Disclaimers: Elena Gilbert, Stefan Salvatore and friends, along with the Vampire Diaries I - IV belong to L.J. Smith. Everything else is mine. No harm intended or money made from this fic.
Notes:
~ Chapter ~
::Thoughts or telepathy::
_emphasis or italics_
Date posted: 9 January 2003
Author's Notes: Taura obviously does not know the Old Ones' language but I know how frustrating it can be to scroll to the bottom of the page for translations, so I'm going to put them in brackets [[like so]]. I hope you find this arrangement more pleasing. It's for reference only, and not really part of the text (Yeah, read it but otherwise imagine that it's not there). Also note that these are not direct translations; syntax, grammar, etc are slightly different. This is basically what would be said if it had been said in English. Phew, what a long-winded note. =)
~ Thirty Two ~
So close. He was _so close_. And Elena had to spoil it.
The cloaked specter withdrew, stepping squarely back into the middle of the alley to face the bright-garbed figure. Behind him, the pathetic-looking bundles of humanity rose and shuffled off, some helping others to retreat to safety. Taura supposed that Jerrick must have given his contacts a silent signal to withdraw with the genuine street people whom they had used for bait.
The dark one took three steps forward. "_Kirr an', ce'rani, e'ya tenua y'juhnua dara?_" [[How is it, female, that you speak the language of my brethren?]] Although she could not understand the melodic words, the man's – using the term loosely – tone was suspicious, faintly challenging, but there was something else there too. "_Kirr an' e'ya kentri na'em kacheyth?_" [[How is it you know my Name?]]
Elena moved forward, seeming to glide. A pool of radiance, softly shining. Watching her, Taura whispered to herself, ::She's beautiful.::
"_Nai'e carth'e e'ya,_" [[I am a part of you,]] she replied, the words sounding completely natural. Taura was no linguist but she didn't think that it was any human tongue she was hearing.
"What are they saying?" she muttered, leaning towards Alvin. The combat witch merely shrugged, eyes intent on the pair.
She couldn't see the Old One's expression with his face hidden within the inky cowl, but Taura thought Elena's brief response had managed to shock him. "_Kae e'ya na?_" [[Who are you?]] The words came out much softer this time, breathy. Taura fancied a tad of disbelief in the timbre of the voice.
"_Nai'e e'yl noekhir._" [[I am your fate.]]
Somehow, the blonde's tone had turned to honey, irresistible and compelling. She reached out a hand to her opponent, palm up as if inviting him to take it. She continued to draw close to him with slow, graceful steps. "If I didn't know better," the petite hunter muttered. "I'd say she was trying to seduce him."
"_E'yl methni._" [[Your completion.]] The watchers were amazed to see the other's hand come up to take hers. More astounding still, their joined hands rose to disappear within the darkened cave of the hood. It was easy to imagine that Elena was actually cupping the Old One's face in her palm.
::What is she doing?:: Elena's hood slipped off her head as she turned her face up to his. The angle prevented the shorter Taura from reading her expression.
Taura's hand didn't know whether to clench on the hilts of her throwing knives or to relax and fall to her side. Beside her, she felt the faint, crackling static of Alvin's gathered magic dissipate. If she could have, Taura would have torn her eyes away from the duo to check the others' reaction.
As it was, her stare was firmly locked on the strange pair, light and dark, predator and would-be prey. Did the man's shoulders rise and fall slightly, as if in a sigh?
"_E'yl methrani._" [[Your ending.]] Taura was stunned at the change in Elena's inflection. The blonde's voice had hardened in an instant, turning cold beyond imagination, as cruel as a serrated edge. Although they couldn't understand what she said, her words chilled the watching hunters and mystics alike. Her hand shifted and Taura guessed that she had clamped her fingers on top of the Old One's head. His hand, in turn, reemerged from the hood and clenched in midair.
A scream rent the night. In sheer volume and pitch, it deafened. The agony, the loss and betrayal it expressed was like a knife in the belly. Taura opened her eyes when the first sting of the cry had died marginally, to see the dark figure sink to his knees before the shining form. Elena kept her hold on him, her arm descending as he crumpled.
_Now_ her expression was visible and terrible to behold. Her eyes were huge and blazing, her lips parted to show clenched teeth. She looked savage, bordering on demented, as she stared down at her victim, with no mercy or horror.
The other's hood slid off and Taura gasped. That he was beautiful was a given. What stole her breath was the fact that he could have been Elena's twin brother, for they shared the same fair skin and pale gold hair. The eyes that were clenched in pain sprang open to reveal deep blue irises, the pupils contracted to pinpricks of darkness.
If she was disconcerted, Elena was _not_. She never faltered, never so much as flinched. "_Nai'e etho d'etho._" [[I am death to death.]]
This time, Taura was sure she saw the man's shoulders heave. A strange sound emitted from him.
"_Keldara e'naem dara? S'kahyr? Kah'r nu ell, e'yahwr t',_" [[Betrayed by my own kin, am I? Why? When one falls, so do we all,]] he found the breath to gasp out.
The elfin slayer thought at first that Elena was doing something else to him, but slowly realized that the racking sound was laughter.
"_E'yahwr t'!_" [[So do we all!]]
The laughter seemed to sap the last of his strength and he bent even lower, shoulder shaking. Elena placed her other hand atop his head and closed her eyes in concentration. Taura held her breath; it was starting! Elena was beginning to unmake the Original.
Suddenly, the crouched figure moved, swiftly and without warning. Elena stiffened, eyes springing open in shock.
Taura couldn't tell what had happened. She shifted closer to Alvin and went on tiptoe, craning her neck. Then she saw the scarlet ring blossoming on the white silk of Elena's dress. The Old One raised his head to meet Elena's eyes, keeping his hand on the hilt of the blade buried in her middle. Now, it was he who looked triumphant. "_E'ya k'sh... a etho... eakh k'tani elmet... etho... e'yem,_" [[You cannot be death if you have never experienced it yourself,]] he panted painfully.
::We should attack,:: Taura told to herself. She should run forward and slice the vampire to ribbons. Alvin should burn him to a husk with his magic. Karen should shoot him full of holes. Eiran–
As if he had heard her, the ex-vampire sprang into action. He abandoned his bow and arrow, fists clenched to allow the savage wooden claws full access. The Old One didn't even look when the enraged boy charged towards them. He simply raised his free hand in a warding gesture, never taking his eyes from Elena's.
An invisible hand picked the Turned up and threw him back against the wall as if he were a leaf in the wind. The sick, wet sound of breaking bone was clearly heard, followed by stunned silence. The crumpled figure slumped against the wall and did not stir. Goaded into movement, Taura threw one of her knives without making a conscious decision to do so. The weapon not only failed to reach its target, it carved an elliptical arch and tried to draw her blood instead. She ducked; the blade sang a soft note as it rebounded off the gray-stone wall behind her. It landed on the floor at her feet with a sour clank.
For moments, all that was heard was the ragged breathing of the two cloaked figures. Blood began to drip from the hem of Elena's dress. Lapis eyes locked on each other. Their audience was frozen and anguished. There was a communal gasp when the Old One's hand twisted the blade. Elena blanched and her expression was one that a confused, dying child might wear. One hand slipped from the vampire's head and covered his hand on the hilt.
::Oh, shit,:: Taura thought desperately, her gaze unblinking. ::If she buys it, we're all _so_ dead.:: At the same time, the part of her that believed in a clean kill wanted to shout for the Old One to end it quickly rather than prolong her pain.
Elena's face lost its bewildered look and hardened. The next instant, another tormented cry split the air. The Old One let go of his blade and grasped the wrist above his head with both hands.
"_Mae, naii a'tu kentri etho,_" [[Oh, but I have known death.]] she snarled at him so softly that Taura had to strain to make out the sound. Elena must have done something else that they couldn't see because he screamed again with fresh suffering.
To the watching humans, it seemed as if Elena's glow ran down her hand and encompassed the Original. The light increased so that it was hard to make him out. Then the shining cocoon contracted... shrunk...
Taura could not believe her eyes; he was gone!
Elena swayed, unsupported now. She let out a strangled cry, "Mad-" and then collapsed.
"No..." The denial slipped out of Taura's lips. Elena couldn't lose it now! They all knew that she had to deal with the Power left unanchored by an Old One's undoing. Even as the thoughts ran through her mind, the healer dashed to the white shape on the ground.
Overhead, lightning began to zigzag across the sky. The air was heavy with static, much like when Alvin gathered his power except that this was a thousand times stronger. Madelene's low, non-stop monologue reached Taura's ears in snatches and bits.
"...just have to learn to heal on the fly... some good may come of this, yet... Alvin! Get here!... going to link to you both. You _catch_ and use the Power for stores... where's that fat diviner?...I can heal her, I can heal her," this was murmured more to herself, "... be in time, don't worry... I can do this...have to get that blasted blade out..."
The healer's hands were smeared crimson, as were the knees of her jeans where she knelt in the pool of blood. So much blood – how can anyone survive? Maddy's healing energy was seen as a blue-ish light. She pulled the knife out of Elena with one hand and slapped the other – which was incandescent with Power – on the wound.
A deep rumbling beneath Taura's feet made the hair on the back of her neck prickle. The night almost felt electric with pent up energy now. This couldn't hold for long...
"And done!" Maddy cried, triumph mixed with relief. "Alvin, how are we doing over there?"
"Keep it coming, keep it coming!" Trent dumped a large bag beside the witch, who began taking out one object after another; earthenware, all manner of jewellery, scepters and assorted hand-staffs, a folded up cloak. Taura knew, from their briefing, that these were magical items and he was storing energy in them – sort of like charging the batteries – for future use.
::Too slow,:: she wanted to scream at them, but knew it wouldn't do any good. They were already trying their best.
"I'm going to divert some – Eiran needs help!" Maddy warned. The golden witch spared the attention to give a single decisive nod, concentrating on settling the power into his artifacts.
As the healer sprinted towards the quiet form on one side, Taura watched Elena's eyelids flutter, then lift. She nearly cheered but was too tense and didn't seem to have much motor control. The blonde was momentarily disoriented, then one hand went to the bloody patch in her middle, where only smooth skin remained. She tried to get up and Taura found beside the girl suddenly, helping her to rise. Elena smiled her thanks quickly but wasted neither breath nor time beyond that.
Her eyes unfocused and she seemed to do a mental check, then she nodded. One glance was flicked to Alvin, whose pile of 'uncharged' objects was diminishing rapidly. A second look was shot at Maddy and when Elena realized who the healer was helping, she strode over there rapidly, her bloodied white clothes fluttering bright in the gloom. Taura couldn't be sure but she thought the two women joined in healing Eiran.
::No, idiot! The city, the world! Not the boy!:: she thought frantically. She bounced on her toes a little in agitation. Before she'd worked herself up to scream out loud, Elena reached out a gentle hand to touch Eiran's forehead then left him in Maddy's capable hands and went to Trent.
"That's it!" Alvin said, making a slashing motion with his hand.
"Perfect timing," Elena called to him and told Taura as she ran past her, "Don't worry. I can hold it for a while as long as there is some outlet, no matter how small." Somehow, she'd known what the petite hunter had been fretting about.
Taura was still staring after her in thought when Karen arrived, still wearing her night-vision goggles. "Well. That was exciting," the markswoman said sardonically. "So it's a matter of cleaning up and knotting the loose ends now, is it?"
"A mighty big knot, Oliver," the petite girl replied, watching Elena and Trent standing facing each other, heads bent, hands joined. Out of context, one might think they were praying. The lightning had not gone away, nor had the rumbling underfoot, although neither had gotten to the stage where they were life threatening – yet.
"It's working," Maddy said, appearing beside them. "I can feel it." One of Eiran's arms was about her shoulder as she supported him. "You okay, tea-guy?" Taura spared him a concerned look.
"Okay is about right," he assured. With a bag slung over his shoulder like a strange and golden Santa, Alvin joined them. All five watched the weather-worker and his assistant in silence and anticipation.
Maddy was right, they _could_ feel the tension lightening. At least Taura didn't feel like her hair would start standing on end any minute. "Yes... yes..." Maddy whispered.
And then, suddenly, it was over. The world returned to bland normalcy; no electric air, no lightning in clear skies, no be imminent earthquake. "Somewhere," Maddy said quietly, "A drought's been broken and famine has been diverted."
All the waiting, the planning, the preparation. The adrenaline and expectation. Over.
Taura sagged against Karen in relief, hearing her sigh echoed by the others. And then she straightened.
"That's it?! And all I got to do was throw _one_, measly knife?" she demanded indignantly. "And it wasn't even a hit!"
Author's Notes: Thank you for reading! Please share your thoughts on the chapter!
Notes:
~ Chapter ~
::Thoughts or telepathy::
_emphasis or italics_
Date posted: 9 January 2003
Author's Notes: Taura obviously does not know the Old Ones' language but I know how frustrating it can be to scroll to the bottom of the page for translations, so I'm going to put them in brackets [[like so]]. I hope you find this arrangement more pleasing. It's for reference only, and not really part of the text (Yeah, read it but otherwise imagine that it's not there). Also note that these are not direct translations; syntax, grammar, etc are slightly different. This is basically what would be said if it had been said in English. Phew, what a long-winded note. =)
~ Thirty Two ~
So close. He was _so close_. And Elena had to spoil it.
The cloaked specter withdrew, stepping squarely back into the middle of the alley to face the bright-garbed figure. Behind him, the pathetic-looking bundles of humanity rose and shuffled off, some helping others to retreat to safety. Taura supposed that Jerrick must have given his contacts a silent signal to withdraw with the genuine street people whom they had used for bait.
The dark one took three steps forward. "_Kirr an', ce'rani, e'ya tenua y'juhnua dara?_" [[How is it, female, that you speak the language of my brethren?]] Although she could not understand the melodic words, the man's – using the term loosely – tone was suspicious, faintly challenging, but there was something else there too. "_Kirr an' e'ya kentri na'em kacheyth?_" [[How is it you know my Name?]]
Elena moved forward, seeming to glide. A pool of radiance, softly shining. Watching her, Taura whispered to herself, ::She's beautiful.::
"_Nai'e carth'e e'ya,_" [[I am a part of you,]] she replied, the words sounding completely natural. Taura was no linguist but she didn't think that it was any human tongue she was hearing.
"What are they saying?" she muttered, leaning towards Alvin. The combat witch merely shrugged, eyes intent on the pair.
She couldn't see the Old One's expression with his face hidden within the inky cowl, but Taura thought Elena's brief response had managed to shock him. "_Kae e'ya na?_" [[Who are you?]] The words came out much softer this time, breathy. Taura fancied a tad of disbelief in the timbre of the voice.
"_Nai'e e'yl noekhir._" [[I am your fate.]]
Somehow, the blonde's tone had turned to honey, irresistible and compelling. She reached out a hand to her opponent, palm up as if inviting him to take it. She continued to draw close to him with slow, graceful steps. "If I didn't know better," the petite hunter muttered. "I'd say she was trying to seduce him."
"_E'yl methni._" [[Your completion.]] The watchers were amazed to see the other's hand come up to take hers. More astounding still, their joined hands rose to disappear within the darkened cave of the hood. It was easy to imagine that Elena was actually cupping the Old One's face in her palm.
::What is she doing?:: Elena's hood slipped off her head as she turned her face up to his. The angle prevented the shorter Taura from reading her expression.
Taura's hand didn't know whether to clench on the hilts of her throwing knives or to relax and fall to her side. Beside her, she felt the faint, crackling static of Alvin's gathered magic dissipate. If she could have, Taura would have torn her eyes away from the duo to check the others' reaction.
As it was, her stare was firmly locked on the strange pair, light and dark, predator and would-be prey. Did the man's shoulders rise and fall slightly, as if in a sigh?
"_E'yl methrani._" [[Your ending.]] Taura was stunned at the change in Elena's inflection. The blonde's voice had hardened in an instant, turning cold beyond imagination, as cruel as a serrated edge. Although they couldn't understand what she said, her words chilled the watching hunters and mystics alike. Her hand shifted and Taura guessed that she had clamped her fingers on top of the Old One's head. His hand, in turn, reemerged from the hood and clenched in midair.
A scream rent the night. In sheer volume and pitch, it deafened. The agony, the loss and betrayal it expressed was like a knife in the belly. Taura opened her eyes when the first sting of the cry had died marginally, to see the dark figure sink to his knees before the shining form. Elena kept her hold on him, her arm descending as he crumpled.
_Now_ her expression was visible and terrible to behold. Her eyes were huge and blazing, her lips parted to show clenched teeth. She looked savage, bordering on demented, as she stared down at her victim, with no mercy or horror.
The other's hood slid off and Taura gasped. That he was beautiful was a given. What stole her breath was the fact that he could have been Elena's twin brother, for they shared the same fair skin and pale gold hair. The eyes that were clenched in pain sprang open to reveal deep blue irises, the pupils contracted to pinpricks of darkness.
If she was disconcerted, Elena was _not_. She never faltered, never so much as flinched. "_Nai'e etho d'etho._" [[I am death to death.]]
This time, Taura was sure she saw the man's shoulders heave. A strange sound emitted from him.
"_Keldara e'naem dara? S'kahyr? Kah'r nu ell, e'yahwr t',_" [[Betrayed by my own kin, am I? Why? When one falls, so do we all,]] he found the breath to gasp out.
The elfin slayer thought at first that Elena was doing something else to him, but slowly realized that the racking sound was laughter.
"_E'yahwr t'!_" [[So do we all!]]
The laughter seemed to sap the last of his strength and he bent even lower, shoulder shaking. Elena placed her other hand atop his head and closed her eyes in concentration. Taura held her breath; it was starting! Elena was beginning to unmake the Original.
Suddenly, the crouched figure moved, swiftly and without warning. Elena stiffened, eyes springing open in shock.
Taura couldn't tell what had happened. She shifted closer to Alvin and went on tiptoe, craning her neck. Then she saw the scarlet ring blossoming on the white silk of Elena's dress. The Old One raised his head to meet Elena's eyes, keeping his hand on the hilt of the blade buried in her middle. Now, it was he who looked triumphant. "_E'ya k'sh... a etho... eakh k'tani elmet... etho... e'yem,_" [[You cannot be death if you have never experienced it yourself,]] he panted painfully.
::We should attack,:: Taura told to herself. She should run forward and slice the vampire to ribbons. Alvin should burn him to a husk with his magic. Karen should shoot him full of holes. Eiran–
As if he had heard her, the ex-vampire sprang into action. He abandoned his bow and arrow, fists clenched to allow the savage wooden claws full access. The Old One didn't even look when the enraged boy charged towards them. He simply raised his free hand in a warding gesture, never taking his eyes from Elena's.
An invisible hand picked the Turned up and threw him back against the wall as if he were a leaf in the wind. The sick, wet sound of breaking bone was clearly heard, followed by stunned silence. The crumpled figure slumped against the wall and did not stir. Goaded into movement, Taura threw one of her knives without making a conscious decision to do so. The weapon not only failed to reach its target, it carved an elliptical arch and tried to draw her blood instead. She ducked; the blade sang a soft note as it rebounded off the gray-stone wall behind her. It landed on the floor at her feet with a sour clank.
For moments, all that was heard was the ragged breathing of the two cloaked figures. Blood began to drip from the hem of Elena's dress. Lapis eyes locked on each other. Their audience was frozen and anguished. There was a communal gasp when the Old One's hand twisted the blade. Elena blanched and her expression was one that a confused, dying child might wear. One hand slipped from the vampire's head and covered his hand on the hilt.
::Oh, shit,:: Taura thought desperately, her gaze unblinking. ::If she buys it, we're all _so_ dead.:: At the same time, the part of her that believed in a clean kill wanted to shout for the Old One to end it quickly rather than prolong her pain.
Elena's face lost its bewildered look and hardened. The next instant, another tormented cry split the air. The Old One let go of his blade and grasped the wrist above his head with both hands.
"_Mae, naii a'tu kentri etho,_" [[Oh, but I have known death.]] she snarled at him so softly that Taura had to strain to make out the sound. Elena must have done something else that they couldn't see because he screamed again with fresh suffering.
To the watching humans, it seemed as if Elena's glow ran down her hand and encompassed the Original. The light increased so that it was hard to make him out. Then the shining cocoon contracted... shrunk...
Taura could not believe her eyes; he was gone!
Elena swayed, unsupported now. She let out a strangled cry, "Mad-" and then collapsed.
"No..." The denial slipped out of Taura's lips. Elena couldn't lose it now! They all knew that she had to deal with the Power left unanchored by an Old One's undoing. Even as the thoughts ran through her mind, the healer dashed to the white shape on the ground.
Overhead, lightning began to zigzag across the sky. The air was heavy with static, much like when Alvin gathered his power except that this was a thousand times stronger. Madelene's low, non-stop monologue reached Taura's ears in snatches and bits.
"...just have to learn to heal on the fly... some good may come of this, yet... Alvin! Get here!... going to link to you both. You _catch_ and use the Power for stores... where's that fat diviner?...I can heal her, I can heal her," this was murmured more to herself, "... be in time, don't worry... I can do this...have to get that blasted blade out..."
The healer's hands were smeared crimson, as were the knees of her jeans where she knelt in the pool of blood. So much blood – how can anyone survive? Maddy's healing energy was seen as a blue-ish light. She pulled the knife out of Elena with one hand and slapped the other – which was incandescent with Power – on the wound.
A deep rumbling beneath Taura's feet made the hair on the back of her neck prickle. The night almost felt electric with pent up energy now. This couldn't hold for long...
"And done!" Maddy cried, triumph mixed with relief. "Alvin, how are we doing over there?"
"Keep it coming, keep it coming!" Trent dumped a large bag beside the witch, who began taking out one object after another; earthenware, all manner of jewellery, scepters and assorted hand-staffs, a folded up cloak. Taura knew, from their briefing, that these were magical items and he was storing energy in them – sort of like charging the batteries – for future use.
::Too slow,:: she wanted to scream at them, but knew it wouldn't do any good. They were already trying their best.
"I'm going to divert some – Eiran needs help!" Maddy warned. The golden witch spared the attention to give a single decisive nod, concentrating on settling the power into his artifacts.
As the healer sprinted towards the quiet form on one side, Taura watched Elena's eyelids flutter, then lift. She nearly cheered but was too tense and didn't seem to have much motor control. The blonde was momentarily disoriented, then one hand went to the bloody patch in her middle, where only smooth skin remained. She tried to get up and Taura found beside the girl suddenly, helping her to rise. Elena smiled her thanks quickly but wasted neither breath nor time beyond that.
Her eyes unfocused and she seemed to do a mental check, then she nodded. One glance was flicked to Alvin, whose pile of 'uncharged' objects was diminishing rapidly. A second look was shot at Maddy and when Elena realized who the healer was helping, she strode over there rapidly, her bloodied white clothes fluttering bright in the gloom. Taura couldn't be sure but she thought the two women joined in healing Eiran.
::No, idiot! The city, the world! Not the boy!:: she thought frantically. She bounced on her toes a little in agitation. Before she'd worked herself up to scream out loud, Elena reached out a gentle hand to touch Eiran's forehead then left him in Maddy's capable hands and went to Trent.
"That's it!" Alvin said, making a slashing motion with his hand.
"Perfect timing," Elena called to him and told Taura as she ran past her, "Don't worry. I can hold it for a while as long as there is some outlet, no matter how small." Somehow, she'd known what the petite hunter had been fretting about.
Taura was still staring after her in thought when Karen arrived, still wearing her night-vision goggles. "Well. That was exciting," the markswoman said sardonically. "So it's a matter of cleaning up and knotting the loose ends now, is it?"
"A mighty big knot, Oliver," the petite girl replied, watching Elena and Trent standing facing each other, heads bent, hands joined. Out of context, one might think they were praying. The lightning had not gone away, nor had the rumbling underfoot, although neither had gotten to the stage where they were life threatening – yet.
"It's working," Maddy said, appearing beside them. "I can feel it." One of Eiran's arms was about her shoulder as she supported him. "You okay, tea-guy?" Taura spared him a concerned look.
"Okay is about right," he assured. With a bag slung over his shoulder like a strange and golden Santa, Alvin joined them. All five watched the weather-worker and his assistant in silence and anticipation.
Maddy was right, they _could_ feel the tension lightening. At least Taura didn't feel like her hair would start standing on end any minute. "Yes... yes..." Maddy whispered.
And then, suddenly, it was over. The world returned to bland normalcy; no electric air, no lightning in clear skies, no be imminent earthquake. "Somewhere," Maddy said quietly, "A drought's been broken and famine has been diverted."
All the waiting, the planning, the preparation. The adrenaline and expectation. Over.
Taura sagged against Karen in relief, hearing her sigh echoed by the others. And then she straightened.
"That's it?! And all I got to do was throw _one_, measly knife?" she demanded indignantly. "And it wasn't even a hit!"
Author's Notes: Thank you for reading! Please share your thoughts on the chapter!