A/N: Sorry for not writing for so long!
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Daine hopped aside, beating her wings to give her extra leverage out of her friend's way as she stumbled. Damae had appeared out of nowhere with a smack against the ground, losing grip on Daine's cloak and staggering forward. As soon as she gained control of herself, however, she knelt down silently, looking around. When her eye rested on Daine, who sat waiting patiently, she lifted the large, dark cloak over the bird-shaped human. Daine changed into human form gratefully and wrapped the cloak around her.
"How was your trip?" she asked Damae in a whisper.
"Strange," was the answer. "I felt like I didn't exist." Daine nodded, satisfied, and then moved to the edge of the broad ledge she had found so that they could look around the rock and see the other force. Damae took a deep breath, and, Daine nervously thought, with an unnerving outward calmness, took on the more focused quality in her eyes that meant she was using magical sight.
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For a moment Damae was slightly blinded with all of the bright white cores of humans that shone out to her, but she channeled her new power as Numair had taught her and chose to see only the magical power of these people. Instantly, almost all of the lights went out, and she could pick out about 30 mages within the crowd. Now she started thinking aloud, telling Daine what she saw as it registered.
"There are about 30 mages there, 50 if you count the vague blots-those are mages with very little power. Most are strong and a few are about mediocre- bright. The strange thing is that there is one extremely bright light in the center of the camp, and it's a translucent white. It's as bright as Numair's is! And from this light, there's small-I don't know what to call them, tendrils, or strings-that reach out to most of the men, more than three fourths of the camp, and when they get to them they circle that person's core. It looks like a spider web, almost. Daine, he's got all these people under control! And most of the mages, too, there's only about 10 whose lights aren't surrounded by his. It's creepy!"
"Can you see anything else?" Daine's reassuring voice came in, calming her.
"Only that the translucent light seems to dim the others."
"Alright. That's fine. We'll remember. Come on, let's go home." Damae thankfully let go of the magical sight, and turned to look at Daine, who looked just about as worried as Daine felt. Silently, the companions began to scramble down the rock face, trying to make as little noise as possible. Damae was sweating and tired by the time she got down, but Daine looked fresh as ever, and Damae strongly suspected that she had discreetly changed her hands and arms to ones equipped by the gods for climbing. Her forehead creased in a frown, Damae said, once she dropped panting beside her friend, "How can we get home the quickest, do you think?"
"I don't know," Daine answered. "I would think a deer, but I wouldn't be able to support you on my back if I were a deer."
"A horse, then?"
She nodded thoughtfully. "It's the only other option I can think of. Turn around for a minute, will you?"
Damae turned obediently, and when she heard a horse-like snort, she turned. Instead of Daine, a tall, chestnut-brown horse stood with a laughing expression at Damae's astonishment in its eyes. It was sleek, thin, and leggy, the image of speed. The cloak lay at its feet, and it turned its side towards her, inviting her to get on. Damae groped for the cloak and then put it on herself so she could have both hands free. Taking an odd jump from a convenient rock, she got her arms over the horse's back, and, kicking her legs a little, her torso followed, and then one leg was swung over and she straightened up. Daine bore it all patiently, but took off as soon as Damae was properly mounted. Digging her hands through the abundant mane, she leaned over and held on for her life, thighs squeezing tight so she wouldn't slip.
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Trying to stay behind trees and bushes, Daine ran like an animal that was crazy with fear and panic, even though she wasn't. She knew that she could keep this pace up until they got home. She also knew that the pace would exhaust her almost to unconsciousness and, if she had underestimated her stamina, might kill her if she wasn't careful. Legs seeming to clear immense distances with each stride, she kept running, sweat making her coat wet and making it more difficult for Damae to hang on.
But it was difficult to hide on an open plain, and they had hardly gotten 100 yards away from their hiding rock when she heard a shout in the camp. Someone had seen them, and, to her dismay, they were well within arrow range, and had to stay that way if they didn't wish to make a detour that might be fatal. She heard Damae's frightened intake of breath and felt her whole body clutch more tightly as she held on. Daine ran with desperation now, for she knew that they would rally quickly and must have some horses with them. She was right. Not a minute after the answering shout, her finely tuned and pricked horse ears could make out the loud, vibrating thud of the hooves of at least 20 other horses. She tried to reach them with her mind, but met only the blazing shield of translucent white that Damae had seen on people. It covered the copper core in each of the horses. Daine had no energy to burn it away, and it would take too much time. She would just have to run, and run fast. But it wasn't fast enough.
The men weren't extremely good with bows on horses, which was proven as arrows zoomed by and zinged off of rocks far to her left and right. Others passed so close that it frightened her to see them. Eyes rolling and rimmed with white and mouth foaming in panic and effort, Daine ran like she had never needed to run before. The other horses, however, were just as fast, and it only took a few minutes that lasted like hours to the tired Daine until a hoarse scream from Damae told of an enemy arrow's hit. Daine desperately wanted to stop and check on her friend, but she had to get away from here while she still could, and carry the message on. She felt the weight of the body on top of her get heavier and seem to sag, and liquid dripped down Daine's sides, but she could still hear rough breathing, so at least that was alright. If only Damae could hold on until they got home!
She was in the midst of thinking that thought when there was a feeling of immense pressure on her shoulder for a brief moment. For a second she felt no pain, only a slight wonder of what had happened, and then such a sensation of agony exploded through her that she opened her thick, gray lips and let out the blood-chilling scream of a tortured horse. The wind whipped it away from her and back to their pursuers. Dimly aware that she could still run, so the arrow must not have struck muscle, Daine kept on, laboring now, and losing blood quickly. The pain never dulled, but stabbed anew every time she put that hoof down on the ground.
Then, through eyes misty with agony, she saw her rescue-a long, rocky outcropping that would hide her from view from the people following. She turned suddenly into it, and the arrow that would have struck her heart now stuck fast farther back, nearer her stomach. More pain followed the first, and red mist threatened to envelop her, but Daine stubbornly fought back, determined to keep going and get to Numair.
To her pain-infused mind, the chasm that opened up in front of her, the same one that had deterred the men behind her from following, certain that she could not make the leap, did not pose a problem. Daine simply and automatically gathered herself together right before the edge and took a leap that would have done a gazelle proud. Graceful despite the streaming blood and slumped person on her back, she flew over the gorge, paying no attention to the bottom and focused on the opposite edge. With a loud thump that shook her bones, Daine landed, all four hooves safe on the other side, but barely, and on her back Damae groaned, shifted her weight so she could lean over, and vomited on the ground, her wound and the jump and consequent landing making her sick.
Daine wanted to catch her breath, but she knew that if she stopped she would lose the courage and perseverance to go on. So, with a lurch, she started running again, keeping up a breakneck pace that was torture to her, and wouldn't have been possible for a lesser cause than saving her friends' lives.
Legs pumping, mind purposely focused away from the agony of screaming muscles and bloody wounds that throbbed and burned with pain, Daine ran, neck stretched forward, lips pulled back against her teeth, mouth open to breath, and drenched in sweat. Repeating what Damae had seen like a mantra, she managed to blur time. Seconds became minutes and minutes became hours until it all lengthened and blended together like a great blur, a world that included only Daine and Damae, one endlessly running, and one endlessly slumped over in pain and the new, hot fever that had sprung up. Vaguely, landmarks registered in Daine's dulled brain as she ran on, exhausted and almost dead with pain. It was a shock to Daine's mind when she finally recognized the landscape around the village, and it pushed her forward as she ran toward the cottage where Numair was, her savior, her hope. She was on her last breath and she knew it, death now seemed welcome- Damae was still alive, alive enough to hold on. She could tell the story. Daine only wanted to rest. She came to a plodding halt in front of the cottage, totally unaware of any of her surroundings, and fell to her front knees. Damae rolled off her and Daine's back legs buckled and gave out. She lay stretched on her side, head tilted up as if to receive some life-giving drink, and with the last bit of consciousness she had, changed back into a human. Then she went out.
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Daine hopped aside, beating her wings to give her extra leverage out of her friend's way as she stumbled. Damae had appeared out of nowhere with a smack against the ground, losing grip on Daine's cloak and staggering forward. As soon as she gained control of herself, however, she knelt down silently, looking around. When her eye rested on Daine, who sat waiting patiently, she lifted the large, dark cloak over the bird-shaped human. Daine changed into human form gratefully and wrapped the cloak around her.
"How was your trip?" she asked Damae in a whisper.
"Strange," was the answer. "I felt like I didn't exist." Daine nodded, satisfied, and then moved to the edge of the broad ledge she had found so that they could look around the rock and see the other force. Damae took a deep breath, and, Daine nervously thought, with an unnerving outward calmness, took on the more focused quality in her eyes that meant she was using magical sight.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
For a moment Damae was slightly blinded with all of the bright white cores of humans that shone out to her, but she channeled her new power as Numair had taught her and chose to see only the magical power of these people. Instantly, almost all of the lights went out, and she could pick out about 30 mages within the crowd. Now she started thinking aloud, telling Daine what she saw as it registered.
"There are about 30 mages there, 50 if you count the vague blots-those are mages with very little power. Most are strong and a few are about mediocre- bright. The strange thing is that there is one extremely bright light in the center of the camp, and it's a translucent white. It's as bright as Numair's is! And from this light, there's small-I don't know what to call them, tendrils, or strings-that reach out to most of the men, more than three fourths of the camp, and when they get to them they circle that person's core. It looks like a spider web, almost. Daine, he's got all these people under control! And most of the mages, too, there's only about 10 whose lights aren't surrounded by his. It's creepy!"
"Can you see anything else?" Daine's reassuring voice came in, calming her.
"Only that the translucent light seems to dim the others."
"Alright. That's fine. We'll remember. Come on, let's go home." Damae thankfully let go of the magical sight, and turned to look at Daine, who looked just about as worried as Daine felt. Silently, the companions began to scramble down the rock face, trying to make as little noise as possible. Damae was sweating and tired by the time she got down, but Daine looked fresh as ever, and Damae strongly suspected that she had discreetly changed her hands and arms to ones equipped by the gods for climbing. Her forehead creased in a frown, Damae said, once she dropped panting beside her friend, "How can we get home the quickest, do you think?"
"I don't know," Daine answered. "I would think a deer, but I wouldn't be able to support you on my back if I were a deer."
"A horse, then?"
She nodded thoughtfully. "It's the only other option I can think of. Turn around for a minute, will you?"
Damae turned obediently, and when she heard a horse-like snort, she turned. Instead of Daine, a tall, chestnut-brown horse stood with a laughing expression at Damae's astonishment in its eyes. It was sleek, thin, and leggy, the image of speed. The cloak lay at its feet, and it turned its side towards her, inviting her to get on. Damae groped for the cloak and then put it on herself so she could have both hands free. Taking an odd jump from a convenient rock, she got her arms over the horse's back, and, kicking her legs a little, her torso followed, and then one leg was swung over and she straightened up. Daine bore it all patiently, but took off as soon as Damae was properly mounted. Digging her hands through the abundant mane, she leaned over and held on for her life, thighs squeezing tight so she wouldn't slip.
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Trying to stay behind trees and bushes, Daine ran like an animal that was crazy with fear and panic, even though she wasn't. She knew that she could keep this pace up until they got home. She also knew that the pace would exhaust her almost to unconsciousness and, if she had underestimated her stamina, might kill her if she wasn't careful. Legs seeming to clear immense distances with each stride, she kept running, sweat making her coat wet and making it more difficult for Damae to hang on.
But it was difficult to hide on an open plain, and they had hardly gotten 100 yards away from their hiding rock when she heard a shout in the camp. Someone had seen them, and, to her dismay, they were well within arrow range, and had to stay that way if they didn't wish to make a detour that might be fatal. She heard Damae's frightened intake of breath and felt her whole body clutch more tightly as she held on. Daine ran with desperation now, for she knew that they would rally quickly and must have some horses with them. She was right. Not a minute after the answering shout, her finely tuned and pricked horse ears could make out the loud, vibrating thud of the hooves of at least 20 other horses. She tried to reach them with her mind, but met only the blazing shield of translucent white that Damae had seen on people. It covered the copper core in each of the horses. Daine had no energy to burn it away, and it would take too much time. She would just have to run, and run fast. But it wasn't fast enough.
The men weren't extremely good with bows on horses, which was proven as arrows zoomed by and zinged off of rocks far to her left and right. Others passed so close that it frightened her to see them. Eyes rolling and rimmed with white and mouth foaming in panic and effort, Daine ran like she had never needed to run before. The other horses, however, were just as fast, and it only took a few minutes that lasted like hours to the tired Daine until a hoarse scream from Damae told of an enemy arrow's hit. Daine desperately wanted to stop and check on her friend, but she had to get away from here while she still could, and carry the message on. She felt the weight of the body on top of her get heavier and seem to sag, and liquid dripped down Daine's sides, but she could still hear rough breathing, so at least that was alright. If only Damae could hold on until they got home!
She was in the midst of thinking that thought when there was a feeling of immense pressure on her shoulder for a brief moment. For a second she felt no pain, only a slight wonder of what had happened, and then such a sensation of agony exploded through her that she opened her thick, gray lips and let out the blood-chilling scream of a tortured horse. The wind whipped it away from her and back to their pursuers. Dimly aware that she could still run, so the arrow must not have struck muscle, Daine kept on, laboring now, and losing blood quickly. The pain never dulled, but stabbed anew every time she put that hoof down on the ground.
Then, through eyes misty with agony, she saw her rescue-a long, rocky outcropping that would hide her from view from the people following. She turned suddenly into it, and the arrow that would have struck her heart now stuck fast farther back, nearer her stomach. More pain followed the first, and red mist threatened to envelop her, but Daine stubbornly fought back, determined to keep going and get to Numair.
To her pain-infused mind, the chasm that opened up in front of her, the same one that had deterred the men behind her from following, certain that she could not make the leap, did not pose a problem. Daine simply and automatically gathered herself together right before the edge and took a leap that would have done a gazelle proud. Graceful despite the streaming blood and slumped person on her back, she flew over the gorge, paying no attention to the bottom and focused on the opposite edge. With a loud thump that shook her bones, Daine landed, all four hooves safe on the other side, but barely, and on her back Damae groaned, shifted her weight so she could lean over, and vomited on the ground, her wound and the jump and consequent landing making her sick.
Daine wanted to catch her breath, but she knew that if she stopped she would lose the courage and perseverance to go on. So, with a lurch, she started running again, keeping up a breakneck pace that was torture to her, and wouldn't have been possible for a lesser cause than saving her friends' lives.
Legs pumping, mind purposely focused away from the agony of screaming muscles and bloody wounds that throbbed and burned with pain, Daine ran, neck stretched forward, lips pulled back against her teeth, mouth open to breath, and drenched in sweat. Repeating what Damae had seen like a mantra, she managed to blur time. Seconds became minutes and minutes became hours until it all lengthened and blended together like a great blur, a world that included only Daine and Damae, one endlessly running, and one endlessly slumped over in pain and the new, hot fever that had sprung up. Vaguely, landmarks registered in Daine's dulled brain as she ran on, exhausted and almost dead with pain. It was a shock to Daine's mind when she finally recognized the landscape around the village, and it pushed her forward as she ran toward the cottage where Numair was, her savior, her hope. She was on her last breath and she knew it, death now seemed welcome- Damae was still alive, alive enough to hold on. She could tell the story. Daine only wanted to rest. She came to a plodding halt in front of the cottage, totally unaware of any of her surroundings, and fell to her front knees. Damae rolled off her and Daine's back legs buckled and gave out. She lay stretched on her side, head tilted up as if to receive some life-giving drink, and with the last bit of consciousness she had, changed back into a human. Then she went out.