Damon awoke, his body hurt everywhere. Skylla laid on top of him, still out cold. It came back to him then. A blast had thrown them over the edge. Skylla was still attached to her repel line and he had taken hold of her, so instead falling to their deaths they had been swung into the side of the building hard enough to go crashing into an office. Which would explain why he felt like he had been struck by a train. He had moved so he was the one to strike first.
Gently he shook Sky. "Skylla? Skylla? Wake up."
She moaned and her eyes fluttered open. "Damon? We're alive." She sat up and looked around.
"For now we are, but I don't think that will be the case for long if we don't get moving soon." He tried to sit up also but feel back, gasping with the pain that had flared up his leg. Sky put a hand out and help him roll over just a bit to see what was wrong. A huge deep gash ran from his ankle across the back of his knee.
Skylla winced. She could see the glass still stuck in it. "It's bad, but not life threatening. You… never mind, we need to get you out of here and to a doctor."
Damon grabbed her arm. "No, I can't walk with this. I can't even hobble. You have to go as fast as you can. Avoid main hallways, remember they're probably still looking for us."
"Damon I'm not just going to leave…"
Damon cut her off. "Oh yes you are. It's better they catch one of us then both of us. You remember what they did to Torrin don't you?"
Skylla was angry. Maybe she did care about him. "Which is why I'm not going to leave you to go through that."
"Look I'm still the leader and I give you and order. A direct order. You fail if you don't obey me. Get out of here. Inform the others I'm hurt and need help. You'll just have to rescue me this time."
Skylla threw her arms around him and hugged him. "I swear I'll never forgive you're dead when I come back. Not ever." She grabbed her gunblade and ran from the room.
Damon reached up to his cheek, his hand came away wet. She had been crying.
Eveonna made her way across the catwalk carefully, a factory area lay below her. They were getting closer to the fighting now. She could hear the muffled sounds of missiles and guns, every now and then a scream. The Alliance had set up a trap for the SeeD candidates, but The Upper Hand had found out what Garden had not. Hence the fighting that now raged above them. Eveonna had no idea why the groups were so desperate to get there hands on her cousin and friends, but she would not allow them to do so.
Cloud followed her along the catwalk. One had on that huge sword of his. She had seen him use it had to admit that he knew how to fight, but else did she really know about him. Absolutely nothing, he made her edgy. A crash came from above, Eveonna quickly spun around and threw Cloud to the ground, landing on top of him. Stranger yet a wave of cold water washed over them, carrying with it bits of glass that cut.
Cloud grunted at her weight on him. "Don't you think there are better times and places for this sort of thing?"
Eve rolled her eyes and stood. Looking back she was surprised to see what had caused the crash. A boy with spiky blonde hair, dressed in a SeeD uniform laid unconscious on the path before them. "Dex!" She rushed over to him and turn him over to better look at him.
Cloud joined her. "You know him?"
Eve checked his pulse, still there, faint, but still there. "Yes, I met him once at a club. He is a friend of my cousin."
"We better get him out of here then. He won't last long with out medical help. The guy is lucky to be alive after a fall like that."
"I don't really understand how he is." Eve admitted. She helped Cloud hoist Dex to his back. As the left she gave one more look to the sky. She hoped the others were in better condition, she hoped she would see them all again.
"Damon…"
Damon had managed to drag himself over to the wall so he could lean against it.
"Damon…"
He was weak from the pain and loss of blood.
"Damon…"
And oh so very tired, feeling very alone, and very defeated.
"Damon…"
Again came that sweet deep whisper. Calling him. Was he dying? He did not want to die yet. He hadn't told Skylla he loved her yet. He hadn't told that to a lot of people he cared about. He was afraid too. He couldn't die, Sky would never forgive him. Damon opened his eyes and looked straight into the eyes of Archist. It was over. Archist reached out and dug his heads into the wound, Damon screamed at the pain it caused him, but could not even put up a fight. Then suddenly the pain began to fade. He looked down to see the gash surrounded in red light and healing. Pieces of glass fell to the floor making a 'tink' sound as they landed. He could not help the tears that ran down his voice.
"Why?" He asked breathing hard. "Why?"
Archist shook his head. "Damon, you are one of us. You are not like them. You are sorcerer. I have come because you deserve to know the truth and you deserve the choice."
Dracos snarled in the back of his mind, but Damon shut his GF's voice out. "What truth? I know the truth already." he was to tired to fight.
"Do you Damon? The Garden and it's truth. Can you really trust Squall? He was not going to let you past the SeeD exam. The purpose of Garden is to fight Sorcerers, so it would be against there purpose to let you join. The fear those who are different. They all do. We do not fight to conquer the world and enslave those in it Damon. We fight to create a safe place for those like you and me. A place where we are normal. Where people will understand us. Where we can raise are children without fear of what happened to your mother will happen to them." Archist's voice seemed to ring with truth.
Damon looked at him confused. He was unable to clear away the fog that seemed to be forming in his mind. "My mother? What about her?"
Archist's face darkened. "You mean they didn't even tell you." there was outrage hidden in that voice. "Take my hand and I will bring you to her. Take my strength so you may see clearly."
Damon reached out and took the gloved hand offered to him A powerful magic wrapped around them and when the world came back into focus the stood in the hospital room in front of Edea's bed. Everything was frozen around them, no one saw them. Damon looked into his mother's swollen face. She was barely recognizable. Damon raised his hand to her cheek, afraid even to touch her. Rage and anger began to boil in his blood. She would never hurt anybody. How has this happened.
"I've a great respect for this women. While they raped her, while they beat her, not once did she use magic. Not once. She could have saved herself, but didn't. This is what I fight for. Those like her. If she had used her magic to save herself people would have seen her as evil. I can not sit by while our kind is tormented. Join us Damon. Think about it. Do you think Skylla can be with you when the people of Esthar hate sorcerers? She's the presidents daughter, her father would never allow it. Help us Damon. Your people need you. Join us."
Damon's face was full of misery at hearing what Archist said. Tears streamed down his face but anger burned in his eyes. "What must I do?" Dracos roared in fury within Damon's head.
Gently he shook Sky. "Skylla? Skylla? Wake up."
She moaned and her eyes fluttered open. "Damon? We're alive." She sat up and looked around.
"For now we are, but I don't think that will be the case for long if we don't get moving soon." He tried to sit up also but feel back, gasping with the pain that had flared up his leg. Sky put a hand out and help him roll over just a bit to see what was wrong. A huge deep gash ran from his ankle across the back of his knee.
Skylla winced. She could see the glass still stuck in it. "It's bad, but not life threatening. You… never mind, we need to get you out of here and to a doctor."
Damon grabbed her arm. "No, I can't walk with this. I can't even hobble. You have to go as fast as you can. Avoid main hallways, remember they're probably still looking for us."
"Damon I'm not just going to leave…"
Damon cut her off. "Oh yes you are. It's better they catch one of us then both of us. You remember what they did to Torrin don't you?"
Skylla was angry. Maybe she did care about him. "Which is why I'm not going to leave you to go through that."
"Look I'm still the leader and I give you and order. A direct order. You fail if you don't obey me. Get out of here. Inform the others I'm hurt and need help. You'll just have to rescue me this time."
Skylla threw her arms around him and hugged him. "I swear I'll never forgive you're dead when I come back. Not ever." She grabbed her gunblade and ran from the room.
Damon reached up to his cheek, his hand came away wet. She had been crying.
Eveonna made her way across the catwalk carefully, a factory area lay below her. They were getting closer to the fighting now. She could hear the muffled sounds of missiles and guns, every now and then a scream. The Alliance had set up a trap for the SeeD candidates, but The Upper Hand had found out what Garden had not. Hence the fighting that now raged above them. Eveonna had no idea why the groups were so desperate to get there hands on her cousin and friends, but she would not allow them to do so.
Cloud followed her along the catwalk. One had on that huge sword of his. She had seen him use it had to admit that he knew how to fight, but else did she really know about him. Absolutely nothing, he made her edgy. A crash came from above, Eveonna quickly spun around and threw Cloud to the ground, landing on top of him. Stranger yet a wave of cold water washed over them, carrying with it bits of glass that cut.
Cloud grunted at her weight on him. "Don't you think there are better times and places for this sort of thing?"
Eve rolled her eyes and stood. Looking back she was surprised to see what had caused the crash. A boy with spiky blonde hair, dressed in a SeeD uniform laid unconscious on the path before them. "Dex!" She rushed over to him and turn him over to better look at him.
Cloud joined her. "You know him?"
Eve checked his pulse, still there, faint, but still there. "Yes, I met him once at a club. He is a friend of my cousin."
"We better get him out of here then. He won't last long with out medical help. The guy is lucky to be alive after a fall like that."
"I don't really understand how he is." Eve admitted. She helped Cloud hoist Dex to his back. As the left she gave one more look to the sky. She hoped the others were in better condition, she hoped she would see them all again.
"Damon…"
Damon had managed to drag himself over to the wall so he could lean against it.
"Damon…"
He was weak from the pain and loss of blood.
"Damon…"
And oh so very tired, feeling very alone, and very defeated.
"Damon…"
Again came that sweet deep whisper. Calling him. Was he dying? He did not want to die yet. He hadn't told Skylla he loved her yet. He hadn't told that to a lot of people he cared about. He was afraid too. He couldn't die, Sky would never forgive him. Damon opened his eyes and looked straight into the eyes of Archist. It was over. Archist reached out and dug his heads into the wound, Damon screamed at the pain it caused him, but could not even put up a fight. Then suddenly the pain began to fade. He looked down to see the gash surrounded in red light and healing. Pieces of glass fell to the floor making a 'tink' sound as they landed. He could not help the tears that ran down his voice.
"Why?" He asked breathing hard. "Why?"
Archist shook his head. "Damon, you are one of us. You are not like them. You are sorcerer. I have come because you deserve to know the truth and you deserve the choice."
Dracos snarled in the back of his mind, but Damon shut his GF's voice out. "What truth? I know the truth already." he was to tired to fight.
"Do you Damon? The Garden and it's truth. Can you really trust Squall? He was not going to let you past the SeeD exam. The purpose of Garden is to fight Sorcerers, so it would be against there purpose to let you join. The fear those who are different. They all do. We do not fight to conquer the world and enslave those in it Damon. We fight to create a safe place for those like you and me. A place where we are normal. Where people will understand us. Where we can raise are children without fear of what happened to your mother will happen to them." Archist's voice seemed to ring with truth.
Damon looked at him confused. He was unable to clear away the fog that seemed to be forming in his mind. "My mother? What about her?"
Archist's face darkened. "You mean they didn't even tell you." there was outrage hidden in that voice. "Take my hand and I will bring you to her. Take my strength so you may see clearly."
Damon reached out and took the gloved hand offered to him A powerful magic wrapped around them and when the world came back into focus the stood in the hospital room in front of Edea's bed. Everything was frozen around them, no one saw them. Damon looked into his mother's swollen face. She was barely recognizable. Damon raised his hand to her cheek, afraid even to touch her. Rage and anger began to boil in his blood. She would never hurt anybody. How has this happened.
"I've a great respect for this women. While they raped her, while they beat her, not once did she use magic. Not once. She could have saved herself, but didn't. This is what I fight for. Those like her. If she had used her magic to save herself people would have seen her as evil. I can not sit by while our kind is tormented. Join us Damon. Think about it. Do you think Skylla can be with you when the people of Esthar hate sorcerers? She's the presidents daughter, her father would never allow it. Help us Damon. Your people need you. Join us."
Damon's face was full of misery at hearing what Archist said. Tears streamed down his face but anger burned in his eyes. "What must I do?" Dracos roared in fury within Damon's head.