Prologue
The preceptor looked down at the injured man laid out on the stone table. He was unconscious—moans of pain muffled by soporifics.
"Who is he?"
"A villager from one of the settlements along the Wilds," replied the prior, standing at the head of the table. "He was brought to us earlier this evening."
It was not uncommon for people to bring their sick and injured to the monastery. The healers of The Arm were among the most skilled in the kingdom, but the care of the infirm was of little concern to the preceptor. He had a monastery full of young acolytes to instruct in the ways of their sect.
"And why summon me?"
In answer, the prior pulled back the bloodied bandages that covered the man's chest. The stink of infection and rot filled the air as black ooze seeped from a u-shaped series of ragged wounds—teeth marks.
"I was told the bite was made by a very large bear," the prior said.
"Our creature, the one that escaped?" the preceptor asked.
"It must be."
The preceptor bent down to inspect the man's wounds. Black tendrils spread out from the two deepest wounds, made by the beast's canines.
"Interesting … our anthropogen has spread to a human."
"We are unsure whether he will survive the transformation," the prior added.
The preceptor of The Arm stood in silence for a moment. Anyone else would likely have brought a hand to his chin to rub in contemplation as he had several problems to solve, from what to do with the creature that had escaped to the dying man before him. But the preceptor’s robes hung loosely, unmoving, from his shoulders, giving no evidence that he had limbs beneath them.
"Was anyone else attacked?"
"I do not know yet," the prior said. "But I was planning to send an oblate to investigate."
"No, not someone aware of our ways."
"But preceptor …"
The preceptor rose to his full height, a height unnaturally tall as he loomed over the prior.
"Send an acolyte, someone expendable, easy to dispose of should they learn too much."
“Yes, preceptor,” the prior said, bowing his head. Then motioning to the injured man, he added, “And what of him?”
“Bring him down to the laboratorium … Make sure he lives.”
You, my subscribers, are also my beta readers, so please feel free to comment, whether you notice a grammatical error or have a question about the story.
This was eerie. Glad to be getting back into this story and learning more about The Arm.