Jarvan swept into the palace with Shyvana in his arms and pushed past the queries of the guards at the main doors, Delancey bustling in behind him. She paused at the massive double doors and looked back over her shoulder with a troubled frown on her face. Kranoff Dillich stood at the far end of the entrance
hall, confusion plastered on his face and his fists posted on his waist. He raised his hand to stop the Prince. Though he was curious, he was also cautious; the prince was on a warpath and it showed on his face and in his tread.
"Good evening, Lieutenant Colonel, Prince Lightshield." Colonel Dillich said with an even tone that didn't betray any emotion. He glanced down at the dragoness and felt ice settle in his stomach. "What happened, is she alright?" Her face was deeply flushed as she lay in Jarvan's arms, her chest rising and falling rapidly. She groaned and squirmed in discomfort, grabbing a handful of Jarvan's tunic.
"I believe so." Jarvan growled, impatience hurrying his words, glancing over his shoulder as the main doors slammed shut. He took a deep breath and then calmed himself before looking up at Dillich and meeting his gaze with a hard stare. "Something she ate didn't agree with her. She collapsed just before we started our return."
"Perhaps we should take her to the infirmary, sire?" Colonel Dillich said, waving his men forward to assist, but Jarvan shook his head, forestalling the soldiers approach with a foreboding frown.
"I shall retire to my quarters." Jarvan said doing his best to match the colonel's firm tone. "I'd like to let her rest there. Please send for her commander at once, I'd like to speak with them and I have a few questions to be answered as well."
"Sire?" The colonel said with the hint of a question hurrying his words. "It is rather late, perhaps it would be best to let her rest in the infirmary before returning her to the barracks in the morning?"
"No, I'd like to keep an eye on her myself." Jarvan growled, a touch of menace lacing his voice, warning the officer that the issue was not up for discussion. "Send for her commander at once. I don't care how long it takes, I want to see him tonight."
"Right away, sire." Dillich read the seriousness in the prince's face and nodded. He turned to one of the runners who had been trailing behind him as he wade his evening rounds of the castle. "Send for Lieutenant Vorscham from the garrison." He paused for a moment and frowned. "And Gunny Alicia Juniper. She's been spending a lot of time with the dragon-girl recently." The courier snapped off a salute and then dashed away.
Vorscham is her commanding officer? Jarvan shook his head. "Kranoff."
Dillich looked surprised, but hid the expression by standing up straighter. "Sir?"
"Where is my father?" Jarvan said, glancing beyond the officer, deeper into the palace.
"He retired early, sire." Dillich said with a frown, glancing behind him. He tried not to let his nerves worm their way to the surface of his expression but he was starting to get more and more uncomfortable with the situation.
"Blast." Jarvan growled, frowning.
"Shall I wake him, sire?"
"No, let him sleep." Jarvan growled, shuddering a bit. He shifted Shyvana in his arms, taking care not to let her head roll away, keeping it rested against his chest. "I want you to beef up the guard tonight. Have guards posted outside my parents quarters, and mine as well. Make sure all personnel are on high alert. Post patrols around the grounds and have routine sweeps of the palace hallways throughout the evening."
"Expecting an attack, sire?" Colonel Dillich said with a nervous chuckle. Color drained from his face when Jarvan merely glared at him. "R-right away sir!" He started barking orders to his men, summoning more couriers to carry orders to the garrison, and sending his men off to begin increasing the guard presence around the palace.
"Come on, Del." Jarvan growled, watching as the guardsmen scampered away. His cloak billowed behind him as he set off with massive strides carrying him through the castle. "Watch my back, I'm hesitant to trust anyone at this point..."
"You're really worried aren't you." Delancey said with a nervous frown. Jarvan glanced left and right down a deserted hallway, pausing for a few moments to listen before peeling off down the side hallway to avoid his normal route. Delancey paused, watching the palace silently as the steady clatter of a pair of heavily armed guards jogging by slowly faded away. She stepped backwards into the hallway behind Jarvan, taking off at a jog to catch up.
"Of course I am." Jarvan snapped as Delancey fell in beside him, watching as she jogged alongside him, sometimes jogging backwards to watch behind them. Jarvan paused again at another intersection to check it was clear, gritting his teeth as he started his strides through the hallways again, heading for the stairs that led up the tower to his quarters. "The last time I thought I was safe in my quarters when I was being threatened, I was nearly assassinated. I don't want to take any chances until we have some idea about what we're dealing with." His voice trailed off as if he was thinking.
"Assassinated?" Delancey repeated after several long moments of silent walking, swallowing hard, her throat now dry.
"Swain of all people." Jarvan said with a grin that smacked of appreciation and resentment. "I was only thirteen at the time."
"I didn't realize your history went that far back." Delancey said with a grimace. She paused at the base of the massive circular staircase as Jarvan started mounting the steps three at a time. She waited till the hall cleared then headed up behind him, her boots clanking on the stone.
"Unfortunately, yes." Jarvan said, shaking his head. He paused at the intersection and then continued, his pace picking up again. "I do not think this is Swain's work, though. This seems too... amateurish. Not directly at least."
"Then who?" Delancey said, jogging past him to open the door to the Suite of rooms that belonged to the prince. "You think he would hire someone?" He swept in, careful to mind Shyvana's feet and head, moving towards the bedroom.
"I don't know." Jarvan said with a frown. "That's exactly what I want to learn." He laid Shyvana gently down on the bed, pausing as Delancey pulled the outer doors closed and then waited, her ear pressed to the door to ensure no one was following. She nodded to herself as she locked the door and then followed Jarvan into chambers, glancing nervously around the contents of Jarvan's bedroom. Delancey shut the doors and then took a deep breath, sighing heavily. She glanced over her shoulder and nodded at Jarvan. He sat down next to Shyvana and sighed, leaning heavily on his knees as he ran his hands over his face. He looked to the dragoness, watching as she tugged at the sleeves of her cloak, her entire body quivering slightly. He blushed as she rolled over and he got a fair view of her cleavage, the buttons of her tunic having come loose. He put it out of his mind and leaned over, pressing the back of his hand to her forehead. Her body is so warm. She has a fever? He paused. Do dragons get fevers?
"You alright, sir?" Delancey said as she cranked the lights up and started to move around the room, looking out the windows and checking the doors to the balcony that hung from one side of the tower. She frowned, jiggling the handles and giving them a firm tug, nodding to herself when she was satisfied that the doors were solidly locked. "You look a bit out of it."
"I'm growing tired of these cloak and dagger games." Jarvan said with a frown. "My father is the one who loves this soft warfare, not I. It stresses me to no end to constantly have to watch my back like this." He glowered a moment, leaning back and looking Shyvana over. She had curled herself into a ball, pulling her knees to her chest as sweat beaded on her forehead, her mouth moving slowly as she murmured to herself. He shook his head as he began to tug on one of her boots, frowning as the shoe began to give him trouble. Shyvana giggled and she kicked gently back at Jarvan as he struggled with the boot. "Come on, you stubborn bastard..." He snarled, but the noise died in his throat, lacking both the power and the vehemence to make the noise menacing. "How is it that a boot can be so difficult to remove?" Jarvan growled.
"Jarvan... stop..." Shyvana murmured, giggling again. "You're going to make me..." She squealed as Jarvan gave the boot a tug.
"What in the word is she thinking right now?" Jarvan looked exasperated as he dropped the boot, still snugly seated on Shyvana's foot. "How can it be so difficult to get her out of her clothes like this?" Shyvana giggled and rolled away from him. "Come back here!" He growled, flopping backwards and grasping at her boot again as she rolled up in his blanket, taking a deep breath and sighing contently. Jarvan ran a hand through his hair, sweeping it out of his face as he shook his head, sitting up. "Good lord, woman, what in the world?"
"Check the side." Delancey said with an amused smile. "There may be buttons or a zipper." Jarvan frowned, his eyebrow twitching as he flopped backwards again and grabbed the blanket burrito Shyvana had wrapped herself up in and then dragged it towards him. The dragoness shrieked and giggled again, her voice muffled. Jarvan glared at the blanket shrouded lump and his eye twitched a bit. He shook his head when Delancey gave him a shrug that said 'don't look at me' and he sighed. He pealed back the bottom of the blanket and and he undid the button and lowered the zipper on Shyvana's boot.
Jarvan shook his head let out a snort of mirth and amusement. "Thanks." Delancey offered him a teasing smile as she pulled a small box from beneath her cloak. Jarvan raised an eyebrow, but watched silently as she raised the box and held it out at arms length. She pressed a button on the top of the box and then stepped backwards as it began to glow. She left the box hanging in the air and then crossed her arms over her chest, waiting. The box glowed a brilliant green, casting an eerie glow across the room, finally fading back to its dull brown color. It blinked green once and then gently floated to the ground.
"No problem." Delancey said as she stepped forward and picked it up with a deft sweep of her hand. She pressed the top of the box twice, rapidly, and it blinked green once. She nodded and then looked to Jarvan. "The room is secure, sir."
"What exactly is that little thing?" Jarvan said as he pulled Shyvana's other boot off. She flipped the dragoness' blanket wrapped legs over his shoulder and listened to her sigh appreciatively, giggling again. He shook his head as he accepted the little box as Delancey handed it over to him. He held it in his hand, surprised as how much it weighed considering it wasn't much larger than a small jewelry box. He poked it once, but it sat silent in his palm.
"Just something Lee gave me to sweep rooms for invisibility charms, peeking spells, listening incantations, and all sort of other malicious things." She shrugged. "It'll glow red if someone casts a malicious spell in the area, which I've set to be this room. Press the top down firmly once to let it begin passively monitoring the room."
"I see..." Jarvan said, reconsidering the little box. He set it down on his bedside table and pressed the top once and watched as the top of it began to glow a dim green, like a distant star. "Handy." He glanced over his shoulder at the lump of blankets behind him as Shyvana struggled to get free. Jarvan shook his head and then began to sort the blankets out, freeing her from the warm, soft prison she had managed to get herself caught up in.
"I use it to sweep my bedroom and most bathrooms." She said with a bit of a frown. "It's surprising what you'll find."
"I see what you mean." Jarvan said. "Thanks."
"Of course." Delancey said, with a nod. "But as payment for lending it to you, I'd like you to let me in on your plan."
"Plan?" Jarvan said, frowning. Delancey posted her fists upon her narrow hips and glared at him.
"Yes, your plan." She said with a frown. "You wouldn't have issued all those orders if your weren't planning something. I saw the cogs working. Now spill it."
Jarvan glowered but nodded. "I have a hunch that with the added security, whoever is tailing me is going to either get spooked and run, or get spooked and make their move early. I'm banking on it being the later."
"You're using yourself as bait." Delancey said, her frown deepening. Jarvan shrugged.
"Yes and no." He frowned. "I was hoping I'd be the bait and have Shyvana spring the trap after what would appear to be a long evening of love making." Color flooded Delancey's cheeks but she said nothing. "With Shyvana somewhat incapacitated, I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do, but for now, I'm content with just waiting for answers."
"Are you sure that's safe, though?" Delancey asked hesitantly.
"No." Jarvan admitted as he shrugged. "But I'm tired of running in circles and trying to pin down shadows. I want some hard evidence and this is the first solid lead I think I've got." Delancey ran a hand over her face.
"What're you going to do if you get yourself or Shyvana hurt... or worse yet, killed?" She growled, glaring at the prince. "One of you ends up dead, the other heartbroken, or you both wind up wounded or dead." She crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. "I don't think this is smart, sir. You're asking for trouble."
"Fine, pull in a few guards and have them posted in the outer room." Jarvan said, shrugging. "Just stay quite. When Vorscham and Juniper get here, have them stand by as well." Jarvan ran his hand over his stubble covered chin. "If something doesn't happen in the next few hours, I doubt anything will happen at all." He paused, glancing at the clock on the top of the mantle over the fireplace. "Say one o'clock. If nothing happens by then, I think we're in the clear."
"Very well, sir." Delancey said, frowning. She obviously was uncomfortable with the plan, but she didn't look ready to oppose it either. "I'll be outside if you need me." Jarvan stood up and saw her to the door.
"Of course." Jarvan said, nodding his head slightly. "Good evening, Sergeant." She bowed as she pulled the door behind her.
As the doors to the room closed, Jarvan lowered the hextech lantern lights down to their lowest setting, barely a warm glow cast around the room. He glanced as the clock again, frowning. They had lost a number of hours to the late start to the day, and their sightseeing and wandering around the city had cost them most of the daylight of the day. The visit to the ambassador had cost him another few hours and now the sky was pitch black. The snowfall had begun to pick up again and as Jarvan paused at the large, heavy doors that ran along the balcony, he frowned, the snow was now well above his knee.
Anyone crazy enough to do something like trying to ascend the tower in this weather is definitely mad enough to try and attack us here. Jarvan frowned, glancing towards the edge of the balcony. It wasn't a particularly dangerous climb if you knew what you were doing, but in the darkness and the snow, it would be exceedingly difficult. Jarvan snorted. I'll have to check in the morning to make sure that no one fell to their death and froze. He kicked off his boots with a bit of effort and then hung his heavy cloak on a coat rack that stood near the door to the main room. He rolled his neck and felt it pop. He hesitated a moment and then striped his tunic off, tossing it into the doorway to his closet.
Jarvan sighed as he sat down heavily on the edge of the bed and yawned, running a hand over his face again. Most of the light in the room now came from the crackling fireplace that stood along the far wall, beyond the foot of his bed. It gave off enough heat to warm the room; Jarvan could feel it on his hands and his face as he stared into it. Something shifted on the bed behind him and he felt warm skin brush against his back. Shyvana crawled out from the blankets looking blurry-eyed and glanced about, a soft smile upon her still-blushed face. She saw Jarvan and then crept out from under the blanket, pushing herself under his arm and then collapsing into his lap with a happy smile, her eyes fluttering somewhere between open and closed.
"You know, I'd ask when you managed to lose your clothes, but I'm more impressed then surprised." Jarvan said, chuckling softly as Shyvana glanced up at him with happy eyes. She smiled sweetly, and then snuggled down into his lap with a satisfied sigh.
"I've learned to do a lot of things that would surprise you." Shyvana whispered, giggling slightly at her own joke. Though the exhaustion in her voice hid most of it, her tone was full of innuendos and invitations that made the room immediately feel warmer.
"Apparently, someone is instilling a soldier's sense of humor in you too." Jarvan said with a teasing grin. He ran a hand along Shyvana's bare shoulder, relishing the warmth of her skin as she shivered. Jarvan could feel her hot breath against his skin and Shyvana glanced.
"The things I've heard appalled me at first, but I began to realize it's simply a soldier's way of dealing with stress and loneliness." She said with a weak attempt at a shrug. "Judging from the way most soldiers talk, it's surprising you made it two years out in the middle of the wilds..." Shyvana wore a smirk that filled in the implications she had left out.
"There were times when it became an overwhelming desire, but at the same time, I have enough willpower to control it." He shrugged. "Though, having maidens throwing themselves at me always made it pretty easy."
"You're a pig." Shyvana said with a snort, shaking her head. She pulled herself out from Jarvan's lap and sat up, tossing her braid over her shoulder and glaring at Jarvan with a mix of a exasperation and lust. Jarvan tried not to chuckle at the expression, but he shrugged and smiled. Jarvan lay back and grinned as he laid his head in Shyvana' s lap as she sat back. He looked up into brilliant magenta eyes and a flushed face that leaned down and met his lips. Shyvana kissed him tenderly, blushing a bit deeper before she sat up and ran a hand over his head, stroking his hair gently.
"Call me a reformed man." Jarvan said, bringing his arms up and running his hands up Shyvana's sides. She shivered and her face blushed deeply as she looked down at him. "Already good to go?" He said with a grin and a raised eyebrow.
"Shut up." Shyvana said, blushing a deep red color as she glanced away nervously. "My body has been feeling weird ever since we left the ambassador's shop."
"Yeah, you had us pretty worried there for a while." Jarvan said, frowning. "You're not allergic to dark chocolate or anything, are you?"
"I don't think so..." Shyvana said, looking displeased. "At least I hope not." She paused. "It just makes me all warm and tingly." She said blushed furiously, and glanced away nervously. "My mind goes all fuzzy and I can feel butterflies in my stomach." Jarvan tried not to grin. "And when I think about you..." Her voice trailed off as she blushed furiously, glancing away. She began to nervously tug on her braid.
"What else?" Jarvan prompted, poking her stomach, and watching her start momentarily.
"What do you mean 'What else?'" Shyvana said, meeting Jarvan's gaze and then glancing away again.
"I'm pretty sure you were going to say something else." Jarvan said with a sly grin. Shyvana shook her head, embarrassed, blushing furiously as she shoved him off her lap with such force that Jarvan ended up sprawled on the ground next to the bed. Shyvana hadn't even been looking and she glanced over the side of the bed, blinking in surprise. "Jarvan?" She yelped, frightened by her own strength. He groaned as he rolled over and sat up, shaking his head.
"Ow..." Jarvan grumbled, running a hand over the back of his head. "You know, I don't think I've ever gotten kicked out of my own bed before."
"Sorry..." Shyvana said, blushing again as she extended a hand. Jarvan accepted it as he hauled himself to his feet, still rubbing the back of his head. "Are you alright?" Shyvana asked timidly. Jarvan tried to look cross, but Shyvana looked so worried and surprised, almost timid, that he couldn't be mad. He patted her on the head and she blushed furiously again. Jarvan grinned as he sat down on the edge of the bad and then laid back, yawning. "You were saying?"
"Well..." She glanced to her lap and blushed a deep shade of red. "When I think about you..." He voice was barely a squeak. "My body gets all warm and slick. My head gets all fuzzy and I can't think straight..."
"Oh." Jarvan said, blushing slightly. "Well, uh..."
"Sorry." Shyvana said softly, pushing her hands into her lap and twiddling her thumbs. "I have trouble controlling it."
"It's involuntary." Jarvan said, chuckling, a grin on his face.
"Do humans experience things like this?" Shyvana asked as Jarvan pushed himself up and laid back, pulling a pillow under his head with a yawn.
"Sorry, that wasn't from talking to you..." Jarvan murmured, looking to Shyvana. She started to shake her head but she yawned as well, stretching her back languidly, exposing razor sharp canines. She blushed as bit, but she dropped down next to Jarvan, blushing as she smiled, wrapping an arm around his chest.
"Don't worry." Shyvana said, shaking her head. "It's just been a long day. Can I just take a nap here, spend a little more time with you?" She shook her head, burying it into the sheets next to Jarvan's chest. "I don't want to go back to the barracks tonight, Jarvan."
"Why, what's wrong?" Jarvan said, a frown cresting his face.
"I'm not welcome there." Shyvana whispered, resting her chin on Jarvan's chest. "The others, they spread rumors and talk behind my back. Whispers of things they say about you and I." Jarvan felt a shiver run through her shoulders. Jarvan rested his hand gently along her back and hugged her close. "But that's not all... they're afraid of me, Jarvan. They're terrified."
"I don't care what they say and neither should you." Jarvan said, trying to smile and cheer her up. "You'd never hurt them and both you and I know that."
"For some reason I get the sinking feeling that everyone would tell me I should care about what they should think, though." Shyvana said, poking him in the chest.
"Yes, well..." Jarvan started, glancing away. Shyvana chuckled softly and pressed up against him.
"It's good to know you care, though." Shyvana said smiling. Jarvan ran his hand along her hair and snorted. "So please, can I just spend a little while longer with you? I don't want to go back, yet."
"Alright." Jarvan said, holding onto her and giving her a warm smile. "Just as long as you hold onto to me tight like this, you can stay as long as you wish."
Jarvan felt heat against his body, and his eyes fluttered open. The flicker of orange firelight danced upon the ceiling. He glanced to the left and to the right, looking for Shyvana, but there was nothing to be found, only the empty, cool sheets to keep him company. Again, a wave of heat washed over him and he glanced back towards the door. Smoke poured from the cracks of the door, orange light flickering from underneath.
Fire?!
Jarvan leaped to his feet and dashed to the door. It was hot to the touch when he pressed his hand to the wood. He flung the door open and yelped. Fire leaped at him like gremlins poking at his feet, dancing mercilessly as he stepped back, heat scorching his face.
"Shyvana!" Jarvan shouted into the the veil of orange fire, but as he inhaled to shout again, he sucked in heat and smoke and he doubled over coughing. His palms sizzled as they touched boiling hot stone. He snarled in pain and tossed himself back, crashing to the ground as he looked down at his red and black palms. He shielded his eyes against the fierce orange light, but he could already feel the flame jumping out to great him, creeping slowly forward. He stumbled backwards, trying to keep the panic from setting in, but he could already feel an icy claw gripping his chest.
He spun and stumbled over his own feet as he tried to run to the balcony. He crashed to the ground, his knee cracking against the marble and pain blossoming in his leg. He tried to roll, but his hip landed hard on the stone as well and he felt tears start to form in his eyes as pain now surged through his lower half. The roar of flames and the terror of the encroaching inferno pushed him to his feet though, his legs both protesting, threatening to give way. Jarvan limped to the door of the balcony and threw it open.
Icy wind carried the screams of his countrymen and the scent of charred flesh and burning buildings. Jarvan froze as he looked out over the proud city of Demacia.
"Wha..." He stammered. Gone were the gleaming gold and white spires with their banners flapping in the wind. They had been replaced with hollow shells of fire-blackened structures and haunted ruins. Smoke blacked out the sky, and the horizon glowed an menacing, ominous red-orange. The streets ran red with blood and the screams of man and woman, adult and child, echoed like a haunted banshee's cry riding upon a gale of wind.
This was no longer his home, it was a virtual hell on Runeterra.
"What..." Jarvan murmured under his breath, at a loss for words. "What has happened!?"
Fire began to blister his back as the entirety of his room was consumed in a raging, boiling inferno of flames. They licked at his heels and he stepped into the snow, the back of his legs now pressed against the railing of the balcony. He glanced over his shoulder, watching as the drop below him seemed to grow, extending and getting higher and higher. Jarvan's throat had been scorched dry as he tried to swallow his fear. He slid over the edge of the balcony and started to lower himself, stretching his toes down towards the balcony below, but his fingers slipped.
Jarvan watched as the fire blackened sky dominated his vision, and the falling sensation overwhelmed him, his stomach sliding up his throat, the burning in his esophagus replaced with the bubbling sensation of vertigo. The world began to swirl around him. Jarvan clamped his eyes shut, waiting for the impact.
…
Jarvan opened his eyes and glanced around. Pure white? Jarvan felt an icy claw grasp his heart. I've seen this before... When I was killed... Jarvan tried to swallow, but his he couldn't force anything past the burning in his throat. He pushed himself up and looked around, realizing he had merely been enshrouded in mist. Chilly mud squelched between his fingers. He lifted some to his face; the mud was oily, black, and stank of iron, of blood.
The oppressive stench of rotting meat began to sting his nostrils, scorched by the magics that were wielded like weapons of mass destruction. Jarvan realized that it wasn't mist as the dry heat descended over him. The scents in the air were replaced with the smell of wood smoke and the cloying stench of overcooked meat. It was a greasy smell that stuck to the inside of your nose and made your eyes water. The air was hot and dry, all of the moisture burned away. Water was only just returning to the air as steam rose from the ashes of houses and bodies that lay strewn everywhere. The heat scorched Jarvan's lungs, and while he wanted to cough, the thought of opening his mouth cause his stomach to turn. It was difficult to breathe, the smoke everywhere, now growing heavy with the growing dampness in the air. It pooled close to the ground like a foul, insidious liquid.
I have seen this before... Jarvan felt his stomach began to churn again. The dragon's massacre—the entire village. Jarvan paused and looked around. There's something... different...
The sounds of battle raged in the distance, and Jarvan looked to the skyline, a massive mountain rising in the distance. Its peak was hidden by the smoke and signs of war, the impenetrable haze of death that had settled across the land almost completely shrouding it from view. Fires and smoke still burned in places, casting eerie shadows across the destruction. Monsters and demons seemed to jump out in every direction, and the horrors of war were evident everywhere.
He paused.
This is different than before... I had Shyvana by my side... He blinked a few times and then urgency began to overwhelm him. "Shyvana!" His voice echoed around him, but it was soon consumed by the distant crash and splash of tactical magic spells and the clang of steel. The shouts of anger and of pain carried from the distance, harkening Jarvan back to a time long past.
As he began to move slowly through the desolation, he felt a mix of horror and disgust rush through him. The destruction was absolute; nothing had gone untouched. The remnants of a child's dollhouse lay scattered amid the mud, boot prints and blood splattered across it like the most horrifying of wallpapers. Demacian and Noxian uniforms decorated the many bodies, blood stains darkened to the shade of pitch and stinking of rot and gangrene. Jarvan paused, pulling the emblem from the chest of one soldier, feeling his heart tighten in his chest.
"This was no battle," Jarvan tried to quell his stomach. "This was wholesale slaughter." He tried to push on, but his feet began to feel of lead as the scenery began to wear on him. He felt his body growing weary, dreading pushing further through the desolation.
A flash of red upon the ground, a brilliant crimson, caught his eye.
"Shyvana!?" Jarvan exclaimed, his heart nearly jumping out of his chest. He bounded forth, stepping through mud, blood and guts, nearly crashing to the ground as he dropped to his knees, sliding the last few feet. A knot of Noxian soldiers lay strewn across the pool of red hair, obscuring much of it from vision. Some of them had been burnt down, others had been smashed by a heavy wooden beam and then burned to the blackened remnants of a barely recognizable human corpse.
No no no no... Jarvan shook his head, refusing to let his memory remind him of the scene he had seen like this before. His heart ached as he tossed Noxian corpses aside, trying to free Shyvana from the tomb of bodies. A body came apart in his hand, the squelch of still-warm-blood splattering across his face threatening to cause his stomach to finally give way. A another corpse's skin came away in a greasy sheet, clinging to Jarvan's palms like gloves. He shook the skin free and drug the corpse free, tossing it aside.
Ruby locks were stained by smoke and mud. Jarvan grimaced, his heart pounding in his chest, thundering in his ears as he slowly turned the body over onto her back.
This is wrong... Shyvana was by my side...
Jarvan felt as if the icy claw that had been slowly clamping down around his heart had suddenly ripped his being apart. A look of terror was frozen on the remaining half of Shyvana's face. The other half was burned away, only blackened flesh left to cling to the skull. Jarvan felt bile rise in his throat as tears stung his eyes. He leaned down, resting his forehead against hers.
"No... it can't be..." Jarvan gasped, his voice a mere croak. "Shyvana..." He cooed gently, brushing a few locks of hair from her face. "Shyvana..." He repeated, his voice frozen in his throat.
A single black raven, covered in oily black feathers lighted on a piece of metal that extended from the remnants of a building.
The raven's call was dark and haunted.
The sound echoed around him eerily.
"You..." Jarvan felt fury began to mount in his chest, washing away grief and pain. Pure, unbridled fury began to overwhelm him."SHOW YOURSELF SWAIN!" Jarvan bellowed skyward. "YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!"
Jarvan pushed himself up and took a step forward towards the raven, but he froze when he felt the ground shake and heard something crumble. He looked down and saw the ground crack beneath him, swallowing up the body of his beloved and begin to expand, gobbling up all of the desolation like a massive black hole. Jarvan jumped back and tumbled to the ground. A massive beaked beast exploded upwards from the pitch-colored vortex, rising hundreds of feet above Jarvan. The beaked face was contorted in rage, the cruel face of Swain exploding out of the beak, sneering at him, his laughter echoing through the roar of the monster. A flock of demonic raven twisted and turned, churning like a living, writhing hurricane. The face twisted about, contorting hideously, the echoing laughter taunting and mocking Jarvan as it boomed around him.
Feathery tentacles exploded from where Jarvan was crawling backwards, lacing around his limbs and chest and pulling him down against the ground like the entire weight of the world was crushing down on top of him. Jarvan felt himself getting dragged into the ground, something slimy tightening down around his neck. Swain loomed over him, blackening out the sky above them.
"Jarvan!"
The voice was distant and hollow.
Jarvan could smell Swain's disgusting breath, and feel the heat and saliva that sprayed over him as the bird-demon snarled and shrieked a malicious burst of laughter. Jarvan struggled with the bindings, but they didn't budge an millimeter. He opened his mouth to scream and shout, but he felt his jaw fall open and no sound came out. He looked down and saw his jaw fall away, rotten and black. Jarvan was rocked back as lances exploded outwards from Swain's chest and pierced him in the shoulders and thighs, holding him in place.
Jarvan tried to scream in pain, but he couldn't form the words.
"Jarvan!"
It was louder this time, closer.
Swain loomed just over his head and let his long black tongue hang out of his mouth. It steamed and dripped a slimy green mucous, some of it falling to the ground and sizzling as if it were burning away whatever it touched. Jarvan tried to shrink down into the ground, but he couldn't seem to sink any lower. Like a great snake, the tongue curled around his neck and tightened down. He could feel his flesh tightening and burning, his throat slowly being crushed. The great beak closed down around him, trapping him in pure, utter darkness.
Jarvan began to fall, dropping into a black abyss.
"JARVAN!"
Shyvana!?
Jarvan grabbed onto the voice and held on for dear life. He pictured her face and clamped his eyes shut, trying to escape the disaster, the terror that encapsulated his entire being.
Jarvan's eyes ripped open and he saw a pair of glowing magenta orbs hovering over his face. Jarvan blinked several times, his eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness.
Covered in a cold sweat, his chest heaving and out of breath, Jarvan sat up and ran a hand over his face. He swept his hair from his face and sat up, sweat streaming down his body as his heart drummed in his ears. He breathed deeply as Shyvana swept his hair, plastered with sweat, from his face. Jarvan froze a moment, taking in the worried lines of Shyvana's face before relief came crashing down over him like a wave breaking upon the coast. Jarvan felt his throat burn and he had to wipe his eyes as he stared down into the pale face of Shyvana, her gleaming eyes shimmering in the dim light.
"Shyvana?" Jarvan's voice was hoarse and strained. He cupped her cheek gently, running his hand up the side of her face that had appeared blackened in his nightmare, a chill running up his spine. She took his hand and held it in both of hers, pressing it to her lips and then gently resting it over her chest, letting her steady heartbeat soothe his mind.
"Shh..." She said softly, pulling him slowly towards her. "I'm here." She said softly, stroking his hair as he had done for her so many times before. "What's wrong?" she crooned gently, resting her cheek against the top of her head. "You look as if you've seen a ghost."
"I..." Jarvan froze, shaking his head and sitting up a bit. He still held onto Shyvana's hand, his body unconsciously afraid to let go of it. It seemed so real, so terrifying, as if it hadn't simply been a dream. It felt so... gripping. He took a deep and and looked up at Shyvana, trying to put on a brave expression.
"It was just a nightmare." Jarvan said, running his free hand over his face. "It was... terrifying." He said sheepishly, but Shyvana shook her head.
"I understand completely." She said offering him a brave smile. "You were calling out my name and thrashing wildly though, you really had me scared." She leaned up against Jarvan and breathed a sigh of relief. "I was scared you were dying or something..."
"I don't think so." Jarvan chuckled nervously, taking another deep breath as his chest finally stopped pounding. There's no way that was just a nightmare. Jarvan's heart stopped as he glanced towards the clock and then down at his beside table. Icy needles exploded in his stomach. The light atop the little box on his bedside glowed a brilliant, steady red.
The window exploded inwards in a shower of glittering shards of glass.