Disclaimer: Valdemar, Heralds, Companions etc … none of that belongs to me, it's all the property of Mercedes Lackey. I'm just borrowing the characters for a while … apart from Aline who is most definitely mine : )
A/N: Wow! I don't think I've ever had so many reviews, so quickly, for a chapter! (and long may they pour in – don't stop now!) I had my reservations about chapter 5, but it was about time something plot orientated happened … so there you go : )
While not as brutal as the last chapter, this one is still very angsty – in fact, the next several chapters are – so you've been warned! Glad to see that no one shouted at me for killing of poor old Kris; I've nothing against the kid, it just had to happen as you will see in later chapters …
- Updated 23/5 – Darkwind and Elspeth are NOT married
Athena: Great to have you back! I was beginning to think you'd got lost in the fanfiction archive somewhere : ) I know what you mean about Firesong … no one ever really sees him being a proper Healer in ML books, but hey – he's got the power so I was gonna play with it!
Anita H: bows down to your extensive ML knowledge - whew! Guess old ML isn't so impervious after all! Still, it's one of the first typos I've ever noticed. As you probably guessed, I was going by the name from 'By the Sword' and for arguments sake I'm gonna keep with the 'Sayvel' (hope it doesn't annoy you too much!)
Queen's Own: Nooooooo!!! Don't die!!!!!!! I'm updating! I'm updating!!!!!
Fireblade K'Chona: stands back and watches dance - cool! Now if you can just keep it up throughout the next twenty chappies – lol. Glad to see that your words seemed to be prophetic – I've actually gained readers : )
Alegria: Hmm … kinda was sudden – but that was what I was going for. The shock tactic and all that! And as for if anyone else dies … I can reveal that if they do, it's not in the next couple of chapters. But then again, maybe no one else does … you'll just have to read on!!
PrettyKittyOreo: A new reader!! (or possibly just a new reviewer) welcome to the story and see, you didn't have to wait too long : ) : )
Djiril: Another new reader!! Joey does a dance of joy God, I'd never really though about it but yes, technically now TWO people called Kris have died in the ML universe!! Guess it's some kind of weird, writer's curse … it wasn't intentional! When everyone heard the death bell, all they knew was that another Herald had died, they didn't know exactly who and how straight away – does that explain anything? I'm kind of confusing myself now … : )
Faeborn2930: sorry to say that - 'things can only get saddeeeeeeeeerrrrr'. Grab a tissue now!!
Hildi-chan: I didn't really think I was being brave by killing off Kris, it was just something that had to be done for the plot of the story. I think it helped that Kris isn't really in very much of the ML books, so it's not like I'm killing anyone's fav old character!! Thanks for your compliments blushes - not sure I deserve them though : )
Whew, those get longer and longer each chappie! Now, on with the rather depression story, oh and not to forget the dedications. This chapter is dedicated to my new readers, Fireblade K'Chona, Alegria, PrettyKittyOreo and Djiril – long may the reviewing continue!!
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After the Storm
By: JoeyStar
Timeframe: Set a year or so after Owlknight
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(Twins' Suite)
Upon arriving at the Twins' suite, Dirk reached out to open the door. As his hand touched the handle, some kind of power surged through him and he jumped back with a cry of pain, cradling his injured hand against his chest.
'What is it?' Selenay asked frantically, hands clenching against her side. 'Open the door! My children-'
'It's protected by some sort of magic.' Dirk gasped out, pushing Talia away gently and turning to his queen. 'We need a mage.'
'What's going on?' The lightly accented voice belonged to An'desha who was sweeping along the corridor towards them, Karal following in his wake. Although the half- Shin'a'in wasn't a Herald, he was well-versed in the palace ways and had been alerted to the trouble as soon as the Death Bell rang. Following the stream of Herald's had brought him to the right place in the palace.
'An'desha!' Daren exclaimed, grabbing the mage by the sleeve of his robe and pulling him forward. 'You have to open the door!'
'What?' An'desha looked confused, turning from one to the other. Talia, noting his wild expression, took charge of the situation. 'The doors magically locked and we need to get inside. Can you open it?' Despite the tension of the situation, her voice was calm.
The silver-haired young man blinked once and then nodded slowly. 'Let me see…' he turned towards the door, trying to ignore the crowd that was gathering outside the royal suites. He closed his eyes and reached out as Firesong has instructed him to, so long ago.
'What's taking so long?' Selenay demanded desperately as Daren wrapped his arm around her waist and turned back to the young man in dark blue mage robes.
An'desha had never been under so much pressure and for a reason that he didn't quite understand. Through his magic he found the magic seal which had been worked into the outside of the Twins' room. It was a complex spell and one that anyone but an Adept would have failed to break.
Luckily, An'desha was an Adept and one of unique power. As a young man his body had been possessed by his ancestor, the long passed on Ma'ar. In this time and age, he had assumed the name Falconsbane and had tried to subvert K'Sheyna Vale, the gryphons and Darkwind in particular. With the help of the Star-Eyed's avatars, Dawnfire and Trev'alen he had regained his body, his life… and the extraordinary powers of a creator, an innovator – someone who could build life forms such as gryphons.
Holding his hands over the handle, but unsure of exactly how to act, he wondered what Firesong would do in his position. Hearing the uncertain noises from behind him, An'desha threw caution to the winds and thrust his power into the handle.
With a flash of bright light the handle melted and the door swung open. Dirk shoved past him and into the room, Daren almost falling over him when he stopped dead just within the door. He found himself standing in the middle of a scene of such horror that he almost retched.
A strangled sob from further into the room drew his gaze to the circle of chairs over by the window. Elspeth, her knees hugged against her chest, was rocking backwards and forwards, her face hidden behind her silvery chestnut hair and her breath coming out as ragged sobs.
Talia ran past him and was by her side in an instant, one arm encircling her waist as the pregnant woman leaned against her. 'Get a Healer!' She shouted back at her lifebonded, and the cry was carried out into the corridor and beyond.
A gasp from behind Dirk made him spin around. Selenay had entered the room, her eyes flying wide at the scarlet stain on the light blue carpet. Her gaze slowly followed the stain across the world towards the chairs and her hand flew to cover her mouth. 'Kris! Lyra!' She screamed, lunging across the room towards them. Dirk managed to grab her arm and pulled her back. 'Let me go!' She shouted at him, her expression frantic. 'I command you to let me go!'
Talia glanced up and waved Selenay backwards as the combination of mother and daughter Elspeth's emotions threatened to overcome her.
'Daren, take her out of here!' Dirk commanded, ignoring all protocol and pushing his queen backwards. 'And get a Healer!' he called as the distraught Queen and Consort disappeared from the doorway.
They were replaced by An'desha and Skif, who both entered the room a little hesitantly, followed by Teren – the Dean of the Collegium.
The mage blanched at the entrance to the room and hung back as Skif and Teren proceeded further. The walked, with dragging steps, towards the circle of chairs. It ended up being Skif who braved the final distance and bent over Kris's still body.
'He's dead,' the ex-thief said unnecessarily – they had all heard the Death Bell.
'And Lyra?' The Dean asked quietly, as a figure pushed past An'desha, closing the door behind him. 'That's my area.'
'Devan!' Skif stepped back with relief as the Healer hurried to Lyra's side, reaching out gingerly to prod the knife. Before his hand had got within an inch, he flinched and drew back. 'This is covered with mage power,' he raised his head, 'An'desha?'
The short-haired mage crossed the room slowly, trying not to look at the blood and still bodies. 'The knife?' he asked quietly, resting his hands over it without waiting for the answer. Using his power in the same way, he melted the spell away, unconsciously making the knife dissolve at the same time.
Once the wound was clear, Devan pushed him aside and bent over the teenager, his hands over the wound. Skif, Teren and An'desha watched anxiously, Skif's eyes darting between the injury and Elspeth's shaking figure. He couldn't help wondering what she had seen to make her break down in such a way. He had never seen her loose her control before… it was unnerving.
'I don't like this.' Devan sat back on his heels and studied the still open wound with worry written across his features. 'I'm going to have to take her to the House of Healing, but I don't like to move her.
'I think I can help there,' Dirk suggested quietly, coming forward and taking Lyra's hand gently in his. It was lucky that the girl had fallen unconscious after the freezing spell had been broken, otherwise she would surely have been in agony. 'I can Fetch her – like I did with Talia when she was trapped in Hardorn. It's a lot closer to Healer's so I shouldn't have any trouble.' He assured Devan, who was watching him with doubt clear on his face. He placed his free hand on the Healer's shoulder and said: 'Devan, trust me. This is the best way.'
The Healer still looked doubtful, but he nodded his head slowly. Taking this as his cue, Dirk bit his lip and reached with his power. With any other situation he would have needed a Farseer to help him, but after suffering from pneumonia and spending weeks of his life in one of rooms within the House of Healing, he could easily picture his destination.
As An'desha, Skif and Teren watched, Lyra faded from view and Dirk sat back on his heels. 'She's in Healer's now,' he reported. 'You'd better get over there quickly Devan.'
The Healer was already leaving the room. 'Already gone.'
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His immediate shock over, Skif began poking around the room. His instincts as a thief took over and he began analysing the situation. With Kris dead, Lyra injured and Elspeth incoherent, there was no one else to explain what had happened within the Twins' suite. The only slight suggestions were the half set dining table and the now cold dinner plates. And the cups – strange that they were empty – lying on the small side table.
All of these were small in comparison to the strange scarlet stain that had soaked into the carpet. He knew it was blood – that wasn't what was strange. It was the location of the blood. Kris and Lyra were the only ones with wounds and they had clearly not been moved from their chairs, for whatever reason. So where had the blood come from?
Curious now, and with nothing else to do, Skif slowly tracked the blood- stain across the floor towards the main suite door. Here, in front of the door, was the stain that had startled Dirk earlier and now Skif had a chance to look at it more closely.
Now he noticed that a secondary stain led off from the first, away from the door and towards one of the other rooms that was part of the suite. A sudden sense of dread fell over him and he ran into the following room, almost falling over the inert form that lay on the floor, just inside the door.
'Oh no…' Skif knelt down next to the still form of Darkwind, pulling the long silver hair out of the mage's face. There were no visible wounds in his face, but the mage was obviously unconscious and the blood was coming from somewhere so…
Skif pulled Darkwind onto his back and all his questions were answered. As well as having several surface cuts he also had a wide gash across his abdomen
Jumping to his feet, the young Herald ran back into the main room. By this time, Talia had moved Elspeth out of the room and away from whatever horrors were playing through her mind. With Lyra gone all that remained was to move Kris's body and this job had been given to Herald Teren as he was Dean of the Collegium. He and Dirk were standing over the body, talking quietly when Skif rushed back in.
'What is it?' Dirk had caught sight of the panicked expression on Skif's face.
'It's Darkwind – he's in the next room and he's wounded pretty badly.'
'What?!'
'We didn't even know he was in here!' Teren exclaimed, turning away from Kris and running across into the next room. 'Dirk – get a Healer!' He shouted back over his shoulder. The homely man nodded and sprinted from the room.
Teren turned back to the mage, trying to push the wealth of silver hair out of way of the wound. 'We've got to stop the bleeding, put pressure on the wound.' Skif told him, his experiences as a scavenger child on the streets coming to the fore. Teren didn't question the younger man's words – he simply followed the instructions, cursing when Darkwind's long hair got in the way.
Despite their best efforts the blood didn't stop flowing. Within a few minutes they both looked as if a bottle of dye had been spilt over their hands… and help was nowhere in sight.
Teren leant over, fingers searching around Darkwind's neck. He shook his head in desperation. 'We're loosing him Skif – if help doesn't come soon, he'll die!'
Skif bit his lip, searching for an answer to an insolvable problem. :Cymry?: He called for his companion.
:What's going on Chosen? The Companions are frantic and all we're getting is garbled responses from our Chosen!:
:I'll tell you later love, I promise. Just now though, can you tell all the Heralds that if a Healer doesn't come to the Twins' suite quickly then there's going to be another death in the palace!:
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Time seemed to crawl by. Skif and Teren remained in stasis over Darkwind's body, trying to prevent the life from fleeing from the mages body. Just when they had both given up hope and were on the verge of letting Darkwind go, the door of the main suite swung open so hard that it rocked back against the wall.
In a flurry of green robes a Healer finally arrived. She was a slight woman with pale blonde hair and huge brown eyes. On the surface she appeared young and fragile, but her voice and manner revealed the steel inside.
'You've done a good job,' she commented, her hands closing over theirs and settling into a light healing trance. 'I think you may just have saved his life.'
Skif and Teren remained quiet, despite the tension in the room, and watched as the Healer did her work. She was efficient; Skif gave her that, especially considering that the young man was the Queen's son-in-law. He searched through his memory banks for the Healer's name… Aline, that was it. A relatively new Healer and young to her power. She was handling the situation competently enough – but Skif couldn't help worrying that she may not have enough experience to deal with such horrific wounds as Darkwind's.
Luckily, his fears were met, and met quickly. The Healer herself looked up, breaking out of the trance. 'I'm not good enough to help him any further – I don't have the training.' Aline admitted, her brown eyes calm. 'I've managed to slow the bleeding and help his heart rate, but we need to get him to the House of Healing straight away, otherwise he is going to die.'
Teren and Skif shared a worried glance.
'Why did they send a junior Healer?' Teren exclaimed angrily. 'What are the full Healer's all up to?'
Aline sighed slightly. 'Our best people are caring for the princess. And the Lady Elspeth. I… I was the closest when your call for aid came through.'
'It's not good enough.' Teren muttered.
Skif put out a hand to halt his friend. 'Teren, this is not the time. We have to get Darkwind to the Healers now. So let's stop talking about it and actually do it.'
Working together they managed to lift Darkwind, working hard not to aggravate the wound.
Aline followed them as they hurried from the room.
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Wow – just realised how short this chapter is! Sorry about that – I normally write for longer but I couldn't find a better cut-off point so … oh well, next one is longer to make up for it!
As always, please read and review! Lets push past 50, people : )