Aether Winds
Chapter nine- Evil's Rise
By- IceWind
A/N:
This is my first fanfic for The Protector of the Small books by Tamora Pierce. The names, places, things, ect, all are credited to her. This fanfic is set in an alternate universe. I.E: Joren is NOT dead, Cleon and Kel are not together (hehe), and other incidents that have I messed up on and don't feel like making it exactly like the book. Please REVIEW *grins* and as long as its not flames on how Kel and Cleon should be together or something of that trivial nature, flames are fine. This story is PG-13 for anything that might come up lol.
IceWind: *smiles and walks up* Hello people!
Kaori: *hops up grumbling softly*
IceWind: *smiles sweetly at her* Now Kaori, what is wrong?
Kaori: *she was now a neon pink with purple stripes* GRRRR!!! *she was glaring daggers at Icey*
Raen: *he sighed then brightened* YAY!
IceWind & Kaori: *looks at him oddly*
Raen: *blinks* what?
IceWind: err…. Whatever… anywayz! Thanks to…
Still Wishin: Awww *smiles* It's ok! Really! They are almost done anyway! ^.^ And thanks, I liked that chapter to lol.
Jaya: *blinks* It's utterly brilliant? *gets tears in her eyes* WOW! And I only had 2 cliffhangers! (although they were in a row but still) This chapter doesn't have a cliffhanger! (not really anyway)
Pinkpanther: Hey, since your glad here's another one for your enjoyment!
Larzdinn: *smiles* I aim to please! And it's ok, your SICK! Get some sleep! Take some aspirin and get better k? *smiles*
White Lady: *winks* I totally agree with you that Joren sounds like a total hottie. And of course I'm making it Joren/Kel! Hehe
ACK: Cliffies are fun to write! *snickers* ok, no cliffy for this chapter k? *smiles* and I'm sorry that this is not longer but I planned to have some things in the next chapter… and yeah. Lol.
Magick: *goes big eyed* you COMPLIMENT cliffies? *giggles* And err you don't have to wait anymore! (well duh since this is the next chapter)
Squire Kali: hehe Sure, sure I missed you lol. You kinda read this ficcy a lot O.o; 20 times? Hehe ^.^
Rhysati: I'm NOT evil (not totally anyway *grins*) Aww you like the poem to! *happy Icey*
TiTi: How many times do I have to say that I'm NOT evil!? *chuckles* :P And thanks.
Sd_tenshi_: Thank you! Thank you! *bows*
I'm asking for 9 reviews again! Anywayz… onto the story!
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When the light cleared, Kel and Joren were standing in the middle of a forest, on a dirt road. Gone was the smell of decaying flesh and gone was the cold and cramped conditions of the dungeon. Instead they found themselves in a brightly-lit forest on a country road, in who knows where. Joren looked around, for once showing something (not quite but close) to surprise and shock. Kel was swaying slightly off to his side, her expression one of complete amazement. He gave a glance over at her, noting that she was just about, no more, his mind noted, surprised as he was.
Finally he cleared his throat, quickly grabbing her attention from the surroundings, asking more harshly then he thought it would come out, "What in the gods names happened Mindelan?!"
Kel bristled slightly at his tone of voice, giving him a slight glare, "How am I supposed to know? I'll I remember is that you said to look down…." Her voice trailed off as she thought about it. She glanced down once again and looked closely at the white gem at her throat. Throughout her entire body she felt fatigue, shock, and more exhaustion then she thought possible, though why was beyond her.
"What is that?"
She looked back at Joren wearily, answering him with calm; "It's a gem I found one morning."
"You just 'found' it one morning then?" his tone indicated that it wasn't very likely that had happened. Joren casually brushed back his hair, the wind blowing around them gently, feeling cool against their skin.
Kel answered him curtly, "Yes, when I woke up from a dream."
Finally he seemed to lose some of his patience with her, "Fuck Mindelan! Where the heck are we?"
She reached a hand out and leaned against a tree, trying to seem casual about it and trying not to show how weak and tired she was at the moment. Kel answered him vehemently, not in the mood to be asked questions, "I don't know Joren! I don't have a clue where we are! All I remember is wishing that we were gone, far away were we couldn't get killed were my words. From the dungeon!" She clenched her fists, clearly not in the greatest of moods; "I don't know why you ask me things, which you know that I cannot answer!"
Joren narrowed his eyes, not trusting himself to speak at the moment, anger apparent in his ice blue eyes. In the distance a lone bird chirped, breaking his concentration for a minute.
In that minute Kel swayed, her energy at an all time low, the world spun in her eyes, exhaustion creeping up to her no matter how much she tried to keep it at bay. Her vision darkened and she clutched against the tree harder, as if she could stay conscious just by holding on. Finally, as Joren focused his attention back to her, the world blacked out completely and she started to fall.
Shit! He moved forward quickly and caught her, just as she began to slide down from the tree. She fit against him comfortably, her skin warm… he moved his thoughts to his immediate problem. Joren raised his hand, supporting her with his left arm, checking for her pulse. It beat against his skin, weak, but steady enough not to cause him too much worry. As he began to bring her away from the tree, going to search for a place to rest, the bandage for her shoulder caught on a branch. With a muffled curse he tried to dislodge it, but found that it was caught on to tightly and he didn't want to waste the time to rip the part that was caught off.
Well… I would have to change it anyway; he carefully unwrapped the bandage from her shoulder, trying not to jostle it too much, as the bandage fell off, his mouth opened slightly in shock, what in the goddess name is happening here? There under the bandage lay smooth skin, not a mark or nick on it, much less a scar.
~
Joren stared at Kel's prone body broodingly, she still hasn't woken up and it's becoming nightfall, with a sigh he got up and tended to the fire that he had started earlier. Tossing in more dry twigs and moving around the others with a stick to make it blaze higher. What happened? Why are we here? What is with Kel fainting all the time? That thought was tinged with irritation, especially when I need answers!
Finally he heard a soft groan that shook him out of his thoughts; he rose from his place and moved over to Kel, kneeling down beside her, "Mindelan?"
Kel blinked her eyes, trying to get the world back into focus once again. Her voice came out as calmly as she could, laced into it was a tone of tiredness, "Yeah Joren? How long have I been out anyway?"
Joren glanced over at the setting sun, thinking quickly to himself, "For most of the day, we got here about noon, though how I still don't know. You passed out," he gave a slight admonishing look at her, "and so I started to set up camp."
She nodded and began to get up into a sitting position, her eyes sharpening again, and soon she was able to see clearly, "Ok… do you know where we are yet?"
He looked at her incredulously, eyes narrowing a trifle, "I was going to ask you that!"
A sigh escaped her lips, and she said noncommittally, "Uh huh…"
He didn't say anything for a moment, staring off behind her in the distance in the expression of one who was thinking hard about something to himself, finally he asked, "What was that necklace that glowed or something? I'm pretty sure that it brought us here," suddenly he changed the subject slightly, "and did you notice your wound yet? It's all been healed somehow."
Kel looked down at her shoulder in surprise, a soft gasp escaping from her lips at the smooth skin that greeted her, "What…?" suddenly she shook her head, clearing it, and answered his first question tiredly, "I told you Joren. I found it when I woke up from a dream one day, and kept it ever since."
With slight suspicion he looked at her.
"It's true!"
"Fine," Joren suddenly thought of something important, his eyes thoughtful, "Remember what you were yelling…" He smirked when he saw a light blush stain her cheeks and he continued, "at me?"
Kel gave a slight nod, confusion in her hazel brown eyes.
"Well you 'wished' that we wouldn't be in the dungeons and about to be killed and you also wished that you didn't have that wound," nods at her shoulder, "anymore. That's when your crystal necklace thing started to glow and we ended up here."
She thought that over, digesting the information, then spot a flaw in his thinking, "but I also wished that Arctic Wind and Demon Wind was here with us, and as you can see they aren't." A sigh escaped her lips, even though the idea was crazy, it would at least explain what was going on with her and the necklace.
Joren shrugged, "Maybe it didn't have enough power to transfer the horses with us?"
She blinked once, having not of thought of that, "Maybe…." Suddenly she clasps the gem in her hand, trying to focus on it.
"What the hell are you doing?"
Kel ignored him and suddenly said, wishing on the gem, "I wish that there was some sort of shelter here where we can stay for the night." She then let go and waited tensely; half thinking that it would actually work.
He watched her with some degree of surprise, "The fuck Mindelan!" Joren then also waited, wondering if this would work, if this thing works, then I'm going to get Kel to get us out of here.
She looked at the gem in dismay, nothing, not even a glimmer emerged from the crystal and she sighed, letting it slip through her hands, falling back onto the hollow of her throat, she said quietly, "It didn't work."
Refusing to dwell on that fact Joren retorted, "Of course not!" Anything else he could have said was cut off by a crackle of nearby leaves. Simultaneously they both tensed up, bodies wary and both severely aware that they didn't have any of their weapons. None had been with them in the dungeon, the guards had removed them all, and no weapons came with them when they transported to this place. Joren unconsciously stood in front of Kel, ready to defend her.
Inwardly, Kel seethed with agitation; I am NOT some court beauty that can't take care of herself! I'm a knight of Tortall I can hold my own! She refused to think that what Joren was doing for her was kind of nice, if she wanted him to of course, I don't! She shook her head and prepared herself.
Their caution wasn't for anything, what emerged from the brush gave them both a start, Joren narrowed his eyes at the sight, while Kel took a step back before composing herself, getting ready for the upcoming battle with the… thing.
What lumbered out of the bushes wasn't any defenseless rabbit or deer; it was, to put it shortly, a monster. It stood easily at five feet tall, and it was plainly seen as all might and power. It was powerfully built, meant to tear and rend, not for speed, with a mottled green and brown hide. It had four feet, its back legs were made for leaping long distances at a time, while it's front was made to rip into its opponents with inches long claws. Six-inch long fangs protruded from its mouth, a stream of saliva dripping down slowly. It's tail was built like a lizards only thicker and more heavy set, making the monster be able to balance on it's hind legs. Cold murky grayish brown eyes looked at Kel and Joren with a predatory gleam. The head was shaped like an alligator from Carthack only its snout was more blunt and thicker. The monster snuffled softly, depending more on smell it seems then sight, it didn't look too intelligent, though it didn't need to be with the deadly accessories it had. With intent, it began to move over at Kel, picking her out to be the weaker of the two since she was shorter then Joren.
"FUCK!" Joren looked at the thing in slight panic; he didn't even have any of his weapons, "Shit Kel! MOVE!" At that he starts shoving her away from the monster.
She looked at him like he was nuts, "The hell Joren? You don't have any chance to survive! Much less win!" Kel looked at the monster, who seemed to be taking its time, nervously; hands going for a sword that wasn't even there.
The monster went from a stalk to a full out charge, straight at Kel, its claws gleaming a dull gray in the fire's light. She yelped and threw herself aside from its charge, landing and rolling on the forest floor, getting back to her feet as quickly as she can.
Joren grabbed a stick from the fire and waved it in front of the monster's nose, trying to scare it away. His eyes narrowed as the monster ignored the stick and knocked it aside, claws now reaching for him.
Kel looked at the monster and Joren in shock, he's going to get himself killed, wishing vehemently for some kind of weapon she ran at the monster and hit its side with her body, jarring the monster and making it switch his attention back to her. She started to retreat slowly, sweat pouring down her face, ignoring Joren who was currently cursing at her and trying to get to her to help.
Suddenly she tripped over something, and laid sprawled on the ground in darkness. A frantic expression filled her face as she saw her doom stalking up, her hands grope around in the darkness for something, anything, to help her. They brush against something and she grabs at it desperately, thinking it was a stick to throw. Instead it was the familiar hilt of the sword that the king's champion had given her, Griffin. What the??? Refusing to think about it anymore (there were more pressing things to think about) she unsheathed the blade and scrambled to her feet, glancing down where she found the weapon. Her mouth gaped open; the thing that she had tripped on was a pile of weapons, eyes wondering, she almost didn't see the great claws swinging in her direction.
Joren sprang from his spot and shoved Kel out of the way; the claws sank into his left arm, slicing through it lightly. Blood emerged from his wound and started to drip down his side steadily, he grimaced and thanked the gods that the claws weren't poisoned. The monster's salivating came even faster, smelling the heady scent of blood in the air. It moved quickly at Joren, swinging its claws at him once again.
Kel quickly moved in with griffin in her hands, slashing the claws away from Joren. He looked at her in surprise, eyes locked on to the sword. Keeping her concentration on keeping the monster away she shouted to him, "Near my foot! A pile of weapons!" She ducked to the side, the monster's tail came whistling inches past her face to smash into the ground, raising her sword she slices it deep into the tail.
The monster howled in pain, eyes filled with hate turned to her and it lunged with surprising speed. Kel fell back as she tried to fend off the monster.
Joren looked at the weapons in surprise, fighting off his pain as he grabbed what he recognized as his sword. He turned to see Kel laboring to get the monster away from her and quickly acted, raised his sword and thrusting it into the monster's right eye, shoving it as far as he can. A sickly green blood squirted from the wound, spraying all over himself and Kel. The monster howled even louder and thrashed around wildly, scoring a deep gash on Kel's leg.
She pushed the pain away and ignored it to the best of her abilities, using her Yamani techniques. With adrenaline coursing through her body she moved in for a kill, raising griffin and thrusting it deep into the monsters chest where the heart should be. Blood coursed down the blade and spraying all over her, she didn't care, with her bones aching she pushed down deeper.
The monster thrashed about even more wildly, Kel and Joren somehow evading its frantic attacks laboriously, their breathing heavy, and sweat running down their bodies. Joren yanked out his blade and struck at the monster's face again, blood from his arm and blood from the monster mixing together.
Kel used all of her remaining strength to push as hard as she can against the blade; it sank down and pierced the creature's heart. The monster gave a terrible shriek and fell, convulsing on the ground, writhing around in agony. She yanked back her sword and stumbled back, wary.
Joren withdrew his blade from the head of the monster and walked slowly to Kel, now ignoring the monster, "Kel… You all right?"
She gave a tired nod, pointing down, "Only my leg got hit, your hurt also Joren. Look at your arm." Blood was splattered all over the duo, wet and sticky, she felt totally unclean and wished fiercely for a stream nearby to take a bath in and clean their wounds.
He looked down at his left arm, having forgotten about the pain in the heat of the battle, "It's not to bad. What in Mithros name was that thing?!"
She gave a weary shrug, eyes heavy with fatigue, senses duller. Out of the outer most reaches of her ears she heard the trickling sound of running water with surprise and looked at Joren, wondering if he noticed it, "Joren? Do you hear that?"
Joren was looking at the pile of weapons with a brooding expression before turning to her, "Hear what?"
He can't hear it, why? She wiped a hand across her face, grimacing as she tried to get rid of the blood, "A stream, not to far off it seems. Let's grab the weapons and head towards there."
He looked at her in surprise, "Stream? I don't hear anything…" Nether the less he began to pick up his assortment of weapons, grimacing when he moved his left arm too much. His eyes widened when he recognized some of them as his, and the glaive off to the side must be Kel's, "Mindelan… how did these weapons come here? I swept the area before and didn't spot them." While saying that he began to place them on his body, daggers at the waist, sword sheathed at my side…
She limped over to him and said softly, just as she began to place her weapons on her also, "I wished and they came…"
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A/N:
IceWind: FUNFUNFUNFUN!
Kaori: *ignores her*
IceWind: err guys *looks at the readers* Do you think my fight scenes are ok? Not to graphic or anything? (Personally I think I have to change this fic to be rated R, not only does Joren curse all the time, but I'm going to add in some blood)
Raen: *grins hugely* I'm coming up!
IceWind: *glares at him and he shuts up* heheheeh anwayz… errr… can't really say anything more… Well, what do you guys think? Should I change the ficcy to rated R? *shrugs* It doesn't really matter… and I just realized how LONG this fic will actually be. Please bare with me ok?
Raen: *nods enthusiastically* I don't think we are even half through the fic yet and this is chapter 9! Nobody minds fics that are long do they?
IceWind: *shrugs* I don't really know… oh well! *grins* Anywayz… bye people! JA!
My e-mail address is flyby311@hotmail.com and put Aether Winds, so I know what the e-mail is about. Anything you want to add/criticize/comment/whatever you guys just review it… please? Thanks for listening to me ramble for that you get a cherry pie *hands person a cherry pie*
Raen and Kaori (hizar and rabblite) are MINE! GET IT? MINE!!! *they sweatdrop in the background* no stealing or else I'll blow you up! MWAHAHAHA! Also any other made up characters in the story are mine to, if you want to use any of them please ask before doing so, same goes for Raen and Kaori. ALSO, the poems that appear in the story are also mine (duh) I'll tell you if I use any that aren't. BYE NOW!