Disclaimer: This thing seems rather pointless because I know you all can see who owns all this stuff and that its obviously not me…. sigh I guess this is just some sort of silly formality….lol
Breaking out of his momentary stupor, Numair raced with all that he had in him to get to the window through which his lover had disappeared through mere moments ago. His breath caught painfully in his throat as he pushed his body through the window frame to look down below in hopes that he would catch sight of her and that she would be alright. All he could see from his view was the violent storm raging outside as it fought to move its way through the bed chamber window and into his room. Pulling himself back through the window, Numair began shivering blindly from the bitter cold of the biting storm winds. "Oh, gods what am I going to do?" he voiced his worries aloud, hoping that he would find some sort of answer. He knew that with every second he wasted here not acting on the situation, his chances of finding Daine alive grew slim to none. It was already near impossible for her to have survived such a fall, even if she had not continued to fall past the cliff's edge and into the raging waves of the Emerald Ocean.
Visualizing the body of his lover being thrashed about and torn by the sharp rocks and waves gave him the courage and the strength he so needed now. If there was ever a moment when he had been meant to live, it was now. He wasted no more time but instead rushed back to the window where he had stood only moments before. Taking no more precious time to think or even worry about what would happen in the moments to come, Numair spoke a word in Old Thank and threw himself out of the bed chamber window in a very similar fashion as his lover just had. Unlike her though he did not plummet to the rocky ground, nor did he proceed to fall farther into the crashing ocean waves. Instead he shifted into the familiar form of a large black hawk, allowing his large wings to catch him in the wind. He let out the long, piercing cry of a bird of pray, swooping in loops and turns to better adjust to his new form as he made his way lower to the swirling waters of the stormy Emerald Ocean.
Numair hit the water with a sickening crash, throwing himself into the thundering waves propelled by the storm. As soon as the icy water came into contact with his now bare skin, Numair realized that he had shifted back only to be without clothing. Quickly remembering a recently acquired spell, Numair soon found himself covered again within the folds of soaking wet clothing. The rough current and pull of the ocean began rapidly dragging him down, forcing him beneath the surface. He found himself swallowing and gulping down an unwanted amount of sea water. It tasted bitterly of table salt as it swirled around his taste buds. Gathering up all the strength he could muster, Numair pumped his arms and legs in rapid motion, finally pushing himself to the surface.
It had been calm and almost serene beneath the ocean's surface, but now that he was back above water, it was like he was living in his worst nightmare. Numair had never been much of a swimmer and he now questioned the wisdom behind his decision to jump in after his lover. He immediately pushed such thoughts away, knowing that he had done it purely out of his love for Daine and his need to be with her. If he had not dove in, he would have no chance of ever having her back at his side.
Now though, there were pressing matters at hand that required his entire attention. He could do little more than dog paddle even in calm, wave less waters and here he found himself in the most terrible storm he had ever seen fighting to keep his head above water . I wonder if a buoyancy spell would keep me afloat in these conditions, he thought feebly, running out of strength from paddling his arms and legs through the water. Closing his eyes briefly, Numair let the words of the spell play on his lips. Though he could not hear his words for the storm, Numair knew immediately that his spell had worked for he felt a warm, liquid-like substance wash over his entire being, not missing a single part of him. His struggle immediately came to an end, for he found that he no longer need to thrash his limbs about to stay afloat. Breathing a silent thanks to the Wave Walker for allowing him to gain control, Numair again began his frantic search for Daine.
"Daine!" Numair began shouting, trying frantically to be heard over the storm winds and thunder. "Daine!" he called again, praying that the Wave Walker would guide him to his lover that he so desperately sought. "Oh Goddess of the Sea, breath air into her lungs now and keep her from drowning," he prayed, hoping that she would hear his plea for help. "Grant me a boon this night! I will do anything, give anything if you would just bring her back to me!"
Phantom lips spoke these words into his ear, "You once promised the same to my brother Mithros if only he would grant you safe passage to Tortall when you fled your home eighteen years before this night…." The voice was clearly feminine, though by no means did it sound weak. Her tone was so divine and desirable, Numair felt for mere moments as though he were walking on clouds. He felt a pleasant warmth spreading over him, making him almost forget that he was up to his chin in icy cold water, his body shivering and trembling with each new burst of chill.
It was only after these brief moments had passed and the enchantment that her words had placed on him had faded that the intensity of what she had said hit Numair. He found himself flashing back to more years ago than he cared to remember when he had promised Mithros anything under the sun that he would ever have if only the great god would grant him safety as he fled to Tortall. He had never thought about what a promise such as that might mean until this very moment. "No! Oh, gods no!" he yelled to the merciless storm, throwing in a string of colorful curses. "Not her! Take anything from me, but please don't take her!" The storm raged on as hard as ever, as if ignoring him. It seemed that the gods had made their decision and that Numair would have to fight their divine superiority on his own.
Numair swam through the raging water now with such a vengeance that he had never felt before. He had to find her, he just had to. He could not let a promise he had made to Mithros almost twenty years ago steal the thing most precious to him now. He loved Daine too much to lose her now.
Suddenly, lightning flashed from the heavens, illuminating the entire cliffside cove in which Numair now swam with the aid of his Gift. The cove lit up just long enough for Numair to catch a horrifying glimpse of his lover's still body as it was lifted by the ocean waves only to crash into a jagged rock that protruded from the water's depths. Gasping at what he saw and feeling all hope of her being alive crumble within his very soul, Numair began paddling and kicking his arms frantically so that he could reach where he last saw her. The gods only knew that it was easy to change location completely in these raging waters.
After what seemed like hours when it was really less than a few minutes, Numair reached his lover, though she had drifted far from the rock at which he had last seen her. Breathless, Numair wrapped his trembling arms around her still form, pulling her safely to his chest. He wasted no time in making his way away from the base of the cliff and towards the sandy beach and shallow waters. He knew that the closer he got, the rougher the waves would be and that it would be no easy task to get both himself and Daine out onto the shore. All that he knew was that he had to do it and that he would.
"Hang on, Daine," Numair voiced raggedly, all the while struggling to keep a good hold on her as he treaded through the stormy water. "We're almost there, sweet. Please stay with me…" Again Numair cooed as softly as he could given the situation, though he knew it was unlikely that she could hear him. In this moment, she was still alive and she was his lover. He would not admit to himself that she had likely departed from the realms of the living long ago to go into that of the dead. It would not even cross his mind that if she were alive, despite her injuries if she woke up, she would not be Daine, but would instead be a wolf. All he could see now was that she was his lover and that he had to save her.
Coughing, sputtering and clinging to the still body of his lover for dear life, Numair managed to move past the waves that crashed along the shore and pull both himself and Daine out onto the solid beach. Exhausted from his struggle in the stormy sea, Numair lay his lover down onto the wet, crusted sand as he himself collapsed at her side. The sound of the crashing waves was around them still as if they were still in that watery nightmare. Numair was breathing hard, not knowing if he could press himself to go any further. He knew that if he gave up now, there would be no hope for her survival, but he could hardly push himself into a sitting position.
Sitting up, Numair looked down at the still form of his lover, and involuntarily shuddered from the site of her. She was very pale and battered from being thrashed around in the ocean. Her lips were starting to turn blue from the cold and from her lack of air. She had countless cuts and scrapes and he felt he could be certain she had a broken bone or two, not to mention internal damage. He raised a shaking hand to cover his face, groaning loudly. He felt now that he had never been in a worse or more terrifying situation, not even in Carthak all those years ago when his own life had been in danger.
Looking down at his love, Numair knew that she wore not a stitch of clothing aside from her badger claw necklace, for she had shifted at one point during her fall only to lose hold of her form. Bending down towards her, still fighting for breath, he cupped her face in his hands. Stripping off the drenched tunic he wore over his clothing, Numair wrapped it ever so gently over her shoulders, pulling her into its embrace. Though it could not bring her warmth from this bitter cold, it could protect her modesty. He took special care not to move her too drastically, for fear that her neck might be broken. Reaching down, Numair placed two fingers on her temple, feeling for a pulse. His own heart beat rapidly in his chest, plummeting farther than it ever had when he felt nothing. "No…" he breathed, his eyes watering with tears. She could not be gone; it could not end this way. He had dreamed of spending forever. Just this very night he had been so close to asking her to marry him. What had held him back? It was too late now. He would spend the rest of his life alone, not knowing what could have been but only dreaming about it.
Feeling helpless and that all was lost, Numair broke down. Tears streamed steadily from his eyes, falling down into the already wet sand. Rain poured down around them and thunder crashed overhead. Every few moments, a flash of lightning would illuminate overhead. Looking at Daine's still, lifeless form once more, Numair reached out trembling, exhausted hands to her, brushing back the matted hair that had fallen over her face. As he did this, his fingers once more fell over her temple and at what he found his heart gave a tremendous leap. Beneath his trembling fingers was the feel of blood flowing through a vein, a precious pulse returned to his love. She was alive! Through her strength, she had managed to pull through despite the odds.
Excitement like he had never felt before rushed through him, making him shout out to the heavens as rain continued to pour around them. He had hope once more and this time he would never let go of it. His heart beat rapidly within his chest, pounding with love for her. Reaching down his still trembling hand, he placed it over her heart, savoring the feel of its precious beat beneath his fingers.
After he had managed to calm himself from the drastic ups and downs of these past minutes, Numair knew that as he had been thinking before, he had to get her to a healer. She may be alive now, but she would not be for long if she did not get help soon. The best healer in all of the realm was the king's own Duke Baird, but there was no hope of reaching the palace in time to save his lover. He knew though that she must have the best healer that he could reach, for she needed intense care. The healer that fell only slightly short of Baird was his dear friend and the King's Champion, Alanna. She lived less than an hour's ride away and he knew she would be Daine's only hope. Lifting Daine's still body into his arms, he pushed himself to carry her to the tower's stable where he would saddle Spots and race to reach Alanna in time. He knew that she would be at the Swoop, for he had spoken to her this very evening before he left the palace. He trusted that Spots would give this ride his all, somehow understanding Daine's predicament.
(Almost an hour later outside Pirate's Swoop)
A ride along the Coastal Road that ought to have taken Numair less than an hour ended up taking him nearly three. The storm had been unyielding to his travel, and no matter how hard he fought he could not seem to make his journey move past any faster. Spots, the poor old patient gelding had fought the entire way with him and Numair had no doubt in his mind that the horse understood the need for him to give it his all. Indeed no other horse would have gotten him there at all, he was sure.
Rain poured down wildly around them, like a sea of tiny needles falling from the stormy sky. Each little drop felt like a tiny pin prick against his already tender and cut skin, producing a constant sting. Numair felt as though he were bleeding a never ending well of blood now, though his wounds were not life threatening. He found himself stiff in his saddle as he leaned forward, stooped against the horn of his saddle as the leather reins fell from his now useless hands. Daine's body lay limply within his arms, soaking up every drop of rain just as he himself did. She wore only the drenched cloak he had torn off his own back a few hours earlier.
Tenderly, for his body ached in more places than he knew he possessed, Numair slid himself from atop Spots. All the while he kept Daine tucked firmly in the circle of his arms, as if embracing her with trembling hands. He knees shook with a biting intensity as he slowly and painfully trudged his way through the gates surrounding the Swoop and into the fief's courtyard. Once inside, a pair of guards came into view standing just over one hundred feet away at the base of the steps leading to the Swoop's main entrance. Seeing that he had finally reached help, Numair felt every ounce of energy run dry in his veins, freezing his every movement more rapidly than he could have imagined. Though his Gift still ran high within him, it felt as though he had been drained of it ten times over.
Numair barely managed to lay Daine softly on the stone paved ground of the courtyard before his knees collapsed beneath him, pulling him down into a heap. He found that he was too exhausted to move, or even to think properly. His skin became covered in tiny goose bumps as he felt as though he was still up to his chin in the icy depths of the Emerald Ocean. A series of shivers went mercilessly down his spine, sending trembles throughout his body and limbs. He lay now on the wet stone ground of the courtyard with his head spinning without relent and his vision blurring as he was being drawn unwillingly into an exhausted sleep.
In the back of his mind, Numair could hear the hard, head wrenching sound of two pairs of boots treading against the paved path as the two guards he had briefly seen made their way to him. He could feel them both kneel down beside him, trying to make sense of what had happened to him. Using all of the strength that he had left, Numair lifted his heavy eye lids so that he could look at his rescuers and muttered, "Not me, go to her…." his words coming out faintly, hard to be heard of the pounding rain and thunder. Lightning flashed again overhead and Numair knew no more as his eyes drooped shut again.
Unconscious he heard the voice of a young man he could only assume to be one of the guards voice to his partner in a panicked tone, "Look at the chap! He's exhausted and it looks like he's gone for a dip in the sea!"
"The lass taint much better. She's near death, I'd wager." came a ragged reply from the voice of another young man.
"The lad's out cold…..I- I think he's a mage…." the first voice said again.
"What're we going ter do, Trent? Shant it be best to get the Baron? He's sure to know who this pair is and what ter do 'bout 'em." came the second voice.
"Aye, but I think the Lioness'll be of some use too. Best healer around, she is."
With that, there was no more talking to be done. The first guard lifted up the body of the young woman and helped take hold of one of the man's arms while his partner shouldered the other. Together, they made their way into the fief in search of the Baron and his wife and any other help they could get for the poor man and woman they had found.
A/N: You see? I took care of some of the worries you guys had after last chapter….I told you I would. I know it took me a little bit longer to get this chapter out, and I'm sorry. But hey, at least it wasn't another 6 month break like it was before! I'll do everything in my power not to repeat that experience. Anyway, hopefully if you guys review I'll be inspired and I'll update again over the weekend. Just a thought….Anyway, I hope you guys liked it and don't forget to review!