Welcome to Gaia! ::

Des stopped singing when he heard Cheeva trying to speak. He had a difficult time understanding her but when he focused on her body he realized with alarm that her magic seemed to emptying itself into her wounds. He wasn't sure what would happen when she ran out but most mages that he knew had their life force tied directly into their magic.

And then he faintly heard the words 'magic' and 'stop it.' If he stopped her magic, the healing would stop but if he didn't, he was afraid she would die.

He released her shoulder and gently placed one hand on her forehead. With the other, he drew a curved shape in the air above her, which glowed a fiery red. He would seal her magic for the time being. It was almost depleted but if a little remained, she should be fine. And they would find someone else to heal her and restore her body. Sudden fury raged in him when he thought about the people who'd brought them all here. Des was all for stopping evil and spreading the cause of good. And neutrality didn't really bother him so much but this--actions like this, he could not condone. This was evil, pure and simple.

He squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to harm any of his companions and then gently pushed the glowing symbol that hovered above Cheeva into her abdomen, effectively stopping any and all magic in her body. The seal would remain until he released it and that wouldn't be until he was sure it was entirely safe.

"Cheeva," he said softly, leaning over her. "I've just placed a seal on your magic. I don't know if it was the right thing to do." He took her good hand and squeezed it. "I'm sorry. For earlier. I'm going to do whatever I can to help you. I swear it."

"Don't try to talk," he said gently. He looked at Zen. "We have to get her to a healer. Now. We're not at all far from a town but it's still going to take several hours to walk there." He glanced at Basti. "Maybe you could go ahead of us? You should be able to get there far faster flying than we could hope to walking. If the healer could meet us along the road, it'll save a lot of time."

He glanced back at Toshi and Inutai. "Don't worry about tying that man up. If he or whoever is controlling him is capable of that level of magic, ropes aren't going to do any good anyway. Just keep an eye on him and warn us if he starts moving again."

**

Angela tried to pick herself up out of the dirt but her arms were hurting too much to support her weight. Damnit. She couldn't move at all.

**

Enrion opened his eyes and blinked up at the sky in confusion. He had the worst headache ever. "Uuugghhh," he groaned. "What happened?"

He wondered if the Grey Council allowed him to take time off for illness.

"East," Des said, pointing in the direction of the rising sun. "There's a shrine with healers in the town. Explain the injury so they send one with the right level of skill."

**

Angela managed to roll herself into a sitting position. She looked up at Basti as he prepared to take off. "B-be careful," she told him earnestly. "And thank you for before."

She drew her knees up and tried to keep the shivering to a minimum. She wasn't exactly feeling warm yet. But she was less cold. This was a good sign.

When Des told him to merely keep an eye out for the messenger to do something, Inutai nodded eagerly and did just that. Not only a few minutes later, the guy had woken up and was confused. The boy tensed slightly and backed into Toshi to feel safer. "Uh, uh, he's awake now! What should I do?"

Toshi sighed slightly and placed a hand on Inutai's shoulder, trying to reassure him. "If anyone should know what has happened, it would be you," he told the messenger simply. "Or do you not remember?"

((Since when is Cheeva obedient!?))

Several townspeople were on the outskirts of the town tending to communal crops when Basti alighted nearby. They stopped working and stared at the winged newcomer. One of the adults sent a boy inside the gate to retrieve the town leader.

A few moments later, a small group came out to greet Basti.

"Hello stranger," an elderly man said, stepping forward. "From what strange land do you come? And what do you want from us?"

Enrion sat up and eyed the two men staring at him. "Remember what?" he asked, confused. There seemed to be a bit of commotion on the other side of the fire, which was burning low. He had no idea what was going on over there. "What happened?" he asked again. "The last thing I remember is that cat woman demanding payment. Did I fall asleep after that?"

[[I take that as a challenge!]]

Cheeva gripped Des' hand a little tighter than necessary, snapping out of that depressing bout of sentimentality. He was giving her orders now? Just because he saved her life - so far - didn't give him the right to lord it over her.

Ignoring the pain she tried to talk. "Why you self-centered, priggish, arse! What, you put a stopper on my magic and you think you rule the universe? If I could move my limb, by hell I'd give you the thrashing you deserve!"

What came out, instead, was a bubbling trickle of blood that burned across her scorched skin. Cheeva coughed and gagged as her body twitched with the loss of magic.

"Dammit," she hissed amid a fresh flow of bloody bubbles.

"Apparently you hurt two of our companions. To what extent, I do not really know, but it is supposedly bad enough to make the others want to tie you up," Toshi told the messenger simply. "Do you really not remember harming these people?"

Inutai kept close to Toshi, holding onto his arm tightly.