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The force of the wind stung her eyes, but she forced her stallion onward wit great urgency. Daine's only focus was finding Numair before it was too late. Jon, Lindhall and Kaddar followed closely behind her as they made their way out of the city and down a path that ran against the wall. Within minutes they were at the old meeting hall. Daine got off her horse and was about to run up the oppressive looking steps and through the ornate doors.
"Daine!" Jon said, desperately grabbing her shoulder. "Take this." He said, handing her a dagger that had been hidden under his cloak. "It'll cut thru anything like butter." He assured her.
"Thank you." Daine said and turned to her task. Daine hurried up the stairs, not caring whether she was heard or not. She tried to open the door quickly, but found it far too heavy. She pushed with all her might and was able to crack it open just far enough for herself. She slid inside like a cat. Daine found herself in a large room unlike any she had ever seen before. It had black marble flooring and black stone walls with a domed ceiling that was made up of crimson glass windows. Crimson light flooded the room providing some light. She squinted her eyes to make out a figure in the middle of the room. She could hear a woman chanting, but couldn't make out her words so she snuck closer to the figure against the side of the cold stone walls. As she got closer, she could make out a cauldron in the middle of the room that was being stirred by a woman who was cloaked in a dark grey hooded robe. The woman was chanting something in a language she couldn't understand, but it sounded a lot like Numair's old Thakk spells. Rage boiled up in Daine's blood as she identified the voice as Kharnia's. Daine realized that Kharnia was deep in concentration as she poured a dark red looking liquid into the cauldron. As Daine squinted to look at Kharnia she noticed something obscured by the dim light some feet behind her. Creeping against the wall, she edged closer to get a better look. She gasped when she realized she was looking at the figure of a man that was chained from the ceiling, leaving only his knees touching the floor. Something was protruding from his side, she squinted to see better and realized it was a hollow tube. She noticed that just a few feet in front of her a dark pile of what looked like clothes lay. She carefully sifted thru them hoping for a clue. She got more than a clue as she realized it was the shirtless, chained, man's shirt and robe. But not just any robe, a black mage's robe. Daine's insides became torn with anger and fear.
Daine made up her mind as she slithered behind the woman, clutching the knife in a knuckle white grip. She raised the knife up as she approached the woman and let it come down over the woman's head. At the last second the woman dodged and twisted her arm up to grab Daine's.
"Thought you could sneak up on me did you?" Kharnia said as she ripped the knife from Daine's grasp and placed it along Daine's throat. Daine closed her eyes in fear, but realized she could feel all the animals around her with amazing clarity. They could feel her anguish and fear. "Thought you could save that miserable lover of yours?" Kharnia said with a grin. Daine gasped as Kharnia put just enough pressure on the knife to break her skin. Daine closed her eyes waiting for the end, but to her surprise Kharnia's grip disappeared followed by a sickening scream. Daine opened her eyes to see that several mountain cats where on top of her, tearing at her flesh with powerful joules. Kharnia swung the knife at one of the great cats, but missed. "Get her arm!" Daine yelled at them urgently. They obeyed as one of the three cats crunched her arm in it's jaw, leaving the arm partially severed at the mid-forearm. Another cat managed to get his joules around Kharnia's throat as she let out a scream of pain. 'Numair!' Diane thought hastily as she lunged for the knife in Kharnia's ruined hand. She got up and ran, dodging a foreign, decaying body on the floor. She ran to the shackled man. She lifted his limp head to see Numair's familiar face, only it was white with death. Scared she took the knife and cut thru the chains that bound him. True to Jon's words, it cut like butter. She laid him gently on the floor and fearfully examined the tube sticking out of his right side. It was imbedded deep. She cut the end of the tube off, then quickly retrieved his shirt and robe. She tore his shirt into strips and tied them around his waist so that they covered the small protruding end of the tube and prevented further blood loss. 'If he has any blood left.' Daine thought with a sick twisting of her stomach. Once the wound was covered she turned to see the cats standing over the mutilated body of Kharnia.
"I need your help!" Daine begged. They turned their attention to her. "He's to heavy for me to carry out on my own."
*Just tell us what to do.* The leader cat said. Daine quickly unraveled Numair's cloak and gently rolled him on to it.
*Take these ends and help pull him out of here.* Daine said quickly in mind speech. The three cats obeyed. Two took opposite ends of the cloak by Numair's head, while Daine and the third cat took the ends by his feet. The four carefully dragged him to the door. Daine pried the door open a few more feet. She found that Jon, Lindhall and Kaddar were standing outside the door waiting. Together, the men, Daine, and the cats pulled Numair down the steps.
"Thank you." Daine said gratefully to the cats. The cats nodded then turned, disappearing into the woods hence they came.
"My god! What happened in there?" Jon gasped as he assessed Numair's wounds. For the first time Daine realized that Numair's face was covered in dried blood except for where tears had left clean trails. Jon Turned to Lindhall and Kaddar. "Both of you! Go back to the palace and get help! We need a carriage to pull him out of here and our best healer, Alanna!" Jon ordered the pair. The nodded and quickly mounted their horses and rode into the city seeking help. Daine fell to her knees beside Numair and took a cold hand within her own. That was when she noticed his chest didn't seem to be moving.
"Jon! He's not breathing!" Daine said in a chocked voice.
"It's just so shallow it's barely noticeable." Jon said weekly. "If help doesn't get here fast there will be no chance for him."
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It's a short update... but hey it's an update! AND I HAD BEST GET SOME MORE R&R! MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
The force of the wind stung her eyes, but she forced her stallion onward wit great urgency. Daine's only focus was finding Numair before it was too late. Jon, Lindhall and Kaddar followed closely behind her as they made their way out of the city and down a path that ran against the wall. Within minutes they were at the old meeting hall. Daine got off her horse and was about to run up the oppressive looking steps and through the ornate doors.
"Daine!" Jon said, desperately grabbing her shoulder. "Take this." He said, handing her a dagger that had been hidden under his cloak. "It'll cut thru anything like butter." He assured her.
"Thank you." Daine said and turned to her task. Daine hurried up the stairs, not caring whether she was heard or not. She tried to open the door quickly, but found it far too heavy. She pushed with all her might and was able to crack it open just far enough for herself. She slid inside like a cat. Daine found herself in a large room unlike any she had ever seen before. It had black marble flooring and black stone walls with a domed ceiling that was made up of crimson glass windows. Crimson light flooded the room providing some light. She squinted her eyes to make out a figure in the middle of the room. She could hear a woman chanting, but couldn't make out her words so she snuck closer to the figure against the side of the cold stone walls. As she got closer, she could make out a cauldron in the middle of the room that was being stirred by a woman who was cloaked in a dark grey hooded robe. The woman was chanting something in a language she couldn't understand, but it sounded a lot like Numair's old Thakk spells. Rage boiled up in Daine's blood as she identified the voice as Kharnia's. Daine realized that Kharnia was deep in concentration as she poured a dark red looking liquid into the cauldron. As Daine squinted to look at Kharnia she noticed something obscured by the dim light some feet behind her. Creeping against the wall, she edged closer to get a better look. She gasped when she realized she was looking at the figure of a man that was chained from the ceiling, leaving only his knees touching the floor. Something was protruding from his side, she squinted to see better and realized it was a hollow tube. She noticed that just a few feet in front of her a dark pile of what looked like clothes lay. She carefully sifted thru them hoping for a clue. She got more than a clue as she realized it was the shirtless, chained, man's shirt and robe. But not just any robe, a black mage's robe. Daine's insides became torn with anger and fear.
Daine made up her mind as she slithered behind the woman, clutching the knife in a knuckle white grip. She raised the knife up as she approached the woman and let it come down over the woman's head. At the last second the woman dodged and twisted her arm up to grab Daine's.
"Thought you could sneak up on me did you?" Kharnia said as she ripped the knife from Daine's grasp and placed it along Daine's throat. Daine closed her eyes in fear, but realized she could feel all the animals around her with amazing clarity. They could feel her anguish and fear. "Thought you could save that miserable lover of yours?" Kharnia said with a grin. Daine gasped as Kharnia put just enough pressure on the knife to break her skin. Daine closed her eyes waiting for the end, but to her surprise Kharnia's grip disappeared followed by a sickening scream. Daine opened her eyes to see that several mountain cats where on top of her, tearing at her flesh with powerful joules. Kharnia swung the knife at one of the great cats, but missed. "Get her arm!" Daine yelled at them urgently. They obeyed as one of the three cats crunched her arm in it's jaw, leaving the arm partially severed at the mid-forearm. Another cat managed to get his joules around Kharnia's throat as she let out a scream of pain. 'Numair!' Diane thought hastily as she lunged for the knife in Kharnia's ruined hand. She got up and ran, dodging a foreign, decaying body on the floor. She ran to the shackled man. She lifted his limp head to see Numair's familiar face, only it was white with death. Scared she took the knife and cut thru the chains that bound him. True to Jon's words, it cut like butter. She laid him gently on the floor and fearfully examined the tube sticking out of his right side. It was imbedded deep. She cut the end of the tube off, then quickly retrieved his shirt and robe. She tore his shirt into strips and tied them around his waist so that they covered the small protruding end of the tube and prevented further blood loss. 'If he has any blood left.' Daine thought with a sick twisting of her stomach. Once the wound was covered she turned to see the cats standing over the mutilated body of Kharnia.
"I need your help!" Daine begged. They turned their attention to her. "He's to heavy for me to carry out on my own."
*Just tell us what to do.* The leader cat said. Daine quickly unraveled Numair's cloak and gently rolled him on to it.
*Take these ends and help pull him out of here.* Daine said quickly in mind speech. The three cats obeyed. Two took opposite ends of the cloak by Numair's head, while Daine and the third cat took the ends by his feet. The four carefully dragged him to the door. Daine pried the door open a few more feet. She found that Jon, Lindhall and Kaddar were standing outside the door waiting. Together, the men, Daine, and the cats pulled Numair down the steps.
"Thank you." Daine said gratefully to the cats. The cats nodded then turned, disappearing into the woods hence they came.
"My god! What happened in there?" Jon gasped as he assessed Numair's wounds. For the first time Daine realized that Numair's face was covered in dried blood except for where tears had left clean trails. Jon Turned to Lindhall and Kaddar. "Both of you! Go back to the palace and get help! We need a carriage to pull him out of here and our best healer, Alanna!" Jon ordered the pair. The nodded and quickly mounted their horses and rode into the city seeking help. Daine fell to her knees beside Numair and took a cold hand within her own. That was when she noticed his chest didn't seem to be moving.
"Jon! He's not breathing!" Daine said in a chocked voice.
"It's just so shallow it's barely noticeable." Jon said weekly. "If help doesn't get here fast there will be no chance for him."
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It's a short update... but hey it's an update! AND I HAD BEST GET SOME MORE R&R! MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA