Well, fanfiction.net wouldn't let me sign in for two days.  So I've been sitting here with a finished chapter that I haven't been able to post.  But I got up this morning and 'vuala!' it works.  So here it is.  I really enjoy reading all the reviews.  Please keep them coming.  I did a quick spell check on this chapter.  I know there are still mistakes.  But you all are very intelligent; and I'm sure you can figure out the words.  Smile.

Karigan

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Complications

By: Karigan

'Burn'

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"Alanna, how did you know where I was?"

The two women un-stuffed themselves from the rock crevice.  Alanna was looking Daine up and down curiously.  Taking the younger girls arm in hand gently, Alanna hissed at the infected wound that reached from elbow to wrist and the ugly black bruising and torn skin around her wrist.  Gently touching the swollen flesh of her arm, Alanna answered as she assessed the damage.  "I didn't.  We're camped a bit to the west.  I had first watch while the others slept.  I heard yelling and screaming, so I came to check it out."  She smirked slightly. "I wouldn't have been able to wake the other three, they're completely exhausted."

Daine's heart leapt.  "Which other three?"

Alanna looked up from Daine's arm and smiled at the girl's hopeful question.  "He's there."

Daine let out a breath she wasn't aware she'd been holding.  She looked past Alanna in the direction of the small campsite, egger to get back to Numair.  She desperately wanted to see him, to hold him again.  She jumped slightly and hissed when she felt direct pressure on her long cut.  "What are you doing?"

"What's it look like I'm doing, silly.  The cuts bleeding badly, Daine.  And it's infected.  I'm trying to at least stop the bleeding before we go back."

Daine pulled away.  "I want to go to the camp first.  I need to see Numair.  Now."  She was so nervous about seeing Numair again that she was shaking.  It was only two and a half days.  It felt like two and a half months.

Alanna sighed and then nodded in understanding.  "Alright, lets go."  They walked slowly back.

"Who are the other two with you?"

"Buri and Justice," answered Alanna.

"That's an odd combination.  Buri usually goes with the riders or the King's own."

"That's right.  We had a group of 15 or so.  But we were ambushed.  We lost some people to arrows before we even got to face near 80 rebel worriers."  Daine stumbled over a rock, regaining her footing with Alanna's help.

"Oh no.  The horses?"

"We lost 5 horses, I think.  Cloud was ok the last time I saw her, as well as Kitten.  Numair, Buri, Justice and I found each other again early this evening.  We've been looking for the rebel camp for hours.  Around Midnight we set up camp to rest.  Buri's got a broken wrist and some bad scratches that need resting and Justice has gone nearly three days without sleep.  She may be immortal, but she's in a human body; she can't push it the way she is.  We had to stop."

Daine felt miserable.  Men and horses had died because they had come looking for her.  "Well, I hope Onua can help heal some of the horses that were wounded."  She looked at Alanna with curiosity when she got no reply.  She was about to ask about Alanna's sudden silence when the dim light of a campfire and hushed voices caught her attention.  She walked faster, drawn to the fire like a firefly.

From the area from which they headed, Daine heard Numair's muffled voice.  "I can't believe she took off without telling one of us where she was headed."

Buri's voice took over.  "Relax, Numair.  I'm sure she's fine.  Alanna can take very good care of herself.  She's been doing it for years."

The two women were feet from view when Alanna laughed out loud and said, "That's right, I've been doing this for longer than you have, Numair, so quite worrying so much.  They stepped into the campers view.

Daine froze when she saw Numair.  He seemed tired and worn.  His skin was almost gray –he'd used a lot of magic lately-.  His face was dirty and bruised and the most handsome face she could ever remember seeing.  Despite her sore cheeks and lips, Daine couldn't help but beam at the sight of him.

When Numair heard Alanna's mocking tone, he'd looked up to glare at her.  When he saw Daine standing there, he could have given Alanna everything he had ever and would ever own in gratitude.  He stood from his crouching position next to the fire to look at her in amazement.  Her eyes were as blue as ever though slightly sad.  He couldn't take his eyes off her blue-gray eyes.  When she smiled at him, he was lost.

They both leapt at each other.  Daine threw aching arms around his neck and clung on for dear life.  Numair swept her up and crushed her to him, burying her face in the crook of his neck and shoulder.  Both arms wrapped like vices around her, one placed between her shoulder blades to press her entire body as closely as possibly to him, the other holding her head firmly in place, strocking her hair convulsively.  He felt hot tears on his neck and crushed her to him harder, feeling his own throat clog with emotion.  "Goddess Bless," he croaked.  "Gods, Magelet.  You scared me."  She only seemed to cry harder at his words.  He kept her crushed against her body.  Would he ever be able to let her go?

His question was answered when he felt her body wince when his arm brushed against hers.  He pulled back, noticing for the first time her bruised face.  His eyes grew wide as he took in the rest of her.  She had scrapes and cuts on her face and neck.  Deep blue bruises on her cheeks and a lip that was split in two different spots.  A deep cut ran down one of her arms, red and swollen with infection.  Both her arms were covered in blood that seemed to have run down from her wrists that had large angry black bruises overlapped with worn cuts.  Her tunic was covered in dirt, blood and what appeared to be vomit.  Her breeches were in little better condition.  She wore no shoes.  He could see fresh cuts and scrapes on them.  "What in the name of Shakith!"  He bent down and scooped her up in his arms, expecting protest, surprised when he got none.

Daine was to tired and in too much pain to argue about little things, so she let him baby her.  "Could I just have some water?  All they gave me was drugged water.  I'd like some regular water now."  Numair placed her on his cloak.  Buri came up to her with a traveling container of water.  Thanking her with a smile, Daine drank down the entire thing.

"Justice, boil the water we collected so we can clean Daine up some," Alanna commanded.  Daine jerked her head towards Justice for the first time.  The young eight year old was standing on the other side of the fire, looking on with appraising eyes.  Daine noticed her lick her lips in nervousness.  "Justice!" Alanna said louder to get the red heads attention.  Justice jumped and quickly began to do what she was told, staying for the most part on the opposite side of the fire.

Alanna worked quickly and quietly, every so often asking Onua to find a certain plant or weed for her; Lavender oil for the open bruises, fox weeds for the cuts and scrapes.  Looking up at Daine, she commented, "I haven't had to use this kind of healing in a long time, but I'm tapped out.  The little I recovered I used to create a decoy for those men, leading them in the opposite direction."  Daine nodded and smiled in understanding.

Numair sat behind her, as a sort of body pillow, holding her between his legs, wresting against his chest.  It was a comfort to have with the sometimes-stinging plant remedies.  But she could tell his mind was elsewhere.

Numair was desperately holding on to his anger.  Daine was a mess, to say the least.  This mage and his men had done this to her.  They had tortured her for two days.  He could feel the rage inside him building, his muscles twitching and shaking in livid anxiety.

Justice sat on the opposite side of the fire as Alanna and Buri worked on Daine.  Anxiety picking at the young girls nerves like a hot knife.  She'd surely talked to him a few times while they had her.  Had he told her what she's done to Daine? Told her about the attempts on her life? If he did, Daine would have figured out that her miscarriages hadn't been misfortune, but malice.  The firebirds would kill anyone who so much as stole a hatchling.  They'd probably first torture anyone who'd killed a hatchling.

What did humans do? Justice picked at her silver nails, and bit at her bottom lip.  She looked up to see Daine staring at her from across the fire.  Their eyes met.  And at that moment, when Justice saw the pain, anger, and betrayal in the women's eyes, she knew, knew that Daine knew, knew the truth.  She swallowed with great difficulty and broke away from the painful reminder of what she had done.

Alanna sighed as she examined Daine's arm.  "It's pretty bad, Daine."  Looking up, Alanna squeezed Daine's hand as she said, "We're going to have to burn the infection out."

Daine flinched noticeably.  Numair hugged her closer to him in reassurance.  Daine felt her heart rate pick up dramatically in fear.  "I can wait until we get back to the castle.  I can make it."

Alanna looked grim.  "Daine, your arm is infected.  It's already spread past the cut.  If we don't take care of it now, it could spread to your blood; and no amount of gift will be able to help you then.  We have at least a full days walk back to anyone, and that's only if we don't run into any trouble on the way.  You don't have that time."

"But the chances of the infection getting to my blood are slim."

"True, but the chances of it starting to rot your arm is high.  And what then, amputation? I don't think that option falls under 'better idea'.  Daine, I know it's not what you want to hear, but I don't see any other way.  My gift is drained.  It'll be at least a day before I can even light a candle."

Daine felt herself start to shake harder.  Numair whispered to her gently, assuring her he'd be there.  Daine nodded reluctantly.  Alanna pulled out her dagger, placed the blade in the fire and turned to Buri.  "Buri, you're belt."  Buri, whose eyes were wide, quickly stripped off her belt and handed it over.  "Numair, stay where you are and hold her head and uninjured arm.  Buri, hold her legs, will you.

"Sure," was all Buri could get out.

"I'm right here magelet.  I'm right here.  You're going to be fine," Numair cooed in Daine's ear when she shook with uncontrolled tremors of fear.

Buri knelt next to Daine's outstretched legs and firmly placed her hands on Daine's legs.  Alanna handed the belt to Numair and pointed to her mouth.  Nodding, Numair kissed the side of Daine's forehead and eased the folded belt between her teeth.  Gently but firmly, he pushed her head back against his shoulder and wrapped his spare arm around her shoulders while holding the hand on her good arm, careful of the wrapped bruises and cuts.  Alanna motioned Justice over to pass her things quickly when needed.  "Justice, as soon as I tell you, poor some of that colder boiled water over the cut to stop the burning." The young immortal nodded with unblinking eyes, taking a kneeling seat on the opposite side of Daine's body.  Alanna turned to Daine.  "Ready?"

Daine nodded almost imperceptibly and closed her eyes hard.

Alanna pulled the dagger out of the fire, letting it stand for a few seconds.  "On the count of three."  Daine nodded, her good arm gripping Numair for dear life.  Alanna looked up at Numair.  His face was almost unreadable.  But she could see one emotion clearly, pain.  Alanna smiled inside.  Rarely did people find true love.  She knew that for Numair, Daine's physical pain was his physical and emotional pain.  She closed her eyes in concentration briefly then opened them again.  She nodded to Numair, who nodded back. 

She turned back down to infected area and tuned the hot blade lengthwise.  She would place it along the cut all at once.  'Just get it over with Alanna.'  She began to count out loud. "One."  Daine whimpered through the belt clenched in her teeth.  "Two."  Alanna whispered loud enough for all to hear.  Then, without warning placed the burning blade against Daine's arm.

Daine's body jerked up as she let out a pained scream.  Buri put all her weight on top of Daine's kicking legs.  Numair gripping her upper body, his eyes shut, speaking to her in calm words.  Alanna, who had the injured arm gripped tight in one hand and the blade in the other quickly turned the blade over and reapplied its pressure.  Daine voice shrieked through the forest.  "Justice, now." Alanna instructed, pulling the dagger away.  Justice tipped the bowl, cold from the river, over the quickly blistering flesh.

Daine's body, which had been taught and jerking suddenly collapsed.  "What's wrong?" Numair demanded.

"She passed out.  She's all right," Alanna assured him.  Quickly she cleaned the now burned cut and wrapped boiled rip cloth around it.  After a few minutes she sat back.  "Lay her down and cover her up.  She needs to sleep.  She might get a fever tonight, so we have to keep her hydrated.  We shouldn't move her too much.  Pray to the mother that those rebels don't find us tonight."  She got up and walked away, pushing shaking hands through her hair.

Numair laid Daine down and covered her up.  Using a rag made of torn cloth, he washed away some of the sweat on her forehead.  Curling up next to her, he soon drifted off.

Buri, after returning from using the latrine looked at Justice.  "You want me to stay up?"

"No, I don't think I could sleep right now," answered Justice.

Buri smiled sadly. "I know what you mean."  She laid next to an already sleeping Alanna and dozed off herself.

Justice bit her bottom lip and whispered, "No, you don't."  Looking over to Numair and Daine's forms, Justice felt the familiar piercing quilt wash over her.  She rested her head on her knees and breathed a deep sigh.  Things were getting out of control.  More than she had thought they would.  Not only was she trying to understand what was going on around her, now she was trying to figure out what was going on inside of her.

She was feeling new things everyday that firebirds never felt. Strength and weakness were not thought of as the opposites in the immortal world, they were similar.  But now, she thought of them as humans did.  She didn't even understand what she was thinking.  She felt different. She felt fear and disillusionment and hopelessness and she felt…less… immortal.  She felt more /// human.  These feelings left a bitter taste in her mouth.  Was she becoming too human? What if she was? Could she ever truly be firebird in body AND spirit again if she always carried some humanity with her (if she ever did make it home)? Would she be part human and part immortal in a world where you could not be both? She looked towards Daine again.  'These were never worries Immortals had' she scoffed.  "Being human bites," she muttered.

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Hmmm, this was a long chapter.  Oh well, I'm sure the longer, the more you all enjoy, huh?  Anyway enjoy reading.  I'll update soon.  Bye for now.

Oh dear lord, I finally took the time to figure out the html stuff and it works nicely.  I think I'll do it that way from now on so I can use italics and stuff like that.  SMILE

Karigan