Chasm of Misery
By Jaymz
Part One: Unknown time before the Dragon War.
All my hope is gone. Devoid of all emotion, I reside in a chasm of misery. Set me free.
Chapter One: So Tired
Hidden in amongst the forests of green, in the great state of Michigan lies the sleepy town of Blossom Hill. With a population no bigger than thirteen thousand, one high school and numerous churches of the faith, it's safe bet to say that this small town is just that…small. Painfully so; Adia Rayne often said to anyone that would listen to her complaints that it was "Impossible to sneeze in this damn town without someone at the other end catching a cold." It was everything that a clichéd small town should be. The people were so nosey it was almost frightening; anything that they considered to be outside of their absurdly small box was regarded as a taboo, and was most certainly not accepted. We don't need no freaks ruining our town, thank you very much.
Recently Blossom Hill had gone into modernisation, on paper at least. At the newer end a shopping complex was being built, not far away from the high school. The education building sat back in perfectly tended grounds. Built only 20 years previously it was modern looking, with large windows that looked out onto the neat sports field at the back and the well-tended squares of grass at the front. The high school was built on the lower plains of the town. On this eastern side was where the new developments were, the brand spanking new housing tracts sat there. Despite being up to date, full of all the mod cons and bankruptcy inducing expensive, Adia thought them to be eyesores. The gardens had yet to bloom, leaving stark white houses sitting against mounds of loose brown earth with twigs sprouting out here and there that were vainly trying to be trees. Maybe in a few years they wouldn't look so bad. Maybe.
Adia and her family didn't live on these tracts. Thank God for small mercies. The Rayne family lived at the other end of town, the older side more colonial and tasteful in style. Running out of the western side of the town was a small, winding road. Through thick forests it twisted, tight left curves giving way into long straights that were great to drive on at high speeds. On a right turn there was a narrow and unkempt earthy trail that led down to the Rayne household. Blossom Manor to be precise. These days it was no longer a manor, in size it was smaller than the new houses and in light of the new mansions that were built along a certain stretch it was almost completely forgotten. Adia's father was a town planner and made big bucks in Blossom Hill, he was originally from Bangor, Maine and her mother was a Blossom Hill native. The only reason that they lived in the old house was because Ruth Rayne had loved it ever since she was a child, and when he could afford it Ben Rayne bought it for his family. The house was so old that it creaked in the night. Sheltered by thick forests it was hidden away from the rest of the town. No one ever really ventured out to this side anyway. It was only 3 miles from the town centre, but there really was nothing of interest out there, and so the Rayne family lived peacefully, cut off from the rest of the world.
Adia loved the house though. The exterior brickwork may have been old and worn, the porch steps may have groaned under-foot, the corridors might be chilly at night and the graveyard on the grounds may have been so damn creepy, but it had history. It was like a tangible connection to the past, when life wasn't so mass-manufactured and simulated.
As much as Adia loved the creepy old house and the acres surrounding it, she couldn't wait to get out of Blossom Hill, like her older sister Jane had done. Jane was the eldest child of the Rayne family and was a sophomore at Yale. Goddamn having such an intelligent sister as a predecessor. The only time that Adia was going to see the interior of Yale was in the pictures that Jane brought home. Adia was a senior at Blossom High and was dying for the year to end; the days stuck in the bleak classrooms seemed to drag by. What made it even worse was that it was only the end of September; senior year was only a few weeks old.
She wasn't a stupid girl, and had managed to scrape average grades, good enough to get into colleges, just not prestigious ones. Not that she minded really, she didn't care where she went as long as it was a city, preferably as far away from Blossom Hill as was geographically possible.
In time, Adia would find that her wish to vanish from Blossom Hill would not be all it cracked up to be.
~
Piercing her dreams like a pulsing klaxon the alarm clock next to her bed invaded Adia's sleep hazed mind and continued on until her arm shot out from under the sheets and batted at it until it ceased. Pulling down the crumpled oxford blue sheet she cracked open an eye and looked at the red digits in the morning light. It was only 7am.
"Just 5 more minutes..." she mumbled sleepily rolling over, her head already shoved under the sheets.
"Adia!" She heard her mother yell, the door open and her mother's shoes clip off the wooden floors as she stormed into her middle daughter's bedroom. The curtains were thrown open, spilling light into the dark room. The sheets were yanked away from her in one swift tug, and painfully slowly Adia opened her eyes. For a moment she could see nothing but white light, squinting her hand rose to shield her eyes and she groaned in the back of her throat.
"Bright light…what time is it?" She mumbled.
With the sheets under her arm Adia's mother shot her a look before striding out the room, "It's late! You have 10 minutes to get to school."
Luckily for Adia, her mother was out of earshot when she looked at the clock, "Shit!"
In record time, Adia was up and dressed for school. Grabbing her bag she fled down the stairs nearly tripping over Fred, their elderly beagle as he lay snoozing in a patch of sunlight. Affectionately patting his velvety head she jogged out the front door, across the gravel drive to her car.
Despite being fairly well off, her parents had not seen fit to purchase Adia a car, leaving her to her own devices. She had a weekend job at the local library, and with the wages had managed to buy a car. Ford Escorts were a dime a dozen really, and the engine didn't purr like a Chevy, but it started first time, every time. Today it roared to life as Adia turned the engine over and slipping into reverse shot backwards before taking off at a high speed, gravel pinging against the trims spraying up to six feet behind her. Taking a look at the slim silver watch on her wrist she knew that she'd never make it to homeroom in time. She may only be a few miles from the school, but it was on the other side of town, and the road that led into town was thin and windy. Putting her foot down against the gas she reached down and switched the stereo on, her fingers tapping against the steering wheel as she expertly negotiated the car round tight curves. The strained, angst ridden voice of Mark Lanegan filled her ears as Adia turned the stereo up louder and hummed along,
*The hour is
ending, can't you see
There is no way now, to get free
In the shadow of the season
Without a reason, to carry on
Without a reason, without a reason*
Her foot pressed the gas pedal further down, her grip on the wheel tightening as she took tight corners hard and fast. The sound of the Screaming Trees filling her ears and hitting something deep inside her core, she sang along with Lanegan,
*And from the north woods
Down to the valley
In a world of hurting, I'm moving on
And from the lighthouse
Out on the ocean
Can't climb the mountain, so very tall
Said Lord please
give me what I need
He said there's pain and misery
Oh sweet oblivion feels alright*
The trees screamed by her in a green blur. The tiny needle on the speedometer inching closer and closer to the right. Up ahead she was coming up for Dead Man's Curve. The town was such a cliché that it was sickening. However, the bend of the road was a serious threat. It was a tight left curve, the road doubling back on itself as it wound tightly against the hard packed tree line. It was also downhill, but the worst part was not really the bend itself, but what lay beyond it. The left turn was so sudden on the road that if someone didn't know about it and missed, they'd surely shoot off the end of the road ahead and plunge to their deaths. The bend was hard to take, and had to be done so slowly, if not the car would continue straight and drop off the end of the road. If one day she was to take that downward left curve wrong it'd be the end of her. At even a reasonable speed it would be hard to avoid. She'd crash through the feeble barrier and face a seventy-foot or so drop into the pine trees and jagged rocks that lay below. It was not a prospect that filled her with joy.
Dropping down gears she slowed the car and gently rolled down the road, the scratched barrier glinted in the light and she felt a chill crawl up her spine. Shaking her head, Adia tried to lose the feeling that she was just going to keep going straight. Foot on the brakes she guided the vehicle safely round, and before she was even out of the turn her foot was back on the gas, the black car speeding towards town.
The Screaming Trees played on, seventeen year-old Adia singing along on a sunny autumn Monday morning.
*The hour is
drawing ever closer
And rolling over, won't let me be
In the shadow of the season
To find a reason, to carry on
Said Lord please
give me what I need
He said there's pain and misery
Oh sweet oblivion
She calls me onward to
her side
And feels her song deep inside
And find a reason
In the shadow of the
season
To find a reason to carry on
In the shadow of the season
To find a reason to carry on
Find a reason to carry on
To carry on
To find a reason to carry on
To carry on*
When she hit the long stretch that was the main road that ran through the heart of Blossom Hill, her foot eased off the gas and the car slowed to the legal limit. On either side neat rows of buildings lined the wide road. People bustled in about the shops going about their day-to-day business in a repetitive manner. Adia saw it every morning. Suddenly she felt a sharp piercing of hot pain in her temples. A sheen of sweat broke out across her face and she swallowed thickly. The headaches were getting worse these days; sometimes the pain was so intense she felt as though an axe had been plunged into the centre of her skull. The pain pulsed with fervour. Gritting her teeth, which really did not help, she eased the car onwards and coasted towards the school parking lot.
Finding a bay at the far end of the lot she cut the engine and massaged her temples. It hurt so much, like hot pokers piercing her brain. Several metaphors and similes ran through her head, but it was still pain. No matter how much she decorated it with fancy words, it still hurt like hell. Reaching into the glove box, she checked to make sure that no one was around. Not that they would be, one look at her watch showed that first period was about to start. Her fingers laced round a small white prescribed bottle and she tugged it out from under the CD boxes. Adia's hand shook as she fought against the child-protector cap. Finally it gave way and she shook a few little round white pebbles into her palm. Popping them into her mouth she took a long swig of water and swallowed hard. Her eyes screwed up as she felt them go down. Hopefully they'd take effect soon. With the bottle still clasped in her fingers she stepped out of the vehicle and crossed the parking lot to the main building. Down the street a green and black garbage truck crawled along the kerb towards her, wrapping the bottle in an empty bag she disposed of it in a near-by bin.
Just as Adia was opening her locker the bell sounded the start of first period, her history class. Not paying any attention to the noise and hustle bustle around her she searched through her neat locker to find her history texts. A hand landed on her shoulder and a cheery voice bubbled in her right ear,
"Boo!"
She turned round, brushing the hair away from her eyes to see her closest friend Rose Het standing behind her. The other girl's flame-red hair was hanging around her face in wayward curls, an enthusiastic smile on her open face. Seeing the look on Adia's face, Rose pulled her smile down into a grimace,
"Whoa Adia, you look like shit."
She rolled her eyes and weaved her way past a group of giggling freshman, "Really, now. Thanks a lot Rosie, I didn't think I looked so bad this morning." She turned over her shoulder and grinned lightly to show she was kidding.
Rose fell in step and put on her high wattage smile, Adia almost being blinded by her white teeth.
"You bleach this morning?" She teased. The redhead smirked as Adia pretended to shield her eyes.
"Of course. Listen, Adia…" her tone became softer, her hazel eyes probing, "…Are you really ok? I mean; are you sleeping enough? Are you sleeping at all? Not to be offensive but you don't look all that hot these days."
Adia swallowed the urge to scream at Rose and to tell her to mind her own business and forced her tone and smile to be light,
"I'm fine. Honestly!" she assured her sceptical friend, "It's just that I'm totally swamped with work and the parents aren't any better."
Rose seemed satisfied enough and nodded sympathetically, "Jane back in town is she?"
Adia wrinkled her nose, "Hmm, came back on Saturday, had to sit through an entire dinner of parental praise. Thought I'd spew my roast chicken."
Rose giggled and Adia found that it made her teeth itch. She felt guilty for it, but her best friend was irritating her as of late. As was everyone. All she wanted to do was sleep forever and for everyone to leave her the hell alone. She tried but it never worked, she'd fall asleep but when she woke everything was the same and no one had missed her while she was gone.
Rose picked up the conversation, her voice soon becoming dulled as Adia zoned out. Her eyes wandered around the halls, everyone seemed so happy, as though they all had control of their lives. Adia felt that her life had slipped away from her and there was no way she could get it back. If she died, no one would notice or care. Cold apathy seeped into her soul until it was numb and her heart cold. Her future looked bleak, she could see no light on her ever-darkening horizon.
Adia had lost all hope. Life was a toil from day one, trudging from day to tedious day, living her life to everyone's expectations until the day she was old and grey. On her deathbed she'd look back on her life and realise that she'd wasted it and had achieved nothing.
Adia couldn't sleep at night, her mind plagued by nihilistic thoughts; she just wanted it all to stop, for everyone to leave her alone. In her darkest of nights Adia just wanted everything to end, for the world to be engulfed in a black tidal wave. Some days she didn't even feel alive, it was as though she'd died inside and all that remained of her was a shell. A shell that aimlessly wandered the halls and no one was any the wiser. In the mornings she'd look in the mirror and not recognise the young woman that stared back at her. She'd paw at her cheeks, seeing the flesh move under her fingertips but not feel it. Some nights she bled just to know she was alive, it was the fire of pain that flared through her system that reassured her that she could still feel something.
Beside her Rose continued on, her voice becoming muffled, as though Adia was hearing it under water. That was how she felt, like she was drowning, going under and no way to pull herself up again. The dark beckoned her and she welcomed it.
"Adia?"
Slowly, dark eyes moved away from the distance and rested on Rose's face. The redhead almost took a step back, the dead eyes of her best friend sending a chill down her spine.
"You ok?"
"Peachy." Adia turned away and took a seat at the back of the history class. She ignored Rose's hurt look and tried to shrug off the encroaching feeling of claustrophobia.
~
As if waking from a dream, Adia found herself standing in front of her locker. The halls around her were empty, she felt at ease on her own, but at the same time an aura of aching loneliness surrounded her. The locker door banged shut, its hollow echo bouncing down the hallway. It was early afternoon, and as a senior her day was finished. Turning to leave, she let out a small gasp of surprise as wide blue eyes appeared in front of her.
The girl that had seemingly materialized in front of her popped her gum and regarded Adia with an irritated look.
"Geez, you zone out again, Adia?"
Her brow furrowed in impatience at her younger sister, "What is it Amy?"
Gum popped again, "Can you give me a ride home tonight? I've got cheerleading practice and Mom can't pick me up. Please?" Amy looked up at her sister, her eyes wide and innocent, blonde hair falling round her cheeks giving her the look of angel. It was a look Adia knew only too well, Amy used it on everyone to get what she wanted, and it worked. Wanting nothing but to be alone, she let out a harsh sigh and touched her fingertips to her forehead.
"What time?" Her voice sounded distant even to her own ears.
Another pop, "Dunno…before five I guess. You'll be in the library?"
"Yes. Come find me when you're done."
By the time she had opened her eyes, Amy was gone, the hallway empty and she was alone again.
The library was empty apart from Miss Low at the front desk. She glanced up over the top of her glasses as Adia walked in then returned to her woman's magazine. Finding a seat at the back of the library she dropped her bag to the desk and lowered herself into the chair. For a few minutes Adia sat in the silence of the library her mind flitting from thought to thought. Eventually she reached down into her bag and pulled out a pad of paper.
She had every intention of getting some work done, but in fifteen minutes all she had was a few doodles in the corner and the spattering of her cursive writing of thoughts across the lines. A look at her watch showed that she has a good few hours to kill before she and Amy left for home. Faced with hours of sitting in silence and doing nothing, Adia rifled around her bag until she found what she was looking for. Pulling out the chocolate bar she unwrapped it and took a bite, she knew she'd be adding to her already softening middle, but found it hard to care. Not as if she had anyone to look good for anyway. Crumpling the wrapper into a ball in her fist Adia dropped it into her bag and rested her head on folded arms.
Almost instantly sleep pawed at her eyes, she let her lids droop down and the thick blanket of sleep covered her.
It was one of those bizarre dreams when she knew that she was dreaming, but it still all felt so real. When her eyes slowly opened, Adia found herself standing at the roadside. Everything around her was so still, the leaves didn't move, the sky a stagnant clear blue. The silence was heavy; she tuned her ears, trying to hear even the slightest of noise.
"You won't find anything here."
A voice startled her and she turned to see a man standing at the edge of a curve. Before Dead Man's Curve stood a tall and rather odd-looking man. His aqua hair spiked away from his head, eyes of different colours bore into her, the look in them so familiar that she felt her stomach drop.
"What?" Her voice sounded too loud in the silence and she cringed.
He raised one arm, his cloak dropping away from his shoulder and rustled, the sound almost maddening to her. "You won't find what you're looking for here." He gestured around them, his voice was flat, lacking in any tone. Yet it held the undertones of a very powerful man. She found herself dumb, and could only stare at the man before her.
"You and I are alike." He went on; she wanted to ask how, whom he was. But found herself unable to, as if following an unspoken command. "Come with me and I can make it all go away. Give me your power and I can make your darkest dreams come true."
What power?
At her whispered thought the sky above her began to swirl, black bled into blue and the roadside vanished as walls of black engulfed them. It stretched beyond her for aeons, yet in it he remained in her sights, lit by a source-less spotlight that beamed from above.
Swallowing, she found her voice and it echoed softly around them, "Who are you?"
The tiniest of superior smiles lifted the corner of his straight-lined lips, "Your saviour."
"Saviour from what?" Could this really be true? Could he be here to bring her nihilistic thoughts to fruition?
He smirked this time, his eyes cold and unwavering, "You know very well what I mean. Come to me, call me and I'll make it all end."
A hand clamped onto her shoulder and Adia shot upwards from the desk, her eyes wide and darting around the room. A clipped voice snapped from behind her,
"The library's closing now, you need to leave." Miss Low cast her a disapproving glare before heading back to the front desk, muttering about the improper use of libraries.
Hastily grabbing her things Adia left the library and tried to shake the dream from her mind. She jogged down the empty corridors, her footfalls bouncing down the halls displacing their origin.
Before Adia stepped outside, she stopped at the main doors and peered into the darkness. While she'd been asleep a storm had rolled into over the small town. The clouds blocked out all light and sheets of rain pounded the ground. Growling in irritation Adia pulled her thin jacket around her and lifted the collar before sprinting out into the cold. The rain lashed down on her, stinging and soaking her in seconds. Cursing her spoilt little sister Adia ran down the steps and headed towards the football fields. Past the bleachers she found the field to be empty, various spotlights shone down through the pitch black. A shudder snaked up her spine, the scene reminding her of the dream. From the dark a figure in the school colours of red and orange jogged towards her. His shaggy hair was plastered to his forehead and Adia reached out an arm to stop him, she recognised him to be on the football team, but didn't recall his name.
"Have you seen Amy?" She called out over the pounding of the rain.
He shrugged her off and swept his hair out of his eyes, "She just left with Tim."
As he moved past her Adia couldn't keep the growl of anger within her. Typical Amy to go home with the bloody quarterback while her sister hung around waiting for her.
Just you wait till I get back home you little brat, she snarled mentally.
Hefting her bag onto her back, she ran as fast as she could to her car. Her new trainers squeaked and slid on the grass as she ran across the front lawns of the school. Across the lot she dashed, her chest constricted as she gasped for breath the cold air stinging her throat and lungs. God, I really am unfit.
Once in her car she fired up the engine and turned on the heater. Adia sat for a few minutes wringing the water out of her hair and attempting to warm herself. Pain pricked behind her eyes and another titan of a headache stormed her brain. For a second her vision blurred and she felt nauseous. Maybe she should just call her Dad. No, then I'd have to do some explaining. I can deal with this; I just need a few minutes. Damn it, why did I throw away those pills?!
After several deep breaths the pain receded to more tolerable levels and Adia found herself able to function again. Backing out the bay she pointed the nose of the car home and rolled out the lot.
Through the main streets of Blossom Hill she crawled along, the rain was so heavy that she could barely see past ten feet. The wipers frantically sped back and forth as she leaned forward straining to see in the dark. The streets were quiet, no one daring to brave the storm. A strong wind hit the side of the car and Adia had to grip the wheel to stop her from being knocked off course.
Out past the main part of town the country road wound away from her and into the darkness. Keeping to a low speed she crept along cursing Amy every inch of the way. The pain in her temples began to increase; sharp pinpoints behind her eyes, Adia rubbed her forehead and gripped the steering wheel so tight her knuckles were white. Pressing her foot down a little harder on the gas she urged the car ahead faster, wanting nothing to get home and retreat to the black warmth of sleep. Unbeknownst to Adia, underneath her the car was aquaplaning. Adia was going so fast upon the wet roads that the tread of her tyres were filling up with water lifting the car off the road and giving the tyres no friction. Momentarily blinded by pain she felt herself being pulled back by unconsciousness, she snapped back in time to see Dead Man's Curve looming before her.
Adia slammed on the brakes too late, the tyres having no grip on the road still spun under her. The speeding vehicle refused to slow and stayed on course as it ploughed through the metal barrier. Adia screamed as the car smashed through the blockade, the car jolted as it contacted with the barrier then the screeching of metal twisting and giving way filled her ears. The car was airborne the headlights cut twin paths of light through the dark rain; thick layers of trees carpeted the rocky ground below. In slow motion the front end began to tip downwards, then as though its strings had been cut, plummeted to the ground.
She screamed her throat raw in terror as the car dropped down vertically. It cut through the trees, the branches whipping at the car, the windows shattered into thousands of shards that showered in on her. The Escort's front end smashed into the ground below with a blow that reverberated through the body of the car. Continuing with its momentum the back end flipped over, crashing onto its roof. The ground was slippery and muddy, setting the car into a deadly roll. It bounced down the steep hill, the shattering of glass and shrieking of metal as it twisted and folded in screaming in her ears. With one last flip through the air the car landed on its roof, rocking like an upturned beetle. The rain still pounded down, the flickering headlights cutting paths of light through the darkness.
Stunned and in shock Adia remained still for a second or so. When what had happened finally registered in her brain, white-hot pain shot across her left side. Reaching down with a shaking hand she pulled her hand back up to her face, warm sticky fluid tainted her fingers. Oh god, I'm bleeding…
Her head spun as she fought against a wave of nausea and the desire to pass out right there. Adia landed on the roof of the car with a thump as she released her belt. Fumbling with the handle with blood-slicked fingers, it took her a few seconds before she was free of the wreckage. Adia rolled out of the car and lay a short distance away. Pain exploded across her body, it was a fire that sparked through her nerves. All those nights where she'd felt so dead and numb and here she was definitely alive and so fragile. Oh, the irony.
Painfully Adia rolled onto her back and sucked in a breath into her aching chest. It was still raining, heavier than it had been before. Against the streaming of rain the horn blasted into the dark forest. She lay staring up at the purple sky, the rain feeling like thousands of icy needles pricking her face and neck. Her body ached all over, dimly she was aware of warmth leaking out her side, shallow and raspy breathing reached her ears. It sounded disembodied and seconds passed before she remembered that it was her struggled breathing that she was hearing. She was so cold, as her life ebbed and blood flowed from the wounds in her side, her blood mixed with the earth and the rain, forming a murky dark puddle around her. Just as life seeped out of her, coldness snaked in and took hold deep in her core. Her body shivered in the cold, but it caused more pain so she held still.
Blackness blurred the edges of her consciousness as her body begged for oblivion, to put an end to the pain. Alone in the bitter darkness Adia felt betrayed by her own heart. With each beat that strove to keep her alive it pumped more blood out of her wounds. A swell of sorrow washed over her as she realised that this was what she had wished for in her darkest moments. Pain convulsed through her and she fought to keep still, any movement hurt too much. Gasping for breath she felt a fire in her chest as she tried to suck in cold air.
She could feel herself slipping away. Death reached out to her and tugged, pulling her down and down. Opening her dark eyes to the skies she watched the rain fall, so numb now feeling neither the pain nor cold. Her body lay prone and immobile in the rain, the flow of blood from her wounds had slowed to a trickle and she was absently aware that it wouldn't be long until she disappeared from this world forever.
Shadows around her began to twitch before they coalesced into a wavering darkness against the trees. It advanced on her, sweeping past in a rush of icy air, smelling like acrid rotted flesh, echoing wails of the dead followed as it flew over her. Adia wondered if it was real, if this was death or if it was the last synaptic sparks of her dying brain playing themselves out in a figment of delirium. Real terror gripped her; death had come to take away her soul. The shadow darted about on the edge of her vision. In a moment of lucidity she realised that despite all her wishes for it all to end, she really wanted to live. In the shadowy rain her soul cried out to be saved.
High above the storm clouds, past the stars, behind its sister moon; Gaia radiated a deep blue in the vast darkness of space.
Standing in the throne room of a docked airship a young seer turned to her master. He looked at her with cold expectance,
"Lord Folken," her voice soft in the shadowy room, "It's time."
The faintest of smiles lifted the corners of his grim-lined lips, "Good. Bring her to me."
Sora turned back to the wide windows and closed her eyes, "She's calling you." The seer reached her pale fingers to her forehead. Wrinkles of strain and concentration appeared under her fingertips. "She's scared, I can feel her fear; it's so strong. It has to be now, or we'll lose her."
The Emperor turned to the young man that stood in the middle of the room. He was dressed in blood red armour, his arms crossed over the pristine white overlay. Silver hair shone in the moonlight, and scorching scarlet eyes glinted with a deadly fire.
"Dilandau." Folken addressed him.
The young General turned at the mention of his name and his chin dropped the tiniest of inches at his superior.
"Hai, Folken-sama."
"Take your men to the East. Bring back the first girl that you come across." Folken ordered, his calculating eyes back on his seer. Yes, he would have the Goddess soon.
Momentarily Dilandau's eyes flickered to the storm clouds that were rolling in, blocking out the moonlight. Gods, he hated the rain. Slowly Folken turned back to the General, wondering why he hadn't gone already. At the back of his neck Dilandau felt the tiny hairs begin to prick up. The air around him began to shift and he knew that Folken wasn't in the mood to be tested. Besides, Dilandau liked having working appendages.
"As you wish, Folken-sama." The older man chose to ignore the undertone of sarcasm as Dilandau nodded curtly and marched out the room. His eyes were back on Sora, calmly waiting as the rhythmic pounding of Dilandau's stride faded into the distance.
Death still stalked Adia as she lay in the rain, her dying wish screaming in the heavens. I know you hear me! Save me, please! I don't want to die!
Around her faints wisps of blue smoke began to form in the rain. They quivered around her like glowing blue sprites, the rain hampering them, but slowly they began to grow. Death reached out to her again, it touched the smoulders of light and let out a high-pitch keen as though is had been burnt and retreated to the dark, hovering just outside the fragments of blue. A circle of cerulean smoke grew around Adia, its light pushing away the darkness of death and bathing her in pure warm radiance. In a rush of wind it exploded around her into a pillar of shifting blue light. The purple rain clouds above her parted and she saw the black sky jewelled with sparkling stars. The pain in her body forgotten and she was able to breath freely again. Lifted up in the impenetrable pillar of light Adia was rocketed into the stratosphere.
Beneath her in the chilly darkness, death hissed in defeat. It had been cheated, but it would get its due life, eventually.
~
General Albatou was in nothing short of black mood as he sat astride his steed in what was possibly the worst storm of the year. Ice-cold wind whipped around him and bitter rain spattered across his face. Even with his black cloak pulled around him, his body was cold. Under his cowl the rain still managed to find him, wet spikes of silver hair hung over his piercing eyes. Reaching up with a red-gloved hand he brushed the wet bangs out of his vision. As he did so a cold spurt of wind found its way inside his cloak and removed what heat he'd managed to create.
A feral growl of irritation vibrated in the back of his throat and put the men closest to him on edge. They were sheltering on a rocky hillside, a crag hanging over them in an attempt to keep them out of the downpour, but with the ever-changing winds it was futile. The Demon General and his Dragonslayers were mounted and facing the East, waiting for whatever sign it was that pointed out the arrival of Folken's asset. Dilandau was furious, and his men knew it. He sat perfectly still on his mount, even as the wind blew against him he barely moved. His frightening eyes were locked ahead, silver brows angled down into a menacing frown, his strong jaw rigid and lips set in a grim line. His very demeanour meant that his men were treading very carefully around him. Dilandau tried to think of other things, to get his mind off the rain that dripped down his neck in cold rivulets. He was Dilandau Albatou, powerful General of the Black Dragon Ryuugekitai, descendant of the Dragons; could handle anything and anyone that came his way. But the rain depressed him.
A soft noise of scorn escaped him as he thought of Folken, it was utterly ridiculous the Emperor sending his best man out into the rain all on the vague whim of a dubious mystic. Dilandau believed that Sora led Folken around by the nose. In that aspect Dilandau regarded his superior to be weak, he'd never let a mere woman have such power over him.
The wind howled around them, and Dilandau absently thought that it sounded like a woman's cry. Trying to take his mind off the weather Dilandau entertained himself with thoughts of previous battles; the rush of adrenaline as hundreds fell at his feet in waves of delicious crimson. A sadistic smirk tugged at his lips as he felt his mood lighten just a little, his lids dropping to hood blood-red eyes, leaving him looking extraordinarily fearsome. Again the wind screamed around them, the chargers beginning to become jittery. A sharp tug on the reins and a dig of the heels steadied his reliable stallion. Instinctively his eyes focused on the east, Dilandau dismissed the flickering light in the belly of the storm cloud as lightning, until a beam of light burst forth, the wind sounding like a birthing mother.
Instantly Dilandau took off towards the dissipating beam of light. Without ordering them to, he knew that his men would be hot on his heels. The rain began to lessen and the winds died down. Across the fields they charged, the sodden ground being crushed under hoof. In the vast rolling meadows he saw a girl lying ahead of them. Barely slowing his mount he vaulted off the saddle and strode towards the girl. He frowned down at her, the girl seemingly asleep. On closer inspection he saw her body to be bruised and battered. Dilandau knew that she was the one Folken wanted; her garb was strange, tattered, ripped and torn in various places across her body.
Crouching down, the General reached out a gloved hand to the girl and gave her a non-too gentle shove on the shoulder in an attempt to awaken her, but to no avail. He could feel his ire rise; here she was faced with the Demon General of Gaia, and she was sleeping!
"Jajuka!" He barked, a hound man came instantly to his leader's side and bowed his head. He wore the armour of the Black Dragon Clan, but it looked wrong on his animal form. The lieutenant addressed the shogun,
"Hai, Dilandau-sama."
The General rose to his feet, putting him a bare inch taller than his second. "Put the girl on the spare. And be careful; she's wounded." He growled out the command, his eyes lingering on the red stain leaking across her left side. If she was indeed the Tsubasa No Kami they'd have to be fast in returning to the docked Vione. Dilandau didn't want to think what Folken would do if the Goddess died before he could use her power.
Jajuka motioned Gatti over, and moved back to let him work quickly. As he was the Ryuu's medic, Gatti did his best to hastily patch up the girl's wounds before he and Jajuka put her on the spare.
On the General's order they moved out from the borders of Fanelia, returning to their ship as fast as they could with wounded freight.
A flurry of activity announced that Dilandau and his men had returned from the east. When the messenger had informed Folken of Dilandau's arrival, he wondered why the General had disobeyed his orders to bring the girl straight to him. Just as he was beginning to think of ways to punish the boy, the messenger informed him that he'd gone straight to the infirmary, apparently the girl they had with them was injured.
Folken's black cloak fluttered around him like a living thing as he made his way down the narrow hospital wing. Ahead of him healers were rushing around a bed.
"What's going on?" His voice cut through the professional hubbub of the healers. The head physician approached Folken and bowed his head,
"Lord Folken, the girl is seriously injured, she has a large gash across the left side of her abdomen, she's lost a lot of blood, we have yet to determine if there's any internal bleeding." He reported, his words rushed and panicked.
Folken focused his different coloured eyes on the older man, his voice cold and commanding, "You will heal her."
The head doctor quailed under the frightening stare and dreaded to think what would happen to him and his family back home if he failed. "Y-yes, Emperor Folken."
Over the next few crucial hours the team of Gaia's highest trained healers worked tirelessly to save the girl's ebbing life. After determining that she had no internal injuries they worked into the early hours of the morning, stopped the trickles of blood, stitched up the gash and set to treating the various nicks, cuts and scrapes across her body. The head healer, Kayo, was in a constant state of panic, if the girl didn't survive the night then neither would he. Without questioning why the girl wore such strange clothes and why their Emperor had such an avid interest in the latest arrival the healers worked on several pastes and elixirs. Her body was weak after losing so much blood, and there wasn't much more that could be done apart from giving her herbal remedies to replace what nutrients she'd lost.
Eventually, just as the sun was beginning to rise in the east, the weary doctors slowly began to filter out of the operating room. Pulling off his bloodstained white apron Kayo took a deep steadying breath and made his way along the corridors to Lord Folken's ready room.
Upon entering he got down on his knees and bowed low at the Emperor's feet, touching his head to the floor of dragon bones.
"Your prognosis." His deadly soft voice seemed to whisper from the shadows, almost if it was disembodied.
Kayo suppressed a shudder and rose to his feet, keeping his head low. "The bleeding has stopped, my Lord. She has made it through the most crucial hours. She needs rest now, I expect her to awaken within three days."
Folken appeared to be happy with this and motioned for Kayo to leave. Bowing again he backed out of the room and retreated to his quarters to get some much needed sleep.
Rising from his throne Folken's cloak whispered around him as he walked to the vast windows of the room. Pulling back the heavy drapes he stopped to watch as the countryside floated by underneath him. His eyes rose to the east as the red mound of the sun peaked over the horizon. The Tsubasa No Kami was safely sleeping on his airship; the very girl that could save Gaia or allow Her to drown in flames was in his hold. A sense of unfamiliar calm washed over Folken as he assured himself that his long awaited desires were running according to plan.
Soon it would all be over. Yes, it was so close now that he could almost taste it.
~*~
Note: Bangor, Maine is a real place. To my knowledge there is no such place as Blossom Hill in Michigan, I just made it up. Blossom Hill is also a brand of wine.
*text* = denotes italics as I can't seem to get them to appear…
Lyrics: Shadow of the Season ~ Screaming Trees.
