A/N~ Kyrette?
Kyrette~ :Noble readers. I regret to say that Shadowflame is finished. The last 3 days between reading her new books and taking care of her littles, Cat and I have finished this story. There are a couple chapters left, telling all of you how it ends. For now I will be taking a break and enjoying the fresh spring sunshine. For this disclaimer, I say again we do not own Lackey does.:
Cat~ I think he's sorry that we're done. But I will be posting the chapters over the next few days. This one has been fun.
Chapter 30~ And into the fire
The wyrsa pack, in all their shifting colors, melted out of the forest. The leader was larger than the others and midnight black. He had shimmering scales that ranged from black to a deep violet.
The wyrsa, a hell spawned blend of snake and dog, began their hypnotic weaving, back and forth. It was a sick dance designed to trance their prey and prevent them from leaving. The leader bared fangs dripping with poison.
The smell of the poison now permeated the air, silently berating 'Flame for not remembering. None of the pack (there were four that could be seen) moved yet, except for their hypnotic swaying. Smoke was almost immune to it.
The bodyguard and the mage were not. They both froze in place, watching the hypnotic dance. Smoke, however, didn't. She flung her saddlebag at the leader. That broke the hypnosis enough for the mage to blast one of the others with a levin-bolt. Smoke yanked her bow off her shoulder and fired off a shot, hoping to hit one in the eye. Her arrow missed, skittering off the tough hide. She'd shot at the leader, hoping by killing it the rest would scatter.
It turned its glowing yellow eyes on her, the poison dripping onto the ground. Smoke went cold. No one, not even a Companion, could take on a pack of wyrsa and survive. The mage threw another levin bolt. The wyrsa almost smiled, absorbing the energy. Smoke swore.
"They feed on mage energies!" She screamed at the mage, trying to get another target. None of the wyrsa, however, were cooperating. The mage shot her a startled look but fired off another levin-bolt. That attack gave her a clear shot and she took down one with an arrow sprouting where its eye had been.
That was the signal for the rest of the pack to attack. as the one to die fell, the other three charged, one going for the bodyguard, the other two charging her and the mage. Smoke dove out of the way and the two continued towards the mage, stalking him. Smoke swore again and nocked another arrow. She let one fly, grabbing another, knowing her arrow wasn't going to strike anything vital. That one skittered off the back of one and tapped the other. They turned their attention to her for a moment and then back to the mage, who was foolishly still trying to hit one with a levin-bolt.
"Put up a mage barrier, dammit!" She yelled, firing off another arrow. The mage swarmed up a tree, apparently not having heard her. Finally he put up the barrier, keeping them from getting into his tree. A high pitched screech, followed by the smell of blood mingling with poison, told her the bodyguard was a dead man. There was nothing she could do to help him now.
The two wyrsa attacking the mage became more interested in the downed prey than in the live one up the tree. They quickly swarmed the fallen man and began feeding.
Smoke winced and turned her eyes from the grisly sight. :Darkfire?:
The response was immediate. :We're well away. I'm driving them towards the Vale. Don't worry about us!:
'Flame sighed and scrambled up her own tree. Using the branches, after swinging her bow over her shoulder, she moved quickly from tree to tree as only a Tayledras Scout could. She finally made it to a tree where she would be able to fire off a shot.
"Hey ugly!" She yelled, hoping to draw one's attention to her. None took note of her, however. Luck and the Star-Eyed were with her, however. One raised its face to hiss at a compatriot and went down with an arrow in the eye. The other two flinched but didn't look up at her. One was the leader. Somehow she had to manage to take him down!
She could Feel Ayren getting closer. She wanted to order him back. To order him to stay away from her, away from the pack. The stronger part of her welcomed him. She missed him too much to send him away again. Where he was, she was sure Wanderstone was close behind. She hoped he had enough sense to stay away.
She didn't know what to do. There was no way to bring the pack (or what was left of it) away from the kill. Well, no sane way, that is.
Shadowflame had done some pretty stupid things in her life. She wasn't arrogant the way her older brother had been. She'd barely made Master level. The only thing she'd wanted was to just be a scout and be accounted a good scout. Then had come that fateful night in k'Shira. She closed her eyes against the pain of that memory.
She was walking through the Vale, going to report to the head Scout about her patrol. She thought she'd found the lair where the basilisk they'd been hunting was hiding. Walking silently, as she always did, she approached the Council area, prepared to make her report. Voices, carried on the light breeze, had stopped her.
"We can't keep her here," One of the Elders was saying. "Everyone knows she was thrown out of k'Vala and that at three years old!"
"She wasn't thrown out," another said patiently. "Her mother just asked her brother to raise the child. Starfall just couldn't handle the sight of her. That has no bearing on whether or not she's a good scout."
Then the scout leader spoke. "Our Shin'a'in cousins have asked for several scouts to help them evacuate. I say we let her go and prove her worth with them." Everyone quickly agreed and she had gone back to the scout leader's ekele to wait for him. She didn't want him to know she'd heard.
The Shin'a'in had taken her in, taught her to ride. They'd appreciated her help with the evacuation and had gifted Darkfire to her in thanks. Once the Clan was resettled onto the Plain, she had been preparing to leave, when word came from k'Shira. She still remembered the message.
Shadowflame,
It is with deepest regret that we say we do not need your services as a scout any longer.
I am sure you understand, with your brother's sacrifice so fresh, how we cannot aid you in any way. What little you left behind here and at k'Treva will be waiting for your return.
Wind to thy wings,
Elder Winterdawn.
She opened her eyes, seeing the wyrsa still feeding on what was left of the bodyguard. Her little woolgathering session hadn't lasted more than a few moments. Still, it gave her the strength to do the incredibly stupid thing she was about to do. She carefully laid down her bow and took off the belt quiver. Placing both in the tree where they wouldn't fall, she pulled out one of her belt knives, after loosening the sheathes on her boot knives. The stench of wyrsa stung her nose, mingling with the smell of innards and fresh blood. Taking a deep breath and sending a prayer winging skyward, she took a firm grasp on her knife and jumped.
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Firesong Heard the shouted MindCall just as he sat down to dinner in the ekele in Haven. :Firesong! Wanderstone just Called me! Shadowflame has been attacked by wyrsa!:
Firesong gasped, seeing terrible fates suddenly flash before his eyes. His sister, dying from a wyrsa bite, being eaten alive by a pack. Now she was bravely fending them off, only to have the mage strike her down.
Firesong stood, trying to think of something, anything, he could do to help her. "Gods, if only Gates were still possible!" He was too far away to do anything for her. She was all alone again. He fell into a chair covering his face with his hands.
"Ashke?" Silverfox asked, softly, gently. "Firesong, what's wrong?"
"Wyrsa." He choked out. "She's been attacked by wyrsa. No one can hold off a pack alone." Silverfox's arms enveloped him gently. He rocked the sobbing Adept.
For a long time he just murmured to him, trying to get him to calm. One of the hertasi came. Silverfox rattled off several instructions and the lizard bobbed his head and scurried away.
Eventually, he was able to coax Firesong into the ekele and into their room. The sobbing had not subsided. Silverfox comforted his mate as well as he could, until he had cried himself out. Still, in his sleep he shuddered with unspent tears. Silverfox held him tightly, murmuring reassurances in his ear and sending up silent prayers to whatever gods or goddesses happened to be listening.
~~~~~~~~~~
Starfall had held off for a couple days before leaving Haven and it was a damn good thing he had. The hertasi came to tell him what Silverfox had learned, and that Firesong was in no shape to answer any questions. The news that Shadowflame had been attacked by wyrsa hit him almost as hard as it had his son.
He slumped into a chair and fretted.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Wanderstone arrived at the clearing in time to see 'Flame jump from her tree onto the back of one of the wyrsa. The startled creature was flattened by her assault and she was able to stick it in the eye with her knife. The other, however, attacked her, jumping onto her back. Wanderstone yanked his bow off of his shoulder and quickly let fly. The arrow didn't even draw the creatures attention. It's gaping mouth was headed for the back of 'Flame's neck. The only thing that saved her was Ayren's timely attack.
The huge bondbird raked the beast with deadly talons, not penetrating the scales but moving it enough that his bondmate could get out of the way. Shadowflame did exactly that. While she scrambled to her feet, Ayren attacked again, this time trying for the eyes and barely missing getting bit.
Wanderstone let fly another arrow. Rrussin ran in and head butted the thing in the side. When the wyrsa turned its head to snap at the kyree, it sprouted an arrow in one eye and a knife in the other. It fell to earth shuddering the last of its life out.
The mage scrambled down the tree. "You!" He yelled, looking askance at Ayren sitting calmly in a tree. "You are one of those Tayledras!
You're a Hawkbrother!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Etcetera-cat~ I know… oh well… still… climax is acomin!
Nesuto~ a bit impossible yes. But you wont be hanging for long.
Wizard116~ that's next I promise
Queen's Own~ you're going to spoil him!
Shahanna~ More meepness coming I promise!
Hawk~ VERY nasty….
Till next chapter my friends….