Page 36 of Dark Shaman: The Lost Treasure
"Body-wise, he will probably improve. But personality-wise?" Kian shrugged. "Not likely, unless he meets a guiding angel while he's out."
Andrew chuckled. "Perhaps the physical improvement will make him less of an ass."
Sometimes the physical changes brought confidence, and immortality brought peace. Sometimes joining a supportive community brought out the best in people, and sometimes, it just gave them new ways to be difficult.
Time would tell which way Tim would go.
12
ELUHEED
The familiar path to Navuh's office on the first level felt different this time. Eluheed's escort seemed more relaxed, and he wondered why he seemed less like someone leading a prisoner and more like a guide.
"The lord is in a good mood today," Arnav offered as they approached the heavy doors.
That was unusual. The guy rarely spoke beyond what was necessary, and Navuh's moods were typically variations on paranoid and calculating, not good.
"Thank you for the heads up," Eluheed said, though he wasn't sure if a good mood was better or worse than the usual.
Arnav knocked, waited for the command to enter, then opened the door for Eluheed before retreating to his post outside.
Navuh sat behind his massive desk. "Sit," he commanded, gesturing to the chair across from him.
Eluheed sat, keeping his expression neutral while trying to assess his jailer's mood. Arnav was right. Something was different about the lord today.
"Tell me about your healing knowledge," Navuh commanded.
The question caught Eluheed off guard. "What would you like to know, my lord?"
"The herbs in your garden and the remedies you make from them. How extensive is your knowledge?"
"I can treat simple ailments." Eluheed held his hands in his lap. "Fevers, headaches, minor wounds, digestive issues. But the harem needs a proper physician, my lord. There are limits to what plant medicine can accomplish."
"Such as?"
"Such as someone who can dispense antibiotics. We have a boy with pneumonia right now, and until he got antibiotics, he wasn't getting better with what I could do for him. I could ease his symptoms, help with the fever, but I couldn't cure the infection."
Navuh's lips curved in a mocking smile. "What kind of shaman can't cure common maladies like pneumonia? I thought you people channeled divine healing."
The insult stung, but Eluheed had endured far worse in his centuries of wandering. He lowered his head in apparent shame. "I'm not a very good shaman, my lord. My abilities are limited."
"Limited." Navuh leaned back in his throne-like chair, studying him with those ancient, calculating eyes. "And what about your spiritual guidance? Can you at least manage that, or are you equally incompetent in matters of gods and mortals?"
This was some kind of a test, but Eluheed wasn't sure what Navuh was testing him for. In the long months he'd been stuck in this godforsaken place, no one had asked him for spiritual guidance. Advice, yes, but even that was rare. Mostly, people sought him out for his herbal remedies.
This could be to test his general knowledge. Or maybe to verify that he wasn't calling himself a shaman for nothing?
Eluheed had to give Navuh something that sounded profound, but without revealing the foundation of his own beliefs and the practices he'd followed when he was a real shaman. He drew upon centuries of observing human faiths and weaving together threads from various traditions.
"Spiritual guidance is not a skill one learns. It comes from within. It's about understanding the fundamental truths that unite all seeking souls."
Navuh's eyebrow arched. "Enlighten me."
Eluheed took a breath. "All spiritual traditions speak of balance between light and darkness, action and stillness, the material and the divine. In the East, it is known as yin and yang. In the West, they speak of virtue and sin. But beneath these dualities lies a deeper truth."
He paused, watching Navuh's face for any sign of recognition or displeasure. The warlord's expression remained neutral, attentive.
"The ancient Egyptians understood this better than most," Eluheed continued. "They spoke of Ma'at—truth, justice, harmony, balance, not as abstract concepts but as the fundamental order of existence. When we align ourselves withtruth, we find peace. When we deceive others or ourselves, we create chaos."
