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Through the dust that swirled in the air after the explosion, a sparkle caught her eye. Curious she moved forward, kicking aside rubble as she moved. She paused inside, airing on the side of caution, as the dust settled the source revealed itself. On a dais in the center of the room was the biggest diamond the Amazon had ever seen. She stared at it for a moment... Paladin wasn't one to covet riches, what was this doing here? Weaving her magic she dispelled several wards that stood between her and the stone, she felt oddly compelled, drawn to it.
This in itself should have warned her off, but for some reason she ignored the inner warnings, she listened to the stone instead, let her feet cross the room to the dais. In fascination she watched as her hand raised, her fingers stretching out, ever so lightly touching the surface. The stone was cool to the touch, this thought barely registered when a stab of pain seared through her, a flash of light blinded her and she was tossed back, landing hard in the rubble as darkness closed in on her....
~*~
The Amazon stirred her head felt as if it had been split with an axe, every muscle in her body tensed in excruciating pain. Putting a hand to her head she pulled it away wet with blood, "By the Goddess," she looked up at the diamond on the dais but was unable to focus, "What is that thing?" She barely heard her own words over the roar in her skull, fear for the child she carried forefront in her mind. Elyen would be furious with her, funny she would think of that now. Thinking of anything right now was a miracle, curled up in a ball on the floor she whimpered in pain, something was wrong, with herself, with the child... what had she done?
Wards had been broken again; Galain felt it and felt a small rise of panic. He was sitting on his thinking rock that jutted into the lake, fishing. He never caught anything, but the whole exercise of fashioning a pole, attaching the string, making a hook, finding the bait, and then sitting for hours was mesmerizing and the elf enjoyed it immensely. But a sudden jolt that thrummed against his dragon and elf soul nearly sent him slipping forward into the water. The alarm of the Aeglos was unmistakable. “Gods be damned,” he whispered to himself as he probed gently and realized none of the Elen mages or even his father had made a move yet to determine what had happened. The prince knew he better move then and quickly, especially as he was more or less the closest. He tossed the pole aside and slid down off the rock, taking enough time to retrieve his sword, hunting dagger and his very bedraggled pack from the little house that sat between two great trees. Then very carefully he opened a tear in the air before him, concentrating carefully on Paladin’s castle in the Deepwood forest. When he stepped through it was to find himself in the dusty, unkempt castle he had abandoned not so long ago during his own brief adventures here. Then as now, the focus of his adventure had been the Aeglos, the SnowThorn -- the protector and bane of his people. He strode swiftly down the corridors, surprised to hear two voices as he neared the room where the Aeglos was kept. “Gods you two, you need to get out of this room immediately. The Stone will kill you.” He was already feeling the familiar pain of the Aeglos’s magic has it felt him out, accepting his Elen nature, rejecting his dragon nature. When he bent down beside Kellaeth and realized it was An’Thaya’s crumpled form on the ground he sucked in a sharp breath. The Amazon was lucky to be alive. Vaguely he wondered why she wasn’t dead period.
~*~
An'Thaya became aware of two others in her presence, she could hear the murmur of their voices, but not what they were saying. A pair of familiar arms gathered her up and carried her along, some subconscious part of her mind remembered their touch and she did not flinch away. "Sy’Rish?"
The spot between her shoulder blades burned, the pain was worse there then elsewhere. In a state of confusion she was sure she heard the voice of her unborn child, it was frightened, not understanding what was happening... and it was changing somehow... panic gripped her, what if they stone had damaged her child? The voice grew louder, insistent, frightened. Amil?
Frightened now herself the Amazon struggled to get a grip on her thoughts, the child seemed to turn elsewhere for a moment.. Atto? The pace of whomever held her faltered, instinct alone kept her from falling, arms clamping around him before she slid from his grasp. "Elyen?"
Galain nearly dropped An’Thaya twice. The first when she whispered the word “Sy’Rish”, the second when he heard the word “Atto” whispered in his mind. The first was easily attributed to her calling out for Elyen. Where was ’ol Stripey after all? Her voice had startled him and Galain shifted her weight in his arms.
When he heard the other word in his mind he nearly faltered. Who had said that? Before he could even begin to trace the source of the voice a figure appeared and Galain stopped dead in his tracks as dispatched with the ghost or whatever it was.
Gods, what was happening here? What had happened since the castle had been abandoned? Where was Paladin now? Galain felt a trifle unnerved and moved quickly, leading his companion up a flight of stairs and down another darkened corridor until he shouldered open a door that led into one of the more spacious suites reserved for royal guests. He carefully lay An’Thaya upon the bed, frowning at the cloud of dust that rose up. He would find better things later. For now he moved swiftly to start a fire in the great hearth, igniting a small pile of wood always kept at the ready should anyone ever visit again. A stream of balefire was carefully directed into the wood by the elf and then he was back by An’Thaya’s side, watching her anxiously.
She couldn't see, her eyes were open, she knew that much, but the visage before her was a span of never-ending white. The voices still murmured around her, but they sounded far away and strange. There was a soft surface below her, she assumed she had been placed upon a bed, her nerves still burned from shock, and the skin between her shoulder blades felt as if it was splitting.
The child had grown silent for awhile, but now it was making a strange sound, a sort of trilling noise that An'Thaya had never heard before. Her child was in distress and there was naught she could do to help... reaching out she attempted to soothe its pain. Do not fret hinya... help is around us... The trilling stopped for a moment as the child listened, seeming to think over what she said. Atto.... merë Atto...
His stomach itched where a small sprinkling of tiny gold scales resided. He unlaced his vest and rubbed his hand against the scales, irritated. On top of that he could feel a dragon presence. It was faint and trilled slightly, confusing him. He was hearing a hatchling, yet when he looked around the only others in the room were An’Thaya and Kellaeth.
Youngling? Where are you? I know your voice. He ran a hand through his hair in agitation and sat down close to the Amazon, wondering why she had been drawn to the Aeglos.
Sensing someone near her An'Thaya turned, staring at whomever it was without seeing. "Melda? I cannot see," she reached out, touching a hand she interlaced her fingers with his. "Elyen?" She wished the voices were clearer, "The baby is making a strange sound... like a trilling noise." She hoped she was making sense, she could hear her own voice in her head... but aside from the child’s voice nothing else was clear.
Tensing in pain she rolled onto her side, laying on her back was causing too much pain. She tried to reach around and scratch at the spot that pained her, her fingers finding a split in the flesh. Pulling her hand away she sucked in her breath, she must have scratched herself on debris when she fell. The trilling within her mind increased in pitch as her child responded to her pain.
Galain stared back at An’Thaya.
“No, it’s Galain. Elyen isn’t here. At least, not at the moment.” He didn’t remove his fingers from hers though, knowing she was seeking some sort of comfort. He inched forward at her mention of the baby and the noise she claimed to be hearing.
“Trilling? Are you sure?” He was feeling more than confused. He was hearing dragon trilling and the baby An’Thaya was carrying was purely Elven and human -- the child of Elyen and herself.
Then she rolled over, trying to scratch at something on her back and Galain stood, leaning over her to see what was wrong. He couldn’t see through the clothing of course so laid a gentle hand on the spot, frowning when he too felt the split. He didn’t hesitate and tore the cloth to get a better look. He sucked his breath in sharply when he realized the split was no simple scratch or cut.
“An’Thaya, stay on your side. Did just this happen? Or did it happen when you approached the Aeglos?” She didn’t answer right away and he backed away, worry stamping a deep imprint on his features.
She could not quite register whom the voice belonged to, and she frowned slightly, trying to listen. The words echoed strangely, she missed what he said at first, then a few words came through... "Trilling? Are you sure?" She felt hands on her back, touching spot that caused her pain. "Stay on your side." When she concentrated she could catch the words one at a time. "When did this happen..." A flash of pain erased the rest of the sentence, but she understood what he meant. "The stone," she whispered, "I touched the stone.... something is happening to the child." She pulled his hand forward, still assuming it was Elyen, to touch her abdomen... "I cannot help..." She paused, hearing Elyen's voice clearly in her head... she froze... he was not the owner of the hand she held....
Gods be damned. She had touched the Aeglos. The woman was lucky to be alive. So lucky. Galain cursed more to himself as she moved his hand to her abdomen and he again felt the swell of life there. It was too soon perhaps to feel actual movement but the trilling was stronger and Galain’s eyes widened.
This just couldn’t be. There was absolutely no way. Not unless she or Elyen had dragon within themselves and weren’t aware of it. He turned to look at her and realized she was staring hard at him. Hastily he withdrew his hand. She had the look of an Amazon about to strike the giver of an unwanted touch. The elf backed away, well out of reach.
“I’m sure Elyen is coming. He is your bondmate and probably knows what’s happening,” he murmured. He was considering what was happening here and realized the Stone was awakening latent genes within An’Thaya. Perhaps her mage powers had prevented the Stone from outright killing her, instead combining its powers with hers to create an entirely different effect. He didn’t know. What he did know what that both she and her unborn child were being affected and he was quickly becoming more confused.
“An’Thaya. Is there dragon in your family? Does Elyen have dragon?” He didn’t know if she heard or understood him at this point. Cautiously he let his mind answer the trilling though. He couldn’t resist the cry of a hatchling.
An'Thaya's best friend was a dragon, Tserisa the Velvetworm. She finally placed the voice; it was Galain the Elen Prince. She visibly relaxed, she trusted him with her life, although she hadn't known him long they had been through quite a bit in that time. "Dragon? No, my Father is human, pure human, my mother is S’Hea Elf, they worship the Dragon, but they have no Dragon genes They are descendants of an ancient race of Fae. Elyen is pure Elf, nothing odd in his gene pool either... except the stripey hair." She twisted uncomfortably, "Galain... what is wrong? What is happening... and why can't I see?"
How do you tell a mother-to-be that her child is a little more than she could guess? Galain was relieved that she finally recognized him and moved back into her reach again, going down to his knees to stare into her eyes.
“You’re certain there is no dragon?” His mind was a jumbled mess though he again reached out to the hatchling. Unconsciously he hummed a snatch of a song DragonGrin had sung to him. He started. An’Thaya had asked him a question.
“I don’t know if anything is wrong, An’Thaya. All I know is you are fortunate to be alive. You should have told us or Elyen you were coming here. You’re looking for Paladin, yes?” He eyed her, shaking his head. He knew many headstrong women, but this one took the cake. He couldn’t resist a grin for Elyen’s sake. He was certain the Amazon kept ’ol Stripey running. She might even have contributed to some of that grey in his hair.
The smile fled though as he passed a hand over An’Thaya’s eyes and realized she had missed the movement.
“I don’t know why you can’t see. Perhaps it’s just temporary.” That and the odd slit in her back were enough to tell him something had indeed been awakened in her. Especially when he realized she had just mentioned her mother was descended from an ancient race of fae.
At any other time he might have joked about twine, but right now he was simply staring agape at the Amazon. She had a baby with dragon blood within her and wings sprouting on her back most likely.
Gods. What else was going to hit him this day?
"I'm positive," she answered, there was definitely no Dragon in either of their families. "Why do you ask?" She found the question a rather strange one. He commented that her vision impairment was probably temporary, and gazing around blindly she sighed, "It had better be." Her hearing seemed to have cleared up now, and she tilted her head, "What are you humming?" She noticed that the trilling sound had ebbed to a calmer tone as he did so, and a frown furrowed her brow... this was all very odd.
Why do I ask... Galain pondered that particular question over.
“I’m humming a hatchling song,” Galain finally answered after a long silence. He looked uneasily at An’Thaya. Where the hell had the dragon come from if neither she nor Elyen had it in their bloodlines? Unconsciously he started humming again, bowing his head as the image of a baby gold filled his mind. Gods this was confusing...
An'Thaya knew enough about dragons from associating with Tser to know what that was. "Why are you singing a Hatchling song? Are there young ones nearby?" She paused, listening to the baby for a moment, the tones suddenly making sense, "By the Goddess," she struggled to sit up, "What did the Agleos do to my child?" She had never heard of a Stone that could change the genetic nature of a being. There was definitely no dragon in either of her child's parents, "The Stone has to be responsible, there is no genetic reason for this." She reached out blindly and grabbed his arm, "What can be done to stop this? It can't be natural!"
She was cut off by a surge of pain, her back arching backwards as the air seemed to be cut off from her lungs. Her shoulder blades seemed to be set afire, and something released, the muscles in her back moved in a strange cadence, working a pair of filmy wings that glistened in the low light. Gasping she fell forward, her vision returning in a painful rush... focusing on Galain she blinked... she could see his aura, a sparkling gold blanket of warmth around him. Staring dumbfounded she opened her mouth as if to speak... but words eluded her...
The Stone was responsible for some things, but not all things, but Galain’s mind was unable to grasp this as An’Thaya’s words spilled out.
“An’Thaya!” He caught her as she fell forward and her wings blossomed out. Gods, where was Elyen when you needed him? He fell back, staring up into her face, then beyond at the wings that spread out behind her.
This couldn’t be good. Or was it? Galain gaped at her, feeling the presence of Kellaeth nearby as well as the approach of another person.
And then suddenly as if An’Thaya’s sudden transformation wasn’t enough, all hell broke loose in the form of another Paladin forcing its way through Kellaeth’s wards. Galain tried to rise to meet it, but Kellaeth was faster and within seconds both were engaged, vanishing spectacularly before Galain’s stunned eyes. He gathered the Amazon close to him and began to pray silently, still crooning the hatchling song aloud, aware of another person’s presence, but unable to react immediately.
“The Aeglos awakens what is natural, M’Lady,” he stopped humming a moment. “But I have no explanation.”
In a place out of time in the void of contemplation was she who was known as the WhiteWitch. She watched over her chosen closely, the position she was in did not sit well with the Goddess. Galain was too close to realizing what An'Thaya had promised to forget... that Stone had become more trouble than it was worth. But Arminiea had no control over it; she did not interfere with other gods.
A call came to her, one she had heard only once before... one she was bidden to follow although she did not understand why. Kellaeth... That one was not ruled by the Gods, did not fall sway under her command... he protected 'Thaya because she had asked, not because she had commanded. She followed the lure of his call, unheeding of where it led. She stepped into the land of Rune, realizing suddenly where it was that she had stepped.... but by then, it was too late.
And the walls came tumbling down....
Her newly regained vision, however altered it was, witnessed the scene before her in horror. Kellaeth, her protector, was gone... not dead, but injured at least. She stared blankly as Galain shielded her; everything was falling apart... changing. And then there was a loss even deeper in her soul... her Goddess blipped out of being.
The walls within the Amazon's mind came tumbling down, what she had forgotten flooded in on her as the dam known as the Weeper of Fate was rendered powerless. The arms embracing her became more, and she turned slowly to face him... the Elf she had been bonded to for centuries... her Sy’Rish. A visage somewhat more horrible flickered across his features, what he had been... the Gangrelf. Memory upon memory... joy and pain both... but in the end... pain. The Amazon's grip on sanity snapped, sending her into screaming agony...
It is not a good thing to have a woman in your arms, no matter who she is, and have her give you the look An’Thaya gave Galain. He was still coming to grips with wings popping out of her back, as well as the knowledge that somehow her child had dragon in it.
For one brief moment she looked upon him with surprise, then inexpressible love and then dawning horror. It was that last look that seared Galain’s mind before she began screaming endlessly. The second look had him hopelessly lost until the screaming began and he tried to cover his ears.
Two things happened now. One was a sudden snapping in his own mind that sent him plummeting into the darkness of his past. The second was the startled cry again of the hatchling as Galain’s humming was abruptly stopped. The elf crawled away from the Amazon, huddling hard up against the feet of whomever it was who was still here. Images were slowly being tapped that should have been unreachable for years to come yet: memories that a healer had placed in a part of his mind for recovery when he was ready. But the return of An’Thaya’s memories had triggered a ghostly link that had supposedly been severed.
He wasn’t ready. A thousand years of loving and laughing crashed in upon his mind’s eye, followed swiftly by a brief time of intense madness – blood lust, death, killing… an image of An’Thaya when she had tried to kill herself and he had Turned her, stealing her from Elyen’s arms in a mad effort to save her filled his mind.
The last image to blaze across his mind was the look on her face the final time they’d made love. An image of troubled serenity that had haunted his Gangrel self until the memories had been pushed away. She had been murdered, stolen away… never to return.
Or so Galain had thought. How could he have forgotten? Why had she forgotten? Why did the memories return now? His body rocked, oblivious to the outside. The only thing that remained constant was his contact with the hatchling. Perhaps it was his link to the light that flickered in the darkness of returning memory. Gods, he had sworn to love her forever, to be there when she needed him no matter what happened to himself or her. He’d failed horribly. And so went the thoughts that roiled wildly through his mind. The ghostly prickle of a tattoo that was no longer there tickled his right arm, pushing him further into the darkest recesses of his mind.
A portal opened just behind Marion, a harried changeling stepping out and taking in the scene with a worried eye. "I take it Elyen is late," he observed to Marion at whose feet Galain was crouched. "We didn't foresee this," he muttered, "That Goddess forsaken Stone.. and the WhiteWitch is gone." He looked about ready to tear his hair out, his gaze flickering from Galain to An'Thaya and back again. "This was never supposed to happen."
Crossing the room he took hold of An'Thaya, the Amazon still in hysterics nearly knocked him flat, but he managed to hold onto her. "An'Thaya," he gave her a sharp slap across the face, "An'Thaya! The child! Get a hold on yourself!" Breathing rapidly she stopped, emerald green eyes fixed on his, all the pain in the world trapped in her gaze. "I'm sorry An'Thaya." He shifted to look at Galain, the torment the elf was going through apparent in the set of his shoulders.
"You will rest now until Elyen arrives," he said softly to the Amazon, he touched her eyelids, leaving a trace of gold as she collapsed into his arms in sleep. Laying her back on the bed he turned to Galain. This one would not be helped by sleep... he knelt in front of the Elf, his hand on Galain's shoulder. "Its time to heal Galain, the welfare of your child is at stake."
Galain shuddered when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He was thoroughly gripped in memories that had been so carefully sorted and then buried.
“It’s time to heal, Galain, the welfare of your child is at stake.”
The words stabbed into his mind like a hot dagger and his eyes blinked open, focusing on golden eyes that gazed back at him.
“What?” He choked out, the hatchling was calm for the moment and he tilted his head, trying to understand what he was hearing. Everything felt off-kilter and he stared blankly at Chezlar, only now realizing it was Marion who was here as well. He felt like something that had been carefully sealed off had been blown open in his soul, a severed link that bled pain throughout him.
“What child?” He shut his eyes, still trying to combat the grief that gripped him. For it was grief that he was feeling when last he recalled his Amazon bondmate.
Marion looked from Amazon to Elen and back again. "That one, I'd suppose," she said, simply making a conclusion based on observation. She rose to her feet and tied her hair back with a piece of twine from her pocket. "But what do we do now?" She had to admit there was nothing coming to her mind.
The ever-logical Marion answered Galain's question for Chez, he could always rely on the thief to look at a bad situation with a cool head. "Put two and two together Galain, how else would the child be Dragon?" The Changeling drew a pained breath, he was never comfortable interfering in the affairs of his friends. The Fates sent him where he was needed however, and he went without question. "An'Thaya was never supposed to know," he hoped the Elf was listening, it was hard to tell how much Galain was absorbing at this point. "She will have to tell you why on her own, but she wasn't left with many choices."
He paused, hoping the Elen Prince would say something, but he didn't. "Regardless, I know you are confused, the memories were placed in you subconscious for good reason. Both of you might have gone through your lives and never realized you were missing something if it hadn't been for that Stone." Elyen was taking far too long to get here, he wondered what was taking the stripe haired elf so long. His presence would be a balm to both An'Thaya and Galain. Looking up at Marion he shrugged his shoulders, he could do no more, he could only try to clarify things and hope for the best.
He became confused again, not sure if he could reason through things here. Two and two? All he could understand was that he had been her bondmate, he wasn’t now and yet somehow her child was dragon, just as he was. Which meant at least one thing. He was her child’s father. Of course, he could be “a” father too, but that didn’t enter his stunned mind at the moment. He stared hard at Chezlar.
“What are we to do now?” He whispered hoarsely.
"We carry on." Elyen answered from behind, finally emerging from the shadows that enshrouded the place. The elf looked like hell. Unlike his portal-using friends, the poor sod actually had to walk. The last time he touched magic, there had been too much to lose.
The elf went and knelt beside his bonded, frowning at the discordance in the bond. Pain, confusion, guilt, ... and anger? warred.
"I want to take her to some place where she can lie down for a bit. This place..." He shook his head. Revelations could only come at such inopportune times. He didn't really care for the main quest at a moment like this. An'Thaya needed the reprieve. She is his first priority, and always will be.
An'Thaya awoke, her eyes flickering open to find Elyen gazing down on her. "Its alright," she reached out and touched his cheek gently, whatever Chez had done it had calmed her considerably. "I am stronger than you think Melda," she smiled, "I can't run away from the past anymore, it can't be changed, it can't be forgotten... it simply is." Shifting to the side of the bed she wrapped her arms around him, his presence gave her strength, reminded her of what he had been through to preserve her sanity, to keep her alive.
With her altered sight she could see his aura, a blue tinged white cloud that clung softly to his form. "You are my strength," she whispered, "I love you." Sitting up she gazed across the room at Galain, the stricken look on his face tugged at her heartstrings. With Elyen's help she stood, making her way over to where the Elen Prince still crouched on the floor. She touched his shoulder, "Galain... what happened was not your fault, the darkness claimed us both... and we have paid for it, each in our own way."
The corner of Marion's mouth rose ever so slightly in a smile when Elyen said that. She had no idea to where they'd been "carrying" in the first place. By Hermes I hate walking in on these things en media res. The thief stepped back and stood beside Chezlar. She said nothing, simply waiting for someone to lead off.
Carry on. Galain didn’t feel at all like carrying on. He had the incredible urge to simply curl up and wish himself dead – well and truly dead this time. He’d cut another bond once and it had been living hell to live without that close connection. He was feeling it again and he flinched when An’Thaya touched his shoulder.
He stared at her. How could she be so forgiving? He’d paved the way for her ultimate destruction, he’d hurt both she and Elyen, done things to the both of them that had him cringing in shame. He dropped his eyes.
“Perhaps.” It was all he could say. All he knew was that his love hadn’t been enough. If he understood rightly, it was Elyen who stayed by her side all the way and it was Elyen who had risked everything he was to bring her back. Galain pulled away, shame again filling him.
“You shouldn’t be moving much. You’ve got things sticking out of your back.” The high elf was withdrawing his mind, unable to deal with endless cycle of memories that chased through his head.
They were losing the elf to his own guilt; he couldn't make peace with what he had done. Chez was at a loss, how could any of them show Galain that he had not been himself, the power of Rauldac was all consuming, and there was no fighting it. The Gangrelf had been an entirely different person, not Galain Alcarin of the Elen at all. He was amazed that An'Thaya was so calm, but then, she had died and agreed to the loss of memory, she had dealt with her grief then. The White Witch had her own reasons for what she had done... though Chez would never understand them. His golden eyes found the every shifting colors of Marion's, his gaze helpless, the Elf would have to find his own way to the light this time...
An'Thaya gazed blankly at Galain, "They are called wings," she murmured, the comment coming from some sarcastic part of her brain that was still working properly. The rest of her mind was busily sorting through memories, trying desperately to understand what had happened, what was happening. She had died... once... twice... lost a love that had meant everything to her. Yet she was calm... she touched her eyelids, gazing numbly at the gold dust that stained her fingers. "What did you do," she asked Chez quietly.
Her attention returned to Galain, it suddenly struck her that she did not feel his pain... a feeling of loss swept over her. For centuries this elf had been the love of her life, they had laughed, loved; she had felt his joy and pain. All this she had given up to live again... every moment, sweet or not, forgotten. A tear wound its way down her cheek, she would never again call him Sy’Rish, or feel the warmth of his touch. "Galain," her voice caught even on the sound of his name... the pain was setting in now, Chezlar's magic wearing thin.
Something shuffled nearby and Marion's head snapped in the direction of the sound. Marion pushed Chezlar aside and bounded towards the door, lashing out with her whip towards a doppelganger Paladin.
"Don't mind me in the least," she said, thrusting her dagger into the doppelganger’s gut. "I'll just be out here if you need me." The thief stepped through the open door and threatened off any potentially troublesome Paladin-copies.
Her utterance of his name and that single tear jolted Galain out of himself. He was causing her pain yet again and he didn’t want that. He stared at her, truly looking at her. He touched the tear, remembering one of his own that she had used to wear on her person. It was gone now, the gods knew where and that was probably for the best. He kissed the moisture he’d gathered on his hand, not daring to touch the Amazon further. Then he slowly rose to his feet, helping her up as well before he took a deep breath. He was by no means better, but he would, as Elyen put it, carry on. Gods... not to mention a baby. His mind skipped over the confusion over its parentage for the moment. He desperately needed to focus elsewhere.
“Later,” he said. A smile flitted across his face, missing his eyes. It would be a long, long while before light returned to his spirit. Somehow he knew that the bond would never be renewed – that final sacrifices had been made. A look Elyen’s way was simply enough to tell Galain that the Amazon was with the right man anyway. Part of him clung to that solace – that in the end, two souls were indeed one here and An’Thaya would always have the steady and abiding love of Elyen.
He took another shaky breath.
“Right, wings. And where did Marion just go? I don’t remember leaving this castle in such a shambles” The smile ghosted across his face again.
An'Thaya gave Galain a half smile, funny how heartbreaking it was to do what everyone else wants. It’s easy to justify a loss with the fact that it is the best for someone else, but it doesn't change the pain, it doesn't even lessen it. The urge to scream was welling up again, but she squashed it. Galain was looking at her, Elyen was looking at her, and Chez's knowing eyes looked right through her. "She went out in the hall," she provided in a low tone, "There are more Paladin copies out there." The wings on her back shimmered, then faded back into her shoulder blades... apparently the effect had only been temporary, she hoped.
Each second was oddly stretched out, the pain of the empty place in her mind where he used to dwell... how had she not noticed it before? Her mind turned to the child... was it Galain’s? It had to be, yet Hezlar had said it was Elyen's child, it couldn't be both... could it? The circumstances surrounding the conception had been strange enough... Galain had blood bound her to him, she had died and become Gangrel, then died again. There was plenty of room for a genetic mishap in there... how do you explain to your child that he or she has more than one father?
The watching eyes became to much, she had lost Galain a long time ago, the minute Darian's sword had run him through he had stopped being hers. If she had stayed away... perhaps, but the pull of their bond had been to strong, she had become to involved in the darkness. Galain's reaction struck her as odd... as if it didn't bother him at all, only guilt seemed to be on his mind. Perhaps he had never truly loved her at all... her thoughts twisted and twined around the information, and she realized she was standing staring blankly into space.
With a small cry she broke down into tears, the spell Chez had cast crumbling completely as her emotions burst forth. She shook off Elyen's hands and shoved Galain to the ground when he got in her way; a warning look to Chezlar kept him at bay as she burst through the door. She didn't stop to look at Marion; she fled past the thief into the darkness. A portal opened before her and she stumbled through into the safety of the Jungle. Breaking out in a dead run she shoved everything out of her mind, slamming a barrier down on the link she shared with Elyen... she didn't want to be found right now.... she wanted to run.
Galain remained sitting on the ground. It was patently obvious that An’Thaya was no longer calm. He was desperately trying to keep it together and somehow she had misinterpreted that. As if she thought he didn’t care. Oh gods, they were due for a long talk it seemed. If she could ever be caught, that is. He remembered suddenly how the Amazon would retreat to her jungle when troubles became too overwhelming and somehow he knew that was where she’d headed. He covered his head with his hands before he looked up at the others.
“Now what?” It seemed like he was asking that question a lot lately
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