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Bran walked into the throne room, his wife cradled in his arms, in time to see his sister hit her husband. “Back to business as usual then I see” the fair-haired elf said a tinge of wry amusement creeping into his words despite his concern over Mira’s condition.
Callan felt a moment of relief as the portal closed, then suddenly went tense all over again. “Mira! Gods...” Callan was at Bran’s side in two steps, his hands touching his daughter’s hair. “You never did learn how to pick your fights, little one.” Callan and his daughter may have been at odds in the past when grief and insanity ruled the Emperor’s mind and hear, but to see her like this...
“Daddy?” Mira’s head came up, “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with Drey?” Chills began to run up the dragon-elf’s spine...”And why is it cold in here?”
A second “Daddy?” came from near Bran’s knees...Muirne had crept up, aware something was wrong and worried, yet not knowing what. Jade eyes peered around Bran’s legs at Callan. Muirne hadn’t been around him much in her life, and wasn’t entirely sure about him, but he seemed nice enough...and was made so like her and her mother.
“Bran...she’s going into shock,” Callan muttered. “There must be healers here...but even they will have a time of it, healing wounds made by DragonSteele.”
Muttering more foul words, Callan stroked Mira’s hair one more time, nodded to Bran in quiet respect, then looked down at Muirne.
“Come here little one, your Amil will be fine, she’s just so terribly tired.” Callan looked up at Bran one more time and peered at his granddaughter. “You look a lot like your Atto, Muirne. Anyone ever tell you that?”
Bran hugged his wife closer, his eyes going to An’Thaya. “Can you help?” he asked the amazon softly, “I don’t even know how to get around this place, let alone where the healers are.” His expression was anxious as Mira shook in his arms.
Rani quietly stepped to Bran’s side. “I have studied healing if you allow I will do what I can.” The commander of the Eska Ohtar eyes were filled with genuine concern. She had seen far too much death this day and knew the healers were tasked to their limits as well. Rani looked into the husband’s eyes and the father’s as she looked to Callan as well.
An’Thaya looked up from where she stood beside Adarin and nodded in response to Bran’s question. “Rani is a capable healer. If you want to follow me down to the next level, you can use my chambers.” She would have healed the Dragon Elf herself, but the Amazon was simply too drained. Gesturing for Adarin, Bran and Rani to follow, she guided them down the lower stairs.
“Thank you” the fair-haired elf said to the S’Hean Ranger, his anxious eyes looked at his wife whose condition seemed to be worsening by the minute, “I can’t lose her,” he whispered. He took a deep breath.
“Muirne, sweetheart, stay with your grandfather please. I need to look after Amil” he sent to his daughter as he followed the others down the stairs.
Bran’s eyes held more than a hint of worry by the time they reached the Amazon’s chambers on the floor below. His wife lay cradled in his arms, her face pale and her body shaking in reaction to the wound she had sustained.
“Bran?” Mira mumbled, “Where are we? It’s...sss...ssoo...cold.”
Glazed eyes rolled open and around chattering jaws, Mira tried to smile. “You’ve still got all that blood on you...you sss...should take a sss...shower...or maybe we could take one...” Mira broke off as a violent round of shaking made speech impossible.
“Hush love,” he murmured soothingly, brushing a strand of dark hair away from her face. She felt so very cold and fear gripped him. He couldn’t lose her, not like this. There had been too many deaths today already. There was an expression almost of pleading in his jade green gaze as it lifted to meet those of the others.
Do something! Agaru snapped at An’Thaya, the Dragon actually feeling distress at the sight of her mate’s wounded offspring. The Amazon was already moving, drawing a blanket up over Mira’s lower half and working her shirt away from her back. “Lay her down over here Bran, on her stomach, we have to get to that slash on her back first. Alright Rani, you heal, I’ll take care of the shock.” She cast a look over her shoulder at Adarin that said she wouldn’t take any argument. Adarin merely nodded. Just remember, melda, if you need strength, take it from me.
Lifting the dark-haired elf’s hair away from her back An’Thaya stared at the wound for a moment, her face twisting in empathy. Going down on her knees beside the daybed, she traced her finger over the woman’s skin. It’s all right Mira... relax... you are going to be just fine. Listen to my voice, concentrate on Bran ... don’t close your eyes.
Beneath the Amazon’s touch a runic dragon appeared in glowing emerald Aethyr. She blew gently across it, seeming to ignite and release the power. Heat washed through the Dragon-Elf’s body, though An’Thaya herself was suddenly cold. Her eyes flickered to Rani, urging the other woman to hurry ... she wasn’t sure how long she could keep it up without going into shock herself. Remember, love, Adarin sent again, sensing Tay’s momentary drifting.
Somewhere in her drifting logic, Mira understood what was going to happen to An’Thaya, she’d seen how the D’Riels healed and took ills of another on themselves, and with renewed warmth came a bit more strength and lucidity.
“Nn..no...Tay... you’re... you’re not...” The dragon-elf struggled to get free, “I’ll...be...fine...Arrgggh, let me go!”
“Mira... Mira, love. Stop it!” Bran exclaimed, holding her down. “Look at me! We have to heal that wound. Do you understand? You can’t afford to lose that much blood. Melda, please...”
The thrashing dragon-elf paused for a moment, her head turning against the cool sheets of the bed, leaving behind a smear of black-red blood. Glazed eyes traveled up Bran’s form and rested on his own jade green eyes.
“Bran? Where’s Muirne? and Caolan?” Quite suddenly, Mira remembered what had happened, a disjointed, fragmented memory at best, but it was enough.
“Gods! Samara!” Mira screamed and tried to get free, her back arching against the hands that held her, her hands trying to get under her to lever herself off the bed. “She took my son!” A low growl began in Mira’s chest and scales that had formed tattered and cut armor began to change...Mira was trying to shift...
Mira stop it, Agaru butted in as An’Thaya restrained her physically, You’ll not do anyone any good if you die. We will get Caolan back, but that will be a much happier occasion if his mother still breathes to see it. The Amazon’s strength was draining fast, tied in as she was to the struggling Dragon Elf. Trusting in her mate, she drew on Adarin.
Listen to her Bran insisted, one arm wrapped around his wife’s shoulders, the other hand buried itself in her hair, forcing her to look at him. As they looked at each other his eyes changed, the elf’s jade gaze becoming the faceted vision of the dragon. I will get our son back, I promise, but I can’t do that if I’m worrying about you. Muirne needs you... I need you. Now stop this and let us help you.
Too weak to struggle much longer, Mira whimpered in pain and collapsed to the bed as the Crimson’s strong willed voice crept into her head. “Agaru?” Mira had never before heard the Crimson’s voice, yet this was surely her. With her heart racing and panting from exertion, Mira looked into her husband’s eyes.
“Aye...I know you will...we will...” Mira nodded weakly and her scales, armour and pseudo-clothes slid away, leaving her tattered flesh completely bare, her wounds open for all to see.
Even though Rani sucked in a breath at the sight of the deep gashes on Mira, Rani laid her hands on Mira to first catalog if and what organs had been damaged. She found deep muscle damage, cracked ribs, and a slight knick to her left lung. Toxins too were gathering some from the Orc blades and some from Mira’s own weakened defenses.
Then, in the next breath Rani began tracing runes of Aethyr, Air, Water and Earth directly over the open flesh beneath her fingers. The sigils gently glowed their respective colors laced with S’Hean green. What felt like eons of time seemed to pass before slowly the raw lurid flesh began to take back its natural color and form a seam closing the wounds. Sweat was pouring off the Eska Ohtar commander and her own coloring paled. Staying with the power she generated until it finished its job Rani then staggered bracing herself against the bed.
As Mira felt the first waves of healing begin, her hands gripped the pillows on the bed, and gasped as the flesh re-knit itself under the woman’s hands. Runic or magical healing for Dragons went the same as if time itself healed them, only much, much faster. In seconds, Mira went through blinding pain, then mad itching, and finally, the flesh began to draw taught, then pucker across her back and shoulder, leaving silvery scars from the deepest wounds that would always remain.
As the healing came to an end, Mira once again collapsed, her body going limp. She was exhausted and sleepy, her mind and body forced to go further in such a short time than even the god’s had ever intended.
“Get her to drink as much fluids as you can to restore the volume from the blood loss. She’s going to need rest to allow her body to finish what I started I could not do it …completely.” Drained and shaky from the amount of her it took to repair the wounds Mira; Rani had just been relieved to know they were no longer raw open and life threatening. All that mattered to her was that Mira would be ok. “Only time will tell how it will effect her ability to fly.”
Relief and gratitude showed in Bran’s expression as he looked from Rani to An’Thaya and back again. “Thank you” he said softly. His fingers brushed through his wife’s long, dark hair. “Did you hear? That means you have to behave yourself. No attempting anything stupid and giving me another heart attack.”
“Huhmmph” Mira made an attempt to snort at her mate, and only managed an exhalation of breath. Trembling fingers trailed along Bran’s arms as she nodded then looked up to the weakened Rani.
Smiling at the exchange between Bran and Mira, Rani knew each would beleaguer the other for whose will won out on the rest score. She just hope good sense won out so they had warriors in good condition for the times ahead.
“I remember you now...from the wedding in Corin...from Nuth you were there...Thank you...And thank you, An’Thaya, Agaru...”
“You’re welcome and yes, I was in both places and remember you too. Kinda nice to know we have more ties than just battles together.” Rani did her best to stand up and slowly moved to Bran placing a shaky hand on his shoulder. “Get her to eat soon too. I know you can tell she will recover now.”
Then Rani began heading for the door knowing Mira was not the only one in need of help. “I am going to check and see if I can help elsewhere and I probably belong wherever the King is right now too.” It was clear as she moved the toll this particular healing had taken on her.
An’Thaya watched Rani leave, then settled back away from the bed. You see, Agaru rumbled to Mira, That wasn’t so bad, now was it? The Amazon snorted audibly and then sighed, holding a hand out to the Elen King so he could help her up.
We should go, she sent to him, Y’Roden has called a council in the Throne room. Adarin just nodded, feeding strength to his Lady as she spoke. We go, if I must swear fealty I will. Too much as happened today. Too much I never expected. He leaned down and hugged Tay tightly to himself.
Mira winced as she tried to turn over, a half-formed smile on her face at the sound of Agaru in her head fading rapidly. The still stiff flesh of the scars not cooperating. “I think I’ll live...and that’s more than I can say for those who attacked us...” Mira knew, KNEW, that vengeance for this would be total and complete once the reeling families recovered.
A storm the likes this world had never seen was about to bear down on Whispin... and when the children were found, their abductors would know no mercy.
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