Disclaimer: I do not own the Tairen Soul Series by C.L. Wilson. I do own Angela, OC, non-canon and fictional magic.
Ch. II: Safety (at present)
Angela was accustomed to adrenaline rushes. Her heart beat just that little bit too fast at the prospect of seeing the Faering Mists. It is something she had wanted to do before she died. She knew if she stopped she would be down for the count. She had to keep moving. They had been running for several hours and she was determined not to fall behind. Norban is almost a full marathon-length away from Celieria's nearest cities.
The Fey had other ideas. They arrived at some checkpoint where other Fey warriors were. They must have used their magic or something ahead of us. As the Fey warriors parted; she blushed deeply and scowled at the ground. Angela gripped Ravel's blades to steady her nerves. She noticed the pommel of his daggers bruised her palm completely. She smiled wryly to herself. She was aptly familiar with bruises. She slowed her pace and felt a wave of exhaustion give her a head rush. Angela was too weary to be embarrassed by her haggard appearance at present.
"Sian! Torel! Ravel!" Belliard vel Jelani shouted alarmed. "What happened?" He eyed Angela before turning his attention to his warriors.
"Angela saved us from a demon attack―." Ravel began. Angela felt her eyes begin to flutter. She frowned as an unknown Fey warrior knelt to her stunning the room.
"Ver reisa ku'chae. Kem surah shei'tani." Cyr vel Lesk said. His dirty blond hair neatly brushed back in a traditional Fey partial pony tail down his back. His light amber eyes looking up at her with adoration and sincerity.
She glared at him.
"I haven't the faintest idea what you just said." She said taking a step back from him. Angela hid slightly behind Ravel. Bit stupid really. She thought unnerved. Ravel can't protect me in his state and this Fey Lord probably called me his whore or something. Angela immediately felt ashamed of herself. Her mother always said the Fey were honorable people and held them in high esteem. She was more shaken by his sincerity. After all, she had not received gentler feelings in a long time from anyone. A stranger doing so was too much after her exhausting and eventful 24 hours.
Cyr felt an inexplicable pull toward the feral-looking woman. His heart pounded seeing her piercing grey eyes flutter slightly bothered him. He felt a punch to his gut of lust, worry, and savage hope. Cyr felt her hunger, exhaustion, grief, hurt and rage as if it were his own.
Shei'tani! Before he knew it he was kneeling and saying the treasured words. His shei'tani hiding behind the Fire master enraged him. Glowering at Ravel he rose. Fey'cha in his hand. The bond-madness encouraging his Wilding Rage telling him vel Arras was stealing his shei'tani's affections.
"Stay away from him." Angela snapped, stepping in front of Ravel palming his blades and looking at Cyr determinedly while ignoring Ravel's protest.
"Do you know how long it took us to escape from Nor―?" She swayed slightly her vision sporting black dots. Not good, not good…! She thought frantically.
"Setah!" Bel commanded. "Bring Angela to Lady Marissya. Fey contain vel Lesk―!"
It was too much for Angela. Her body was done. Her neck lolled to the side and she felt her knees buckle. She felt hands remove Ravel's fey'cha from her. Male voices shouting and ordering about but her consciousness slipped.
Marissya hurried toward the healer's tent and the malnourished woman after being summoned by Bel's worried Spirit voice.
"Merciful gods!" Marissya swore. Her golden shei'dahlin weaves instinctively rushing from her as she checked Angela's vitals.
She'd be dead in a few hours...she thought disgustedly as she saw the terrible bruises and her ire spiked. The woman was malnourished, beaten and unclean. She summoned reinforcements listening to Bel's report.
They stripped her and placed her in a bath filling it with Fire and Water weaves. The shei'dahlins added herbs and began bathing her to remove the blood, grime and sweat.
Marissya stared at Angela for a moment. She really is quite lovely. Angela had dark russet curly hair and fair skin with freckles across her nose and cheeks. The magically enhanced herbs soaked into her pores then her bloodstream as a nutritive aid. Already, Angela looked healthier. Her eyelids fluttered.
«Las ajiana.» Marissya soothed. Angela sighed and leaned into Marissya's touch. Her expression frightened but settling as Marissya sent more soothing weaves. The shei'dahlins gently lifted and dried her with Air while creating a simple nightgown using Earth weaves.
Cyr snarled furiously at his blade brothers. "Why are you helping him?!" Cyr demanded. "My shei'tani is injured! She―!"
"Stand down, Fey!" Bel commanded. "Your shei'tani is with Lady Marrisya. Vel Arras is not the enemy. The Eld are to blame for this."
Cyr settled for a moment. Ravel, Sian and Torel were healed by some of their blade brothers as they awaited their turns from the shei'dahlins.
"Vel Arras!" Bel continued. "Explain how you met this girl."
"I would like to know as well." Marrissya said sternly arriving in their encampment. Her hands glowing as she approached the injured warriors. "That child has undergone severe starvation, bruises and lacerations. She was living purely on adrenaline and will. She would have died in a few hours."
This halted the warriors in shocked silence. Cyr stared at her in shock.
I could have lost her right when I found her.
"Her name is Angela." Ravel said quickly. "I was felled by a sel'dor trap―they've discovered something," he said seeing a combination of concern and disappointment from his commanding officer and the Fey. "Angela shielded me from an Eldan woman. She said there are demons and lyrants bred in Norban to prevent messengers from going to the king. When she touched my hands the sel'dor dropped to the floor." He unwound the twine enhanced with an Air weave to keep it in place around his chest. "She was going to walk through the Faering Mists to deliver this to Lady Marissya."
Everyone stared at him and Marissya unwound it. "Merciful gods." She swore for the second time. "These are anti-sel'dor plans." It was ingenious really. But there was a section torn from it.
"From the looks of it," she continued. "It seems like the maker was a blacksmith. I'll contact Rain and Ellysetta immediately." She closed her eyes to concentrate on a detailed Spirit weave.
"Then what?" Bel demanded. "And why Lady Marissya?"
Ravel looked grim. "Lady Marissya healed Angela's mother." He closed his eyes, a frown at his mouth. "In thanks and gratitude her father invented a way to help the Fey. Both were killed by the Eld in retaliation." His voice turned bitter. "They fed her mother to a lyrant."
Disgust and pity filled the Fey's hearts collectively.
"Angela swore to her father she'd give these to Lady Marissya to aid the Fey. She said the Eld have new magic." He shook his head sadly. "She forfeited her life and her anti-demon holy water for the three of us to escape and…" his voice lowered. "I sensed two demons that could not come near us. Undoubtedly, she would have stayed behind and used herself as bait for us to run." Everyone viscerally shuddered. Ravel fiercely looked at his commanding officer. "I would not permit it. It is my wish and my right to perform the lute'asheiva bond to her once she awakens, sir."
"Kabei." Bel said softly. "I would be honored to be a witness, vel Arras."
Sian and Torel exchanged looks. «We should too.» Torel said.
«Aiyah. She saved us from horrific death.» Sian shuddered.
"Us too." Sian said firmly.
Bel and Ravel nodded in agreement.
"I need to see her." Cyr interjected tightly. "teska."
Bel inclined his head to Marissya who eyed Cyr compassionately. "She is not to awaken, Cyr. Not yet." Cyr nodded eagerly as his blade brothers released their weaves stifling his Air mastery and loosened their grips on his person.
He dashed to Angela's tent, ignoring the Fey discussion. Cyr knelt again by Angela's bedside awed by his shei'tani's cleansed appearance showcasing her loveliness.
Truly an angel. He thought amazed.
Angela stiffened in her sleep. Her brow frightened and her whimpers became more distinct.
"Las, las shei'tani. I'm here." Cyr said tenderly as he swore a bitter vengeance upon those who harmed his shei'tani.
He reassured her in lyrical Feyan. She began to settle. Confusion on her face but at least the fear subsided.
«You're safe, Angela.» Cyr told her. «I promise.»
