The Beast Within
Chapter Thirty-Five – Aurora Twilight
Sunset.
The crimson light soaked everything in red and splashing sky above with the most vibrant color anyone had ever seen. Waves of early evening breeze blew past the treetops and whirled wildly around everything that stood. The tree branches rustled and shook, sending pleasant rhythmic sounds around, soothing the listeners' nerves. Flocks of birds moved across the sky and rushed home. On the ground, crickets started chanting.
Tomorrow would be a good day.
In the ascending darkness, Leela found Shandra in her farm, not very far from her burned down barn. The former farm girl stood in the middle of harvested field, in front of a lone scarecrow. Her soft honey colored hair was slightly tousled in the wind. Her fine porcelain features showed certain blankness, suggesting she was in some distant memory.
"Funny how nature turn out." Sensing the air genasi was near, the fighter pointed at the small area not very far from the scarecrow: "Look."
The druid followed her indication and saw a small patch of crops growing in the area. Without anyone tending to them, it was rather surprising they turned out pretty well.
"I must have dropped a couple of them last time I harvested the grains." Shandra sighed in certain degree of contentment: "Now look at them."
"Things often turns out to be completely unexpected," Leela grinned: "Daeghun often told me that."
"Did he?" The fighter turned her head around: "You know... I really would like to meet him some day."
The air genasi thought of her half-elf foster father's eyes for a moment, before the corner of her mouth arched up: "You know…I think he would like that."
The former farmer girl smiled back, before turning her attention back to the scarecrow again.
"We are going to Haven tomorrow, are we?" She asked in feign casual tone.
"Yes."
"Never in a million years I would imagine I am going to the very place I thought only exist in the bed time story mother told me." Shandra shook her head, slightly disbelievingly: "After joining you guys, I suddenly realized there are just so many things that I don't know about. Githyanki, Demons, the King of Shadows, and not to mention my own grandfather!" She suddenly pointed at a small wooden pendant on the scarecrow's neck: "And this, do you know that this is?"
The Knight Captain shook her head. The ornament, roughly carved and stained with time, looked just like other jewelry she had seen. It did have various runes written all over it, however, which Leela did not recognised.
"My mother gave this to me during my first year of looking after the farm on my own." The warrior sighed: "Don't be fooled by its ruggedly appearance, this thing have strange ability to expel birds to come to eat the grains and it had never failed me so far. Now come to think of it, this pendant is probably from my grandfather."
She wrenched the necklace off the scarecrow and stared at the ornament for a few minute before opening her mouth again: "Life is intriguing, isn't it?"
Twilight.
The final hint of daylight slowly faded. Only the ribbon-like aurora lingered, producing eye-catching phenomenon in the velvet sky above. Billions of stars blinked behind the hedge of darkening tree line. The snowfall had just stopped earlier. The clear air was crisp and cold, but somehow bearable. It was quiet. Other than the sound of trees brushing against each other, the only sound was the small animal occasionally moving between the bushes not very far away.
Leela leaned against the rails of one of the now vacant watchtowers, overlooking the Lake of Tears. From there, she could see the lamp on the enchanted boat they came, drifting in and out of the fog hung just above the water. The warm breath she breathed out twirled and whirled around her. Allowing her feet to dangle over the edge, the air genasi took out the small rough wooden pendant that had been tug under her armour. It was the wooden locket Shandra had given her on that evening. The piece of jewelry was the only thing she owned from her past when she woke up in the Barrow. Somehow they forgot to remove it when they cut her open and took away the shard. Starring at the old woodcarvings brought back waves of memories. It also made her feel so surreal. Was that only a few months ago when that farmer girl gave her this? Gods, it felt like a lifetime away.
"Funny how things work." She murmured, tossing the necklace in her hand.
"Depends on what kind of things." The familiar lilting voice disrupted the silence somewhere behind her. The druid did not even need to turn her head around to see who it was: "You certainly take particular enjoyment hiding somewhere high, my sweet."
"How was the feast?" She asked, staring idly at a telthor deer sniffling around the snow below. The familiar sensation twanged inside her again. Gods, has the spirit of Nadaj gone down already?
"You call that a feast?" Gannayev swung his leg over the rail and sat next to her: "That's a standard meal to some Rasheman families. I've seen some better ones."
"Watch it. Delanka tried her best." Said Leela through her arched eyebrows: "Don't be ungrateful. It's probably the best feeding we had in days."
"I am not complaining, nor being ungrateful." The blue hagspawn smirked: "But you can hardly call a meal eating in silence a feast."
"What?" The air genasi chuckled: "Didn't Safiya let Kaji out?"
"She did." The dreamwalker rested his chin on one of his knee: "but even he didn't talk. He was too busy munching the roasted boar. Arh…" He grimaced
"You don't like it, I take it?" Leela giggled.
"Not one bit." Gannayev shook his head half sternly: "And I am not just talking about the amount of small food bits flying at one meter radius around the familiar, either. Although now come to think of it, it was indeed quite disgusting. However, considering I might meet this poor spirit he's eating afterward, burning through my beautiful hide with his evil glare. Like it? No, I don't think so."
The air genasi laughed, finally turning her head around to face the dreamwalker. He was beautiful. Under the deep blue sky, his dark sapphire eyes glittered, reflecting the brilliant star-studded atmosphere above. The moonlight illuminated a faint glow on his handsome feature. His long hair literally shimmered beneath the stars. Noticing the druid was looking at him, the blue hagspawn did not shy away. Instead the corner of his lips curled up. He tilted his head; his eyebrow arched, and stared back at her. The druid felt herself go pink. Very slowly and discretely, she looked away.
"So what are you doing here, my sweet?" Gannayev's glare remained fixed on her.
"I am full."
"You barely touched your first plate, beautiful." The blue hagspawn laughed quietly: "And you don't look like you are on diet, either."
"…How do you know I am not on the diet?" Leela began to flip the wooden pendant between her fingers absent-mindedly.
"Haven't I just said you are not the kind?" The dreamwalker showed the former Knight Captain a tooth-bearing grin: "Arh…some love token from your past, I take it? Is that why you are here? Trying to remember the good old days?"
The air genasi felt heat suddenly rush toward her face by tenfold"…No. It's…I am not here because of that! I…I'm…"
"Not from the old lover of yours? Are you certain?" Gannayev rubbed his chin thoughtfully: "Humph…the ruggedly dark ranger…what was his name, Bishop, gave you this?"
"…Just when I am starting to think you are alright." The druid gaped at the blue hagspawn in surprise before giving out a big sigh: "Haven't I told you not to wander about in my dreams freely? There are some dreams I would prefer to keep just for myself."
"So it was from him then?" The dreamwalker nudged her. His eyes were glittered with some degree of playfulness.
"No." Leela shook her head and glared at him disbelievingly: "Bishop…he gave me that Drow bow. But somehow I think you knew that already."
"So who gave you this? The Paladin?"
"Casavir?" The air genasi's silvery brow arched up: "Gods…why do you want to know? Casavir and I…we weren't even closed…No. He's not the jewelry person. This…this one is from Shandra."
"The farm girl?" Gannayev seemed surprised: "She gave you this?"
"Yeah." The druid handed the pendant over to the hagspawn for a better look: "She had this in her family for years. It is probably past down from Ammon Jerro. According to her, it worked like a charm on—."
"—expelling birds." The dreamwalker finished her sentences in mumbles. Under Leela's half surprised eyes, he pointed at the runes on the wooden carvings: "These…these are Rashemi writings."
"What?" The air genasi's jaw nearly dropped: "How to you know that?"
"I've been living here all my life, haven't you heard?" Gannayev smirked before he moved a little closer to show the druid the details. Suddenly he was inches away from her. She could feel the warm breath tickling her face: "See these strokes here? And the bird like symbol here?…. These are spells."
"I see."
"People in Rashemen commonly use them in their fields," The dreamwalker turned the ornament over, to check the other side: "praying for the spirit's assistance to keep the bird or other animals away from their crops before the harvest."
"Oh." Feeling herself going red tomato again, Leela stuttered, unable to come up anything else to say.
"Shandra…she's the granddaughter of Ammon Jerro? " The dreamwalker frowned, trying to recalled his memory from one of the dreamscape exertions: "The warlock with sparkling tattoo on his face?"
"Yes." Still feeling uncomfortable, the air genasi shifted slightly: "…arh…but he didn't know she was his granddaughter until…until she died."
"I wonder how he got this…"Gannayev laughed lightly, before noticing his companion's uneasiness. Perhaps it was the druid's imagination. Suddenly his blue eyes seemed…darkened.
"What's wrong?" His voice sounded a little hoarser than usual as their eyes locked: "I don't bite, my sweet."
Completely mesmerized, Leela watched as the blue hagspawn reached out his hand and gently ran his long finger along her cheek. The air genasi jolted, and began to shiver, but somehow still unable to tear her gaze away from him.
"As the matter of fact…" Gannayev's finger now moved onto her lips, lightly and slowly pressing them. His voice was now to an almost inaudible whisper: "It's quite the contrary…"
The blue hagspawn moved closer and tilted her chin up. As if she was made of snow, any extra pressure would melt her, he kissed her, feathery and gently. Leela's mind exploded into a thousand stars, and when all the brightness settled, it was total blankness.
Somewhere on the back of her head, she knew. She knew this would happen the minute she saw him in the holding cell, way back in Musantir prison.
It was only the matter of time.
A surge of warmth rose from her abdominal area and quickly spread through her body. The last time someone kissed her like that felt like so long ago. The druid inhaled deeply, allowing the dreamwalker's arms slowly wrap around her shoulders and drew her nearer. Gannayev groaned when Leela opened her mouth instinctively. His kiss deepened and became more demanding. His teeth began to nibble her upper lip and both his hands were now moving up to her face, cupping it between them.
Their breath soon both turned short and haste. The air genasi's arms soon climbed up the hagspawn's shoulders and circled around his neck, while one of the hagspawn's hands rested on the base of her neck to deepen his kiss even further.
"Leela…" The dreamwalker murmured her name as his kiss moved away from her lips, along her chin and down toward the back of her ears. The druid shivered again, and sighed his name as his breath brushed past her ears.
Gannayev's hands fumbled the hem of her tunic and slipped in. Leela inhaled deeply when his fingers touched the bareness of her skin. Her knees buckled. She yarned for more, more of his touch, his kiss, and his everything. The Spirit Eating Curse, the Sword Coast, the Rashmen - were no longer important…
Suddenly, Bishop's face flashed through her mind.
Glaring at her, the dark ranger's usual sulking feature seemed accusing her of something. His hazel brown eyes were hinted with certain sadness, struggles and despair. It was a rather familiar look. Toward the end of their war against the King of Shadows, the former Luskan scout often gave her the same look, without explaining to her why. That look always made her heart ache in places that she previously was unaware of.
The air genasi was jerked awake.
She broke off her kiss with the blue hagspawn and quickly pulled herself away from him. Of course, the dreamwalker was terribly confused.
"Leela?" Panted, Gannayev looked at her quizzically.
The druid waved her arms in front of her frantically and backed toward the ladder that leaded toward the ground below.
"Leela, what's going on?" The dreamwalker was in frown.
Tears started to well up and trickled down her face. Leela shook her head vigorously, while continued to wave her hands in front of her.
"I…." She hiccupped: "I should go."
"What?" The puzzle on Gannayev's face deepened: "Leela? Have I done something wrong?"
"No…" The air genasi's feet already on the ladder: "It's not you… it's…"
She did not finish her sentence. She couldn't. She had to leave. She had to get out of here. She had to run away from all of these. Away from Bishop's heartbreaking look in her head and the blue hagspawn's bewildered stare burning on her back as she slid down the ladder and stumbled into the snow. The druid's vision became blurry. Everything around her became nothing but pure whiteness.
She tripped and fell down to her knees. Both hands were on her head, Leela let out a cry of misery. She watched the warm air she breathed out slowly rose to the velvet sky above, where the light ribbon still danced among the stars…