"You and your followers are all lunatics..."
Silly Cat murmured so softly that only he and Lolth could hear. He padded over to Mora.
"Dark Elf, your flesh and tender skin will grow back. Remember, I was the one who saved you."
"Cat and Midnight Maiden is a friend of Spider Queen Lolth," Annan explained from the side.
An indescribable power gradually surfaced around Silly Cat.
It felt familiar and close, yet carried a holiness that made the very thought of defiance almost impossible.
That Holy Light-like power enveloped Mora. The iron burrs embedded in his flesh seemed to wither under the weight of ages. They cracked, crumbled to dust, and vanished into the flesh growing wildly around them.
His deep-purple skin, the color of ripe berries, reappeared. The flesh on his chest grew fuller as it healed.
Annan hurriedly covered his eyes, then spread two fingers and kept watching.
To secure his position, Silly Cat had spent a considerable amount of Divine Power restoring Mora's body to its prime.
The surging power faded, and Silly Cat returned to Annan with his head held high.
"Did you see that, Lolth?" he asked silently.
"He is only one believer," Lolth replied coldly. She did not care whether a single Dark Elf lived or died.
"I knew you'd say that. But he's the Archbishop Annan chose himself."
Lolth gave no further reply. Silly Cat decided he had found her weakness and made her owe him a favor.
Mora prostrated himself again. His narrow waist and raised hips formed a startling curve before Annan.
A clean cloak floated down over Mora. Annan tried to look indifferent. "I'm leaving the church's development to you, Mora. I believe in you. Don't disappoint the Matron or me."
Silly Cat saw right through Annan. Once Mora was