Neal looked ready to kill when Merric had finished speaking. Merric put an arm around his daughter who was shaking and led her to a chair. Emrys ran a hand though his black hair; his hazel eyes worried, Oriana put a hand on his shoulder.
"She's in a deep sleep now Neal" Merric told him. "Your father patched her up"
"No, Merric…she's in a coma and…slipping away. Father told me," Neal whispered, fighting back tears. He put his head in his hands and sighed heavily, collapsing in a chair. "Who did this?" he demanded softly.
Amyl looked up, pale blue eyes filling with tears. "Jarvis of Stone Mountain"
Both Merric and Neal looked dazed for a minute. Their nemesis' bloodline had continued.
"Oh gods!" Neal whispered, stood from the chair and walked inside the infirmary. The others stood to follow but Merric shook his head, Neal had to speak with his daughter alone.
In the infirmary"Sprout?" Neal whispered, grasping her hand.
Midori shuddered at her father's voice; Neal realized it was bringing her out of the deep coma. He continued, "That boy could've killed you today…" "I could take you out of this, you know?" "Listen sprout, I just don't want you getting killed"
Midori then spoke. "I know da. I told you I'd train hard and I will…" She slipped back into unconsciousness.
"Don't let go…" Neal then placed his two forefingers on her forehead and anchored himself to the living and attached a strong rope of green to the light of her flickering life force. "Don't let go of me," he murmured, pulling her life force from death's grip.
In Midori's mind…Midori fell into a river of black and sank as an invisible hand pulled her under; choking on the foul water she felt a cold hand rest on her shoulder. The flaring, flame red eyes hypnotized her. It was the Black God.
The god of death cupped her cheek. "You look so much like you mother, and yet you are still young," the god whispered. "Come child…your dream was a hopeless dream, it killed you"
"You dare lie to a child, brother?" demanded a voice that sounded like the barking of hounds. "Her father needs her, her friends need her…" A woman appeared, pale skin glimmering and deep emerald eyes questioning. "I cannot tell your future but I can do something for you, child?"
Midori nodded, speechless.
The Great Mother continued, "I want you to imagine yourself back in the that infirmary…five years later, you will remember everything from your page years, the training and lectures…"
Midori felt a hand on her shoulder and all of a sudden, before she could say anything, she felt her body being torn from the ground; a soundless scream tore at her throat as she fell…
InfirmaryMidori woke, gasping, to bright mage lights and the soft sound of breathing. Turning her head slightly she saw her father sleeping, his head on the bed, and one hand grasping hers.
"Da?" she whispered, voice hoarse.
Baird looked at her and chuckled. "He won't wake for a while, collapsed while using his Gift." Midori groaned as she sat up and as Baird took a step back. "What in Mithros' name--"
Midori glanced at her hands, moving her other hand from her father's grip, and wondered had they been that calloused before and her fingers that long?
Midori then threw back the sheets and stood near a mirror, not believing what she saw.
She had grown considerably. She guessed she was about fifteen summers. Her page's uniform had been replaced with that of a squire's.
Realization then dawned on her. She was a squire! To whom she did not know, but she guessed it was someone from the fief Jesslaw.
That meant if she were now a squire, then Emrys, her first year sponsor, would be a knight. She felt a sudden pang of loneliness and remembered Amyl, Oriana and Sheba.
She had to quickly find them and explain. Midori ran out of the infirmary, ignoring the protests of her grandfather.
A voice whispered in her mind, "They will remember you, daughter, but you've been with them ever since page hood"
She found them sitting by the practice courts. "Thank the gods I've found you!"
Amyl smiled at her childhood friend and invited her to sit down. Oriana was dueling with Emrys, their practice swords a blur in the early morning light.
"She's pretty good" Midori commented.
"Oriana's been practicing a lot" piped up Amyl.
"Emrys! Let me have a go!" shouted a boy.
Midori turned to see a light-skinned black man of 16 walk over to them.
"Pick your challenger, then Kalen" Emrys grinned.
"I choose Midori of Queenscove, if she'd be so kind" Kalen grinned flirtatiously.
Midori's stomach did funny things as he passed her a practice sword and their hands brushed, for the barest of seconds, still she blushed. "I would be honored"
"Quit flirting you two and get on with it" Emrys joked.
Nodding she stood and rested her blade against Kalen's. Without warning, Kalen lunged and sidestepped and blocked as Midori blocked and let her blade swing in a wide butterfly sweep.
Kalen and Midori found themselves hilt to hilt. Midori found her face felt suddenly warm and a lightheaded feeling overcame her. Kalen grinned and brought his heigh and weight to bear down on the smaller woman.
Midori stood her ground but her knees collapsed and she felt the practice sword's blade at her throat.
"Does milady surrender?" Kalen asked, a smile tugging at his lips, a strange glint in his dark eyes.
"I do"
As they headed to the mess hall, Amyl and Sheba congratulated Midori in the fair fight and Midori scoffed as Oriana came up behind her and whispered. "I think Kalen has his eyes on you"
"Oh Midori you are so lucky" squealed Amyl as she wrapped her arms around her friend's neck in a half-hug.
"This could get interesting" Midori thought as she joked with her friends.