rod, I think I could repair it all. He paused, waiting for a response from Klaybear. After a few moments, he went on. What amazes me is that our ultimate mother could have anticipated this damage to Klare in her future, and built into the pattern as she knitted it back together an area that I could later unravel, without the entire structure of her mind unraveling. Only someone who was a master of knitting could have accomplished such a feat. He fell silent, weaving his way carefully through the complex patterns of Klare’s mind.

How will she be? Klaybear thought as Thal neared the surface.

I do not know, Thal thought back. The kind of trauma that she has suffered, both physical and mental, may take a long time to heal. Add to this trauma, the sorrow that she must feel at losing all of her family in a single day. Thal reached the surface of her mind, then switched his awareness back to normal. He saw Klaybear still holding Klare tightly to his chest, still sobbing into her dirty hair; the green nimbus surrounding her faded, although the emerald eye of breath-giver continued to glow and pulse in time with her heart. He looked around and saw Tevvy watching them, saw Rokwolf sitting next to Tevvy, head held in his hands. He heard a sound beyond them and saw Blakstar forming out of the shadows under the trees. The kortexi held the hilt of his sword, but the point dragged across the springy loam under the trees; that was the sound he had heard.

“It is done,” Blakstar said hoarsely. “All who had a part in what happened here are dead.”

Klaybear sobbed again; Thal looked at him, then stood up and turned, to face the others. “I think we should leave here quickly,” he noted, “before the morgle sends another company to capture us.”

“A company would not be enough,” Blakstar said in the same hoarse voice. He stood, still facing them; he was covered in blood.

Rokwolf looked up and noticed; he turned to Tevvy. “The lake is about half-a-mile in that direction. Take our valiant kortexi to it and help him wash the blood from his clothes, armor, and weapon. I don’t think it would be wise for him to come near Klare looking–or smelling–like that.”

“Her condition is very delicate,” Thal said. “We will have to be very careful around her for a while, until we are sure she has recovered.”

Tevvy nodded. “Come, Sir Blakstar,” he said formally, “we will go and wash away the stains of battle.” He took Blakstar’s left hand and led him toward the lake, sword point still dragging across the ground.

Come back on Monday as the companions decide what they should next do. Until then, get a full ebook copy from Smashwords for free! If you prefer print, purchase your copy from the link provided. Good reading!