"Do you think we really should've left him alone? I mean, either of them
could require help," wondered Marok.
"We realize that but we need to respect them just the same. He is her father and they just went through an ordeal they haven't talked about since they came back from it. I believe that the effects of this are finally coming out," Ayanna told them. "I've tried to persuade Ardeth to talk to me about it but he's stubborn not to talk about it."
"As with Cat. She will not talk about it either. She takes after Ardeth in so many ways," agreed Iscantil.
Marok sighed as he looked at the tent as the two women started to walk away.
"Ayanna, did we leave anything out on the table that we might need?" asked Iscantil.
She thought for a moment before she snapped her fingers.
"Yes, I did. A vial with some medication in it. I'll need for Isis' wound soon. There's still a bit of a rash from where she got shot," she replied before heading back to the tent.
She stood outside the entrance of the tent.
"Ardeth? Can I come in for a moment? I forgot something that's needed right away," she called into him.
When she didn't hear anything, she started to become a bit worried. She leaned forward to look inside. What she saw was the last thing she expected to see.
She saw Ardeth standing by the table, the vial in his hand and preparing to drink its contents.
"No!" she cried. "Stop him!"
This outburst caught Marok's attention. He ran up to her and saw what Ardeth was trying to do. Marok ran inside and headed towards him. He reached the man and tried to grab it out of Ardeth's hand but found nothing. Ardeth had moved it from his reach.
"No. I must do this," Ardeth told him.
"You can't do this Ardeth," Marok said to him.
"Yes, I can," Ardeth said as he lifted the vial up to his mouth again.
Marok grabbed Ardeth's arms and tried to wrestle the vial out of Ardeth's grip. It wasn't very long before Ardeth was forced to his knees and soon collapsed on the ground, his grip lessening on the object in his hands. The man curled up into a ball as the women hurried inside. They knelt by his side.
"Ardeth! What's wrong?" his mother frantically asked.
He groaned as he laid there on the ground. He lifted his head and slightly stared at them through barely opened eyes.
"Why did you stop me?" he asked them, his voice really quiet.
"If you had drunk that Ardeth, you've would've become very sick and possibly died from it," Iscantil told him.
Ardeth's eyes rolled back into his head and his entire body became limp. The three glanced at each other.
"I have a feeling that he might've actually known what he was doing," Marok sighed as they began to lift him into a bed next to Catlanda's.
"They are both sick," Marok stated with a sigh. "What can we do for them?"
"Nothing at the moment. All we can do is wait and see what happens," Ayanna replied as a blanket was placed over his limp body.
***
Ardeth thought he heard voices in the distance. It sounded like faint voices talking to him. Or was it someone else they were talking to? He wasn't sure as he tried to take a deep breath but found himself coughing instead.
"Ardeth!" came a more clearer voice. "How do you feel?"
He opened his eyes a bit to see three sets of eyes staring at him. He groaned as he put a hand up to his head. He gasped for air as his mother put a gentle hand on his arm.
"Ardeth," she said.
"What is it?" he told them, looking away from them.
"Ardeth, what's wrong? Why did you try and attempt something like that?" she asked him.
"I've failed her," he whispered.
"Failed her? How?" Iscantil asked curiously.
Before he could answer, he closed his eyes and fell back into oblivion. The three became worried at that point as they surrounded him.
"What did he mean by that? How has he failed Cat? He's never failed her! He's always been there for her all these years!" Ayanna said as they looked at each other with worried looks.
"We've got to look into this once they awaken again," suggested Marok.
They women nodded before they left the tent.
***
Ardeth slightly opened his eyes. He saw that it was nighttime and noone else was inside the tent besides him and Catlanda. He looked over at her before he unsteadily climbed to his feet and over to her bed. He fell to his knees.
"Cat," he quietly said as he began to stroke her hair. "Why did this have to happen to us? What did we do to deserve this torment? I am so sorry that it has to be like this."
He put his other hand on her arm. He tried to stay awake but to no avail. He laid his head on the bed and fell fast alseep right where he was.
***
Catlanda took in a deep breath, taking in the scents around her. She slowly opened her eyes and gazed around at her surroundings. She soon came to the empty bed next to her.
"Dad. Where's Dad?" she hoarsely cried out.
She started to reach out when someone grabbed her wrists.
"Don't move. You need to regain your strength," came a soothing voice.
She vaguely recognized the voice as she stared at where it was coming from.
"Yanna, how's Dad?" she asked quietly.
"He'll do fine. You're no better than him though he's been awake at least. You haven't been for nearly two days and he's rarely left your side. Right now, he's in his own tent, listening to one of Sharak's reports. Tell me now. What exactly happened that you received a dagger in the chest?" Ayanna wondered as she began to put on the last of the bandages.
Catlanda pulled the covers over her body.
"I'd rather not talk about it Yanna," she quietly replied.
"Cat..." she started but decided to stop. "You should get some rest. I'll let you be."
The woman walked out of the tent. She passed Ardeth along the way, heading towards the tent.
"Mother, how is she?" he asked her as they both stopped and faced each other.
"She's awake now. Go to her Ardeth. I think she needs someone right now," Ayanna told him.
He nodded before heading to the tent as quickly as he could.
***
Catlanda gazed over to the Spire sitting in the corner of the tent. She reached her arm out to it.
"Spire, come here," she ordered it.
It disappeared before reappearing in her hand.
"What is it that you ask of me?" it asked her.
"I don't want anybody to come in this tent besides Isis, my father and my grandmothers. Understand?" she commanded it.
"I understand though I have one question," the Spire replied.
Catlanda was a bit surprised at this. The Spire was capable of independent thought!
"Alright, what is it?" Catlanda said.
"What about Marok? He has helped a great deal since you and your father arrived. Don't you think he deserves a chance to see you as well?" the Spire asked her.
Catlanda looked away from the object before her.
"Alright, allow Marok to come in as well but noone else! Do you understand?" Catlanda finally said before placing on the ground beside the bed.
***
Ardeth walked up to the tent. He looked inside at the lone figure on the bed. He began to head inside when he felt some resistance before he headed to his daughter. He put a hand on her shoulder. She was a bit startled but she looked at him with a sad face.
"Cat, we need to talk about something," he told her.
"What is it Dad?" she replied in a quiet voice.
"We need to talk when this situation will become noticable in a few months. Everyone will know something then," he said as she climbed to a sitting position.
She held the blanket around her as he held her arms.
"That can be fixed so that noone besides us and anyone we tell until the child's born," Catanda told him.
His eyes came in contact with hers.
"How can this be?" he wondered, wide-eyed.
"The Spire. Could you hand it to me?" she asked as she reached for it.
He handed it to her. Ardeth watched as she stared at it.
"Spire, I want it so that noone besides myself, Ardeth and anyone we tell to see my pregnancy. I don't want this spell to be broken until the child is born or until either Ardeth or I say so. Do you understand?" Catlanda carefully told it.
"It is done," it said, the eyes glowing.
TBC...
"We realize that but we need to respect them just the same. He is her father and they just went through an ordeal they haven't talked about since they came back from it. I believe that the effects of this are finally coming out," Ayanna told them. "I've tried to persuade Ardeth to talk to me about it but he's stubborn not to talk about it."
"As with Cat. She will not talk about it either. She takes after Ardeth in so many ways," agreed Iscantil.
Marok sighed as he looked at the tent as the two women started to walk away.
"Ayanna, did we leave anything out on the table that we might need?" asked Iscantil.
She thought for a moment before she snapped her fingers.
"Yes, I did. A vial with some medication in it. I'll need for Isis' wound soon. There's still a bit of a rash from where she got shot," she replied before heading back to the tent.
She stood outside the entrance of the tent.
"Ardeth? Can I come in for a moment? I forgot something that's needed right away," she called into him.
When she didn't hear anything, she started to become a bit worried. She leaned forward to look inside. What she saw was the last thing she expected to see.
She saw Ardeth standing by the table, the vial in his hand and preparing to drink its contents.
"No!" she cried. "Stop him!"
This outburst caught Marok's attention. He ran up to her and saw what Ardeth was trying to do. Marok ran inside and headed towards him. He reached the man and tried to grab it out of Ardeth's hand but found nothing. Ardeth had moved it from his reach.
"No. I must do this," Ardeth told him.
"You can't do this Ardeth," Marok said to him.
"Yes, I can," Ardeth said as he lifted the vial up to his mouth again.
Marok grabbed Ardeth's arms and tried to wrestle the vial out of Ardeth's grip. It wasn't very long before Ardeth was forced to his knees and soon collapsed on the ground, his grip lessening on the object in his hands. The man curled up into a ball as the women hurried inside. They knelt by his side.
"Ardeth! What's wrong?" his mother frantically asked.
He groaned as he laid there on the ground. He lifted his head and slightly stared at them through barely opened eyes.
"Why did you stop me?" he asked them, his voice really quiet.
"If you had drunk that Ardeth, you've would've become very sick and possibly died from it," Iscantil told him.
Ardeth's eyes rolled back into his head and his entire body became limp. The three glanced at each other.
"I have a feeling that he might've actually known what he was doing," Marok sighed as they began to lift him into a bed next to Catlanda's.
"They are both sick," Marok stated with a sigh. "What can we do for them?"
"Nothing at the moment. All we can do is wait and see what happens," Ayanna replied as a blanket was placed over his limp body.
***
Ardeth thought he heard voices in the distance. It sounded like faint voices talking to him. Or was it someone else they were talking to? He wasn't sure as he tried to take a deep breath but found himself coughing instead.
"Ardeth!" came a more clearer voice. "How do you feel?"
He opened his eyes a bit to see three sets of eyes staring at him. He groaned as he put a hand up to his head. He gasped for air as his mother put a gentle hand on his arm.
"Ardeth," she said.
"What is it?" he told them, looking away from them.
"Ardeth, what's wrong? Why did you try and attempt something like that?" she asked him.
"I've failed her," he whispered.
"Failed her? How?" Iscantil asked curiously.
Before he could answer, he closed his eyes and fell back into oblivion. The three became worried at that point as they surrounded him.
"What did he mean by that? How has he failed Cat? He's never failed her! He's always been there for her all these years!" Ayanna said as they looked at each other with worried looks.
"We've got to look into this once they awaken again," suggested Marok.
They women nodded before they left the tent.
***
Ardeth slightly opened his eyes. He saw that it was nighttime and noone else was inside the tent besides him and Catlanda. He looked over at her before he unsteadily climbed to his feet and over to her bed. He fell to his knees.
"Cat," he quietly said as he began to stroke her hair. "Why did this have to happen to us? What did we do to deserve this torment? I am so sorry that it has to be like this."
He put his other hand on her arm. He tried to stay awake but to no avail. He laid his head on the bed and fell fast alseep right where he was.
***
Catlanda took in a deep breath, taking in the scents around her. She slowly opened her eyes and gazed around at her surroundings. She soon came to the empty bed next to her.
"Dad. Where's Dad?" she hoarsely cried out.
She started to reach out when someone grabbed her wrists.
"Don't move. You need to regain your strength," came a soothing voice.
She vaguely recognized the voice as she stared at where it was coming from.
"Yanna, how's Dad?" she asked quietly.
"He'll do fine. You're no better than him though he's been awake at least. You haven't been for nearly two days and he's rarely left your side. Right now, he's in his own tent, listening to one of Sharak's reports. Tell me now. What exactly happened that you received a dagger in the chest?" Ayanna wondered as she began to put on the last of the bandages.
Catlanda pulled the covers over her body.
"I'd rather not talk about it Yanna," she quietly replied.
"Cat..." she started but decided to stop. "You should get some rest. I'll let you be."
The woman walked out of the tent. She passed Ardeth along the way, heading towards the tent.
"Mother, how is she?" he asked her as they both stopped and faced each other.
"She's awake now. Go to her Ardeth. I think she needs someone right now," Ayanna told him.
He nodded before heading to the tent as quickly as he could.
***
Catlanda gazed over to the Spire sitting in the corner of the tent. She reached her arm out to it.
"Spire, come here," she ordered it.
It disappeared before reappearing in her hand.
"What is it that you ask of me?" it asked her.
"I don't want anybody to come in this tent besides Isis, my father and my grandmothers. Understand?" she commanded it.
"I understand though I have one question," the Spire replied.
Catlanda was a bit surprised at this. The Spire was capable of independent thought!
"Alright, what is it?" Catlanda said.
"What about Marok? He has helped a great deal since you and your father arrived. Don't you think he deserves a chance to see you as well?" the Spire asked her.
Catlanda looked away from the object before her.
"Alright, allow Marok to come in as well but noone else! Do you understand?" Catlanda finally said before placing on the ground beside the bed.
***
Ardeth walked up to the tent. He looked inside at the lone figure on the bed. He began to head inside when he felt some resistance before he headed to his daughter. He put a hand on her shoulder. She was a bit startled but she looked at him with a sad face.
"Cat, we need to talk about something," he told her.
"What is it Dad?" she replied in a quiet voice.
"We need to talk when this situation will become noticable in a few months. Everyone will know something then," he said as she climbed to a sitting position.
She held the blanket around her as he held her arms.
"That can be fixed so that noone besides us and anyone we tell until the child's born," Catanda told him.
His eyes came in contact with hers.
"How can this be?" he wondered, wide-eyed.
"The Spire. Could you hand it to me?" she asked as she reached for it.
He handed it to her. Ardeth watched as she stared at it.
"Spire, I want it so that noone besides myself, Ardeth and anyone we tell to see my pregnancy. I don't want this spell to be broken until the child is born or until either Ardeth or I say so. Do you understand?" Catlanda carefully told it.
"It is done," it said, the eyes glowing.
TBC...