“We are quite a fair distance into the forest. Taki's safe and getting fixed up by some other friends of ours, come see."

“Other friends?" he questioned warily. It seemed he was meeting a lot of new people now, people he had no choice but to trust.

The man beamed. "Can't have too many, right?"

With his weary body supported by Clark, Carter was led into a nearby clearing where he immediately noticed Taki lying motionless on a bed of moss. In front of her stood what at first appeared to be another centaur, this one clad in a bright white gown. The single horn protruding from her forehead revealed she was in fact a unicorn, a rare and mysterious monster famed for its healing abilities.

Her hands were clasped in front of her, her eyes shut in concentration.

Behind her a tall man in a white robe was in a similar pose.

She began to speak in a melodic tone. "Great Eros, we your humble servants ask thee to guide and strengthen my power that this woman may be restored to health and reunited with her mate, that their love will be allowed to bloom and flourish as ours has."

Slowly her horn began to glow a blazing white, stray arcs of energy passing over Taki's prone form until it began to glow as well. The manifested purity of the unicorn's demonic energy built up to a greater and greater degree, until Taki's body was lifted off the ground by the energy surrounding her.

One by one, the streaks of power from the unicorn's horn, now blindingly bright, entered into Taki‘s many wounds, the bandages falling off of her one by one. The mantis groaned slightly but otherwise did not react, while her cuts shrank and closed one after another. A minute Later and the energy from the unicorn finally dimmed,

Taki's body floating back to the ground softly.

Carter immediately ran up to check on her condition, amazed at how much improved she appeared. He looked back up to the clearly exhausted but brightly smiling unicorn.

"It is done," she proclaimed.

“Her wounds were extensive, so I fear that some scars may remain, and she must rest for some time, but she will regain her former health."

Tears fell from Carter's face clearly now as he held Taki tightly in his arms.

“Thank you... thank you so much... I..." he paused, realizing he didn't know either of their names.

“Fiona, devoted servant of Eros, Goddess of Love" the unicorn replied sweetly.

Her husband took her hand, “and I am Amadeus, fellow servant of Eros and proud spouse of Fiona.”

They both seemed to radiate kindness. Carter had heard of adherents of

Eros, but their ideals were not exactly in keeping with those of the criminals who controlled his home city and thus he had never met any before.

“Well done, both of you," Aryana noted as she stepped into the clearing, Clark following.