The Dying Light

[Fire Of Zion]

They trekked through the forest, Reine holding onto his arm. She moved fairly quickly, pushing the pain out of her mind. Exhaustion was no excuse to endanger her life, or his. They were looking for shelter, for a safe place. Her place, the only place she ever felt comfortable and at ease, was home.

As they sped past the foliage around them, the images came. The images this time were not of the gruesome creatures, nor the bandits' remains, but the place that was. She saw the flames engulfing the meaning of happiness for her. There was no going back now.

Her father's voice echoed in her mind as she remembered the day she was caught in a tree, long ago. An innocent accident, she had simply climbed too high and saw how far down it was. That was enough for her to cry until he found her. I am here. Climb down. I will catch you. You are not alone...

She was alone this time.

 

[swordkitty]

It was so peaceful, Kitrys decided, and calm. She kind of liked it. From what scraps she could remember, she had been sparring with her brother and they had heard screams. After that, the images were rather...choppy. She did vaguely recollect her mother screaming at her to run, and several dark figures appearing. Her mother died, she knew, and she was quite sure she had seen fire. Did those people -- if they were people -- burn the town? Why? There was nothing of value there, so what were they looking for?

She tried to move and gasped at the sharp pains. Not pain, pains. Her arms stung all over and she could distantly see her ankle was swelling. Great. She sighed and relaxed, ignoring the slight burning sensation she felt in her back. She would likely die anyway, from lack of food or simple drowning, so why struggle? She closed her eyes.

 

[XoxOjo]

Xanja studied the water curiously, noting that Rhendolin refused to drink out of it. She dipped her hand in, and when she drew it out, it was completely red.
She looked up to wipe her hand on her cloak, and there, floating in front of her, was a girl. A very wounded girl at that. Xanja removed her cloak, and leapt into the water, having to dig her boots into the pebbly bottom so as to not be swept away by the current. She reached out and grasped the girl cloak, dragging her to the shore.
Xanja felt the girl's pulse, noticing it was quite weak.
Suddenly, the girl opened her eyes.

 

[LightofHeaven]

They moved quickly and cautiously through the trees. Twigs snapped beneath their feet, tall weeds brushed against their knees. The sound of the birds chirping overhead assured Haven that they were safe for the moment.

They had been walking for quite some time and Haven was beginning to wonder how much further they could go before nightfall. He hoped they would come upon a cabin, or maybe a town, and find shelter from the beasts. He couldn't afford to die, not yet. Not until he had found Tuan, or until he was sure the girl was safe.

But nothing was safe anymore. Haven was sure of it. He glanced around Reine, whom was still clutching his arm for support. She was breathing heavily and her eyes seemed to be unfocused. He wished he had water to give her, water she very much needed.

He slowed to a halt, and said reluctantly, "Let us rest here. Reine." he added.

 

[Fire Of Zion]

Quickly walking their unknown path was getting to her. Pushing herself became shoving... and shoving used up more energy. Reine's eyes were insistent on sliding closed, fighting her as much as she was fighting it. It came down to a compromise by keeping her eyes only half open. Her focus was going, and she could hear herself breathing in her ears. When the man glanced at her, she could feel his arm tense a little, as if he could tell she was teetering on dehydration.

Her hearing heightened as her vision blurred. The birds seemed to scream in her ears, while the twigs and leaves seemed to snap like bones. Still, she clung to the man, fearing to lose her grip, and fearing to pull him down with her, for she felt like she was heavy as an oak.

Reine heard him say her name and she looked up at him, seeing that he had stopped. She sighed and opened her mouth to say something, but only a small gasp escaped. She heard it. It sounded rich and flowing... liquefied life gliding nearby.

"Do you hear that?" she whispered and took off running toward the sound. The very sound of water gave her energy. Lustfully, she staggered forward on the side of this creek, falling on her knees and drinking in what was there, giving no thought of how much noise she made, nor if it was safe.

 

[LightofHeaven]

"Wait!" Haven said, running up to her. She seemed to be trying to drink from something, HBaven didn't know what. A puddle, a creek, maybe even a river. But there was no water where she knelt suckng the air through her mouth. She was having a mirage.

He grabbed her, lifting her from her feet. He carried her, continuing the way they had been headed. They couldn't rest now, he would just carry her. She felt light, fairly light. How long had she been away from home? Haven didn't know, but now that he thought of it he felt a wave of concern, of fear, wash over him. What if he'd taken her away from her home? What if he was kidnapping her? No, it couldn't be. She'd wanted to get away from that place. And from the looks of her, she had to have been far from home.

He sighed, feeling a little thirsty himself. He carried on, taking care not to get her head and feet caught on a tree. They had to find someplace soon.

 

[Fire Of Zion]

Shadows folded in around them, playing on the features of her glowering face. At first, Reine kicked and screamed, beating the man.

"Water! You horrible person, I'd rather surround myself with a thousand fell beings than the likes of you! Murderer. You're killing me..." she pleaded and begged, but he seemed to ignore her. "This is cruel! You do mean me harm, don't you? You saved me to torture me, to starve me to death!"

Finally, Reine gave up, feeling hopeless and despairing. The weight was becoming too much and there seemed like nothing more she could do. Reality was slipping, and, though she was almost unaware of the man, she wrapped her arms around his neck. Feeling lost, she pressed her face against his chest as she cried softly, until she fell silent and still. Every once in a while, she mumbled something, sometimes inaudible, other times just barely catchable.

"Inferno..."

"Darkness..."

"Leo..."

 

[LightofHeaven]

"Inferno . . . Darkness . . . Leo . . . "

Now what was sh e mumbling about?Who was Leo? What was the Inferno? Haven didn't care for the moment, he was too busy trying to find shelter. The sun was beginning to sink and with every minute that passed came a glint of panic. What if they never found shelter before nightfall? What if the dogs and the undead ghosts found them? Haven shook the thought from his head. He would not allow it!

As if his resolve rewarded him, Haven saw it! Ahead, there was a break in the trees marking the end of the forest. Or was it? He sped up.

At last, they broke from the trees. Havfen's eyes widened at what he saw. Before him, he beheld a town. It stood in ruins. Debris was everywhere, cabin roofs caved in, burnt wood and glass strewn about. It was a terrible sight. What had happened here? A battle, maybe?

Ahead of them, the sun was hidden behind a vast mountain and at it's base, lights were barely visible in the windows of cabins that still stood. Haven moved towards them, clutching Reine tightly in his arms. He stepped cautiously over the rubble, taking care not to fall and harm Reine.

Suddenly, whoosh! Something shot past his ear. He froze.

"Stay where you are!" yelled a voice ahead of them. Haven squinted in the growing darkness. He could barely make out the figure of a man standing several feet ahead.
"Lay down your - oh, by crap, what happened to you two?"

The man had drawn closer and seemed to have noticed their condition.

"We were - " Haven began.

'Save it. Now follow me." the man said, and beckoned for him to follow.

Haven hesitated. No choice. He walked after him. They walked through the ruined town and into a cabin. The cabin was lit by a fire that burned in a fireplace at one end of the room. On the other side there were a couple of old sofas, one of which the man led him to. He motioned for Haven to lay the girl upon it and then he walked into an adjoining room and returned with two glasses of water. He offered one to Haven and pressed the other to Reine's lips and forced it down her throat.

"Drink." he said turning to Haven.

Haven hesitated again and then slowly began to drink. The water went down smooth and cool. He gulped down the rest and looked at the man. He was scarred, but handsome and young, perhaps in his twenties. His blonde hair was long and tangled and his blue eyes looked back at Haven with a look of curiosity. In one hand, he carried a crossbow.

"Is she your relative?" the man asked, indicating Reine.

Haven shook his head. "No. I do not know her."

"So, tell me," he said, "What happened? Why are you and this girl covered in blood?"

"We were attacked," Haven answered.

"You were attacked? By the Fell Things?"

"The Fell Things?" Haven asked. "The undead beasts?"

"Yes, of course. Did you not know what they were called? The undead beasts are the Fell Things. The creatures that destroyed this town."

So it was the beasts, the Fell Things, that had destroyed this town. Haven could picture it, beasts ever ywhere, people fighting, people dying, fires burning. He wondered how this man and the others, if any, had survived. He wanted to ask, but he couldn't. It didn't sound right.

"What brings you here?" asked the man. When Haven looked at him quizzically, he added, "To the Keyes Settlement."

The Keyes Settlement? He'd heard of it before, but Haven couldn't remember when. "I . . . I seek someone."

"Who might it be, if i may ask?" asked the man, sounding suspicious.

Haven hesitated. Should he tell the man who he sought?Would he even know who Tuan was. It would be worth a try.

"Tuan." he said, reluctantly.

The man's reaction was unexpected. In a flash, Haven was staring at the steel point of a drawn bolt. He dared not reach for his bo, nor did he dare move. What was going on? He'd said Tuan's name and now the man was going to kill him. Why?

"You bloody spy of the Fell Things!" he roared. "You shall never find Tuan! DIE!"

 

[Fire Of Zion]

It was the strangest dream. There was a low brightness from the setting sun, perhaps behind a mountain. Reine was wandering, no, floating through a dead place in shadow of the mountain. Everywhere, there was death. The buildings were in ruins and she could smell there had been a fire, the smell of burning surrounding her and forcing itself through her nostrils. Ashes and death was all there was for this land of momentary, but horrific chaos. Was it her steps she heard stepping over glass and rubble that once was perhaps a settlement?

But then there was a voice, a strange voice, threatening and then demanding, but she couldn't understand him. He said to follow, and she floated behind him. The next thing she knew was she felt the warmth and glow of the inside of a home, and something was forced into her mouth, something liquid. She coughed at first, until she realized it was water. She then drank it in, absorbing it like a dry sponge.

There was low talking, but nothing Reine paid attention to. Now that she was somewhat rejuvenated from the water, no longer thirsting desperately, Reine sighed and snuggled into the sofa. It was soft and inviting, making her eager to rest. It had a nice, happy feeling, one that called her to breathe deeply and rest. You are home, it seemed to say.

"You bloody spy of the Fell things!" a man's voice roared, though different from the one who had saved her from the dark ones. "You shall never find Tuan! DIE!"

What's a... Tuan?

Frightened by the abrupt rage, Reine jumped, her eyes flying open. She found to her horror one man attacking the other, the man who had been with her earlier. Quickly as she could, she got to her feet, put a hand against the wall for support. She did not understand. What had happened? Did this man make it a habit to get into every fight he could? The feel of the wall stunned her. It felt like... home. She gasped and saw that the room's familiarity was not a dream or hallucination, but Leo's father's home. And his attacker... was... Rowan.

"Rowan?" she gasped, and ran to his side, hugging him tightly. Reine had pushed away his weapon, able to only because her shriek of his name made him stop. She cried out, "Oh, Rowan, I thought I'd never see you again. Or this place, for that matter. Please, tell me I'm not imagining this!"

 

[swordkitty]

She reached out and grasped the girl cloak, dragging her to the shore.
Xanja felt the girl's pulse, noticing it was quite weak.
Suddenly, the girl opened her eyes.

She blinked, confused. Where was she? SHe turned her head slowly to see someone. She squinted, trying to make out the blurry figure. 'I'm not dead', she mused, painfully reaching for her sword. Her entire body was sore, and she had no desire to move at the moment. SHe blinked up at the other person.

"Who are you?"

 

[LightofHeaven]

It was strange. Reine seemed to know this man. She had said his name, and she had run to him and flung her arms around him.

"Oh, Rowan, I thought I'd never see you again." she had said, "Or this place . . . "


Or this place? So the girl had been here before. Or was this her home? Haven backed up a few steps, watching them, still in shock at the man's reaction. He glanced toward the door, but he didn't dare run out without being sure of Reine's safety.

"You!" roared the man named Rowan, "Get your crap off me! you can't fool me!" He threw Reine off himself, directed the crossbow back at Haven, and drew from beneath his cloak, a long dagger. "Don't anybody move!"

 

[XoxOjo]

Xanja was suprised the girl was even alive, given her condition.

"Leave your sword be, I am no danger to you. It's probably best if you do not move much at all. My name is Xanja. I am traveling to try to find Tuan, though I don't know who or what he is. The Fell Things have ravaged my village and killed my best friend. But who are you and what caused these wounds?"

Xanja rummaged through her pack for some medical supplies. She found some bandages and some clean towels, which she got wet in the now-running-clear river.
"I'm not going to hurt you, just clean you up a bit"

She slowly began cleaning some of the blood and dirt off of the girl and patiently waited for a response.

 

[Fire Of Zion]

Reine was thrown away from him. She couldn't catch herself, so she fell to the floor. She pushed herself up a little and looked at him, the disbelief showing in her eyes. She didn't understand. Why was he doing this?

"Rowan, it's... it's Reine," she stuttered out, getting up again. With each sentence, she walked forward, disregarding the dagger. "You work with my father. And... Leo, your brother... I spent half my life in this home!"

Now Reine was standing an inch away from his dagger, her eyes pleading with him, but also daring him. He had to know her. Thought it felt like forever, it really had only been yesterday that they had last seen each other. Why was he doing this to them?

 

[K9Guardian]

Kaur finished the last stitch and wrapped a linen bandage around it. Gently she propped the leg up on some pillows before pulling a blanket over Dionys' body. "You'll be all right." It had taken a while to sew him back together, but she had managed.

"Why, thank you, Kaur. Of course I will, never you fear." The aged philosopher lay shirtless and freshly washed in Kaur's guest bed, propped up with still more pillows, one of her books open in his hands. "Your records on the various applications of certain herbs to medicine are brilliant. That one of the deadlest poisons found in the Reda Settlement area (that is, I believe, far to the south?) could be modified just so to produce an antidote for a variety of biological toxins is nothing short of magnificent! We must sit down and discuss this sometime. After I have finished your book, of course. Now, where was I? Oh, yes. We were elaborating upon the differences between true medicine and the black art of witchcraft. To continue -- "

Kaur listened with half an ear. How the man could read, let alone talk, with a needle sliding in and out of him mystified her. Dionys possessed many eccentricities, and not even his wife Artella seemed to understand him after all those years. Tuan understood, though. Tuan understood everyone.

"Excuse me," she said softly. "You must rest a while." Dionys murmured assent and fell silent, lost in the book. Kaur put away her sewing basket and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Tuan stood in front of the fireplace, a cup of tea in one hand. She had hoped to enter without disturbing him, so she could get a good look at him before he put up his guard, but he turned as soon as she stepped into what served as kitchen and sitting room. A grin played on his lips, carrying the faintest touch of mischief. "You finished piecing the idiot back together?"

"He'll be all right," she said. "He just needs rest." She went to the stove and checked the stew; it would be done soon. "Will you stay for dinner?"

"Nope. Got stuff to do." He started to take a sip of the tea, then lowered his hand. The cup was nearly full. "Now that the teach is patched up and snug, I'm going. You need anything?"

Kaur pretended to stir the stew while she watched him out of the corner of her eye. Tuan never offered to help anyone. She'd learned that much in the short time she'd lived with him, before he'd told her to move out. If Tuan thought you needed help, he helped you. Otherwise you learned to make do on your own. But here he had just asked if she needed anything. She saw a tightness around his eyes. Something was bothering him. How to get him to tell her?

"You look tired, Tuan. You should stay awhile."

"No, Kaur." He set down the tea and walked to the door. "I'll see you later."

"Actually," she said, thinking quickly. "I do need something."

Tuan paused at the door and looked back at her. He seemed to struggle a moment. "Okay, what?"

"Can you... bring in the firewood for me?"

He gave her a look and left with a reluctant "all right."

Kaur sighed. At least he would be back.

 

[LightofHeaven]

Haven watched, feeling his heart hammering in his chest as Reine stepped into range of the man's dagger. He felt like calling her back, like running to her and standing between her and the blade. But he couldn't move, not without letting the man's arm spring forward to pierce her with the deadly blade. He felt his fingers wrap around his bo, still tucked away in his belt. He began to slide it out, careful not to make his motions too noticeable.

"Reine . . . ?" Rowan finally said, still holding his weapons aloft, his voice seemed to quiver slightly as he said her name, his eyes studying her face. "How did -- what are you -- why --?"

 

[Fire Of Zion]

"I..." Reine started to say, but her voice faltered. How to explain to him everything that went on...

Really, she wasn't so sure herself as to how she escaped the darkness. Half the time, things were blurred and confusing. Not much could be called to memory. As she thought back over events, she could not truly find words, until she thought back completely to the beginning. Reine remembered Leo in his final moments. He had tried, he really had. But in the end he was overtaken. Through her crying out for him, he kept moving to get up... but he couldn't.

Reine swallowed against the lump in the back of her throat. Her eyes rose and she once more looked into Rowan's eyes. "The Bandits that attacked us... they were betrayed by the darkness they trusted. And then... he--" she glanced at the man behind her, "--came. That's all I... I... know for sure."

Her eyes dropped to the floor in shame for the disappointment she expected, especially if she had to tell him his only brother was dead because of her. She clasped her hands in front of her as she studied the floor. "I wish I could tell you more, Rowan. I'm... sor--" Her voice cracked.

 

[LightofHeaven]

Haven felt pity for Reine come over him. She seemed to be trying to tell the man something, something that apparently grieved her.

"No, Reine," said Rowan impatiently, "tell me what happened. Who is this man? Where's Leo? Is he alive? Did this man do this to you?" he asked, fixing Haven with a fierce look.

 

[Fire Of Zion]

"No!" Reine said quickly, putting up a hand to stop any violence Rowan would commit against the man. "This man saved my life. He is the reason I am here right now. No, the Inferno was using Fell beings to do their dirty work. That is why they were so powerful. When the Inferno took me, the darkness they trusted turned on them and devoured each one. Just when they started to attack me, this man came out of no where and somehow..."

Now she wasn't sure. Reine looked at the man, frowning a little as she spoke. "He fought them. The next thing I knew, I was running with him and... and now I'm here."

She looked over by the couch she had lain upon and saw the pitcher of water, eying it hungrily. Before she continued she took a long drink out of it. Wiping her mouth, she looked at Rowan sadly. "Leo..." The thought made the lump in the back of her throat return full-force so she almost choked. She coughed and took a deep breath before she whispered, "Leo's... not coming home."

Slowly, she set the pitcher on the floor and sank to the couch, hugging herself.

 

[LightofHeaven]

Pity gave way to sorrow. Sorrow for a man he didn't even know. Sorrow for Reine and Rowan. Sorrow that was mixed with grief for his wn teacher, the only man he'd been close to. Sialan, as close to a father as could be, was gone, and he wasn't coming back.

His legs felt weak, but Haven remained strong. His eyes going from Reine to Rowan, who seemed to shake slightly after hearing the news of his brother's death, and back to Reine, who sat hugging herself on the sofa. Tears streaking down her cheeks, washing away some of the dirt on her face. It was devastating to watch her mourn, but still Haven stayed rooted to the spot.

Slowly, Rowan lowered his weapons to his sides. He hung his head, and said quietly, his voice little less than a sad whisper, "Leo, my brother . . . rest in peace . . . "

 

[Fire Of Zion]

It grew silent around them, and when Rowan said a soft "rest in peace" for Leo, Reine had to purse her lips together to stifle her cry, though her eyes squeezed shut could not stop the tears from sliding down her cheeks. They remained still in respect for the dead.

But what of the man? She wondered what was going on in his mind, if it was awkward for him to be in such a private moment as the sharing of grief between two friends. She ran a finger under her eyes to wipe away the tears. For a long time, her puffy red eyes looked at the man curiously, wondering just who he was.

"What were you doing out there alone when you found me?" she asked him, reaching to drink some more water. Reine was grateful for it; she was slowly regaining her strength and her voice was nearly clear.