"Let him rest." A deep, rugged voice seemed to echo about me. I was sore enough that I could feel the voice shaking my bones. A tiredness enveloped me and the pain was still fresh throughout my body. I did not have the strength to rise.
"When will he awake?" Lira's softer tones were enough to excite me, she must have survived the attack! How long had I been out for though? She certainly sounded worried.
"Soon child, soon." Blackness took me again.
When I next stirred, I was upon a cliff edge gazing down into a canyon. "You should be dead." A silky voice spun me around. The beautiful Dark Spirit stood before me. It came closer. "Most mere men would have been slain by your injuries. Even now I can feel that there is a difference to you. And to her also." He waved a hand down into the canyon. Lira was bound by chains in the depths. The birdlike Dark Spirit stood about her, black magics lashing away at her body.
I watched as flesh was peeled away, only for it to regrow and be peeled away again. Bones snapped and screams rang out. My pulse quickened and fire burnt through my veins. My fist lashed out at the Dark Spirit beside me. It laughed as my hand went through it like it was only mist. "You can not act here." It chuckled gently. "No, only a God can stop Tzeentch from his game. I could do it." It smiled at me, its tail brushing against me seemingly by habit. "For a price of course."
"A price? I would pay my life for hers!" It smiled wider and laughed derisively.
"No, your life is not what I need. I want to know the source of power that resides within you. How is it that you live? How is it that my very presence has not driven you to madness?" It watched me expectantly. As I hesitated more screams echoed up out of the canyon. In the distance, roars rang out and the edge of the canyon seemed to twist into a gaping maw.
"Help him! Please! What's happening to him?" I span around. Lira? Her voice had been very worried, but wasn't she down in the canyon?
"Get out of the way child." The rougher voice from earlier! What was going on? The Dark Spirit gripped me tightly, it shook me.
"Have we a pact? I shall save her from Tzeentch and you shall grant me your strength?" Its face was beginning to blur. Lira's screams echoed up out of the canyon again. I shook my head to focus myself and it roared out in anger. Its hand seemed to shift into a claw. It struck me across the side of my face leaving a deep and bloody cut. I fell back almost slipping into the canyon. Loose stones broke away under my weight and bounced down the rocky cliff face. It took a step closer and its sharpened tail was set to strike when the toothy canyon opening slammed shut, rocking the world.
I gasped awake. I did not have the strength to force myself up. I could feel the deep claw marks on my face, the sticky blood running down my cheek. I couldn't see, there was just a blurred grey mess above me with some sort of glow emanating from away from my vision. A tear slipped out of my eye, I hadn't saved Lira despite my promise to her. I wasn't even strong enough to weep for her properly.
"Ardri!" Even now her gentle voice sang to my heart. A wetness pressed on my forehead. A smaller wetness, upon my unmarred cheek. "Ardri, please."
"I'm sorry." I barely open my mouth, the whisper comes out hoarse and barely more than a moan.
"Nonsense Ardri, you've nothing to be sorry for. Are you hurting? How did this happen?" I shook my head, she didn't understand, how could she? She was surely dead by now. The back of a small hand struck my cheek, blood spitting away from the gashes as it drew back.
"Get a grip of yourself boy!" I blinked twice, the stone ceiling of the room coming into focus. "Your lass is right here, I haven't been able to get her to leave the room since you got dragged in here, more dead than not." I tilted my head as far as it would go. Reddened hair stood next to the bed that I lay in, he sounded almost approving.
"Who...?" I trailed off my question. The words felt wrong in my mouth as if my mouth had been frozen in some part. Had he said that Lira was alive? I rolled my head to the other side. The movement was too fast and my neck clicked as a pain shot through me. I could turn my head no further, but I had turned enough. Lira's face swam into view as a wet cloth wiped away blood from the side of my head.
"Who am I?" The man chuckled. "My name is Grimnir, I'm an ancestor to the Dawi people but I hear your kin call mine the Ancient Spirits." He patted my shoulder roughly. "And I'm the one who saved your lives from those Dum".