Disclaimer – You know the drill: as much as I love Valdemar, I don't own it :) That all belongs to Mercedes Lackey. However! All those oh-so-interesting characters that have never made an appearance in any of her novels from my chapters (Lyrissa, Jayce, Mikel, Piel, you know who)… they belong to me ^_^ Of course, you're welcome to use my characters… provided you tell me ;) Since this is my first fanfic, any questions/comments can be sent to dazz1eu@yahoo.com and would be greatly appreciated ^_^ Just don't be too harsh, neh? ;)
~ Chapter 4 ~
::There has got to be some irony in this situation:: sighed Mikel as he dashed out into the rain. ::I try my best to avoid getting drenched and I get stuck in the rain after all::
::Just bless the individual, Chosen, who made it so that Whites don't turn transparent when wet!:: replied Cera, laughter flavoring her remark.
Mikel chuckled, and shook his head. Cera was right, of course; it could always be worse.
The edge of the Healer Collegium grounds was barely visible in the pouring rain, forcing Mikel to pause and squint in order to search for the two white blurs that would betray the Companions' location.
::Over here:: Movement flickered in his vision over to the right and Mikel hurried over.
Cera was eyeing him patiently by the time he finally managed to get to the scene. Her fellow Companion was nudging the girl on the ground, who was sprawled quite inelegantly in the grass. Bending down, Mikel reached to brush the hair away that had fallen over her face.
"Bright Havens!" Mikel exclaimed, snatching back his hand. "Cera, the child's burning!"
::Jayce says her temperature is getting perilously close to the point where humans can't survive anymore, Chosen:: Cera replied soberly.
"Then we better get her inside, at the very least." Mikel braced himself to stand as he cradled the girl in his arms.
::She's surprisingly light:: Mikel thought absently. Shifting slightly to get a better grip, he looked down, studying the girl's face. It seemed to be a face that held so many stories. And given what the Healers had been shouting five days prior, a face that had experienced a great deal of pain.
::Such a burden for a little one:: Concern and pity welled up in his throat. He never had even bothered to learn her name.
::Cer-::
::Lyrissa, Chosen. Let's move – she's not getting any better as we stand here::
::True:: He waited for Cera to bend down before he awkwardly mounted. It was difficult riding bareback in the pouring rain, especially with his hands full, but Cera was not a horse after all – there was no fear he would fall.
::Definitely not a horse. Think that and you'll be spending another fortnight in the Healers!:: quipped his Companion with a reproachful toss of her head. ::Honestly, a horse!::
Laughter tugging at his lips, Mikel freed one hand to brush a wet straggle of hair that had fallen into his eyes. Trust Cera to always lighten the mood, no matter what the circumstances. Looking carefully over his shoulder, Mikel noticed that the second Companion was still tagging along.
A sudden realization hit him. What had a Companion been doing over by the Healer Collegium anyway?
A gently nudge in his mind brought him back to reality, and he realized that they had already arrived at their destination. ::Chosen, while you make a lovely statue, now is not the best of times::
Mikel flushed and decided it was better to ponder over such things indoors.
~~ ^ ~~
Most of the Trainees had left by this hour, though many had begun to yawn over a candlemark ago. After Lyrissa had made her appearance, the conversation had stalled, an uneasy silence falling over those who had originally gathered in the room to study.
Slowly, ever so slowly, a word was spoken. Then two. Then sentences. The room gradually came out of its stupor to reengage in teasing, story telling, and even the occasional bits of joking and laughter.
The topic of Alie's roommate, however, was avoided.
"Well, I suppose I better go," Piel rose slowly, the last one to vacate. He had been silent the entire time despite the chatter that had surrounded him, his face a mask of deadly calm as if shielding carefully controlled anger.
"Wait, Piel," Alie stalled him with a soft call, causing Piel to pause, a few steps from the door.
"Yes?" he asked, not turning.
"I – I'm sorry," she looked down, her voice barely audible, though she wasn't quite too sure what she was apologizing for.
"Why?" the voice sounded harsh and bitter. "Why should you be sorry? You didn't do anything different. Everyone knows that Rissa scares you. I've heard you; we've all heard you."
"But I –"
"I messed up," Piel continued, as if he hadn't heard her. "Mum used to say a boy like me shouldn't be so gossipy, should keep my mouth shut. She said I would get myself into trouble one day."
"Piel…"
"I tried to be her friend, you know. I wanted to help her, to put some emotion back into her eyes. Nobody should ever look like that; it couldn't be for no reason. I tried talking to her. I joined your group because I hoped maybe she would come back sometimes. Would come back to your room. Her room too."
"I never –"
"Then today I thought, 'I got to be one of them. I got to be at least a little respected, otherwise they won't listen to what I have to say.' She doesn't usually get back that early, so I didn't think there would be any harm in telling what happened. Maybe you guys would even feel sorry for her for what she's going through, understand why some of the teachers treat her so warily now."
Alie curled into a ball, hands clasping over her ears, "Sto-"
"But that didn't happen, did it. I scared everyone instead, and then I got scared because I had messed up and didn't know how to fix it. And then she came. She had heard me."
"Stop," whispered Alie, her eyes closed tightly, "Stop, stop, st-"
Now he turned around, face slightly shrouded in the dim light. Alie still had her eyes closed, but she could almost feel the anger in his eyes boring into her.
"You should be ashamed, Alie. You're a Trainee two years my elder. I'm in Rissa's year, you know. In fact, you're the oldest in our little 'group'. You're supposed to be supportive, helping us in our studies. Isn't that what you said Alie? And then it was 'Lyrissa this' and 'Lyrissa that' to your yearmates and didn't you think it wouldn't leak to the younger Trainees? Didn't you stop to realize what kind of things you were spreading? And then you actually came right out and said it today for the first time, complaining to us!"
The last bit came out in a rush, and Alie could hear Piel breathing heavily, his breath rasping in the otherwise silent room.
She heard him turn again towards the door, heard him pause at the threshold.
"How you could be so cold and still have the Healing Gift, I really do not know."
And then he was gone, only the harsh words left to sigh like a dying breeze.
~~ ^ ~~
::This:: grumbled Mikel as he leaned against the doorframe, ::is really all too familiar of a scene::
It was a different room, but there was the huge bustle of Healers moving to and fro. Each moved with a purpose, but he could see many were nervous. Again, the bed was thrashing with Healers trying their best to keep her down.
All because of her.
The girl that Cera had said was named Lyrissa had lain quiescent in his arms, and had hardly twitched when he found an empty bed to put her down. From there, he had flagged down the nearest Trainee and asked him to find a Healer and inform him that Trainee Lyrissa was lying ill in this patient room.
The Trainee had paled and darted off in a flash.
Healer Andil had been the first to arrive, one of the Healers that Mikel recalled from the last "episode". Andil had nodded to him abstractly before hurrying over to his charge on the bed.
That's when the thrashing began.
By the time other Healers arrived, Andil had his hands full in attempting to keep the girl from accidentally hurling herself off the mattress. Mikel had distinctly heard one of them mutter, "Not again…" before rushing over to assist.
Sticking to a corner and trying his best to stay out of the way, Mikel decided it was about time he saw to his own health and change out of his soaking Whites. He glanced over at the window to see if Cera was still there. Then blinked. And stared.
A Companion was at the window, but it wasn't Cera. In fact, Mikel was pretty sure it was the same one who had found the girl in the first place. What had Cera called him? Jayce? The blue eyes, though, did not notice him but was focused only one thing: the thrashing bed.
Eyes darting from the bed to the window, Mikel frowned slightly. Why would this Companion follow a Healer Trainee so closely? Was he going to Choose this girl? But she had shown no aptitude other than the usual Healing Gift, Mikel was sure. Or maybe…
Mikel shook his head, trying to clear his mind of the confusing questions that promised a splitting headache if he dwelled on them too long. He was too tired, too wet, too drained, to figure out life's little mysteries at the moment.
::Cera, love:: he Mindcalled, turning towards the door and doing his best to dodge the Healers walking about. ::Do you mind bracing the rain with me one more time?::
~~ ^ ~~
She wasn't falling this time; she was running. The world was a fog, but she could still feel them out there.
Laughter. Whispers. Stares.
She tried to ignore them all, but it was impossible, it was all around her.
"… tainted…"
Lyrissa tried to run faster, faster, to get away from the words. The words that were so cruel but had that tiny grain of truth.
"… we do not do that sort of thing!"
Faster.
A scream.
::No…::
She fell.
::No…no, no, nononono::
Footsteps, but she was too tired, too weary, to run away. She waited for the axe to fall.
Gentle hands lifted her, soothed her. That same flavor of blue, white, and silver bathed her.
::What…?::
She struggled to open her eyes, could feel the cool skin of a finger upon her lips.
::Knight…::
Then she lost the battle and relaxed, falling into a world of more pleasant dreams.
~~ ^ ~~
Abruptly, the thrashing stopped.
All pairs of eyes not currently around the bed turned to focus on the group around the bed, who each leaned back in various expressions of disbelief.
"Just like the first time," muttered one Healer, sweat glistening on his brow.
Two people who had been conversing intently by the door hurried over.
"Kelsi? What happened?" Jesin stepped his way over the crowd with Talia following closely behind.
"I -" Kelsi hesitated for a brief moment. "I don't really know."
"But you were -" Jesin began before Kelsi shushed him with a wave of her hand.
"I know what it looked like, but it was really the same as before. That shield of hers…" she glanced over her shoulder. "We really can't penetrate it."
"And neither can I," murmured Talia softly, eyebrows slightly furrowed in contemplation.
Jesin looked at Talia in concern before turning back to Kelsi. "So do we know nothing? Nothing at all? Not even how she got to be in this condition?" He frowned a little. "I refuse to believe it was simply being outside. The elements weren't that harsh to send her into that sort of fever."
"I think I know what it was," said a faint voice on the far side of the bed. The owner of the voice struggled to stand. "I was able to get a glimpse before her shield threw me out."
"Andil, are you alright?" Concerned hands reached to steady him as the tall man swayed.
"I'm… mostly fine," relented Andil before sitting on the edge of the bed, studying Lyrissa's face.
Silence. Eventually, Kelsi coughed slightly. "You were about to say…?"
"Oh, yes." Andil continued to keep his gaze focused on the peaceful expression that Lyrissa harbored. So different than any other expression she usually held.
"She was Counter-Healing herself," he said softly. "It was enough to send her into shock and fever."
Only now did Andil look up and meet the gaze of his fellow Healers. All eyes had gone wide with astonishment. Talia, quivering with emotion, dreaded Andil's next words, unwilling ears tuned to what she did not wish to hear.
"In other words, she tried to suicide."
~ Mmm, I didn't get around to doing everything I thought I would in the chapter :) But still, you like? ^_^ If you have any comments whatsoever, please leave a review, it would be greatly appreciated =) Thanks to those who have already left your mark! I'll be seeing you in Chapter 5! ~