A/N: I know, I know, I am a terrible person and haven't updated in FOREVER. sigh But at least I am updating now! nervous chuckle Hope you like it, tell me what you think. And thank you so much to my reviewers; I hope you all aren't toooo mad at me!
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Keladry of Mindelan was bored. She had sat for what felt like hours, seeping her hand in a potion that made her eyes water. Neal was frantically pacing back and forth inside Kel's room at the local inn, muttering to himself and nervously glancing at Kel every few minutes. And her patience was wearing thin. He had already burned her best riding gloves and forced her to change shirt and cloak so he could burn those too.
"You are over-reacting," she stated bluntly, "If the poison had gotten into my bloodstream I would be feeling its effects by now wouldn't I? Making me sit here with my hands in…in this," she glared down at the bowl, "and drinking that vile stuff is pointless and a waste of time." She took a deep breath, "We should be out searching for Dom."
Neal gaped at her, "Do you know what that was that you picked up? It isn't just some hedgewitch's charm! That is powerful dark magic that could kill you!" His face flushed and he raised his voice, "You are insane!" He threw his hands up and took a seat on the edge of the bed. Kel tried to twist around from her position at the desk to see Neal's face without much luck.
"Neal I'm fine."
"Fine? FINE?" He jumped back up and resumed his pacing. She sighed. He was unable to communicate with so long as he was this upset. She busied herself with examining her nails under the clear liquid. If her hands hadn't been forced into the glop she would have thought it was water.
Water, she snorted to herself, it has the consistency of oil and slop. Wrinkling her nose, she became aware Neal was talking again.
"…brewed by only the most powerful of mages. Evil mages no doubt. I don't even know if Numair has enough darkness in him to do it." He turned to her. Taking a deep breath and massaging his temples he began the story.
"The inverted torch, the pendant you so carelessly picked up," she glared at him but he ignored her and continued, "symbolizes the extinction of life, or death as it is more commonly known. To touch the symbol itself is harmless, but when combined with the magic of a dark mage, the magic of hate, it is no longer just a representation, it becomes the ender of life." Kel's eyes flicked over to the pendant, shrouded in a protective circle on the shelf. The circle was meant to keep the dark magic locked inside, Neal was taking no chances.
He eased himself onto the floor and leaned up against the wall, "More importantly, the pendant affects different people in different ways. To most, its poison seeps through the skin and kills them painfully. Their heart slows and lungs collapse, it is not a pretty death. But it is short and can be countered if the right potion is available," he added at her shudder. "This is because it is usually meant for one person in particular and only the lightest spells laid into its make-up come to life. The maker selects his or her victim and, essentially programs the deeper spells laid into the charm to react when they come in contact with the one they seek." His face became ashen, "For the one the pendant is made for, death comes very slowly. The agony can spread over days and days, bringing the victim closer and closer to death but forcing him or her to stay alive and suffer. I will not go into detail about what it does exactly," he held up a hand when she began to protest, "Trust me, you do not need to know. It's better if you didn't. By the Gods I wish I didn't." He paused. Then suddenly, "Kel I think it was meant for you."
Keladry looked sharply at him, "What do you mean you think it was meant for me? It was a complete coincidence I picked that up. It was in the mud for Mithros' sake!"
"And it was just a coincidence the bandits were hiding outside of the inn? No bandit in his right mind waits outside of an inn! They stick to trails, waiting for a rich caravan. Why attack two weary travelers fresh off a boat from Tortall? Carthak and Tortall have a fragile understanding as it is, but the King wants this alliance to go through. The people of Carthak know and understand this. They also know to interfere would mean execution!" Neal put his head in his hands and mumbled something else.
"What did you say?" Kel asked.
He raised his head and looked her square in the eye. The next words he spoke were to her face, not his knees, "When you picked that pendant up, it glowed…no, reeked of magic. I can't explain it very well, but even I could see the thing dripping with active spells, as soon as you touched it. Thank the Gods you had your gloves on…" he didn't need to finish his sentence, she knew what he would say next. Or you would be dead.
They sat in silence for some minutes, each contemplating the ramifications of Kel handling the pendant. Kel was the first to break the silence.
"How much longer do I keep my hands in this?" she asked.
"Not long. Unfortunately it doesn't matter much past a few bells of time how long your hands stay submerged. They just need time to absorb the power within the potion."
Kel was suddenly very afraid. Did the poison manage to penetrate her gloves? Something this powerful…who knows what it is capable of. Stealing another glance at the flickering light of the spell surrounding the pendant, Dom sprang to her thoughts. What had happened to him? And why him? To get to her? Was Neal right, was the inverted torch really meant for her? It was almost too much for her to bear. She forced Dom from her thoughts. She could do nothing for him for the moment. Not as immobile as this.
"Kel? Are you alright?" Neal's voice cracked in worry.
She turned to him and forced a small smile, "I am fine, don't worry."
He smiled tiredly at her and for the first time since entering the room she realized his exhaustion from previous nights aboard the ship had not entirely faded. That, combined with the magic he was using to save her life, was draining him. Making up her mind, she withdrew her hands from the bowl. To her surprise, they came out clean and dry. She wiggled her fingers, making fists and attempted to work feeling back into them. Neal watched her in a solemn silence.
After a few moments, her hands began to act as they were supposed to and she moved from the chair to the floor, next to Neal. "You need sleep," she whispered.
He laughed bitterly, "My dear Keladry, I couldn't sleep a wink even if I wanted to."
Kel shook her head and stood, motioning for him to get up as well. When they were both standing, she found their faces incredibly close. Her mind screamed at her, asking her what she was doing. What about Dom? Some part of her brought him back to her thoughts. She found Neal was looking at her intently, searching for something in her eyes. Suddenly his lips were on hers, his hand caressing the small of her back. She tensed at first, but soon relaxed, letting the soothing feeling of his touch flow through her body, sliding her own hands up his arms. He broke the kiss off, color flooding his cheeks, "Kel I…I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. The potion has done all it can, now we just have to wait. I, I really should be getting to bed. Goodnight," he said awkwardly and strode across her room to the connecting door, locking it behind him as he entered his own rooms. He had insisted they lock the outside doors just in case more surprises awaited them as they left one another for the night.
Kel stood for a while after he left, thoughts swirling through her brain. What was it she was feeling for Neal? And what about Dom? Looking back at her hands, she sighed unhappily. Neal had been right, all they could do was wait. Wait to see if the poison carried out its purpose, wait to help Dom, wait to act.
A sudden stifling heat came over her and she hurried to open up the top shutters in her room. She undressed and slid into bed wearing nothing more than a loincloth and the lightest shirt she could find. Tossing and turning, she could feel the heat rising, settling over her like a thick blanket. Finally she could bear it no more and lay down on the cool flagstones facing the door connecting her room to Neal's.
A tear rolled slowly off her cheek and onto the stone. Oh for Mithros' sake! Snap out of it! She angrily wiped the wetness from her face. A light knocking on the connecting door nearly made her yell but she bit her tongue just in time, wincing at the sharp sting. She sat up and heard the lock click open. The door swung out, revealing Neal, clad in nothing but soft breeches.
"Kel?" his voice was hoarse.
She stood and took his hand, pulling him into her room and shutting the door. He buried his face deep in her shoulder and she held him. He looked up, eyes bright, a question in them. She responded by meeting his lips with hers as they kissed for what seemed like an eternity. Suddenly, he scooped her up and carried her to the bed, lying down with her wrapped securely in his arms.
And finally, sleep came inside of Kel's room.
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A/N A/N A/N: What do you think! I for one, am proud of myself for writing so much. It may not seem like a lot but it really directed me down a certain path, as in cough cough Kel and Neal cough. My other story will probably be a KD but for this one, Kel and Neal just…works…. I do have a few questions. First, is the description of the pendant (what it does) too much? I don't want it to be terribly horrifying if that offends readers because I don't mind toning it down. Second, does anyone know what any of these characters wear to bed? I had some trouble with that one but I hope it seems like it would be something realistic for Tortall. And to clarify a few things: They are in Carthak and at the moment a fragile alliance/understanding, whatever you want to call it, exists. That will change soon though. And the heat Kel experienced (stifling heat blah blah) may turn out to be effects of the poison but for the moment its just fear and stress induced. Sorry this A/N is so long by the way! And lastly, please let me know if things don't seem right or there are any discrepancies. I really want to make this story as good as possible. Thanks again to all my reviewers!