Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming...

Chapter Eight: Arrows and a Fall

They set out for Pirate's Swoop right after their filling breakfast. She dressed herself in a long flowing green shirt that went down to her thighs. It was comfortable to ride in and her black breeches matched it well.

The good-byes for George were sad, but were soon cheered up by his dirty jokes. She knew she would miss him on the road, especially when things would begin to get tiresome. Alannna, sulking because she would have to leave her husband, got a reward of many passionate kisses from the baron.

It was noon when they stopped their horses and ate their plain lunch of bread and dried fruit. With Sharpfang sleeping in an empty sack with Romeli's other things, Romeli talked to her horse for most of the break.

They set off again at a quick pace, not minding if they got to Corus early. As Numair told them before, the sooner, the better.

"Oh! You guys, let's play a game!" Daine suggested to the rest of the group. Everyone was beginning to grow bored. "Hmmm. I spy something—green."

"A tree," Numair retorted dryly. In fact, their boring landscape was nothing but green. Alanna sighed. Numair had guessed correctly.

"My turn," Alanna said with a joking grin. "I spy something green."

"A tree," Numair said once again.

Alanna shook her head. "No."

"Romeli's hair?" Daine threw in. Romeli smiled at them innocently.

"No. A bush," Alanna answered.

"I don't see any bushes," Romeli pointed out looking around. All she saw were trees.

"That's because it was all the way back there," Alanna said as she pointed down the opposite direction of where they were going. Romeli laughed.

The rest of the day went quickly as they joked and played down the road. Romeli was surprised when she saw the sun slowly retreat under the mountains, the moon taking its place its place.

Just when the stars began to shine clearly in the night sky, they reached the shore. Romeli breathed in the familiar smell and looked at the ocean. The gentle waves rolled down the beach then slowly retreated back to the sea. She thought of it as the ocean's heartbeat. They made camp quietly by a huddle of rocks.

Animals sensed the two wild mages and sniffed over the camp, welcoming them. The peaceful waves made her forget about the tugging warning of danger.

The second her head touched the bedroll, she fell into a dreamful sleep.

OOO

The atmosphere was thick with the smell of blood as she lay on a cot. Confused, she weakly looked around the room. There were no windows that could make the air less sickening, nor could she see any doors, even though she sensed there was a secret one somewhere.

When Romeli turned her head to see what she was lying on, she wished she hadn't. The table she was lying on was covered in blood. Blood, she noticed that was coming from a very deep side wound. When she tried to move and find a way out, she discovered that her legs and arms were bound to the blood-saturated table.

Panic was swallowed down knowing that such a mood would keep her from thinking straight. She had to get out, and fast. She knew she could use her Gift in such a tremendous conflict, but sensed that doing so would trigger an alarm of some sort.

The room was full of magic. She wasn't supposed to get out, and to her despair, she knew it.

A richly dressed and pale man came in with a whip. "Romeli, this is your last warning. Tell me your secrets."

OOO

The green haired girl woke with a muffled scream. God's that was no dream, she thought panicked. It was still dark with the sun barely creeping over the horizon. Everyone was still sleeping.

For Romeli however, sleep was the last thing she wanted to do. She was drenched in cold sweat making her sticky and begin to shiver.

What was that about? She asked herself silently as she slipped out of her bedroll and headed for a fresh water spring to wash her face. The spring was not far away, only about twenty feet away from camp.

Nothing like this ever happened before. Well except for the visits from the Gods of course. It felt real yet lacked the reality that she had felt in the forest. Like seeing into the future, but I have no Gift like that. Romeli's head began to hurt from the complex thoughts, but soon cleared when she splashed nice cold water on her face.

Who would want my secrets? She shook her head in sadness. Everyone will once they find out more about me. Maybe this is a warning to be extra careful about exposing myself. She set her jaw determined. Don't tell anyone about your powers, your tattoos, anything, she ordered herself. She didn't want to risk being tortured by that vile man in her dream. But one thing that tugged at her mind was who he was. He seemed so familiar, someone important.

Something in her mind told her that such a torture was coming and she could do nothing about it.

Romeli shook her head as if to rid the grim thoughts. I need something to do. Anything to get my mind off of this. She looked at Sharpfang who was contently sleeping in his new home. Shadowdancer was also asleep with the other horses.

Romeli sighed. Nothing to do but practice I guess. It's not like I'm going to be the most powerful mage overnight.

Knowing that her plant magic needed the most improvement, she sat on the cozy sand and expanded her magic to about one-mile (even though she could go much more).

She nearly gasped and lost her concentration when she saw the plants. They had the virus. Romeli shook her head in mourn. Most of the cities and the fiefs were suffering from the loss of crops that got sick from the epidemic. The plants around The Tower were healthy because of Romeli, but everywhere else they were suffering.

The virus itself was natural, but spread quickly. When Romeli tried to care for the plants, it drained a lot of her energy, but she could heal for hours if she wanted too.

Romeli did so now. She expanded her magic to all the plants covering a mile, and began to give them the care they needed.

The grass was the easiest. They had few roots and only a few veins that were filled of nutrients. The hardest however, were the trees. They had many roots that were tougher and thicker. The tree's great size and the branches that split from it were complex.

When she finished an hour later, the plants seemed a couple shades greener, and the atmosphere felt brighter.

One thing ate Romeli alive in curiosity however. How come she didn't heal the plants at Pirate's Swoop? Could she have been so ignorant as to not see the poor villagers nearly starving and the plants droop around her feet? But why hadn't Alanna asked for her help? She could've healed the city of their plague.

And I still can, she thought, remembering faded state of Pirate's Swoop regretfully.

When she began, the virus attempted to eat her alive, as they literally bit into her skin to obtain the plant magic. They needed the nutrients she held so badly that they would kill to acquire it. Biting back the searing pain that was mounting, she began to work quicker.

The thing that brought her through such torture was the fact that the villagers were going through much worse, and it was her job to stop it.

When she finished, the sun was up and she was once again soaked in sweat. When she looked around she saw Numair, Alanna, and Daine eating their breakfast. When they saw that she was out of her trance, they set down their food and beckoned her to come over.

She smiled weakly and began to shake in tiredness. When she tried to get up, her legs and arms felt like jelly. Numair suspecting this quickly came over and helped her up. To make sure that his daughter didn't collapse from her own weight, he made her lean on him as he held her tight.

"Thanks." Romeli said once she sat down with the others and grabbed a roll with cheese. She wolfed it down hungrily.

"What were you doing anyway?" Numair asked also sitting down by them.

"I was working on ridding the virus around here and Pirate's Swoop. That virus really tires you out and it hurts," she answered in between bites of another roll. Romeli noticed that her arms had cuts along them. Cursing to herself, she began to heal herself.

Numair swiped her hand away before she could summon her emerald Gift. "Let Alanna do it, you'll faint if you work anymore."

Romeli glared. "I will not! I'm not some weak court girl you know," she retorted, but surrendered to Alanna's healing gift.

"Romeli, you healed the plants at Pirate's Swoop?" Daine asked slightly amazed.

Romeli nodded and relaxed as the pain leaked away. "The virus...It felt like it was tearing me apart. I had to do it though, but it wasn't nearly as horrible as the Chaos Thought."

"You healed all the crops at my home?" Alanna asked, done with the healing. Unexpected tears filled her eyes, but she quickly shook them away.

Romeli nodded in confirmation.

"You just took a huge load off of my mind." Alanna said happier then ever. "How can I repay you?"

"Well you healed my cuts, so let's call it even." Alanna shook her head, not able to take what she was hearing.

Romeli yawned exhausted. Why didn't I go to bed after I had that dream? Mithros, the dream. She groaned quietly as the thoughts loomed back into her mind.

"Why don't we set off, and Romeli, you can sleep on Shadowdancer. I'm sure she won't let you fall."

Romeli nodded half-listening, and trudged to her bedroll to pack her things.

OOO

It had been two days and Romeli still didn't experience any danger. She was in fact beginning to think that for once her instinct was wrong. Nothing was bad about that, but the nagging feeling never left.

They had been on the road for five days and were making good time. Numair calculated that they would arrive at Corus in about four days.

What was once excitement to see the capital soon turned to a tugging nervousness. She was bold, and she knew it, but every once in a while, fear and anxiety would sweep over her. The reason of course was even more terrifying. Acceptance would come hard from many people, especially the nobles who liked things their way. And friendship from other humans besides kin would only be hard to come by, if at all.

They made camp at around lunch, deciding to take a little break for the horses. They had left the ocean a while back and were once again inside the entanglement of endless boring trees. The camp itself was in a small clearing a little ways off of the road.

"I'll be back guys, I need to wash." Romeli told them. She carried her clean linens and her double-bladed staff for safety. The grownups waved her off telling her to come back soon.

As she washed herself, she thought about what may happen at the palace. All of the thoughts, to her despair, were not the most welcoming. What should I expect? It's not like they're going to welcome the green haired girl and crazy eyes with open arms. And once they find out about my magic, they'll run away from me. Ugh, I hate judgment, she groaned as she scrubbed one of her sturdy arms. The next couple of years are going to be very—eventful.

I might as well make the best of it though. How about I explore the forest for old time's sake? Sitting in the water, she thought of a wolf. She remembered Daine and Numair telling her stories of the Long Lake Pack and making friends with the wolves at her own home. She very quickly felt mats of fur grow all around her and her nose became longer and much more sensitive. When Romeli the wolf opened her eyes, she saw black and white, but her eyesight was much keener. It felt good to be one of Old White's kin.

Stepping out of the water, she shook what felt like pounds of water off of her ebony fur. She began to trudge through the forest looking for animals and new sights.

After a couple conversations with a few chipmunks and tree snakes, she realized that her parents and Alanna would get worried if she stayed any longer. Pardoning herself from a very talkative squirrel, she headed back towards the lake for her weapon and clothes.

A sharp jolt at her chest made her yelp in pain and stumble to the ground with a whine. Looking down at her shoulders and chest, she saw an arrow. Two more jolts of pain made her nearly scream. A sickening laugh made her look up to a big man with leather clothes and a longbow. His hair and long beard were matted in sweat and had unclean items collected in them. His bow was in horrible shape and the arrows were dull making the pain in her chest only grow. He looked like a hunter of sorts, but the horrible state of his clothing made her convinced that he was a thief.

"Aren't you a beaut'?" the man said with a smile that made her stomach churn. "You would look quite fine as a fur coat." He started to walk forwards with a long dagger in his hand.

She breathed heavily each breath being more laborious then the last. She growled deep in her throat in defense as he drew nearer. She knew she was dying, not in the way she had expected, but she knew she was. But the last thing she wanted was this filthy man to live while she was courting death. The only way you can do this is fight him. At least if you die, you would stop him from killing more of the People.

And with that as her hope, she weakly rose to face the man. She raised her hackles to show razor sharp teeth made for cutting flesh. Romeli lunged at the man aiming for his throat. The man, not expecting a fight from the dying creature, got toppled over by the weight. Romeli and the man began to roll in a blur of violence with neither of them gaining an advantage.

At last, Romeli bit him right out the neck. Her strong jaws clenched down on the man suffocating him to death. A moment later, the man's chest neither rose nor fell. He the one dying now.

During the vicious fight, Romeli also gained a shallow, yet bleeding cut from his dagger on her paw. She was caked in blood from herself and the hunter. The arrow wounds still sprouted from her body. She limped over to a tree. Losing her control on her wolf form, she morphed back into her natural self and collapsed on the forest floor.

OOOOhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!! Will she live? I have a reputation to kill off main characters you know!!!!!!! Hahahahahahahhardyharhar!

Replies…

Maylee: Hey ya sup yo! Foshizzle! I had no crappin idea that that lingo conflict was there yo. I'll correct it a'ight?

Heartdamoose: Thank you for such the nice reviews! I like the idea for the next chapter, but it doesn't work very well with the story. What do you mean I'm a bad writer?!?! Fine be that way…(mutters about stupid moose) lol.

Nothing else worked: Yes it was a bad cliffie…DUDE DUCT TAPE ROX MY SOX MAN!!! PEACE OUT DUCT TAPE!!! YEAH!!!!

Queen Thayet: you're a queen? Lol jk!!! Wow a speech about duct tape. That's touching. WILL YOU MARRY ME DUCT TAPE?!?! Lol jk! Well fine then, don't give me a poem. Glares heehee. That's okay tho. Some people are just gifted with such abilities looks at self.

Ephona: Wow I loved your poem. It was wonderful!!!! And your such a good reviewer as well. Keep up the good work!

Edster: you know what eddy? Your right. I think you actually meant that the monkey on the door knob is a sign of evil to come, not evil to go up your nose. What was I thinking! Just to let you know, I stole your beans, toast, cheese, nose, and Derek from you yesterday. And if you want them back, you have to sing a song on your head. Of course you can't sing because I stole your head also. Oops. Lol!

Daine: wow Daine is reviewing my story also. Crazy. Thank you, and as you can see, I am writing more.

Jessalae: yes it is quite mysterious. (waves hands in the air mysteriously) lol.

between2worlds: yea I'm not too patient either, that's why I review so fast.

lady thayet: wow two thayets. (looks confused) maybe your thayet's stunt double or evil/good clone or something. Hee hee. Yea I'm good at cliffies.