Interlude 2: First Wounds
The girl's scream tore across the courtyard. Solas turned to see her surrounded by wraiths and bleeding heavily from her back. Fenedhis. The others were too preoccupied with the Pride demon, though the dwarf kept glancing back to her worriedly.
It was up to him then. He leapt to action, frost spells glancing off the demons and sending them, hissing, away from Heliwyr. Solas drew up by her and lifted her up by her elbow. Heliwyr gritted her teeth, but made no other indication of her pain.
A barrier lifted around them and Solas turned her around to check the severity of the wound. Blood was everywhere, the gash was deep, and she would likely have a scar to show for it. He reached into his bag and cursed at the lack of potions.
Heliwyr laughed at him with a strained smile. "Did you forget? And after all that time I spent gathering them."
The elfroot! Digging into Heliwyr's pack he drew forth the plants and crushed them in his hand. Sticky liquid poured out and he spread it along the wound. The girl's entire body tensed but, still, no sound escaped her. Solas granted her grudging respect, in his mind, for all that she endured.
And all that she would continue to endure.
A roar shook the area and they turned to find the Pride demon weak and kneeling. Heliwyr gave Solas a stern look and drew away to deal with it.
"Ma serranas. Deal with the remaining wraiths. I can handle Pride."
Solas quirked his mouth at her and she flushed a deep red that spread to her ears. This was too fun for him. But, her tone brooked no argument, so Solas focused his remaining magic on defeating the few minor demons left. A simple task for one such as him, but it would be best not to draw too much attention. Better to deflect to those better suited for it.
Though, the girl's stiff demeanour led him to believe that she did not appreciate the attention she got. For all the horrors to come from this tragedy, she is welcome entertainment.
By the time Solas had finished the wraiths at a completely normal pace, the Pride demon was dead. A minor loss, as Solas had wanted to observe her techniques. Heliwyr had demonstrated a surprising knowledge about fighting demons. Even ones such as Pride.
The Seeker called out to Heliwyr to close the Rift and, hopefully, the Breach itself.
Solas watched as Heliwyr, thin, small, battered, and wounded, marched close to the Rift. The Mark on her hand spasmed with each step. He could only guess at how much pain it caused. But she moved, still. Eyes wild and hard. Figure beaten but determined. She raised her hand to the Rift, to the sky, and drew out the powers granted to her.
With a large sucking sound, the Rift closed in on itself and shot energy up towards the Breach. A moment of silence spread across the broken area before the Breach gave a loud shriek and exploded across the cloudy sky.
While the others commented on what happened, noted how the Breach was still there but no longer growing, Solas found himself drawn to Heliwyr's collapsed figure. Like this, she looked calm and much younger than he'd thought. So young, she was, to hold such power in the palm of her hand. But she had proven herself strong and resilient. Solas could not fault any of the things she had done thus far.
She was more than he could have hoped for. And, now, he could fix his mistakes.