Chapter Eleven: A Visitation
"Where is she?" Firar faced the tall being before him, his arms spread apart menacingly, for he meant to wring the location of Kaylee out of this person, language barrier or no.
The tall one replied in a soft voice, but the dwarf cut him short with a furious shake of his head. He did not understand their tongue, but he would not let that stop him.
"Kaylee, the girl," Firar pronounced slowly, holding up one hand to where he estimated the Scout's height to be. "She was with me…?" When no answer seemed forthcoming, and there was no look of recognition on the tall being's face, he sighed and made a cupping motion with his hands in front of him, cringing at his crude representation of a woman's more noticeable features. He got a definite response for that, for the other allowed a brief smile before gesturing Firar to follow.
The dwarf shied away from the open edges of the staircase, feeling a terrible sense of fear, for even though he had been brought up in a mountain, there had always been some manner of wall to hang on to whenever traveling at great heights. Open land had also been frightening when he had first left his home, for it seemed that there was no end to it. One could travel for hours and nothing would change, making the creeping feeling that one was not actually moving seem real. But to add heights to the equation…
Firar set his feet firmly on the platform the elf stopped at and took a deep breath. Were he more melodramatic, he might have considered kissing the floor. As it was the dwarf offered a brief prayer of thanks to whatever fates controlled this world.
Another person, this one with darker hair, rose to greet Firar's guide. The two conversed quietly in their strange dialect, giving occasional glances to the dwarf, who stood watching them impatiently. A slow movement caught the corner of his eye, and he turned to see a pair of green eyes study him sleepily. They blinked, then widened.
"Firar?" The voice that had whined so often, yet he was so afraid he would never hear again. It was like music to his ears.
"Aye, child. I'm here." The dwarf stepped carefully to her side, and Kaylee sat up to see him. Her dark hair was a mess, and her face was pale, but she still gave him that scowling look.
"I have a name, you know. It's Kaylee. Kay-LEE. Two syllables, not hard to pronounce. And what happened to 'girl'? Needed a change? It's bad enough the elves here call me 'little one'."
Firar swore he never would admit how much he loved that moment. She knew exactly what he needed to hear. Kaylee had forgiven him; she did not blame him for straining herself to the very end. She would have gone on without him, had he insisted they stop. His emotions surged, much as he would deny their existence. Dwarves didn't cry, at least not very often, and never in front of women. Quickly he changed the subject. "Elves? You mean those beings you were asking us about when…?"
She nodded. "Yep, these guys are elves. I don't know how we got here, but they saved my life. Well, Araphel did. He's the one with brown hair and gray eyes. I guess he's some sort of healer."
"They do not understand our language. They took me to see their queen, but even she could not help. Whatever fates have caused this obviously mean to punish us for something."
"Maybe because you fight with me all the time," Kaylee grinned. "And—"
"I fight with you? It is you that fights with me!" Firar retorted.
"I do not! Anyway, I was saying—"
"You and your falsehoods. You do so."
"Do not. Listen to me, I can understand their language, and—"
"May the flies of a thousand horses be upon you. You do so," the dwarf returned, a smile creeping over his face.
"And I hope you rot in chemistry class forever! Do not!" Kaylee grabbed her pillow from behind her and whacked him across the head.
The elves, conversation long since interrupted, were watching with bewildered expressions on their faces. The healer, Araphel, stepped forward and said something to both him and the girl.
Kaylee lowered her pillow from preparing to deal her opponent another blow, and replied, "C'mon, Araphel! It's therapeutic, I promise. He deserves it, besides."
Firar forgot to duck, he was so surprised. "You truly can speak with them?" he asked, snatching the pillow from her hands as it collided with his face.
"Yes, and apparently they heard everything I said to you, too. It's this necklace Shkena gave me, darn her. I can understand everybody and somehow speak everybody's language at the same time. It's very confusing." She glanced between Firar and the elves.
"Do not take the name of the beautiful Shkena in vain," Firar admonished, almost expecting her to appear out of nowhere.
"And why not?" the Scout challenged, eyes angry. "I bet she brought us to this world."
The dark-haired elf again broke in, his face worried as he asked something of Kaylee.
"Shkena is a powerful woman that sent Firar and his friend to take me from my world to aid them on some sort of quest—" the Scout started to explain.
Firar made a strangling noise in his throat and clapped a large hand over her mouth. "Stupid girl! What if these are the ones who possess what we seek?"
Kaylee pried herself free, glaring daggers at the dwarf. "Watch it! These elves aren't dangerous, because…because they're just not!"
He ground his teeth in aggravation. "And how do you know with such certainty? You have no valid reason—"
"Yes I do! Mychal said that there would be others that would join us. The Healer, The Guide, The Peacekeeper and whoever! The real danger doesn't start until we have all of them with us." Kaylee's face was flushed with animated anger.
"Then what were the Fades? Were they not dangerous? They nearly killed both of you, and had not Shkena brought us all to this place, you certainly would have perished! You of all should be grateful to her!" Firar responded, not quite yelling.
"Oh, right. Grateful. How do you know that she didn't sic the Fades on us in the first place? She seems to be able to control everything, why not the monsters that attack us too?" The Scout crossed her arms.
"You do not know of what you speak! The beautiful Shkena would never try to harm Mychal or I—"
"Then where is he? Oh, that's right. He's recovering from a Fade and—"
"And he knows that he told both of you not to fight."
Kaylee stopped mid-sentence, her mouth hanging open as both dwarf and girl turned to see Mychal enter, supported by two elves. Firar saw that his friend looked pale, but all right. There was a clean bandage around his chest, and the Warrior moved gingerly as he lowered himself into the chair by the bed, dismissing his attendants. He pinned them both with disapproving looks, and Firar guiltily stuck Kaylee's forgotten pillow back on her bed. "You gave me your word," he said, shaking his head.
"We weren't fighting, were we Firar? You were just giving me some healing in the verbal department, right?" Kaylee prompted, smiling brightly at the Keeper.
He picked up on it immediately. "Yes of course. You may even question Araphel and his companion who saw the entire affair." He looked over and saw only the healer still with them, a very confused look on his fair face as he watched them.
Mychal looked at the elf, then back at Firar. "Yet because they cannot understand any of us, I am afraid that counts for naught," he replied, grinning.
"Nonsense, my friend. Kaylee can speak with them perfectly well. Although what he has been hearing from her is odd because he cannot comprehend my responses," Firar admitted, stroking his beard.
"Is this true?" Mychal turned to the Scout.
Kaylee nodded. "Yep. I'll even introduce you. Araphel, could you come here for a minute? I want you to meet my friends."
The elf approached warily, casting uncertain glances at the man and dwarf. He replied to Kaylee, who merely smiled. "Don't worry, they won't bite. This is Mychal, he is a male human, quite a bit older than me, and good with a sword."
The Warrior nodded to the elf, before adding, "Tell him thank you for healing me."
"He gives his sincerest thanks for the healing powers of your people." Kaylee then turned to Firar. "And this short being here is Firar, whom I've already told you about. He's a dwarf, and a Keeper, so I suggest you hide your valuables while you still have the chance."
Firar turned to the healer and bowed, crossing his arms in a dwarvish gesture of respect. "Do not worry, I would not take from those who have aided us. I am forever indebted to you, Master Healer."
Kaylee repeated what he had said, and the elf in turn bowed to the dwarf, saying something which the Scout rapidly translated:
"No debt is necessary, Keeper Firar. Your arrival has already repaid more than you know, for I have had my eyes opened. I am Araphel, an elvish healer, servant to the Lady Avilah. I am pleased to meet you all."
"What about his eyes?" the dwarf asked Kaylee.
"I'll explain later," she replied softly. Then, to Araphel she asked, "Who is this Lady Avilah? Is she a queen?"
Upon the healer's answer, she continued, "Then she would want to see us. Well, me at least. My friends and I want to learn all about where we are and about your people, because then we can figure out why we are here."
"I should think that you could easily have discovered that by now, Kaylee," a soft voice said. A glowing light seemed to emanate from behind Firar, and the dwarf saw the surprise on Mychal and Araphel's faces before turning to see Shkena standing there. He threw himself on the ground, and heard Mychal greet the powerful woman.
"Beautiful Shkena, we had not thought to see you again. Forgive our ignorance."
She smiled benignly at them all, as Firar chanced to raise his head. "All is well, do not fear. It was I indeed who brought you to this world, to serve a great purpose that will now be revealed. Araphel," she summoned, and the dwarf turned to see the elf standing straight and silent under her gaze. He replied to her, but the Keeper did not understand.
"One thing I will tell you, and one thing I will give."
Suddenly it all clicked in Firar's head. This sounded so familiar, but then she had said that she would tell both Mychal and him something. Shkena had said the same thing to Kaylee. Araphel…Araphel was the Healer!
"I tell you this: that you are the Healer. And this is my gift to you. Never lose it, or your voice shall be lost." And then she vanished as suddenly as she had appeared.
"That was original," Kaylee muttered as the elf blinked as if roused from a trance. "I think I've heard that somewhere before."
"Indeed," Firar commented dryly. "I have no idea where." The pillow clipped his shoulder, and he chuckled. He studied the slim elf as Araphel slowly opened his hand and let the necklace slip through his fingers, catching its chain and studying the charm closely. It resembled Kaylee's in color and shape, but the dwarf's quick eyes that could pick out a ruby from a rockslide away saw that the glimmering stone in the center was an emerald green.
"Put it on! Put it on and you'll be able to understand Mychal and Firar!" Kaylee urged, leaning forward in excitement. She hardly noticed when her pillow connected with her head. Mychal took it away before the Scout could retaliate.
Araphel slipped the chain around his neck, and then touched his ears in bewilderment. "It is most strange," he said, then looked with curious eyes at all of them. "Can you understand me now?"
"Yes, and we would like to welcome you to our group, Master Elf. I am Mychal, as Kaylee has told you, but I am also known as the Warrior. Kaylee is the Scout, and Firar is the Keeper. We have much to explain to you, and you doubtless will have many questions for us. But before we begin, do you suppose we might find something to eat?"
Firar bellowed in laughter before moving to pound his friend on the back. "Now I know you are all right, for you are asking for food! Come, Araphel! We have the entire day ahead of us; let us make sure the invalids do not go hungry!"
The elf smiled at them all, before leading Firar away. "We would not want Kaylee's mouth to stop moving for lack of sustenance," he said in a perfectly somber tone as they descended the staircase.
"Hey! I heard that…"
[A/N: Another long one, but it only took me most of a day to write it. Just sort of snuck up and decided to come out. I know we all have days like those. If I get another reviewer I'll dedicate this chapter to them! (Hint, hint!) ]
"Where is she?" Firar faced the tall being before him, his arms spread apart menacingly, for he meant to wring the location of Kaylee out of this person, language barrier or no.
The tall one replied in a soft voice, but the dwarf cut him short with a furious shake of his head. He did not understand their tongue, but he would not let that stop him.
"Kaylee, the girl," Firar pronounced slowly, holding up one hand to where he estimated the Scout's height to be. "She was with me…?" When no answer seemed forthcoming, and there was no look of recognition on the tall being's face, he sighed and made a cupping motion with his hands in front of him, cringing at his crude representation of a woman's more noticeable features. He got a definite response for that, for the other allowed a brief smile before gesturing Firar to follow.
The dwarf shied away from the open edges of the staircase, feeling a terrible sense of fear, for even though he had been brought up in a mountain, there had always been some manner of wall to hang on to whenever traveling at great heights. Open land had also been frightening when he had first left his home, for it seemed that there was no end to it. One could travel for hours and nothing would change, making the creeping feeling that one was not actually moving seem real. But to add heights to the equation…
Firar set his feet firmly on the platform the elf stopped at and took a deep breath. Were he more melodramatic, he might have considered kissing the floor. As it was the dwarf offered a brief prayer of thanks to whatever fates controlled this world.
Another person, this one with darker hair, rose to greet Firar's guide. The two conversed quietly in their strange dialect, giving occasional glances to the dwarf, who stood watching them impatiently. A slow movement caught the corner of his eye, and he turned to see a pair of green eyes study him sleepily. They blinked, then widened.
"Firar?" The voice that had whined so often, yet he was so afraid he would never hear again. It was like music to his ears.
"Aye, child. I'm here." The dwarf stepped carefully to her side, and Kaylee sat up to see him. Her dark hair was a mess, and her face was pale, but she still gave him that scowling look.
"I have a name, you know. It's Kaylee. Kay-LEE. Two syllables, not hard to pronounce. And what happened to 'girl'? Needed a change? It's bad enough the elves here call me 'little one'."
Firar swore he never would admit how much he loved that moment. She knew exactly what he needed to hear. Kaylee had forgiven him; she did not blame him for straining herself to the very end. She would have gone on without him, had he insisted they stop. His emotions surged, much as he would deny their existence. Dwarves didn't cry, at least not very often, and never in front of women. Quickly he changed the subject. "Elves? You mean those beings you were asking us about when…?"
She nodded. "Yep, these guys are elves. I don't know how we got here, but they saved my life. Well, Araphel did. He's the one with brown hair and gray eyes. I guess he's some sort of healer."
"They do not understand our language. They took me to see their queen, but even she could not help. Whatever fates have caused this obviously mean to punish us for something."
"Maybe because you fight with me all the time," Kaylee grinned. "And—"
"I fight with you? It is you that fights with me!" Firar retorted.
"I do not! Anyway, I was saying—"
"You and your falsehoods. You do so."
"Do not. Listen to me, I can understand their language, and—"
"May the flies of a thousand horses be upon you. You do so," the dwarf returned, a smile creeping over his face.
"And I hope you rot in chemistry class forever! Do not!" Kaylee grabbed her pillow from behind her and whacked him across the head.
The elves, conversation long since interrupted, were watching with bewildered expressions on their faces. The healer, Araphel, stepped forward and said something to both him and the girl.
Kaylee lowered her pillow from preparing to deal her opponent another blow, and replied, "C'mon, Araphel! It's therapeutic, I promise. He deserves it, besides."
Firar forgot to duck, he was so surprised. "You truly can speak with them?" he asked, snatching the pillow from her hands as it collided with his face.
"Yes, and apparently they heard everything I said to you, too. It's this necklace Shkena gave me, darn her. I can understand everybody and somehow speak everybody's language at the same time. It's very confusing." She glanced between Firar and the elves.
"Do not take the name of the beautiful Shkena in vain," Firar admonished, almost expecting her to appear out of nowhere.
"And why not?" the Scout challenged, eyes angry. "I bet she brought us to this world."
The dark-haired elf again broke in, his face worried as he asked something of Kaylee.
"Shkena is a powerful woman that sent Firar and his friend to take me from my world to aid them on some sort of quest—" the Scout started to explain.
Firar made a strangling noise in his throat and clapped a large hand over her mouth. "Stupid girl! What if these are the ones who possess what we seek?"
Kaylee pried herself free, glaring daggers at the dwarf. "Watch it! These elves aren't dangerous, because…because they're just not!"
He ground his teeth in aggravation. "And how do you know with such certainty? You have no valid reason—"
"Yes I do! Mychal said that there would be others that would join us. The Healer, The Guide, The Peacekeeper and whoever! The real danger doesn't start until we have all of them with us." Kaylee's face was flushed with animated anger.
"Then what were the Fades? Were they not dangerous? They nearly killed both of you, and had not Shkena brought us all to this place, you certainly would have perished! You of all should be grateful to her!" Firar responded, not quite yelling.
"Oh, right. Grateful. How do you know that she didn't sic the Fades on us in the first place? She seems to be able to control everything, why not the monsters that attack us too?" The Scout crossed her arms.
"You do not know of what you speak! The beautiful Shkena would never try to harm Mychal or I—"
"Then where is he? Oh, that's right. He's recovering from a Fade and—"
"And he knows that he told both of you not to fight."
Kaylee stopped mid-sentence, her mouth hanging open as both dwarf and girl turned to see Mychal enter, supported by two elves. Firar saw that his friend looked pale, but all right. There was a clean bandage around his chest, and the Warrior moved gingerly as he lowered himself into the chair by the bed, dismissing his attendants. He pinned them both with disapproving looks, and Firar guiltily stuck Kaylee's forgotten pillow back on her bed. "You gave me your word," he said, shaking his head.
"We weren't fighting, were we Firar? You were just giving me some healing in the verbal department, right?" Kaylee prompted, smiling brightly at the Keeper.
He picked up on it immediately. "Yes of course. You may even question Araphel and his companion who saw the entire affair." He looked over and saw only the healer still with them, a very confused look on his fair face as he watched them.
Mychal looked at the elf, then back at Firar. "Yet because they cannot understand any of us, I am afraid that counts for naught," he replied, grinning.
"Nonsense, my friend. Kaylee can speak with them perfectly well. Although what he has been hearing from her is odd because he cannot comprehend my responses," Firar admitted, stroking his beard.
"Is this true?" Mychal turned to the Scout.
Kaylee nodded. "Yep. I'll even introduce you. Araphel, could you come here for a minute? I want you to meet my friends."
The elf approached warily, casting uncertain glances at the man and dwarf. He replied to Kaylee, who merely smiled. "Don't worry, they won't bite. This is Mychal, he is a male human, quite a bit older than me, and good with a sword."
The Warrior nodded to the elf, before adding, "Tell him thank you for healing me."
"He gives his sincerest thanks for the healing powers of your people." Kaylee then turned to Firar. "And this short being here is Firar, whom I've already told you about. He's a dwarf, and a Keeper, so I suggest you hide your valuables while you still have the chance."
Firar turned to the healer and bowed, crossing his arms in a dwarvish gesture of respect. "Do not worry, I would not take from those who have aided us. I am forever indebted to you, Master Healer."
Kaylee repeated what he had said, and the elf in turn bowed to the dwarf, saying something which the Scout rapidly translated:
"No debt is necessary, Keeper Firar. Your arrival has already repaid more than you know, for I have had my eyes opened. I am Araphel, an elvish healer, servant to the Lady Avilah. I am pleased to meet you all."
"What about his eyes?" the dwarf asked Kaylee.
"I'll explain later," she replied softly. Then, to Araphel she asked, "Who is this Lady Avilah? Is she a queen?"
Upon the healer's answer, she continued, "Then she would want to see us. Well, me at least. My friends and I want to learn all about where we are and about your people, because then we can figure out why we are here."
"I should think that you could easily have discovered that by now, Kaylee," a soft voice said. A glowing light seemed to emanate from behind Firar, and the dwarf saw the surprise on Mychal and Araphel's faces before turning to see Shkena standing there. He threw himself on the ground, and heard Mychal greet the powerful woman.
"Beautiful Shkena, we had not thought to see you again. Forgive our ignorance."
She smiled benignly at them all, as Firar chanced to raise his head. "All is well, do not fear. It was I indeed who brought you to this world, to serve a great purpose that will now be revealed. Araphel," she summoned, and the dwarf turned to see the elf standing straight and silent under her gaze. He replied to her, but the Keeper did not understand.
"One thing I will tell you, and one thing I will give."
Suddenly it all clicked in Firar's head. This sounded so familiar, but then she had said that she would tell both Mychal and him something. Shkena had said the same thing to Kaylee. Araphel…Araphel was the Healer!
"I tell you this: that you are the Healer. And this is my gift to you. Never lose it, or your voice shall be lost." And then she vanished as suddenly as she had appeared.
"That was original," Kaylee muttered as the elf blinked as if roused from a trance. "I think I've heard that somewhere before."
"Indeed," Firar commented dryly. "I have no idea where." The pillow clipped his shoulder, and he chuckled. He studied the slim elf as Araphel slowly opened his hand and let the necklace slip through his fingers, catching its chain and studying the charm closely. It resembled Kaylee's in color and shape, but the dwarf's quick eyes that could pick out a ruby from a rockslide away saw that the glimmering stone in the center was an emerald green.
"Put it on! Put it on and you'll be able to understand Mychal and Firar!" Kaylee urged, leaning forward in excitement. She hardly noticed when her pillow connected with her head. Mychal took it away before the Scout could retaliate.
Araphel slipped the chain around his neck, and then touched his ears in bewilderment. "It is most strange," he said, then looked with curious eyes at all of them. "Can you understand me now?"
"Yes, and we would like to welcome you to our group, Master Elf. I am Mychal, as Kaylee has told you, but I am also known as the Warrior. Kaylee is the Scout, and Firar is the Keeper. We have much to explain to you, and you doubtless will have many questions for us. But before we begin, do you suppose we might find something to eat?"
Firar bellowed in laughter before moving to pound his friend on the back. "Now I know you are all right, for you are asking for food! Come, Araphel! We have the entire day ahead of us; let us make sure the invalids do not go hungry!"
The elf smiled at them all, before leading Firar away. "We would not want Kaylee's mouth to stop moving for lack of sustenance," he said in a perfectly somber tone as they descended the staircase.
"Hey! I heard that…"
[A/N: Another long one, but it only took me most of a day to write it. Just sort of snuck up and decided to come out. I know we all have days like those. If I get another reviewer I'll dedicate this chapter to them! (Hint, hint!) ]