Chapter 25: The Fallen.

She needed a moment.

Joanie sat as far away from everybody as she could, her hands tangled in her hair.

She would not admit it to anybody who commented it but she was on the verge of tears. For the first time things… hurt.
For the first time she allowed herself to think of what waited for her if they never got back.
For the first time she allowed herself to think of what waited for her if they did.

Reality had become a façade around her.

She closed her eyes and bit her lip as she moved her hands from her hair to cover her ears as two dying screams echoed around her.

"Brother!"

"Pappe!"

It took Joanie precious time to realise that she had been thrown to the side and was watching the large frame of Skyclone storm to the opening of the cave.

The sorceress had also been thrown aside but she was much quicker with her recovery and had already shouted a petrified warning to her father as she picked herself up and tried to throw herself at the man.

Around them, it felt as if Time was tearing itself apart.

Joanie saw the flash of the knife in Skyclone's hand. Her mouth opened and closed as she tried to scramble up and shout a warning at the same time.

Oriana's attempt to stop the storming man had ended in failure as her drugged senses had a moment's lapse to vertigo.

She crashed down close to the edge of the opening but it would've been too late to stop Skyclone anyway.

For a man of his size, he had produced a frightening amount of speed. Joanie could never shake the feeling that somehow, despite the fact that it was impossible in this Time, he had used some form of Magic.

The two men on the platform had turned in their direction when they heard the shout and mere seconds later Skyclone crashed into them, knife flashing, fat limbs sprawling.

Joanie screamed something as she managed to find her footing and run towards the spectacle.

Skyclone was going to kill Skyla! Her mind shouted at her as she tried to see what was happening. He's going to kill…

Her feet touched the magical bridge just as it collapsed beneath her.

"Joanie…"
She blinked.

"Joanie… come on."
A hand touched her shoulder, before it moved to the one hand that was covering her ears.

Joanie resisted the familiar touch, fighting it to keep her hands in place. She didn't want to listen to Jade.

She didn't want to…

Shreds of Time filtered around her as she stumbled head over heal.

In front of her Skyclone had knocked his brother away from the Magician. There was a wink of light that could only be the Skyswirlstone falling and, a horrified yell from someone below as Skyla's unconscious form slipped from Skyler's grasp.

The magical bridge disappeared completely, sending everybody on it falling down the large chasm.

"Pappe!" The sorceress screamed again, her voice enough to jerk Joanie out of her moment's lapse of panic.
She closed her eyes, concentrated on her body and pulled herself out of the spinning fall she had entered. She felt her wings jerk as she managed to get them open and spread her arms to pull herself out of the unavoidable nose dive. She was scarcely aware of her other Skydancers as something plunged past before her.

Joanie reacted instinctively as she took a quick breath and dived towards the object. Before her mind completely registered what it was she stretched out her arms and caught a hold on it.

The weight almost felt as if it jerked her arms out of her sockets.

Joanie grunted and pulled up…

Jade had now sat down next to her and had wrapped her arms around her trembling body.

Joanie at first resisted her touch but, her best friend was insistent and before long she felt herself leaning into the older girl.

Jade rested her chin on Joanie's head and lightly rocked the smaller Skydancer.

It took a moment or two for Joanie to realise that the warm tears running down her cheeks weren't hers but Jade's.

She closed her eyes again and wrapped her arms around her friend.

"It's all our fault isn't it?" she queried. "We changed everything."

Jade could not answer her.

She had managed to grab a hold of the Magician's staff.

She didn't immediately realise that man was still holding onto it, she only knew that she couldn't let go.

Joanie grunted as she tried to pull the weight up, her small body screaming protest.
When she looked up she saw that Oriana was leaning over the edge and staring at her like a drowning person, with no strength left, would look at land just beyond reach.

Tears of effort managed to find themselves in Joanie's eyes but the young Skydancer paid them no mind as she looked down at the man she was holding up.

His daughter's gaze was amplified in his blood like eyes.

Death overshadowed the hopeless love that radiated to his child as his breath bubbled in his chest.

Joanie struggled to retain her grip on the staff and it was only when the Magician coughed that she realised that he was hurt.
A large, deep cut had slashed across his chest and Skyclone's knife was now lodged in his side.

Irrational thoughts filtered through her mind as she called for help.

She knew that they had to save him; he was the key to exposing Skyclone's treachery for good. If they could…

She sensed her fellow Skydancer's approach as the man's eyes moved from his daughter to her.

"You can not… change what had already happened." He managed. "Silver Feather…"
Oriana screamed above them as he let go of the staff.

Joanie barely managed to yell protest as the sudden loss of weight send her reeling backwards, straight into Slam – who had come to her aid.

Before either of them could recover there was the sickening sound of Lor Master Robain Damodred's body striking the floor below…

Jade finally pulled her up.

"We have to go." She told Joanie as she helped the now unresisting girl to her feet. "Slam has already flown for help. Breeze said we should try and meet the others halfway. The sooner we get away from here the better."

Joanie couldn't say anything.

A strange numbness had settled over her as she looked down at the staff that had lain at her feet. She reached own and picked it up as Jade put a steadying hand on her back.

"Waite." Joanie managed as she looked around her for the first time. "I have to…" She could not finish her sentence as her throat choked up.
Pulling away from Jade she staggered off towards the other side of the Netherrealm.

Moments passed.

Joanie felt a scream build up in her chest but the horror of violent death tore all sound from her body.
Slam held onto her as tightly as she held onto the staff as they stared down to the fallen man below.

She wasn't sure but she though she saw him move once, then grow still.

A deafening silence filled the chasm.

The air around them grew thick and suffocating as the magician's life slipped away.

Then, just as an empty cry of loss started up above them, the air around the magician's crushed body started to shimmer.

An orange glow surrounded his lifeless form.

It flickered once, disappeared, then, growing more intense as his daughter's scream sounded above them, the light around the magician brightened, pulsed, encased his body and exploded.

Oriana's screamed was drowned out by the pulse of energy as it was released.

Joanie own scream died in her ears as she and Slam were flung to the side. She felt Slam's arms wrap around her to keep her from falling as the searing power turned around them.

Seemingly endless time passed before their senses returned to them.

Joanie shuddered in Slam's grasp, the staff still in her hands.
Together she and the red headed boy looked down.

She felt his low moan echo hers.

The swirling orange vortex, which Skyclone would use in their time to summon his Hurricanes, moved beneath them.

Joanie's mouth opened and closed as she shivered in Slam's arms.

"We did this." She said. "It was our fault…"

Joanie stopped when she saw the dragon and leaned heavily on the staff.

The sorceress was standing a few yards from her, her arms wrapped around the old dragon's head as her body shuddered with grief.
Joanie knew that the woman wasn't crying.

The pain that she had seen in her eyes was too fresh, too deep. No tears could erase the broken void inside her.

Joanie didn't know what to do.
After the vortex had settled, things in the large tunnel had had a quiet surreal edge to them.

Joanie had pushed herself away from Slam and could take note of her surroundings for the first time.

After the magical bridge collapsed the other five Skydancers had, like her acted without thinking.

Angelica had flown to catch the Skyswirlstone, where as Breeze and Camille had managed to catch the off balance Skyler and Jade, who had been the closest to the spectacle, had managed to catch the unconscious Skyla.

Nobody had thought to look after Skyclone but the young man had, after stabbing the magician and managing to push his brother out of the way, managed to get his own balance back.

Joanie had never before hated the man but now, in the aftermath of the carnage that he had caused, she could not still the burning emotion she felt towards him.

She had flown up to where Oriana was still sprawled in the tunnel after she recovered herself, having felt a moment of blind panic when she realised that the wingless woman might try to throw herself down after her father.

Yet, when she reached her the sorceress had been unresponsive and cold. It took both her and Slam, who had followed her up, to turn her on her back and rouse her from her coma like state. They had helped her up but she did not look at them even then, only moved down the corridor to where her own staff had fallen and picked it up.

She had allowed Slam to, without asking, pick her up and carry her back across the chasm to where the others Skydancers had moved together in a group.

Nobody had said a word or questioned her unexpected presence as they started to move out, back the way Breeze and Angelica had come.

She stepped closer to the dragon, but could not bring herself to alert the woman to her presence.

The dragon pulled his head away from the sorceress's grasp and looked at her.

Joanie took a cautious step back, suddenly feeling very small before his towering form.

Oriana did not turn around immediately but rather stood against the dragon for a second longer before she went to his side and fussed with the straps around his chest.

Licking her lips and tightening her grip on the staff, Joanie moved closer to her.

She stopped within arm's reach of the woman and waited for her to acknowledge her. She was mildly surprised to find that there were a few strands of white hair in the young woman's dark mob. She could not remember seeing them before.

When a long time passed without Oriana looking at her Joanie finally sighed and stepped right up to her. The woman was still fussing with the straps but her hands' movements were useless and without purpose.

Joanie cleared her throat and swallowed.

"Lady I'm…" she started but could not finish her sentence.

When the sorceress didn't even turn to look at her Joanie sighed, took her father's staff and rested it next to her.

She turned around to leave.

"Take it."

Joanie stopped and turned around but did not obey her.

The sorceress did not look at her, but her hands had stopped fussing with the straps.

"Take it." She said again, her voice harsh and empty.

Joanie bit her lip and shook her head, knowing that she did not need to answer directly.

"Staffs are passed down." Oriana spoke again. "Father to son, Mother to daughter. Friend to foe, enemy to kinsman. Take it."
Joanie shook her head.

"I am none of those." She said finally.

Oriana's stiff body jerked around to glare at her.

"You are all of those and none." She hissed. "Take it."

Joanie shook her head again.

"It's yours."

Oriana barked an unexpected laugh, but the sound of it sent cold shivers down Joanie's back.

"I have my own." She said. "And I am the last of my kind. Take it; it is of no use to me."

Joanie sniffed, shifted her weight uncomfortably but did not obey the command.

"I'm sorry." She rather said. "I should've been… quicker."

Again, the woman barked her spine chilling laugh.

"You are not the only one." She said bitterly. "Our solitude, my solitude…" She turned around suddenly to look at Joanie.

The petite girl was alarmed and the strange edge of madness hidden in the sorceress's eyes.

"Two decades ago." The sorceress spoke as if to herself. "My people's realm collapsed around them. Without warning. Powers I did not understand had broken Laws I still don't comprehend yet, I… I was not quick enough… I wasn't…"

She closed her eyes against the memory, turned around and ran her fingers over the staff next to her.

"I don't even remember what had happened. Not completely. I know that, I had gone to hide. Foolishly." She shook her head. "I was good at hiding. My father…" Her voice faltered. "My father and I were the last, but I had not been quick enough to answer his call. I had not been quick to get onto Odon… I had not been quick enough…"

She sagged suddenly, collapsing to her knees as her memory broke through her madness.

Joanie quickly moved to her side and tried to wrap her arms around the woman but she moved away from her and sat back, her violet eyes pale with grief.

"Come with us." Joanie tried, though she knew the invitation was useless.

Oriana gave her a mirthless smile.

"Skyler's pardon will only last as long as his shock." She said. "And his father, although sympathetic towards my kind, is more sympathetic towards his oldest son. Do you really think that Skyclone will let me get away unharmed? He has his own guilt to hide. And he will do so amply."

Joanie shook her head vehemently.

"He can't." She said. "The guard that looked after you, the one I zapped, he's still alive. He is a witness…"

Some life was beginning to return to the older woman's eyes.

"Do you think he still is?"

Joanie realised suddenly that she did not notice Skyclone leave the tunnels with them, yet he had been outside…

"There is Skyla." She grabbed futilely at straws. "She can testify…"

Oriana shook her head again and sighed as she stood up, control coolly slipping back into place.

"She was unconscious?" She queried as she fidgeted with the straps again. She took her staff which had been lying close by and fastened it to the straps.
Joanie nodded numbly.

"Still is…" She said. "What did… what did your father do to her?"

Oriana raised an eyebrow in her direction.

"You'll see when she wakes up." She said. "My father, by an oath which he was mad to take, can not let Skyclone be incriminated. He could not harm Skyclone while I was his prisoner, even after…" She shook her head. "You will see, Skyclone will walk away from this, untouched and unblamed. I see that future written in your eyes young Cara."

Joanie swallowed, wanting to say that she will make sure that that's not who it's going to happen but she knew that her thoughts were lies.
She sighed and shook her head.

"My name's not Cara." She said, at a loss of what else to say. "It's Joanie-Ellen."

The sorceress nodded.

"I will remember that." She said and slowly stood up. She looked at her father's staff and shivered. Realising though that Joanie wasn't going to take it she sighed and fastened to the dragon as well.

"I will give this to you the next time I see you." She said and pulled herself on the dragon's back. "You have to go."
Joanie glanced behind her and stood up.
Jade and Slam had come looking for her and was standing a few lengths from the dragon. They seemed hesitant to approach.
Joanie turned back to the woman to say good bye but she didn't get that chance as the dragon leapt up into the air and few off without warning.

A'lor Mistress Oriana Damodred, last of her kind, left without a word.

AN: Yes, I didn't forget about this. Yes, I'm sorry I took so long to write this chapter. Yes, I have no good reason for not doing so last year but I do have a good reason for not writing this year. Yes, I'm begging for mercy.  if I didn't loose all my readers, please let me know. I will finish this!
I so much as promised. :P
And, there's going to be another story after this one as well!
I just really had a heckting past 4 months (yes, it's a horribly long time for me to just leave this).
I'm so sorry guys! Thanks for coming back.

I'm warning you so long, this story is going ot end with a lot of plot gaps. I'm purposefully leaving them so, they will be answered in later fics. I'll revise this chapter at some point, I also suggest that you go re-read the chapter just before full Circle (I believe it's chapter 23 – A twist of fate.) I think that it explains why the magician didn't harm Skyclone and why he can't harm him.

Yes, you are not suppose to know now what's Oriana's full story.

Take care and keep well, I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up.

Me.