thanks for the reviews! but unfortunately, I have no idea what should
happen next in this story! serious writers block. so if you have any ideas
at all, just put them in a review. I'd be more than happy to hear them!
~~~~
The next day when Talia saw Larkin, she didn't regret her decision to stay one bit. He smiled at her, and she felt like she could fly. Parvy didn't notice anything different between them, and Talia was glad. He was just his usual joking self.
After Parvy left after breakfast, Talia told Larkin about Wes and his two visits. Larkin stared at her. "He got into the palace?" he exclaimed.
"Of course," she replied with a shrug. "He just posed as a servant. He's good at that kind of thing."
Larkin shook his head admiringly. "He must be. It's hard to get into the palace. The guards are strict."
"How do you know?"
He grinned. "My papa tried it once to come see me. He told them the truth and everything, that he just wanted to visit me. But they wouldn't let him in. I had to send evidence."
Talia laughed, then turned thoughtful. "You've never told me anything about your family."
His face suddenly became grave. He shook his head. "There's nothing interesting about my family. I work here, and my papa works elsewhere in Corus."
Talia knew he was hiding something. She angrily said, "I've told you everything about me! Why can't you tell me about you?"
Larkin looked stricken. He looked about to tell her the truth, but instead he looked down. "I can't," he muttered.
Talia glared at him and stalked away. Why was he being so selfish? She'd told him everything, even when it took all her will power to do so! He would only give the barest details about his true life. She knew there must be a reason why he was being secretive, but she was too angry right now to figure it out.
At lunch she was calmer. Larkin looked upset, and his eyes pleaded with her to not ask anymore questions. So she didn't, and tried to act as normal as possible.
She, Larkin, and Parvy headed over to the practice yards after eating to see who might be there. Thankfully, neither Lord Thom nor the Lioness were. A tall, broad shouldered woman was jousting. "That's Lady Perlia, the third lady knight," Parvy whispered to Talia. She watched with interest as the woman hit the target every time. It looked brutally hard, definitely not something Talia would ever want to do.
Suddenly, the horse Lady Perlia rode tripped in the dirt, and the lady knight went flying to land hard on the ground. She lay still and unmoving. Her horse shook its head as if to clear it and went overt to sniff its master.
Servants and nobles gathered around to see if the lady knight would rise, but she lay still. Talia felt her heart beat with fear. "Is she alright?" The whispered words could be heard all around, and Talia wanted to know the same. She heedlessly jumped the fence that surrounded the jousting area and ran over to Lady Perlia. "Talia!" Larkin shouted after her, but she didn't even hear.
She knelt besides that woman and checked for a pulse. It was there. "Lady," she whispered, trying to shake her awake. She didn't seem to hear. Her golden hair streamed across her face, turned white from obvious pain.
"Someone get a healer!" Talia shouted over her shoulder. There was something strange about the condition of the lady knight. She felt her pulse again, and it was fainter. Her face was dead white.
"How could a little fall off a horse have hurt her this much?" Talia whispered. It seemed strange and unnatural. The pulse continued to get fainter and fainter, as if she was slowly dying. "No!" It was as if something was.. sucking the life out of her. A fall couldn't do that! There had to be something else going on!
Two healers ran up and pushed Talia out of the way. They bent down and began to examine Lady Perlia. But Talia wouldn't be pushed aside that easily. "I think there's something wrong with her."
One of the healers looked up, annoyed. "Why else would we be here?"
Talia took a deep breath. "I mean, there's something draining her life! It's something else besides her fall from her horse. Something's seriously wrong."
The healer gaped at her. "How can you tell?"
Talia shrugged. "I don't know. But her pulse is getting faint. You have to save her!"
Two more healers ran up. All together, they lifted the knight and carried her away. Talia watched them go.
Larkin and Parvy ran up to her. "What was that all about?" Parvy said.
Talia shook her head. "I don't know, but there's something draining her life, and the healer didn't believe me. I have to get them to believe me." She took off at a run after the healers. Larkin and Parvy ran after her, shouting for her to stop.
"Talia, come on! What are you doing?" Larkin said. But Talia didn't answer. She raced through the corridors and into the healing ward, where the healers were laying the knight on a table.
"I'm telling you, something's draining her life!" Talia shouted at them.
One of the healers came up to her, his face furious. "Stop pretending you know what's going on, and get out of here! All three of you!"
Talia shouted back, "No! I know what I'm saying!" Larkin put a hand on her shoulder, but she wrenched away. "Get the Lioness. She'll believe me!"
Just then, the Lioness ran into the healing ward. Talia gaped at her good luck. Alanna, seeing her gape, explained, "We've had you watched. The spy told me what's going on, so I'm here." She turned to the healer. "Let me see Perlia."
The healer backed away, and Alanna went to examine the lady knight whose face was still a dead white. She felt her pulse, then sent a wash of violet magic over the woman. She slowly turned back to Talia, her face full of dread. "She's almost gone."
Talia's face was red with frustration. "Don't you feel her life being drained? I think it's magic!"
But the Lioness shook her head. "I don't feel anything."
"The magic is poisoning her!" Talia was practically screaming now. "You have to save her!"
Alanna's face was white now. "Poison?" She turned to the healers who were backed away. "Check this woman for poison, both magically and physically! Quickly!" The healers scurried to do as she bid. Talia held her breath as she waited. Larkin's hand rested on her shoulder, and this time she didn't jerk away.
Finally, one of the healers turned back. "It's poison, and we think it's magic."
"Just as I've been saying! Now heal her!" Talia shouted.
But the healer shook his head. "It's not that simple. We don't know what it is. It's buried deep inside of her. We won't reach it in time. She's almost gone."
Talia pushed the healers aside and placed her hands on the woman's chest. "No, she won't die," she whispered. She closed her eyes and hoped. Please Mithros, she thought. Save her. No, wait, it was the Goddess who was watching over her. Please Goddess, she thought instead, save her!
~~~~
The next day when Talia saw Larkin, she didn't regret her decision to stay one bit. He smiled at her, and she felt like she could fly. Parvy didn't notice anything different between them, and Talia was glad. He was just his usual joking self.
After Parvy left after breakfast, Talia told Larkin about Wes and his two visits. Larkin stared at her. "He got into the palace?" he exclaimed.
"Of course," she replied with a shrug. "He just posed as a servant. He's good at that kind of thing."
Larkin shook his head admiringly. "He must be. It's hard to get into the palace. The guards are strict."
"How do you know?"
He grinned. "My papa tried it once to come see me. He told them the truth and everything, that he just wanted to visit me. But they wouldn't let him in. I had to send evidence."
Talia laughed, then turned thoughtful. "You've never told me anything about your family."
His face suddenly became grave. He shook his head. "There's nothing interesting about my family. I work here, and my papa works elsewhere in Corus."
Talia knew he was hiding something. She angrily said, "I've told you everything about me! Why can't you tell me about you?"
Larkin looked stricken. He looked about to tell her the truth, but instead he looked down. "I can't," he muttered.
Talia glared at him and stalked away. Why was he being so selfish? She'd told him everything, even when it took all her will power to do so! He would only give the barest details about his true life. She knew there must be a reason why he was being secretive, but she was too angry right now to figure it out.
At lunch she was calmer. Larkin looked upset, and his eyes pleaded with her to not ask anymore questions. So she didn't, and tried to act as normal as possible.
She, Larkin, and Parvy headed over to the practice yards after eating to see who might be there. Thankfully, neither Lord Thom nor the Lioness were. A tall, broad shouldered woman was jousting. "That's Lady Perlia, the third lady knight," Parvy whispered to Talia. She watched with interest as the woman hit the target every time. It looked brutally hard, definitely not something Talia would ever want to do.
Suddenly, the horse Lady Perlia rode tripped in the dirt, and the lady knight went flying to land hard on the ground. She lay still and unmoving. Her horse shook its head as if to clear it and went overt to sniff its master.
Servants and nobles gathered around to see if the lady knight would rise, but she lay still. Talia felt her heart beat with fear. "Is she alright?" The whispered words could be heard all around, and Talia wanted to know the same. She heedlessly jumped the fence that surrounded the jousting area and ran over to Lady Perlia. "Talia!" Larkin shouted after her, but she didn't even hear.
She knelt besides that woman and checked for a pulse. It was there. "Lady," she whispered, trying to shake her awake. She didn't seem to hear. Her golden hair streamed across her face, turned white from obvious pain.
"Someone get a healer!" Talia shouted over her shoulder. There was something strange about the condition of the lady knight. She felt her pulse again, and it was fainter. Her face was dead white.
"How could a little fall off a horse have hurt her this much?" Talia whispered. It seemed strange and unnatural. The pulse continued to get fainter and fainter, as if she was slowly dying. "No!" It was as if something was.. sucking the life out of her. A fall couldn't do that! There had to be something else going on!
Two healers ran up and pushed Talia out of the way. They bent down and began to examine Lady Perlia. But Talia wouldn't be pushed aside that easily. "I think there's something wrong with her."
One of the healers looked up, annoyed. "Why else would we be here?"
Talia took a deep breath. "I mean, there's something draining her life! It's something else besides her fall from her horse. Something's seriously wrong."
The healer gaped at her. "How can you tell?"
Talia shrugged. "I don't know. But her pulse is getting faint. You have to save her!"
Two more healers ran up. All together, they lifted the knight and carried her away. Talia watched them go.
Larkin and Parvy ran up to her. "What was that all about?" Parvy said.
Talia shook her head. "I don't know, but there's something draining her life, and the healer didn't believe me. I have to get them to believe me." She took off at a run after the healers. Larkin and Parvy ran after her, shouting for her to stop.
"Talia, come on! What are you doing?" Larkin said. But Talia didn't answer. She raced through the corridors and into the healing ward, where the healers were laying the knight on a table.
"I'm telling you, something's draining her life!" Talia shouted at them.
One of the healers came up to her, his face furious. "Stop pretending you know what's going on, and get out of here! All three of you!"
Talia shouted back, "No! I know what I'm saying!" Larkin put a hand on her shoulder, but she wrenched away. "Get the Lioness. She'll believe me!"
Just then, the Lioness ran into the healing ward. Talia gaped at her good luck. Alanna, seeing her gape, explained, "We've had you watched. The spy told me what's going on, so I'm here." She turned to the healer. "Let me see Perlia."
The healer backed away, and Alanna went to examine the lady knight whose face was still a dead white. She felt her pulse, then sent a wash of violet magic over the woman. She slowly turned back to Talia, her face full of dread. "She's almost gone."
Talia's face was red with frustration. "Don't you feel her life being drained? I think it's magic!"
But the Lioness shook her head. "I don't feel anything."
"The magic is poisoning her!" Talia was practically screaming now. "You have to save her!"
Alanna's face was white now. "Poison?" She turned to the healers who were backed away. "Check this woman for poison, both magically and physically! Quickly!" The healers scurried to do as she bid. Talia held her breath as she waited. Larkin's hand rested on her shoulder, and this time she didn't jerk away.
Finally, one of the healers turned back. "It's poison, and we think it's magic."
"Just as I've been saying! Now heal her!" Talia shouted.
But the healer shook his head. "It's not that simple. We don't know what it is. It's buried deep inside of her. We won't reach it in time. She's almost gone."
Talia pushed the healers aside and placed her hands on the woman's chest. "No, she won't die," she whispered. She closed her eyes and hoped. Please Mithros, she thought. Save her. No, wait, it was the Goddess who was watching over her. Please Goddess, she thought instead, save her!