Ok…I promise Daine isn't going to have a sucky ending in this first story. You'll like it…I promise. But for now…she kinda has to be trampled on in order for the ending to be the ending. But don't worry.
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Complications
'Admissions and Discoveries'
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They ran. Numair had gained some of his gift back during the nights rest. Setting some magical traps behind them gave them a larger head start. They needed it. Numair carried Daine. They didn't have the extra second to stop and see to her wound. The thought that she could be dying in his arms made Numair's throat tighten in fear.
"Give her to me, Numair." Alanna panted.
"No. I've got her."
"Numair, we need to go as fast as possible. You've been carrying her for the last 20 minutes. Take a break." Reluctantly, he handed her over, barely slowing down for the exchange. Buri took the lead, followed by Alanna with Daine in her arms and then Numair. They raced through the trees, Numair looking back every few minutes to see if they had lost any lead.
Buri stopped suddenly, almost tripping over her feet. Alanna nearly crashed into her. "What's the matter?" she breathed. "Why are you stopping?"
Buri looked at Alanna and smiled. She raised her arm and pointed to some bushes. "The riders came here two years ago for a wilderness test. We found a an area completely surrounded by bushes and trees. You can't see inside. We could hide."
"We have to get out of here!" Alanna snapped. Even if they don't see us, they'll stick around until they do."
"Daine's hurt." Buri whispered. "We can't keep up this pace with her. We need to bandage her up correctly."
Alanna looked back at Numair who was keeping an eye out behind them. He looked at her and nodded. "We can't keep running Alanna. Where would we go? At least we can help Daine."
Alanna sighed then nodded. "Ok. Where is it?"
Buri lead them into heavy foliage. She pushed aside branches and tall plants. Finally they reached a small clearing, no more than 7 feet wide and 4 feet long. Numair placed a silence spell quickly around them as Alanna set Daine down. She and Buri quickly began cleaning the wound. Alanna used the little gift she had regained the last day to clean the wound and mend it as much as possible.
"It's not enough." She said after a few minutes. "I don't have enough back yet to help finish it."
Numair sat at Daine's head, stroking her forehead softly. "Alanna…she's waking up." Alanna came closer and looked at Daine's eyes as she opened them slowly.
"Alanna? Numair? What happened?" came the hoarse whisper.
"He got to her, Daine. That bastard of a mage got to Justice again." Alanna growled.
"Oh no." Daine breathed. "Where is she?"
"We don't know." Answered Buri as she continued cleaning the blood of Daine with a look of concentration. "She attacked you and then us, but she stopped. Said something about being what she wanted to be." Buri looked up at Daine. "She let us go."
Daine smiled through the pain. "I knew she could." She hissed at Alanna prodding and received a hushed apology.
"Alanna," Buri whispered. Alanna neared and looked at Buri questioningly. Buri nodded towards Daine's lower body and Alanna's eyes opened in shock.
"Daine?" Alanna questioned. "Are you menstruating?"
Daine looked puzzled. "No. Why?" she breathed.
Alanna was quite for a moment before speaking. "You're bleeding. A lot."
"What!?" Daine tried to sit up, but Numair held her down.
Alanna reached for her gift, using the last of it to feel her friend's insides. She leaned back after a minute and with a soft tone said, "You're pregnant Daine. At least a month."
Daine and Numair starred at Alanna, startled. Daine lurched up despite the pain in her stomach and said with panic. "Then why am I bleeding?"
"I think you're having a miscarriage, Daine." Alanna said softly.
"Wha…no…why?" Daine questioned with tears in her voice.
"Daine, it's probably this stab wound. It most likely triggered it."
Daine clenched her eyes, shutting out the pain. "We have to find Justice. She's all alone."
"We can't, Daine. Look what she just did. We can't help her until we're sure she's herself again." Numair whispered. She was avoiding the subject. For now, he let her.
"No. We can't just leave her. It's not her fault. It wasn't her."
"We know that." Alanna continued. "She helped us by letting us go. But right now, we're no match for her. We can't do anything. We have to get out of here."
A form slammed through the bushes, landing on hands and knees. Numair jumped in front of Daine as Alanna unsheathed her sword and Buri gripped her dagger. Justice scrambled to her feet.
Alanna raised her sword. "Stay away, Justice. I don't want to hurt you."
Justice was red in the face, sweating and shaking like a leaf. "I…I'm not going to hurt you. It's me. The real me. Please, it's just me."
Buri raised her dagger as Justice took a step forward. "Stay back, Justice. We don't know for sure."
Numair looked down at Justice's feet. The brown glow had disappeared but her breaches where no completely soaked through in blood. He looked back up the shaking body and saw her eyes. They were crystal blue. "It's alright," he said. "She's alright."
"Are you sure?" questioned Buri.
"Yes," he answered. "Her eyes. I can see it in her eyes."
Buri and Alanna put their weapons away as Justice breathed in deeply. Her chin trembled as her eyes fell on Daine. Tears brimmed and the young girl sobbed as she dropped next to Daine. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Daine. I didn't want to…I didn't want to."
"Shhh…," comforted Daine weakly. "It's not your fault."
"It IS my fault!" she screamed. "I did this to you."
"We went over this, Justice. It isn't you doing it."
"But you said what I wanted most to be, I would. I wanted to be good. I did. But it wasn't enough." Justice sobbed uncontrollably. "I don't want to hurt anyone else. I don't want to kill any more people. I took so many lives. I killed woman and children, Daine. I don't want that anymore. It hurts so much to think about. It hurts more than when he uses his magic on me. Every time I think about burning the convent in Port Legann, or drowning those girls in the frozen river last winter in Corrus it hurts. Every time I think about your miscarriages and how it was my entire fault, I want to die. I'm a firebird, Daine. A firebird! I'm immortal and I want to die. I'm not even a true immortal anymore if I want to die. I've lost everything. You can't trust me, none of you can. I cant' be a firebird if I want to die. And that's all I want. I want to die so it can stop hurting." Her face was so red; it looked as if it were on fire. Tears poured down her cheeks as she sobbed.
Daine was to weak to hug the girl, so Numair did. He wrapped his arms around her and held her as she cried. Alanna stared at the ground with angry eyes. Buri had tears in hers. After long minutes, she quieted to small hiccups. Numair pulled away to arms length and said to her. "We are going to fix this, Justice. I promise you we will. You won't have to hurt anyone else." Justice's eyes lit up with hope as she hugged him again.
"Justice, how did you get away so quickly?" Buri asked.
"He's weak. Very weak. He used it all to find me and use the bands on me again. It only lasted a few minutes past when you ran. All the men where so determined to find you, they ignored me. I'm sure they'll get it for not taking me back. I found you here. Even with your spell, I can hear you. Remember."
Numair nodded. "Ok. First thing we have to do is…" Numair continued on as they planned their next move.
Daine noticed much later that Justice seemed to have wandered off into space. She sat on the ground, her knees up against her chest. She stared into open space with a look of confusion. "Justice, what's the matter?"
Justice looked up suddenly. "Nothing. I just thought I herd something."
"Hmmm, I wish these drugs would wear off so I could talk to the people again or maybe shape shift." Justice mind wandered off again. "Justice?" The girl didn't answer.
She was listening with every inch of her body. She prayed to the God's that it hadn't been her imagination. That she hadn't heard it just because she wanted to. Seconds and minutes past as she listened as hard as she could, her ears straining for the slightest sound. That's when she felt it. The forest. It was humming. Not just the usual surrounding trees when she was around, but all of them. The humming became outright singing as she felt the bushes scream in excitement. She looked around in frenzy; her eyes wider than saucers.
"Justice, what's wrong?" Numair stood in trepidation. "Is it happening again?"
"No." she answered. "Don't you feel it?" The four tortallan's looked confused as she stood on her feet. She placed her hands on a nearby tree. The trees singing penetrated her body, making her bones vibrate too. Her breathing became erratic and exited. Her eyes shifting from tree to bush to plant.
Her head snapped up towards the sky when she finally heard it again. This time, loud and clear. If she had ever doubted the firebird in her, the thought was gone now. Every bone, every nerve in her body suddenly tightened in joy as she recognized the call of one of the firebirds. She recognized it at once. 'Hunter'. He was one of the strongest and largest firebirds. It made sense she would hear his call first since it reached the furthest.
Numair jumped back in surprise when Justice's head had snapped to the sky. What had surprised him was how the crystal blue eyes had suddenly flashed brilliant red. She lowered her eyes to Numair, and with a tone that brimmed with melody and richness, she said, "Their coming."
That's when she sprinted out as fast as her legs would carry her. Leaving the safety of their hiding place.
"Numair!" screamed Daine weakly. "Go after her! She'll get caught!"
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Jumps around clapping hands…ooooooooooo here it comes. The last leg of my first story. It's almost done. Two more chapters…MAX!!! Jumps around madly…hehehehehehe
Enjoy!
Karigan