Chapter 70-Hidden Complications
Nethial saw that Tamli had exchanged a look with Aurelia for some reason but as she continued to stare at his scarred back a slight movement within her abdomen abruptly captured her attention. Her child, Tanui's child, had shown its first sign of being active but the sensation felt too much like how it had been when she was five months along with Raoul. Placing a hand on her abdomen, she felt the fetus inside of her lash out with a kick . . .
Immediately she knew something was wrong as her legs threatened to buckle and her free hand braced itself against the wall closest to her. The skin under her palm felt warm and a soft hiss escaped her, attracting the attention of Aurelia. Before she could argue that she was fine, the woman gently pushed her back into the room she had awoken in.
"Tamli warned me to get you away but I thought he was just still dazed from that fall . . ." Aurelia mused as Nethial lifted up her tunic to see a dark bruise right where she had placed her hand.
"Why did it cause a bruise? All I felt was it kick and then the next thing I know I'm almost on the floor, pain radiating from that one area as if I was punched there." Nethial silently figured Aurelia had some knowledge about what it was but couldn't be absolute certain unless she asked.
"Nethial, I don't know how to say this but the child you're carrying is a hybrid. Tanui must have passed down enough dragonic genes to make the offspring a mix of the two races and with that comes certain difficulties for the mother who carries the fetus until it's born . . ."
Retreating a step in shock, Nethial dropped both arms by her side as she stammered, "But that's not possible . . . Tanui never willingly embraced his dragonic side by shifting into its forme during the time I was around him. If what you're saying is true then the kick I felt is just the beginning, right? It has plenty more months to grow . . ."
"Unfortunately not, according to Tamli. Hybrid fetuses are ready to be born after four to five months. They're stronger and larger due to the mixed blood so it's important that I keep a check on you to make sure there is no internal bleeding or broken bones."
Letting her gaze fall to her abdomen, Nethial silently contemplated what she had heard. She would never have imagined that her encounter with a clone of the man she had fallen in love with to create Raoul would end up blessing her with another child. Even though the life she was carrying inside her was a human-dragon hybrid, it made no difference to her and she would raise it as Raoul had been raised.
"You think the baby was reacting to the Dragonisicm extract in Tamli's back?" Nethial asked as Aurelia walked with her over to the cot she had awoken on.
"That's what we were talking about just when you walked up," Aurelia commented as Nethial sat down on the white material. "I suspect Tamli had the right instincts to get you away before the exposure harmed the fetus."
Resting her right hand on her abdomen, Nethial moved so that her metallic legs stretched out beside her. Using her free hand to stabilize her balance, she watched as Aurelia circled around and sat down beside her, occasionally glancing at Narssia. The quiet tap of talons against the ground caught Nethial's attention and she turned her head to see that Geer had gotten to his feet and was approaching the unconscious black dragoness.
Aurelia, having followed her gaze, calmly asked, "Geer, something wrong? Any change in her condition?"
"Unfortunately, I cannot determine what change there is at this time. From what I can understand, Narssia is beginning to wake. She's scared of what the other dragons will think of her, Aurelia."
"Let me speak with her, dragi. I may be able to help her see pass her fears." Nethial didn't realize immediately that she had included a word from her former life into the conversation but a soft growl of confusion from Geer alerted her to the error and she hastily apologized for her mistake.
"While my knowledge of the old language of paradise is limited, I appreciate the kind words that flow easily from your tongue, Nethial," Geer hummed as he stopped at Narssia's side and pressed the tip of his snout against her own to awaken her.
Nodding her head, Nethial observed how gentle Geer was with Narssia and remarked, "Sya, dragon. I am honored by your actions as well towards the dragoness that once destroyed so much. There is a growing bond between you both and I ask that you cherish the connection to her. You may very likely be the one that breaks through to her and shows her the error of what Arxa and Corruption have done because of their control over her."
"I second Nethial's advise. It would do you well to take it to heart, Geer. I don't even need my connection to aura to identify that Narssia knows there's something between you both - although I can guarantee she is unwilling to admit whatever feelings she may possess towards you out of fear of rejection."
Turning her head at the sound of Tamli's voice, Nethial quickly found him leaning against the door frame with his black cloak on to cover his deeply scarred back. Even with some distance between them, she could see the pain in his eyes and knew he had only spoken up because of her. Gaze softening, she started to get to her feet but a light touch on her shoulder from Aurelia forced her to remain seated.
"Tamli, forgive me for asking this but shouldn't the extent of your wounds limit your physical movement right now?" Geer inquired as Narssia blinked then hissed and shut her eyes.
"On all accounts it should have rendered me immobile," Tamli replied as he raised his right hand to dust off his cloak, the limb shaking heavily. "Yet here I stand before you. The nature of fate is difficult to predict, is it not?"
"Fate is cruel and life reflects that."
Narssia's words, while soft, held much venom as Nethial silently listened to the dragoness. She knew how hard life was but it surprised her to hear the she-dragon sounding so broken and hopeless. Never would she have expected such an outcome after what she hah seen from the scale-flier before it had been tainted by darkness - although she preferred to repress those memories as they were also the beginning of her mental decline that left her in the state Tanui first met her in.
Choosing to directly confront Narssia's words, Nethial cleared her throat before remarking, "Narssia, not all of life is unforgiving. Certain moments bring joy into the otherwise bleak period of existence. The birth of your own offspring must have-"
"How could it have brought me joy? One of them was just massacred, the other hates me, and my two newest descendants will know only what they hear from the others. They will grow into vicious creatures that loathe their mother because of what she was - all without giving her a chance to explain why she acted as she did," Narssia snapped back, opening her eyes to glare at Nethial as a slight streak of red blazed through the center of her yellow irises.
"It was either him or you, I had to make a decision. I couldn't let Jormundur kill you, Narssia," Geer growled as Narssia unfolded a wing and pushed him away.
Narssia's low snarl sent chills up Nethial's spine as the dragoness hissed, "So it was perfectly acceptable for you to make that last-minute decision as to whether to save me and keep Arxa alive or let me be killed by my own dark-hearted son? My death would have brought about the end of Corruption's malice, Geer! You would have been free to live a life safe from the darkness. Wouldn't you have enjoyed that?"
"It wouldn't have given me a chance to get to know you," Geer hummed as he closed his eyes and placed the tip of his snout on her outstretched wing. "I'm sorry, Narssia."
A thin jolt of electricity raced from his snout and wrapped itself around her body, shocking her into unconsciousness as a soft snort echoed from just outside the room. Attention perked, Nethial glanced over to see Cambre waiting for permission to enter and breathed a sigh of relief at knowing that the healer dragon would get to the bottom of Narssia's sudden change in behavior. Geer retreated several steps as Cambre entered and approached the unconscious she-dragon with a look of determination in his eyes.
"No questions asked," Cambre growled as Nethial noticed Tamli sag against the wall, clutching the wood around him with a hand. "She will be handled with the best of care on Tel-var. We leave-"
"She's not going anywhere," Aurelia remarked as she stood, advancing on the darkly colored dragon as her voice began to get higher pitched with her rising anger. "The orders I was given when Narssia was brought in was that this dragon is to remain here until a proper trial has taken place. I am to heal any wounds I can find and test to see if she is sound of mind. Judging by what we just witnessed, I'd say her mental stability is in question right now."
Getting the message she was trying to point out to him, Cambre reluctantly agreed to stay at the Compound while he aided her in helping discover the reason behind Narssia's sudden altered behavior. Having witnessed the event herself, Nethial, however, had another reason in mind as to what the cause was that triggered the change. Narssia was a born empath, she knew that much from how Tamli had talked about the dragoness, and having been under Corruption's control for thousands of years, she realized what had happened to the calm scale-flier they had once known.
"Corruption altered her empathy," Nethial pointed out as she felt Tamli come up behind her and rest a hand on her shoulder. "Instead of her having that natural concern for others, she now thinks that all are out to get her because of what the darkness did while it was in control of her."
Exchanging a glance with Geer, Tamli nodded and tightened his grip on the soft flesh of her shoulder. "I have also felt it," he remarked as Nethial observed Cambre telekinetically lift Narssia into the air and gently lay her down on the cot she had awoken on. "Yet there is something else I can sense in her. It is possible that Corruption is still alive inside her."
"Tamli, could you and Nethial give me some time to talk with Cambre and see what our opinions are concerning Narssia?" Aurelia questioned as she walked over to the unconscious dragoness. "Geer, I want you to accompany them, please."
Geer's soft snort came as he lowered his head, tail swishing slowly across the floor. "If you feel it is the best course of action," he muttered before turning around and leaving the way Tamli had first arrived from.
Several hours later, Narssia woke to Cambre's fierce gaze and flinched, sliding back to put distance between her and the stranger that had come to delve deep into her mind and uncover her hidden secret that Arxa was still alive. As her tail pressed against the wood-stone that lined the base of the walls down where Aurelia worked, her gaze became frantic and she searched the area around her for something to focus on that would take her mind off the horrible methods the dark colored dragon would use. She could sense the muddled wakening of the vicious indwelling spirit and repressed a shutter, eyes fixating on her own scaled forelegs to block out the area around her.
"I'm judging by your behavior that you know why I'm here," Cambre growled as his rough voice sent a chill down Narssia's spine and she stared harder at her black scales.
"Cambre, she just woke up. Give her time to adjust to her surroundings." Narssia recognized the calm voice immediately as Aurelia but made no motion to see what direction the healer came from.
A low snarl rose from the throat of the visiting dragon as Narssia continued to act as if he wasn't directly in front of her and ready to ask questions about a topic she had nothing to say to him about. Quick tempered, she mused as she recalled the very conversation she had with Arxa that lead to the moment she was now finding herself in . . .
. . . As she charged the electrical sphere that would end the life of the one she hated beyond anything else, Arxa finished breaking free of the ice and lunged for her. The impact threw her onto her back but the spirit placed a foretaloned leg on her throat to keep her in place.
'Narssia, hear me out before you do something you will deeply regret. We both know that killing goes against your empathic nature and I . . . I haven't been completely truthful with you. I can exist independently from you and give you back your life. No longer would you have to be my host. You would be free to admit your feelings for Geer and not have me watching over your shoulder.'
Hesitation showed in Narssia's actions as she closed her maw and blinked, stunned by the information she had just heard come from the very creature who had told her nothing but lies for years. 'What catch is there? Certainly this isn't some service you're providing me because you feel guilty. I thought you said that you exist to make me suffer, or did I not hear that right?'
'Ths is simply a gift to you for all I put you through. I never imagined I could exist apart from you but after you left with Jormundur when he time traveled to the past, I realized that our separation gave me a clearer picture on things.' Arxa paused, a distant look to her blank eyes. 'I do care for the eggs but you must remember that I was created by Corruption to exist as your dark half. Leaving those shadows will be as difficult for me as if I had let you kill me and allowed you to live with the guilt without having told you that I could do this to let you have back what was always yours.'
Her eyes slow met Arxa's and Narssia knew then that the spirit was being truthful. She could have her life back but she wondered what Arxa would do after leaving her. It felt odd to say goodbye to a presence she had loathed but the spirit had almost become a part of her during the vast length of time they had spent together.
'How can you do this? The separation, I mean. Won't the process hurt both of us?'
Arxa snorted, shaking her head as she lifted her foreleg and stepped back to allow Narssia room to get back onto her feet. 'Not the way I intend to accomplish it. I have spent time thinking of the very way I could do it so as to not inflict harm on you and I have reached my final decision. Pouring my very existence into a single form, I will break from you as I become an egg and you lay it as you did with the two you were gifted with from Windra.'
'How long will it take? You've been inside me for years, Arxa. I imagine it will be dangerous for you to concentrate all your energy and essence on one small spot.' Narssia's question was honest as she rolled onto her side and struggled to her feet, never breaking eye contact with Arxa for fear of having the spirit lie once more to her.
'I must act while you are still recovering from laying the eggs. The window of opportunity I have is small but it should only be several hours to several days for me to bid my last goodbye to this body and become my own individual.'
Tail sliding around to lay against her left hind limb, Narssia hesitated for a brief second before asking, 'Any symptoms I should watch out for as you draw all of yourself into my abdomen? I suspect the other dragons won't be happy with this change . . .'
'Then let me speak for you until the time is right. My words may be harsh at first but only because I know my time left is limited. I think the only problem I could see would be your scales losing color until I have broken free from you, then it should return to normal.'
Nodding her head in agreement, Narssia lifted her snout and spat a fireball into the sky. The black fire was soon joined by several ice shards and she looked to see Arxa had frost coating the scales around her maw and her eyes narrowed slightly.
'Stay safe until I am ready. No one must know of this until after I have hatched and begun my new life . . .' . . .
Blinking to clear herself from the memory, Narssia listened as Cambre finally got to his feet and left the room. She suspected he went to hunt or clear his mind but she couldn't be sure unless she asked and she wasn't about to talk to the dragon until Arxa had completed her plan for rebirth. The gentle scrape of a chair against the floor brought her back to her senses and she snarled softly, noticing that Aurelia had found a folding chair somewhere in the facility and was using it as a seat.
"Cambre said I could try while he's off hunting," Aurelia informed her as Narssia found her gaze slowly drifting to the recovering healer that Geer trusted. "Talk to me, Narssia. Tell me what happened in your mind-"
"It was a dreamscape," Narssia whispered softly before falling silent, afraid that Arxa would be angry at her for even speaking before the spirit was ready for its new life.
Aurelia sighed, intertwining her fingers as she placed her hands on her lap. "A dreamscape then. What happened in there? Why did Tamli mention he can still sense Arxa? Don't shut me out, Narssia. I want to be your friend but I need to know what went on."
'Tamli knows!' Arxa screeched in anger as Narssia winced, the dark spirit's sign of displeasure nearly giving her a headache. 'This is bad. Do you trust this woman to keep our secret?'
'Not if she's working with Cambre,' Narssia muttered softly to Arxa so Aurelia wouldn't hear. 'We could trust Nethial though. She-'
Arxa growled softly in amusement. 'Before you bring it up again, yes I know it's my fault she ended up that broken. You do have a point though in suggesting Nethial. Her own experience makes it reasonable that she would hide our plan from those that would try and stop us.'
Lifting her head, Narssia averted her gaze for a moment before quietly asking if she could speak with Nethial. Aurelia's initial look of confusion was soon replaced with a calm understanding and she agreed to go find the former rider but only if Narssia would tell Nethial what had happened in the dreamscape sometime during the conversation.
As Aurelia left to find Nethial, Narssia wondered where her eggs were. No dragon in their right mind would give her a space to call home down here after what Arxa had done over the years. She suspected that as soon as she was healed they would kick her out and force her to wander the Dominion in search of a cave she could raise the two and Arxa. Letting her gaze return to her foretaloned legs, she noticed several white spots along them and knew Arxa had started pulling back her essence to make the egg.
'Did you have to start with my forelegs first?' She grumbled as her eyes flickered around the room while waiting for Nethial to arrive.
'Not just your forelegs, Narssia. From your snout downward is covered in the white specks. I told you they'll fade once I'm gone. Now when is that metallic-limb woman going to arrive?'
Several minutes later, Narssia heard the click of Nethial's feet and sighed, readying herself for the difficult conversation as the woman entered the room alone. Dressed in a grey tunic and black shorts that covered the upper part of her metal legs, the former rider looked otherwise normal considering all she had experienced over the years. Even Arxa was impressed by her entrance, that much Narssia felt radiate from the dark spirit as it continued to work on forcing its essence into one spot.
"I heard you asked for me," Nethial commented as she walked over and took the seat Aurelia had left. "Don't worry about Aurelia, she's checking on other injured dragons so we can be allowed time to speak in private."
"Rather than tell you, let me show you what I want to talk about," Narssia growled as she closed her eyes and let a column of white light enfold both her and Nethial.
Arxa's low growl met Narssia's attention as she blinked, finding herself back in the dreamscape with Nethial. She had decided this would be the best place to talk while also letting Arxa speak for herself. Leading Nethial over to the dark spirit's location, she wondered how the information would be received by a former servant of Corruption.
"Why are we here? That being said, where is this place?" Nethial asked as they walked, the sound of her legs masking the clicking of Narssia's talons on the soft sand-like ground.
"This is the dreamscape, a place that exists only because of one individual. I feel you are most suited to know that Arxa is not dead but has instead chosen to depart from me in the form of an egg. I plan to raise her while she keeps the memory of our time spent together in this body and I take it upon myself to help her find redemption for all the wrongs she has done."
"I see . . ." Nethial's hesitation to speak showed Narssia the exact thing she was worried about and had yet to mention to Arxa.
The fear of rejection slowly crept into her mind but Narssia fought off the terror until Arxa came into view, the dark spirit looking the same as she had when they had talked about the idea of separation. Having freed herself from the ice before Narssia's arrival with Nethial, Arxa approached them and glanced to the former rider.
'Narssia, could I speak to Nethial alone, please? There is something that has been on my mind since you left to get her and only she would know about it.' The sudden tenderness in Arxa's voice concerned Narssia for a moment but she nodded and stepped back to allow the two time to speak in private.
Unable to control the mental link to the dark spirit, Narssia simply listened in to the conversation between the two and realized Arxa had tried possessing Nethial during the time she had been in the past with Jormundur. The attempt had failed and it only left Arxa more assured that a dragonic body was what she felt most comfortable inhabiting. Deciding to keep her knowledge of the conversation quiet for the time being, Narssia waited until they had finished and then approached to tell of what happened in the dreamscape.
"I found myself here and fought Arxa, determined to kill her so my eggs would be safe and I could have my life back. As I was ready to end the conflict for good, she sprung at me and threw me onto my back. Her words first met my unwilling mind but I soon found myself opening up to the possibility of her having her own body."
Nethial nodded, placing her right hand protectively over her abdomen. "I remember it felt strange when Arxa tried to possess me, like I was deep underwater for a brief second but then there was a flash of light and my mind was once again my own. That time still remains a dark period of my life though and I don't bring it up with just anyone."
'We- I appreciate you trusting us enough to talk about it, Nethial. Before Tanui's death, I could sense his love for you radiating through every cell in his body - although the state of his mind made it likely that he saw you as an enemy rather than the kind soul he grew to cherish during the time you two spent together. It is not my place to say this but he found a way to be free of the harsh training Amia gave him when he was with you.'
Narssia was impressed by the honesty Arxa had shown and knew deep down that Nethial believed the spirit's words. She had also sensed a connection between the two but something bothered her as she glanced at the way Nethial had her hand placed on her abdomen. The position almost indicated that the former rider was protecting it but, to Narssia's own knowledge, she had died in body thousands of years ago only to be reborn because of Arxa's creation by Corruption.
"Nethial, is there something you'd like to share? I don't mean to pry but your behavior seems off." Her words might have been gentle but Narssia sensed Nethial close off from them as she took a step back and averted her gaze.
"You know I was restored in mind at Tel-var, correct? My recovery allowed Tanui and I to freely express our mutual interest in one another and I gave myself permission to open up to him and . . ." She paused for a moment, licking her lips before whispering, ". . . making love to a copy of an individual I had made myself loathe after Corruption twisted me into believing its values were right."
Arxa's soft growl of confusion captured Narssia's attention as the dark spirit took a step forward to better clarify the situation. 'Weren't the clones sterile? I thought Amia made them with only a single purpose in mind and decided letting them run free on emotional outbursts were unacceptable. Are you saying Tanui was not stripped of his ability to produce offspring?'
A sigh from Nethial confirmed what Arxa had expected and the former rider turned her gaze to Narssia, the look in her eyes almost pleading for help. "According to Tamli, I'm carrying a hybrid fetus. He said that the woman that gave birth to him only survived until her sixth month before delivering him and dying during the childbirth. I know this child is different from Raoul but I want nothing more than to help it grow into a powerful leader like the man its father was cloned from."
"I'm certain you will live to watch it grow. Aurelia is the best person I know to help ensure you stay healthy," Narssia growled warmly but secretly doubted whether even their healer would be able to keep Nethial alive if things went unexpected and complications arose.
"I appreciate the gentle words, Narssia," Nethial muttered softly as she glanced down at her right hand laying over her abdomen, "but my concern is more for the child than for my own safety. If I do not survive, I want Tamli to raise it and teach it to embrace both aspects about itself. I have every trust in him that he would accept the task-"
'Yet you feel Aurelia is not skilled enough to keep you alive?' Arxa snarled as she interrupted Nethial, the worry in her tone surprising Narssia who softly growled.
Shaking her head, Nethial sighed. "Just keep it a secret, please. I don't want anyone knowing that Tanui is the father. In return, I'll keep quiet about Arxa's plans for separating into her own body."
Nodding in agreement, Narssia pulled herself and Nethial out of the dreamscape and back into reality. The shock of having returned back to where she had been sitting resulted in a soft gasp from the former rider and Narssia quietly asked if the brief travel into the inner depths of her mind had harmed the fetus in any way.
"I don't think so," Nethial whispered as she felt for bruises before breathing a sigh of relief. "No, everything is just fine. I appreciate you being understanding. Last time I said something about the baby I was nearly killed by a furious dragon spirit who thought I wanted Tamli back as my lover again."
"There are still issues with you and Finca? She should know you are working to put that in the past and move on with your life."
"Try telling her that. She wanted to kill me the moment I mentioned who the father was . . . not that I blame her." Nethial's eyes briefly shimmered with held-back tears before she collected herself and rose from her seat. "I'll let you be alone for a while until Aurelia comes back. Tamli and I have something we need to talk about if I am allowed to stay here."
Growling softly in understanding, Narssia lowered her head onto her foretaloned legs before wishing her good health and letting her leave. Once Nethial left, she heard Arxa grumble about how she was too trusting and a low snarl rose from her throat. The spirit quickly apologized and she closed her eyes, allowing Arxa as much time as she could give to ensure the separation went smoothly.