Headaches by Saraswathi
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Chapter Seven: Of Ear Burning and Eyebrow Raising
~*~
Kel had stayed behind to spy on the Scanrans after the rest of the team had returned from harassing them. Nonchalantly munching on a piece of bread and cheese that Neal had cooked- or rather, burned, Dom pretended that he wasn't fretting about her safety. [Gods, if I'm like this when she's a few yards away from me, imagine what I'll be like when we're separated.]
Aggravated by his own train of thought, he bit into his bread more forcefully than planned and ended up with a wound on his tongue.
[Forget about the Scanrans killing me. If I don't end up perishing through my own clumsiness, I'll die because of unrequited love.]
"Dammit, Keladry," he hissed at himself, vexed. "Stop turning me into a sap."
His cousins' oh-so-welcome voice drawled, "Talking to yourself, cousin?"
Dom transferred his glare to Neal. "No, I'm revealing trade secrets," he snapped, still irritated with the way that his cousin had revealed to Kel what he felt. Not that she seemed to have noticed, but still-
His cousin snorted. "Well, it's not as though the entire camp doesn't already know. I just brought it to light, if you will."
"You'll be real happy when I knock you out and you're in darkness," Dom said, without a trace of mirth. If anyone was to tell Kel, it should have been him and preferably someplace secluded.
Neal glanced up, looking his cousin straight in the eye. "You're really serious about her, aren't you?" He said, evidently startled.
The sergeant considered replying, but couldn't dream up a response that would be suitably sarcastic. As if he wasn't serious about Kel! Why, he had been attracted to her since the moment they had been introduced. Somewhere in that time, his feeling had deepened into lov-
The grin on Neal's face screamed trouble and torture for fifteen centuries henceforth.
"I knew it!" he crowed. "I just knew. I even had a bet-"
"What?" Dom exploded. Noticing several refugees appearing more intrigued than he was really comfortable with, he hushed his voice, but the intensity did not decrease. "You bet on me and Kel?"
At Neal's affirmative nod, he hunted in his brain for expletives suitable for the situation. "You Meathead!" he yelled at last, only not quite so mildly. In fact, his language was completely unsuited for the ears of Tobe, who was observing this exchange with a small half-smile.
His cousin only grinned that wildly annoying grin, the one that had stolen away countless court ladies from potential rivals. Dom cursed them, their paramours and Neal impartially.
"Does everyone try to make my life miserable?" he demanded, when he had regained some semblance of composure. "Is that it?"
"Please," Kel's soft voice inquired, "do fill me in on what I've done."
Dom stared at her with a look akin to the one he would have granted Stenum Kinslayer, had that slug just strolled into camp. [Is it just me or is this happening too much lately?]
Neal, displaying tact that was rarely witnessed, handed Kel a piece of bread topped with cheese. "Dom and I were just having a philosophical discussion, my dear Keladry. Nothing for you to fret your pretty little head over."
She raised an eyebrow at him, a sentiment Dom concurred with heartily. [So know that he knows what I feel about her, he decides to flirt with her?]
All she said, however, as she gestured to the food, was, "Smoke?"
"We used dry wood," Neal answered. Dom noted gratefully that the conversation had been steered away from him. "No smoke at all." He waved his hands with a flourish, indicating his own brilliance. Dom rolled his eyes expressively at Kel, whose lips quirked in the slightest smile.
"Smell?" she continued.
Saefas interjected, "The enemy was upwind. They'd have to be gods to smell it."
[And they're far from gods,] Dom thought grimly. [Only cruel, pathetic mortals, who'll steal away children 'cause they're too cowardly to fight a real fight.]
Kel was nodding in relief at the precautions they had taken, and Dom couldn't resist one last crack. "Mother gets so upset when she thinks we lads have been careless."
She shot him a look from atop Hoshi. "If I'd been your mother, I'd have beaten you," she pronounced, grinning at him.
Neal released a low whistle. A furious blush spread over Kel's face, no doubt because the comment had been understood in a way that she hadn't meant it.
Apart from his continued vexation at Meathead, Dom couldn't help smiling at the blush on Kel's face. So he simply dropped Kel a bow and strolled of to pack, laughing.
If he had set stock in omens, the Stormwings that circled lazily above them did not bode well for their journey. So Dom decided not to pay any attention to the signals and continue to carry out his mission.
However, he did decide to warn Kel. Cautiously, so as not to startle her, he reached out and lightly touched her shoulder, allowing his hand to linger for somewhat longer than was really necessary.
She swore softly as she glanced up at the sky and he felt himself grinning at her vocabulary. "Language, Keladry," he chided.
She almost smiled, but whispered to him, "Just ignore them- for now."
He nodded in agreement, inwardly marveling at her ability to make decisions as quickly as she wielded the glaive. That talent- to think on her toes- was a critical one in a commander and one that she had displayed time and time again.
And so they waited. Dom decided that the worst part of battle was the waiting. When he was not dreaming of Kel, he was musing over the approaching fight. Were they even to win, they still had to face the consequences of their supposed betrayal.
Though thinking of Kel was infinitely more pleasant, it remained frustrating as well. Completely bored, he attempted to compose poetry, but decided that the Meathead's lack of literary ability ran in the family.
So, when he was the first to hear the crashing, he was relieved but it wasn't long before the scouting party returned, signaling that the enemy were down eighteen men. A grin split Dom's face. By taking out eighteen men, they'd shown Stenum that he really was a force to be reckoned with.
He murmured as much to Kel, as much to speak with her as to boost her confidence, She pressed his hand lightly, thankful, before moving to emit further instructions. He studied her back- utterly fascinating, he knew- before shaking his head and returning to his work
In truth, he really was amazed at how smoothly their mission was operating. Not that he was doubting Kel's ability- he never had, and wasn't about to being now- but they had carried a certain amount of fear with them into the middle of Scanra.
But as they rode on, he felt that thrill of fear that he consistently experienced before a battle. Now the action would begin.
~*~
Something was wrong.
Dom felt it from the moment he saw the camp. Easily two hundred Scanran soldiers bustled about below, and he spotted five mages. In all, it was a sight to having him shaking in his boots. But even as he traced the sign against evil on his chest, his gut insisted that it was not right.
Gil, Neal and Owen were cursing and hissing in disbelief. When he glanced over at Kel, however, he realized that she, too, believed that something felt off. The griffin feather band slipped over her eyes, making him want to reach over and push it up. A light breeze ruffled through strays wisps of her hair, letting them fly.
And it hit him. When he glanced back at the camp, his brows knit, he saw it.
[The banners don't flap,] he thought numbly, forcing the words out aloud even as he thought it.
Studying me, Kel announced, "It's an illusion, lads. Just a village down there." She fingered the griffin feather band- the properties of which, Dom had discovered while Kel had raised her griffin, rendered the wearer able to see through illusions. He realized that she was right, readying himself to stand.
There were protests from the other members, but Kel insisted, "It's a very good illusion." She tried to stand, but did not get far before the Meathead dragged her down.
"Are you mad?" he rasped out.
"No, but you are," Dom hissed from his other side.
Neal ignored him. "I can see their mages!" He insisted fervently.
Kel appeared completely frustrated and Dom couldn't blame her. As long as Neal had known the lady knight, Dom would have thought that his cousin would trust her judgment by now. Goddess knew that he himself did, and he hadn't known her nearly as long. Were Neal not his friend and cousin, he might have hit him.
The lady knight pressed the feathers against his forehead and Dom had the satisfaction of watching his cousin turn crimson. "Oh."
Smirking, Dom made a mental note of the moment- fully intending to utilize it in taking Neal down a notch during their next argument.
Desperately attempting to climb out of the hole he had dug, Neal muttered, "Well, it's the best illusion I've ever seen."
Dom smirked more. There were certain moments that one simply had to cherish and this one was high on the list. He met Kel's eyes, grinning wildly, and a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
He studied the griffin feather band that was responsible for the moment, pensively. "Almost makes it worthwhile to raid a nest."
"I wouldn't if I were you," Kel warned him. "They're nasty beasts."
Even with Neal vanquished, Owen selected this moment to express his doubts as well. The sergeant considered knocking down the lot of them, but decided against it. Besides, Kel could handle this one on her own.
"Since I don't want to jam this curst itchy thing on every one of your heads, you'll just have to trust me," she snapped. "While we pick our noses, the quarry's getting away and we still have a village to worry about!"
Fanche, who'd been silent until then, broke in, "There's a village?"
Now driven to distraction, Kel began to pound her forehead with her fists. Dom, who was now next to her, gently reached out and pulled her arm down. As she looked at him with wide eyes, he teased the feathers from her fingers and laid it against his own forehead.
Even as he surveyed the village, his focus was not on the view, but on the look Kel had given him even at the barest of contact.
~*~
~*~
Chapter Seven: Of Ear Burning and Eyebrow Raising
~*~
Kel had stayed behind to spy on the Scanrans after the rest of the team had returned from harassing them. Nonchalantly munching on a piece of bread and cheese that Neal had cooked- or rather, burned, Dom pretended that he wasn't fretting about her safety. [Gods, if I'm like this when she's a few yards away from me, imagine what I'll be like when we're separated.]
Aggravated by his own train of thought, he bit into his bread more forcefully than planned and ended up with a wound on his tongue.
[Forget about the Scanrans killing me. If I don't end up perishing through my own clumsiness, I'll die because of unrequited love.]
"Dammit, Keladry," he hissed at himself, vexed. "Stop turning me into a sap."
His cousins' oh-so-welcome voice drawled, "Talking to yourself, cousin?"
Dom transferred his glare to Neal. "No, I'm revealing trade secrets," he snapped, still irritated with the way that his cousin had revealed to Kel what he felt. Not that she seemed to have noticed, but still-
His cousin snorted. "Well, it's not as though the entire camp doesn't already know. I just brought it to light, if you will."
"You'll be real happy when I knock you out and you're in darkness," Dom said, without a trace of mirth. If anyone was to tell Kel, it should have been him and preferably someplace secluded.
Neal glanced up, looking his cousin straight in the eye. "You're really serious about her, aren't you?" He said, evidently startled.
The sergeant considered replying, but couldn't dream up a response that would be suitably sarcastic. As if he wasn't serious about Kel! Why, he had been attracted to her since the moment they had been introduced. Somewhere in that time, his feeling had deepened into lov-
The grin on Neal's face screamed trouble and torture for fifteen centuries henceforth.
"I knew it!" he crowed. "I just knew. I even had a bet-"
"What?" Dom exploded. Noticing several refugees appearing more intrigued than he was really comfortable with, he hushed his voice, but the intensity did not decrease. "You bet on me and Kel?"
At Neal's affirmative nod, he hunted in his brain for expletives suitable for the situation. "You Meathead!" he yelled at last, only not quite so mildly. In fact, his language was completely unsuited for the ears of Tobe, who was observing this exchange with a small half-smile.
His cousin only grinned that wildly annoying grin, the one that had stolen away countless court ladies from potential rivals. Dom cursed them, their paramours and Neal impartially.
"Does everyone try to make my life miserable?" he demanded, when he had regained some semblance of composure. "Is that it?"
"Please," Kel's soft voice inquired, "do fill me in on what I've done."
Dom stared at her with a look akin to the one he would have granted Stenum Kinslayer, had that slug just strolled into camp. [Is it just me or is this happening too much lately?]
Neal, displaying tact that was rarely witnessed, handed Kel a piece of bread topped with cheese. "Dom and I were just having a philosophical discussion, my dear Keladry. Nothing for you to fret your pretty little head over."
She raised an eyebrow at him, a sentiment Dom concurred with heartily. [So know that he knows what I feel about her, he decides to flirt with her?]
All she said, however, as she gestured to the food, was, "Smoke?"
"We used dry wood," Neal answered. Dom noted gratefully that the conversation had been steered away from him. "No smoke at all." He waved his hands with a flourish, indicating his own brilliance. Dom rolled his eyes expressively at Kel, whose lips quirked in the slightest smile.
"Smell?" she continued.
Saefas interjected, "The enemy was upwind. They'd have to be gods to smell it."
[And they're far from gods,] Dom thought grimly. [Only cruel, pathetic mortals, who'll steal away children 'cause they're too cowardly to fight a real fight.]
Kel was nodding in relief at the precautions they had taken, and Dom couldn't resist one last crack. "Mother gets so upset when she thinks we lads have been careless."
She shot him a look from atop Hoshi. "If I'd been your mother, I'd have beaten you," she pronounced, grinning at him.
Neal released a low whistle. A furious blush spread over Kel's face, no doubt because the comment had been understood in a way that she hadn't meant it.
Apart from his continued vexation at Meathead, Dom couldn't help smiling at the blush on Kel's face. So he simply dropped Kel a bow and strolled of to pack, laughing.
If he had set stock in omens, the Stormwings that circled lazily above them did not bode well for their journey. So Dom decided not to pay any attention to the signals and continue to carry out his mission.
However, he did decide to warn Kel. Cautiously, so as not to startle her, he reached out and lightly touched her shoulder, allowing his hand to linger for somewhat longer than was really necessary.
She swore softly as she glanced up at the sky and he felt himself grinning at her vocabulary. "Language, Keladry," he chided.
She almost smiled, but whispered to him, "Just ignore them- for now."
He nodded in agreement, inwardly marveling at her ability to make decisions as quickly as she wielded the glaive. That talent- to think on her toes- was a critical one in a commander and one that she had displayed time and time again.
And so they waited. Dom decided that the worst part of battle was the waiting. When he was not dreaming of Kel, he was musing over the approaching fight. Were they even to win, they still had to face the consequences of their supposed betrayal.
Though thinking of Kel was infinitely more pleasant, it remained frustrating as well. Completely bored, he attempted to compose poetry, but decided that the Meathead's lack of literary ability ran in the family.
So, when he was the first to hear the crashing, he was relieved but it wasn't long before the scouting party returned, signaling that the enemy were down eighteen men. A grin split Dom's face. By taking out eighteen men, they'd shown Stenum that he really was a force to be reckoned with.
He murmured as much to Kel, as much to speak with her as to boost her confidence, She pressed his hand lightly, thankful, before moving to emit further instructions. He studied her back- utterly fascinating, he knew- before shaking his head and returning to his work
In truth, he really was amazed at how smoothly their mission was operating. Not that he was doubting Kel's ability- he never had, and wasn't about to being now- but they had carried a certain amount of fear with them into the middle of Scanra.
But as they rode on, he felt that thrill of fear that he consistently experienced before a battle. Now the action would begin.
~*~
Something was wrong.
Dom felt it from the moment he saw the camp. Easily two hundred Scanran soldiers bustled about below, and he spotted five mages. In all, it was a sight to having him shaking in his boots. But even as he traced the sign against evil on his chest, his gut insisted that it was not right.
Gil, Neal and Owen were cursing and hissing in disbelief. When he glanced over at Kel, however, he realized that she, too, believed that something felt off. The griffin feather band slipped over her eyes, making him want to reach over and push it up. A light breeze ruffled through strays wisps of her hair, letting them fly.
And it hit him. When he glanced back at the camp, his brows knit, he saw it.
[The banners don't flap,] he thought numbly, forcing the words out aloud even as he thought it.
Studying me, Kel announced, "It's an illusion, lads. Just a village down there." She fingered the griffin feather band- the properties of which, Dom had discovered while Kel had raised her griffin, rendered the wearer able to see through illusions. He realized that she was right, readying himself to stand.
There were protests from the other members, but Kel insisted, "It's a very good illusion." She tried to stand, but did not get far before the Meathead dragged her down.
"Are you mad?" he rasped out.
"No, but you are," Dom hissed from his other side.
Neal ignored him. "I can see their mages!" He insisted fervently.
Kel appeared completely frustrated and Dom couldn't blame her. As long as Neal had known the lady knight, Dom would have thought that his cousin would trust her judgment by now. Goddess knew that he himself did, and he hadn't known her nearly as long. Were Neal not his friend and cousin, he might have hit him.
The lady knight pressed the feathers against his forehead and Dom had the satisfaction of watching his cousin turn crimson. "Oh."
Smirking, Dom made a mental note of the moment- fully intending to utilize it in taking Neal down a notch during their next argument.
Desperately attempting to climb out of the hole he had dug, Neal muttered, "Well, it's the best illusion I've ever seen."
Dom smirked more. There were certain moments that one simply had to cherish and this one was high on the list. He met Kel's eyes, grinning wildly, and a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
He studied the griffin feather band that was responsible for the moment, pensively. "Almost makes it worthwhile to raid a nest."
"I wouldn't if I were you," Kel warned him. "They're nasty beasts."
Even with Neal vanquished, Owen selected this moment to express his doubts as well. The sergeant considered knocking down the lot of them, but decided against it. Besides, Kel could handle this one on her own.
"Since I don't want to jam this curst itchy thing on every one of your heads, you'll just have to trust me," she snapped. "While we pick our noses, the quarry's getting away and we still have a village to worry about!"
Fanche, who'd been silent until then, broke in, "There's a village?"
Now driven to distraction, Kel began to pound her forehead with her fists. Dom, who was now next to her, gently reached out and pulled her arm down. As she looked at him with wide eyes, he teased the feathers from her fingers and laid it against his own forehead.
Even as he surveyed the village, his focus was not on the view, but on the look Kel had given him even at the barest of contact.
~*~