Rhapsody (Fantasy)

Mission Three: Part Two

You shouldn't have trusted them, little girl

The leader of these elves was a tall, arrogant-looking elf with dark hair. Something about him was familiar...

“You’ll have to forgive us your highness, but desperate times call for desperate measures. The army is already within sight and there is no way we can escape them without some kind of distraction," the dark-haired elf said.

“So you’re going to give me to them in exchange for your lives.”

The elf gave an obviously fake smile. “That is the general plan. And I do hope you’ll go willingly. A living dragon is more valuable than a dead one.”

Suddenly I realized why he seemed familiar. I walked behind him and placed my hand on his head.

"Tahal. It's Talaris. Don't speak, just tap your thigh if you hear me"

My obedient little elf did as I requested and began to lead the dragon down the stairs. We walked past a group of the elders, who looked down, unable to meet her fiery gaze.

What weaklings...

Tahal led the procession out the door and in front of the inn. The whole village gathered to see the dragon. She glared at them, and for the first time I noticed a strange amulet on her neck. It seemed to writhe and struggle to break free. Just like her. Some of the elves stepped back in fear. They continued along to the edge of the village, where we could see the Dark Ones' army; a never-ending blanket of shadow.

“May I ask your name, dark-haired elf?” the maid had the nerve to ask.

“You may. I am called Tahal Myrthrahael.”

“Tahal Myrthrahael. For your deliberate betrayal to the Golden Dragon Clan, I sentence you to death.”

The elves around her hooted; I admit, I did too. It was too funny. But just because I was invisible, didn't mean that I couldn't be heard.

Some of the elves, and the dragon, turned around to see who made the noise. My voice has an...interesting...sound to it.

"Alright, I guess the gig is up," I muttered, coming back into view. Everyone except Tahal stepped back in fear.

"Yeah..." I stared at the crowd. Tahal looked towards the rest of the village.

"This is Talaris! The god I told you would come! The one you elders didn't believe in! Now, he has come to judge us, and we will worship him!"

----------
A conspiracy is revealed. (check)
Your character or the group must pass through a dark forest. (check)
Your character overhears an army commander talking about committing treason/going against their expressed orders. (check) (the elves were traitors)

I did the other two tasks in my last post, so I'm finished Mission Three, right?

 

Ambriel stared at the figure that had just appeared, seemingly out of thin air. He was definitely no elf, but she didn't have time to concern herself with that now. The army was coming closer, and she had to deal with these elves first. She closed her eyes and summoned the wind spirits she had gathered during the past 15 minute of her captivity. They exploded around her in a gust of waling air, like a tornado. Some of the elves lost their balance or lost their grip on their weapons from the shock of the attack. Ambriel concentrated on her movements, circling the wind spirits around her, forcing the elves to move back. She turned her gaze on Tahal and prepared a glowing ball of wind and fire in her right palm. The strange figure, Talaris, flickered at the edge of her vision, but she paid no attention to him. She needed to carry out her sentence first.

 

Interesting...she's ignoring me but taking her revenge on the elves...

I watched as she assailed her enemies with fierce magic I had never seen before. They were knocked back and sent flying in every direction.

"Master! You told us you would save us!" cried Tahal in anguish.

"I lied."

Tahal screamed as the magic peeled his skin from his flesh. It was actually pretty cool to see. As the elves turned tail and ran, Ambriel turned her attention to the approaching invasion of Dark Ones. Smart choice.

I walked over to her, gazing out at the army.

"So...you gonna run?" I asked her.

She didn't respond.

"Well, you see, fighting ain't really my forte, if you know what I mean. I prefer to stay in the background, influencing things. So if you don't mind, I'll be heading off now, Ambriel."

The dragon turned around. "How do you know my name?"

 

She learns about her sister

I’d woken up in the morning, after only a few hours it seemed, but it had been 4 days actually, as the littlest elf, Uridas, informed me. I walked out of my room and into the kitchen, and was immediately engulfed as the mother-elf hugged me. It felt awkward, and I must have gone rigid because she hugged me even closer. I hugged her back.

“How’re you feeling now, honey?” she asked.

“I’m fine, Chachi,”

She gasped, “Ramela, my Ramela? You honey? It is you isn’t it?

“Yes Chachi.”

She started crying, “How you’ve grown? Four years. We thought you were dead. After you’re Mamma-Papa died-“

“Killed,” I said, interrupting her, “they were killed.”

“No, they weren’t honey.”

“I saw them being killed through my own eyes.”

“And I knew they were going to die, lets put it this way. They planned it. You’ll come to know why, one day, however there’s something else you need to know.” She said handing me a parantha.

“What??” I asked, curious.

“You remember that Momma had told you about your human twin-sister?”

“Ya, but wasn’t she stolen?”

“Yup, but I found out where she was take and who she is now.”

“What? Where? Who?”

“She was brought to Trebildel too.”

“What?”

“Yeah, she’s-”

“She’s what?”

“She’s a Darkone now.”

 

She could see fear creep its way into Tahal’s eyes as she stepped towards him. The combination of wind and fire was a special power only used by the dragons when they sentenced someone to death. It was particularly painful in that, it did not just burn the victim alive. Their skin would be torn from their body, and while still feeling, the flames would burn their muscles, organs and bones as the wind continued to tear them apart.

“Master! You told us you would save us!” Tahal cried in anguish.

Master? Ambriel thought to herself. She turned to looked at the figure called Talaris. He didn’t look like a dark one, and she didn’t sense the dark ones within him. He definitely didn’t seem right to her, but she would not have thought him to be one of them.

“I lied,” he replied. Ambriel didn’t like the sound of his voice at all, but she couldn’t think about that now. She needed to take care of the elves first so she could give herself time to escape the oncoming dark army.

The sentence took several minutes to carry through. Tahal screamed and writhed as the spirits took their toll on his body. Some of the elves turned back to the village, taking refuge in the meeting hall. Other’s stayed, still pointing their weapons towards Ambriel, ready to fight. An elf holding a long thin sword lunged on her right. She held up her left hand, pulling away some of the air spirits from her right and sending them towards the elf. He was forced back several paces and lost his grip on his weapon. He ran.

While Amb was distracted on her right, two other elves armed with bow and arrows moved back to a safe distance and pulled on their strings. She sensed them preparing to attack and turned her left hand towards them. She caught the first arrow in her hand, snapping it in half, but the second arrow whizzed past her head, grazing her cheek. Elven metal was indeed very strong. It pierced her skin and a small line of red became visible.

There was nothing left of Tahal now. Only ash. Ambriel turned her full attention towards the archers who were now preparing to flee to the town hall as well. She separated the wind and fire spirits and sent flames bursting towards the elves. She had no intention of harming them; she only wanted to scare them off.

It worked. The remaining elves ran for cover, leaving Ambriel standing alone with the strange man. She turned towards the dark army, trying to estimate how much time was left. The man Talaris walked up next to her, insulting close, and followed her gaze towards the dark ones.

“So… you gonna run?” he asked. His voice sounded seductive, making Ambriel dislike him even more. The man looked human as far as she could tell, but nothing about him seemed human. Furthermore, she couldn’t be sure if he was a dark one or not. Tahal had called him Master… but he did not have the aura of a dark one…

Talaris continued speaking when she failed to respond. "Well, you see, fighting ain't really my forte, if you know what I mean. I prefer to stay in the background, influencing things. So if you don't mind, I'll be heading off now, Ambriel."

Ambriel abruptly turned her golden eyes on him. “How do you know my name?” Something was not right about him. “Who are you?”

Suddenly the cut on her cheek began to burn. Her hand automatically went to touch it. It was beginning to swell. Everything began to spin. She took a step back to steady herself, but the dizziness didn’t go away. Dragonsbane… she silently cursed to herself. How this small elven village had gotten hold of such a rare poison was beyond her. She couldn’t think of that now though. She needed to find water fast. The poison was dehydrating her at an alarming rate. She needed to rehydrate herself so she could search for the counter poison. But where could she find water? The village was out of the question. The next town was miles away. She wouldn’t make it in time…

A fresh wave of dizziness swept over her.

 

Well, this certainly wasn't turning out the way I had planned it.

The dragon collasped, muttering something about Dragon's bane. I watched her writhe on the ground, gasping with her eyes closed, sweat pouring down her body.

A few of the elves, seeing their enemy fall, advanced slowly. One began to bow, before the others looked at him with anger and he stopped.

"You...you betrayed Tahal," one of them said, staying back and pointing a spear at me.

I gave a mock gasp and said, "No! I would never!"

"You told him you were a god!" the other elf snarled.

"Maybe I am," I said, "did you ever think of that?"

"You said you lied," the elf that had bowed stuttered.

I sighed. Elves were so stupid.

"You should probably run now," I said, gesturing towards the advancing army of Dark Ones.

The three elves looked at each other, gave me a rather rude hand gesture, and took off. I chuckled and bent down to look at the dragon. She was really in trouble if someone didn't help her.

"Like Tahal said; a live dragon's worth more than a dead one."

I knew from one of my absorbed memories that Dragonsbane was a deadly plant that secreted poison that was deadly to dragons, as the name implied. It was incredibly rare, and only grew where single beams of moonlight fell. It's cure was less rare, but still hard to find. The cure was a plant usually used to kill painlessly, called the Slumber, but to dragons it cured them, not killed them. I searched my memories and found one from the elven maid I ate, showing me the location of the plant. Turns out one of her brothers took it after his wife left him.

I reached down and picked up the girl; she was surprisingly light. I faded away, turning her and I invisible, and headed back towards the mountains.

 

Mission Four: An Old Friend

The half white tiger half dragon landed softly on one of the city's dock. Laura was fairly shaken and it took a little bit of force to make her move to get off of the creature. she was paralyzed with fear.

"Laura. Laura!" I shook her slightly. Her eyes focused on me.

"I'm okay," She whispered. I didn't believe her so I took her by the waist to help support her weight while we walked, the creature leading the way.

Follow me...

We walked until we reached a huge marble building with these words printed in huge lettering:

KUNOOKUO CITY CAPITAL BUILDING​

The creature walked as far as the outside of the doors and sat down.

This is as far as I go. Good luck. Laura and I walked inside.

The building was huge. Tall, white collumns alligned the huge marble walls. A long, granite counter lined the west wall and people were working behind them frantically. At the end of the enormous hall was another huge set of thick wooden doors. An employee called us over.

 

Mission Five: Exam Month

Due to the amount of players that are doing their finals, after Mission Four, there will be NO MORE MISSIONS UNTIL JUNE 11TH, 2008.

That means that all submissions may be as long or as short as you feel you want to post, and they may start flowing without the immediate instruction from the GM. I will direct you in a way if you would like, but otherwise, it is completely up to you.

Mission Six resumes June 11th, 2008.

(Note: if you have not completed up to Mission Four, I am allowing you to fall under this rule. You may take the month off to worry about school, and come back at your leisure without having to worry about Mission Two, Three, or Four.)

Have fun.

Devon

 

Mission Three

Please excuse the late-ness... =-(

======

“Wake up, Poppet.” Darren shook Sare awake, though the moon loomed high in the sky.

She pulled herself to her feet and grabbed her spear beside her. Around her the field was deforested as rows upon rows of tents were collapsed and folded away. Darren wadded the sackcloth up and stuffed it into the satchel along with his and Karell’s bedding. Karell himself appeared from somewhere bearing two long strips of leather.

“Here,” he said to Sare. Without waiting for her to answer, he tugged her feet from under her, dropping her to the ground. He grabbed a foot and wrapped it deftly with the leather. Before Sare could think, he’d shoed her other foot and bustled off.

Soon, arms full with the means of their meager existence, the two soldiers set off across the grounds. Sare trailed after them. On the other side of the community tents, a battalion of white beasts pawed at the ground and whuffled at the passing humans, never once straying from their neat lines.

Sare smelled them before she saw them. She knew well the musky stench that assailed her nostrils. Packers. Lots and lots of Packers. The wooly animals were native to the north, but some of the richer tribes back in the valley used them for beasts of burden, and, less often, to ride. Packers were well known as obstinate alternatives to the mule or camel. When well-trained, they were the most loyal and level-headed steeds a man could have. But it was easier to train a cat to swim.

Who had taken the time to train them all? There had to be about five hundred of them—they stretched as far as Sare could see. But even with that multitude, Sare knew that not everyone would get a mount. So it surprised her when Darren led her and Karell to the flank of a large and shaggy monster.

“I pulled a few strings, eh?” the man grinned as Karell stared at him in wonderment. “Here, help me load ’im.” As they emptied their arms into the creature’s saddlebags, Sare wandered around to its front.

It won’t bite me, she reasoned. After all, it was standing amiably in line, flanked by many others of its kind. If it wanted to pick a fight, it would have by now. She laid a hand on its grey-white nuzzle and looked into its intelligent eyes. Once, when forced to suffer one’s company, her mother had described Packer eyes as cow-like. Sare disagreed. Peering out from under curved ceratopsian horn-crests, the eyes possessed some sort of human quality. But, maybe Sare was just dreaming.

“What’s its name?” she asked Karell as he came around to unfetter the animal. Ahead and behind her, others were doing the same.

“You can name him if you want. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind,” the soldier said. Seeing Sare’s puzzled look, he told her, “Horns’re curlier. Mane fuller. I grew up around these things, y’know. Uhp! Looks like we’re off.”

Sare looked where Karell was pointing. The people and Packers at the vanguard had indeed begun to move. A ripple of motion worked its way through the line as the army began its slow march.

Sare was still trudging along when the sun rose hours later. She had decided to name the Packer Lucy, and to heck with gender. The field was far behind them, and now and then they passed small scraggly copses of trees. She understood the wisdom in her leather shoes now; the lush grass had given way to sharp rocks and sticks.

“How long’re we going to walk?” she’d asked Darren. The whole division was traveling in loose formation, checked at regular intervals by officers on horseback, weaving through the large and blundering Packers.

“Till we die,” he replied in a moment of brutal pessimism, but soon the sunshiny smile reappeared on his face and he added, “but I suppose we’ll stop somewhere by nightfall. Surely we’ll be far into the valley by then.”

With the sun steadily climbing to its noontime perch, Sare estimated they’d journeyed about a bazillion miles. Karell assured her it was more like twenty-five, while Darren offered an optimistic thirty. Both expressed their amazement that she had made it this far walking. She smiled. It wasn’t nothing, but she’d walked quite a bit in her lifetime. No valley child grew up a wimp.

Still, she was tiring. She took a swig of Karell’s canteen—he’d declined a drink himself—and eyed Lucy appraisingly. Would he let her ride? Karell laughed when he saw her glance. “Getting tired, are we?” He scooped her up and settled her at the shallow dip behind Lucy’s neck. She twined her hands into the animal’s mane.

Lucy flinched a bit under the added weight, but it didn’t seem to bother him. He was one of the smallest of the enlisted Packers though he was larger by far than the officers’ horses. From her new vantage point, Sare could see almost to the front of the brigade. The whole thing still reminded her more of a caravan than an army. It was too… relaxed.

Some of the soldiers walking alongside her glared at her with envy or contempt. But none of them made an attempt to ride their own beasts. Must be a pride thing.
Even though they were moving, there was a stillness to the whole set-up. That is, until a sudden shove to Lucy’s backside sent him sprawling into the Packer in front of him.

Lucy whuffled in alarm and backpedaled in an attempt to stop rear-ending the Packer in front of him. Behind her, Sare could hear a soldier trying to calm his own panicking beast. Lucy couldn’t be settled, though, and he broke suddenly from the ranks and trundled along the outside of the column. Pleased with this sudden break in the monotony, Sare kicked him lightly in the sides, cheering him on.

Unrestricted by the speed of animals in front of him, Lucy easily doubled his former rate. Within minutes he had nearly overtaken the generals at the front. Sare found she could sort of govern his direction by tugging on his mane, and she slipped him in among the other white monsters.

Ahead of her and to her left, two richly garbed men rode atop fiery stallions. Something about them just said chief. Now she could learn exactly where it was they were going! Sare steered Lucy into the fray just behind the commanding officers. She nestled among the fur and saddlebags that adorned Lucy’s back, eavesdropping.

“Sir,” the more subservient one said, “Are we truly going to Greava? I thought we were the peaceful corps. We haven’t trained our men for true warfare yet.”

“What makes you think the Greava dogs will be a problem?” the other rumbled. “They may be the only territorial army yet unconquered, but that’s only because they were too inconsequential to bother with before.”

“But, sir… their numbers are rumored to be some twenty thousand strong. We have less than a tenth of that!”

“True. But news has reached me that our half-breed friends of the night reached them this past week. Their capitol city, their farmlands, their villages, have been overrun and destroyed. Their army is no more. Our job was to offer help and alliance to the only territory not part of the working empire. But what’s an army without a bit of ransacking?”

“You plan to disobey?”

The superior officer smiled. “I know these fools, Colonel. They wouldn’t submit peacefully unless they were reduced to one old woman and her knitting needles. Even then, it’s doubtful. We’ll take them the old fashioned way.”

Sare gasped. The Bad Ones won? Then what became of Evan and the others? That purple-eyed girl, Naomi, had been a soldier, too, hadn’t she? Were they all dead?

And if they weren’t, they were about to be. Weakened as Greava was, there was no way they could hold off even the most placid of armies. The others would die.

“No!” she said and slammed her heels into Lucy’s side. The beast lurched forward, shoving the general’s and colonel’s horses aside. The soldiers shouted in surprise.

“What the? A rebel! Catch it!”

Lucy cantered on, spurred by Sare’s flailing feet. Behind her, the general had gathered a small fleet of officers, and now their horses were galloping full-throttle behind her. There was no way she was going to let them catch her. “Run, Lucy!” she said to the animal and turned around, facing the pursuing men. She grabbed her spear from where it hung by the saddlebag. As she pulled it to her, she accidentally opened the flap of the main bag. Something jingled.

The screaming soldiers momentarily forgotten, Sare investigated. A burlap sack nestled inside the satchel. Inside it, unbelievably, were coins. Gold and silver. But mostly gold.

“Pay you for your troubles!” Sare called and pelted the nearest of the horsemen with riches.

Unbelievably, he stopped to pick them up. The rest of the half-dozen slowed, and Sare rewarded them with another storm of coins.

“That won’t hold them for long,” Sare told Lucy. “We have to hide! Quick!

To the sides of the plain were stands of trees, but nothing thick enough to conceal the Packer. Shrouded in mist up ahead, however, were rocky hills—the outer sentinels of the Haven Valley ridges.

There she’d be home free.

Sare threw one last handful of coins for good measure, then turned to pat Lucy’s head.

“We’re going to make it,” she told the panting beast. Then, to herself, “We are going to make it.”

 

Kiva - Mission Three

I woke up on top of something soft, warm, muscular – I pushed myself off Evan in a start, a little more violently than I intended.

“Whoa” He took in a breath, though it obviously pained him. “Calm down, you’re safe. I promise. You just fell. I caught you… kinda…”

I stared at him for a moment, the haze-filled events of the past few days rushing through my mind. The memories came back. Falling into his arms. Dreaming. “You caught me?” I said blankly. I forced my eyes to focus on his form. He looked so beat up. Laughing a bit, I shook my head at him. “You shouldn’t have done that.” I pulled myself up into a kneeling position, and leaned over to touch his cheek. “You could have hurt yourself more. Probably did. I don’t want you in more pain on my account.” I paused. “That said, thank you.”

“Anytime.” He smiled. “Just don’t make a habit of going into a coma. I don’t want to lose you.”

I blushed. “I don’t plan on it.” I gingerly stepped up, leaning against a table as I did so. I turned to look out the cave’s entrance. It had been late in the night when we arrived at the cave; now it was midday, the sun apparently at its highest point. I was surprised at what a blur the recent days seemed. I returned to Evan’s resting place, kneeling beside him once more. “We should get you cleaned up. I have some bandages here, and there’s a pool at the back of the cave.”

“Leave the patch on my eye. I can feel it. Don’t take it off. Trust me.”

I bit my lip. “Alright.” I looked at his chest. He had never put his shirt on… I felt my cheeks heat up again, realizing I had been lying on top of his bare chest for who knew how long. I stood up and fetched a bucket of water and the bandages from the back, walking by the small little cabinet as I did so. “Are you hungry?” I asked him.

Evan laughed. "No. Couldn't eat if I tried. I'll be fine." He paused, "So...we're going to need to find out why the army was looking for me. Or I am...I don't know if they saw you." He flushed as well. "Unless you want to go with me?"

I knelt back beside him, carefully beginning to peel the bandage off his chest. “Sorry. This is going to hurt.” I looked him in the eye, then away again. I had always dreamt of adventure… “I’ll go with you.”

He smiled. "I think we should move towards the Capital. We'll get answers there."

“Towards the capital,” I repeated, dizzy at the thought. I had heard merchants’ tales of the capital. My hands shook as I rinsed the wounds on his chest and replaced the old bandage with new. I struggled to remember the maps they had shown me. “We could probably follow the river into Lootah.”

“That sounds good.” He said. After a moment, he continued. “So, Kiva. Do you know how to fight? I think we might have to, and as much as I’ll try to protect you, I need to know if you can defend yourself.”

I blinked. “I don’t know much. I’ve punched a few people in my day, but nothing terribly exciting.”

“Well, then.” He tried to stand up, but I gave him an admonishing look and laid my hand on his chest, forcing him back down. He smiled. “Okay, okay. In a moment… I’ll teach you something cool. I call it the Super-Uber-Blue-Baller-Awesome-Evan move. You'll love it, I guarantee."

I laughed, grinning down at him. “At least you have a sense of humor.” I moved on to the bandages on his legs, cleaning and replacing them as I had the others. He squirmed uncomfortably. The man was far too talented at making me blush.

When I was finished, I moved out of his way, and he stood up with some difficulty. I had forgotten how tall he was. “Okay. So, first, before I start to show you that move… where are we? What is the deal with all the crystals?”

Now here was an explanation I wasn’t looking forward to. “I work magic through the jewelry that I wear. This piece, for instance,” I said, gesturing to the amethyst bracelet from earlier, “I can use to manipulate air.” I motioned to our surroundings. “This is where I get most of my stones. It’s my sanctuary of sorts,” I added quietly. I didn’t add that he was only the second man who had ever seen inside these natural walls. It was strange, to hear masculine laughter again echo in my secret cave…

"Sanctuary?" I flushed, surprised he had heard me. "Well, I like it. I could see myself visiting often." He looked around, placing his hands on his hips dashingly. "Hmm...well...okay, let's get to training. Let's just go with punches and kicks for now, okay?"

“Okay.” I blushed. “Sorry, I’m not much of a fighter.”

"It's okay." He smiled, "Don't give up. I mean, look at me. Look at these pecs.” Did he really just say that? I found myself staring at his chest despite my best efforts not to. He was incorrigible. “I can teach ya."

He raised his fists. "Okay, Kiva, this one will help you the most in combat." He swung once, twice, a third one, and then flipped a leg around in the air. "Okay, your turn,” he gasped, stumbling a bit as he landed on his bad leg.

I started to go to him, but he shook his head at me. “Your turn.”

This was it. Reluctantly, I punched the air with my fists, alternating as he had. I almost felt as if I had done it right. A little triumphant – this wasn’t so bad – I kicked my leg with as much strength as I could… and found myself falling over yet again.

His arms caught me and I realized just how glad I was to be awake to feel him holding me, to feel that kind of safety and security. It had been a long time… “Whoa there, dear,” Evan said, smiling down at me. He looked so gentle. “We’ll find something easier for you. How about you just kick the boys in the boys?”

I laughed. He was always able to ease the mood when I least expected it. “I know how to do that,” I retorted. Surely that should have been obvious. No self-respecting girl in a small town lacked that particular skill. “I'd like to learn something real,” I said more seriously.

"It's hard to teach you in a dress, Kiva." He laughed, and then turned, blushing, "And I don't think you wanna take that off to learn how to fight."

It struck me then just how crazy this was. There’s a strange (admittedly handsome, not to mention charming) man in my cave, my secret sanctuary. He’s trying to teach me how to fight. I’m not a fighter, I’m a pacifist, a healer… and now he is suggesting, however embarrassedly, that I take my dress off. Of course – I looked at him appraisingly and blushed. I had certainly seen enough of him. Felt enough of him. And I would still be clothed. “I have a pair of pants I could go put on.” I had borrowed them once, a long time ago now. “Would that be better?”

“Only if you feel comfortable.”

“Sure,” I said before I could convince myself otherwise. I went around to the back of the cave to change, pulling out the old, worn black pants. When I stepped back out, I hurried to the table and opened the delicate yet decently sized wooden box on it. I began the slowly familiar process of removing my jewelry. Evan was being strangely quiet. "You can look," I said, realizing he was facing away from me. "I thought it would probably be easier without all of this also,” I explained when he turned around. I left a few of my most treasured pieces on – the peridot at my waist, obviously, along with the diamond anklet and toe ring, the various rings on my fingers, pearl earrings and a single opal necklace.

"Oh. Okay, let's try that kick one more time."

I did as instructed. I had forgotten how light I felt, without the majority of my jewels. I was too scared to remove them often. I also felt empty, alone. I was suddenly glad for his presence, glad to have a human here with me.

I managed not to fall over this time. He grinned. “Much better.” He started abruptly. “There’s someone outside,” he said.

“Impossible,” I told him. “No one knows where…” I stopped. I heard them too. Shaking, I grabbed my pack and placed my jewel box into it. I took hold of his hand. Time to run again. “Come on.” I led him to the entrance and around the edge. A group of men was approaching – I faltered. These weren’t soldiers, they were men from town. Men I knew… Evan tugged on my hand, leading me forward. We broke into a run as they began to chase after us, shouting. Everything was happening so fast. We were both still weak.

One of them grabbed me. I screamed, turning around, using the technique Evan had just taught me on the man, one I recognized as a drinking buddy of my father’s. Much to my shock, he fell to the ground. My triumph didn’t last long; the next man grabbed me, forcing my hands behind my back and subduing me. Another did the same to Evan.

I resigned myself to my fate as they escorted us back towards town.

***

Nearly all the buildings I knew from my childhood were destroyed or in some way wounded. I stumbled speechlessly as Evan and I were brought before the mayor and citizens, gathered in the central square.

The mayor’s stare pierced me. He stood on a platform, behind a podium, looking every inch a powerful authority. “Kiva Caerygin. You have brought this upon us.”

It was a long moment before I could even bring myself to respond. “No,” I said shakily. “I never meant for this to happen. Please, I only intended to help this man – “ I gestured to Evan, who looked at me sadly. I could see the guilt in his eye, the pain he felt at causing this. “He was gravely wounded. I could not deny him aid.”

“I would like to speak,” a female voice interrupted. It was Anna, walking towards the congregation, and a sparkle of hope returned to my heart. I smiled weakly at her, but she did not smile back. Her eyes passed over me dismissively and settled on the mayor. “I have known this child since she was born. Most of us have.” The gathered townspeople murmured in agreement. “She has always thirsted for knowledge about the outside world. In her early youth, we considered this an asset, a worthy pursuit for such a young one. We thought she would outgrow this in time, and would grow up, as children of this town do, to be a normal and healthy member of the community.” She paused, and for the first time looked at me. Her expression was pained. I took in a sharp breath. No. She would support me. She was the closest thing I had to a mother. Surely she would make a case for my innocence.

“When she grew close to my son Aric as they neared adolescence, I considered it a good match. I saw the affection between them and thought that someday she would make a good bride.” Again the townspeople whispered. They knew this already.

“Then, on the day young Kiva became a woman, everything changed.” Her tone was colder now. I closed my eyes, stunned, unable to do anything but let the impossible words sink in. “You all know the powers she came into. Strange powers. She vanished for days at a time, and came back wearing more jewelry than a courtesan. She told no one where she went, or where she obtained these precious items. She began selling her services, helping move objects here, aiding in the growth of plants there, and regularly held secret meetings with passing merchants. It seemed innocent enough, I suppose, but every now and then things went wrong. She couldn’t control her witchery.”

“My son,” she said, “grew more and more obsessed with her. He worshipped her.” His voice in my head, in my memory: You’re amazing, Kiva. So kind, so beautiful, so gifted. “For the next several years, they were nearly inseparable. I let it go; I barely knew what else to do. I loved him, and he was obviously infatuated with her. I naively believed that her magic was merely a strange affectation, one she would outgrow and dismiss as dangerous and unnecessary work. I was wrong.

“Then Aric fell sick.” She paused. She never spoke of how he got sick. What about the soldiers, Anna? They were to blame. They did that to him, Anna. Not me. Never me. I was crying, though I barely felt anything, barely felt alive. “We treated him as best we can. And then, this young woman killed him.”

“No,” I whispered. The man holding me gives me a rough shake in an attempt to silence me, or so I assumed. It was no use. “No, I tried to save him,” I said, louder this time. “Please, Anna.” My face was hot with tears. I realized then that the crowd of townspeople was agitated, nervous now, talking angrily amongst themselves. Anna looked at me with no love, no compassion in her eyes. I turned my appeal to the mayor. “Please understand, I have never meant to hurt anyone.”

“I have already spoken with Anna about this,” he said. There was the smallest hint of kindness in his eyes, a kindness I clung to. “She and I are agreed. You, Kiva Caerygin, are responsible for Aric’s death. As you are responsible for the destruction of our town. That you brought this strange man into our midst and doomed us all is only the latest of your offenses.”

“No! I never…” I was cut off by shouts from the crowd.

“Witch!” Someone screamed. “Kill her! Drive the devil from our town!” More voices. I stared at the people I had spent my entire life with. “Give us our lives back, demon-child!” My guard shoved me forward. Dust and rocks were thrown at my face; I coughed, choking on tears and dust, barely able to stand up straight.

“Stop!” Anna’s voice was crisp and clear. I lifted my aching neck upwards to see her, holding my jewelry box in one hand. She walked onto the wooden platform. The mayor had stepped away, off to the side. She held a bottle of something in her other hand, which she promptly broke, soaking the majority of the platform with liquid. She had been careful not to get any on herself. I trembled. It smelled like kerosene. “This box,” she announced, “holds the majority of the witch’s cursed jewels. We have already cleansed her secret hideout. Now we will cleanse our town!” She threw the box into the damp area. The mayor handed her a torch as the crowd cheered.

I screamed as Anna held the torch ever closer to the wooden box – the box which held my jewelry, my life… “Please!” I shouted like the madwoman they all thought me to be. “Please, I beg you, don’t do this! I’ll do anything you want! I’m begging you, Anna,” I sobbed. “For the sake of the years we’ve spent together. For the love you once bore me. Please! I’ll do anything!” Something close to silence had fallen over the townspeople.

The woman I had long considered like a mother looked at me. “Give me my son back, you little witch.”

She threw the torch onto the gas-soaked platform.

Fire. Fire everywhere. The explosion threw me back, but I ran forward as well as I could, writhing out of my guard’s grasp. My vision danced with flames. My body danced with flames – I felt the heat, the agonizing pain, as if I, not my jewelry, was being burned alive. Fury pushed me forward, towards the inferno as the townsfolk all rushed away. I was inches from the blaze when strong arms around my waist held me back. I kicked and screamed, fighting back with all my rage, only to hear muffled masculine cries of pain – cries in a voice recently familiar. The man let me go. I spun around to look at him.

It was Evan. My dazed mind had enough time to wonder if it had been worth losing my entire world to save him before my hand reached down and for the second time in my life I drew upon the power of the jewel whose color matched my eyes.

Black for a moment, and then I saw -

A unicorn.

But its color was a sickly lime green – peridot green – and when a strange electric lightning flashed about it as it charged into and through the fleeing townspeople, I could see the outline of its glowing bone structure. It was strangely fascinating. I no longer felt tired. The townspeople fell. I heard their screams. Echoes, as they ran, as a few escaped, as most exhaled their dying breaths.

Almost without thinking I held out a hand, and the unicorn came towards me, nuzzled my hand, licked it. A rush of pleasure spread through me. Then it touched my peridot with its horn, and vanished with a scintillating flash of light.

I turned to Evan, the only other person left standing. His expression was impossible to read. My tears had dried. “We should leave,” I said.

***

The logistical stuff:
It's exactly 3000 words, for the record
Sorry for this being so late... and for the length... I'm wordy...
and I'd just like to point out that Evan writes all his own lines.
Rebellion (presumably, since I'm on the run from the military with Evan)
- Your character learns a new martial skill.
- A chase.
- A dark secret is revealed (Evan finds out that Kiva 'killed' someone, we discover the peridot's power) / Your character meets a mythical creature (...sort of)

 

Conspiracy in Kunookuo (Am I Meeting Oasis in Kunookuo?)

"I can help you over here!" The employee called. I walked over, pulling Laura with me. "Yes, yes, yes," She muttered, looking us over. Her voice was rushed. "You want to go through the doors at the end of the hall, take a right at the bottom of the stairs. Follow that hall around the corner and the room you want is the second to last on the left. If you reach the statue of Guy de Maupassant, you've gone too far." And she began another quick conversation with someone behind us.

I helped Laura through the doors, carrying her down the stairs.

"I can walk now," She said when we reached the bottom. I set her down and she wobbled a little. "I'm fine," She promised. We walked down the hallway and around the corner. The corridors were dark, dimly lit, if they were lit at all. One small candle seemed to be the only source of light per hall. The light threw various statues and suits of armor into sharp relief and made their shadows dance morbidly on the walls.

"It's scary down here," Laura whined at my side, nearly clutching my arm in fear. I merely patted her shoulder. We turned another corner, into an even darker corridor. Where was this door that was supposedly on our left? There hadn't been a door for several yards and the few doors there were were on the right. We passed another statue; a statue of Guy de Maupassant.

"I think we've gone too far," I muttered looking around in the darkness. There was a dim light at the end of the hall. It flickered tauntingly. I could feel myself being drawn unwillingly to it. I could feel Laura's fear eminating off of her as she tried to hold me in place, but I only dragged her with me. I slowly walked down the hall, not taking my eyes off of the light. I was like a moth, drawn the to heat of a flame.

"Naomi, no!" She gasped still trying desperately to hold me back. "The woman said that once we reached the statue of Maupassant, we've gone too far! It's dark down there! It's scary!" I forgot that her eyes couldn't see the dim light down the hall.

"I'll be right back," I said, prying her fingers off of my arm and stepping forward. A hand on my shoulder forced me to stop. Even with my strength the hand held me in place. I turned to look at the person who had made me hesitate. It was too dark to see anyone clearly.

"I believe you are looking for my office. Follow me, please." The voice was indifferent, like it could belong to either man or woman. The figure had both of our wrists and forcefully dragged us back around the corner and into a door to our right. I must've missed it on the way down. It pushed us inside, following us quickly, and slammed the door behind it. It pushed us roughly into two armchairs. A desk sat in front of it and behind the desk was an enourmous fireplace, nearly the size of the wal itself. A fire was burning delicately in the fireplace, illuminating the room.

The figure was average height and was cloaked in a black robe with the hood pulled up over its head, hiding its eyes from view. Even its hands were obscured. It sat down in the huge black chair behind the desk and swiveled so that its back was to us.

"So Naomi," It said silkily. "I see you have found your way back to us. How thoughtful." I could sense the smugness eminating from it. I tried to read its thoughts, to get some sort of hold on who it was, but they were blocking their thoughts quite well. I got this feeling that they knew me somehow.

"It's been a long time. What has it been, fifty? Sixty years?" What happened fifty or sixty years ago? "You're quite the clever one. You always were one for evasion and secrecy. It took us a while to recover your path."

My jaw dropped and my eyes were suddenly wide. Laura sensed my fear and quickly became worried herself. She looked from me to the figure and back to me with short, jerky movements.

"We've ben tracking you, Naomi. We hoped you would try to reunite yourself with us, but we didn't expect it for a while and we didn't want to take the risk of losing you and having you never rejoin. That would be a significant loss on our part." The figure sneered. It showed in its voice.

"It was almost too perfect that you would trap yourself on that island. We had some of our... collaborators send a regiment of the Militia to the island, hoping to..." It paused for words. "Persuade you off of the island. You couldn't have left soon enough. I was suprised you didn't start a rebellion."

"I've changed a lot since we've last met, Akara. I am no longer who I once was. That vampire is dead."

"Such irony in your words, Naomi. Vampires never die. That part of you will live on for eternity. It will never die." Laura was shaking now. She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. I patted her leg comfortingly.

"I see how you struggle to live amongst humans. Even now I feel the immense amount of energy you are using to refrain from killing this girl." Laura shuddered.

"You are wrong," I replied with forced sophistication. I wanted to yell, scream, tear it apart limb from limb, but now was not the time. I would get that chance later. "I have disciplined myself to a level far greater than you will ever know. I no longer have a need for human blood. Living side by side with mortals comes second nature to me now."

"Lies!" It hissed, nearly swiveling to glare at us. It stopped midturn. "Well, that may be so, but no matter. It will not be hard to turn you again. Once you get the taste of human blood again, you won't be able to resist. It will be like reintroducing wine to an alcoholic. You'll beg for it, plead for it."

"You are wrong."

"Am I? Am I wrong?" It hesitated, like it truly wanted me to answer the question. When I didn't answer it began again. "Or is it you? Lying to yourself to make you believe it. You've told yourself so many times that you've actually begun to believe it. Look deeper into your mind, Naomi. You know it to be true. You know that your self-discipline is no match for the craving that drives you, that makes you what you are!" I cringed. I never asked for this. I never wanted this lifestyle.

 

Escape From Kunookuo

"You are wrong," I repeated merely for emphasis.

"Oh, I highly doubt that." The figure sneered. I shifted in my chair. "I can see it in your mind. You would make this girl believe your lies and have her follow her to the end, if such an end were possible for a vampire, then in the last moments of her life, after she was no longer of use to you, you would take her life and you would enjoy it. I already know of your little... slipup back on Kuon Island. That old man didn't deserve to die that way." It was taunting me and it was working.

"He was going to die anyway! He knew of us! He knew of our kind! What happened to secrecy? What happened to remaining in the shadows, as it were? I finally follow a rule of the Dark Ones and look what happens? I get it turned against me!"

"Yes, let the anger flow through you. Feel the hate writhe through your body." I calmed myself at once.

"Everyone has their moments. And she shall not be one of mine." I rose from my chair. A lot of things happened at that moment. Within the time fragment of a second I was thrown into the wall closest to me, both armchairs had been overturned, and Laura was clutched in the figure's arms, its lips at the base of her neck.

"Then she shall be mine." My reflexes were not fast enough. Before I had time to react, its teeth had sunk into her skin. The blood flowed freely over its lips and down her throat. My stomache dropped to the floor, or rather, I didn't have a stomache anymore. Anger flowed hot through my veins as adrenaline was pumped through my bloodstream. I wanted to hurt him, I wanted to make him scream, I wanted to make him suffer, but the blood smell was quickly perforating the room and I knew if I didn't leave soon I would succumb to my inner beast and join the figure in the blood bath. I fled through the doors and into the darkness.

I emerged on the other side of the wooden doors, light washing over me in waves. People stared at me as I pushed past and made my way outside. The half tiger half dragon was still sitting stiffly by the door.

"How could you?!" I screamed at it advancing to it.

How could I do what? It's voice seemed calm, almost bored.

"How could you lead us here? You knew, didn't you? You knew that if we came here one of us would die!"

We bring all ocean floaters to the capital, as is our law.

"But you knew! You knew and you didn't say a damn thing!"

I did not know.

"Bull****!" I screamed. I was drawing more and more attention to myself. For all anybody else knew I was shouting at a creature who was minding its own business, staring straight ahead.

I swear to you. I had no idea of what awaited you and I am truly sorry for your loss. His voice now carried true remorse and I eased up. He did save us from the water dragon as it were.

There were shouts from the building.

"I need to get out of here." I said looking around frantically for some escape. "The coven, they're coming for me!"

Let me help you. I feel like I owe you that much.

I stared at him incredulously. Tears formed in my eyes. "Thank you,"

Get on. I clambered onto his back and we took off leaving the capital city of Kunookuo behind. Shouts of agony drifted upward to my ears. I looked down where the coven leader was standing, cursing us as we disappeared into the sky.

Let us head south... The creature thought. Its voice sounded familiar.

"But that just leads to Kuon Island." I said as I held tightly to its fur. It was coarse, but soft at the same time.

Pardon? Its voice sounded different from the last thought. I shrugged it off.

"Why should we head south? That just leads to Kuon Island."

What do you speak of? I never thought that we should venture south.

"Sure you did, I heard you."

You must be mistaken.

I recognized the voice that moment. It was Evan's 'voice'; Evan's thoughts.

 

The heat was intense, but I was able to withstand it long enough to get close to her body. She was circling around looking for an escape. Her face was sweating and she was in tears. I rushed behind her and grabbed her waist, pulling back as quickly as I could before noticing she was flailing about.

She turned around and noticed who I was finally, smiling for a brief moment before saying the obvious. I had a feeling she did that often, but I found it cute.

As we turned to leave, my head went light. I heard thoughts. Someone. Far away. Reading my thoughts?

“Goodness,” I whispered, barely audible to the cracks of the fire.

“Evan! Let’s go, hurry. Please!”

“I’m coming.” I stood and ran for her. My thoughts were awkward. Why did I want to retreat south? Where was I suppose to go?

Noempla was obviously not the answer.

We’d think about it after we got out.

 

A shadow in memory--Adrastus: Not really mission anything since I can skip the others

Adrastus had stolen away in the still dark hours of the morning, doing his best to avoid and farewells or praise he did not deserve. In his heart of hearts he knew he would have left Zoran to burn had his own life not been at stake. It was a fact that disgusted him to the core. Perhaps the voices had been right, maybe he wasn't so different from the accursed Del Blaine.

The black gelding on which Adrastus rode plodded along the rocky path southwest, towards the river Egil and the Gap of Nimm. The gentle motion and rhythmic clack of hooves on the rocky ground had a hypnotizing quality about it. Just as the sun was rising up over the mountains behind him, Adrastus drifted off into sleep. His dreams were haunted with images from his past.

The moon had hung high in the air on the night Adrastus was to be in the fabled Court Gardens of Malnarcosus. The dim light seemed to dance off the mirror surface of the radiant pools to either side of him. Pillars stretched up into the air, supporting a myriad number of vines even as they also supported the bottoms of the overhead gardens. When she had come into view of him, Adrastus was leaning against one of those pillars.

She was the most beautiful thing Adrastus had ever set eyes on. Her skin was dark like wet sand and twice as smooth. The night seemed a little brighter and the moon a little dimmer in the presence of such black, glistening hair. Her eyes seemed to be made of the black sky above. A silk veil covered her nose and mouth. She met his stare wordlessly, strongly. Others had come, four others in total, but they seemed only shadows and dust, vague shapes in his dreams.

Things shifted. Adrastus found himself running through dark corridors, the sound of his heavy footsteps echoing off the empty walls. The girl and himself had been the last of the six assassins hired to kill the near legendary Evan Del Blaine. Del Blaine was the chief Assassin of Malnarcosus during the Great War. His exploits had put Malnarcosus in the chief position of power on Trelbildel. He had become a liability. Adrastus had heard stories of Del Blaine burning churches filled with children, slaughtering women for the joy of killing. The man was a monster, but he was not without skill. He had bested the most skilled warriors and assassins Malnarcosus could muster against him. Adrastus thought him a worthy opponent at first, but that had been before he had met her in the gardens that night.

Shika was not fit to be an assassin. She was too fair, too beautiful. Adrastus had tried to stop her from going after Del Blaine tonight, but she had insisted. She had said that in her land, a land far across the oceans to the east, her people were raised to show no fear, to never back down. It was something Adrastus could relate to. Perhaps that had been why he was drawn to her. Nothing could have prepared him to see Del Blaine standing, drenched in moonlight, over her broken figure. Shallow breaths still moved her body.

Adrastus went into a rage. Odion and Kissa came into his hands and he flew at Del Blaine. He thought he heard the man scream, or perhaps it had been himself. He couldn't be sure. Del Blaine met him blow for blow, cut for cut. It seemed as if the duel would go on for hours, had gone on for hours. In the end, Del Blaine managed to disarm Adrastus and crack him upside the head with the flat of his blade. Adrastus collapsed to the floor. It was all he could do to drag himself to Shika's barely moving body. He placed himself over her as Del Blaine raised his blade to end them both, but he stopped. Adrastus stared up at him defiantly, cradling Shika in his arms. For a time, there was only the sound of Adrastus heavy breathing. Something was there in Del Blaine's eyes, something that seemed like recognition or memory. It was brief but it had been there. Slowly, he lowered his blade and threw it to the ground. Without so much as a word, he turned and strode from the chamber.

As the image of Del Blaine walking away from him faded, Adrastus opened his eyes. The sun was well over the mountains now and the Egil could be heard in the distance. He spurred his horse onward. In a few days he would reach the Gap of Nimm.

 

Well, this certainly is interesting.

I had carried the dragon girl to a safe (I hoped) haven about 50 miles from where I found her. You see, my race does not need to sleep, and I made good time.

I had retrieved the cure for her condition, but she was in a fever, and tossed and turned every night. I entered her dreams, toying and teasing with her, even kissing her in some of them. Although her life was not in danger, she would be sick for quite some time.

I knelt down and cupper her face in my hands. She murmured and moaned softly. Suddenly, I heard a noise from behind me. The bushes pushed aside, and...


Is anyone still doing this RP? Just checkin'. Any of my partners, PM me on what should happen next.

 

We were walking in what felt like the same forest, for what seemed like hours, in complete silence. I had to break it. I looked at Kiva with my good eye and looked away.

“Are you okay?” She didn’t answer at all. She seemed to be completely spaced out. Something was bothering her. I wondered if she would tell me. “Kiva? Kiva…?”

“I’m fine,” She said calmly, not looking me in the eye.

Sure she was. I had to press my luck. That was just who I was, and around her, it felt comfortable. “What was all that back there?”

She was still gazing out into space, but she pulled back for a moment. Her voice was strained and silent. “They don’t’ want me there.”

“I could see that,” I said as a joke, though I’m sure it wasn’t taken as one. I turned my vision to her and saw that she was still unsure about it all. I stopped her with the rise of my hand and grabbed her chin. I looked her in her mirrored eye, so she was looking into my red one. “Tell me the truth, Kiva. Don’t hide it from me.”

She tried to resist meeting my eye stubbornly, tears slowly starting to swell at her lids. “The truth?” Her voice was very shaky and uneven. “The truth is…I’m dangerous.”

I smile, and turn away, continuing down the forest path towards an aged tree that was bent over by the wind when it was first growing. "We have something more in common, it seems."

She didn’t follow. She stood there bewildered for a moment. I had surprised her with my response. After a moment, she hurried to catch back up. “You saw what happened…what I did..”

I smiled, still looking down the path. “To be honest, I didn’t see anything. I merely heard stories. You didn’t seem to have done anything wrong.”

I looked back and stopped. I sighed and smiled. Her tears were much more visible now. I got close to her body and embraced her. She was very warm, and her small body trembled against mine. "I can tell you didn't mean for that to happen,” I whispered into her ears. “Destiny laid that upon you and you fought with all your might to make things right. That's not dangerous, that's courage."

She cried some more on me, though obviously trying to hold it in. She looked up at me with some confusion "I..." in a still slightly dazed voice. "Thank you." Pauses, and laughed. "I don't think I've been called courageous before."

"You are, Kiva." I kissed her on forehead, "Now, we have a long road in front of us and we are both still weak. I suggest we move soon before anything else happens."

She just blinked. I don’t think she was expecting the extra kiss. I probably should have withheld myself, but I couldn’t. "Of course. Should we still head to the river?”

"Yes. I think we can follow it up to." Stops..."Well...I don't know. Maybe we should find those that I lost when I...well....disappeared." I looked at her with concern, and then confusion. "Did I ever explain that to you or do you know more than I do"

She shook her head."All I know is that you appeared in the street...” she paused. “When you first woke up, you asked where ‘everyone else’ was.”

"Well." I couldn’t help but confuse myself when I spoke. "We had been fighting Dark Ones. Greava was destroyed and I lost everyone that was with me. Maybe we should start by looking for them? It might help us regroup something. Maybe find out who and what the Dark Ones are."

“Do you know where they might be?”

"No. I guess it's just better to look for now. I mean, I don't even know how I appeared over here. Maybe they all got moved about."

She nodded, putting a hand on my arm. She looked much healthier, much more relaxed. "I'm sure we'll find them, Evan."

Looks down at your hand. Smiles. "I'll come out and say it. You're touching me"

She giggled, blushed, and removed her hand, looking up at me with concern. “Does it hurt? How are you feeling?”

I grabbed her hand immediately. "Umm...you know, I am feeling kind of faint. It might be better to hold your hand for support."

Blood immediately flooded her face. She rolled her eyes and grabbed my hand. She was still blushing though. I knew she liked it.

“Kiva. Mind if I ask you a question?”

“Sure.” She sounded nervous. I tried my hardest to word the question just right.

“Who was he?” was all I could come up with.

Her complexion turned pale instantly. "Anna's son. The... the man I killed?"

"Yeah..." I wasn’t trying to be mean, so I slowed out walk to be more relaxing and made eye contact with her to keep a friendly atmosphere. "Did...you love him?"

And that’s how the idiot lost his foot. I wish I had waited to ask that question, but I was a fool falling in love, and couldn’t help but ask.

“Kiva…”

She nodded. It took her a moment to find her voice. "Yes, I did." Looks away. "My first love." She laughed strangely. "My only love. The only one who'd love a witch like me."

I looked down the path. “I see…” There was silence for a moment. "I don't think he's the only one who could love a witch." We look at each other, quickly looking back down the path. “Just for the record.” More silence. "I could love a witch, I'm pretty sure." Oh, smart Evan. I blushed. “I mean, like, I could fall in love."

She blushed but didn’t answer.

“Not that I am. But I could.” Silent blushing. "What kind of sickness did he have" I had to change the subject. I was foolish.

Her residual blush was still there. "I don't really know. It wasn't anything familiar, and we tried all the remedies that we could..." She glanced down at the peridot at her waist. "I always thought it was caused by the soldiers."

I nodded. "If he was a soldier, I would bet it came from it. Nothing good ever comes from being a soldier."

“No, I suppose not.”

“So…Do you..." Stops and looks away "Nevermind."

“Do I what?”

I sighed, "Know where we are?"

She laughed hysterically. I don’t remember saying anything funny, but oh well.

We walked down the path together, holding hands, as the day flew away. A waste of time, but a good one, all in all.

 

It was late evening when we reached a ferry-house and shop along the river Egil. We wouldn’t need to cross the river – at this point we were just planning to follow it into Lootah – but after a brief discussion we decided that the wisest thing to do would be to stay in this apparently safe haven for the night.

The ferry-house proved to double as an inn of sorts, and the man in charge seemed nice enough. We went through the pleasantries as vaguely as possible.

“We need a place to rest.” I touched the pearl drops on my earlobes. “I can offer you these as payment,” I started to say.

Evan stopped me. “I have gold. How much for a night’s lodging and some provisions?”

I turned away as they worked out the logistics of our stay. The place had surprisingly nice amenities considering how small it was.

* * *

Shortly after my bath – an amazing luxury and one of which I enjoyed every moment – Evan knocked on the door of the room we had rented. I let him in and was shocked to see he carried another package.

“Here.” He handed me a bundle of clothes. I stared at him. He was blushing again. “I thought you might want an extra set of clothes. You know, you’ve done so much for me. It’s the least I can do.”

“You didn’t need to…”

“I know.” He met my eyes briefly. “I wanted to. Please, take them.”

I took the bundle from him and watched as he walked out of the room. His kindness still surprised me, though by this point it shouldn’t have. No one had ever given me such gratitude, treated me with such caring. Even Aric… I closed my eyes. The fabric Evan had brought was soft against my skin, and I faced the world again, unfolding the garments with some curiosity.

I gasped as a deep purple shirt and intricate floor-length white skirt met my gaze. I changed quickly; the shirt was soft against my skin, with gentle ruffles along the neckline, and I squirmed delightedly as I refastened the bodice holding my peridot. The skirt was equally gorgeous, with several layers of white fabric giving it a full body and ruffles which, I soon found, swirled as I spun around.

Why had he done this? I caressed the fabric absentmindedly. He made me feel… like a princess. I looked down at myself, at the garments he had given me. At myself, Kiva, the witch, the one he said could be loved. He was so kind. I had seen flashes of his anger, true, but I had also seen depths of compassion which left me breathless, and he managed to make me laugh so easily. I loved him for it. I… loved him? I felt my hands tremble at the thought even as my traitorous mind remembered his embrace.

I breathed. I needed rest, needed to stop my head from its endless working.

* * *

We were alone by the river. The subtle noise of the ferry-house had died, as the world went to sleep; but I had seen Evan get up and leave the room, obviously unable to rest, and I had followed, haunted by the events of the past few days and incapable of finding solace in these strange surroundings. He sat some fair distance from me, on a wooden crate overlooking the water.

I twirled, delighting at the familiar sensation of skirts against my legs, at the joy of feeling clean and beautiful. Dizzy air blew by me and I reveled in the freedom. I spun back to face Evan; words died in my throat as my heart grasped the expression on his face.

It was amazing the emotion that his single eye could hold. The way he weakly smiled when he saw me watching him, but could not hide the stark adoration with which he followed my movement. Almost without thinking I smiled back, caught in some web of giddiness and bewildered flirtation which grasped at the strands of allurement he offered and wove them further into rapture. Fright tangled with joy. He rose, still appearing dazed; his movements were those of a warrior.

The dancer in me moved to meet him. We stood, close but not touching, the strange lack of physical contact only heightening my awareness of him, only making stronger the memory of his arms pulling me close, his lips pressing lightly against my forehead. He reached his hand towards me, but stopped, the shyness which was at times so incongruous with his straightforward personality showing itself once more.

“You’re beautiful,” he exhaled.

I took a sharp breath and a single, delicate step to narrow the fragile distance between us. His hand came forward, brushing gently against my cheek. His hand was warm. I closed my eyes as his fingers caressed my face, as his other arm slowly, so slowly, wrapped around my waist and eased me closer. And I followed willingly, shyly, as he guided my chin upwards and drew my lips to his.

 

I slowly pulled away from the kiss, opening my eye to see tears in hers. They weren’t sad. I smile for a second, before whispering, "I think I'm falling in love with you, Kiva."

Kiva’s knees unlocked, falling forward into my chest, clung to me with a grip I thought unimaginable. She was crying. I held her close. I closed my eye and laid my head down on her shoulder as she cried on me.

“You remind me of her…you bring back the only thing that I had in my life…the only reason I had to live that was taken from me by my own hands.”

She kept crying, then looked up at me, wiping tears from her face but still sobbing. "Her?"

I cringed, forgetting that she had been asleep when I had told her the story. I was crying now, from both eyes. From under the patch, a red spot started to grow. I had to be careful crying now, as my tear ducts had been severed. "I was married before, and had a child, but they were taken away from me when I was away one night getting orders from the Military. They relocated them to the house of my victims."

She touched my face delicately. “Evan…”

"I killed them that night, not realizing it was them I had killed until the lights from the fire that I started showed me them."

“That’s… simplified," I said with a whimper. It felt so easy to talk to her, but I could hear something in her voice. Pain. Empathy.

She was still touching my face gently. "I'm so sorry..." She pushed herself up on her toes and kissed me again, this time on my cheek. She got back down and laid against my chest, still slightly sobbing. "So we both killed the people we loved."

"We're both too dangerous for our own good."

She laughed unexpectedly in a very awkward tone. I could barely see a smile. "Courage, not dangerous, remember?"

"True." I sighed. I moved my hand up to her face and gently caressed her cheek. "What do you think?"

She looked up at me, and didn’t say anything. She didn’t say anything, but she pressed her hand on my hand against her cheek and kissed me on the lips very gently.

We kissed for a long time, or what felt like was a long time. It had been years since I had felt the embrace of another woman. I had lost my breathe before Kiva.

"You're good at that."

Kiva turned bright red. “At what?”

"Dh...umm..." I blushed. "Kissing."

She laughed, turning a deeper crimson than before. She couldn’t make eye contact with me. "Thank you, I think?"

"You're welcome," I smiled "I think"

I looked around and noticed she was much more tired than before. I smiled. She wouldn’t be expecting this from a tattered warrior. I grabbed her around her waist and pulled her up into my arms, cradling her small frame easily. I smiled.

"Let's go to bed, Kiva"

She merely smiled, still blushing but was able to relax her head on my chest as I slightly limped back to the inn. I let her down at the door of the room we were staying in. As I looked in, she hurried to the bed and sat. I hadn’t noticed before, but there was only one bed. I sighed. The floor, here I come. I walked in and around the bed. I heard patting somewhere, though I didn’t see anything. The sucker-punches of being half blind. I sat down in front of her against the wall. She looked upset.

"Do you want me to go get you some sleeping garments?"

She rolled her eyes before shaking her head. I think I had missed a sign somewhere. I merely nodded. I noticed she was a lot more tired than before. She seemed weak, vulnerable. I felt an urgency to protect her, but from what? She was so small in my arms, and yet, she was fully grown. She had powers well beyond me. She was independent and smart, and yet, I needed to save her.

Save her from the world if I must.

"I'll be ok." Kiva said quietly.

I thought back to our first real kiss and what I had asked her."You never answered my question."

She blushed and looked away. “Kissing isn’t a good enough answer for you?”

I laughed with a slight snort. I couldn’t believe I just snorted. I don’t think she noticed, so I let it play out. “I’m nosy.”

She laughed. She could see I was very tired, but she didn’t say anything. She did, however, motion for me to come sit next to her. I stood and sat next to you. She smiled, looking away before slowly turning your body to lay down on the bed.
She blushed again. She was so cute when she did that.

“Can I hold your hand?" She asked dazedly.

I smiled. This was going to be a long shot, but I wanted to hold her completely, not just by the hand. "If you want, I can hold you until you sleep, and then move to the floor."

She made a slight moan that was very soft and peaceful. She smiled, her eyes closed. "You can sleep up here if you like."

“Are you sure?” I asked, a little bit awestricken.

“Mmhmm,” she said gently.

I smiled, pulled up beside her and motioned my arms behind her. She curled up into a slight ball and fell gently asleep in my arms. She was peaceful to watch. I found it hard to sleep, though I was extremely tired. I couldn’t stop watching her. She was so amazingly beautiful, a siren of peace and love, an angel of tranquility.

Finally, I fell asleep, holding Kiva.

 

Back!

I wanted to find him. I needed to find him. It was almost a craving. Maybe there was something in his blood that was making me act this way. Maybe it was his scent. And although I knew it would be dangerous for him to be around me, I felt selfish and still continued to search for him.

"Keep taking us North," I shouted over the wind. We were flying high above the clouds and we were using the stream to our advantage. It gave us less wind resistance.

Sure thing, the creature thought. I felt a little bad, making him fly and carry me, but would I not have done the same?

A thought struck me suddenly.

 

Del Blaine At Last--Adrastus Aleksandr

Very few of the Mountain People of the Fortress of Dawn had ever been born with any kind of magical abilities. It simply was not in their blood. That was why it had been special when Adrastus was born, why the people had once looked to him to lead. He could heal people. With just a thought and a touch of his hands, Adrastus could take away sickness and injury from the ill and wounded. It was a gift that came at a steep price though. Each wound healed, every sickness made well, he took on. If Adrastus healed a soldier, then he bore the scars. If a child was healed from a bad fever, then he became sick. It was a gift, a terrible gift.

When Del Blaine had left him there laying over Shika's body, Adrastus had a thought. Her wounds were fatal and she had been dying fast, but he thought that he might be able to save her, even at the cost of his own life. It would have been worth it to him. It was the first time his gift had failed him. He put his whole being into trying to fix that broken girl, but the results had been devastating. He could remember writhing in pain, losing his sight, not being able to walk. For a month he lived in pain. Such was the price one had to pay when god wanted a soul and another tried to keep that soul from him. Adrastus could feel her sometimes, almost see her. It was like catching movement in the corner of one's eye. There, but never quite there. He could hear her beautiful voice. That was partly what drove him after Del Blaine all this time. He would never allow himself to heal another person until he fixed what he had done. In his mind, Adrastus bore the weight of Shika's death, and Del Blaine should have that weight instead. That was why Del Blaine needed to die. Adrastus had to kill him if he was ever to help anyone.
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Thunder rumbled in the roiling clouds. It wasn't raining yet, but it would be soon. The gelding plodded gently towards the ferry-house the rested alongside the river Egil. Adrastus would seek shelter there for the night.

The owner there seemed a rather jovial man. When Adrastus entered, he was greeted with a warm smile.

"Welcome traveler. Lot of your kind been comin' through here lately. Why, just earlier today a lad and a nice young lady came through."

Adrastus laughed to himself a little. "His name wasn't Del Blaine was it," he asked casually, not really expecting much of an answer.

"Well I'll be. You two know each other then?"

In the next instant, Adrastus had his dagger at the man's throat. "You will take me to his room now. You will be silent, or you will lose your neck old man."

The man, having lost all of his former joviality, whimpered and began sweating profusely. With a shaking hand he pointed up a set of stairs. "Up there sir," he whispered through sobs. "First room you come to."

Adrastus released the man and began edging his way up the stairs. When he put his ear to the door, he heard nothing but silence. Gently, quietly, he eased the door open. Just as the man had said, Del Blaine was there. He was asleep. Adrastus had to keep from laughing out loud. After all his searched and troubles, here was Del Blaine, unclothed and asleep.

 

Something was wrong.

My eyes fluttered open. It was still dark - darker than it had been before. I could hear thunder outside, the weather warning me almost as much as the heat of the opal against my chest. My fingers found the necklace, and I gasped sharply from the pain. It had never been this hot before. I had been warned of danger a few times, but never like this. I blinked, struggling to see.

My hand flew to my mouth. No. I wouldn't scream. I elbowed Evan as hard as I could in the chest, not bothering to be gentle and worry about his injuries.

As the lightning flashed in through the window, I could see the silhouette of a very large, very obviously armed man standing in the doorway.

 

Something struck my side with immense power, pain running through my body instantly. I was then forced onto the cold ground, my head bouncing off the wooden floor twice before my eye opened in response. My bodily instinct wanted to whine and pout, but my warrior instinct pushed me to my feet, my hand gliding to the corner of the room that was only within arm’s length for my sword. I body tightened at a new pain, my body being forced into the wall. I looked for the only exit I could see, only to see an armored figure in the dark, sword raised, the blade pressing through my right breast. It wasn’t in my lung, but it was nearing the organ relatively fast.

“Name yourself!” I shouted at the figure, looking down quickly to my chest to see how far it had gone in. Surprisingly, a blade in my peck wasn’t the only thing that I was looking at. I glanced about the room quickly for my possessions.

I was naked.

God!

I looked back at him once again. The lightning struck, his face appearing only for milliseconds, but long enough for me to name him myself.

“Adrastus Aleksandr.”

I made slow movements towards my blade, hoping the darkness would be to my advantage.

 

Del Blaine moved for his weapon as Adrastus stabbed at him again, but the darkness was complete except for the occasional bolt of lightning and his blade found nothing but air.

"Come at me Del Blaine," growled Adrastus. "Let us finish this here and now."

As he was about to lunge, a movement caught his eyes and he turned his head to face it. Lightning flash to reveal a girl. She was beautiful, beautiful and scared. She had pulled the blankets up about her and was clutching some sort of trinket about her neck. That momentary lapse in his attack was enough for Del Blaine to counter. When Adrastus turned his head back toward his enemy, he was met with a vicious slash across his right eye. Adrastus roared in fury as he felt the hot blood begin to run down his face.

"You will die this night Del Blaine!" Adrastus charged his opponent at full speed.

 

My movements came to me like air. I knew each attack I made. My swings weren’t as complete as the first one I had made. Our blades clashed several times within the small area of the room, the blades first hitting the lanterns that hung from the ceiling, and then running down unto the bed, both of us being careful to miss Kiva..

He swung twice, once connecting against my bicep, tearing a junk of my muscle out. An abrasion I wish hadn’t occurred. The second swing was caught on my hilt. I circled about the blade and pulled him close, swinging the top of my skull into his nose. He let out a might scream before stepping back. He was bleeding terribly from his face. He swung twice more, missing the first, and catching the second across my cheek, from ear to chin.

I spun around with the force of the blade, catching myself on the ground and forcing myself up in the corner of the room. A bad spot to be. It was hard to maneuver around with my junk swinging. I carefully tried to move from the corner, but he swung again at me, catching my forearm.

I sighed in pain as I blocked three oncoming moves.

At least he fought fair.

 

I hastened backwards, getting as far away from the dueling men as I could. I had to do something. That man... he seemed to know Evan. I remembered the chilling feeling of his eyes looking at me. They were both bleeding now; I could see flashes of red when lightning revealed the battle. I fumbled around, searching for something, anything, any way to put an end to this.

I stared at my fingers, at my rings. My hands slipped as I found the one on the fourth finger of my left hand. I had burned a hole in Anna's table once, with that ring. I reached for the lantern on the nightstand next to the bed and in a single stroke smashed it against the wood, and then I closed my eyes and held my hand over the desk. I felt heat gather beneath my fingers.

When I opened my eyes again, the nightstand was engulfed in flames.