Author's Note: SO sorry about the huge wait, lots of things prevented me from getting this chapter out in any sort of timely fashion! I hope you enjoy it, I put a lot of work into it, and I hope you don't mind the length – after some discussion with Zvera (thanks!) I've decided to go with my gut on the length of chapters from now on (within reason) instead of trying to keep them to a set number of words or pages. I'm hoping that if you find the chapters interesting, they won't seem too long anyway. I also want to acknowledge that I have mages and sorcerers use their spells in ways they don't in the game – I know they don't but that's one of the liberties I take. :)
Ceileigh turned her head, watching herself in her new full-length mirror as she traced the red line on her right cheek. She'd gotten the gash healed by Aleena the day it happened, but without pawn magick there was a scar left behind. Now it was too late for a pawn to take it away – she would be stuck with the mark of that goblin's blade forever. She didn't mind though, it was smooth and thin and she thought it made her look experienced. She glanced at Leandor's reflection behind her as he got ready for the day, and hoped he didn't mind either.
A week had passed since the day they rescued that woman and Ceileigh talked with Madeleine at the alehouse. Since then she'd thought of practically nothing but whether or not Leandor was actually interested in her and how to start up a relationship with him. They had worked and lived together for almost a year at this point, so she could no longer use the excuse of moving too quickly. She knew she was going against her own decree that she couldn't have romantic distractions while preparing to fight the dragon, but he was worth it. She'd never thought as highly of any man as she did of him and there might not be time for them later. She didn't know if both or either of them would survive Grigori, or if Leandor would even be allowed to stay with her afterward despite his promise. On the other hand, if it didn't work out between us we'd be stuck together for who knows how long... She glanced at him in the mirror again, and smiled at how serious he looked while packing supplies for their outing. Still worth it.
Unfortunately, every time she thought of broaching the subject of a relationship, she felt like she'd been hit with a petrifaction spell and ended up telling herself she should wait for a better time. It was becoming increasingly difficult for her to act normally around him and he'd started giving her questioning looks, so she'd retained a warrior pawn named Athena from their last mission. It had taken most of their first day together, but the quiet warrior had finally become more talkative and Ceileigh was grateful to have someone else to focus on other than Leandor. In fact, once she'd overcome her initial shyness, Athena hadn't stopped asking questions. She was quite curious about everything having to do with humans and therefore gathered items constantly to learn more about them. She had a knack for finding rarities and had something of a collection going, so Ceileigh let her keep as many as she could.
"Arisen, whither shall we head today?" came the pawn's curious voice just then, breaking Ceileigh out of her thoughts. She turned to see the blonde-haired warrior clutching her travel bag to her chest, ready to head out. Slightly taller and stouter than Leandor, Athena had more raw power than speed, and was perfect for battling large enemies like the cyclops they'd fought two days prior. She had one blue eye and one green with a thin white scar running over it, and she wore a barrel helm sporting four long horns across the brow. She carried a long war hammer that ended in a wicked-looking spiked ball. Her silver armor was covered with a purple mantle bearing a pink and yellow snake that coiled over itself many times, while her greaves were black with red detail. Ceileigh sympathized with the pawn's mismatched outfit, knowing it was more important for all of them to choose strong equipment over what went well together.
Ceileigh slung her hunting bow over her shoulder. "We hunt every other day or so, depending on our stores, and need to do so this morning. I hope you like rabbit!" she told Athena, sharing a chuckle with Leandor across the room. They truly did get tired of eating so much of it.
Ceileigh's eagerness to start the day faded when alarming scene greeted them just outside the city. Not far down the southern road, a farmer's wife was standing on a cart full of food, screaming and kicking at hobgoblins while the farmer fended them off on the ground with a pitchfork. Their ox was badly wounded and the back of the cart was on fire. A few soldiers were already running to their aid and Ceileigh followed with her pawns close behind.
The gray-brown hobs were superior to their smaller cousins in every way, standing a full five feet tall, with more armor and better weapons. Many wore roughly hewn circlets or spiky bands of wire around their heads. This pack was small, so Ceileigh jumped right in without thinning the ranks first. As a royal soldier skewered one hob and Ceileigh dispatched another with a few well-placed stabs from behind, the farmer jumped back up on the cart and shouted encouragement. Athena picked up one screaming creature by its neck, tossed it at its closest pack mate, then ran over to smash in both their skulls before they could get back up. By the time Ceileigh slit the throat of the next one, Leandor and the other soldiers had already finished off the rest.
"Thank you! Thank you!" the farmer exclaimed, jumping down to shake everyone's hands. "Bloody 'obs nearly killed our ox!"
"Not to mention us!" cried his wife, jumping down as well. She inspected the back of the cart where two soldiers were putting out the fire with water and dirt. "We're lucky we escaped with our lives, but 'alf our produce is burnt up!"
"I can scarce believe hobs ventured this close to the city," said a soldier named Ville.
"They grow bolder for certain," agreed another, shaking his head.
"Hard times are upon us," said the farmer, unhooking his injured ox from the cart so he could walk it into the city.
Ceileigh turned to Leandor, not bothering to step back as dissolving hobs spattered all over their legs. At this point she hardly noticed anymore. "Grigori's influence must be growing," she said. "There are more monster attacks all the time, and now this? We've never seen hobs less than a day's journey from the city. I fear our time may be running out." A burst of anxiety went through her as she thought again about the coming battle and what that might mean not only for the nation but for the two of them.
She turned to congratulate the soldiers on a job well done when she felt the hair on her body stand up and a huge gust of wind knocked them all to the ground, sending them rolling. She tasted blood in her mouth as she lifted her head to see two giant yellow claws crash down onto the cart, smashing it to pieces. She threw her arm across her face as chunks of wood and food flew everywhere, and a deafening shriek filled the air, making her wince. The ox struggled to its feet and ran off, grunting crazily with fear.
"I am at your side, Arisen!" Athena declared as the three of them jumped up to face the beast. Ceileigh recognized it from her studies as a griffin - a creature with the head, claws and wings of an eagle in the front and the body, legs and tail of a lion in the back. The fur and feathers were brown except for the head, which was white. At roughly fifty feet long and thirty-five feet tall, it was the largest flying creature Ceileigh had seen since Grigori. Yet it still snuck up on us! she marveled. Its tufted tail lashed as it screeched again and pawed through the remains of the cart, delicately picking goblins out of the pile and gulping them back whole like an eagle devouring a rodent.
Anger filled Ceileigh when she saw the farmer lying in the wreckage, his limbs bent at unnatural angles. His eyes seemed to stare right at her but she knew they no longer saw anything. A soldier dragged the farmer's screaming wife – no, widow Ceileigh thought with a pang - away from danger though she struggled to remain by his side. Her anger gave her extra focus as her party and the rest of the soldiers attacked the griffin from all sides, but it was a hard target to hit because it repeatedly knocked them back with gusts of electrically charged wind from its wings. Ceileigh sheathed her daggers and used arrows from a distance instead, landing shots all over its body, but to her dismay the creature barely seemed to notice.
"Aim for the wings, Arisen!" Athena cried, then rushed forward with a fierce battle cry. As the griffin touched down, the warrior pawn ran the length of its side, holding her spiky hammer at an upward angle. She scored a hit, opening great gashes over its ribs, making the beast scream and stagger. Ceileigh ran closer and focused her arrows on the wings only, while Leandor and the Duke's men slashed at the legs and underbelly. The beast stumbled again, one claw folding underneath it, and Ceileigh saw her chance. She double vaulted onto its back, intoned sunburst and drove her Helmbarte daggers deep. As a pillar of fire burst from its shoulder, the griffin screamed and reared up, dislodged Ceileigh with one great shake, then launched into flight. Flat on her back and gasping for breath, she watched the griffin wheel in a great arc above them.
"Let us find a live hobgoblin to serve as bait!" Athena called out, looking around. "That will surely lure the creature back that we may finish it off!"
"No," Ceileigh said breathlessly, holding her left side and wincing in pain as Leandor helped her up. They stood helpless as the griffin soared around the far side of Gran Soren, over the sea. "Let it go. Next time let us hope we're better prepared." She wiped sweat from her forehead and glanced toward two soldiers who were extricating the farmer's body from the cart. Anger and bitterness spiked inside her again and she turned away with a frown.
"The scent of hobgoblins are likely what drew it here in the first place," the warrior pawn told her. "Griffins eat goblins of all kinds."
"We shall alert the Duke and keep a watch for the monster's return," a soldier named Armin put in.
"If it comes back for round two, I want in," Ceileigh replied, and he gave a short nod of acknowledgement before heading back to the rest of his group. The farmer's distraught widow let out an especially loud sob and Ceileigh felt tears sting the backs of her eyes.
"Let us return to Gran Soren, master," said Leandor. "The snares can wait – you need a healer."
She looked down and realized she had a large gash on her right forearm and small piece of wood lodged in her left shoulder. Pain sliced through her side repeatedly now and she wondered if she'd broken some ribs.
"So do you," she said, nodding toward Leandor's left leg. She could tell he was favoring it though he tried not to let it show, and he had several scrapes all over his face and arms. Athena had taken next to no damage. Despite his own injuries, Leandor wrapped an arm around Ceileigh's waist to support her as they gingerly made their way back to the city. Athena tucked her helmet under her arm and wandered away, returning after a moment with a bright smile and a double handful of items. She presented Ceileigh with three rich brown griffin feathers, a gleaming white one, and a giant curved claw which had somehow been ripped out during the fight.
"Are these of use, Arisen? This claw is longer than your daggers, and look, these feathers are so pleasing to the eye!" she exclaimed.
"Why are you smiling?!" Ceileigh shot back bitingly, limping faster because she was angry. "Are you even aware that someone died back there? A human life was taken, and for what? Because a griffin happened to be finding its breakfast? A breakfast that never would have been so close to the city if not for the dragon's coming." Which may have been triggered by me. She desperately wished she knew if Grigori had been drawn to this world because of her, or if she had been chosen as Arisen as a result of him coming. Until she found out, she couldn't help feeling partially responsible for everything that had happened since. I'll do everything I can do make up for it, she silently promised herself and all of humanity.
"My apologies, Arisen," Athena said, surprised and confused. "I am aware and I understand that the event is…" she searched for the right word, "tragic? I also understand that humans get through such events by focusing on positive things around them. This pawn seeks to emulate their behavior in all things – am I wrong to do so?"
"I see," Ceileigh replied, her face softening a little. "Your execution may be lacking but your intentions have merit. I apologize for snapping." She stopped for a moment to put the claw and two brown feathers in her pack, but gave the remaining items back to the warrior. "You can keep these if you want them."
"You have my thanks, Arisen!" Athena said happily, stowing the two remaining feathers carefully in her own pack. Though she was no longer mad at Athena, Ceileigh couldn't help but chuckle cynically at her pawn's childlike excitement and innocent endeavors despite the bitterness and futility of what they'd just been through. How much easier it would be if I saw things as she does, Ceileigh thought, shaking her head.
Once inside Gran Soren's walls, she grabbed the first mage pawn she saw walking through Fountain Square, a dark-skinned blonde woman with purple eyes named Penelope. She yanked the piece of wood from her shoulder and gritted her teeth against the pain as the pawn healed all her wounds, heedless of the residents who slowed down to gawk. As Penelope moved on to heal Leandor and what little wounds Athena had, Ceileigh's stared toward the gate and wondered what she might have done differently against the griffin.
Despite the rush of Penelope's healing magick, Ceileigh was really in no mood to check the traps, but they needed to eat so she reluctantly headed back out. She was silent the whole time, and as soon as they got back to their room she tore off her green lion-lord's helm, threw it on the bed and disappeared into the bathroom without explanation. She sat on the bench next to the empty washtub, leaned her face in her hands and started to cry. Leandor waited next to the door in silence, watching the other pawns tinker around the room. He didn't like the barrier between them, but he remembered from previous experience that the best way to help her at times like this was to let her have a few moments alone.
Seeing that farmer die had affected Ceileigh more than normal. Because I saved him, then he died anyway, she thought, crying harder for a moment in sadness and frustration. My efforts were for nothing! And that poor woman… Besides that, the griffin attack's similarity to Grigori's had brought those terrifying memories straight to the surface and triggered an uncharacteristic instinct to abandon everyone around her and run for her life. Over the past year she'd grown physically stronger, become quite skilled in battle and had mastered a certain level of magick. She was very comfortable in the field and didn't consider herself fearful, but this incident made her realize just how many of her feelings she had failed to deal with all this time.
She wiped the last of her tears away and shook her head. Her nervousness over Leandor seemed foolish next to everything else she had to handle. Today had only proved that she needed to act on those feelings while she still had the chance, because she never knew what the next day might bring. She stood up with a sigh and opened the door. Leandor pushed off the wall to stand in front of her and she was embarrassed by how badly she flinched. He took hold of her shoulders and searched her eyes. "Are you well now, master?" he asked her quietly.
"Yes," she murmured, glancing down because she knew it wasn't fully true. She looked back up quickly with a forced smile and nodded. "I'm fine. I'll be fine." Athena dropped her bag on the floor with a thump and Ceileigh jumped in surprise. Tucking stray strands of hair behind her ear self-consciously, she found her own bag and dumped it out on the bed. Leandor watched as she sifted through all her recently found items to see what they could sell, and knew she wasn't being completely honest with him. He made up his mind to keep an eye on her until she felt better, and was pleased that she seemed a little brighter by the time they turned in for the night. Unfortunately it wasn't to last long.
It was happening again for the dozenth time since closing her eyes. Grigori crashed down onto the beach, knocking her off her feet. She tried to jump up but an invisible force was pushing her down, so all she could do was roll back and forth, dodging giant clawed feet as they slammed down right next to her over and over. Sometimes they were the dragon's red ones, sometimes they were yellow like the griffin's. The dust they kicked up soon filled the air, making her cough and lose her breath. A great wind began to howl, sweeping sand painfully across her face, carrying away small rocks, knocking over walls and making the docked boats bob crazily. As she rolled onto her stomach and tried to crawl away, the sky and everything around her began to darken. She felt her legs start to rise from the ground and clawed desperately at the sand, which simply slipped through her fingers, then she flew away into nothingness.
Ceileigh opened her eyes with a strangled cry, her whole body tense and flat against the bed, holding the sheets in a white-knuckle grip. At first she still saw her nightmare, then she realized someone had lit a lantern and Leandor had just sat next to her on the bed. She instantly sat up and clung to him as tears started to flow once again. Glancing to the side, she saw Penelope and Athena sitting up in their bedrolls, watching everything with concern. Embarrassed, she turned her head on Leandor's shoulder, staring at the wall until she got herself under control.
The next day, Ceileigh was unusually quiet again and seemed depressed. Leandor was worried but whenever he asked if he was okay she always said yes even though it was clear she wasn't. Eventually he stopped asking and simply waited in case she needed anything from him. When she sat in a daze on the edge of her bed or looked like she might cry, he just rubbed her back until she came out of it.
She stayed inside almost all day but late that afternoon she suddenly announced they needed vegetables from the market. Leandor hoped that meant she was starting to get better, and in fact she seemed well enough when they exited the inn. However, he soon noticed that she glanced back at him frequently as they browsed the stalls, as if she was nervous that he wasn't watching her back or she was afraid of finding herself alone. His chest tightened as he realized she wasn't doing well at all.
"Hello there!" came a familiar voice, breaking into his thoughts. Madeleine bounced up beside them, holding a basket of food.
Ceileigh turned toward her friend with another forced smile. "Hello, how are you?" she asked the bubbly blonde woman.
"I am well, but you – you look awful!" Madeleine replied. "Are you ill?"
"Thanks," Ceileigh said wryly, surprising herself with a chuckle. "Indeed I am not feeling myself."
"Well, my advice is get back to the inn and rest up, because I need you well by tomorrow," she said with a wink.
"What's tomor-"
"'Tis a secret, my frieeend!" Madeleine all but sang out with a flourish of her hand. "Make sure you are in your room at seven in the evening tomorrow night and I will come by to explain more. Toodle-oo!"
With that she was gone, and Ceileigh turned to Leandor. "Of course - tomorrow is my birthday, I wasn't even thinking of it. She must be planning something for it. That's nice of her."
Leandor winced at how hollow she sounded. Just then, thin shadows flitted over them as a few sea birds made their way over the city toward the sea. Ceileigh flinched, bringing her arms up as if something had jumped out at her. The flash of fear in her eyes was instantly replaced by a faint look of anger and a shimmer of tears.
"Shall we return to the inn for now, master?" Leandor asked her discreetly, squeezing her shoulder.
"No," she said resolutely, blinking her tears back. "We still need a few more things. Let's go."
"I am at your side," he said reassuringly, following her closely with the other two pawns trailing behind.
Afterward Leandor helped her separate the vegetables into different small crates for storage. "You did well today," he said privately, since he figured talking about her fear openly in front of the other pawns would embarrass her.
Ceileigh glanced up at him with a smile. "Nothing stands between me and zucchini!" she joked half-heartedly, brandishing said vegetable like a sword.
That night Leandor awoke again, sensing that Ceileigh was in distress. He turned over in bed to see her whimpering and moving restlessly in her sleep. He immediately went to her side and gently shook her shoulders to wake her. "Master. Master!" he called in a low voice, and her eyes fluttered open. She focused on his face and then saw the other pawns standing behind him, ready to help. Embarrassed to be seen this way by them again, she pushed Leandor's arms away and bolted into the bathroom. He followed her immediately and was just in time to stick his foot in the door to stop it from slamming.
Ceileigh was sitting on the bench again with her face in her hands. Leandor sat down and pulled her close to his side. She dropped her hands in her lap and leaned her head on his shoulder. She took a deep, shuddering breath and started crying. "I-I'm sorry," she managed to stutter between sobs.
"For being upset? Do not be, master," he said quietly, rubbing her arm slowly.
"It's so embarrassing," she said with a rush of shame. "It seems I can't pull myself together. I feel so weak and childish, to be plagued by nightmares."
"I do not think less of you," Leandor reassured her, still rubbing her arm. He was glad she was talking to him about it.
"I know," she said, shifting to put her arms around his midsection. "But I'm supposed to be a leader, I can't keep breaking down in front of the other pawns. And if the Duke's men knew…." she was overcome with tears again for a while. "Shouldn't I be tougher by now?"
"Master, if you were unaffected by events since becoming Arisen, would that not be abnormal? I think you are the only one who is judging yourself harshly about this. I am certain the other pawns are only concerned for you and will respect you as much as always. And if these dreams or your stress would cause other humans to lose faith in you, they need never know."
Ceileigh cried harder then, out of relief that she wasn't alone in all of this, that she had someone to lean on. Leandor shifted too, angling toward her so she was leaning against his chest. He could feel her tears running down his neck and they pained him. He'd never seen her so distraught before and felt desperate to stop it. "Please…what can I do?" he asked, holding her tighter.
He felt her shake her head. "Just stay with me for a while," she said in a small, strained voice, wiping away tears. She sounds so broken down and vulnerable, thought Leandor with a pang. On impulse he lifted her into his lap, settling her legs sideways across his. She buried her face in his neck, and he rested his cheek on top of her head. He wasn't sure how much time had passed when she finally relaxed against him and her breathing became deeper. He found himself getting drowsy too so he shook her gently and her eyes fluttered open.
"Time for bed?" she muttered, sounding exhausted. Leandor stood up with her and set her feet on the ground. Thankfully Ceileigh was too wrung out to feel very awkward about sitting in his lap or falling asleep on him, though she turned away to open the door without meeting his eyes. Her last distant thought as her head hit the pillow was that maybe Leandor did care for her after all, and she actually fell asleep with a small smile on her face.
Although worry, stress and fear would still be part of her life at least until the whole dragon business was over, Ceileigh felt calm and settled enough the next day to lead her pawns on a routine patrol around Gran Soren's outer perimeter. She'd released Penelope after last night's dinner, so before coming out she'd picked a new mage named Lavrenti, who was proving to be unusually cocky. He had fair skin, shaggy dark brown hair and dark blue eyes.
They went as far as they could around the city, to where the aqueducts met the sea. Beyond that the thin strip of sand and grass they stood on had eroded away and water broke directly against brick. Ceileigh paused to take in the view, remembering when most of her days were spent on the water.
"I cannot see another shore. Do you suppose the sea continues into eternity?" Athena said in wonder. "Perhaps one day an Arisen will take this pawn along to explore, if duty calls us there."
As they came back around the city, Ceileigh eyed the cows that roamed the hillsides. She was always tempted to kill and butcher one herself, but they were stock for the city and she would end up in the dungeon if she tried. She was sighing over the price of beef when a movement far on the other side of the main road caught her eye.
"Was that a saurian?" she asked, pointing toward some of the ruins in front of Gran Soren. "I swear I just saw one run behind that broken wall over there. Let's check it out."
"Ha! I was hoping you'd ask!" Lavrenti declared, running off ahead of them all.
Ceileigh and Leandor shared a glance. "He is the most aggressive mage I've ever hired," she said, shaking her head. The two of them and Athena jogged after him, stopping when they came to the edge of a stream bank. Ceileigh had never really noticed before, but sea water apparently sprang up here from underground and ran northwest, perfectly hidden between some ruins and built-up banks.
A quick splash from downstream drew their attention and they headed that way. They passed under a few crumbling stone archways before the banks grew too steep and they had to wade down the middle of the ankle-deep waterway. Grass and small trees lined the top of the banks well above their heads, which continued to rise until shade covered them completely. Ceileigh was on alert, ready for an ambush as they approached a blind curve.
"Look, master!" Athena suddenly shouted, making her jump in surprise and grab for her daggers. She whirled toward the warrior pawn to see her crouched with her hand in the water. "A fishing bob!"
Ceileigh put a hand to her chest, laughing. "Athena, you scared the hell out of me!"
"I apologize, master," Athena replied, rising and handing over the bob. "I understand these are difficult to find."
"Thank you," Ceileigh sighed, shaking her head. As they continued around the bend into knee-deep water, her pawns gathered a good number of fish and hung them from their belts for the time being. Going became harder as the water rose to their thighs, except for Athena since her sheer power and stamina allowed her to continue at normal speed.
"Look there," Leandor said, pointing to a small flat section of bank on their right hand side where the sand seemed to be wavering. In the next instant, a saurian appeared there and leaped straight at them. Ceileigh ducked and it flew over her head into Athena instead, knocking her onto her back beneath the water. The mighty warrior pawn bunched her muscles and rolled the lizard over, straddling it to drive her spiky hammer through its head.
"The fiends are swift – be wary!" Athena called out, sloshing water around as she climbed off the dead saurian. Ceileigh jumped back as another lizard lunged up from underwater, rearing back on two legs. It spewed a large blob of poisonous spit onto her face, then scrambled away onto a high rock slab.
"No, they hold the advantage!" Athena yelled in disappointment, running over to climb after it.
Ceileigh could barely tell what was going on as she wiped viscous fluid from her face with her eyes scrunched closed. She used her shirt to wipe some of it off of her tongue, shuddering at the slimy feel of it in her mouth, then cringed and clapped her hands over her eyes.
"Agh, the sun!" she cried, falling to her knees. The light seemed excessively bright all of a sudden and she was overcome with a strong wave of nausea. She heard a crunch and gurgle to her right as Athena dispatched the saurian that had caused her affliction.
"Master!" Leandor cried, pulling her back to her feet. Her breathing was fast and shallow as she sagged against him, and now he could see that her pupils were unnaturally dilated. "She's been poisoned!"
"Leave it to me, Arisen!" Lavrenti declared confidently, pointing his staff at her feet. A halidom sigil appeared on the ground beneath her, its image rippling underwater. In no time at all the poison's effects wore off and Ceileigh returned to normal, steadying herself against Leandor's arm with one hand.
"Thank you!" Ceileigh called after Lavrenti as he ran ahead again. "And be careful, we still need you!"
She joined Athena up on the rock slab to get a view ahead. From there she could see where the stream dead-ended in a circle with cliffs rising on all sides, like a watery arena with a sandbar in the middle. She drew her bow and scanned ahead for enemies while Leandor and Athena watched her back. One after the other, five circles showed. She couldn't see anything where the circles told her to aim, so she knew they were facing more camouflaged saurians.
"A handful more up ahead!" she told Leandor and Athena, jumping down into the water. "Let's get over there before Lavrenti gets himself into trouble. Stay alert, we won't have that much room to maneuver."
The mage splashed noisily into the circle before they caught up with him. All five saurians jumped up and revealed themselves, hissing in angry surprise. One lunged at Lavrenti, who dodged and laughed triumphantly.
"Even in numbers, a weakling is a weakling still!" he declared grandly, darting forward to stick the pointy end of his staff into the creature's shoulder. Golden-white holy light burst throughout the lizard's body before he yanked the staff away, leaving it considerably weaker. It fell flat on its stomach and Leandor ran to pin it down.
"Now, master, while I have a hold!" he called to Ceileigh, who drew both daggers and sliced its head off with minimal effort. She thought back to her first fight with saurians and marveled at how much stronger she'd become since then.
Three saurians converged on her, Leandor and Athena, while the fourth feinted left and right toward Lavrenti, herding him away from the group. As she parried one lizard's blow, Ceileigh heard a sharp cry followed by a victorious saurian grunt and saw the mage's body lift into the air on a spear. Blood ran from his mouth and his legs kicked weakly as he struggled in vain to intone a healing spell.
"This cannot be!" he finally managed to gasp before losing consciousness. His body dropped down the spear's shaft a short way, then blinked a few times and returned to the Rift.
"There goes our healer - fucking idiot!" Ceileigh yelled in anger as she dodged sideways and spun closer to slash the saurian in front of her. Despite the large wound she opened in its side, it kept her on the defense, steadily driving her back until she was too close to the cliff side for comfort. Leandor glanced her way but couldn't help as he was occupied fending off his own attacker. Water weighed down the party's clothing, making it even harder to move quickly.
Athena knocked away the third saurian's spear and was grappling with it, neither giving ground, when the fourth rushed her. The warrior pawn was forced to let go of the third saurian to block the fourth one's spear thrust. She stumbled over a submerged log and fell on her back, knocking off her helmet and sending her war hammer flying. She coughed and spit out water as she scrambled backward, trying to reach her weapon. The third saurian stabbed at her but she managed to kick away the spear from her position on the ground. She reached her helmet before her hammer so she grabbed it, jumped up and drove the spikes into the fourth saurian's chest as it rushed her. She kicked the lizard back, freeing her helmet, then slashed across the creature's belly several times, cutting it to ribbons. It dropped to all fours and wriggled away upstream as fast as it could, leaving a cloudy trail of blood in its wake.
A trickle of pebbles fell onto Ceileigh's shoulders from the top of the cliff and she glanced up quickly. She blocked another spear thrust, twisting away behind the saurian where she had a clearer view of the cliff top. A pawn dressed in maroon sorcerer's robes and a gold clerical cap stood there, looking down in concern.
"What are you waiting for? Get down here and help!" Ceileigh shouted up at him, still fuming over Lavrenti's carelessness. The pawn shrugged, figuring her words counted as a contract and stepped off the edge of the cliff, levitating down onto the sandbar. As he touched down, Ceileigh stuck her daggers into the back of the saurian's neck and it fell dead with a choking sound.
"Great," she muttered as she turned to help the rest of her party, only to see three more saurians edging into the circle. Athena was back on her feet and had just run the third saurian through with its own spear, but two of the three new lizards were easing toward her while the other leaped past everyone else toward Ceileigh. She glanced over at the newcomer. "Time to show me what you can do," she said to the sorcerer, then ran to meet the new enemy.
Leandor finally stuck his sword through the second saurian's neck, then wrenched it free and ran to help Athena since she was outnumbered. Ceileigh had just dodged a blow, splashing onto one knee for a moment, when a strong wind began to blow. The water began to swirl clockwise and she retreated to the sandbar when she realized what was happening. The sorcerer stood there with his staff raised, intoning high maelstrom. Ceileigh and the pawns weren't affected, but the saurians and everything else in the area lifted into the air.
Ceileigh waved her arms at Leandor and Athena, motioning them to where she was. They left the fight and ran to join her in the eye of the storm, where it was calm despite the debris flying dangerously through the air everywhere else. The saurians rose and whirled in a tight circle, bashing against the cliff sides. As soon as none were left alive, the wind died and they all splashed back into the water.
"That was great!" Ceileigh said to the sorcerer, impressed. The spell reminded her of her recent nightmare but she wasn't too disturbed by it. "What's your name?"
"This pawn is called Zayne," he replied, putting away his staff. It was gold with the figure of a dragon on top. He had brown eyes and reddish brown hair, though his clerical cap only allowed his goatee to show.
"If my mage hadn't rushed in here and woken all the saurians, we probably could have picked them off without all this fighting, not to mention being trapped in here," Ceileigh said irritably. "Why could he not have hung back like any other mage? Anyway…I'm glad you happened along."
They picked through the crates and remains on the sandbar. It looked like the saurian pack had been killing whoever wandered into the dead end for some time, and Ceileigh's party found quite a few useful items on carcasses or stuck in the wet sand. They patrolled up the north road a bit, taking out a small goblin pack, some harpies and a few wolves. Leandor could tell that Ceileigh's confidence had returned a little more with each victory.
As they headed back to Gran Soren's entrance a few hours later, Ceileigh glanced at Leandor and said, "To answer your question, yes."
"I said nothing," Leandor replied, raising an eyebrow. A pleased smirk came onto his face.
"You were clearly wondering whether or not I'm done being crazy," she said lightly, trying to keep a straight face. "And the answer is yes."
"I would never put it that way, master," he said, his smile growing because he could tell she was truly back to her normal self.
"Of course not, such a statement would be completely inaccurate!" she joked with mock indignation, then pushed away thoughts of how close they'd been the night before and looped her arm through his. "But in all seriousness, thank you for – once again – being there for me and helping me through it."
"I always will," he replied, looking down at her fondly.
She blushed and looked away, toward the sea on her left. "Let's hurry back, I want to rest before we find out exactly what Madeleine has in store!"
Author's Note 2: PLEASE REVIEW! After all the struggle to get this chapter out I'd really like to know what you all think. :) I've been having issues with my line breaks disappearing, so if there are none in this chapter and the scene-switching is confusing, I'm sorry. I've tried everything and nothing will fix it. :/