Of Love and Betrayal
Consciousness
Disclaimer: I own Taimat, the Millennium Bead, and Peingk.
"I've found her! Over here!"
That voice…
"She's hurt."
… So… familiar…
"Two knife wounds, bruising, and some mild wing trauma."
… I've… heard it… before… Where…?
"We need to get her back to the palace."
Palace…?
"Gentle now Peingk."
Another, lower voice… And… Peingk… How do I recognize them…?
Taimat felt two large paws gently lift her into the air. She heard the sound of wing beats and quiet grunting. She felt the rush of wind as she was being moved. She lost consciousness again.
"She still hasn't come back."
That low voice again…
"I'm getting worried about her Mana."
Mana…? Why is that name so familiar…?
"She was hardly breathing when I found her."
Peingk again… That low voice… And Mana… And Peingk… Who are they…?
"Hold on!"
A young woman…?
"I think she's waking up!"
Think who's… waking up…?
Taimat's eyes opened a tiny crack and she looked ahead blankly. A large white drake, smaller than Taimat herself, was crouched with her nose to Taimat's. Behind the white drake stood two people. One of them was a young woman. She was clutching the arm of a boy about her age.
Are they…the ones I heard talking? Now I know why they're so familiar!
"Peingk! Pharaoh! Mana!"
The white drake's head shot up. "Taimat!" Peingk gently nudged Taimat's cheek with her nose. "Most of the Priests were about to give up. We are so glad you pulled through in the end."
"Only three of the Priests refused to give up," Atem said. "Unfortunately, one of them died last night fighting Bakura."
"Akhenaden?" Taimat asked.
Mana shook her head. "No. It was my master who died, Taimat."
"Mahaad? Why did it have to be Mahaad? He just had to go off and defeat Bakura. 'Stay with the others!' I said. 'Stay by the Pharaoh!' 'No,' he said. 'I need to go and kill Bakura for the Pharaoh.' Oi, I swear, if it was my choice, I'd kill that man."
Atem shuffled his feet uneasily. "Well, there is a chance for you to still do that. I mean, if the choice wasn't mine. He merged his soul with Illusion Magician. Now Mahaad is the Dark Magician."
"He managed to save himself," Mana added quietly. "Before he went after Bakura I heard him say that he would like to see you again, Taimat. He wanted to thank you for all your help."
Taimat's eyes almost spilled over. "Aww, that's so sweet. Now I don't know why I ever wanted to kill him at all."
Atem smiled a little, saying, "He said that you would regain consciousness soon. We didn't know what he meant then, but three days ago he told us that as you led one hundred one men into battle."
"What about the other one? Did he make it?"
Peingk nodded. "He arrived early yesterday morning ranting that you were going to destroy more than two hundred bandits in one breath of flame. He is recovering now from a spear head imbedded deep within his shoulder. He's lucky that's all it was and nothing more."
Me: Just so you know, Peingk was rescued by Taimat during the ten years she and Atem were away. The Millennium Bead is the reason Taimat survived the battle and will be mentioned invisibly throughout the story.