Half-Dragon
Author's Note: As I'm sure you all know, Moruadh is my own creation—though the name, sadly, is not. Well…as far as I know…that's it! Enjoy this chapter!
Part 5: Draconian Blood
Keaira, Gilthas and Silvan walked around aimlessly.
"Keaira, do you have any idea whatsoever as to where we might find this Moruadh?" Silvan asked, on the verge of throwing a temper tantrum.
"No, I have no ideas at present, Silvan. Now, be quiet!" Keaira said, annoyed. She sighed. "We won't get any farther tonight. We'll have to make camp. We'll decide where to go next in the morning."
"Who made you commander of this mission?" Silvan muttered sullenly.
"What did you say?" Keaira asked quietly, dangerously.
"I just wanted to know why you had to be in charge, Keaira," Silvan said, looking at her defiantly.
Keaira smiled—a dangerous smile. "If either you or Gilthas had spoken up at the beginning of this whole affair, I would have gladly let you be in control. But it's a bit late now, don't you think?"
Gilthas pulled Silvan aside. "That cousin of ours is dangerous. I wouldn't go out of my way to make her angry—rather the opposite. Seriously, Silvan, getting Keaira mad is practically certain death."
Silvan grinned ruefully. "You're probably right. I'll shut up now."
Midnight. Keaira was taking watch at this point. She stared listlessly out at the woods. She sighed. She felt so alone—even with her cousins only arms reach away. Crunch. She jumped up, and slipped over to Gilthas with elven grace.
"Gilthas," she hissed.
"What?" he whispered.
"Wake up Silvan. I heard footsteps—and it doesn't feel friendly."
"Got it."
Keaira walked over to her sleeping roll and picked up her dagger. Crunch. More footsteps. She braced herself. A small troop of draconians—about 12—slipped out of the woods. They were hidden in the trees, so they saw the draconians, and the draconians didn't see them. She met Gilthas' eyes. Her eyes passed to Silvan. They were ready.
"Four each," she mouthed. "Can you handle it?"
They both nodded. She clutched her dagger. There were all Baaz draconians. She leapt forward, plunging her dagger into the closest one's flesh. She jerked it free just in time so it wouldn't get trapped when the body turned into stone. Gilthas and Silvan followed her lead. In a few minutes, they had killed six out of twelve draconians. There was a sharp cry of pain, and Silvan was down. Keaira cursed faintly. There was another sharp cry.
"Damn it!" she muttered. She had lost Gilthas, too. Slash! Seven down, five to go. She spun in a tight circle, dodging a sword thrust of one of the remaining draconians. She didn't succeed—she caught it on her side. She cursed under her breath, stumbling backwards a bit.
There was a flash of light—a reflection on a small dagger. I'm covered in blood—green blood, Keaira thought hazily. She saw the last draconian fall to the ground. She had the oddest impression of losing herself in the old silver moon—or was it the black one? She heard one thing, smiled at the irony, and then everything went black…
Silvan's eyes opened. He attempted to sit up, but the world spun again, and he fell back.
"Lie still. You got your head cut," Keaira's voice said quietly. It had an odd lilting character—almost Silvanesti, Silvan thought. Then a thought struck him.
"Gilthas!" he whispered.
"Is fine," she responded.
"What about—what about you?"
"I'm fine. I got hit in the side. We should all be fine now."
Silvan looked halfway relieved, halfway upset.
Keaira grinned.
Another thought hit Silvan. "Did—did you drive the draconians away?"
A slight pause. "No. No, I didn't."
"Then who—or what did?"
Keaira didn't get a chance to answer, because at that moment, Gilthas regained consciousness.
"Where are the draconians?"
"They're gone. Someone drove them back," Silvan answered.
"What?" Gilthas asked.
"I don't know," Keaira answered.
` "Well, we might as well continue our search for that Moruadh person," Gilthas said.
Keaira smiled. "And we'll look where we should have looked in the first place."
"Where is that?" Gilthas asked.
"Takhisis' home ground."
"And that would be…" Silvan prompted.
"Where do you think? The Abyss."
"Well," Gilthas asked, "How do we get there?"
"We go to Palanthas…"
"And…"
"And we enter the Portal."
Author's Note: As I'm sure you all know, Moruadh is my own creation—though the name, sadly, is not. Well…as far as I know…that's it! Enjoy this chapter!
Part 5: Draconian Blood
Keaira, Gilthas and Silvan walked around aimlessly.
"Keaira, do you have any idea whatsoever as to where we might find this Moruadh?" Silvan asked, on the verge of throwing a temper tantrum.
"No, I have no ideas at present, Silvan. Now, be quiet!" Keaira said, annoyed. She sighed. "We won't get any farther tonight. We'll have to make camp. We'll decide where to go next in the morning."
"Who made you commander of this mission?" Silvan muttered sullenly.
"What did you say?" Keaira asked quietly, dangerously.
"I just wanted to know why you had to be in charge, Keaira," Silvan said, looking at her defiantly.
Keaira smiled—a dangerous smile. "If either you or Gilthas had spoken up at the beginning of this whole affair, I would have gladly let you be in control. But it's a bit late now, don't you think?"
Gilthas pulled Silvan aside. "That cousin of ours is dangerous. I wouldn't go out of my way to make her angry—rather the opposite. Seriously, Silvan, getting Keaira mad is practically certain death."
Silvan grinned ruefully. "You're probably right. I'll shut up now."
Midnight. Keaira was taking watch at this point. She stared listlessly out at the woods. She sighed. She felt so alone—even with her cousins only arms reach away. Crunch. She jumped up, and slipped over to Gilthas with elven grace.
"Gilthas," she hissed.
"What?" he whispered.
"Wake up Silvan. I heard footsteps—and it doesn't feel friendly."
"Got it."
Keaira walked over to her sleeping roll and picked up her dagger. Crunch. More footsteps. She braced herself. A small troop of draconians—about 12—slipped out of the woods. They were hidden in the trees, so they saw the draconians, and the draconians didn't see them. She met Gilthas' eyes. Her eyes passed to Silvan. They were ready.
"Four each," she mouthed. "Can you handle it?"
They both nodded. She clutched her dagger. There were all Baaz draconians. She leapt forward, plunging her dagger into the closest one's flesh. She jerked it free just in time so it wouldn't get trapped when the body turned into stone. Gilthas and Silvan followed her lead. In a few minutes, they had killed six out of twelve draconians. There was a sharp cry of pain, and Silvan was down. Keaira cursed faintly. There was another sharp cry.
"Damn it!" she muttered. She had lost Gilthas, too. Slash! Seven down, five to go. She spun in a tight circle, dodging a sword thrust of one of the remaining draconians. She didn't succeed—she caught it on her side. She cursed under her breath, stumbling backwards a bit.
There was a flash of light—a reflection on a small dagger. I'm covered in blood—green blood, Keaira thought hazily. She saw the last draconian fall to the ground. She had the oddest impression of losing herself in the old silver moon—or was it the black one? She heard one thing, smiled at the irony, and then everything went black…
Silvan's eyes opened. He attempted to sit up, but the world spun again, and he fell back.
"Lie still. You got your head cut," Keaira's voice said quietly. It had an odd lilting character—almost Silvanesti, Silvan thought. Then a thought struck him.
"Gilthas!" he whispered.
"Is fine," she responded.
"What about—what about you?"
"I'm fine. I got hit in the side. We should all be fine now."
Silvan looked halfway relieved, halfway upset.
Keaira grinned.
Another thought hit Silvan. "Did—did you drive the draconians away?"
A slight pause. "No. No, I didn't."
"Then who—or what did?"
Keaira didn't get a chance to answer, because at that moment, Gilthas regained consciousness.
"Where are the draconians?"
"They're gone. Someone drove them back," Silvan answered.
"What?" Gilthas asked.
"I don't know," Keaira answered.
` "Well, we might as well continue our search for that Moruadh person," Gilthas said.
Keaira smiled. "And we'll look where we should have looked in the first place."
"Where is that?" Gilthas asked.
"Takhisis' home ground."
"And that would be…" Silvan prompted.
"Where do you think? The Abyss."
"Well," Gilthas asked, "How do we get there?"
"We go to Palanthas…"
"And…"
"And we enter the Portal."